The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1880-02-13
yne New Jer,ssaIenua /.

ant? ID The Pacific OF December 81
DIR. Jones, in his notes on the Sabbath
school lesson, Rev. xxi: 27, etc, main
tains that this picture of surprising
beauty the New Jerusalem is a
description of the church still in the
world and surrounded with enemies,
shall have been removed forever" This
7iew is certainly quite diverse from that
almost universally I.eli by the Church
! of God, whether represented by its min
istcrs, its commentators OF its laymen.
And should not be allowed TO pass un-
challenged and umexami;ed. Permit
me, then, ss one who is rot satisfied
with the view taken by D. Jones, 20
offer some objection to it
1st. II the New Jerusalem is not a
picture Of heaven, where else in all the
Bible can we find one? Collect them
all together from Genesis to Revelation,
znd they will not equal this firal closing
picture of the Bible, in bright and
glowing portrayal ct ''The Saints
Everlasting Rest" And if we discard
This, it will not he difficult to throw
overheard all tie TEST.
2d. Tie location Of this scene in the
Apocalyptic-panorama indicates strong
~ that it is the heavenly state. In that
panorama, as untolded by John, there
passes before rs Pagan Rome, Para:
Rome, the Mohammedan power, their
successive overthrow, fuIlowed 10y the
millennium in which Christianity Is
Triumphant for a thousand years; then
fearful apostacy III which an attempt
IS made By the wicked to extirpate
Christianity trc:n the face OF the earth.
Then falls tie fire from heaven, the
dead-all the dead-are raised the
judgment sets and tie books are opened.
aud they are judged, every man accord
Tng to his works, and al the wicked
doomed to tie second death. Here closes
bIOO<AIiOils di-I ttieiS LOtloAS Tue C}eatlGt9
of new heavens and rev earth, such as
Peter slludes to in % Pet: iii 13, in
which dwells righteousness alone: and
E3llowing this q city of surprising beauty
magnitude, cxaitatipn aid gIory-tlc
New Jerusalcin-into which no evil OF
anything which tlefileth glau ever enter;
and where the saints reign forever aud
ever. Here falls the curtain Here
ends, in graphic picture of Eden
restored, the book of Sod How else
should it end and where else should it
leave to ha reflections the reader of its
wondrous pages Aud if John, after
poTtraying the judgment and the crea-
tTon of rev heavens and earth, comes
back to the millennium and describes
the state of things there 10y tie New
Jerusalem, then the panorama doubles
upon itself, and violates the law OF
sequence in dramatic representation.
Sd. There are characteristic features I
Of life in the New Jerusa lem utterly ir !
reconcilable with the idea that it belongs
TO the Lnmau and probationary period. I
lst. Its absolute freedom frcn sin. |
''Thele shall in no wise enter into it !
any thing that defileth nor that worketh /
abomiiation or maketh lie" Tits, /
too, is indicatad by the Transparent: I
purity which belongs to the very pave. |
nent Of its streets, and everything else.
Stronger language expressive of entire /
ginlessness could not be. Such slhless- I
ness belongs not to earth, as any mans |
teetIfies. 1t belongs only to /
the heavenly state. Even in the mill
ennium there will be sin and defilelnent
in every house. True. the Gospel will /
then pcryade the whole earth, and be
generally accepted by men. But con-
versions will be gong OF as now, and
Iknow not that the world as whole
will 10 the millennium be farther alvauc
ed il piety than some towns and dis
tricts are now. Surely the absolute
moral purity Of the New Jerusalem is
tar beyond that OF earth in the millen-
uium. ID. The lofty exaltation of the
church in New Jerusalem is far above /
that OF earth, even in the millennium.
That city is 875 miles high !! Its in-
habItants have all that heart can wish.
'sThey hunger no more, neither thirst
any more, neither does the sun light on
them or any heat y They "reign as
kings with Christ forever and ever!'
Does that decribe an earthly state !?
Far from it. Here they serve, follow
ing ia The steps Of him 81 llo took upon
bin the form Of aserrant. . And even