what is god and why should one subscribe, page-69

1. That there is one God, a personal, spiritual being, the Creator of all things,omnipotent, omniscient, and eternal; infinite in wisdom, holiness, justice, goodness, truth
and mercy; unchangeable and every-where present by his representative, the Holy Spirit.
Ps. 139:7.

2. That there is one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the eternal Father, the one by whom he created all things, and by whom they do consist; that he took on him the nature of the seed of Abraham for the redemption of our fallen race; that he dwelt among men, full of grace and truth, lived our example, died our sacrifice, was raised for our justification,ascended on high to be our only mediator in
the sanctuary in heaven, where through the merits of his shed blood, he secures the pardon and forgiveness of the sins of all those who persistently come to him; and as the closing portion of work as priest, before he takes his
throne as king, he will make the great atonement for the sins of all such, and their sins will then be blotted out (Acts 3:19) and born away from the sanctuary, as shown in theservice of the Levitical priesthood, which fore
shadowed and prefigured the ministry of our
Lord in heaven. See Lev. 16; Heb. 8:4, 5; 9:6, 7.

3. That the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament were given by inspiration of God, contain a full revelation of his will to man, and are the only infallible rule of faith and practice.

4. That baptism is an ordinance of the Christian church, to follow faith and repentance,
- an ordinance by which we commemorate the resurrection of Christ, as by this act we show our faith in his burial and resurrection, and through that, in the resurrection of all
the saints at the last day; and that no other mode more fitly represents these facts than that which the Scriptures prescribe, namely immersion. Rom. 6:3-5; Col. 2:l2.

5. That the new birth comprises the entire change necessary to fit us for the kingdom of God, and consists of two parts: First,a moral change wrought by conversion and a
Christian life (John 5:3) second, a physical change at the second coming of Christ,whereby, if dead, we are raised incorruptible,and if living, are changed to immortality in a
moment, in the twinkling of an eye. Luke 20, 36; 1 Cor. 15:51, 52.

6. That prophecy is a part of God’s revelation to man; that it is included in thatScripture which is profitable for instruction (2Tim. 3:16); that it is designed for us and
our children (Deut. 29:29); that so far from being enshrouded in impenetrable mystery, it is that which especially constitutes the word
of God a lamp to our feet and a light in our
path (Ps. 119:105; 2 Peter 1:19); that a blessing is pronounced upon those who study it
(Rev. 1:1-3); and that, consequently, it is to be understood by the people of God sufficiently to show them their position in the world’s history and the special duties
required at their hands.

7. That the world’s history from specified dates in the past, the rise and fall of empires,and the chronological succession of events down to the setting up of God’s everlasting kingdom, are outlined in numerous great chains of prophecy; and that these prophecies are now all fulfilled except the closing scenes.

8. That the doctrine of the world’s conversion and a temporal millennium is a fable of these last days, calculated to lull men into a state of carnal security, and cause them to be overtaken by the great day of the Lord as by a thief in the night (1 Thess. 5:3); that the
second coming of Christ is to precede, not follow, the millennium; for until the Lord appears, the papal power, with all its abominations, is to continue (2 Thess. 2, 8), the wheat and the tares grow together (Matt. 13:29, 30, 39), and evil men and seducers waxworse and worse, as the word of God declares. 2 Tim. 3:1, 13.

9 . That the sanctuary of the new covenant is the tabernacle of God in heaven, of which -9-Paul speaks in Heb. 8 and onward, and of which our Lord, as great high priest, is minister;that this sanctuary is the antitype of the Mosaic tabernacle and that the priestly work of
our Lord, connected therewith, is the antitype of the work of the Jewish priests of theformer dispensation (Heb. 8:1-5, etc.); that this, and not the earth, is the sanctuary to be cleansed at the end of the two thousand and three hundred days, what is termed its cleansing being in this case, as in the type, simply the entrance of the high priest into the most holy place, to finish the round of service connected therewith. by making atonement
and removing from the sanctuary the sins of believers (Acts 3:19)