the Children of God witnessing with their Spirits and administring comfort and Heavenly food to the Soul So also he administers words and matter to Christs little ones when they are called before Rulers and Magistrates for his names sake And Christ Jesus our Lord taught his to depend hereupon and not to perplex themselves with thinking before hand what to say to them Matt. 10.19 20. But when they deliver you up take no thought how or what ye shall speak for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak For it is not ye that speak but the Spirit of your Father that speaketh in you Hence it is that sometimes Women and unletter'd Persons have been enabled to confound great learned men for the Lord by his Spirit gives a mouth and wisdome which their Adversaries ar◠not able to gainsay nor to resist This is that Spirit which begetteth earnings and longings in our Hearts after the Lord and which helpeth our infirmities when we know not how to utter our minds to the Lord for then he maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered and these groanings being according to the will of God he hears them for he knoweth what is the minde of the Spirit Rom. 8.26 27. There be many Spirits gone forth into the World which are not this Unction but work contrary to it and lead out from Christ into the World therefore the Apostle bids us try the Spirits whether they are of God 1 Joh. 4.2 Well but how shall we try them He tells us how to know them in the next verses following Hereby know ye the Spirit of God Every Spirit that confesseth Jesus Christ come in the Flesh is of God And every Spirit that confesseth not Jesus Christ come in the Flesh is not of God For so the words run more truely according to the Greek then to render them thus Every Spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the Flesh c. For this confession is such a confession as owns an interest in him or professes a relation to him by Faith in him and by love and obedience to him The evil Spirits did verbally confesse him Mar. 1.24 and so evil men may verbally confesse him tho they neither truely believe in him nor love nor obey him But this true confession of him hath these things necessarily conjoyned therewith 1. Faith Iohn 3.18 36. For that Spirit that wants that is under condemnation and wrath as this Scripture testifyes 2. Love 1 Cor. 16.24 If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ let him be Anathema Maranatha 3. Obedience to him And therefore saith John he that saith I know him and keepeth not his Commandements is a lyar and the Truth is not in him So then every Spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ that suffered for our sins i◠Faith and in Love and Obedience to him that Spirit is of God But otherwise evil Spirits may confesse him and Children of the evil one may confesse him Also the Apostle draweth this down to himself and others who were in the pure and living faith and innocent life in whom Christ appeared ver 6. o◠the same Chapter We are of God he that knoweth God heareth us 〈◊〉 that is not of God heareth not us hereby know we the Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of error So here you see he places the mark to know Spirits by upon their owning or not owning of Christ himself come in Flesh and of him appearing in others For they that know him not in his Children where he appears but deny his appearance there they are not of his Spirit themselves But then how shall we know his Children from the Children of the Devil The Apostle tells us this is manifest by their works 1 Joh. 3.10 He doth not say its manifest by any particular forme but by their works In this the Children of God are manifest and the Children of the Devil Whosoever doth not righteousness is not of God neither he that loveth not his Brother So then let men pretend what they will if their works be evil they are not of God So that by their works false Spirits and false Prophets are known and by them they shall be judged at the last day Though they shall say we have Prophecyed in thy name yet it shall be said to them Depart from me I know you not ye workers of Iniquity Now these must needs own his comming that Prophecy in his name And that they may doe and yet not own hi◠where he is come and appears i◠Flesh And so they may confesse hi◠comming and yet not confesse himself where he is come As the Iew owned Moses and the Prophets wh◠were come and gone but yet persecuted them that came in their Spirit they owned and confessed Abraham but owned not nor confessed the true seed of Abraham and so were not of Abraham thoug◠they confessed him In like manne◠many now confesse that Christ cam◠in the Flesh but persecute the◠that come in his Spirit that is persecute him in them for so he wil◠charge it upon them Because what done to his little ones is done upo◠this account that he is in them who hath no fellowship with th◠unfruitfull works of darkness in which they are who persecute them For if he were not in them who hath not fellowship with unfruitfull works of darkness they would not hate them but would love them The World loves its own and those of its own Spirit If you were of the World the World would love his own but because ye are not of the World but I have chosen you out of the World therefore the World hateth you Joh. 15.19 A little further still for the manifestation of this true Unction or Anointing to distinguish it from other Spirits not only from evil Spirits but even from some operations of the true Spirit Consider that this Holy Unction is an abiding thing keeping the Heart in the fear and love of God making that the maine care of him in whom it is to keep in obedience to the will of God and so in fellowship with God for that 's the Kingdom into which we are translated and whatsoever interposeth between us and that fellowship with God who i◠love that wounds and slayes And we are then like one banished hi◠native Kingdom and like an Exile until we be established in it again and then there 's rest and care and fear lest we grief the Spirit again And thus the promise to the true seed is fulfilled which saith I wil◠put my fear in their Hearts and they shall not depart from me Jer. 32.40 Now other Spirits which give no◠this fellowship in the love of God may doe great things whereby the person may be admired but they doe not keep the heart low watching to doe the will of God Balaam had an eminent Prophecy given him by the Spirit of the Lord which also strove with him to keep
A SYNOPSIS Or short view of ESSENTIAL CHRISTIANITY In Part In which the first Fruits unto God or Saints in the Apostles dayes lived According to the Doctrine of Christ and his Holy Apostles beginning at the very foundation thereof With some Explications or Enlargements thereupon Tending to the Edification Comfort and refreshing of all sorts of People that fear God and love Righteousness without respect to any one particular Form and yet not excluding all Form And which may tend also to the encouraging of others that as yet regard not God to turne to him in Submission and the obedience of Faith By WILLIAM TOMLINSON A lover of all that are of a humble Heart and that live the life of Righteousness in whatsoever form they are London Printed for B. Harris at the Stationers Armes under the Piazza of the Royal Exchange 1684. The Explayning of the Title I Call that Essential Christianity in which the Heart is truely turned from sin to God In which state there be various degrees Some are but as smoking Flax where no flame of righteousness as yet appears yet have they a love to Righteousness and to God these our Lord will not quench Others are as bruised Reeds wounded and bruised and bowed down under their transgression and therefore are poor in Spirit mourning under the body of Sin which they are made sensible of and hungring and thirsting after Righteousness which their Hearts long after these holding on shall be filled Some are not farr from the Kingdom of God but near it Others are in the Kingdom which consists iâ— Righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit â—r Holy Ghost who have received the Spirit of Adoption and are in the Son-â—hip walking in fellowship with the Father and the Son and in all these â—tates there be various degrees also Now I call that essential in which â—hese have their life to distinguish from that which is outward and circumstantial and may be taken up bâ— those that love wickedness and havâ— a Spirit of enmity in them against truâ— holines For there is no Form of Godliness 〈◊〉 of Religion but a wicked man and lover of unrighteousness may take it uâ— and that as well now as under the mâ—nistration of the Law or as in tâ— Apostles dayes when some had a forâ— of Godliness and yet denyed the Powâ—â— thereof But take notice that I doe not câ—â— these things contained in this Book Eâ—sential in opposition to all things thâ— are outward or circumstantial but distinction from those things that wicked man may take upon him whiâ—â— things nevertheless may in due placeâ— observed by the truly righteous The 〈◊〉 of the Title needs no explication Nâ— what is here offered is but in part we know but in part and Propâ—cy but in part and he in whom 〈◊〉 fullness dwells gives out of his fullâ— as it pleaseth him to whom be 〈◊〉 Glory of all his gifts A SYNOPSIS Or short view of ESSENTIAL CHRISTIANITY c. 1. GOD so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but should have eternal life For God sent not his Son into the World to condemn the World but that the World through him might be saved Joh. 3.16 17. 2. The Son of God Christ Jesus our Lord so loved the World also that he gave up himself a Sacrifice for our Sinnes according to the good will of God thereby to make attonement for us and to reconcile us to God He bare our Sins in his own body on the Tree 1 Pet. 2.24 Thus the love of God is manifested and the love of the Son of God Christ Jesus our Lord. 3. He whose understanding an Heart is rightly opened to believe this love of God in Christ he receives it He receives thâ— joyfull tydings or Gospel Hâ— receives the Testimony of Chrisâ— and sets to his Seal that God 〈◊〉 true yea he receives Christ himself and with him power to bâ—come a Son of God Joh. 1 1â— He shall receive remission of Siâ— Act. 10.43 He shall be made paâ—taker of the Holy Spirit Ro. 8. â— Gal. 3.2 And such a faith as thâ— is the right Evangelical faith 4. This true Faith in Christ Jesus or Evangelical faith wherein the things are received hath also the Fruits and concomitants atteâ—ding it 1. It brings Peace and consolatioâ— or rejoycing 2. It works by love 3. It purifyes the Heart turniâ—â— it from unrighteousness and teacheâ— to deny ungodliness and Worldly lusts and to live righteously and soberly and Godly in this present World 4. It excludes boasting and exaltation of our selves 5. It drawes the Heart after Christ after Sanctification and after Heavenly treasures and fellowship with God 6. It is accompanyed with an Unction from the Holy one which inlightens the understanding and inclines the Heart to good and gives a sense or feeling of the will of God and being kept to it leadeth into all truth and is a continual teacher And this is the new Covenant not written in Tables of Stone as the first was but in the Fleshly Tables of the heart 2 Cor. 3.3 7. This true Gospel faith begets Hope that is it raises the heart into an expectation of good things to come and so bears up the head under all the afflictions and tribulations which it meets with all in this life For if in this life only we had hope we were of all men most miserable And so it hath a secret dependency upon the righteous judgment of God at the last day when he shall bring everything to light and render to every one according 〈◊〉 their deeds done in the body This short view of Christianity is comprehended under these 4 heads 1. The Love of God to man 2. The Love of Christ Jesus ouâ— Lord the First-borne of every Creature and the expresse image of the invisible God 3. The Gospel Faith which recei es Love of God in Christ Jesuâ— our Lord. 4. The Fruits of this faith whereby it is known and distinguished from all false faiths Of all which a little more at large by way of Explication as they shall be opened to mee Explication 1. GOD so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life Joh. 3.16 For God sent him not into the World to condemn the World but that the World through him might be saved ver 17. Here 's the Fountaine or rather Ocean from whence all good doth come even from the Love of God or from God who is love yea an unfathomable Ocean of love Therefore the beloved Disciple who leaned on the bosom of our Lord describes him thus God is Love and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him 1 Joh. 4.16 And this love is an extensive love reaching to all therefore saith he God so loved the World he saith not God so loved this or that Nation or this or that sort
of men but God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son Aâ— the Sun in the Firmament shineâ— upon all good and bad and as thâ— raine falls upon all both just and unjust so the love of God reaches tâ— all in sending his Son Thereforâ— the Angel that brought the glad tydings of the birth of Christ to thâ— Sheepherds said to them Feaâ— not for behold I bring you good tydings of great joy which shall be to aâ— People Luk. 2.10 And likewise thaâ— multitude of the Heavenly Host which appeared suddenly with thâ— Angel praised God saying Glorâ— to God in the highest and on Earâ— peace good will towards men ver 1 〈◊〉 towards men or towards maâ— kinde in the general and not onlâ— towards this Sect or that Sect oâ— this form or that form but towardâ— all men namely that creaturâ— which was made in his own imagâ— to bear a representation of him iâ— the Creation To this creature 〈◊〉 the love of God thus signified foâ— his restoration to that purity Majesty and dignity in which he was created and to an eternal felicity in that station with God So then This is the condemnation that light is come into the World and men love darkness rather then light because their deeds are evill Joh. 3.19 What light is this that 's come into the World that was not in the World before Verely the light of the love of God or of Salvation freely by grace which hath a glory in it that discovers and destroyes evill works and therefore where men love their evil works they love to cleave to the darkness in which they may enjoy their evil deeds and continue therein This is the condemnation not because they have done evil but because they chuse to continue therein For the love of God hath manifested it self unto all in sending his Son as a Sacrifice for all a Lamb without blemish to take away the Sin of the World Joh. 1. ver 29. 2. As the Father hath manifested his love to man so the Son likewise who is the only begotten Son of God the first born of every creature and the expresse image of the Father he hath shined forth in the glory of the same love We beheld his glory saith the Apostle wherein Even in this that he was full of grace and full of truth Grace is free gift bounty good will and this is glorious this we beheld in the Son of God saith the Apostle What love like this Or what favour like this To lay down ones life for another This our Lord hath done for us 1 Tim. 2.6 He gave himself 〈◊〉 ransome for all saith the Apostle and this is to be a Testimony iâ— due time for so the words signify 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He offered up himself a Sacrifice for us according to the will of God that hâ— might put away our sin by the Sacrifice of himself Heb. 9.26 and thaâ— was the will of God who layed oâ— him the iniquity of us all And this hâ— willingly underwent for us foâ— when burnt offerings and Sacrifices of the Law for sin could not purge the conscience so as to make the commers thereunto perfect as pertaining to the conscience and therefore God took no pleasure in them then said the Son Loe I come to doe thy will O God Heb. 10. That so a way might be made for reconciling our Hearts to God by laying a ground for faith in us He bare our sins in his own body on the Tree 1 Pet. 2.24 Here 's the ground for faith and a foundation layd for mans returning towards the Lord in Love for we cannot love him till we be made sensible of his love to us and understand that he loveth us And when this understanding and beliefe arises in our Hearts it drawes our Hearts to him in love again We love him because he first loved us saith the beloved Disciple 1 Joh. 4.19 He loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood Rev. 1.5 His love goes before our washing He loved us and washed us I said unto the when thou wast in thy blood live Ezek. 16.6 He that hath his Heart openeâ— to believe this Testimony of thâ— Love of God in Christ Jesus ouâ— Lord he shall finde the incomes oâ— the Spirit of Christ in some measure as they did who believeâ— these joyfull tydings at the foundinâ— forth of our Salvation by the blooâ— of Christ in the primitive time when the Gospel was first preached to them And this now is faith even to receive the Testimony of the Soâ— of God concerning the love of God and to believe in him for Salvation Look unto me and be ye saved all the ends of the Earth Isa 45.22 As Moses lifted up the Serpent in the Wilderness so the Son of man was lifted up that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life For God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life Joh. 3.14 15 16. The words are doubled to confirm the certainty thereof And therefore seeing we have Salvation in him and by him and by no other he is called The Lord our Righteousness Jer. 23.6 For he is made of God unto us Wisdome and Righteousness and Sanctification and redemption that according as it is written he that gloryeth let him glory in the Lord 1 Cor. 1.30 31. Let him glory in the Lord not in his own works for all glorying therein is cast out Therefore shall men say in the Lord have I righteousness and strength Isa 45.24 He that believeth this love of God in Christ therewith receiveth Christ and with him power to become a Son of God Joh. 1.12 As many as received him to them gave he power to become the Sons of God even to them that believe on his name To believe on his name is to receive him and to receive him is to believe on his name So that by faiâ—â— Christ is received And by faith aâ— the Spirit of Christ is received Gal. â— 2 and 5. This only would I learn 〈◊〉 you received ye the Spirit by tâ— works of the Law or by the hearing 〈◊〉 faith that is of Salvation by faitâ— ver 5. He therefore that ministreâ— to you the Spirit doth he it the works of the Law or by the heariâ— of faith The Scripture many timâ— layes that down by way of questioâ— which is undenyable as it doâ— here as much as to say I'ts by faiâ— that the Spirit is received for heâ— by the hearing of faith we muâ— understand such a hearing as is a râ—ceiving or obeying the Gospel aâ—â— in this the Spirit is received And so by faith also we receive râ—mission of sins To him give all the Prâ—phets witnesse that through his namâ— whosoever believeth in him shall receiâ—â— remission of sinns Act. 10.43 Aâ—â— this was the Doctrine that Peter wâ—â— preaching to Cornelius and the
the glory of God in this his mercy and the deeper is his humility and lowlines of minde Minde but the writings of the Holy Apostles of Christ Jesus and you will finde it so that still they are harping upon this string sounding forth the mercies of the Lord in Christ Jesus and his love in revealing his Son to them Yea observe but that high state of the Elders spoken of in the Book of the Revelations who were set upon seats round about the Throne and cloathed in white Raiment and Crowned The substance of their song was this Thou art worthy to take the Book and to open the Seals thereof Now mark why For thou was slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy Blood out of every kinred and Tongue and People and Nation Mark Not a word of their own righteousness not a word of their works how good soever they were which doubtles were excellent but yet not a word thereof the riches of the mercy of God in Christ Jesus puts all that out of sight and layes them low at his Footstool for they are said to fall down before the Lamb and sing this Song Now what are these Elders but representatives of all the Elect seed of God from all parts of the Earth Seeing it is contained in their Song that they were redeemed by his Blood out of every kinred and Tongue and People and Nation Now there be many more kinreds and Tongues and Nations then four and twenty but all represented by these four and twenty Well then you see their faith in Christ is not like the Faith of the Pharisees in which they stand justifying themselves in their own works and exalting themselves thereby over poor Publicans But all their admiration and glorying is in the mercy of God And so we finde the Apostles sounding forth the same things in their Epistles Eph. 2.4 5 6 7 8 9. But God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in sins hath quickned us together with Christ by grace ye are saved And hath raised us up together and made us sit together in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus that in ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness towards us through Christ Jesus For by grace ye are saved through Faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God Not of works lest any man should boast Thus all boasting is excluded by true Faith And as I have shewed before the right Faith works by love and that love is not of an exalting nature But as the Apostle saith it vaunteth not it self is not puffed up 1 Cor. 13.4 Thus the true and right Faith shuts out boasting and cuts down vainglory and makes humble Therefore saith our Lord Jesus Christ Verely I say unto you except ye be converted and become as little Children ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little Childe the same is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven Matth. 18.3 4. Fifthly To proceed this true Faith is accompanyed with an Vnction or an Anointing from the holy one John writing to those he calls little Children whose sins are forgiven for his names sake saith thus But ye have an Vnction from the holy one and ye know all things 1 Joh. 2.20 All things that is that appertained to life and godliness Why For this Unction or Anointing taught them all things that appertained thereto that so walking according to the teaching thereof they might abide in Christ Now this Unction is the Spirit which gives a sense and feeling of the will of God what he would have us to doe and what he would have us to forbear And we need not that any maâ— should teach us beyond the teachingâ— of that to amuse us with high notions and mysteries which the Unction gives us no openings of Anâ— so keeping to that keept us wiâ— to sobriety minding to doe thâ— will of God which the Unction inclines our Hearts to rather theâ— to fill the brain with knowledge 〈◊〉 things which add not to our comfort and profiting and grouth iâ— Christ Now that this Unction 〈◊〉 the Spirit appears by compearinâ— this Scripture with another Thaâ— is compare this 1 Joh. 2.20 2â— with Ioh. 14.16 17. Where it 〈◊〉 expressed by the name of the Spirit I will pray the Father and he shall give you another comforter that he may abide with you for ever even the Spirit of Truth whom the World cannot receive because it seeth him not neither knoweth him but ye know him for he dwelleth with you and shall be in you This is that abideing Unction which abides with the Faithfull for ever The Unction is a constant abiding thing and so is the Spirit abiding for ever Thus the Lord fulfills his promise of old Isa 44.3 and chap. 59.21 I will pour Water upon him that is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground Thirsty and dry these are such as hunger and thirst and fit to receive the Heavenly rain but he expresses â—t more plainly in the following words thus I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed and my blessing upon â—hine Off-spring Then in ch 59.21 â—he promises the constancy of this Spirit with the seed of Christ in â—hese words As for me this is my Covenant with them saith the Lord. My Spirit that is upon thee and my words which I have put in thy Mouth shall not depart out of thy Mouth nor out of the Mouth of thy Seed nor out of the Mouth of thy Seeds Seed saith the Lord from henceforth and for ever So that this is a promise to all the Seed and that for ever which promise is fulfilled to all faithfull believers in Christ Jesus Therefore saith the Apostle if any maâ— have not the Spirit of Christ he iâ— none of his Rom. 8.9 And herein thâ— Son-ship is established even in thiâ— Spirit or abiding Unction oâ— Anointing As the Apostle witnesseth ver 14. For as many as are leâ— by the Spirit of God they are the Sonâ— of God Thus the Anointing witâ— the Spirit typifyed by the precious Ointment that was poureâ— upon Aarons head and ran dowâ— to the Skirts of his Garment thiâ— Anointing with the Spirit runâ— down from our High-Priest to thâ— lowest of his Servants He waâ— anointed with the Oyl of gladness above his fellows but we all of his fullness receive every one a measure of his Spirit and so are hereby stated by this Spirit of Adoption into Sonship and Heir-ship with him If Children then Heirs Heirs of God and joynt-heirs with Christ c. Rom. 8.17 And this state or Spiritual condition carryes its own evidence in it self for the Spirit it self beareth witness with our Spirit that we are the Children of God ver 16. And as this Spirit or Unction is a guide to the Children of light leading them into all Truth and as it is a witness to
Others are set down in the Kingdom of righteousness and peace and joy in Christ Jesus As the Apostles and many believers or Saints were in the primitive times For which they magnifyed the Lord for his rich mercy towards them in raising them up and making them sit together in Heavenly places or Heavenly things in Christ Jesus Eph. 2.6 2. Now consider further that these who in earnest seek the Kingdom of God or are already entred into it doe not alwayes make the greatest shew or appearance in the World They are like that Mercant man that having found treasure hid in a Field goeth and hideth it lest he should be robbed thereof and for joy thereof he goeth and selleth all he hath and buyeth that Field He boasteth not of his treasure but carefully purchaseth it So it is with many that are seekers and possessors of the Kingdome of God And therefore are not made so visible in the World though they live in the World Nay many times the World looks upon them as fooles or conceited People not seeing the Heavenly treasure which they pursue or possesse but afterwards shall be made to see it to their amazement Read Wisdom of Solomon chapter the 5th which sheweth how the wicked shall wonder at the strangeness of the Salvation of the righteous beyond all that they looked for Some may be without that in their Books it being in the Apocrypha therefore I shall here give you part of it beginning at the last verse of the 4th chap. to the 10th verse of the 5th where Solomon shews the different end of the righteous and wicked And when they cast up the accouts of their sins they shall come with fear and their own iniquities shall convince them to their face Then shall the rightous man stand in great boldness before the face of such as have afflicted him and made no account of his labours When they see it they shall be troubled with terrible fear and shall be amazed at the strangeness of his Salvation so far beyond all that they looked for And they repenting and groaning for anguish of Spirit shall say within themselves this was he whom we had sometimes in derision and a proverbe of reproach We fools accounted his life madness and his end to be without Honour How is he numbred among the Children of God and his lot is among the Saints Therefore have we erred from the way of Truth and the light of righteousness hath not shined unto us We wearied our selves in the way of wickedness and destruction yea we have gone thorow deserts when there lay no way but as for the way of the Lord we have not known it What hath pride profitted us Or what good hath riches with our vaunting brought us All those things are passed away like a shaddow and as a Post that hasteth by c. Hence you may see how little they are taken notice of in the World who are Heirs of the Kingdom of God and how little they are discerned to be what they are And lest you should think that because these words are quoted out of the Apocrypha they have not weight in them hear Paul speaking to the same purpose 1 Cor. 1.26 c. For ye see your calling Brethren how that not many wise men after the Flesh not many mighty not many Noble are called But God hath chosen the foolish things of the World to confound the wise and God hath chosen the weak things of the World to confound the things that are mighty and base things of the World and things which are despised hath God chosen yea and things which are not to bring to nought things that are that no Flesh should glory in his presence Thus the Lord will confound the thoughts of men and make that last which was first and that first which was last and that highly esteemed which was despised and that despised which was highly esteemed And though the Heirs of his Kingdom be scarcely discerned in the World yet will he finde out a numberless Number out of all Nations Kinreds People and Tongues that shall inherit it such as the World takes little notice of they being a People comming out of great tribulation in which they have lived in the World Therefore let non say Where shall we finde such a People as live in the Kingdom of God but let them desire of the Lord that he would open their Eyes to see them whom he ownes and admits into his Kingdom Read Revel the 7th ver 9. to the end The Lord doth put the treasures of his Kingdom into Earthen Vessels which not being beautifull to the outward Eye are therefore overlooked and not seen by the curious Eye As it was said of our Lord and Master there is no beauty in him that we should desire him the same also may be said of his followers But wisdom is justifyed of her Children Look upon the rough and withered or deadlike coat of the Vine specially in Winter and one would think it good for little except to be consumed by the fire So are the branches of the true Vine many times to the outward Eye and therefore not regarded by the World as the strong Oakes and Trees of the forrest are or as the losty Cedars of Libanon which are seen a far off The Lord had reserved to himself 7 thousand who had not worshipped Baal even in the great Apostacy of Israel in Ahabs time whom Elijah the Prophet could not see So in the great Apostacy of Professed Christianity the Lord hath a numberless Number who are sealed who stand before the Throne and before the Lamb cloathed with white Robes and Palmes in their hands glorifying God and â—scribing all Salvation to our God which siteth upon the Throne and unto the Lamb. As you read in that 7th of Revel Thou that â—anst not see a People fit for the Kingdom of God canst thou see a People that work â—ighteousness The Apostle tells us that eveâ—yone that doth righteousness is born of God 1 â—oh 2.29 Dost thou see any People dwelling 〈◊〉 a Spirit of love The same Apostle tells â—s that every one that loveth is born of God â— Joh. 4.7 Another Apostle tells us that 〈◊〉 every Nation he that feareth God and worketh righteousness is accepted of him Act. 10.35 The Apostle doth not tell us that every one that can magnify themselves in a form of Religion are accepted but he that worketh righteousness only There is a Pharisaical Eye which can see none righteous but such as are in their own form But God seeth not as man seeth There is also a prophane and hatefull Eye which hates the appearance of righteousness and holiness because it is a chain to their loose prophanes and wickedness these also through the myst of enmity and hatred cannot see the Servants of the living God over whose consciences he rules and so hath a Kingdom there and they in it submitting to his requirings as true Subjects
more then we read of the other Apostles in so much that he called him Satan saying to him quickly after he had called him Peter or a Rock or a Stone get thee behinde me Satan we finde not that he ever said such a word to any of the rest except Judas whom he said was a Devil one of you is a Devil Therefore Peter standing in the Revelation of the Father firm in that or upon that Rock he became as a secundary Rock layed upon the chief Corner-stone and so did all the rest of the Apostles and Prophets Eph. 2.20 But Peter standing in the wisdom of the Flesh out of that Revelation of the Father he was an offence and no better then Satan and to be rejected and cast behind the back and so is every one that stands there namely in the wisdom of the Flesh in opposition to the work of God Peter was no foundation for the Church to be built upon as he was a mutable man but only as he stood in the infallible Counsel and Revelation of the Son of God So he held forth the Rock to others and was dignifyed with the name of the Rock So likewise Christ will put his own name upon others that stand faithfull to him as he writ to the Church of Philadelphia Rev. 3.12 Him that overcometh will I make a Pillar in the Temple of my God and I will write upon him the name of my God and the name of the City of my God and my new name And so Peter was dignifyed with the name Petrus or Petros from Petra which was the true Rock in all ages because he professed him from the revelation of the Father Whom say ye that I am saith Christ Thou art the Son of the living God saith Peter Here was the Rock or foundation the Corner-stone Petra As all the Scriptures testify and from hence he was called Petros but in Satans work he was called Satan Therefore the Spirit he stood in gives the denomination So likewise concerning others Herod in his crafty ravenous Spirit was called a Fox So if Peter or the Pope pretending to be Peters Successor shall stand in a destroying Spirit doth not he deserve the name of Apollyon which signifies a destroyer And is not this name justly put upon the King of the destroying Locusts Rev. 9.11 I desire thee whosoever thou art to weigh this well Peter or whoever it is that stands in the Spirit of God which reveales the Son of God and are keept in that God dignifies them with Honourable names such as none knowes but they which receive them On the other hand those that stand in another Spirit have names given accordingly Therefore i'ts a sottish and incongruous thing for men living in one Spirit to challenge a name proper to the contrary How foolish and impertinent is it for men that are as Locusts and Scorpions carrying stings in their Tails wherewith to hurt men who arise out of the smoke of the bottomless pit of mans wisdom and imaginations for them to challenge the name of Christians a name proper to those who standing in the Revelation of God and nature of Christ follow him as innocent Lambs I'ts as discrepant or contrary as for a Wolf or Fox to challenge the name of a Lamb. So for the King of these Locusts these stinging Scorpions for him to go under the name of Christs Vicar and Peters Successor is as contrary as to call Fire Water or Water Fire I'ts to put light for darkness and darkness for light And thereunto belongs a woe Isa 5.20 Woe unto them that call evil good and good evil that put darkness for light and light for darkness that put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter I have insisted the more upon this lest men should misse of their expectation and fall short of the comfortable enjoyment of the Kingdom of God in building upon the Sands and not upon the true Rock Another thing to be considered and which was published by the Apostles to beget faith was the sufferings and resurrection of Christ This also was done without us we have no hand in it And this also was from the love of God God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but should have eternal life And what did God give him to do for us One thing was to bear our sins He became sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the rightousness of God in him 2 Cor. 5.21 that is he bare our sins in his own body and suffered for them that we by faith in him might be cloathed with Gods righteousness or with the love and mercy of God For that 's it which being received by faith is called Gods righteousness Now tho the foundation for Faith be layd out of us in the good will and love of God in Christ Jesus and in his sufferings and resurrection yet the work of Faith that 's wrought in us by the Spirit of God for it s he that opens the Heart of man to believe his love Sin shuts up the Heart of man against the Lord and is as it were a bolt against him Therefore to take away that bolt and to make way for the opening of the door Christ suffered He bare our sins in his own body on the Tree to make way for man to conceive the love of God in Christ And that 's not all I'ts the entrance or the beginning of Faith which he follows by the operation of his Spirit in us washing our consciences by the Blood of Christ and so giving boldness through him to draw near to God and to come to him as a Father and thus by degrees the Lord makes his entrance into the Hearts of the Sons of men that they may become the Sons of God He living in them and they living in him For his love being received which in very deed is Faith he himself who is love is received and here is begotten a Son to God As many as receive him to them gives he power to become the Sons of God even to them that believe on his name For this is the end of our Faith that God may dwell in us and so renew his image again which through sin hath been defaced That man that pretends faith in Christ and yet lives in the nature or Spirit of the Devil doing his works his Faith is but like the Faith of his Father the Devil whose works he doth The Faith of the Sons and Daughters of God is shown by their Fruits for they work the works of their Father Every Tree is known by its Fruits Now this is the great mystery hid for so many ages and generations which in due time God revealed by his Spirit to the Apostles of Christ Namely Christ to be brought forth in us and this is the hope of glory And the preaching of the first principles of the Doctrine of Christ is but to make