Seeing that marriage is a civil right of the world, and not a Christian institution, for professed Christians to marry or claim it as their province involves, among other things, the following absurd principles: In the first place, it reflects disgrace on the Gospel of Christ, and charges God with affording only a scanty and insufficient portion to its subjects, and alleging that the inheritance of God's people, by the Gospel, including the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come, is so unsatisfying that it can be made more perfect by the addition of fleshly pleasures, they therefore count it expedient for the completion of their happiness to add the pittance of pleasure which belongs to the world. Secondly. It is an attempt to rob the world of the pittance of inheritance which is allowed to them; as it is said: the fatness of the earth shall be thy portion-but not of heaven; and thus claim, ungenerously, an inheritance which is not theirs. Thirdly. It is an attempt to serve two masters, Christ and Adam, contrary to the express words of Christ: (for Christ and Adam are not one :) to serve Adam by doing his work, multiplying and replenishing the earth, or propagating the people of the world, while presuming to serve Christ, whom the world hates.

Now Christ is of the Father, and not of the world; for if he were of the world it would love him; and if his people were of the world it would love them; but, according to his own words, they are not of the world, even as he is not of the world; and therefore the world hates them. As really, therefore, and as correctly as Jesus Christ is not of the world, but of the Father, so really and correctly are his people, the children of God, not of the world, but of the Father, being born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. Jesus Christ is the first, the foundation on which others are built, the head of the body, to whom his people are joined in one body and one Spirit, and are therefore no more of their first father Adam, but have renounced him, and all relation to him, and are of God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

But the pressing, heavy objection with the advocates for Christians marrying comes in the following train: That those who maintain that marriage is inconsistent with the faith of Christ, by so doing exclude all who differ from them from the salvation of Christ, and thus condemn the whole world except themselves. Let this consequence be granted for a moment; does that prove the testimony false? or that those who bear it prohibit others from living according to their own

at the truth, we would remark that, according to some of the most eminent critics, the translation, Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, is found to be erroneous. The words, and commanding, are an unwarrantable supply, and only became necessary in consequence of the wrong translation of the Greek word Kwλuóvrwv, which is rendered forbidding; but which, literally, signifies binding, confining, or constraining; so that the original text, if rightly translated, would read in plain English, binding or constraining to marry, to abstain from meats, &c. Hence, the plain and obvious import of this text is, that those apostates from the true faith of Christ would bind, constrain or confine their adherents to the carnal marriage of the flesh, contrary to that life of virgin purity and spiritual union in Christ, which is the true meat of Christ and his followers; that meat which God has provided "for those who believe and know the truth."

EDS.

faith? or, was Noah in an error when "by faith being warned of God of things not seen as yet, he was moved with fear, and prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith?" Had the testimony of Noah been false, what injury could it have done the people? Those who had no faith at all in him no doubt made themselves easy. In like manner, the testimony of those who have the faith of Christ's second appearing, if not true, need not disturb any; because none are required to obey it contrary to their own faith. The great uneasiness, therefore, and vigorous opposition to the testimony must spring mainly from the evidence and conviction of its truth, especially in those who know what it is, and still oppose.

If Christianity must not be professed in that order or to that degree, that it will condemn the world, it cannot exist on the earth; for Christ is not of the world, and the world hates him, because he testifies to the world, that their works are evil; and if they have hated him, they will hate his followers also; for as he is not of the world, even so they are not of the world. And this is their testimony: "We know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness." (1 Jno. v. 19.) Christianity therefore and truth condemn the world; not men, by their own power or holiness, or by any thing which they can arrogate to themselves; but the faith and work of Christ which they possess, and the testimony of truth which they bear. And this condemnation is not for the injury of mankind; it is really necessary that men be condemned by the truth as it is in Jesus; for unless condemned by it, they will never seek nor obtain justification and life by faith and obedience to it. This condemnation, therefore, is not final to any, except those who make it so by disobedience; but perseverance in disobedience, during the accepted time and day of salvation, which none know how soon will end, as to them, must prove final condemnation. Once more:

It is alleged, that to testify that marriage, or living after the course of the world, is not living according to the example of Christ, implies forbidding to marry; because those who testify it maintain that they do it according to the mind of God, and by commission from him. Therefore, say the adversaries, these people forbid to marry by the authority of God. I have already opened this matter, and answered this objection. But why cannot people understand, that these people allege no commission from God, to require any to submit to their testimony, contrary to their own faith and consequent choice, always declaring it a matter of the most free choice with every one, whether to follow Christ or not? There is no arbitrary force nor compulsion in the Gospel ministry. Christ's people are a willing people in the day of his power. (Psa. cx. 3.) Probably no word in the Hebrew language could more amply express the uncompelled, fair and deliberate choice of a people, than that which is here translated willing. And though every one who makes choice of the Gospel is compelled, or rather constrained and engaged by motive, contrary to his fallen nature, his choice is in the event most free.

Yea, says the disputer; you say people may act their faith; but you maintain that out of the faith which you have, no man can be saved. What then? Must any people renounce their faith to please

others? "For why is my liberty judged of another man's conscience?" Or must the cross and self-denial of Christ be removed out of his Gospel, that it may be adapted to the lovers of pleasure ? Is the way of Christ too straight? or must it be widened to procure the carnal mind and the order of the flesh admittance into heaven? Is anything under the heavens more reasonable or just, than that every man should have his free choice, when the consequences on each hand are laid before him? Those who are offended with believers in Christ's second appearing, for renouncing the first Adam and his works, if they believe there is salvation for them in Adam, let them cleave to him. But as we believe that Christ, and none else, is the salvation of God to us, let us at least have the privilege of cleaving to him. It is our unshaken faith that in Adam, or any where one side of the faith of Christ, salvation is not known, and cannot be found.

I have looked, my spirit has inquired, is there no access to the children of the flesh, who dote on the perishing and polluted fancies of the earth, as if there were no better inheritance? But can that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, be convinced of the propriety, and subjected to the duty of obeying God? They are his children, and he is their father and governor. They have no room for God in all they do. But if the serpent cannot be convinced of the propriety, or subjected to the duty of obeying God, the wisdom of God is able to supplant him, and will do it; and the power of God in the Gospel is able to overthrow and dispossess him, and to redeem his subjects from his slavery into the glorious liberty of the sons of God, that they may inherit substance. And the work is begun which will effectually dethrone the old serpent, and bring those who willingly yield obedience to him now, and contemptuously neglect and spurn at salvation by the cross of Christ, to beg with remorse of heart and bitterness of spirit, for an interest and a privilege in the same Gospel which they now despise, and those who come not too late, to be humble, contrite and thankful when they are admitted.

Those who are determined on the pleasures of the flesh, at the risk of salvation, have their liberty to proceed accordingly; and those who are determined on salvation, at the expense of all, according to the doctrine of Christ, are not going to put themselves out of the way because of a testimony against the flesh or against Christians marrying. They have respect to the recompense of reward, and are not afraid of being losers by giving up all for Christ. They receive faith in God and in his promise: That no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

Those who know the way of God and keep it, are able to talk like the people of God; "We know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness;" [v T Tovnp, in the wicked one ;] "We are of God; he that knoweth God, heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the Spirit of truth and the Spirit of error." Those who cannot adopt such language, are their own witnesses, that they lack an unshaken confidence that they know the truth and keep it.

There is one Christ, therefore one way to the Father, one truth, one life, one faith, one body and one Spirit; to pretend, therefore, to

be in the way, and in the truth, and yet to believe that others are in the same way, who have a different faith, and consequently a different life, in matters of so great consequence as to cause a separation, is too absurd to find a residence with reasonable men. But as it remains true that the tree is known by its fruit, and that the true Gospel is best known by the fruits which it must unfailingly bring forth, whereever it is, let all those who would deal honestly with themselves, cease to contend about smaller matters, and no longer reject truth for fear of the cross, but lay hold of that Gospel which produces its proper fruits-purity, holiness, righteousness and peace.

CHAPTER X.

CHRIST'S PEOPLE NOT OF THIS WORld.

To bring this subject to a close, and to show, as in one compendious view, the discriminating line of separation between the Church of Christ and all other people, whether professors or not, the last characteristic which I shall here state, and the pre-eminent, in which all others are included, is this, That his people are not of this world. 46 They are not of the world even as I am not of the world."

It is generally granted, in loose terms, that the people, or Church of Christ, are not of the world; but few consider in what respect, and by what distinguishing mark or characteristic, it may be known that they are not of the world. The distinction is generally viewed, or contemplated, as being internal in the Spirit, and therefore invisible, so that the people of God cannot be known or distinguished by physical or merely natural men; as if an internal work would not be clearly manifested by its visible effects. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." As clear a line of distinction therefore as there is between Christ and the world, so clear is the same line of distinction between his Church and the world: for they do as he said; Deny themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow him in his footsteps where the world cannot go.

This discriminating line is so manifest that the world can see it, and discern the people of God from the world, and know that they are not of them nor of their order; that they have put off the old man with his deeds, and have forsaken the world for Christ's sake. No matter if the world call them devils, or impostors and deceivers, as they did their master, they know them, and can discover that they have gone away from them. They cannot always discover, in every case, who will follow Christ to the end; but they can observe the course which people must take, to come out of the world and follow Christ, or be his chosen. The world can see the Church of Christ distinctly enough to know that they are not of them, and to hate them for that only reason; because they are not of the world. Thus they

"If the world

If

ye were

hate his people as they hated him-without a cause. hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. of the world, the world would love his own; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you." (Jno. xv. 18, 19.)

Now it was not the man Jesus whom the world hated; "For he increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man." (Luke ii. 52.) But they hated the doctrine of the cross; so that when he showed the way of the cross, they hated him for that-they hated and reproached that God, even the Father who dwelt in him, as it is written: The reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me. Thus the world, or the spirit of the world, in all men, hates the cross of Christ, because it is not of the world, and requires those who would be saved to deny themselves, to walk not according to the flesh or works of the world, but according to the Spirit of God in Christ Jesus. In like manner, the world do not hate the men and women who follow Christ, abstractedly; but they hate the Spirit and cross of Christ: were it not for the cross, they could love them as well as other people; for take away the cross, and all men would be of the world. The followers of Christ would be esteemed courteous and comely in all things, were it not for the hated cross. But the spirit of the world can never be reconciled with the cross of Christ, therefore the men of the world can never have fellowship with the people of God.

The Church of God, therefore, have a living testimony, which is the word of God preached, and which draws a discriminating line of separation between them and the people of the world, so that not only they themselves can see it, but the world can see and feel the separation, and hate the Church of Christ. "I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." (Jno. xvii. 14.) The man, therefore, or the people of whatever name or denomination, however zealous or bold in the profession of Christianity, and however great degrees of power they may have experienced or witnessed, if they have not such a living testimony in word and works, as to let the world see and know by their preaching and their lives, that they are not of the world, but are called or chosen out of the world to follow Christ, they fall short of the mark of Christ's Church : in vain do men profess Christianity without possessing the substance.

But on what principle are the Church of Christ not of the world, as really so as he is not of the world? In the first place; because they have rejected the first Adam, the father of the world, with all his works, and have put on Christ, being all baptized by one Spirit into one body, of which Christ is the head. Seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, who is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him." "For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female; for ye are all one in Christ.” (Col. iii. 9, 10; Gal. iii. 27, 28.) In the next place: They who are baptized into Christ, or by the one Spirit into the one body, of which he is the head and they the members, are baptized into his death, and