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OUTLINES OF PROPHETIC TRUTH.

CHAPTER I.

THE FORMATION OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH
AT PENTECOST.

SECTION I.

Preliminary Dissertation; Recapitulatory and Introductory.

In my First Series of "Outlines of Prophetic Truth," which reaches from "Creation to Redemption;" after having, in the Preface to that Volume (as I have already stated in the Preface to this Volume), gone somewhat into the doctrine of the verbal Inspiration of the Scriptures, which lies at the root, and is the foundation, of the whole Subject of Prophetic enquiry; I opened out the subject by setting forth the purposes of Jehovah, as well as the Divine principles, on which He proceeds in the carrying out of the same; so far as they are revealed to us in the Divine Word: and I then proceeded to trace the history of the Adamic race, or the doings of the old creation of God, so far as they are recorded in Scripture, down to the actual laying of the "foundation""stone" of the new" creation of God in Christ Jesus:" for the details of which I must refer my readers to the volume itself.

In dealing with the principles and purposes of Jehovah, I pointed out that in the full revelation of Himself to His creatures, it seemed to be necessary for Jehovah to demonstrate to the whole Universe, in such a way that there could never again by possibility be any misapprehension or misconception of the truth, these essential verities.

1. That, inasmuch as God is "only wise," there can but be one infinitely holy, Divine, and all-perfect will, the will of God Himself: for to assert otherwise, would be to say, that God is not God, and that things might be ordered better than they are, or have been.

2. As a consequence, that the least conceivable departure from that will, has a necessary tendency, and unless God prevent, most assuredly will, as in the case of all who are not saved, issue in eternal Separation from His Presence, irremediable ruin, and black, eternal death.

3. That all creatures, as such, however exalted they may be, are wholly incapable of standing in, or of, themselves; much less of restoring themselves, after having fallen.

4. That "the flesh," or fallen nature of man, is utterly corrupt and depraved; and that no amount of light, knowledge, experience, longsuffering or mercy exercised towards it, on God's part, will in the least degree alter, amend, or improve it.

5. That nothing short of a new creation of God can meet man's lost and ruined state; and that all who are, or who ever will be, saved, are, or shall be, "created" anew "in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that" they "should walk in them."

6. That, therefore, no creature, however exalted, can stand finally before God, but as he is elected for Christ, or in Christ, and stands either upon, or in, Him-" the elect angels upon the "redeemed from among men," not only upon, but in, and one with, Him likewise.

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7. That such who are thus secured, are thereby secured to all eternity, and can never by possibility fall again; the redeemed themselves being moreover enclosed in God Himself" your life is hid with Christ in God."

In proceeding to open out this subject, after having briefly referred to the work of Christ for His people, and pointed out two of Satan's travesties of the truth, “Baby

1 Rom. xvi. 27; 1 Tim. i. 17; Jude 25. 4 Rev. xiv. 4.

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* Eph. ii. 10.

3 1 Tim. v. 21.

5 Col. iii. 3.

lonianism," or his caricature of the future kingdom of the Son, and "Jesuitism," or his caricature of "the Son of the Kingdom," or the work of the Holy Ghost in the heart of a saved sinner (which I have further unfolded in two Treatises, bearing these respective titles'); and after having noted that Satan's last and most fearful travesty, even the caricature of the King Himself, in the person of the Antichrist of the last days, has yet to be developed; I pointed out that there are five distinct, and very marked, periods of man's history, as given by God in His Word.

I. The first period begins with the creation of man, and ends with his fall from God; culminating in judgment upon himself, and upon all his posterity: but unfolding, likewise, at the close of it, the first revelation to man of a Saviour; and shewing the distinction between the two creations, as well as the two Covenants-the Covenant of works and the Covenant of grace.

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II. The second period commences with the fall of man, and ends with his apostacy from God; and his utter rejection of God's Covenant of grace by all, except the saved remnant. This period ends likewise in judgment—the judgment of the flood of waters; "whereby," Siv, the transgressors were swept away from off the face of the earth; while "the world," Kóσμos, " that then was, perished:" the "remnant, according to the election of grace," having been miraculously preserved to enter upon a new earth-" the earth," yn, "that now is "3-to form the nucleus of other peoples, destined to be still further tried.

III. The third period commences with the flood, and ends at the second coming of the Lord.

Under this period there are several sub-divisions, as for instance:

1. The calling of Abraham, and the consequent Separation of God's people Israel from all other nations on the face of the earth; in order (amongst other things) that man might be fully tried under the most favourable possible conditions1 Published by Morgan and Scott, and priced respectively 6d. and 1s.

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"What could have been done more to My vineyard, that I have not done in it? Wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?"

2. "The times of the Gentiles; " during which the governmental power of the world has, in consequence of Israel's failure, been committed by God to certain favoured Gentile nations: with a view, not only that man's incapacity to rule might be fully demonstrated; but also, as a more marked contrast between his rule, and the future "government" of Him, Who is the "Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace."3

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3. The formation of the Christian Church at Pentecost, and the gathering out of an "election of grace," both from amongst Jew and Gentile ; "where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all:"5 during which Israel, as a nation, is Lo Ammi, not God's people."

This period will likewise end in judgment, and that even of a more awful character than the one which preceded it because men will have sinned against greater light, and more manifested love and mercy. Nevertheless, although Israel, as a nation, (as I have fully shewn in the First Series of these "Outlines,") will have failed; and even the Christian Church, in its corporate capacity, will also have failed, (as I shall endeavour likewise fully to shew in this Series :) yet "grace," which now “reigns through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord," will prevail, on behalf of all the "saved" "remnants," both of this, as well as of the previous periods; all of whom will on the Lord's appearing," be either "raised from the dead," or "changed into His image," while yet alive; and will be "together caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and so will they ever be with the Lord."

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6 Hos. i. 8, 9; Rom. xi. 25, 28.

$ 1 John iii. 2; Phil. iii. 21; ii. 1; 1 Cor. xv. 23 ; Psa. 1. 5;

Col. iii. 4; 1 Thes. iv. 13-18; 2 Thes. i. 7; 1 Thes. iii. 13.

IV. The fourth period will embrace the Millennium—the thousand years' reign of Christ, and His saints over the world; the saints taking the place of the angels, who are now "sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation." During this period, Satan will be a prisoner "in the abyss ;" and therefore no longer able to deceive the nations;3 while the visible glory of Jehovah on Mount Zion,* and the appearance of the saints themselves from time to time in glory, will make this a Dispensation of sight rather than of faith. Nevertheless, at the close even of the Millennium, "the flesh" will still be seen to be unchanged: for as soon as Satan is again "loosed out of his prison," he once more prevails upon the nations to rebel against the Christ of God-thus proving that his malignant enmity against Him is unchanged, notwithstanding his thousand years' imprisonment :—while the nations themselves, in their last mad attempt to besiege "the camp of the saints" and "the beloved city," are swept away from off the face of the earth, by the devouring "fire," which will "come down from God out of heaven;" and "the earth" itself (as to its then state, &c.) "will be burned up; " to give place to "the new heavens and the new earth," wherein "Righteousness" is to "dwell." This will terminate man's trial upon the earth; and the history of the Adamic earth will then have come to its end.

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V. The fifth and last period will constitute the everlasting state, when God will "make all things new;" when all the saved out of all the previous periods, (the righteous dead during the Millennium, if any, having been previously raised,) will be finally and for ever blessed in "the new heavens," and "the new earth;" when "the tabernacle of God" will be "with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither

* Rev. xx. 4. 2 Heb. i. 14; Daniel vii. 22, 27; 1 Cor. vi. 2. 3 Rev xx. 1-3. + Isa. iv. 5. 5 John i. 51; Luke xx. 36. 6 Rev. xx. 7-9. 9 Rev. xxi. 5.

72 Peter iii. 10. 8 2 Peter iii. 13.

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