1.7,8,9,10 Heb. 9.28 but unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation and so come Lord Jesus Amen A Definition of a true Soul-saving Faith according to the Rule of God's Word which the Lord requireth of us to interest us in himself is this FIrst that all those that come to God must believe that God is and that he is such as he hath declared himself to be in his Holy Word three Persons Father Son and Holy Spirit these Three to be but one God from everlasting to everlasting Isa 40.27,28 Isa 40.23,24 Jer. 23.24 1 Joh. 5.7 Psal 90.2 Rev. 1.8 Psal 90.2 Ps 41.13 John 10.38 of one Will one Mind one Power and one Glory and dwelleth in that light that no mortal Eye is able to approach unto and beyond the Apprehension of Man to comprehend the height of his glorious Excellency this is that God blessed for ever from all Eternity to all Eternity and he is a rewarder of all them that diligently seek him and that through the alone Merit and meritorious Satisfaction and Intercession of the Lord Christ Jesus Heb. 11.6 2 Cor. 5.18,19 Rev. 1.5 1 Pet. 1.18,19,20,21 Mark here what the Apostle saith It is he that diligently seeketh the Lord is promised the reward and he that confesseth and forsaketh his sins shall find mercy Heb. 11.6 Prov. 28.13 1 Joh. 3.3 Heb. 9.14 2 Cor. 5.17 this is the Faith which the Apostle saith purifieth the Conscience from dead Works to serve the living God for he that is in Christ must become a new Creature and walk as he himself walked as much as in us lies 1 Joh. 2.6 Mat. 7.17 Luk. 6.44 Gal. 5.6 2 Tim. 1.10 1 Joh. 4.18 for the Tree is known by its fruit saving Faith worketh by Love and draweth out our hearts and affections after the Lord in the apprehensions of his bringing us to life and immortality which removeth from us the slavish Fear and the Lord hath bidden us take hold of his strength for of our selves we are not able to overcome the Evil of sin the Snares of the World the Wiles of the Devil nor the Treachery of our own Hearts Isa 27.5 Joh. 15.5 Therefore the Lord hath invited all them that are weary and heavy laden to come unto him and he will give them rest Matt. 11.28 Isa 41.3 promising that he will not break the bruised reed nor quench the smoking flax therefore in and through Christ we have boldness to the throne of grace through that new and living way the Blood of the everlasting Covenant Heb. 4.16 Heb. 10.29 Heb. 12.24 Heb. 13.20 Col. 1.10 whereby the Lord hath made reconciliation in nailing our sins to his Cross and justifying us if we have an interest in him with his righteousness Isai 53.4.5.12 1 Pet. 3.18 2 Cor. 13.5 but be sure let us take the advice of St. Paul with us in that he bids us examine our selves and prove ourselves whether we have the fruits of the Spirit as love joy peace long-suffering temperance meekness gentleness brotherly-kindness charity being easie to be intreated full of mercy and good fruits doing to others as we would they should do unto us for he that is joyned unto the Lord is one Spirit and therefore whether you have given up your will to the will of God in sincerity to be guided thus by him and to order your course of life thus for him for it is the love and the heart God requireth and if he has that he will never leave us nor forsake us when we leave all this World it is our love will lanch with us into eternal happiness and bring us into the injoyment of that God beloved of us and there we shall be put into a capacity never to offend him and ever to sing Hallelujah to him Gal. 5.22.23 2 Pet. 1.5,6,7 Jam. 1.22,25,26,27 Jam. 3.17 Jam. 4.7,8 Mal. 7.12 1 Cor. 6.17 1 Cor. 19.20 1 Cor. 8.3 Mat. 10.37 Luk. 10.27 2 Cor. 4.14 Joh. 14.21 Joh. 12.26 Joh. 14.2 Rev. 14.13 Rev. 3.12 Rev. 22.7.12 A Covenant made with God MOst great and glorious Lord my God in all thy attributes infinitely above what I am able to apprehend or comprehend of thee who art glorious in holiness rich in grace transcendent in loving kindness and mercy although a severe judge to the incorrigible sinner but unto the repenting sinner that loves and fears thee Lord thou hast promised to shew thy salvation and therefore in the sence of my own unworthiness and misery I lay hold on the offer of thy mercy according as Lord thou hast tendred it in thy Gospel which is by faith and repentance love and new obedience and accordingly thereunto I here unfeignedly resign up to thee my whole heart with its will and affections my Lord and God to be guided and governed by thee begging Lord that thou wilt graciously accept me and make my heart thy habitation by the indwelling of thy Spirit in me so as I may be enabled by thee to love all that thy Majesty loveth and hate all that thou my Lord hatest and also desiring more strength of thee whereby I may be enabled by thee O my God to walk more suitably to thee in all things so putting my whole trust and confidence in thy mercy herein resting upon thy word that Lord thou wilt not forsake the Soul that puts her trust in thee therefore my God leave me not nor forsake me neither leave me so as to forsake thee the fountain and foundation of my eternal happiness but as I here in truth and sincerity do resign up my self my God to thee to be thy servant and spouse in the way of thy Gospel covenant let this Lord be registred in Heaven with thee so as I may be washed in thy Blood from all my filthiness and that I may be covered over with the garment of thy righteousness and here fully regenerated by thy Spirit so as I may find eternal acceptance with thee my God through thy beloved and that my interest in thee my Lord may be more and more clear'd up to me day by day so as I may be brought more into the knowledge of thy love which passeth knowledge and enabled by thee my Lord to live in the flames of love with thee who wilt be glorified in thy Saints and admired in those that do believe and O my God that thou wilt uphold me by the right hand of thy righteousness through this valley and shadow of tears and keep me in or from the hour of temptation and give me a part with thee in the first resurrection O my God be not angry with me for the largeness of this my request since thou hast bidden us open our mouths wide and thou wilt fill them therefore my Lord and God say Amen to these Petitions of thy Unworthy Servant Of a false Faith and Instructions as to the true one THere is a new found
ye be led by the Spirit ye are not under the Law That is not under the condemning power of the Law For such as be led by the Spirit yield their sincere obedience to the Moral Law Accordingly he saith Rom. 2.13 For not the hearers of the Law are just before God but the doers of the Law shall be justified And also 1 Cor. 7.19 Circumcision is nothing and Uncircumcision is nothing but the keeping the Commands of God And St. John saith chap. 5.3 For this is the love of God that we keep his Commandments and his Commandments are not grievous And Christ saith Matth. 19.17 If thou wilt enter into life keep the Commandments And also in John 14.15 If ye love me keep my Commandments By all this we see we are as much obliged to keep the Moral Law as ever Israel was But whereas the Apostle saith By the deeds of the Law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight for by the Law is the knowledge of sin That is by the Law we are all sensible that we do not live up to it as thereby to become justified by it and therefore by it all have knowledge that they sin for hone can live up to that perfection as to become justified by it without the merits of Christ But when Israel did walk blamelesly in it according to the capacity in which God had put them the Righteousness of Christ was imputed for their Justification And of Zechariah and Elizabeth it is said Luke 1.6 They were both righteous before God walking in all the Commands and Ordinances of the Lord blameless So if we render our sincere obedience to all God's Commands and Precepts we may then look to Christ with boldness for our Justification For tho' the Churches that first trusted in Christ were saved without the deeds of the Law or visible works of Righteousness yet not without an inward work which was in the change of their wills and affections as being the foundation to all good works which afterward they accordingly walked in all that remained stedfast in the Faith And also the Apostle Paul gives charge that they should be rich in good works 1 Tim. 6.18,19 That they do good that they be rich in good works ready to distribute willing to communicate laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come that they may lay hold on eternal life By these words he fully declareth that good works are a foundation for us to build our hopes of Salvation upon as well as the merits of Christ for it is a conditional Covenant And also from these words of the Apostle we are to take notice there is another time to come before Eternity in which the Saints will be blessed And he saith Heb. 11.6 Without faith it is impossible to please him for he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him This is the Faith that stirs us up to all good works whereby we come in as Heirs to the promised mercy For Christ is the Author of eternal Salvation to all them that obey him Heb. 5.9 Who will render to every man according to his deeds To them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory honour immortality eternal life But unto them that are contentious and do not obey the Truth but obey unrighteousness indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish upon every Soul of man that doth evil of the Jew first and also of the Gentile But glory honour and peace to every man that worketh good to the Jew first and also to the Gentile Rom. 2.6,7,8,9,10 For we must all appear before the Judgment-Seat of Christ that every one may receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done whether it be good or had 2 Cor. 5.10 For not the hearers of the Law are just before God but the doers of the Law shall be justified Rom. 2.13 And God hath ingaged himself by his promise to be the rewarder of good works Prov. 19.17 Matth. 10.39,40,41,42 Matth. 5.7 The merciful shall obtain mercy And the Lord saith Rev. 22.12 Behold I come quickly and my reward is with me to give to every man according as his work shall be Therefore upon the promise of God St. Paul saith God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love which ye have shewed towards his Name in that ye have ministred to the Saints and do minister Heb. 6.10 And whereas the Apostle saith If he had all Faith 1 Cor. 13.23 That is Faith in God and in the Righteousness of Christ with a belief also that good works are required and he knowing God And therefore if he did them not in love to God and love to his Neighbour it would profit him nothing for it is we have turned this Word into Charity which in the Original is Love But this he speaks to shew that God requires our Love in all our actions And accordingly he saith It is a faith that worketh by love which is required Gal. 5.6 And there is no such obedience as that wherein the heart is concerned But as for them that know not God and therefore love him not they shall also be judged according to their works So the Believers will be judged according to their actions done with their affections For it is not only our believing in the Righteousness of Christ for our justification will stand us in stead but how we have believed in Christ as to obey the Doctrine of Christ which will make us blessed in that day Whereby we see that tho' the Gentiles were at first called in and justified by his grace yet afterwards all that were not immediately after their Conversion taken away by death were to be judged according to their deeds done in the body from the time of Conversion For Saint Peter saith to the Church If ye call ou the Father who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work pass the time of your sojourning here in fear 1 Pet. 1.17 That is the Believers will be judged according to their deeds from the time they were brought into the true knowledge of God and others how they have improved their day and season of grace in refraining that which is evil and in ordering their conversation according to the Gospel So all will be judged according to their deeds done in their body whether they have been good or evil For though we can do nothing of our selves without God's assistance yet it is required of us to improve the advantages and seasons of grace which he giveth us and to take to the Way and Rule that he hath set before us in which way he hath promised his assistance and it is such will be blessed Chap. IX What we ought to fear and what we ought not to fear Jude v. 12. These are spots in your Feasts of Charity when they feast with you feeding
hath given him Authority to execute judgment also because he is the Son of God We see all along here that the Lord speaks of his power and judgment when he again comes And again he saith Marvel not at this for the hour is coming in which all that are in their graves shall hear his voice And shall come forth they that have done good unto the resurrection of life and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation Here the Lord speaks in the Scripture way of speaking in that he so nearly joyns his coming to judge the World with that last judgment like that of his joyning the destruction of Jerusalem and of the World together according to which all the Scripture is so joyn'd Now these two judgments are clearly to distinct things for in the first it is said the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and it was those that did hear did live therefore this is at the first resurrection when the Lord again comes at which time all the promiss'd Elect shall be call'd in whom he hath promised mercy and with the dead Bodies of the Saints shall hear the voice of the Son of God and live And the other is the eternal judgment which is spoken of in the Revelations where it is said the Sea and Death and Hell delivered up the dead As to what the Lord saith in John 5. from the 20. v. to the 29. v. The Lord there speaks of the two judgments as I have elsewhere proved to you and therefore what he saith in the 24. v. is concerning them that are believers at his coming that they have everlasting life and that they shall not come into condemnation but where the Lord saith John 6.47 Verily verily I say unto you he that believeth on me hath everlasting life And the Apostle also saith 1 John 5.11,12,13 This is the record that God hath given us eternal life and this life is in his Son He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God that ye may know that ye have eternal life That is God hath renewed us in Christ and given us eternal life by him if we are true Believers and what that belief is that is required of us I have elsewhere proved to you But the everlasting life that is given the Believer is as it was given Adam in Paradise the which was as long as he continued in his obedience And so it is with us the which the words of the Lord doth fully explain where he saith John 8.51 Verily verily I say unto you if a man keep my sayings he shall never see death And Christ saith again John 15.9,10,11,12 As the Father hath loved me so have I loved you continue ye in my love If ye keep my commandments ye shall abide in my love even as I kept my Fathers commandments and abide in his love These things have I spoken unto you that my joy might remain in you and that your joy might be full This is my commandment that ye love one another as I have loved you By all this we plainly see that the eternal life given the Believer is theirs no longer than they persist in their obedience So Adam's eternal life that he had given him in Paradise was lost by his offending for had he persisted in his obedience he had never dyed And as I have already proved to you that if we are regenerated so as our wills are brought over into an intire resignation of our selves to God and Christ then we are accepted of him and then is the righteousness of Christ imputed to us but it is afterward there comes a day of trial either by temptation or affliction or a cloudy dark day may overtake us and therefore it is best for every true Christian to arm themselves for the worst that they may be able to stand in the evil day so whilst we continue in our obedience the perfect righteousness of Christ is imputed to us and then as the Apostle saith are we complete in him and afterward what sins are not willfully committed will not destroy us because Christ is our Advocate with the Father 1 Joh. 2.1 but let him that standeth take heed lest he fall And St. John saith 1 John 3.6,7,8 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not whosoever sinneth hath not seen him That is they give themselves no liberty to sin and what is not willingly committed is not imputed Little Children let no man deceive you he that doeth righteousness is righteous even as he is righteous That is if we continue in well-doing as I before shewed we have the perfect righteousness of Christ imputed to us for it is said we are complete in him He that committeth sin is of the Devil for the Devil sinned from the beginning for this purpose the Son of God was manifest that be might destroy the works of the Devil That is he that willfully committeth sin is of the Devil for the Devil committeth no sin but what he committeth willfully And the Apostle saith 1 John 1.6,7,8,9 If we say we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness we lye and do not the truth But if we walk in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin This is that which makes us appear clean and white in the sight of God But he saith again If we say we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us For we cannot live without sin as sins of infirmity and sins of ignorance and too often overtaken in the sins of Negligence and sometimes overtaken with the Sins of Surprisal Therefore he saith in the 9. v. If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteouness That is all our unrighteousnesses upon our Conversion are forgiven if we seek to God by Confession and Contrition And whereas the Lord saith in Mat. 5.46,47,48 For if ye love them which love you what reward have ye do not even the Publicans the same and if ye salute your Brethren only what do ye more than others do not even the Publicans so Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect That is be you perfect or sincere in your Love to others as God was sincere or perfect in his Love to you in that he gave the Son of his Love for you according to his Promise And in Luke 17.5,6 And the Apostles said unto the Lord increase our Faith And the Lord said if ye had Faith as a grain of Mustard-seed you might say to this Sycamine Tree be thou pluck up by the Root and be thou planted in the Sea and it should obey you
is done to the Figtree but also if ye shall say unto this Mountain be thou removed and be thou cast into the Sea and it shall be done 22. And all things whatsoever ye shall ask in Prayer believing ye shall receive This Christ spake to his Disciples unto whom he afterward gave as great power to as that of the removing of Mountains when he sent upon them the Holy Ghost and the Power of working Miracles and there is no doubt but if they had said to the Mountain be thou removed into the Sea but it should have been done as well as when Elijah called for Fire to come down from Heaven But these promises belong not to us but those that find they have Power to do these Miracles may believe they do belong to them Now here is some difference betvven vvhat is said in these Verses and vvhat is said in the former for there it is said that they shall say to this Mountain be thou removed and it shall be done but in these last Verses it is said if you shall say to this Mountain be you removed and it shall be so In the former there should be nothing impossible for them to do But in these vvhatsoever they should ask believingly they should receive Now as St. Paul saith 1 Cor. 13,2 And tho I have the gift of Prophecy and understand all Misteries and all knowledg And tho I have all Faith so that I could remove Mountains and have no Charity I am nothing 3. Altho I bestow all my goods to feed the Poor and tho I give my hody to be burned and have not Charity it profiteth me nothing Now these Mountains that St. Paul here speaks of doth appear to be some inbred Corruption which a man might find some inconvenience in And so for fear of Hell he becomes terrified and therefore no longer willing to live in them having all Faith as to believe the whole Revealed Will of God in his Word And therefore when he finds that he in his own strength was not able to overcome them then he goes to fetch strength from the the Lord in making his Addresses to him for his Assistance and having thereby gain'd power to remove these Mountains yet if his Heart is not drawn out in the Love of God and Christ thereby he is still nothing for it is our Love that God requireth and it is that which will launch with us into the World that is to come As to that word which in these new Translations is termed Charity is in the old Translation Love as in the Original For by Love vve extend our selves to God as vvell as to our fellovv Creatures vvhich by Charity vve cannot do Now as for those places of Scriptvre vvhere Christ and his Apostles saith he that believeth in me or he that believeth in Christ shall be saved is only in short to remember them of the Lord 's Revealed Will in his Word vvhich if they do so believe in the Lord as to make his Commands and Precepts the rule of their Lives to live according thereunto they shall be saved The vvhich is a clear demonstration that the Lord hath by himself and his Apostles left us Instructions vvhich vve are to believe by vvhich Salvation is attainable The vvhich St. Paul's vvords does farther clear 1 Cor. 15.1 Moreover Brethren I declare unto you the Gospel which I preached unto you which also ye have received and wherein ye stand By which also ye are saved if ye keep in memory what I Preached unto you unless ye have believed in vain And St. Peter faith 1 Pet. 1.21,22 Who by him do believe in God that raised him up from the Dead and gave him Glory that your Faith and Hope might be in God Seeing ye have purified your Souls in obeying the Truth through the Spirit see that ye Love one another with a pure Heart fervently We here see this Faith purifieth the Soul and extendeth it self in Love for God is Love And St. Peter saith in Acts 15.9 That God put no difference between us and them purifying their Hearts by Faith By vvhich vve see if vve have a saving faith it vvill vvork the same effect in us This is spoken of the Election 〈…〉 and 〈◊〉 of those that were Christ's standing witnesses thro' the World of whom the Lord faith in John 10.27,28 That none can pluck them out of his hand Concerning the Indwelling of Christ in us NOW as to Christ's being in us and as to the indwelling of the Spirit with us I shall here set down what St. Paul saith 2 Cor. 13.5 Examine your selves whether ye be in the Faith prove your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be roprobates Now we are to take notice what he here saith in the former part of the verse the which was that we should examin our selves whether we are in the Faith and that we should prove our selves as much as to say that is the way to know whether Christ is in us or no And in the Ephesians he tells us plainly how it is Christ is said to dwell in us where he saith in Ephes 3.17 That Christ may dwell in your Hearts by Faith that ye being rooted and grounded in Love By which we may clearly see it is by Faith and Love that Christ is said to dwell in our Hearts And therefore St. Paul saith in 1 Cor. 16.22 If any Man love not the Lord Jesus Christ let him him be Anathema Maranatha The which is let him be Accursed and if accursed besure he is a Reprobate Now if the indwellings of Christ in us is by Faith and Love then the best way to know whether Christ hath such an Indwelling in us or no is by our Obedience to him in our close walking with him according to his Revealed Will in his Word And if so we shall have the Spirit which is the Comforter more or less bearing Witness with our Spirits that we are the Children of God And St. Paul here speaks of the Works of the Flesh where he saith Rom. 8.5 to the 10. v. They that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit For to be carnally minded is Death but to be spiritually minded is Life and Peace Because the carnal mind is entirely against God for it is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God But ye are not in the flesh but in the Spirit if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his And if Christ be in you the Body is dead because of sin but the Spirit is Life because of righteousness We see that the Spirit here spoken of is no other but a Spirit of Complaiscency to God and Christ in that their Wills are brought over into the Love
of God by halves as to the threatnings and mercy which is contained in the word which is the promise of Salvation to the obedient and likewise punishments to the disobedient But they like us believing the word of God by halves performed the lesser matters of the Law but left the weight ier undone for which Christ was laid in Zion as a stumbling stone so as they should not believe in him but this their disobedience was appointed them for their former rebellion and the stroke fell upon their Children that were alike partakers with them in iniquity Now the Faith that had been so long wanting in them was that which Christ in a more particular manner spake to In that they believed the word of God by halves is clear by the parable which he put forth concerning Lazarus and the rich Man in his request to Abraham that he would send Lazarus to his Brethren to warn them that they might escape that place of torment but Abraham said They have Moses and the prophets let them hear them but he still persisted Saying If one went to them from the dead they would repent But Abraham said If they hear not Moses and the Prophets neither will they be persuaded tho' one rose from the dead Luke 16.27 c. Whereby it clearly shews that they did not believe Moses and the Prophets as they should have done so as to have lived a holy life Saint Peter saith of Christ Acts 10.43 To him give all the Prophets witness that thro' his Name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins That is such as believe in him according to the tenour of his Word and Gospel in which he requires our observing to do whatsoever he commands us Matth. 28.20 And upon the will 's consenting to these conditions they received remission of sins And whereas it is said in the following verse While Peter spake these words the holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word Now these that at this time heard the word on whom the Holy Ghost thus suddenly sell were before proselytes of the Gentiles who truly feared God wrought righteousness as in ver 34. and 35. But others that believed of the first Churches which had before lived in sin were to repent and be haptized before they could receive the Holy Ghost Chap. V. Such as have Believed may afterwards fall away SAINT Peter saith Acts 3.19 Repent ye therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out when the time of refreshing shall come from the persence of the Lord. By these words he sheweth that upon Repentance and Resignation of themselves to Christ for him to have the ruling power in the heart at which time it is that such receive the remission of their sins Yet their sins according to the text are not blotted out until the time of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. So as if they again wilfully yield to Sin their former trespasses will again be required of them The like the Lord saith in the parable concerning the Servant that owed ten thousand Talents who besought his Lord for Pardon and his Lord forgave him the debt But for the Cruel usage of his Fellow-Servant his Lord again required his former debt for which he delivered him to the tormentors for that debt which he had before forgiven him Matth. 18.24,26,27,30,34 And the Lord saith Ezek 33.13,14,15 When I shall say to the Righteous that he shall surely live if he trust to his own Righteousness and commit iniquity all his righteousness shall not be remembred but for his iniquity that he hath committed he shall die for it Again when I say to the wicked thou shalt surely die if he turn from his sin and do that which is lawful and right he shall surely live he shall not die Here we see that the promise of life is no longer to the righteous man than he continues to do righteously Neither is the threatned death to the wicked any longer than he continues to do wickedly So likewise neither is the eternal life promised the believer of any longer continuance than he persists believing that Salvation is to be had according to the tenour of the Gospel In which Gospel is required our love and sincere obedience Matth. 10.37 Christ saith He that loveth Father or Mother more than me is not worthy of me And he also saith Mark 8.34,35 Whosoever will come after me let him deny himself and take up his Cross and follow me For whosoever will save his life shall lose it but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the Gospel the same shall save it Whereby it clearly shews that we must part with the delights advantages and pleasures of this world for Christ as well as life it self when call'd for And Christ saith of some that they receive the word with Joy and for a while believe and in time of temptation fall away Luke 8.13 Whereby the Lord fully declares the promise is no longer to the believer than he remains believing in him and his word Which word requires our practical obedience The which if we perform then are we his Disciples indeed For not the hearers of the Law are just before God but the doers of the Law shall be justified Rom. 2.13 But the first Churches being in a particular manner chosen and called unto whom the holy Ghost was given whereby they generally stood tho' some fell away by making shipwrack of Faith and a good Conscience 1 Tim. 1.19 but to the succeeding generations of the Gentile-Churches that came in by the call of the Gospel with the assistance of the good motions of the Spirit of God of whom Christ saith Many are called but few are chosen because of their not improving of their day of grace which God had put into their hands Matth. 20.16 Chap. VI. The Conversion of the Jaylor COncerning the Jaylor Acts 16.30,31,32,33 when after he was awakned by the Miracle he saw he then said Sirs VVhat must I do to be saved And they said Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and thy house And they spake unto him the words of the Lord and to all that were in his house The which words of the Lord was that which he commanded his Disciples to teach Which was the condition upon which Christ had offered Salvation Mat. 28.20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you The which upon their wills consenting to yield their love and obedience in a belief that Christ was able to save them they were baptized And concerning Philip and the Eunuch Acts 8.35,36,37 Then Philip opened his mouth and began at the same Scripture and preached unto him JESUS And as they went on their way they came to a certain water and the Eunuch said See here is water what doth hinder me to be baptized And Philip said If thou believest with all thine heart thou mayest and he answered and said
themselves without fear Clouds they are without water That is for any to feed themselves without fear the Apostle terms them Clouds without water But for Believers to be timerously fearful of themselves because of their own weakness lest they should offend that fear is pleasing in the sight of God because it keeps them in a diligent watchfulness And were there not great cause of fear the Apostle would not have so forewarned the Saints of that roaring Lion that walks about seeking whom he may devour 1 Pet. 5.8 And of such as fear it is said The Lord will deliver them who through fear of death were all their life-time subject to bondage Heb. 2.15 Here we see there is comfort for them that so fear But as for such as are mistrustfully fearful of the faithfulness and power of God that he will not perform his promise according to his word and therefore they will not venture the loss of the delights and advantages of this World so as to obey his Commands and Precepts of such fearful and unbelieving it is of whom the Lord saith They shall have their part in the Lake which burneth with fire and brimstone Rev. 21.8 Therefore St. Paul saith to the Saints Heb. 10.35 Cast not away therefore your confidence which hath great recompence of reward That is confidence in the power and faithfulness of God for as we believe that God is so we must believe that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him Heb. 11. v. 6. And that the Crown of Life according to the promise of the Lord will be given to them that continue faithful to the death Rev. 2.10 Therefore St. Paul saith For ye have need of patience that after ye have done the will of God ye might receive the promise Heb. 10.36 For whosoever doeth the will of God comes in as Heirs to the promise And accordingly St. Paul saith 1 Cor. 9.26 I therefore so run not as uncertainly so sight I not as one that beateth the Air. This being the Apostle's faith his confidence in the faithfulness of the promiser which made him thus run and fight for in so doing he knew that he was not at an uncertainty And this is the faith or belief which is to the saving of the Soul For verily there is a reward for the righteous Psal 58.11 For God doth never justifie the ungodly by the imputation of the Righteousness of Christ but when they turn from sin unto God for God will no otherwise clear the guilty 1 John 4.18 He saith Perfect love casteth out fear That is where perfect love is it casteth out all slavish fear but not a filial Child-like fear but it is not every sincere-hearted Christian can be thus assured they are made perfect in love and those that are so are not thereby assured that their love will so remain For the Lord saith of the Church of Ephesus That she was fallen from her first love for which she was threatned to be removed out of his favour if she did not repent and do her first works Rev. 2.4,5 Chap. X. Christ the Author of Faith HEB. 12.2 Looking unto Jesus the Author and finisher of Faith For had not God promised Christ and by him everlasting Life to all them that should keep his Covenant there had been no ground for Faith or hope of Salvation Therefore of this Faith Christ is the Author the which faith or hope caused all those Worthies of old to undergo all those difficulties mentioned in the foregoing chapter which are as a Cloud of Witnesses to incourage us to suffer and to follow the Lord Jesus thro' all difficulties Who for the joy that was set before him endured the Cross despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the Throne of God ch 12. v. 2. The which if we accordingly deny our selves in obedience to him Christ will then compleatly finish our faith in giving the Crown of Life to them who have continued faithful to the death Chap. XI What it is to be born of God and to overcome the World 1 JOHN 5.1 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him Now we must always look to the words that go before and to those that follow after if we would come to a right understanding of the word For in that he saith They that love God they likewise love Christ that is begotten of him or else they cannot be born of God For if they or we are not by our believing that Christ is the Son of God brought off from the delights of this World we cannot be born of God For it is such a belief in us that Christ is the Son of God which draws out our heart to love and obey him as God or else our belief in him is not such as makes us to be born of God Therefore he saith in verse 2. By this we know that we love the Children of God when we love God keep his Commandments For by the Commandments of God we are commanded to love the Children of God and by keeping the commands of God it is we know that we love God therefore the Apostle saith in v. 3. This is the love of God that we keep his Commandments and his Commandments are not grievous By which we see our love to God and Christ is in keeping their Commands And he saith in verse 4. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the World and this is the victory that overcometh the World even our faith What meaneth the Apostle here in saying that by faith they overcame the World He meaneth all the vain fleshly and covetous desires of any thing relating to the World which by their faith they overcame Which faith set them on work looking for the reward promised which is the Crown of Life But notwithstanding some have again been overcome by the World and so made shipwrack of faith and a good conscience 1 Tim. 1.19 and others as in 2 Pet. 2.18,19 They allure thro' the lust of the flesh thro' much wantonness those that were clean escaped from them who live in errour While they promise them liberty they themselves are the servants of corruption for of whom a man is overcome of the same is he brought in bondage By which nothing can be more plain than that those that have had the New Birth wrought in them and have overcome the World may again be overcome by the World and brought into bondage and so the latter end is worse with them than the beginning as in ver 20,21 Now the man that is born of God is brought off from the World and whilst he so continues new-born or brought off from the World he sinneth not because he doth not wilfully commit sin For the sins that are not wilfully committed will not be imputed for Christ remains their Advocate John 5.16 If any man see his
that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be Reprobates Now in the Apostle's time there was a twofold way of Christ's being in the Churches for Christ said to his Disciples The Spirit that dwelleth with you shall be in you John 14.17 because unto them was given the Holy Ghost to be in them which afterward also was but with the Churches But Christ in every true Believer must be so in them as to have the ruling-power in their hearts and affections in that their wills must be brought into subjection unto Christ by a complying frame of spirit to his will And thus Christ dwells in every true Believer For whosoever is in Christ in them is required a mind agreeable to the will of Christ that he thereby may rule in the heart Now the Corinthians having embraced the faith in yielding their consent to be obedient unto Christ and had also received the Spirit of whom St. Paul afterward heard of their disorderly walking therefore he writes to them to examine themselves whether they were in the faith and to prove themselves whether Christ were still thus in them or not for if Christ were not thus in them then they had rebelled from their subjection unto him and thereby grieved the Spirit of God and so become Reprobates But those that had never yielded their obedience to God or Christ cannot properly be said to be Rebels or Reprobates because they did never own themselves as servants to them but did all along yield themselves servants to sin for which they shall receive their punishment tho' not as Rebels or Reprobates But Israel whom God had taken into Covenant with himself they likewise were termed Reprobates for their wilful disobedience for which they were rejected of God Jer. 6.28,30 They are all grievous revolters walking with slanders they are Brass and Iron they are all corrupters Reprobate Silver shall men call them because the Lord hath rejected them Now tho' the Lord saith The Spirit like the Wind bloweth where it listeth but it listeth not to blow on them by whom it is grieved and therefore Israel was rejected Now some of them of Corinth were fallen into great iniquity and also had spoken evil of St. Paul and some other Disciples Therefore he saith in verse 6. But I trust that ye shall know that we are not Reprobates As much as to say ye shall know that we have not rebelled from our great Master and therefore not Reprobates For it is said Every one is his servant To whom they yield themselves to obey his servants they are to whom they obey whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness Rom. 6.16 Chap. XV. The Everlasting Life that is now given the Believer explained JOHN 6.47 Christ saith He that believeth in me hath everlasting life Now we have misapprehended the words of Christ for the everlasting life that is now given the Believer is no otherwise given except to the standing Witness than it was to Adam and Eve in Paradice For when sin in the Soul is pardoned the will changed Christ's Righteousness imputed then it is the everlasting life lost by Adam again takes place of which everlasting life nothing can again disinherit them but wilful and presumptuously sinning or negligently and carelesly departing from the ways of God Therefore Christ saith Rev. 3.2,3 Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die for I have not found thy works perfect before God If therefore thou wilt not watch I will come upon thee as a Thief and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee And likewise St. Paul cautions the Church of Corinth fearing lest the Serpent should beguile them as he beguiled Eve 2 Cor. 11.3 For if Adam and Eve had never sinned they had never died Now the Churches thus standing were to take heed lest they should fall and to fight to keep their ground thereby to make their Calling and Election sure 2 Pet. c. 1. v. 10. And St. Paul saith Phil. 2.12,13 It is God that worketh in them both to will and to do according to his own good pleasure That is it was so far the good will and pleasure of God to restore them and renew them by his Spirit and to put them into a capacity of sincere obedience in which capacity they were to use their utmost diligence to work out their salvation with fear and trembling So likewise are we to do the same also For those that received the Talents were to improve that which was given them and he that did not according to his ability improve that which he had received was therefore condemned Matth. 25.15 Chap. XVI A Believer not coming into Condemnation explained CHrist saith John 5.24 He that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death unto life These words of the Lord may admit of a two-fold meaning That is whilst the Believer continues believing that Salvation is to be had according to the promise of the Lord in the Gospel in the way of their love and obedience Whilst he thus believeth he shall never come into condemnation But this which the Lord here saith hath its peculiar reference to his second Coming at which time he cometh to judge the world and restore all things as in verse 22. The Judgment is then committed unto Christ at which time as in verse 23. All men shall honour the Son as they honour the Father The which never yet hath been done for the generality of the Jews hitherto have not honoured the Son as they honour the Father Neither by the Turks is the Son honoured as the Father Therefore this the Lord spake for the time when he again shall come That whosoever he shall then find a true practical Believer shall not come into condemnation For then the everlasting life that is now given the Believer will be secured to their persons for at that time they will be put into a capacity never more to offend For not only the raised Saints but the living Believer will then receive the Crown of Life For when the Lord again cometh the Crown of Righteousness is given to all that love his appearing 2 Tim. 4.8 For when an inherent perfect Righteousness is given and the continuance of it secured to us by the establishing of the now-promised new everlasting Covenant then is Life crowned to the Soul This is the Covenant of Promise which now the Believers with Israel are but Heirs to And if ye be Christ's then are ye Abraham 's seed and Heirs according to the Promise Gal. 3.29 but when the Lord again comes his other Sheep will be brought into that Fold with them that do securely stand For the Lord saith At that time when there is one Fold there shall be but one Shepherd John 10.16 Therefore this will not be till the Lord again comes But we taking all the Promises as
method of Salvation which if accordingly be lieved they should be saved Therefore Christ saith to the Church Rev. 3.3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard and hold fast and repent If therefore thou shalt not watch I will come on thee as a thief and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee Here we see the Lord calls upon them to put in practice what they have heard Which if they do not he will come upon them at an hour they are not aware of And as the Thief comes to destroy so the Lord will come to the destruction of them that have his word and will not according thereunto wait for him with a prepared heart in love to receive him For he saith If ye keep my Commandments ye shall abide in my love John 15.10 and in the 14. v. Ye are my Friends if ye do whatsoever I command you And also the Lord saith John 8.31 If ye continue in my word then are ye my Disciples indeed And the offer of mercy by Christ is to all that will take his Yoke upon them Matth. 11.29 And the Lord saith Mark 8.34,35,36 Whosoever will come after me let him deny himself and take up his Cross and follow me For whosoever will save his life shall lose it but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the Gospel the same shall save it For what shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own Soul This losing of the life for Christ is to be taken under a twofold head Not only when we are called to lay down our life for the defence of the Gospel but also in denying our selves the pleasures delights and advantages of this world for this is spoken in general to all that will save their lives to life eternal According to this the Lord saith John 12.25 He that loveth his life shall lose it and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal And Christ saith Matth. 7.21 Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in Heaven Matth. 7.24 Christ saith Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine and doth them is like to a wise man that built his house upon a rock So if we lay hold upon the promise of life according to the conditions offered by Christ we build upon that rock that will never fail us So as when the greatest storm ariseth that man will securely stand because he is faithful that hath promised But if we believe in Christ for justification yet walk according to our own imaginations and not according to his Commands it is building upon a sandy foundation for which they will have damnation According to the word of the Lord when he sent his Disciples to teach the Doctrine of the Gospel which was the conditions of the Covenant of grace He then said He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned Mark 16.15,16 That is it was the Gospel which then Christ sent forth his disciples to teach which they that heard were to believe Accordingly the Lord saith Matth. 28.19,20 Go ye therefore and teach all Nations baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I command you and lo I am with you to the end of the world That is with the race of the Disciples which is of the remnant he will be with to the end of the World for they are those that none can pluck out of his hand And of whom it is said they follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth And also he will never forsake any whilst they keep his way in observing to do whatsoever he Commands them Now the Belief in Christ that is saving is to be grounded upon the words of Christ that his righteousness is to be applied for the justification of the sinner according to the conditions as it is tendred by him which is in the observing to do whatsoever he commanded them For tho' at the first receiving of the Gospel by his free grace they were saved from their sins by yielding to the conditions that Christ required Yet all of them that were not immediately taken away by death were to be judged according to the performance of those conditions before they could be thought meet to partake of the Crown of life And in every believer is required the faith of God's Elect that in the way of their love and obedience they shall become Heirs to the promise Zacheus desired to be a Disciple of the Lord and he knew in being so his Obedience was required Therefore he said Lord half of my goods I give to the poor and if I have taken any thing from any by false accusation I will restore him fourfold Luke 19.8 But many of us like the Jews of old by their Tradition made the Commands of God of no effect So many with us by their half-faith or believing but half way in that they leave out the conditions upon which life and salvation is offered by Christ have made their faith in Christ of none effect to the saving of their Souls because the promise of life is upon condition of our Obedience In which whosoever remains faithful to the death shall have the Crown of life But for any to think that Christ dyed to give them a liberty to sin it is of such God saith Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such a one as thy self but I will reprove thee and set them in order before thine eyes Now consider this ye that forget God lest I tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver Psal 50.21,22 This forgetting God is forgetting their duty as to yield Obedience unto his Commands But for our having Faith in the righteousness of Christ separate from good works is dead standing alone James 2.20,21,22 But wilt thou know vain man that faith without works is dead Was not Abraham our Father justified by works when he had offered Isaac his Son upon the Altar Seest thou how faith wrought with his work and by works was faith made perfect Thereby shewing that a lively and perfect Faith always includs good works As first the inward work upon the will and affections and afterwards good works put in practise Therefore he saith in the 26 verse For as the body without the Spirit is dead so faith without works is dead also And Chap 1. v. 25. But whoso looketh into the perfect Law of Liberty and continueth therein he being not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work this man shall be blessed in his deed Now why is it term'd the Law of Liberty Because such as walk in obedience thereunto are by Christ set free from the condemning power of sin and death 26. v. If any man among you seem to be religious and bridleth
that Christ spake this of the then time and of them that should believe in him through the Word of the Disciples as received from their mouth For this Christ spake of the remnant and first Churches unto whom the Holy Ghost was given to be in them and of whom St John saith Ye need not that any man teach you but as the same anointing teacheth you all things and is true and is no lie 1 John 2.27 This the Apostle speaks of them who had the Holy Ghost given to be in them they needed no other teaching but as the same anointing taught them But some not obeying the Spirits teaching went out from them that was not of that remnant as in the 19v But the Holy Ghost was not given to any till they were first brought home by the Call of the Word to yield their consent to the tender of his Grace as to turn from every evil way For the Holy Ghost could not be received into an unclean Heart And the Holy Ghost was then given that thereby the world might believe that God had sent Christ And also St. Paul of the then time saith That God was in Christ reconciling the World unto himself not imputing to them their Trespasses 2 Cor. 5.19 That is not laying their past sins to the charge of them that laid hold of the tender of his Grace So as none need fear if they are not Elected they shall not be accepted And after the Nations of the World had embraced the Faith the Lord continued a standing Witness amongst them always to bear their Testimony to the Truth of the Gospel And they are they that lie in the street of the Great City And when the Gentile Nations fell away as Israel did they remained to bear their Testimony to the truth against all the fury of the Antichristian Enemy And when we come rightly to understand who were the Servants to whom Christ delivered the Talents none will then think that the Fountain of all Wisdom and Reason carries on his works according to the Council of his own Will guided with out Reason All these things that I have now hinted will by God's assistance be fully and clearly proved in a short time And let us not deceive our selves by a false Faith or an imaginary Election For the Elect that lie in the Street of the great City and cry day and night unto God by reason of the Oppression of the Enemy we are not And as for the Elect that are to be gathered from the four Winds we have not apprehended who they are and they will appear to be them that we are little aware of as will be proved in the next Treatise In which will be the signs of the times The coming of the Lord The Calling in of Israel The Destruction of Babylon And the Restitution of all things clearly made evident by the word Therefore we had need look to it how we stand as believers lest we should have believed in vain for the Lord is at hand who will judge us according to our deeds and according as our Works have been Now the Lord of his mercy causing the true meaning of his Word to break forth for the vindication of his Justice and for the exaltation of his mercy let us therefore prepare for his coming and unite to serve the Lord with one consent and be found of him in peace St. Paul saith upon the first publication of the Gospel How shall they hear without a Preacher And how shall they preach except they be sent Rom. 10.14,15 For the first Publishers of the Gospel were sent forth by the Lord and instructed by him what to teach But when the Gospel was establisht then the Apostle said Gal. 6.16 And as many as walk according to this Rule peace be on them and mercy and upon the Israel of God And then they were not to wait for new Calls but to walk according to the Rule that was set before them lest they should be cast off again as Israel was For God by his word continually calls upon us to walk in obedience to him But such as refuse to obey are the ground bearing Thorns and Briers which is rejected and is nigh unto cursing whose end is to be burned Heb. 6. verse 8. Mat. 16.24,25,26,27 Mat. 3.10 But the offer of mercy is to whomsoever will that they may come and take the waters of life freely Rev. 22.17 That is If they are willing to yield subjection to his laws then they may freely come For every one that thirsteth are invited to the waters and they that have no money may buy and eat without money and without price Isa 55.1 So as the poor are not excluded for want of money nor the Gentile sinners upon the publication of the Gospel were not excluded for want of Righteousness if they did thirst after it For the Righteousness of Christ was imputed for the Justification of any that were willing for the future to render their sincere obedience to him For it was their past sins that were committed before their conversion which were remitted Rom. 3.25 But as the Psalmist saith let them not turn again to folly Ps 85.8 And tho' the remnant and first Churches were not fore chosen for their willing and running Yet the Crown of Life was to be attained by their willing and running And so it is by all that will lay hold on it But when the Gentile Nations cme to have no love to the truth then God left them to strong delusions that they might be damned 2 Thes 2.10,11,12 And Oh! that this may be a warning to us that we may receive the knowledge of the truth in the love thereof that our Souls may be saved in the day of the Lord. For we are not only to believe in him but also to suffer for his sake Phil. 1.29 For this was the determined counsel of God that seeing he was to part with the Son of his love to suffer for sinners that such as would not in this time deny themselves for him should in time to come suffer by him Mar. 8.34,35,36,37,38 Luke 19.27 But we having lost the ancient way of Scripture speaking and the right apprehension of the Kingdom that is to come and mistakingly taking all that was said to the first Churches and all that was said as relating to Israel at the time of the Restitution of all things as tho' they now belong'd to us by reason of which weare involved in great and dangerous mistakes GOD Bless King William and in these times make him more blessed in Conquering of Hearts than Nations by the incouraging and promoting the Knowledge of the truth For the door of mercy is open to all that will lay hold of the tender of his Grace So as none need fear that if they are not elected they shall not be accepted For Christ saith Rev. 22.17 Whosoever will let him Come And we may with confidence rely uon his Word for he is faithful
persuaded the Lord was able to Heal them became healed Two of an extraordinary lameness one of eighteen years continuance using Crutches the other having her thigh and ancle-bone out of joint from her childhood And another of a Leprosie and one of a withered hand from her childhood These things being publickly known and attested in the City of London And the Lord having wrought these miraculous Cures upon these women it ought to be considered of by us For as the Lord came by a Woman so after he arose he appeared first to the Women And now at the time of his second coming he hath miraculously appeared in working of miracles on Women And also another great and evident Sign the Lord hath given us of his coming and that the great Jubile is at hand by the miraculous springing up of a Field of Corn without plowing or sowing and of that goodness and quantity the like was never before heard of since the first Creation when all things sprang up of themselves and this wonderful Crop springing up out of sixteen Acres of fallow Land which formerly had been sown with Turneps This Miracle was near Maidstone in Kent being generally known and accordingly published This Land belonged to a Man that was very charitable to the Poor Thereby the Lord also shewing that in time to come such will be abundantly rewarded For he saith The merciful shall obtain mercy Matth. 5.7 And he that giveth to the poor lendeth to the Lord Pro. 19.17 And it is said Cast thy bread upon the waters for thou shalt find it after many days Eccles 11.1 Chap. VIII Where the Armies are to be gathered together after the Lord comes THE Lord saith in Revelations ch 16.15,16 Behold I come as a Thief blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments lest he walk naked and they see his shame And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew Tongue Armageddon Now here in these verseâ— the Lord tells us how he will come and they are those that will be blessed that are found watching for his coming and that when he does come it is then he will gather together these great armies or people to the place called Armageddon And in Joel there the Lord calls it the Valley oâ— Jehoshaphat Let the Heathen be wakened and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat for there will 〈◊〉 sit to judge all the Heathen round about Joel 3.12 These words shew 't is after they are awakened by the coming of the Lord that then they will be gathered together to the Valley of Jehoshâ—…hat for it is there the Lord will sit to judgâ— the Heathen round about that have Israels Land in their possession as in the 3 Ch. 2 ver And where this Valley of Jehoshaphat is is made mention of in 2 Chr. 20.26 And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the Valley of Barachah for there they blessed the Lord therefore the name of the same place was called the Valley of Berachah unto this day And in this Valley Jehoshaphat blessed God for the great deliverance he had given them from their Enemies which Enemies were those that were related to Israel as Ammon Moab and Mount Seir. So those that are again to be there gathered are those that pretend Relation to the Christian Israelite as Pope and Turk and the negligent Christian all acknowledging the true God but in works deny him For all the Christians that bear the name of Christ of the Gentile race whether good or bad are alike term'd Heathen in the Old Testament 2 Esd 2.34 For then there being no other than Jews and Heathen they could be no otherwise expressed as I have already by the word proved Therefore the Lord here saith Now consider this ye that forget God lest I tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver Psal 50.22 And also accordingly the Lord saith to Esdras that when he comes it is then they will be gathered together the which will be to the forementioned place For at or about the time of his coming there will be fighting together in their own Land As in 2 Esd 13.30,31,32,33,34 And he shall come to the astonishment of them that dwell on the Earth And one shall undertake to fight against another one City against another one place against another one people against another one Realm against another And the time shall be when these things shall come to pass and the signs shall happen which I shewed thee before and then shall my Son be declared And when all the people hear his voice every man shall in their own Land leave the Battle they have one against another And an innumerable multitude shall be gathered as thou sawest them willing to come and to overcome him by fighting Which fighting here without doubt will be like that of Jacobs wrestling with the Angel which was by prayer for a blessing But they having by their wicked practices as in the 37 and 38 verses lost their day and season of Grace it will with them then be too late as it was with Esau to have the blessing All these places agree in one and the same thing that there will be fighting one against another at or about the time of the coming the Lord and that it will be after the Lord comes that they shall be gathered together to Armegeddon or otherwise called the Valley of Jeâ—hoshaphat there to be judged Chap. IX The Everlasting Covenant and Crown of Life THE Everlasting Covenant and the Crown of Life is one and the same thing And when the Lord again comes he will make that new everlasting Covenant with both the Houses of Jocob in which Covenant the true practical believer will be then included as coming in by the Lion of the Tribe of Judah who are now but Heirs with Israel of the same promise Gal. 3.29 And then it is they shall no more teach every man his Neighbour and every man his Brother saying Know ye the Lord For they shall all know me from the least of them to the greatest of them faith the Lord Jer. 31.34,35,36 Then it is His People shall be willing in the day of his power in the beauties of holiness Psal 110.3 And then it is Israel shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting Salvation They shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end Isa 45.17 And then it is the Lord will rest in his love Zeph. 3.17 Ezek. 37.26,27,28 when Israel is put into a capacity never more to offend him And then is life crowned to the Soul when they are thus secured by him And then it is that sighing and sorrowing will fly away And then it is The days of his People shall be as the days of a Tree and that his Elect shall long injoy the work of their hands Isa 65.22 And then it is The meek shall inherit the Earth and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace Ps 37.11 But the
is according to their willing and running they shall find acceptance with him and accordingly be rewarded by him And the people are condemned not because they knew not God but because they had no will to obey him as in Prov. 1.30,31 They would have none of my counsel they despised all my reproof Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way and be filled with their own devices And the Lord saith to the Jews John 5.40 Ye will not come to me that ye might have life Thereby shewing the door of mercy was wider open to them of Israel than they were willing to embrace and improve the opportunity And oh that we would not as they were be found alike guilty and so be made partakers of the more severer vengeance But on the contrary that we would turn from all our evil ways and seek the Lord while he may be found and call upon him while he is near Isa 55.6,7 begging his assistance that we may be able to withstand all our corrupt affections and inclinations and if we are sincere therein God will not be wanting to us But if we have no love to his ways 2 Thes 2.10 nor will not obey him Prov. 1.30 and will not chuse his fear verse 29. then for such there remains no hope For we shall stand or fall according as we chuse or refuse obedience to his will Now we through the mistaking of some of the sayings of St. Paul have made the Oath of God and the general Call and Offer of mercy by Christ to all that will according as it is tendred lay hold of it to be of no effect Notwithstanding St. Peter fairly warns us that in St. Paul's Epistles were some things hard to be understood which some did wrest to their own destruction 2 Pet. 2.16 And could we no otherwise have understood the meaning of St. Paul than in the contradiction of the God of Truth it had been a far less errour to have thought St. Paul might have erred than to have made the Oath of God and the general offer of mercy by Christ void by the misapprehending the words of St. Paul so as to think that none but the Elect could be saved But as the Prophet for believing the old Prophet in the contradiction of what God himself had said therefore was destroyed for a Lion met him and slew him 1 Kings 13.17,18,19,23,24 This being set down for a warning to us that we might not be alike guilty Chap. XIV What the Sign is when God for Sin intends to leave a Nation People or Person And the Kingdom of God in this time and the Kingdom of God in time to come explained VVHen God because of Sin determines to leave a People Nation or Person to destruction he then leaves them to delusion and to blindness of mind like as Pharaoh Exod. 7.13 Ahab 1 Kings 22.20,21 and Israel Psal 81.11,12 And Christ spake to Israel in Parables That by hearing they should hear and not understand and seeing they should see and not perceive Matth. 13.14 For the Jews were then in expectation of the coming of the glorious Kingdom of God which was foretold them by the mouth of all the Prophets and therefore a Pharisee demanded of Christ when the Kingdom of God should come And he answered him and said The Kingdom of God cometh not with observation but more rightly exprest as it is set down in the Margin of your Bibles not with shew neither shall they say lo here or lo there for behold the Kingdom of God is within you Luke 17 20,21 Christ by these words sheweth that in this time he was but to have his ruling-power in the hearts of his People And by this it is clear it is those that he rules in that are his And this being the only visible Kingdom that God has in the time of this World which Kingdom or People is not in shew of this World's greatness and grandeur This answer of the Lord was quite contrary to what the Pharisee expected for he only apprehended the Lord was to come to Reign and restore all things and not that he was first to come to suffer and this proved a stumbling-block to Israel But the Lord said in the following verses to his Disciples of his second coming v. 23,24,25 For as the lightning that lightneth out of the one part under Heaven shineth unto the other part under Heaven so shall also the Son of Man be in his day For the glory of that day will be such as St. Paul terms the then time but night to that approaching day Rom. 13.12,13 And Christ concerning the Parable of his second coming and Kingdom saith Matth. c. 13. v. 41,42,43 The Son of Man shall send forth his Angels and they shall gather out of his Kingdom all things that offend and them that do iniquity And shall cast them into a Furnace of Fire there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth Then shall the righteous shine forth as the Sun in the Kingdom of their Father Here the Lord declareth the time of the end of this World will be when he cometh at which time the Power of this World will be taken from them by his coming and sending his Angels to gather out of his Kingdom all things that offend and them that do iniquity By these words nothing can be more plain than that the Kingdom which will then be Christ's is this material World from which those that offend and do iniquity will then be cast out Now from these words also the Lord leaves himself scope to take in those that are given him of his Father at his second coming the which also will be his Elect which is Israel Rom. 11.28 and other Nations mentioned in the Word which will then be saved and then will the way of the Kings of the East be prepared Rev. 16.12 And the forementioned Book sheweth whom the Lord hath said shall likewise be spared and all these will be brought to a sense of their own unworthiness and so lay hold of mercy before the wicked is destroyed and therefore then they will not be offenders when the wicked are cast out so as the Lord may take in whom he will of the Heathen and God will as well keep faithful to his promise at Christ's second coming in calling in the Jews and others with them Isa 56.8 as he did perform his promise to Christ when he first came in calling in and justifying the sinners of the Gentiles And in that Christ saith to his Disciples in the 43th verse Then shall the righteous shine forth as the Sun in the Kingdom of their Father Here Christ doth not say all the righteous therefore he hath his reference to the raised Saints and the Witnesses that will be caught up in the clouds into those glorious Mansions or Tabernacles which the Lord pitcheth and not Man Isa 4.5,6 Rev. 21.21 From which they shall shine forth as the Sun in the Kingdom of
foundation of the World to come for all that come in as Heirs to that World come in as the Seed of Abraham and from that foundation Christ was figuratively slain in the Paschal Lamb and from that foundation were the works of those unbelieving Jews finished that fell in the Wilderness when they refused to go to fight for the Land of Canaan And because of Israel's miscarriage the first Gentile Churches were chosen to partake of the Holy Ghost and to bear their Testimony to the Truth the which are said to be chosen before the foundation of the World which foundation was Israel the which choice was not before them as to matter of time but as to matter of choice and liking in God rather to make choice of them that should ignorantly offend him than them that had wilfully disobeyed him And I also have proved that the Eternal Purpose has only a relation to the Eternity that lies before us that the being chosen from the beginning was no other than from the beginning of the Preaching of the Gospel And I have also proved that the Decree was made that the Entrances into Life should be made strait after Adam fell and how that straitness doth consist And what is meant by being of old ordained to this condemnation And also I have proved in the Book in which the Faith of Abraham is explained that them of the World embraced the Faith in the Apostles time and brought forth fruit as it did in the Elect Churches All these things I have made clear which hitherto we have not rightly understood which makes me the oftener recite them These things being proved it makes it evident that there was none Elected from the foundation but the remnant And also the first Gentile Churches that were afterward Elected were long departed this life before the Beast arose so as there was none of them then to be deceived by him Now there is also a twofold way of being in the Book of Life First They that have their names there Secondly Those that have a part therein and it is those that have their names there that are Elected and fore-chosen And after the first Gentile Churches were called in their Children were taken into Covenant and a Door of Mercy set open to all such as would take hold of the offer of Life according as it is tendered by Christ Now if these have not their names put into the Book of Life when they are taken into Covenant yet they have their part in the Book of Life in performing the conditions upon which Life is offered by Christ for those he will justifie by his Righteousness Heb. 5.9 The which name or part in the Book of Life may not only be lost through negligence and prophaneness but by adding or diminishing from the Word Rev. 22.19 Deut. 4.2 And there are others also that have a part in the Book of Life which will find Redemption in the World to come for they were such as received not the Truth in the love of it but took pleasure in unrighteousness that the Apostle saith should be damned 2 Thes 2.12 And they were such as heard the Truth and would not believe to obey it that the Lord gave Sentence against But those that have had a longing desire after the Truth and such as have not taken pleasure in unrighteousness such will find Redemption in the World to come And no young Children can take pleasure in iniquity Therefore when all come to be judged according to their works such will be cleared Rom. 2.14,15 Rev. 20.12 But I shall not here insist upon this Subject because I intend hereafter fully to prove it But by what the Lord saith it is of dangerous consequence to take from the Word as well as to add unto it Now the Gentile Christians when they came to have no love to the Truth whereby they might be saved but on the contrary took pleasure in iniquity God gave them up to worship the Beast for when they would not be bound with the Cords of his Laws and follow him in Love Patience and Humility in expectation of the reward of the Crown of Life when the Lord again shall come then it was God permitted the Prince of Darkness to set up his pretended Kingdom by which delusion they also lost the apprehension of the glorious Kingdom of Christ which is now to come and is very nigh at hand which Kingdom has been foretold by all the Prophets sworn to by God himself Psal 89.2 declared by the Apostles And because the Lord Christ spake but in dark Sentences and Parables when he was upon the Earth because that Israel being sinful thereby might be blinded Therefore he declared in Vision to St. John how he would come and of the glory of the New Jerusalem that should come down from Heaven and of his reigning Power here upon the Earth Also annexing those great threatnings mentioned Rev. 22.18,19 to any that should add or diminish to the words of this Prophecy Now all the Gentile Christians thus falling into delusion so as when any of them come out of that darkness by the knowledge of the Word it was evident to them they could not be of that remnant that should never be deceived by reason themselves knew that they or their Predecessors had been deceived by the Beast but as to that Remnant Church or People that the Word does thus bear witness to I shall not here speak further of but hereafter by God's assistance I shall declare who the Two Witnesses are and then I shall make appear who this Church and People and Remnant are to whom the Word doth thus bear witness to and they to the Word Whilst on the contrary the Apostate Church or great Harlot bear not witness to the Word nor the Word to her any otherwise than to her condemnation And our Predecessors being all involved in that darkness whereby we have lost the true sentiments of the Word and so mistakingly taking all that was said to the first Churches and to Israel at the restitution of all things as tho' they now belonged to us the which is of dangerous consequence and whereby many like Ephraim have a care they fall not into the snare as Israel did for when the Lord first came he coming not of a Person of Dignity but of one of no Estate in this World This proved a snare to Israel Let us take warning by them and not neglect the owning of the truth for if we do we shall be taken in the snare as they were for the day of the Lord will come as a snare upon all them that will not prepare for him and take the warning given by him by the signs and the opening of the word as he hath declared and now made them manifest to the world Chap. XVI The difference between the State of the Elect in this time and of that which is to come NOW when God does Elect or fore-chuse any Person or persons
of the Great City That is they are compassed about with their Enemies of them it is said They ascended up in a Cloud and their Enemies beheld them as in Rev. 11.12 They being chose for the Glorious Tabernacle as the first Churches were For it does appear that all that are raised are not raised to the Glorious Tabernacle as I shall elsewhere prove And also when St. Paul wrote this Epistle and that of the first of the Thessalonians they were in a continual expectation of the coming of Christ insomuch that they thought he would return in their Day But when St. Paul by further Revelation found that the coming of Christ would not be so sudden he then acquainted the Church therewith as in 2 Thess 2.2,3 That ye be not soon shaken in mind nor be troubled neither by Spirit nor by Word nor by Letter as from us though the Day of Christ were at hand 3. Let no man deceive you by any means for that Day shall not come except there come a falling away first and that man of sin be revealed the Son of Perdition Now by what is here said it is evident that the Lord was daily expected of them till after this time that the Apostle acquainted them with the contrary Now that there will be a Spiritual Change upon all the Elect when Christ comes is certain by all the New Covenant Promises And also Esdras saith chap. 6.26 And the men that are received shall see it who have not tasted Death from their birth and the heart of the Inhabitants shall be changed and turned into an other meaning Now whereas the Lord said in Mat. 24.40 Then shall two be in the Field the one shall be taken and the other left two women shall be grinding at the Mill the one shall be taken and the other left but he does not here tell us how But in Verse 31. he saith He shall send his Angels with a great Sound of a Trumpet and they shall gather together his Elect from the Four winds But the Lord saith nothing in the Three Evangelists of their being caught up in the Clouds but only where the Carcase is there will the Eagles be gathered together Now this gathering together from the Four Winds doth comprehend all the Elect that will be upon the Earth at Christ's coming As the faithful Christians whom the Lord shall so find and the twelve Tribes of Israel and those other promised Elect whom the Lord will call in with them Now into these Four Winds was Judah Levy and Benjamin scattered And from these Four Winds will the Lord gather them As for the Ten Tribes they will come out of one place as in Esdras 13. where it is said they went into a far Countrey where never man dwelt Verse 45. For through that Countrey there was a great way to go namely of a Year and an half and the same Region is called Arsareth Then dwelt they there until the latter time Which in the fore part of the Chapter is when Christ comes Now in that Christ and his Apostles spake of these things darkly it was because there was a Secret in it which by this manner of speaking it has remain'd veil'd to us that the calling in of Israel should be at his second coming At which time all the wicked Christians will be cast out for as there was a secret under the Law that was veiled from the Jews so this has been a secret vail'd under the Gospel from the Christians that Israel were comprehended under the Elect. And by the Heavens and Earth that are to be destroyed is meant the wicked Powers and People and then will the material Earth be restored and renewed And whereas the Lord saith in Luke 17.31 In that day he which shall be upon the House top and his stuff in the House let him not come down to take it away and he that is in the Field let him likewise not return back Remember Lot 's wife Now the will of the Lord is such that all his should by his word and the signs be inlightned of his coming And the Lord here gives warning that they should not hanker at that day after their stuff So as to setch any thing out of the house by which words it doth appear they might have knowledge they should use such things but that they should not then regard them but to keep on praying till they are delivered out of the danger by the Angels as Lot was out of Sodom And that we should not be unmindful so to do we have given us the sad remembrance of Lots wife This warning is only to the believers for them that believe not and them that have not the word it signifies nothing to them Therefore it is said of Israel and the promised Elect Isa 66.20 Isa 60.6 That they shall be brought to Jerusalem otherways as upon Horses Camels Litters and the like and these are said to come in multitudes and to bring their Silver and Gold with them But Christ saith of the others there shall be two in one bed the one shall be taken the other left two grinding at the mill one taken and the other left Luke 17.44,45 That is the true Christians must be thus taken and the Elect being all gathered to the holy Land but the wicked are left to partake of those dreadful Judgments which the Lord will pour upon the Earth after he comes As in Rev. 9. Chap. Now there was a necessity of a secresy in these things as to the Heavens and Earth and of the calling in of Israel and Christs second coming And the Lord foreseeing that the apprehensions of the suddenness of his again coming would be a means to keep the Christians in obedience to him and love and affection one to the other and from being greedy of the lucre of this world but that they should alwaies live as waiting for their change for the Lord foretold us that when they should begin to think he delayed his coming they would then eat and drink with the drunken and smite their fellow Servants which in a dreadful manner they have already done but the Lord after his Ascension gave to St. John a certain knowledg of his return which was comprehended under two Heads The time of the Witnesses Prophesying and the Beasts Reigning For the Lord saith v. 11.3 I will give Power to my two witnesses and they shall Prophecy a thousand two hundred and threescore days cloathed in sackcloth And in Rev. 13.5 There is mention made of the Beast to whom the Devil gave Power and he was to continue forty and two Months Now by this Beast it doth not only appear to be the Pope but also it may be meant by the first great Councils that did Afflict the Church Now the Witnesses Prophesying a thousand two hundred and sixty days cloathed in Sackcloth is exactly the two and forty Month the Beast is to Reign For two and forty Months Reckoning thirty days to
there committed and in that it is termed Egypt is because Egypt was the place where the Children of Israel was so cruelly oppressed and in that it is termed the place where the Lord was Crucified is not only because he was Crucified by the Roman Power but their daily Crucifying of him in that they say it is the real Body and Blood of our Lord that they continually distribute amongst themselves So this Edom is not the real Land of Esau but the figurative one for as I before shewed you that the real Land of Esau is to be inhabited by them of the South but these figurative ones made a desolation And why it is said for their violence against the Children of Judah Now it was the real Egypt an Idumea which did most afflict the Natural Seed of Jacob. Now it is evident that the true Christians that are taken in to be of the Seed of Abraham must come in through Crist who is of the Tribe of Judah And it is these of Judah also that this Egypt Idumea and Babylon have been the Afflictors and Murderers of And the Prophet Joel saith in Joel 3.10,21 But Judah shall dwell for ever and Jerusalem from Generation to Generation V. 21. For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed for the Lord dwelleth in Sion Then shall Jerusalem be rebuilt and continue from Generation to Generation by which we see in this glorious time there will be Marrying and giving in Marriage by the continuance of Generations here spoken of And then the Lord at that time when he comes again will cleanse their Blood which he hath not cleansed at which time the Lord will dwell in Sion which Sion may be comprehended under at wofold meaning as the glorious Tabernacle where he will dwell from which he will descend to the real Mount Sion And at that time will the Lord make the place of the Soles of his Feet glorious as it is said Isa 60.13 And then it is that the Promise will be made good to Abraham That in thee and thy Seed all the Families of the Earth shall be called blessed Now they are not so but at that time it will be so Now whereas the Lord in the same chap. of Joel speaketh of the Enemies of the Children of Judah and the Children of Jerusalem that they sold them to the Grecians that they might remove them far from their Borders The Lord saith of the Enemies of Judah in V. 8. I will sell your Sons and your Daughters into the Hands of the Children of Judah and they shall sell them to the Sabeans to a people far off for the Lord hath spoken it Now the Sabeans are of Sheba the which People is foretold of by the Prophet from the Lord Isa 60.6 That they should find Mercy at that time when Israel is again restored Now these that have been the Oppressors of Judah although they themselves that are left unconverted till the coming of the Lord are to be destroyed yet their Children we here see are not to be cut off with their Parents but are said that then they should be sold to be Servants to a People whom the Lord will then receive into Mercy Now these are to be servants to them that are servants to Israel for God saith in Isa 6.12 The Nation and Kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish yea those Nations shall be utterly wasted And the Lord saith in Zeph. 3.7 I said surely thou wilt fear me Thou wilt receive instruction so their dwellings should be cut off howsoever I punished them but they rose early and corrupted all their doings Here we see God had not forsaken Israel if they had not first forsaken him and therefore now they must wait until it is his time to be gracious unto them as in v. 8. of the before-mentioned Chapter Therefore wait ye upon me saith the Lord until the day that I rise up to the prey for my determination is to gather the Nations that I may assemble the Kingdoms to pour upon them mine indignation even all my fierce Anger for all the Earth shall be devoured with the Fire of my jealousie 9. For then will I turn to the People a pure language that they may all call upon the Name of the Lord to serve him with one consent 10. From the Rivers of Ethiopia my Supplicants even the Daughters of my dispersed shall bring mine Offering 11. In that day shalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doings wherein thou hast transgressed against me for then will I take away out of the midst of thee them that rejoyce in thy pride and thou shalt be no more haughty And I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor People and they shall trust in the Name of the Lord. The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity nor speak lies neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their Mouth for they shall feed and lie down and none shall make them afraid Here the Lord telleth Israel that he will take out from the midst of them them that rejoyce in their Pride that is he would take their enemies out of their Land and their City which was the Glory of all Lands and therefore termed Israel's Pride And the Lord saith I will leave in the midst of them an Afflicted poor People which shall trust in the name of the Lord and be partakers of the immediate Blessedness and Glory as the following words make appear Zeph. 3.14,15 c. Sing O Daughter of Sion shout O Israel be glad and rejoice with all the Heart O Daughter of Jerusalem The Lord hath taken away thy Judgments he hath cast out thine Enemies the King of Israel even the Lord is in the midst of thee thou shalt not see evil any more In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem fear thou not and to Sion let not thy hands be slack The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty he will save he will rejoyce over thee with Joy he will rest in his Love he will joy over thee with singing I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assemblies who are of thee to whom the reproach of it was a burden Behold at that time I will undo all that Afflict thee and I will save her that halteth and gather her that was driven out and I will get them praise and fame in every Land where they have been put to shame At that time will I bring you again even in the time that I gather you for I will make you a name and a Praise among all the People of the Earth when I turn back your captivity before your Eyes saith the Lord. Here we see that at the Time that the Lord will deliver Israel his Determination is to gather the Nations and assemble the Kingdoms that he may pour upon them his fierce Anger Now as to what the Lord saith to the Prophet Ezekiel concerning the building of
Maker 〈◊〉 Heaven and Earth and all things â—…rein contained whether visible or inâ—…ble and that out of the Gen. 2.7 dust of the â—…und God created Man and breathed inâ—… him the breath of life and thereby â—…n became a Gen. 28. living Soul and was plac'd 〈◊〉 God in Gen. 1.26,27 Eden the Garden of God in â—…oly happy blessed State and God â—…ve them Power over the Fish of the 〈◊〉 the Fowl of the Air and the Beast 〈◊〉 the Field and over all the Earth and over every thing that creepeth on the Earth And Man should have so continued in this blessed and happy State Gen. 2.17 never to have known decay sickness forrow or death had he not there sinned against his great Creator and his most liberal Benefactor Gen. 3.4,5 in that they did adhere to the Enemy of God which is the Devil and believed what he said and did not believe the God of Truth for which they were turn'd out of Paradise Gen. 3.23 and became more vile and miserable than all Creatures that have their Being upon Earth and so 't would have succeeded to his unborn Posterity Job 14.4 Psal 51.5 Job 4.8 for now their Natures became corrupt so as Righteousness and Holiness and Wisdom which was the Image of God stampt upon them now had left thâ—m and was quite defaced in them and they became 〈◊〉 like the Prince of Darkness which is â—…e Devil who for his Pride and Rebelâ—â—n against God he and his Adherents were cast out of Heaven and from glorious Angels became Devils in Hell and are kept in Chains of Darkness unto the Judgment of the Great Day of God who are to be punished eternally in Hell-fire Joh. 3.44 Joh. 3.8 Jude 6. 2 Pet. 2.4 But God looking on Mankind in their forlorn and miserable Condition with an eye of pity and compassion gave them a word of Comfort which was That the Gen. 3.15 Seed of the Woman should bruise the Serpent's head which is the Devil and God said that he would put enmity between the seed of the Woman and the seed of the Serpent And in that God had compassion on Mankind rather than upon the fallen Angels so as to send them a Saviour Luk. 2.11 Mat. 1.21 There was this reason the fallen Angels were the principal and alone Causes of their own Rebellion but Mankind was stirr'd up to it through the subtil Insinuations and Lyes of the Devil Gen. 3.1 and therefore Mankind had a Tender of Grace offered them if we receive it according to the condition as it is offered us which is with Repentance towards God and Faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ with Love and Obedience to him to whom all the Prophets bear witness â—…aring he should be born of a Virgin 〈◊〉 speaking of his Sufferings and of his Death and of his Rising again Act. 20.21 Act. 4.12 Act. 3.23,26 Isa 7.14 Isa 53. Ps 16.10 Act. 2.24 13.34 I believe in this Lord Jesus Christ â—hat he is the onely begotten Son of God who gave himself to satisfie Divine Justice and to make Reconciliation for poor â—ost and undone Creatures which were dead in Trespasses and Sins through that â—f Adam's Transgression Joh. 1.14 Joh. 10.15,18 Eph. 2.1 Heb. 9.14 2 Cor. 3.5 Gen. 6.5 Rev. 3.17 Rom. 7.15 Job 4.20 Isa 30.33 2 Pet. 2.4,5 whereby our Nature became so corrupt that we have â—est us neither Strength to stand 〈◊〉 Willâ—… striâ—… nor 〈…〉 〈…〉 in which woful condition we should have spent some few Days here and after which been plunged into Hell it self for ever and there to have been tormented with the Devil and damned Spirits Luk. 16.32 Jud. 7. Isa 5.15 Deut. 32.22 Joh. 1.1,2,3 without any redress had not the Son of God the second Person in the Trinity who to fulfil his Fathers promise and for the wonderful Love he bare to his Creatures he left the Throne of his Fathers Glory where he had been from all Eternity and did vouchsafe to take upon him the means of our Flesh and therein was conceived by the Power of the Holy Ghost in the Womb of the Virgin Mary Matt. 1.20,21 Luk. 1.30,31,32 but born of her without sin and when he came into the World he then suffered the Miseries of this Life the Wrath of God and the cursed Death of the Cross that through Death he might destroy him that had the Power of Death which is the Devil and deliver them who through the fear of Death were all their Life-time subject to bondage Luk. 23.35,36 Luk. 23.33 and 44 45 46. Heb. 2.14,15 and the Lord of Life was buried descended into Hell and continued under the Power of Death till the third Day Luk. 24.6,7 in which he rose again from the Dead as a triumphant Victor over Sin Death and Hell and after his Resurrection he was seen oâ— all his Apostles 1 Cor. 15.5,6 and of above 500 Brethreâ— at once and remained upon the Earth for the space of forty Days and then he went to Mount Olivet with his Disciples and more Witnesses Act. 1.3.9,10,11,12 and from thence he ascended up into Heaven and now sitteth at the Right-hand of God the Father and there maketh intercession for the Saints according to the Mind of God Heb. 1.3 Joh. 12.41 Rom. 8.34 Heb. 6.7.25 I believe also that assuredly there is Life and Salvation to be had through our Lord Jesus Christ if we come to him by faith and repentance so as to confess and forsake our sins and believe in him and his word so that we unfeignedly love and fear to offend him we shall be beloved of him and made eternally blessed by him through his perfect Righteousness which shall be imputed to us who is able to preserve us in time and in Eternity I believe in the Holy Ghost that he is the Sanctifier of our Natures whereby our Wills are renewed so as to desire to serve the living God in truth and in sincerity and also in time of trouble he doth often administer comfort and consolation to the Saints Acts 20.21 and 3.19 John 14.21 Joh. 8.31 Jer. 23.6 Rom. 8.14 1 Cor. 3.15 Gal. 5.16 1 Cor. 1.22 Joh. 5.26 I believe there is a Holy Catholick Church a member of which is every sincere hearted Christian throughout the World that worships the Lord in spirit and truth for our blessed Lord saith John 4.23,24 that the Father seeketh such to worship him I believe there will be the Resurrection of the Body and Life everlasting for the Righteous and eternal Damnation for them that go on in their wicked Ways I believe also that the Lord will come in the last Day in the Clouds of Heaven to render vengeance to his Adversaries and those that know not God and will not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ 1 Cor. 15.21,22 Joh. 5.28,29 Col. 1.18 Matt. 25.46 John 11.24 Acts 1.11 2 Thess
Faith which some take up with now-a-days which is no other than of the Devils coining and his Accomplices in that they say he that believeth through the merits of Christ that he shall be saved therefore they shall be saved If they do but also confess their sins leaving out repenting and forsaking them Which is contrary to the holy Word of God And as St. Peter saith they wrest the Scriptures to their own destruction 2 Pet. 3.10 I hope the Prince of Darkness hath not so blinded their minds but that they will own that those did believe that they should be saved when they said to the Lord Christ in Matth. 22. vers Mat. 7.22.23 Have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name cast out Devils and in thy name done many wonderful works Then will the Lord profess unto them that he never knew them depart from me ye that work iniquity And also that the foolish Virgins did believe they should be saved when they say in Matth. Mat. 25.11,12 Lord Lord open to us But he shall answer and say verily I say unto you I know you not And whereas the Lord saith in John 47. v. Joh. 6.47 Verily verily I say unto you he that believeth on me hath everlasting life And whereas St. John saith vers 12. 1 John 5.12 He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life And also the Lord saith in John 6.40 Joh. 6.40 And this is the will of him that sent me that every one which seeth the Son and believeth on him may have everlasting life and I will raise him up at the last day I hope upon serious considerations none will say they believe in Christ for Salvation when they will not believe what the Lord saith concerning the conditions upon which Salvation is tendred by him the which conditions are repentance love and new obedience And the Lord saith in John 8.31 v. To the Jews which believed on him John 8.31,47,51 If ye continue in my word then are ye my Disciples indeed And again in the 47. vers He that is of God heareth Gods word ye therefore hear them not because ye are not of God And the Lord saith in the 51. vers Verily verily I say unto you if a man keep my sayings he shall never see death That is he shall never see Hell in Esdras Esd 2.39 And the Lord also saith in John 21. vers John 14.21,24 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 will manifest my self unto him And again in the 24. v. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings and the word which you hear is not mine but the Fathers which sent me And Christ saith in the Gospel of John Joh. 15.10 If ye keep my conmandments ye shall abide in my love even as I have kept my Fathers commandments and abide in his love And again the Lord saith Joh. 12.48 He that rejecteth me and receiveth not my words hath one that judgeth him the word that I have spoken the same shall judge him in the last day And he saith in the 25. v. Joh. 12.25,26 He that loveth his life shall lose it and he that hateth his life in this World shall keep it unto life Eternal If any man serve me let him follow me and where I am there shall also my servant be if any man serve me him will my Father honor And the Lord saith to the Jews 34. v. Joh. 8.34,44 Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin And in the 44. v. he saith to them ye are of your Father the Devil and the lusts of your Father ye will do But the Lord saith to them that would have an interest in him in the 34. v. Mark 8.34,35,36,37,38 Whosoever will come after me let him deny himself and take up his Cross and follow me For whosoever will save his life shall lose it but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the Gospels the same shall save it For what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own Soul or what shall a man give in exchange for his Soul whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy Angels We here see by all this that it is a belief in Christ and his Word that is required of us unto which we are to shew our love and obedience and St. John saith 1 Joh. 4.15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God God dwelleth in him and he in God and he farther saith in the 5. c. and 5. v. Joh. 5.5.13 Who is he that overcometh the World but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God And again in the 13. These things have I written to you that believe on the name of the Son of God that ye may know that ye have eternal life and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God Can they think it is here meant only a verbal confession with their mouths is required when in their works and practice they deny him No it is the confessing of him always is required as in our words and actions wills and affections in suffering unto death it self By which we see this word confessing him hath a larger extent than some People are aware of Who like unto the Jews that thought Adultery was only in the action but the Lord gave them to understand that it had a far larger extent when he said to them in Matth. Mat. 5.18 that every one that looketh on a Woman to lustafter her hath committed adultery already with her in his heart And whereas it is said to believe on the name of the Son of God That is to believe that he is that Seed that shall bruise the Serpents Head and make reconciliation for all that should with love and thankfulness receive him For although all are freely invited by Christ in the call of the Gospel to come to him but it is none but them whose wills are brought over to him as to become obedient can receive him or the Blessing purchased by him Now all are willing to receive the benefit but all are not willing to perform the conditions whereby they might be made partakers of the Blessing but like Balaam say O that I might die the Death of the Righteous they being unwilling to forego this present evil World Of whom the Lord saith in Isai 13. v. Isa 29.13 This People draweth near me with their mouth and with their lips do honour me but have removed their heart far from me and their fear towards me is taught by the
the hearers of the law are justified before God but the doers of the law shall be justified That is as I tell you they were upon their first conversion and resignation justified by their faith in Christ but after we are converted and justified by faith then whilst we have life we must use our diligence to walk in obedience and to perfect holiness in the fear of the Lord. And here we see he acknowledges the moral law to the greatest height and tells us that we must be judged by it and the Gospel 2 Cor. 7.1 For he saith in the 16. v. In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my Gospel Therefore as St. Peter saith 2 Pet. 3.14 We must be diligent that we may be found of him in peace without spot and blameless And the Apostle saith again 1 Pet. 1.13,14,15 Wherefore gird up the loyns 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 As obedient Children not fashioning your selves according to the former lusts in your ignorance But as he which hath called you is holy so be ye holy in all manner of conversation That is endeavour to be holy in all your conversations And as it is said in Heb. Heb. 12.14 Follow peace with all men and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. By which we see nothing but a close walking with Christ will keep us in the love of Christ for if we sin willfully after we have thus received the knowledge of the truth I find no hope of mercy for the greater light we sin against the greater condemnation we fall under as witness when the Lord was in the Camp of Israel the man that gathered sticks on the Sabbath day was utterly cut off from the Congregation of the Lord. Rom. 15.29,30,31,32,35 Because he despised the word of the Lord therefore was he cut off in his iniquity and was stoned to death So also underneath the evident manifestations of the Spirit of God in the Apostles time we see in the Acts by Ananias and Saphira his Wife Acts 5.1,2,3,4,5 that having joyned themselves to the Church and in that they hypocritically would appear in the sight of the Apostles more devoted to the interest of the Church then really they were therefore St. Peter tells them they had not lyed unto man but unto God for he saith likewise whiles it remained was it not thine own and after it was sold was it not in thine own power why hast thou conceived this in thine heart thou hast not lyed unto men but unto God And Ananias hearing these words fell down and gave up the Ghost By which we see of what dreadful consequence it is for us to pretend to be more holy than we really are Therefore let this be a warning to us to be better than we pretend to be for 't is God that knoweth the heart and tryeth the Spirits of men And also God saith Ezek. 33.12 Therefore thou Son of man say unto the Children of thy people the righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression as for the wickedness of the wicked he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth And the Apostle saith Heb. 6.5,6 that if they willfully sin after they have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the World to come they cannot be renewed by repentance For if we are only of the outward Church we fall short of Salvation and must have our share in the threatned misery and if we deferr repentance and check the good motions of the Spirit we thereby lose the day of grace and so are left of God And if we go to hear the word and do not benefit thereby we are like the Earth which drinketh in the rain Heb. 6.3 yet bearing thorns and briars is rejected and is nigh unto cursing whose end is to be burned And if we are willfully ignorant It is said it is only the Fool hates knowledge Pro. 1.22 And God saith my People are destroyed for lack of knowledge Hosea 4.6 And whereas the Lord saith John 5.20,21,22,23,24 For the Father loveth the Son and sheweth him all things that himself doeth and he will shew him greater works than these that ye may marvel For as the Father raiseth up the dead and quickneth them even so the Son quickneth whom he will For the Father judgeth no man but hath committed all judgment to the Son By this we may plainly see that Christ spake this for the time to come in which he will jduge the World for when he then came it was to teach and to suffer and now as he is at the right hand of God it is said he sits there as an Advocate with the Father but when he comes again he is then our Judge therefore this is spoken for that time when all judgment shall be given to him The Lord saith That all men should honour the Son even as they honour the Father he that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him Now the Jews and Turks honour him not as they do the Father therefore spoken for time to come And he saith Verily verily I say unto you he that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death unto life That is when the Lord again cometh that them which he then findeth thus will have everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but then will be passed from death unto life And he saith John 5.24,25,26,27,28,29 Verily verily I say unto you the hour is coming and now is when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and they that hear shall live For as the Father hath life in himself so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself By all the foregoing words it doth evidently appear to be the first resurrection the which will be at the coming of the Lord and here spoken in the usual way of Scripture speaking in mentioning that which is to come as though it were already come Now although the wicked are termed to be dead in sin yet in the foregoing words there was made no mention of them but of the judgment that was committed to Christ Neither is the voice of Christ after his Ascension said to call home any but St. Paul And the Holy Ghost was not given till after the People were brought home by the voice of his Messengers in the call of the Gospel Therefore this must needs be meant of the first Resurrection which will be when Christ again cometh And the Lord saith Joh. 5.27,28,29 And
Nourish thy Children O thou good Nurse stablish their feet That is pray for them instruct them exhort them reprove them rebuke and chastise them For the Lord saith in the 2 of Esdras 9.11 They that have loathed my Law while they had yet liberty And when as yet place of repentance was open unto them understood not but despised it V. 12. The same must know it after death by pain And Eby for not Chastising his Sons but onely reproving them therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against him 1 Sam. 2.30 Wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith I said indeed that thy house and the house of thy father should walk before me for ever but now the Lord saith be it far from me for them that honour me I will honour and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed V. 31. Behold the day is come that I will cut off thine arm and the arm of thy fathers house that there shall not be an old man in thine house Here we see it was sin that did disappoint them of a promised blessing And also the good King Josiah did forfeit his Temporal promised blessing the which was That he should die in peace But he unadvisedly went out to Fight with the King of Egypt when he was forewarn'd by the same King from the Lord to forbear as is said in Chron. 34.27 Because thine Heart was tender and thou didst humble thy self before God when thou heardest his words against this place and against the Inhabitants thereof and humblest thy self before me and didest rend thy Clothes and weep before me I have even heard thee also saith the Lord. 28. Behold I will gather thee to thy Fathers and thou shalt be gathered to the grave in peace neither shall thine Eyes see all the Evil that I will bring upon this place and upon the inhabitants of the same Now in the 2 Chron. 35.20 It is said that he went out to Fight against the King of Egypt 21. But he sent Embassadors to him saying what have I to do with thee thou King of Judah I come not against thee this day but against the House wherewith I have war for God commanded me to make hast forbear thee from medling with God who is with me that he destroy thee not 22. Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him but disguised himself that he might Fight with him and hearkned not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God and came to Fight in the Valley of Megiddo 23. And the Archers shot at King Josiah and the King said to his servants have me away for I am sore wounded of which he dyed And also St. Paul in Acts 27.22 saith to them that were in the Ship And now I exhort you to be of good cheer for there shall be no loss of any mans Life among you but of the Ship 23. For there stood by me this night the Angel of God whose I am and whom I serve 24. Saying fear not Paul thou must be brought before Caesar and lo God hath given thee all them that sail with thee 25. Wherefore Sirs be of good cheer for I believe God that it shall be even as it was told me Now when the Ship-men were going to make their escape out of the Ship St. Paul in the 31. v. saith to the Centurian and to the Soldiers except these abide in the Ship you cannot be saved Now all these things are set down for our Instruction and Example and to admonish us that through our own default we may miss of the Promised blessing For we must take to the way and use the means or else the blessing promised is not attainable Therefore St. Paul saith Heb. 4.1 Let us therefore fear lest a promise being left us of entring into his rest any of you should seem to come short of it All these things being fair warning that as the Apostle saith 2 Pet. 1.10 We should use all diligence to make our calling and election sure And St. Paul saith Rom. 11.7 What then Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for but the Election hath obtained it and the rest were blinded Wherefore were they blinded Because they hardned themselves in disobedience unto God as I before shewed you Now there is a threefold hardness of Heart First There is a natural hardness or unbelief Secondly There is a wilful hardness or unbelief that is when we wilfully harden our selves against God and his word And then it is that God gives them up to a judicial hardness of Heart and blindness of mind Therefore the Lord saith in Isa 65.2 The which place is also mentioned by St. Paul in Rom. 10.21 But to Israel he saith I have spread out my hand all the day unto a rebellious People which walked in a way that was not good after their own thoughts And in Rom. 11.11,8 he saith According as it is written God hath given them the Spirit of Slumber Eyes that they should not see and Ears that they should not hear unto this day That is as I before shewed you in Isa 6.9 The which Judgment was pronounced against rhem by reason of their great wickedness the which is set down in the foregoing chap. of Isaiah to which I have already spoken and therefore shall here pass it by But as for the other quotation that is put down in the margin which is Isa 29.10 The which is not meant by St. Paul because that place hath its special reference to the Christians by reason from the 5. v. downward it treats of the Destruction of the World and Israel's Enemies the which is said to be at an instant suddenly that is when the Lord cometh At which time also there will be a great stupidness upon the Relapsed Christians occasioned by their sin of which St. Paul saith 2 Thes 2.10 Because they received not the love of the Truth that they might be saved 11. And for this cause God sent them strong delusions that they should believe a lie 12. That they all might be damned who believe not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness For as I before shewed it is said in Rev. 13.2 That the Devil gave the Beast his Power of whom came strong Delusions so as they believed Lies Besides all the other Delusions that the Devil has sent abroad in the World the which God suffers to take with them that have no love to the Truth but have pleasure in unrighteousness The which makes sin exceeding finful By which we are also shewn that the day of Grace and the day of Life hath not one and the same period That is that the day of Grace may be taken away long before our natural Life is Ended Of which the Apostle saith Heb. 3.7 Wherefore as the Holy Ghost saith to day if you will hear his Voice 8. Harden not your hearts as in the provocation in the day of temptation in the wilderness 9. When your Fathers tempted me proved
Glory even us whom he hath called not of the Jews only but also of the Gentiles That was from their first Conversion the Spirit of the Lord was working with their Spirit so as to make them Vessels of Mercy prepared unto Glory the which Glory will be revealed when the Lord again comes Therefore St. Paul saith a little before his Death 2 Tim. 4.6,7,8 For I am now ready to be offered and the time of my departure is at hand I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the Faith Henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness which the Lord the righteous Judge shall give me at that day and not to me only but unto all them also that love his appearing Now here is two things to be considered in these words which is to whom these Crowns are to be given and when they are to be given He tells us they shall be given to all them that love his appearing That is has a longing desire for his appearing And he also tells us they are to be given in that day in which the Lord appeareth Now in the Vision that St. John saw Rev. 4.1,4,6 In which it is said The Vision was for hereafter at which time there was a door opened in Heaven And in the 4. v. it is said There was four and twenty seats And upon the seats four and twenty Elders sitting cloathed in white Raiment and they had on their heads Crowns of Gold And in the 6th v. it is said before the Throne there was a Sea of Glass By which it does appear this Vision which was for time to come does signifie the time when the glorious Tabernacle should descend by reason he mentions there was a door opened in Heaven And by the measure of the City upward and the glory of it Which is mentioned in the 21st and 22d chapters of the Revelations it does seem that the Heavens will remain open over the glorious Tabernacle from the Throne of God And by the Sea of Glass it doth signify as much At which time it is said the Elders were Crowned Which is according to what St. Paul Saith that they shall receive their Crowns in that day when the Lord appeareth at which time the Glory will be manifested Now as to what St. Paul saith in Rom. 9.25 Where he mentions what was said by the Prophet Hosea I will call them my people which were not my people and her beloved which was not beloved 26. And it shall come to pass that in the place where it was said unto them ye are not my people there shall they be called the Children of the living God By the rehearsal of these words it makes it also plainly appear that St. Paul had his â—eference wholly to the time when the Lord again comes In that he Saith where it was said unto them ye are not my people there shall they be called the children of the living God Now to whom was this spoken it was to Israel in the Land of Canan Unto which at the restitution they shall be again restored And there shall they be called the children of the living God As in Hos 9.10 Then said God call his name Loammi for ye are not my people and I will not be your God Yet the number of the Children of Israel shall be as the Sand of the Sea which cannot be measured nor numbred And it shall come to pass that in the place where it was said unto them ye are not my people there it shall be said unto them ye are the Sons of the living God 11. Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together and appoint themselves one head and they shall come up out of the Land for great shall be the day of Jezreel Whereas it is said they shall choose themselves one head the which will be the head whom God hath appointed them And God saith in Hos 2.18,19,20 And in that day I will make a Covenant for them with the beast of the field and with the fowls of heaven and with the creeping things of the ground and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the Earth and I will make them lie down safely 19. And I will betroth thee unto me for ever yea I will betroth thee unto me in Righteousness and in Judgment and in loving kindness and in mercy 20. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness and thou shalt know the Lord. Which words argue there was a time in which Israel did not know the Lord. And the Lord saith 23. V. And I will sow her unto me in the Earth and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy and I will say to them which were not my people thou art my people and they shall say thou art my God By these quotations of St. Paul we may also clearly see that what he said was for the time to come And he saith in Rom. 8.28,29 We know that all things work together for good to them that love God to them who are called according to his purpose That is called now for his purpose hereafter for it 29. V. For whom he did forknow he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son that he might be the first born among many brethren Now whereas he saith whom he did foreknow that is whom Christ had the knowledge of in this life to be conformable to him as was the Apostles and the Churches that first trusted in Christ They were then chosen for to be made partakers of the Glory that shall be Revealed when the Lord again comes according to what he saith in Phil. 3.20 For our conversation is in Heaven from whence also we look for a Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ 21. Who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body according to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things unto himself Now these words may comprehend the time that is to come that they should be conformable to the Image not only of the mind of Christ but to the person of Christ intime to come And whereas he saith Rom. 8.30 Moreover whom he did Predestinate them he also called and whom he called then he also Justified and whom he Justified them he also glorious Here we see he speaks in the usual Scripture way of speaking in that he mentions what is to come as tho it were already done For it is Evident that they were not then glorified By which it does appear that this calling here mentioned is when the Dead shall hear the Voice of the Son of God and Live which is at the first Resurrection which is the Resurrection of the lust at which time the Promised Elect shall find mercy And wheras he saith in Rom. 8.32 He that spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with
him also freely give us all things That is God will freely give us all things if we will receive it according to the tender of his Grace in his Word and with patience wait for it as these did And whereas he saith in 33. v. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's Elect it is God that Justifieth 33. Who is he that condemneth it is Christ that died yea rather that is risen again who is even at the Right hand of God who also maketh interessione for us That is as I elsewhere said that we are no sooner converted and brought into an holy Resignation of our selves unto God but we are accepted of God through the satisfaction made by the Death of Christ who now lives to make intercession for such And as to what we were before we were Converted those sins will not be laid to our charge But this is no incouragement to us to sin and defer Repentance for those Romans never had the knowledg of the truth before But we are born Children of the visible Church and if we defer Repentance and check the good motions of the Spirit and refuse to be obedient to the word thinking it will be time enough hereafter to look after Heaven In so doing we tempt God to leave us to hardness of Heart and blindness of mind therefore the Apostle doth so earnestly exhort the Hebrews To day whilst it is called to day not to harden their Hearts That is not to put off Repentance till to morrow And when we are brought home to Christ by Repentance and resigning up our selves to him we are then no sooner in him but we must walk in newness of Life Of which St. Jude puts in remembrance Jude 6.7 Of the Angels which kept not their first estate but left their own habitations he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the Judgment of the great day Even as Sodom and Gomorrha and the Cities about them in like manner giving themselves over to fornication and going after strange Flesh are set forth for an Example suffering the vengeance of eternal Fire By which we see if we give our selves a liberty to sin God does with hold his restraining Grace from us and so through sin we become subjects of God's wrath And whereas St. Paul saith Rom. 8.35 Who shall separate us from the Love of Christ shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword 36. As it is written for thy sake we are killed all the day long we are accounted as Sheep for the Slaughter 37. Nay in all these things we are more than Conquerers through him that lovedus 38. For I am perswaded that neither Death nor Life nor Angels nor Principalities nor Powers nor things present nor things to come 39. Nor height nor depth nor any other Creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. By these words we see that St. Paul was of this perswasion That they being once in Christ that it was not any nor all of these forementioned things should be able to separate them from the Love of God through Christ By which we see there is nothing but wilful sin that can separate the Soul from the Love of God in Christ if once accepted And whereas St. Paul saith 2 Thes 2.13.14 We are bound to give thanks alway to God for you Brethren beloved of the Lord because God hath from the beginning chosen you to Salvation thro' Sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth whereunto he called you by our Gospel to the obtaining of the gloey of our Lord Jesus Christ Now whereas St. Paul saith That God from the beginning chose the Thessalonians to Salvation Now were these words to be taken as hitherto we have done there is a contradiction in the Apostles own words For in the Ephesians he there saith that they were chosen in Christ before the Foundation of the World And here in the Thessalonians he saith from the beginning Now were they chosen from the beginning of the material Heavens and Earth or from the beginning of the first world of People which was in the seed of Cain and Seth. Then were they not chosen before the foundation of the World but at the foundation of the World therefore these words admit of a contradiction And from the beginning here spoken of could not reach to God and Eternity for there is neither beginning nor end therefore his words here and in the Ephesians admit of two meanings The first is as I before proved to you That the Churches that first trusted in Christ was made choice of for the glorious Tabernacle and so will appear to the praise of his Glory as being approv'd of of God as to matter of choice or liking in God for the glorious Tabernacle sooner then Israel or before Israel which is the foundation of the world here spoken of as I have already clearly proved Now whereas he saith that the Thessalonians were chosen from the begining to Salvation is no other then from the begining of the preaching of the Gospel The which begining I shall make clear to you by the words of our blessed Lord and St. John First what the Lord saith to his Disciples in John 15.27 And ye shall also bear witness because ye have been with me from the begining And St. John saith 1 John 2.24 Let that therefore abide in you which ye have heard from the begining If that which ye have heard from the begining shall remain in you ye also shall continue in the Son and in the Father By what is here said it is evident that the Apostle had no other meaning then from the begining of the publishing of the Gospel by reason Christ and the Apostles did express themselves so And the Apostles own words are to the like effect in Phil. 1.5 For your fellowship in the Gospel from the first day until now which is no other then from the first day they heard the word Now the Thessalonians their being chosen to salvation was not so absolute but that they might through their own neglect fall short of salvation as St. Pauls own words make appear Because he saith in the 2 Thes 1.11 Wherefore also we pray alwaies for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness and the work of faith with power By what is here said it doth appear that the Thessalonians being chosen to salvation was like that of the children of Israel who was chosen of the Lord for the Land of Canan for God brought them out of the Land of Egypt That was God by his own out stretched arm brought them out of Egypt and through the red Sea This being that which lay not in their power to do But when he brought them into the Wilderness they were to fight for the Land of Canan or else they were never to
forsaken of him For the new Heart and the new Spirit which God requireth we should make us is that they should desire Holiness and Righteousness as they did heretofore sin and wickedness and also to use their utmost diligence for attaining unto an Holy Life desiring God's Assistance for he will never leave us nor forsake us if we so do for God withdraws not the good motions of his Spirit from any of his People till such time as they fall away from him And this new Heart and new Spirit in the Capacity he hath put us and by the means set before us we are able to make us by his promised assistance but this is not the new heart which he hath promised to give Isa 45.19 By which we may see it is our slothfulness and slugishness and also in our giving way to Temptations and to our own inclinations and affections whereby Satan for our want of bridling them hurries the Soul which way he pleaseth and so for want of watchfulness diligence and labour in the service of the Lord They lose the promised blessing which is Eternal Life and so come to have their Portion in Hell it self but if we are found in the ways of God as St. Paul tells us God doth not forget our Work and Labour of Love And twice in this foregoing Chapter of Ezekiel God saith I have no pleasure in the Death of him that dieth Now after the fall of Man the decree was that the entrances into life should be made strait so as those that will not wrestle for the blessing cannot have it And whereas St. Paul saith in Rom. 11.13 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief that he might have mercy upon all That is Israel also being sinful and therefore God left them to blindness of mind and so concluding them all in unbelief that is the greater part of them that they might taste the fruit of their own doings in the weight of his displeasure and that afterward he might make some of all sharers of his mercy And the Lord saith in Amos 3.6 Shall a Trumpet be blown in the City and the people not afraid Shall there be evil in the City and the Lord hath not done it This is spoken of the Evil of Punishment as all the Chapter makes appear For as man is the committer of the Evil of sin so God is the inflictor of the Evil of punishment And also the like is said in Isaiah 42.24 And St. Peter speaking of Christ saith in Acts 2.23,24 Him being delivered by the determined Counsel and fore-knowledge of God ye have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain Whom God hath raised up having loosed the pains of Death because it was not possible that he should be holden of it This being most certain that the Jews could have had no power to crucifie the Lord of Life had it not been done by the determined Counsel and Foreknowledge of God But by these words there is not one syllable from whence we may gather that this Counsel was before the material Heavens and Earth but rather the contrary in that he mentions them not And as to what St. Peter saith Acts 4.27,28 For of a truth against thy Holy Child Jesus whom thou hast anointed both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and the people of Israel were gathered together 28. For to do whatsoever thy Hand and thy Counsel determined before to be done Now God eclipsing the Glory of Christ and Christ taking upon him the Form of a Servant and he speaking against their Wicked Ways the which the Jews could not bear and thereupon Satan made them his Instruments to accomplish his Hellish Design by which he thought to have conquered the Lord of Life but he thereby wrought his own eternal perdition and thereby the determined Counfel of God was brought to pass in Satan's Overthrow and man's salvation Now whereas it is said by the Angel where he mentions the Beast and the Kings Rev. 17.17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will and to agree and give their Kingdom unto the Beast until the words of God shall be fullfilled Now we may say Wherefore was it the Will of God to put in the Hearts of these Kings to agree in giving their Power to the Beast until his Word should be fullfilled The Reason is this There was a Foreknowledge in God of their miscarriage And upon that foreknowledg of their miscarriage God did determine to leave them to delusion till such time his Words should be fullfilled according to which St. Paul saith 2 Thes 2.9,10 where he speaks of the Beast Even him whose coming is after the working of Satan with all Power and Signs and Lying Wonders 10. v. And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish because they received not the love of the Truth that they might be saved We see this was so determined of God by reason God foreseeing they would have no delight in his Ways nor receive the Truth in the Love thereof Therefore they were given up by God to follow the delâ—sions of the Beast and the Devil Now whereas it is said in Acts 13.46,47,48 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold and said it was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you but seeing ye put it from you and judg your selves unworthy of everlasting life lo we turn to the Gentiles for so hath the Lord commanded us saying I have set thee to be a light to the Gentiles that thou shouldest be for Salvation unto the ends of the Earth And when the Gentiles heard this they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord and as many as were ordained to eternal Life believed Now by the Ordaining here spoken of if we take it for granted that there was a certain number of the Gentiles as there was of the Jews so absolutely given to Christ as they should never fall away and that they were here so chosen at Antioch where St. Paul spake this for Antioch was an eminent place for Believers insomuch that they were first there called Christians Yet however this does no way prove that all believers are so Ordained to Everlasting Life so as they shall never finally fall away for by the word of God it is absolutely the contrary as I have here proved But as to the Ordaining here spoken of when explained according to the Tenor of the Gospel it does appear to be no such thing for the Believer upon his believing that Christ is the Author of Eternal Salvation to all them that obey him Heb. 5.9 by which his Heart is drawn out in thankfulness love and obedience to Christ Gal. 5.6 for it is a Faith that worketh by Love is required the which the sinner no sooner so believeth but that all his past Sins are then forgiven him and the Righteousness of Christ imputed to him so as the Believer becomes compleat in him for God by
which the Lord for our better inlightning tells us in Mat. 13.52 That every Scribe that is well instructed bringeth out of his Treasury things New and Old That is for the better understanding of the New Testament we must search the Old For indeed they both give light the one to the other And as to the meaning of the Lord in his saying this generation I was ignorant of how to apprehend it And being formerly asked by a Gentleman that had no belief of the Bible how I could since my Lord had so falfyfied his word in his promise as concerning his coming in that generation and since there has been so many generations and the Lord is not yet come At which time I could not give him a satisfactory answer neither any that could prove so to my self At which I was much troubled altho it did no way shake my belief in the Lord as not to believe him to be the Son of God and as being so he had made satisfaction for all them that truly love and fear him for through Mercy I had had those Experiences of the Lord unto me that I was not staggered therein notwithstanding my trouble was very great that my Lord should be termed a Deceiver in being worse than his word After which a considerable time I hearing of the Earth-quakes and the Cities of the Nations falling I thought it my best way to take the Lords Advice and search the Scriptures with more diligence than ever and I earnestly besought the Lord with Prayers that he would inlighten my Understanding therein And blessed be God he hath granted my request and not only so but having found out these several places the which are and will be standing witnesses to my Lord to prove that he hath not falsified his word to us in the Promise of his Coming but that he will certainly come in this Generation whose coming is just at hand which will be the day in which Christ will Judg the World and give rewards to his Servants at which time there will be none of these Corruptions for St. Paul and Esaras saith they shall be changed 2 Esd 6.26,27 The men that are received shall see it who have not tasted Death from their Birth and the Hearts of the Inhabitants shall be changed and turned into another meaning for evil shall be put out deceit shall be quenched as for faith it shall flourish and corruption shall be overcome and truth which hath been so long without fruit shall be declared Then will the saying of the Angel to the Blessed Virgin be made good concerning Christ as in Luke 1.32,33 He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest and the Lord God shall give unto him the Throne of his Father David And he shall reign over the House of Jacob for ever and of his Kingdom there shall be no end Now the Throne of his Father David was on Mount Sion and Jerusalem And Christ saith to Nathanael in John 1.51 Hereafter you shall see Heaven open and the Angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man When this eminent Glory of Christ shall be Revealed then also will come to pass the saying of the Apostle as in Ephes 2.7 That in the Ages to come he might shew the exceeding Riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus This exceeding Riches of the Grace of Christ will be manifested toward them in the World to come Of which World to come shall proceed Ages and Generations And God saith of Israel in Isa 45.17,18 Israel shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting Salvation ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded World without end For thus saith the Lord that Created the Heavens God himself that formed the Earth and made it he hath established it he created it not in vain he formed it to be inhabited I am the Lord and there is none else And St. Paul instructing the Church by Timothy saith 1 Tim. 6.19 That they do good that they be rich in good works ready to distribute willing to communicate Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come that they may lay hold on Eternal Life We see here is another time spoken of and if it's time it is then before Eternity and so before the final Judgment wherein 't is said the Sea Hell and Death shall deliver up their Dead And whereas there is spoken of three Generations and three Worlds and three Times the which three ways of expressing includes one and the same thing and that there will be a time wherein the Glory of the Righteous shall be reveal'd as there has been times wherein they have been despised and therefore St. Paul saith Rom. 8.18,19,20,21,22 But I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us 19. For the earnest expectation of the Creature waiteth for the manifestation of the Sons of God 20. For the Creature was made subject to vanity not willingly but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope 21. Because the creature it self also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God 22. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travelleth in pain together until now Here the Apostle speaketh in the usual Scripture way in that he mentions that which is to come as tho it were then present the which by his following words he doth so explain himself as in the 23. v. where he saith And not only they but our selves also which have the first fruits of the Spirit even we our selves groan within our selves waiting for the adoption to wit the redemption of our Body 24. For we are saved by hope but hope that is seen is not hope for what a man seeth why doth he hope for 25. But if we hope for that we see not then do we with patience wait for it As concerning this Hope the Lord puts forth the Parable in Luke 19.12,16,17 He said therefore a certain noble man went out into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return By this we see the Lord was to return again when he had received the Power of the Kingdom and then he will give here rewards to his Servants according to their diligence imployed in his Service as in the 16. and 17. v. Then came the first saying Lord thy pound hath gained ten pounds And he said unto him well thou good servant because thou hast been faithful in a very little have thou Authority over ten Cites And here we see according to the improvement of the Talent he gives us so will his rewards be for the God of Judgment will not be such a partial Judg as some has thought him But the Judg of all the World will do right Now by the Parable that the Lord put forth concerning the Wedding
Supper I find therein is Comfort for the Poor for when those that were bidden were not found worthy through their own neglect and so was detain'd from coming through the Love they had to this present World as in Matt. 22.8 Then said the King to his Servants the Wedding is ready but they that were bidden were not worthy 9. Go ye therefore into the High-ways and as many as ye shall find bid to the Marriage 10. So those Servants went into the high-ways and gathered together all as many as they could find both good and bad and the Wedding was furnished with guests 11. And when the King came in to see the guests he saw there a man which had not a Wedding Garment 12. And he said unto him friend how camest thou in hither not having a wedding Garment and he was speechless 13. Then said the King to the Servants bind him hand and foot and take him away and cast him into utter darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of Teeth We see that although the poor in great number at the last day will be called in to be made partakers of that blessedness which then shall be revealed yet we see by this one that has been mentioned that some of them will be cast out and that there will be something found in them which will unfit them for mercy That is their Lives more estranged from God and their tempers more united to Satan like to this Man in the Parable which might like the Glory of the Saints yet not their Sanctity or they sound guilty of some of those crying sins unrepented of And whereas the Lord saith in the 14. v. For many are called but few are chosen That is they are called so as to be brought into the knowledg of God and his ways as to know what he requires of us But by reason they will not use their utmost endeavour to make their Calling and Election sure therefore they will not be chosen in the great day of the Lord the which the foregoing words doth make it so out that they did neglect the tender and offer of mercy by his Messengers in or of the Gospel being not willing to forego this present World and therefore are not sound ready when the Lord comes so as then to be chosen by him And also if we neglect the tender of mercy all our Life time I can find no hopes that such should be chosen upon a Death-Bed As for the Thief upon the Cross he was not brought into the knowledg of the Lord before that time And the Lord saith in Luke 14.21,22,23 When those that were bidden came not then the Master of the House being angry said to his Servants go out quickly into the Streets and Lanes of the City and bring in hither the poor and the maimed and the halt and the blind And the servant said Lord it is done as thou commanded and yet there is room And the Lord said to the servant go out into the high-ways and hedges and compel them to come in that my house may be full Now as to the meaning of these Parables of the Lord in which they are bidden to Supper is his Invitation to us by the Gospel which remains good from the time of his being on Earth till his second coming at which time he not finding those that were bidden prepared for his coming therefore in the 24. v. saith That none of those men that were bidden shall tast of my Supper That is those that are not found prepared And in Luke 18.8 Where the Lord saith When he cometh shall he find faith on Earth That is the generality of the Christians will be more prophane and wicked than ever they were and therefore none of them that are so shall have any part of his Supper when he cometh Now that the justice and mercy of God might be both evident as the Psalmist and St. Paul saith in Rom. 3.4 Where he speaking of God saith in Ps 51.4 That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings and mightest overcome when thou art judged Therefore God looking on the poor that here have known nothing but misery and thereby made uncapable of shewing mercy in giving relief to others and also through poverty had not the due education as to bring them up in the knowledge of the Lord of which some of them which will be brought in at the coming of the Lord is said to be lame halt and blind To be sure some of them will not be only outwardly so but also there will be those that are inwardly so The first that were brought in are said to be fetcht out of the streets and lanes of the City And the Servants of the Lord said yet there is room Then were they Commanded to go into the high waies and hedges and to compel them to come in Here by all this we have no reason to believe that these were all sound ready at his coming but that they then are called in to sill up their places that have neglected his mercy And Isaiah Prophesieth of the time to come in which the Lord shall be judge that the lame also shall take the prey Whereas he saith in Chap. 33.22 v. The Lord is our Judge the Lord ic our Lawgiver the Lord is our King he will save us 23. v. Thy tackling are loosed they could not well strengthen their Mast they could not spread the Sail then is the prey of a great spoile divided the lame take the prey You may plainly see by these words that they have only reference to the time when the Lord again comes And in the 14 Chap. 1. v. For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob and will yet chuse Israel and set them in their own Land and strangers shall be joyned with them and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob. By which we see that there will be strangers called in at that time when Israel is And the Psalmist where he saith Psal 9.17,18,19 The wicked shall be turned into Hell and all the Nations that forget God Then it is in the following verse The needy shall not alway be forgotten the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever Arise O Lord let not man prevail let the Heathen be judged in thy sight We see here when it is that the Poor and Needy is thus to be remembred It is when the Lord riseth to judgment at which time he renders punishments to the Wicked and Comfort to the Afflicted And it is said in Psal 37.7 Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him fret not thy self because of him who prospereth in his way because of the man who bringeth wicked devises to pass 8. Cease from anger and forsake wrath fret not thy self in any wise to do evil 9. For evil doers shall be cut off but those that wait upon the Lord they shall inherit the Earth 10. For yet a little while and the wicked shall not be 11. But the meek