ALL THE CHIEF POINTS Contained in the CHRISTIAN Religion And those GREAT TRUTHS in the word which we have not had a Right Apprehension of for almost Thirteen Hundred Years never since the Rise of the Beast Are now discovered by the FINGER of GOD. The whole here Collected into Short Heads that thereby they might the better sink down into the Understanding and be Registred in our Memories which Truths are now proved and Published By M. M. LONDON Printed and are to be Sold by J. Clark at the Bible in the Old Change at the upper end of Cheapside E. Whitlock in Stationers-Court in Amen-Corner and W. Reddish ni Griffiths Buildings near the Royal Cock-pit Westminster 1697. The Scriptures being now Rightly Understood are made to agree in a Holy Harmony so as Justice Mercy and Truth go hand in hand together which before we came to have a right Underderstanding in the Word we made to contradict it self which has caus'd so much Dissention amongst us Some there are that term the word a dead letter but all them that believe the scriptures to be the word of God and take to the way directed therein such the scriptures are able to make wise unto salvation 2. Tim. 3.15,16 18 for by them we come to have faith in Christ Jesus as to believe that he will perform his promise according to the condition he hath made in the word Mat. 11.29 And therefore Christ is said to be the Author and Finisher of Faith because he will give the hoped for promised Reward to them that are found in their Obedience for the word our is not in the Hebrew Tongue And in the Scriptures is the Wisdom of God and the power of God and such as walk according to that Holy rule blessed are they Gal. 6.10 2. Cor. 4.4 And the word being Rightly understood God doth not swear and declare to do one thing and absolutely decree to do quite the contrary for all the scriptures agree in one the same thing And they that speak not according to the Laâ— and to the Testimony it is because there is no Ligbt in them Isa 8.20 Isa 62 8. Ezek. 33.11 And if we take to the way therein directed God hath promised his assistance and by so doing we shall be brought off from the World and so born again by having a complying frame of Spirit to the will of God if we are to the utmost of our power sincere in our endeavour GREAT TRUTHS in the Word are now Discovered by the Finger of GOD c. THE Mighty God according to his Promise that at Evening time it should be Light Zech. 14.7 hath now at the appointed time discovered the true meaning of his word the which we lost the right apprehension of by our Predecessors who were involv'd in darkness of Popery whereby we are now in great mistakes The Truths which have not been rightly understood are these that follow I. That the Eternal Purpose only reacheth forward to the Eternity that lies before us as is proved like as Christ in time became the Author of Eternal Salvation and as God in time promised Eternal Life II. That after Adam fell the decree was made for the entrance into Life to be made strait and how that straitness doth consist is proved III. That being of old ordained to this condemnation hath another meaning than what we have hitherto apprehended IV. In Scripture there is mention made of Three Worlds and therefore Three Foundations whereby it is clearly proved there was none chosen before or at the Foundation of the Material Heavens and Earth and that these Three Worlds spoken of in Scripture are Three Worlds of People First That which sprang from Adam Secondly That whichsprang from the seed of Noah Thirdly That the foundation of the World to come was laid in the seed of Abraham when God brought them out of Egypt and laid them for the foundation of the World to come and all that comes in heirs to that World comes in as the seed of Abraham and from the foundation of that World Christ was figuratively slain in the Paschal Lamb and from the foundation of that World was the works of those unbelieving Jews finished when they through their unbelief refused to go to fight for the Land of Canaan And then after this their miscarriage God Elected and Secured a certain Remnant in Christ of that foundation which was then a laying in Israel for the world to come V. It is likewise proved That there was no Election thorough the old World nor till the then time and for Israels sinfulness God did Elect and make choice of the first Gentile Churches and God chose them before the body of Israel but not as to matter of time but as to matter of choice and likeing in God rather to choose them that had ignorantly offended him then them that had willfully disobeyed him as is proved and therefore they are said to be chosen before the Foundation which Foundation was Israel VI. It was the Remnant chosen from among Israel and the first Gentile Churches that had the peculiar calling for from among the Gentiles did God then Choose a People to the praise of his Name which were chosen according to the counsel of the will of God for the purpose he had determined which was to receive the Holy Ghost to beartheir testimony to the Truth of the Gospel And also that in them in time to come he might shew forth the Exceeding Riches of his Grace These were those that first received the word from the mouth of the Disciples and so believed in Christ thorough their word And it was by the Example of the Elect that all they of Macedonia Achaia believed 1 Thes 1.4,5,6,7,8 These were those for whom Christ in a peculiar manner prayed for as he did not for the World these were those that were Glorified by their Receiving of the Holy Ghost John 14.17 for the Holy Spirit which was before but with the Disciples or Church was afterward given â—o be in the first Churches these were those of whom St. Paul spake of that were Fore-known Called Justified and Glorified by their Receiving the Holy Ghost to be in them and these were those that were ordained to Eternal Life being thus chosen to it who were first to receive the Gospel and who were as a candle lighted up by the Lord to enlighten the World who lay in wickedness and darkness and by the mighty Signs and Wonders Miracles and Gifts of the Holy Ghost part of the World imbraced the Faith in the Apostles time and the Word brought forth fruit in them as it did in the Elect Colos 1.6 Joh. 12.32 1 Tim. 3.16 VII Whereas it is said God daily added to the Church such as should be saved that was spoken to Israel as is proved for of them there was some excluded the then offered Mercy but by the evident witness of the Spirit that was given to the Elect was the
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