William Miller

“ And Ezekiel plainly tells you that you must observe his judgments and statutes and do them, in order to be grafted into the stick of Judah and Joseph united. Then let me entreat you to repent, believe on him who has come, in the time and manner your prophets have specified, and you will find rest to your souls. I am awfully afraid your veil will blind you, your Rabbis will deceive you. Our doctors and great men are flattering, and crying peace and safety when sudden destruction cometh. All, all, are combined to destroy the poor unbelieving Jew. ”

“ Without this birth, we cannot possibly be called the people of God, and are not entitled to an heirship with Jesus Christ: and if we are born from above, then we, whether Jew or Gentile, are not looking for a Jerusalem which is in bondage with her children, but one from above which is free; for here we have no continuing city, but we look for a city whose builder and maker is God. ”

“ Because we have not yet got the meaning of Judah, Joseph and Ephraim; these must be understood as allegorical; for no one believes a moment that this can mean Judah, Joseph, and Ephraim literally; for they have all been dead many thousand years, and must arise from the dead, and all their companions, in order to be united in one kingdom on the mountains of Israel. See verse 22: “And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all; and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all.” ”

“ And it remains as evident to the unbiassed mind, that the prophets allude to the gospel, and to a New Jerusalem, as it is that the sun ever shone. Why is it, say you, that our good, holy, and great men, of the present day, are, as you say, so blinded? Do you set yourself up to be above them? ”

“ I AM well aware, my brethren, that the views I have of this text will be called by many ultra-biblical, a vagary, or fanciful, at least; and many a man will turn away with disgust, curl the lip, and go to work in imagination, at least, to confute what they have not heard, and think they can destroy at a nod what may be built upon the immutable pillars of truth; so that truth may be cast down in the street, while tradition, bigotry, and falsehood are clasped to our hearts. ”

“ We think, then, we are safest, for we know our prophets to be true, and you own it. We know there can be but one kingdom, and that you give to us, and that kingdom will destroy all others and stand forever. Dan. ii. 44: ‘And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.’” Again, the subjects of this kingdom are to possess new hearts and be born of the Spirit. See Ezekiel xxxvi. ”

“ Of course, he was a fit type of the gospel church, who were not a people until Jesus came and took the stick of Joseph out of the hand of Ephraim, which then were not a people, and constituted a new covenant people, and made them sons and daughters of God. He then brake off all the dead branches from Judah's stick, and with the living branches under the old covenant, called in our text “the children of Israel his companions,” he called in the Gentiles, which were not a people. Like Ephraim, they were scattered over the whole earth, in all the kingdoms of the world ”

“ For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, (one stick,) whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free.” See Eph. ii. 14-16: “For he (Christ) is our peace, who hath made both (Jew and Gentile believers) one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us, (Jew and Gentile;) having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain (Jew and Gentile) one new man, (one stick,) so making peace;” that is, “Ephraim shall not envy Judah, nor Judah vex Ephraim.” In what manner are they made one? ”

“ But wisdom teaches us “to hear and then judge.” “Prove all things, and hold fast that which is good.” If men were to treat earthly things as bigots do religious subjects, reject every new thing, or new measure, because it is to them new, what would become of the improvements of the present day? ”

“ And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations. And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh.” You see when Jacob blessed the two sons of Joseph, he blessed Ephraim, the younger, above Manasseh, the elder: “he (Manasseh) also shall become a people, and he also shall be great ”