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28 chapters
Preface.
Preface.
Our task is finished. It has not been a disagreeable, unpleasant one, but joyous. Many times our soul was blessed and lifted up as the Spirit set before our mind the wondrous beauty of Christianity. In our soul we experience a deep sense of gratitude to God for his aid and guidance in this work. Many were the prayers we offered unto him for the aid of the Holy Spirit in the prosecution of this work. He has heard and answered our prayer, and we are satisfied. Praises be unto God! We lay no claims
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The Gospel Day Seen In Prophecy.
The Gospel Day Seen In Prophecy.
Upon reading the account of man's creation in the first chapters of Genesis we conclude that he enjoyed perfect peace and happiness. From the beautiful description given there of the garden of Eden—man's abode—we understand that God was interested in his felicity. In the nature of created things he could retain this happiness only by obedience to the Creator's laws. By a subtle foe he was induced to transgress those laws and thus became acquainted with sin and sorrow. After the transgression he
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Chapter I. Christianity A Light.
Chapter I. Christianity A Light.
Jesus says of himself, “I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.” Rev. 22:16. Christ speaking to the church at Thyatira, says to those that overcome and keep his works unto the end, that he will give them the morning star. Rev. 2:28. He will give them the true light and glory of Christianity, or his own light and nature. All will do well to take heed to do his works “until the day dawn and the day star arise in their hearts.” In the natural world there is a lite
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Chapter II. The Holy Scriptures.
Chapter II. The Holy Scriptures.
To allow every man his own private interpretation of Scripture, or every religious society its interpretation is to admit of no certain, no fixed rules governing a Christian life. We can illustrate it better in this way. A certain rich man has a number of circulars printed. These circulars he distributes among the poor of a certain neighborhood. On these circulars he tells them that at the end of twelve months he will give one thousand dollars to each one complying with the conditions given belo
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Chapter III. Sin.
Chapter III. Sin.
3. Sin is reproachful. “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.” Prov. 14:34. We can not enable you to see that sin is a reproach in any better way than by placing two pictures before you. One picture is that of a community where all the citizens, old and young, love and fear God. They live together in peace and love; there are no quarrelings or contentions, envyings or unkindnesses among neighbors, neither in home life. There is no stealing, lying, cheating, sweari
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Chapter IV. Salvation.
Chapter IV. Salvation.
Salvation removes the awful sting of death and allows man to approach the last hour “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Cor. 6:2. The present dispensation, or gospel day, is the salvation age. It is the accepted time, or the time which God has accepted for the salvation of man. That there is another dispensation of time beyond this present Christian era in which man can be saved is Satan's falsehood to cause man to neglect salvation in this “accepted time,”
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Chapter V. The Way From Sin To Perfect Salvation.
Chapter V. The Way From Sin To Perfect Salvation.
When the Pharisees and Sadducees came to the baptism of John he said unto them, “Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance.” Mat. 3:8. There are fruits of repentance. The tree is known by its fruits. When man really repents of his sins, by his fruits or manner of life it will be made known. One of the fruits of repentance is sorrow. We might have said that repentance is sorrow, for “godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of; but the sorrow of the world worketh dea
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Chapter VI. Fruits And The Two Works.
Chapter VI. Fruits And The Two Works.
4. Charity vaunteth not itself. We can only love God at the sacrifice of all self-love. When man possesses the love of God there is no self-praise, nor seeking of honor; there is no setting self forward, but the lowliest seat is the most desirable. 5. Charity is not puffed up. There are no feelings of self-importance in the heart when the love of God is abounding. We love him so devotedly we desire him to receive all the praise. Should God make some use of you it will be natural to give him all
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Chapter VII. The Church Of God.
Chapter VII. The Church Of God.
The word church is a much misused word. It is commonly used at the present day when speaking of the edifices erected for the purpose of the assembling of the church to worship God. The quoting of a few texts will give us the Bible definition of this word. “Likewise greet the church that is in their house.” Rom. 16:5. This was the home of Priscilla and Aquila. This church was in their house. This house was not the church. The church was in their house. The command was to greet the church. This ce
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Chapter VIII. The Ordinances Of The New Testament.
Chapter VIII. The Ordinances Of The New Testament.
We will consider some ordinances and ceremonies which belong to the church of God as recorded in the New Testament so plainly that a wayfaring man though a fool need not err therein. “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.” John 1:6. In the thirty-third verse this same John declares that God sent him to baptize with water. Of the books written on this subject there is scarcely an end. The controversy is very great, and so often very ridiculous. Lexicographers have defined and analyz
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Chapter IX. Divine Healing.
Chapter IX. Divine Healing.
In the ninth chapter of Matthew is recorded the instance of the healing of the man sick of the palsy, and of a woman who had been diseased for twelve years, and of the raising to life of the daughter of a certain ruler; also the restoring of the sight of two blind men. Jesus saith unto them, “Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. And their eyes were opened.” “And Jesus went about all the ci
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Chapter X. The Soul.
Chapter X. The Soul.
In the fifth chapter of Mark's gospel there is recorded an instance of a woman who was diseased and suffered many things of many physicians in the outward man. She came to Jesus and touched his garment and she felt in her body she was healed of the plague. By the one text given above it is plainly to be seen that the outer man is the body. Many additional texts could be given but we consider it unnecessary, because all at once believe it. But why not as readily believe one text which calls the i
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Chapter XI. Spiritual Culture.
Chapter XI. Spiritual Culture.
The Bible tells us of heaven, the eternal, happy home of the righteous. It tells us of sin and how it deprives the soul the privilege of entering that bright mansion of everlasting rest. It tells of a Savior who saves from sin, and fits and prepares man to receive from God's hands great eternal rewards. It unfolds to us the beautiful character of God and encourages our souls to imitate his perfect example. It speaks of our Heavenly Father's loving providence, how that he is ever watching over us
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Chapter XII. The Course Of The World.
Chapter XII. The Course Of The World.
It is impossible for the heart's affections to be centered upon opposing natures. For instance, it is impossible for man to admire honesty and dishonesty; to love temperance and intemperance; to enjoy peace and strife. It is equally impossible for man to both love and possess sin and righteousness. “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye can not serve God and mammon.” Mat. 6:24. It is impossibl
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Chapter XIII. The Domestic Relation.
Chapter XIII. The Domestic Relation.
Another object in the divine mind for uniting male and female is for the purpose of procreation. “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply and replenish the earth.” Gen. 1:28. Alas! how few properly reverence and esteem the divine purpose. Marriages are too often contracted for the comforts of a home, or for affluence, or for elevation in society, or, worst of all, for the gratification of lustful desires. Of such too many murderously resort to the devices of art t
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Chapter XIV. Evil Habits And Injurious Indulgences.
Chapter XIV. Evil Habits And Injurious Indulgences.
“Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.” 1 Pet. 2:11. “This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye can not do the things that ye would.” Gal. 5:16, 17. “For if ye live after the flesh ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the
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Chapter XV. The Trinity.
Chapter XV. The Trinity.
Father is a title conferred upon the first person in the trinity. He is the Creator of all things. Much has been written in scholastic theology of God, but such is incongruous to this work. Since most men believe in the existence of God, the Creator and Father, our Scriptural quotations relating to him will be but few. He is love. 1 John 4:8. It was God the Father that so loved this world as to give his only begotten Son to die for us that we might live. John 3:16. He is eternal. “The eternal Go
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Chapter XVI. Miscellaneous Subjects.
Chapter XVI. Miscellaneous Subjects.
Thus we might swell the testimony that diakonos was the common term used in the New Testament signifying the ministerial office of minister, elder, preacher, etc. Therefore the evidences are in Phebe's favor that she was a minister or elder rather than a deaconess. If we consider Paul's commendation of her standing and the sending of his Roman epistle by her, as having some weight, this certainly favors the above conclusion. Propheteuo —to prophesy publicly, to expound, to preach, etc. There wer
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Chapter I. The Date Of The Beginning Of Noonday.
Chapter I. The Date Of The Beginning Of Noonday.
Such was the true condition of things in the year 311. Surely there had been a change, the kingdom of God had become the kingdom of the world, the glory was gone, strivings for worldly honor, fleshly gratification, and spiritual dominion had taken the place of “striving for the faith once delivered to the saints.” What a change from the humble, self-denying, flesh crucifying days of Christ and the apostles. Truly we can say sometime before this the morning light had dimmed and died, and darkness
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Chapter II. Scriptural Predictions Of An Apostasy.
Chapter II. Scriptural Predictions Of An Apostasy.
We feel like it would be justice to the reader to here explain how we can confess that Christ is come in the flesh, and how we can deny that he has so come. That this does not refer to his personal coming in the flesh, as a sacrifice for sin, is evident. But few but what confess that Christ was here in the flesh as recorded in the Gospels, yet many of them are not of God. Jesus says, “We will come unto him and make our abode with him.” “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God?” “For ye are the
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Chapter III. False Teachings Of The Apostasy.
Chapter III. False Teachings Of The Apostasy.
Does baptizing an infant prepare it for heaven? If so, give one text as proof. If an unbaptized infant dies, will it be damned? If so, give one text as proof. Does baptism make the child any more religiously inclined, and will it not go into sin the same as unbaptized children? Give one text showing what is effected by infant baptism. Thousands are having their children baptized, and they do not know the reason why any more than that it is a custom. Thus we behold the meaninglessness, looseness,
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Chapter I. The Apostasy In Two Days.
Chapter I. The Apostasy In Two Days.
After those two days there shall be a great revival caused by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. “Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the ear
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Chapter II. The Time Of The Evening.
Chapter II. The Time Of The Evening.
“The two witnesses [Word and Spirit] lie dead three days and a half [three and one-half centuries]. Rev. 11:7-9. The church dwells in a wilderness, which is neither dark nor light. Period 350 years. Time from 1530 to 1880.” — W. G. S. in Bible Readings , p. 69. “Time of reign of second beast, from the year 1530 to 1880, making 350 years.” — H. C. Wickersham in Holiness Bible Subjects , p. 178. This same author on page 244 in quoting Rev. 11:11 encloses in brackets the words: “At the end of three
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Mysterious Prophecies Revealed.
Mysterious Prophecies Revealed.
Angel is from the Greek anggelos , and means agent or messenger. “Heaven” does not refer to the glory world above, but to the work of God and heaven here upon earth. This angel is a messenger or servant in the work of the Lord. He has the everlasting gospel to preach to the people. The burden of his ministry is, “Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come.” The evening or time of the end is reached, the hour of God's judgment, the time of the bride's especial preparati
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The Second Coming Of Christ.
The Second Coming Of Christ.
When Jesus was taken up into heaven and a cloud had received him out of sight, two heavenly visitants appeared unto the men of Galilee and said, “This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” Acts 1:11. Jesus went up in a cloud and he is to come again in like manner as he went up. “And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.” Mark 13:26. No one knows the exact time of his comi
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The Last Day.
The Last Day.
This gospel day is the last day. There never will be another age of time. An age-to-come teacher is branded by the Word of God and the Holy Spirit, as a false teacher. We need no other age in which to prepare for eternity. This is the day of salvation. “Now is the accepted time.” Now is the day and this is the time for us to accept Christ, and to be accepted of him. The Word of God holds no promise to you of another day of salvation. How can man, unless he be wholly subverted, teach another age
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Conclusion Of Part Third.
Conclusion Of Part Third.
We have placed before the reader in the best manner we could, considering our limited time, the beautiful light and wonderful accomplishments of redeeming grace in the morning of this gospel day. In the apostolic period, we again repeat, the church was the light of the world. The Christians believed the whole Word of God. They taught the whole truth and no more. They lived a pure, holy life just as Jesus lived and just as the Bible declares that Christians must live. They were fully consecrated
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A Personal Experience.
A Personal Experience.
It is recorded in the Bible that God will not hear sinners. While this is true it has its modifications. Those who are in wilful and stubborn rebellion against God he will not hear, even though in a day of trouble and fear they should call upon him. But when in the more sober moments of life man's heart feels the influence of the Holy Spirit inclining his desires toward a better life, arousing the nobler aspirations of his soul, enkindling to a brighter flame the spark of humanity; when, though
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