History of American Socialisms Part 50

XLIV. A Criticism of the Rev. Messrs. Bush and Barnes's allegation that the Apostles were mistaken in their expectations of the Second Coming within their own lifetime.

XLV. Date of the Apocalypse: showing that it was written before the destruction of Jerusalem.

XLVI. Scope of the Apocalypse: showing that it relates to the same course of events as those predicted in the 24th and 25th of Matthew.

XLVII. The Dispensation of the Fullness of Times: showing that, as the Second Advent with the first resurrection and judgment took place at the end of the times of the Jews, so there is to be a second resurrection and final judgment at the end of the "times of the Gentiles," or in the "dispensation of the fullness of times."

XLVIII. The Millennium: showing that the period designated by this term is past.

XLIX. The Two Witnesses.

L. The First Resurrection.

LI. A Criticism of Bush's Theory of the Resurrection.

LII. The Keys of Death and h.e.l.l.

LIII. Objections Answered. The two last chapters are a continuation of the controversy with Bush.

LIV. Criticism of Ballou's Theory of the Resurrection.

LV. Connection of Regeneration with the Resurrection: showing that regeneration or salvation from sin is the incipient stage of the resurrection.

LVI. The Second Advent to the Soul: showing that there was an intermediate coming of Christ in the Holy Spirit, between his first personal coming and his second.

LVII. The Throne of David: showing that Christ became king of heaven and earth _de jure_ and _de facto_ at the end of the Jewish dispensation.

LVIII. The Birthright of Israel: showing that the Jews are, by G.o.d's perpetual covenant, the royal nation.

LIX. The Sabbath.

LX. Baptism.

LXI. Marriage.

LXII. Apostolical Succession: a criticism of the Oxford tracts.

LXIII. Puritan Puseyism.

LXIV. Unity of the kingdom of G.o.d.

LXV. Peace Principles.

LXVI. The Primary Reform: showing that salvation from sin is the foundation needed by all other reforms.

LXVII. Leadings of the Spirit: showing that true inspiration does not make a man a fanatic or a puppet.

LXVIII. The Doctrine of Disunity: aimed against a theory that prevailed among Perfectionists, similar to Warren's Individual Sovereignty.

LXIX. Fiery Darts Quenched: showing that the failings and apostasies of Perfectionists are no argument against the doctrine of salvation from sin.

LXX. The Love of Life: showing that the anxiety about the body that is encouraged by doctors and hygienists, is the central l.u.s.t of the flesh.

LXXI. Abolition of Death: to come in this world, as the last result of Christ's victory over sin and the Devil.

LXXII. Condensation of Life: showing that the unity for which Christ prayed in John 17: 21-23, is to be the element of the good time coming, reconstructing all things and abolishing Death.

LXXIII. Princ.i.p.alities and Powers: referring all our experience to the invisible hosts that are contending over us.

LXXIV. Our Relations to the Primitive Church: showing that the original organization inst.i.tuted by Christ and the apostles, is accessible to us, and that our main business as reformers is, to open communication with that heavenly body.

_Social Theory._

[Leading propositions of _Bible Communism_ slightly condensed.]

CHAPTER I.--_Showing what is properly to be antic.i.p.ated concerning the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven and its inst.i.tutions on earth._

PROPOSITION 1.--The Bible predicts the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. Dan. 2: 44. Isa. 25: 6-9.

2.--The administration of the will of G.o.d in his kingdom on earth, will be the same as the administration of his will in heaven. Matt. 6: 10. Eph. 1: 10.

3.--In heaven G.o.d reigns over body, soul, and estate, without interference from human governments. Dan. 2: 44. 1 Cor. 15: 24, 25.

Isa. 26: 13, 14, and 33: 22.

4.--The inst.i.tutions of the Kingdom of Heaven are of such a nature, that the general disclosure of them in the apostolic age would have been inconsistent with the continuance of the inst.i.tutions of the world through the times of the Gentiles. They were not, therefore, brought out in detail on the surface of the Bible, but were disclosed verbally by Paul and others, to the interior part of the church. 1 Cor. 2: 6. 2 Cor. 12: 4. John 16: 12, 13. Heb. 9: 5.

CHAPTER II.--_Showing that Marriage is not an inst.i.tution of the Kingdom of Heaven, and must give place to Communism._

PROPOSITION 5.--In the Kingdom of Heaven, the inst.i.tution of marriage, which a.s.signs the exclusive possession of one woman to one man, does not exist. Matt. 22: 23-30.

6.--In the Kingdom of Heaven the intimate union of life and interest, which in the world is limited to pairs, extends through the whole body of believers; i.e. complex marriage takes the place of simple. John 17: 21. Christ prayed that all believers might be one, even as he and the Father are one. His unity with the Father is defined in the words, "All mine are thine, and all thine are mine." Ver. 10. This perfect community of interests, then, will be the condition of all, when his prayer is answered. The universal unity of the members of Christ, is described in the same terms that are used to describe marriage unity.

Compare 1 Cor. 12: 12-27, with Gen. 2: 24. See also 1 Cor. 6: 15-17, and Eph. 5: 30-32.

7.--The effects of the effusion of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, present a practical commentary on Christ's prayer for the unity of believers, and a sample of the tendency of heavenly influences, which fully confirm the foregoing proposition. "All that believed were together and had all things common; and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all, as every man had need."

"The mult.i.tude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul; neither said any of them that aught of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common." Acts 2: 44, 45, and 4: 32. Here is unity like that of the Father and the Son: "All mine thine, and all thine mine."

8.--Admitting that the Community principle of the day of Pentecost, in its actual operation at that time, extended only to material goods, yet we affirm that there is no intrinsic difference between property in persons and property in things; and that the same spirit which abolished exclusiveness in regard to money, would abolish, if circ.u.mstances allowed full scope to it, exclusiveness in regard to women and children. Paul expressly places property in women and property in goods in the same category, and speaks of them together, as ready to be abolished by the advent of the Kingdom of Heaven. "The time," says he, "is short; it remaineth that they that have wives be as though they had none; and they that buy as though they possessed not; for the fashion of this world pa.s.seth away." 1 Cor. 7: 29-31.

9.--The abolishment of appropriation is involved in the very nature of a true relation to Christ in the gospel. This we prove thus: The possessive feeling which expresses itself by the possessive p.r.o.noun _mine_, is the same in essence when it relates to persons, as when it relates to money or any other property. Amativeness and acquisitiveness are only different channels of one stream. They converge as we trace them to their source. Grammar will help us to ascertain their common center; for the possessive p.r.o.noun _mine_, is derived from the personal p.r.o.noun _I_; and so the possessive feeling, whether amative or acquisitive, flows from the personal feeling, that is, it is a branch of egotism. Now egotism is abolished by the gospel relation to Christ. The grand mystery of the gospel is vital union with Christ; the merging of self in his life; the extinguishment of the p.r.o.noun _I_ at the spiritual center. Thus Paul says, "I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me." The grand distinction between the Christian and the unbeliever, between heaven and the world, is, that in one reigns the We-spirit, and in the other the I-spirit. From _I_ comes _mine_, and from the I-spirit comes exclusive appropriation of money, women, etc. From _we_ comes _ours_, and from the We-spirit comes universal community of interests.

10.--The abolishment of exclusiveness is involved in the love-relation required between all believers by the express injunction of Christ and the apostles, and by the whole tenor of the New Testament. "The new commandment is, that we love one another," and that, not by pairs, as in the world, but _en ma.s.se_. We are required to love one another fervently. The fashion of the world forbids a man and woman who are otherwise appropriated, to love one another fervently. But if they obey Christ they must do this; and whoever would allow them to do this, and yet would forbid them (on any other ground than that of present expediency), to express their unity, would "strain at a gnat and swallow a camel;" for unity of hearts is as much more important than any external expression of it, as a camel is larger than a gnat.

11.--The abolishment of social restrictions is involved in the anti-legality of the gospel. It is incompatible with the state of perfected freedom toward which Paul's gospel of "grace without law"

leads, that man should be allowed and required to love in all directions, and yet be forbidden to express love except in one direction. In fact Paul says, with direct reference to s.e.xual intercourse--"All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient; all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any;" (1 Cor. 6: 12;) thus placing the restrictions which were necessary in the transition period on the basis, not of law, but of expediency and the demands of spiritual freedom, and leaving it fairly to be inferred that in the final state, when hostile surroundings and powers of bondage cease, all restrictions also will cease.

12.--The abolishment of the marriage system is involved in Paul's doctrine of the end of ordinances. Marriage is one of the "ordinances of the worldly sanctuary." This is proved by the fact that it has no place in the resurrection. Paul expressly limits it to life in the flesh. Rom. 7: 2, 3. The a.s.sumption, therefore, that believers are dead to the world by the death of Christ (which authorized the abolishment of Jewish ordinances), legitimately makes an end of marriage. Col. 2: 20.