An Apology for Millennial Doctrine; In the Form in Which It Was Entertained by the Primitive Church (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1840. Excerpt: ... and in the name, of the Williams, the Philips, the Ferdinands, and the Miguels of this earth: only, say they, let there be such good agreement between the two parties, (Kings and Parliaments, and Magistrates being personally christian men, ) that the power of the state shall never be exercised to the detriment of the church, but rather for the protection of her members in the civil rights of conscience. The supposition of a case, and a statement of the different ways in which it would be dealt with according to the two systems, will more distinctly illustrate wherein we and our opponents disagree. Suppose that in millennial times a man were to contest the doctrine of the royalty of Christ, --according to the system of our opponents, he would be dealt with only as a heretic or infidel in the way of excommunication from the church, while his civil privileges remained entire; but according to our system, the church being invested with all power, being in fact the state, he would be dealt with as being guilty of treason, by being cut off from the midst of the people. Acts iii. 23. This is evidently carrying the matter much farther than even the most zealous advocates of ecclesiastical establishments are at the present day disposed to proceed. They stop short of this conclusion, in which their fundamental principle involves them, if consistently prosecuted to a termination. It is among my brethren, however, of the dissenting communion that the strongest objections will be made to our representations of the external power of the church; for I know that with some of them the very excellency of millennial glory is, that all state establishments of religion shall be prostrated in the dust, so as to rid the spiritual institution of all secular contamination. To such .