The Ancient Banner

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Title: The Ancient Banner
Or, Brief Sketches of Persons and Scenes in the Early History of
Friends
Author: Anonymous
Release Date: October 6, 2006 [EBook #19482]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
0. START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE
ANCIENT BANNER ***
Produced by Jason Isbell, K.D. Thornton, and the Online
Distributed
Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
[Transcriber's Notes:
Corrections made:
canvass corrected to
canvas
buffetted corrected to buffeted
multipled corrected to
multiplied
Equiped corrected to Equipped
steadfastnesss corrected
to steadfastness]
THE
ANCIENT BANNER;

O R

Brief Sketches

OF PERSONS AND SCENES IN THE EARLY HISTORY
OF FRIENDS.
"THOU HAST GIVEN A BANNER TO THEM THAT FEARED
THEE,
THAT IT MAY BE DISPLAYED BECAUSE OF THE
TRUTH."
Psalm 60,--4.
PHILADELPHIA:
JOSEPH KITE & CO., PRINTERS,
No. 50 North Fourth Street.
1846.
THE
ANCIENT BANNER.
In boundless mercy, the Redeemer left,
The bosom of his Father, and
assumed
A servant's form, though he had reigned a king,
In realms
of glory, ere the worlds were made,
Or the creating words, "Let there
be light"
In heaven were uttered. But though veiled in flesh,
His
Deity and his Omnipotence,
Were manifest in miracles. Disease

Fled at his bidding, and the buried dead
Rose from the sepulchre,
reanimate,
At his command, or, on the passing bier
Sat upright,
when he touched it. But he came,
Not for this only, but to introduce

A glorious dispensation, in the place
Of types and shadows of the
Jewish code.
Upon the mount, and round Jerusalem,
He taught a
purer, and a holier law,--
His everlasting Gospel, which is yet
To
fill the earth with gladness; for all climes
Shall feel its influence, and
shall own its power.
He came to suffer, as a sacrifice
Acceptable to
God. The sins of all
Were laid upon Him, when in agony
He bowed
upon the cross. The temple's veil
Was rent asunder, and the mighty
rocks,
Trembled, as the incarnate Deity,
By his atoning blood,
opened that door,
Through which the soul, can have communion with

Its great Creator; and when purified,
From all defilements, find
acceptance too,
Where it can finally partake of all
The joys of His
salvation.
But the pure Church he planted,--the pure Church
Which
his apostles watered,--and for which,
The blood of countless martyrs

freely flowed,
In Roman Amphitheatres,--on racks,--
And in the
dungeon's gloom,--this blessed Church,
Which grew in suffering,
when it overspread
Surrounding nations, lost its purity.
Its truth was
hidden, and its light obscured
By gross corruption, and idolatry.
As
things of worship, it had images,
And even painted canvas was
adored.
It had a head and bishop, but this head
Was not the Saviour,
but the Pope of Rome.
Religion was a traffic. Men defiled,

Professed to pardon sin, and even sell,
The joys of heaven for
money,--and to raise
Souls out of darkness to eternal light,
For
paltry silver lavished upon them.
And thus thick darkness, overspread
the Church
As with a mantle.
At length the midnight of apostacy

Passed by, and in the horizon appeared,
Day dawning upon
Christendom. The light,
Grew stronger, as the Reformation spread.

For Luther, and Melancthon, could not be
Silenced by papal bulls,
nor by decrees
Of excommunication thundered forth
Out of the
Vatican. And yet the light,
Of Luther's reformation, never reached

Beyond the morning's dawn. The noontide blaze
Of Truth's
unclouded day, he never saw.
Yet after him, its rising sun displayed

More and more light upon the horizon.
Though thus enlightened,
the professing Church,
Was far from many of the precious truths
Of
the Redeemer's gospel; and as yet,
Owned not his Spirit's government
therein.
But now the time approached, when he