"And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness; God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels; preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, and received up into glory."
There we have all of it, and, taken together, it explains itself to every intelligent mind, and thus, properly comprehended, removes all mystery, and implies the necessary faith and plan of salvation.
FORESHADOWINGS.
The "signs of the times" are pregnant with coming and wonderful events. The rapid progress of mind, the developments through the sciences—which are now throwing flood-lights upon Divine revelations, and giving to the enlightened world a more comprehensive knowledge of the Great Jehovah, and of His wonderful works—are all potent with argument of the necessity that the effort for a UNITED CHURCH should speedily be made. A partial comprehension of these wonderful developments, without further aids, may tend to throw doubt and suspicion upon the minds of many, as to whether or not any of the Christian organizations have comprehended the true plan of salvation. Whilst a divided church, a divided ministry, and their opposite teachings can but tend to strengthen such doubts, bewilder the mind, and lead to Infidelity.
Now it rests with leading spirits and teachers of every Christian denomination—whether Protestant or Catholic—to say whether this advance shall be made in behalf of true religion: the Church of God, and the salvation of souls, or in the interest of Satan, the opposing enemy; whether this advance shall be true Christianity, or Infidelity; whether the upbuilding of the Kingdom of Christ, and hastening the time when He shall reign in the hearts of all; or, by indifference and default, permitting the upbuilding of Babylon, and the reseating of the "Scarlet Woman," and thus tenfold intensifying the great and final struggle.
There is a true philosophy in religion, and by instructing the mind to comprehend this, the final happy results will ensue.
We often hear ministers praying for the time to come "when the world shall be converted to God; when all shall know Him from the least unto the greatest." They claim the promise that such a time will come, and yet can but see that wickedness is gaining ground, and that within their church organizations they do not number one third of the population—even in what are denominated Christian countries, nor do they keep pace with the increase of population, and yet they seem contented with their "little flocks."
Ye ministers of the "Living God," if ye have come to "Mount Zion" by faith and prayer, and "holy living," we call upon you to unite your efforts in the spirit of brotherly love and Christian unity, and show to a "perishing world" that you are in earnest in your Master's cause, and that you desire the salvation of the whole human family, else He may say to you, "I will come quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place."
In regard to the theory we have advanced as to the location of Heaven, we leave you, and all, to examine the revelations of God through the lights of science; Nature around you, and with reason bearing upon the fact that God, the Great Jehovah, the Creator of all, though a Spirit, is not a myth; and that reality, law, order, and system universally prevail throughout all His works, and with these He governs His Universe.