the sea and the fountains of water."* And the true Christian hath not only heard, but obeyed this gospel; he knoweth life and immortality brought to light through this gospel;† and the light of this glorious gospel shines in his heart, and he hath repented or turned to the light thereof, received and believed this gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation; which gospel was preached unto Abraham,§ and was and is now preached in every creature under heaven. Of this gospel Paul was a minister. And the true Christian is come to the mystery of the fellowship of the gospel, which stands not in word, but power, and is not of man, nor by man, but of God; and this gospel judgeth the secrets of all men ;|| and he is come to the knowledge of the mystery of the gospel, and through it hath received life, liberty, and salvation; and his feet are shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, and his conversation is as becomes the gospel, and he adorns the gospel of his Lord and saviour; and in this abiding he enjoys the privileges of the gospel, and inherits the precious promises made of old, and enjoys that which was prophesied of by that evangelical or gospel prophet Isaiah, when he saw and spoke of the universal love of God to be enjoyed in the gospel days, in making a feast unto all people: "In this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wine on the lees; of fat things full of marrow, of wine on the lees well refined; and he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering that is cast over the face of all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations; he will swallow up death in victory; the Lord will wipe away tears from all faces, and the rebuke of his people will he take away from off all the earth; the Lord God hath spoken it. And it shall be said in that day, lo this is our God, we have waited for him, and he will save us; this is the Lord, we have waited for him, and we will be glad, and rejoice in his salvation,"¶ &c. A blessed sight and heavenly prophecy, which the true Christian is come and coming to the full enjoyment and fulfilling of. Glory to God for ever. And the anti-type of the year of jubilee is now enjoyed; and the sabbath of rest is entered into; and the holy mountain in which is no destroyer, is now dwelt in; and the light of God's countenance is lifted up, which makes the true Christian's heart more glad, than the joy that comes with the increase of corn, wine, and oil. Many prophets and righteous men saw that afar off which he now possesseth: so that he can truly say, gospel times are glorious times, the privileges of the gospel are glorious privileges; Christ reigning and ruling in his heart, Rev. xiv. 16. † 2 Tim. i. 10. + Gal. iii. 8. § Col. i. 23. That which judgeth the secrets of men's hearts is the gospel. ¶ Isa. xxv. 6, 7, 8, 9. leading captivity captive, and giving victory over death, hell, and the grave, wiping away all tears, and taking away the reproach, (being sin, which is a reproach to any people,) and giving power to bind kings in chains, and nobles in fetters of iron, and to war with spiritual wickedness in high places, and to bring down every high thought and imagination into the obedience of Christ. This honour have all the saints, who receive the gospel of peace and salvation, and arrive at the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. The titular Christian he saith, he believeth in the gospel, and talks of life, liberty, and salvation by it. He saith, he hath heard the sound of the gospel, and that he obeys the gospel; but how doth he show forth the truth thereof? Let him examine himself. Doth he know the light of the glorious gospel to shine in his heart, whereby the mystery of it is revealed unto him? Hath he repented or turned to the light, and believed the gospel? Doth he know it to be the power of God unto salvation? And is he saved by it, as Abraham was, when preached unto him, and as the primitive Christians were, when they received it? Doth he know life and immortality brought to light through the gospel? Hath he obeyed the gospel? And are his feet shod with the preparation of it? And doth he adorn the gospel with a holy life and conversation? No, the titular Christian knows no such gospel, nor the light of it to shine in his heart, nor the mystery of it to be revealed in him; for he hates the light, and denies revelation, and saith it is ceased, and that there is no revelation to be expected in these days, nor any possibility to live a holy life, as becometh the gospel; nor any inheriting the precious promises, nor enjoying the glorious things prophesied of, while on this side the grave; no having the veil taken off the heart, nor tears wiped away, nor the cause of them removed, nor death swallowed up in victory, while he remains in the body; nor that the anti-type of the year of jubilee, which is perfect liberty and redemption, can be witnessed and enjoyed, by believing in the gospel; nor that the mountain of the Lord's house should be established upon the top of all mountains, or that any can dwell in that where no destroyer is; nor that the sabbath or rest wherein he shall not speak his own words, nor think his own thoughts, nor bear any burden, can be entered into, or dwelled in, while on this side the grave. The titular Christian hath no faith in any of these things; therefore his faith is feigned, and the object of it is imaginary, and is indeed that which may be called another gospel, which he that bringeth is accursed, and is not of God, but of man. And the titular Christian can be a professor of this gospel, and a hearer of this gospel, and yet never hear the voice of the son of God, nor ever come to be quickened unto life; nor ever receive remission of sin, nor inheritance among them that are sanctified; nor ever come to enjoy the privileges of the gospel, signified and showed forth by divers types, figures, and shadows under the law, and seen and prophesied of by the holy prophets, yet can talk of all these things; even while in death, will talk of the fame of wisdom, and the glorious things her children formerly enjoyed, while he himself is poor, blind, and miserable, and wants the possession and experimental enjoyment thereof. And indeed, the mystery of iniquity hath so far prevailed, and the darkness is grown so thick, by reason of the smoke that ascends out of the bottomless pit, in this night of apostacy, which hath spread over this part of the world called Christendom, since the apostles' days, that the titular Christian which hates the light, and dwells in this darkness is grown so great a friend to the devil, that old serpent, that he will not endure any other gospel, than such a one which will admit of living under the bondage, service, and slavery of the devil term of life. This is he that cannot endure sound doctrine. Now the joyful sound of this gospel, which whole Christendom rings of, is, "No perfect victory over sin ;* no overcoming of the devil, no withstanding him in all his temptations; no abstaining from every appearance of evil; no perfecting holiness in the fear of God; no ceasing from committing of sin; no dispossessing the strong man, and spoiling all his goods; no sweeping the house, and garnishing it with heavenly goods; no pulling down the strong holds of sin and satan; no bringing every thought and imagination into the obedience of Christ; no putting off the old man with his deeds, nor putting on the new, nor bearing the heavenly images, nor any such regeneration or new birth to be known, which committeth not sin; no repairing the breach which our first parents made; no finding again that which is lost; no restoration into innocency and a sinless state again, while men dwell in these earthly tabernacles." None of these things can be effected, saith the sound of this gospel, or the preachers of it in all sects. Oh! how greatly it is to be lamented, not only to see and behold the garden and vineyard of the Lord become so great a wilderness, and so overgrown with briars and thorns, thistles and noisome weeds, where many venomous and hurtful things are nourished; but also to see those who count themselves labourers in the vineyard, and dressers of the garden, sit down and conclude, that it can never be dressed, nor the vineyard purged from all that doth offend the tender grapes, and that the wild boar, and the little foxes can never be driven out, nor those plants which the heavenly Father never planted be pulled up, nor that this wilderness can never become a fruitful field, nor like Eden again : and that there are so many believers of these sorrowful tidings and *The message and sound of the ministers of darkness, who preach another gospel. miserable messengers and ministers of satan, evil unbelieving spies, who discourage and persuade the people they can never inherit the good land, nor overcome their enemies.* O thou God of Heaven! appear more and more, and disperse and remove this unbelief and gross darkness, and stop the ascending of this smoke, which ariseth out of the bottomless pit, and darkens the air, and gather thy scattered people from under those idol-shepherds and false vine-dressers, blind guides, and miserable comforters. Thou hast gathered a remnant from under them, and made their folly manifest, and to them their gospel is accursed; do so for thousands and ten thousands, which yet know thee not, is the breathing of the soul of the righteous, and remove this monstrous faith out of the hearts of all men, which holds up the devil's kingdom their term of life. And let thy power be known and magnified over all, who art God, blessed for ever. XVII. The True Christian's Faith and Experience concerning Grace, and Living under it, and Growing up in it from one Degree unto another; and of the possibility of Falling away from it. The law came by Moses, but grace and truth by Jesus Christ. Grace is the free gift of God for the salvation of all, and hath appeared unto all men: but all men did not, nor do receive it, so know not the teachings and virtue of it, nor its sufficiency and power to save, being known to none but such as do receive it. And all that do receive this grace, are taught by it to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world.† Thus it taught the true Christian in former ages, and teacheth the same now; and all that are so taught by it, are not under the law, but under grace; for grace doth not destroy the law, but fulfils it, and leads those that are under it to the enjoyment of the substance of those heavenly things it shadowed forth, and which the prophets prophesied of. And further it teacheth more spiritual and evangelical lessons than Moses did, by whom the law came. And the true Christian not only receives this grace, but grows in it from one degree unto another, and witnesseth a being saved by it, and a being justified by it, having experience of its sufficiency when the * The sorrow and misery of mankind are much increased and continued by this unbelief and sound of bad tidings, or another gospel, which they that have brought, are accursed. †Tit.. ii. 11. 66 enemy doth assault, and trials and temptations attend; even as Paul, the aged, when in danger, and besought the Lord, the answer was, My grace is sufficient for thee."* The Christians are witnesses this day of the same. And Paul could say, "By the grace of God I am what I am." That was an high and heavenly state, to be no otherwise than grace made him. Self, sin, and satan are here excluded, and all boasting and glorying in the flesh is laid aside, and the free gift and grace of God exalted over all. This is a standing by grace, and a living under it, being saved by it from transgressing the law, which is holy, just, and good. Here grace reigneth through righteousness unto eternal life, even where sin reigned once unto death, and abounded; here grace is known to abound much more. This was not only professed and talked of by the true Christians in former ages, and is not now in this age, but really felt, known, and witnessed in them, by the effectual work and operation of it. They did not, nor do profess a living under grace while they do and commit that which the law is over, and which the law was added because of, viz: sin. He that is alive to sin, the law hath power over him; and he is indeed under the law, notwithstanding he may profess a being under grace, and living in gospel times: for Paul's parallel holds good, "A woman is bound by the law to her husband, so long as he liveth;" but when dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So the law hath dominion over a man, so long as he liveth in that life and nature which transgresseth it, let him profess what he will. And none are fitted and prepared to be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, till they are become dead unto the law, and so delivered from it, that being dead wherein or whereby they were held, viz. sin. For, saith he, "When we were in the flesh, the motions of sin, which were by the law, did work in our members, to bring forth fruit unto death; but now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held, that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter." Here the true Christian knows the righteousness of the law fulfilled in him, who walketh not after the flesh, nor the motions of it, but after the spirit, and the motions thereof, so that his words are seasoned with grace, and walks to the praise and glory of his grace. And as he here abides, he witnesseth a being delivered from under the law, and knows the occasion of it taken away, and so truly lives under grace, and grows in it, and in the knowledge of his Lord and saviour Jesus Christ; to whom be glory both now and for ever. But now, notwithstanding the cry of the titular Christian is, no falling from grace totally, &c. yet there is a possibility that after people 2 Cor. xii. 19. |