Gentile Nations convinced of the Truth of the Doctrine of the Gospel and so became the seed of Abraham by Chrtst in yielding their assent to the Obedience of the Gospel VIII But when the Nations came to have no love to the Truth that they might be saved but took pleasure in Iniquity God then gave them up to strong Delusion that they might believe lyes and so worship the Beast for as Israel for sin was left to blindness so the Gentile Nations for sin were left to Delusion for when their Rulers would no longer be holden with the cords of the Laws of the Lord then did God permit them to be deceived by the Beast so as to give their power unto him and then did the Beast deprive the Nations of the Gospel by which God calls to his Creatures to walk in Newness of Life that they may become heirs to the Promises IX Whereas it is said The Promise was not to Abraham and his Seed after the Flesh but the seed in Christ and Isaac was the seed to whom the Promise was made by whom the natural seed of Abraham is included as well as the Adopted But neither to the Natural Seed nor the Adopted Seed that live after the will of the Flesh are they to whom the Promise belongs but to them that live according to the Spirit in Obedience to the Word are them to whom the promise is made and the promise is That in time to come God will establish his Everlasting Covenant with them the which crowns Life to the Soul X. Whereas it is said That Abraham believed God and it was imputed to him for Righteousness And that which Abraham believed was that in the way of his Obedience he should become heir to the Promises and therefore he left his Countrey his Kindred and his Fathers House and for the Promise sake God made to Abraham That he should be the Father of many Nations therefore when he first took the Gentiles into Covenant with himself he did then declare his Righteousness in being just to his Promise which he had made to Abraham in then Justifying them that believed in Jesus For the Gentiles believing in Christ that Salvation was to be had by him according to his word which was by taking his Yoke upon them in a willingness to render their sincere Obedience to him and thereupon they were Justified of God from their past sins in and thro' Christ by their willingness to obey him for the time to come and the Reward promised was to be received both by Abraham and his seed according as they should afterward perform the conditions XI Whereas Christ saith In believing that he is the Son of God is the Rock on which he built his Church and his Church is not only his Elect but likewise all them that obey him against whom the Gates of Hell shall not prevail For he is become the Author of Eternal Salvation to all them that obey him Heb. 5.9 For the Faith that God requireth of us is to believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that dilligently seek him Heb. 11.6 For a Believer is no longer a Believer than he believes Salvation is to be had by Christ according as he hath declared in his word which is in the way of his Obedience no more than a Righteous Man is a Righteous Man in the day that he commits Iniquity And Good Works is proved by the word to be a foundation for us to build our hopes of Salvation upon as well as the Merits of Christ 1 Tim. 6.18,19 James 2.19,24 Ye see then how that by Works a Man is Justified and not by Faith only For tho whoever will is permited to come to Christ yet all they that come to him must take his Yoke upon them that is Live in Obedience to him for though Christ remains an Advocate with the Father for Sins of Ignorance and Sins of Infirmity and Sins of Surprizal yet wo be to them that willfully give themselves a liberty to sin Knowingly for Israel was termed the Reprobate Silver so likewise 't is the Christians that relinquish their Obedience is proved the Reprobate and the People of God's Curse to Judgment XII The Great Day of Salvation was when God was in Christ Reconciling the World to Himself which was when the Gentile Nations were first taken into Covenant he then not imputing to them their Trespasses but when they fell into Sin and had no love to the ways of the Lord they were then left to Delusion And therefore then it was not the great day of Salvation when they were all given up to worship the Beast but those whose names are written in the Lambs Book of Life from the Foundation the which were the Remnant chosen from among Israel from whom the Disciples of Christ sprang and of whom Christ said None should pluck them out of his hand and to whom he promised to be with to the end of the World and likewise that he would forsake none whilst they keep the way XIII Man was intrusted with the Word for his Posterity as Adam was with Eternal Life in Paradice for his and God accordingly laid his commands that they should not add to the Word nor diminish from it and the Lord likewise annexed those great Threatnings to those that should do either Rev. 22.18,19 And the Beast that has deprived the Nations of the Word by which God calls to his Creatures to walk in Newness of Life and he is the Afflicter of them that would yield Obedience to it therefore is the most severe Vengeance pronounced against him but the Elect Remnant was secured by a promise from Christ and by further pertaking of the Spirit of God that we are none of the Remnant that are thus Elected is as clear as the Sun in the Firmament because our Predecessors were all deceived by the Beast by whom the Elect Remnant were never deceived as by the word is proved XIV VVhereas the Apostle saith God worketh all things after the Counsel of his own Will The Apostle only had his referrence to the great works that properly belong to God in carrying on of Man's Redemption and also in Electing some and setting a door of Mercy open to others and in determining that the great Glory should be for the heirs of the world to come unto whom the Election did appertain for not only the Remnant and First Churches but Israel will then be the Lords Elect and likewise all them that are found in their Obedience though not Elected will come in by Christ as heirs with them to the promised Reward but the Electing or Fore-choosing was according to the will of God who according to his abundant Mercy to the heirs of Promise will in the time to come establish his Everlasting Covevenant and these are the Jacob that he Loved for Esau and Jacob were made the Representatives of the two Worlds Esau of this World and Jacob of that which is
the performance of good works but shall be rewarded according to their works Rev. 22.12 The Eternal Life that is now in this time given the Believer excepting the very elect which is the standing witness is no otherwise given then it was to Adam and Eve in Paradise for had they never sinned they should never have dyed so the true Believer that believes salvation is to be had in the way of his obedience according to the word of the Lord he shall never be cast off but the Man that Departs from the Lord by wilful committing Iniquity he is no longer a Believer according to the Gospel as is proved XXIII Whereas the Lord said when he sent his Disciples forth to preach the Gospel to all the World He that believeth shall be saved and he that believeth not shall be damned Mark 16.15,16,17 That is He that believeth the Doctrine that he sent them forth to Teach and the Mercy and Condemnation was to them that accordingly Believed or refused Believing the same as not to obey the truth Mat. 28.19,20 For the Lord speaks by the Law and Gospel but to them that hears it as proved But whereas Christ said He that Believeth not is condemned already This the Lord spake to the Jews who had heard him but believed not and therefore were condemned and thereby it also sheweth that more of Israel might have been saved had they been willing to take hold of the offered Mercy I here gather so many heads together that thro' the misinterpretation of the Scriptures Satan might not beguile so many of their Souls for if we take a text of Scripture as it stands alone without weighing how it is spoken and what the whole scope of the Scripture tends to we may raise as falce Doctrine as God is True O God who of thy great Mercy hath made thy word plain in those things we have been mistaken in give more of thy Assisting Grace for to improve the knowledge of the Truth These things which are here but hinted with the other disputable places and also the signs of the Times with the near approach of the coming of the Lord are now fully explained and proved in about four small Treatises The Books contain so many several heads that I have not here room to incert them but by them the word is so plain that none need any longer remain in mistakes that are willing to understand the Truth I shall only here mention the chief Title of each Book First The Explaination of the Faith of Abraham Price bound 10. d. bound up with the Christian Belief which has the Eexplanation of the Trinity Price 1 s. 2 d. The signs of the times and coming of the Lord bound up with the Prophesie of Moses that foretold the firing of the Mountains Price bound 10 d. all three bound up togather Price 1 s. 6 d. The book that Proveth there Worlds and three Foundations with the Tree of knowledge of good and evil Price bound 1 s. And are to be Sold at the places before mentioned in the Title The book of the Figurative Speeches is not yet out My aim is at the good of Souls and therefore thâ—… they that understand not the word may be convinced oâ— the Truth I Refer my Books to the Lord Bishops who I believe are men of that integrity that will not oppose the Truth to whom I shall by Gods assistance give further satisfaction if required and when God had inlightned my understanding in his word I did dare do no other then leave and venture the little concern I had and come above a Hundred Miles to acquaint the Nation what God is a going about to do this being the little time that is given the Christians to prepare God make our KING and Parliament instruments for his Glory FINIS