XII. CHAP. blies; and from time to time, by such as were moved thereto, received mild and encouraging exhortations to hope and wait, with earnest expectation, for the day of their redemption, which was near at hand. Their cries and prayers were incessant to God for deliverance, beseeching that he would raise up instruments to lead them out of all sin: in this situation they continued about four months. 15. This was the state of the people in the spring of the year 1780, when, having heard a report by Talmage Bishop, a subject of the revival, and others, concerning a very strange people who lived in an obscure place, in the wilderness, North-West of the city of Albany, they appointed Calvin Harlow to go and make diligent search, who and what these people were, and report accordingly. 16. Calvin Harlow went, and returned, but neither the people nor himself being fully satisfied, he went again, in company with Joseph Meacham, Amos Hammond and Aaron Kibbee. The two former were preachers, of the Baptist order, to which belonged the greater part of the people in the revival. 17. These four persons returned, being now fully convinced, and established in their own minds, that what they had seen and heard was the work and truth of God. Whereupon the people at large were also encouraged to go and examine for themselves, as these had done, and each one to conduct in relation to those strange people and their testimony, as they thought proper. 18. Accordingly, during the latter part of the spring, and in the course of the ensuing summer and fall, great crouds, both of men and women, from different parts, resorted to the place, (then called Wiskeuna,) to see and hear, and judge for themselves. And it was found, beyond all doubt or contradiction, to every candid inquirer after truth, that God had verily raised himself up witnesses, and endowed them with all those gifts of the Holy Ghost that were given to the apostles and primitive church, in the day of Christ's first appearing. 19. The Eght and power, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, were so great, especially in the Mother, attended with the word of prophecy, in so marvellous CHAP. a manner, that every heart was searched, and every rein of them that heard, was tried. The loss of man was opened from its foundation; and the way of salvation by Christ, as a straight and narrow way, a way of self-denial and the cross, was opened by a testimony accompanied with the most convincing evidence. XII. 20. Many believed with all their hearts, and according to the requirement of God, manifested to them through the Mother, confessed their sins one by one, and showed their former deeds, and made restitution of all things wherein they had wronged any one in times past, and set out, once for all, to become a harmless, just and upright people. 21. Many who believed from the heart, and were obedient to the light and revelation of God, made known unto them through the witnesses, received the gifts of the Holy Ghost; such as tongues, and revelation, and visions, and prophecies, and many extraordinary gifts of healing. And all that were honest hearted, without exception, received, the internal power of salvation from all sin. 22. These were the gifts and evidences accompanying the testimony, at the first opening of the gospel in America. And from this small beginning at Niskeuna, (now Water-Vliet,) the work of God increased and spread to different parts in the state of Massachusetts, Connecticut, New-Hampshire, and the District of Maine. And the multitude of all who believed and were faithful, were filled with great joy and gladness; increased in faith, in power, and in wisdom; and being led by one Spirit, they became of one heart, and of one soul. 23. The opening of the testimony continued about four years successively; after which it was closed, and withdrawn from the world, and a work of pre*paration continued, among the believers, under the ministry of Elder James Whittaker, and others, for about 'hree years longer, by which they were prepared to come together, as a joint body, in gospel order. Mat. zii. 24. As the kingdom of heaven is compared to a 478 CHAP. net that was cast into the sea, which gathered of evXII. ery kind; so the testimony of the gospel was open 41. and free to all, without exception. It took souls as it found them, all in their sins, of various dispositions and intentions, some honest hearted, faithful and true to their own salvation, others insincere, rotten hearted and deceitful. 25. And as, when the net is full and brought to shore, there is a separation made between the good and bad, and the bad are cast away, and the good cleansed and gathered into vessels and saved; so in the internal and increasing work of the gospel, there was a constant separation between good and evil, sin and holiness; and while the evil was purged away, the good remained. Like the shaking of a fan, when the chaff is shaken out and carried away with the wind, and there remains only good wheat. In this Mat. i. the words of Christ were fulfilled, that he would gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity. 26. Every thing that hath life and growth, from a law in itself, hath its beginning from a seed planted in its proper season; so the word and testimony of Christ is the seed of God, by which the Church is begotten, conceived and brought forth; and as many as receive the word and testimony of Christ, and are thus begotten and conceived, in any opening of the testimony, are the seed of one distinct body, to be born in due season, in their proper order, as members of Christ. 27. The Church is compared to the human body, which hath a head and many members united therewith; or to a tree, which hath many branches united to the root: as every part of the tree is first formed under ground, and the body hath all its parts in the womb of her that is with child; so the Church is first formed out of sight, by the invisible operations of the word and testimony proceeding from an invisible parentage, the joint and corresponding influence of the two first-born in the new creation. And as there is a travailing and bringing forth, in the natural case; so there is also in the spiritual. 28. No individual member of the human body can XII. be born separate and distinct from the rest; therefore CHAP. it is not by uniting members that are separately born, at sundry times, that the human body is formed. Nor is the Church formed of such as are born again in this manner. But as the whole body is brought forth at one birth, and in order, with all its corresponding parts, perfect after its kind; so also is the birth of the Church. And this is effected in and by the joint power and influence of the two first-born, which is the word of their testimony. 29. By this the Church is jointly and invisibly begotten and conceived, and visibly brought forth, one body, perfect in its order, and in all its corresponding parts, as the offspring of God, coming forth from the invisible order of heaven-rooted, settled, and grounded in the divine nature-sound and unshaken in her faith-pure and examplary in her morals-unpolluted and unstained by the flesh-and separated and unspotted from the world and from all sin. And in the same manner must every individual be born again, who is ever born in and by the Church as the Mother. 30. Hence the work of regeneration and salvation, respects souls in a united capacity; for no individual can be regenerated nor saved in any other capacity than in a Church-relation, any more than a hand or foot can be born separate or distinct from the human body, and united to some other body after it is separately born. 31. If we walk in the light, as God is in the light, 1 Johns. we have fellowship one with another, and the blood or 5,7. life of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. And without this light and fellowship there can be no salvation. Therefore, the first work of the Spirit of preparation, in this day of Christ's second appearing, was to convince those who committed sin, that they were not born of God: for whosoever is born 1 John of God sinneth not. 32. And as many as were thus convinced, and were willing and desirous to confess and forsake their sins, and to find salvation from them, came inI to the testimony, confessed their sins, and set out to travel in the work of regeneration and redemption. 38. v. XIL CHAP. So that all who were faithful, gradually, and progressively, travelled out of an evil nature, by mortification and the cross of Christ; and became separate from the world, and in their spiritual relation, as much out of sight, as the seed of a plant under ground, or the infant in the womb. Gal v. 22, 23. 33. And after having gained a sufficient degree of deliverance from the nature of lust, covetousness, selfishness, and the various branches of an evil nature; and having that growth and maturity in the principles and fruits of the Spirit, which are love, peace, meekness, gentleness, long-suffering, faithfulness, goodness, temperance, benevolence and such like; they were then enabled, practically, to come forth in outward visible order, proceeding from the order of that which is invisible. 34. Accordingly, about the ninth month, September, in the year 1787, the Believers began to gather together with one consent; first at New-Lebanon, and shortly after in other places, for the purpose of supporting one joint union and interest in all things, spiritual and temporal, for the mutual benefit and comfort of each other, and for other pious and charitable uses, according to the light of God they had received, and their understanding of a Church in the true order of the gospel. 35. And it was revealed, and manifested to the Believers at large, that first, JOSEPH МЕЛCHAM, and afterwards LUCY WRIGHT, were raised up, prepared and appointed, by the gift and power of God, each in their own order, to take the first lead and spiritual concern in the order and government of the Church; and they were mutually acknowledged by all, as our beloved parents, standing in the visible order, and relation, of the first Father and Mother of our redemption, who are the invisible first pillars upon which the spiritual house of God is built. 30. These were first pillars in the spiritual building and visible order of the Church; Father and Mother, in spiritual relation, and first in relation to all others. And by these, with others as helps in the ministry, the Church was established, and set in that order and correspondent relation, under which |