Assorted Articles and Letters

By: Elder Don Ellis

Plus the Song "Her Glory is Departed"

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INDEX

Name

Thoughts on Hagar and Sarah

Rewards - Mathew 5:12

Knowledge of Old Test. Saints

Imagery

Self Taught

Born Again/New Covenant

Redemption of the Body

"Her Glory is Departed"

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Pages

2-4

5-7

8-10

11-12

13-15

16-18

19-24

25-26

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THOUGHTS ON HAGAR & SARAH

Paul uses these two women in an allegory. They represent the two covenants that God has given to an elect people, separated from other elect children. Hagar, the maidservant of Sarah, Abraham's wife, represented the old covenant. Hagar could have children when she chose. Sarah could only have the children that God gave her by promise. As Hagar is represented as Mount Sinai which is the law, Sarah represents having children only by grace. The churches of Galatia received the Spirit through grace. This is the Spirit of worship, in that you love God because he brought you to the place in experience where you felt you didn't need a law to be free from you guilt, but you needed a Saviour. It is not of work but by the grace of God. He provided you a Saviour who is Jesus Christ. You were able then to be free from your burden and to love this Saviour with all your heart.

Acts 8:37: Phillip has been instructed by the Spirit to go to this eunuch and minister to him. This is now likened to Sarah. Here is a man selected by God to become very interested in spiritual things. No doubt he is searching for a Saviour but doesn't know what to do. Phillip is guided to him and preaches Jesus to him. No doubt baptism is taught for he requests baptism.

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Phillip answers him, "If thou believest with all thine heart thou mayest." God is the one who condemeth and it is God who justifieth. This is the new covenant law written by God in the heart and when this person becomes dead to the law then he can love Jesus with all his heart. This is a person that can believe the doctrine of pure grace and can embrace the teachings of the true church. These are precious members in a church. We would love to have our houses filled with them but we must wait with hope because it is God 3who adds to the church such as should be saved. When we then lose this Spirit of worship and we seem to be losing our happiness and fellowship with God, we become desolate, barren and not able to bear the fruits of the Spirit. We feel something must be done. This is a dangerous time in our Christian walk. Our carnal mind will take over and begin to bring about a change in our lives. The allegory says that Abraham then took Hagar to bear children. We turn to the laws of God and begin to make ourselves perfect by the flesh. We must make ourselves do things that will please God. There is an adage that goes like this, "Instant God, just add zeal." Law ministers will teach that you must keep every law and do it with great eagerness and also cheerfulness. You must put on happiness because Christians are supposed to be happy. You must also try to save others. You must join a crusade against sinful things.

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You must show pubficly that you detest sin. In so doing, you will please God and he will bless you in this obedience. Also, you will expect these endeavors to attract other people to your cause.

In Isaiah 50: 11 , "Behold all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of my hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow." This is having children by Hagar or the law of works. Paul's remedy for this problem is found in Gal. 4:19. When we find that we have lost our peace with God, Gal 5:5 is the answer. We are foolish to lose this fellowship with God but we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. This Spirit that we began with is the mother of the true church but we must wait on God.

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REWARDS .. Mathew 5:12

In Mathew 4:23-25 Jesus is preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven and healing all manner of sickness and diseases, showing his kindness, compassion and power to his people that come to him for help. 5:1 "and seeing the multitude", of his born again children, he separated himself, went up intO' a mountain and began to help this people called his disciples who had a different problem than the other people. They were burdened with sin, mourning, had poorness of spirit, and hungering and thirsting for righteousness. Jesus explains that this is a good blessing, a happy condition, and one that they should treasure and not try to rid themselves of. They were to continue in this because they were his disciples or followers. They were to imitate and glorify his life. I feel they had the new covenant law written in their heart and mind and this brings about this type of suffering. With these things in our heart and mind, seeking relief, we try to follow Christ. We seem different to people around us and they will in different ways persecute us. Men will separate themselves from you; you don't have to withdraw from them. We can "rejoice and be exceedingly glad for great is your reward in heaven", the I1Kingdom of Heaven" here in our lives as we endeavor to be disciples. If this reward is in heaven above after our death, does

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not every one of the elect get the same through the gracious work of Christ? Luke 6: 19-20, "and he lifted up his eyes on his disciples and said blessed be ye poor for yours is the kingdom of God" or heaven. If the kingdom of God were ours here in our lives, would we not rejoice even if we felt to be poor? Luke 6:26 reads, "woe unto you when all men shall speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets. "

In 1 Pet 4:12-14, "If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye, for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified." If the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you, is this not an exceeding great reward even though you are evil spoken of? Acts 23: 11, if God said to the Apostle Paul , "be of good cheer" would he not be filled with the very goodness of God to even speak to him? It would make all his sufferings, persecutions, disappointments, and his pitiful condition seem as nothing. Also to be given the vote of confidence from God himself that as you have testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome. Could not a disciple be exceedingly glad and leap for joy at being given this charge from God himself? Was not God his great reward?

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In John 14:18 Jesus is going away and it has caused a sadness and confusion among his disciples. He is their comforter but they are to get another, so verse 18 reads "I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you." Jesus is truly our High Priest and stands at the right hand of God making intercession for the saints, but does he just wait up there until we arrive in heaven? Does God just sit up there or does he come among us in the Kingdom of Heaven? Verse 21 "He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him and I will manifest myself to him." That moment in our lives would be worth all the sufferings we will ever have in His service. We would literally leap for joy and be exceedingly glad for great is our reward in heaven. It would be the earnest of our inheritance here because we believe and trust in Jesus Christ. If this tremendous honor is just the earnest of our inheritance, what must it be to be there!

It is even a joy to write about these precious • scriptures. By experience, down through the years, I have found that they are so.

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What was the Knowledge of Old Testament Saints?

Hebrew 11 :39-40: We know that O.T. Saints received or obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise, God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. There was something lacking in their faith and knowledge and that which was lacking was the truth about Christ. They looked forward to a glorious day; they looked for a Messiah, a prophet. They knew God and knew of God but could not see the glory of Christ. Col. 1 :24-27 explains that here was a mystery that was being fulfilled that was hid from ages and generations but was made manifest. It was no longer signified or in obscure parables or figures but is not preached and witnessed by the Holy Ghost. Also it is manifest to people that are already saints. The glory of this mystery is that it is Christ in them the hope of glory. In Acts 17:23-30, Paul is preaching to Pagan children of God and people

. under Moses law, devout people and they were offering on an altar to the Unknown God. Paul declared unto them the truth of this unknown God whom they were ignorantly worshipping. Now, the gospel of Christ for them begins right here. All these devotions to God were by imagination. God winked (or overlooks) this until this time and now demands that the children of

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God repent. Proof that they were God's children was the qualification - "if haply you feel after him."

Romans 1 :8-11: Paul preaching to saints, called and beloved of God. Their faith.was spoken of throughout the whole world. Faith in what? I believe God is the object. Verse 8 explains that he was to impart to them some spiritual gift to the end that they may be established. They were to be established in aspects of the truth fulfilling the words of Paul in Romans 16:25, "Now to him that is of power to establish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret since the world began." 1 Peter 1: 1 0-13: "of which salvation the· prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you." This grace was the truth about Christ. His sufferings and why he suffered and what it accomplished. Verse 13 reads, "Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." Now in laboring with the churches of Galatia who had begun in the Spirit and had fallen from this grace and turned back to the law for righteousness and needed the gospel of Christ again to bring repentance unto life. They had lost their revelation of Christ, which is the

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grace in the gospel. Gal. 4: 19, "My little children of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you. " Oh how I would like to see this powerful work begin again in the true church.

Luke 4: 17-21: Here is an Old Testament scripture written in Isaiah 61 :2, which seems plain enough to us but was mystery to the Jews. It probably gave them a looking forward but was not easy to understand, because this experience did not begin until the new covenant law was written in our hearts and mind and we began to see that we don't need laws to save but we need a Saviour, a complete Saviour. Now that He was there in person, he could say, "This day is the scripture fulfilled in your hearing." To them these were gracious words proceeding out of his mouth.

Then they tried to kill him because he brought in the gentiles who were considered unclean and common. Mathew 13:15-17 denotes a beginning also.

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IMAGERY

The text I would like to comment on is Ezekiel 8:12 and the 8th chapter in general. In 8:12 we have the word imagery. There were ancient men in the dark using their imaginations. Now the whole story could be wrongfully taken that Ezekiel's using his imagination. I believe it is in parable form and a real truthful story of the great crimes that Israel had committed against God.

They were captive in Babylon and didn't really know why they were captive. The ancient prophets and Priests had used imaginary reasons and didn't speak the truth. As Ezekiel was confronted by the elders of Israel, God gave him a vision in a powerful Spirit for the purpose of seeing the temple and the things the ancients had been teaching Israel; things that the people loved to hear. It is like a Primitive Baptist Elder preaching doctrines of grace and crying "peace, peace" when there is no peace with God. They did this in the darkness of their mind and imagination. I think we have seen the same things. I talked on this chapter at an association a long time ago and the only comment I got was that I believed God drags people into the church by the lock of their hair.

Now these preachers have this excuse, "The Lord seeth us not and has forsaken us." There

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are greater abominations than this: women weeping for Tammuz. I pondered this for a long time. I learned that Tammuz was the god of love, like Eros, and that he had lost his lover and was very sad and alone. My good friend was my mother-in-law and as most of the women, watched soap operas. On this show there was a popular doctor that had an illness and had died. This made her very sad and she couldn't enjoy the show like she had. Later she was watching another show and low and behold there was that doctor as a different person. There she had grieved for his death and it was all imagination. This came to me as a vision that we can follow these things and grieve and have more emotions for these imaginary people than we have for our Saviour, Jesus Christ. We can worship false gods that are imaginary. When I preached this at the church I was trying to pastor, I became the "bad ole bear" that said it was a sin to have a television.

These visions of Ezekiel can be seen today in our churches and have caused the abomination of desolation.

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SELF TAUGHT

My call to preach came as an experience that revealed to me, by God's Spirit, that I was a great sinner as compared to a Holy God. If I was saved it was done by a Savior and only by His grace. This gave me a great desire to know more about this God and Savior. My desire to read the bible was all consuming and I spent endless hours reading. I was not going to church, just reading the bible. One evening I seemed to be at a loss to know what to read. As I had not read the mysterious book of revelation, I began reading. After Betty, my wife had gone to bed. I read all twenty-two chapters. When I finished I was so puzzled by what I had read. It seemed so impossible to know what it meant. I turned back to the first verses and the 1 st chapter 3rd verse seemed to speak to me, that I was blessed to read bit was not able to hear or keep them. It is called revelation. I realized I was to study and the meaning would come by revelation. As 0 was studying later in Acts 18­9& 10 these verses impressed me tat I was to speak what I was learning \, or preach to others about it.

I asked a lot of questions of the preachers but never seemed to get an answer that satisfied. As I read in Galatians 1-10& 12 it came to me

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that the true meaning of the scriptures is by the revelation of Christ. I came to learn that the Holy Ghost had these truths spoken by Holy men of old and that I This Holy Ghost or Spirit is still alive and very active. 2nd Peter 1-15-21. I have found that this bible is like a light in a dark place, which is my mind and heart. The day dawning and the daystar arising in our hearts are the revelations of Christ and the scriptures of the bible. I began to realize that this scripture was true and I could use it for understanding. This does not make me special , but I do feel many of God's children miss a great blessing by not using it. We want short cuts such as commentaries, tracts, articles of faith, ideas of men etc. I have been tempted to do this but was brought to realize the more I read of men that they are disagreed on the scriptures. I feel I was also taught by the Lord not to prepare what I was to say but to trust in God to just preach what I believe and to my amazement after many struggles and trials He gave me a sweet liberty of mind.

After about a year of trying, I was down in the mountains of Kentucky in front of a large crowd, I lost my self-need and I preached over an hour. First God taught me that I could not preach, then He taught me to trust in Him for preaching.

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I was ordained an Elder in 1955 and as far as I know never preached the same sermon twice. I have found preaching the bible is like dipping water out of the ocean. If I get lifted up with pride and believe too many compliments my liberty is taken away and I stand abased before large crowds.

Thanks for reading this. I perceive that you also know something about God. I believe you will understand what I am trying to say. Incidentally I am not very popular, but I am given to understand that this is to be expected. All the men who wrote the Bible were killed for what they preached, including our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

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Answers to Questions: Born Again and The New Covenant

If a person worships a false God, an image or idol, is he a child of God? This can be answered both ways. I suppose worship denotes that he bows down, performs rituals, chants and such like. Yes, it is very possible he is a child of God or born again. On the other hand, he could very well be one of the non-elect just caught up in the excitement of the moment and also be under a great amount of peer pressure from the ruling powers. Daniel and his three Jewish friends met such a peer pressure from the King of Babylon. He made a golden image 92 feet tall - very impressive to anyone elect or non-elect, even Primitive Baptist. Now the Jews in the Old Covenant were not the only ones born again.

Even Nebuchadnezzar worshipped God in the preceding chapter, Daniel 2:47, saying, "Of a truth it is that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of Kings, and a revealer of secret. " Now we should not say that because the Hebrew children did not worship this image, this would indicate they were children of God. Rather it denotes that they were loyal, faithful children of God. On the other hand, those that bowed down at the sound of music and worshipped was not evidence that they were the non-elect. We have born again brethren that are afraid to stand

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up against peer pressure and afraid what men might do to them.

John 12:42-43, "Never the less among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him lest they should be put out of the synagogue: For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God." This can be found in the majority of the born of God. This loyalty and courage is found among true disciples.

In Acts 17:22-30, this is an example of people who worship in ignorance false gods. Some worship or obey rituals, sacrifice their babies, do penance, dance and revel and such because they think this pleases this god. Verse 30 reads, "and the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent" (winked at means to overlook and not punish). This command went out to all that heard, both elect and non-elect they were all guilty of worshipping idols and gods many. The command could only be received by the born again in verse 27, "That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from everyone of us."

God has a people in every nation and people in tribes and in every annal of time. The born again could only worship that which they

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imagined. We get the Greek word Hades that is translated Hell meaning grave. Hades was the god of the underworld. They saw their loved ones die, and could only imagine where they went. God winked at this until the truth as it was in Christ Jesus. Paul preached the resurrection of Christ to those that felt after him and believed the gospel of Christ. Now we should not say that because some mocked that it was a sign that they were the non-elect. What a time it would be if every child of God would believe the gospel! Thanks be to God that we can believe according to the working of His might power.

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The Redemption of the Body

The redemption of the redeemed body or the adoption of the body into the Spiritual realm or family of God, called the resurrection of the elect children of God pertaining to the body.

The resurrection of the dead is such a great miracle that brings great imagination to the carnal mind, yet is by another grace miracle which is called faith that6 we can rejoice and even find rest to our souls in the resurrection of the body. In the beginning of the creation, God, who is a Spirit, spoke into existence the world and the seas. In Acts 26:8, Paul writes, "Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you that that God should raise the dead?" We seek to prove by the bible (which is our source of truth, and not imagination) through the example in Christ, that the bodies of the elect family of God, or rather them that sleep in Jesus are raised by God in the resurrection of the dead.

Romans 8:23 reads, "and not only they, but ourselves also which have the first Fruit of the Spirit. Even we ourselves groan within ourselves waiting for the adoption to wit the redemption of our bodies." In 1 Corinthians 6: 13, "now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord and the Lord for the body."

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In 1 st Corinthians 6:20, "for ye are bought with a price therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are Gods." The great price with which God bought with a price was through the suffering, the agony, pain, bearing the burden of our sins and to finish the price, Jesus died on Calvary's cross; he died and his blood was shed. Such a great price must imply that we are great sinners, but this price was paid for to claim our bodies in the resurrection of the dead. Jesus did not suffer and die for the Spirit by which we were quickened when we were dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2: 1). Paul writes in Colossians 1 :27 about this mystery that has been hid by God from ages and generations. This mystery was that the elect could be born of the Spirit of God and still worship Pagan gods. In the dispensation of the gospel, when the Gentiles might come into the kingdom of God, Paul revealed this mystery which was that Christ was in them, the hope of Glory. In Colossians 1:28, he now begins to perfect in knowledge of the truth and calls for their obedience to the faith and practice. In 1 CorinthOians 15:34, the Corinthians are doubting and trying to imagine the raising of the body from the dead and Paul's answer to them is, "awake to righteousness and sin not, for some have not the righteousness of God. I speak this to your shame. But some man will say, 'How are the dead raised up, and with what body do

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they come?'" Verse 36 reads, uThou fool , that which thou sowest is not quickened (or given life) except it die." Paul now is using natural things as examples. Verse 37, uand that which thou sowest thou sowest not that body that shall be." The spiritual side of this allegory of the sowing is the human body that dies and is to come forth by the power of God in the resurrection of the spiritual body like unto Christ's glorious body. The natural picture is the sowing of a grain of wheat. When the grain of wheat dies and germinates, it brings forth a new grain of wheat. It is not talking of bringing forth a new blade or stalk, but a bare or naked grain just like the one planted. Verse 44 reads, "it is sown a natural body it is raised a spiritual body." There is a natural body and there is a spiritual body. Verses 39-41 are explaining that as we are different people and all are of corruptible flesh, we shall all be raised in the power and· glory, yet being the same body or person. Paul • is not saying birds and beast are going to raise from the grave and be glorified. Let us not be fools and forget that Paul is writing about those that Christ died for or bought with a price. Also remember, that Christ is the first fruit of those that sleep (1 Corinthians 15). This is according to the law of the first fruit offering. The sheaves that were brought to the temple were a guarantee that the rest of the crop would be just the same as the first. Jesus is the first fruit of

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the dead that in the resurrection, the dead elect of God will be just like Him. It was predestinated in our eternal doctrine that we were to be fashioned like unto His glorious body that he might be the first born of many brethren. Now we should not imagine what happens to animals, pets, or the non-elect, but we should continue to give glory to Christ for his atonement and we do look upon electing grace as being right and give thanks and humble gratitude for his love for us. Why then should we imagine what happened to all the rest? Is it not a form of saying to God, "What doest thou?" These things belong to God. Let us be concerned about the promises of punishment in our own lives.

Ephesians 1:13 reveals a truth that when the covenant children of God believe and trust in Christ they are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession. The purchased possession is our body and not the Spirit that we were quickened with. This Spirit is not unbelieving or untrusting; it is our carnal being that is disobedient. The earnest of our inheritance is out portion of heaven's blessings themselves. Disobedience will not take away our heavenly home because Paul writes this is ours until the redemption of the purchased possession.

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This is the last comment concerning the raising of the body or redemption , which means to buy back or claim. Men in bible days were seeking to overthrow the faith of some, telling them that the resurrection was past. Men still seek the same thing and are enemies of the cross of Christ by seeking to take away the glory of Christ and to make light of his suffering. In 1 Thessalonians 4: 13, Paul writes, "but I would not have you ignorant brethren concerning them which are asleep or dead that you sorrow not even as others which have no hope." Remember the apostle and brethren in 1 Peter; they received a lively hope by the revelation of Christ's resurrection. Verse 14 reads "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also that sleep in Jesus will God bring with him." In this verse the word bring means to lead to a destination. Acts 8:32 translates the same word bring as "being led." In the resurrection, we are merely following Christ out of this grave. The Lord himself, or the power of the Godhead, shall descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of the archangel , and with the trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first and those that remain still alive will be changed also. We both shall rise and meet the Lord in the air and shall we ever be with the Lord.

SCRIPTURES FOR STUDY Mathew 27:58 - Jesus' body was gone

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John 2:21 - His body raised in three days and He became our temple Romans 8:23 1 Corinthians 6: 13, 20 1 Corinthians 15:12-13,15-19,23,29,32, 37-38,42,44, 49,51 Philippians 3:21 Ephesians 1: 14 Colossians 1 :22 2 Timothy 2:18-19 1 Peter 1:3, 19 1 Peter 3:21

Note: Strong's Concordance #1391 - Glorious ­Dignity, Favorable, Recognition, Manifestatian of which calls for praise or splendor

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Her Glory is Departed A Song From the Daily Book - Author Unknown

Well may thy servants mourn, my God, the churches' desolation:

The state of Zion calls aloud, for grief and lamentation

Once she was alive to thee and thousands were converted,

But now a sad reverse we see, her glory is departed.

Her pastors love to live at ease - they covet wealth and honor;

And while they seek such things as these, they bring reproach upon her.

Such worthless objects they pursue, warmly and undiverted;

The church they lead, and ruin , too - her glory is departed.

Her private members walk no more as Jesus Christ has taught them;

Riches and fashion they adore - with these the world has bought them,

The Christian name they still retain , absurdly and false-hearted ,

And while they in the church remain, her glory is departed.

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And has religion left the church, without a trace behind her?

Where shall I go? Where shall I search, that I once more may find her?

Adieu ye proud, ye light, ye gay, l ' l~seek the broken-hearted,

Who weep when they of Zion say, her glory is departed.

Some few, like good Elijah, stand, while thousands have revolted;

In earnest for the heavenly land, they never yet have halted.

With such religion doth remain, for they are not perverted;

0 , may they all through them regain the glory that's departed.

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