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1720. He that bath an Ear to bear, let him hear what the Spirit faith unto the Churches.

To the Church of Sardis, Rev. iii. 5, 6, He that overcometh, the fame fhall be clothed in white Raiment, and I will not blot out his Name out of the Book of Life; but I will confefs his Name before my Father, and before bis Angels. He that bath an Ear, let him hear what the Spirit faith to the Churches.

To the Church of Philadelphia, Rev. iii. 12, 13. He that overcometh, will I make a Pillar in the Temple of my God, and he shall go no more out; and I will wrile upon him the Name of my God, and the Name of the City of my God, which is New Jerufalem, which cometh down out of Heaven from my God, and I will write upon | him my new Name. He that bath an Ear, let him bear what the Spirit faith to the Churches.

To the Church of Laodicea, Rev. iii. 21, 22. To him that overcometh, will I grant to fit with me in my Throne, even as I overcame, and am fet down with my Father in bis Throne. He that bath an Ear, let him bear what the Spirit faith to the Churches.

Surely that Soul who cannot by all this fee that there is an Overcoming, muft certainly be blind as to a fpiritual Sight of the Doctrine of Chrift; and what is it but to make Chrift and the Holy Spirit a Deceiver, to promife all thofe great Things to his Churches, if they cannot perform the Conditions he prefcribes; and if it were true (as it is not) that it is impoffible to overcome Sin and Satan, then would Chrift be a hard Mafter, which is abfurd and wicked to fuggeft. But this Overcoming muft not be in our own Wills, nor in our own Time, nor with our own Weapons, but according to the Apostle Paul's Teftimony of the Saints Weapons, and their Warfare, and alfo of his own Fight and Victory, viz. 2 Cor. x. 4. The Weapons of our Warfare are not carnal. but mighty through God, to the pulling down of firong Holds (Satan's Holds of Sin are ftrong Ones, if never to be overcome.)

But

But with these Weapons we may overcome: And 1720. he bids the Chriftian put them on, and calls them the whole Armour of Light (oppofite and contrary to Satan's dark Power) and he names them after this Manner: Stand therefore, having your Loins girt about with Truth, and having on the Breaft-plate of Righteoufnefs, and your Feet food with the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace; above all, taking the Shield of Faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery Darts of the Wicked, and take the Helmet of Salvation, and the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, Eph. vi. 13. 17. I have fought a good Fight, I have finished my Courfe, I have kept the Faith, henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness; which God, the righteous Judge, fhall give to me at that Day, and not to me only, but to all them who love his Appearing, 2 Tim. iv. 7, 8.

Thus the Saints and primitive Chriftians were vic torious in this Chriftian and Spiritual Warfare, and they encouraged others to follow them, as they did Chrift. The very Belief of this Doctrine, that we can never overcome Sin and Satan, is contrary to the Faith of Christ, and is a mighty Engine of the wicked One to destroy Souls; for what Encouragement can any have to the Work of Reformation, or to believe in or prefs after the New Birth, if they do not believe in the New-birth, or that they may or can be reformed, or created again a-new in Chrift Jefus, unto good Works, and that they must not walk atter the Flesh, to fulfil the Lufts thereof. Oh that Ministers and People would confider that awful Sentence of Holy Scriptue, viz. If ye live after the Flesh ye shall die; but if ye, through the Spirit, mortify the Deeds of the Body, ye shall live, Rom. viii. 13. (The Want of a lively Hope and Faith in Chrift, the Great Lord of Heaven and Earth, is great, very great indeed) Oh that true Faith in him might abound and increase in the Earth more and more! then would he infpire the Soul

1720. with inward Strength and Grace to refift the Devil, ✓ and overcome him, and actually to do the Works of

Matt, 11.

29.

God, and to forfake the Devil, and all his Works, and then, and not until then, is Chrift's Righteousness imputed unto us; fo that true Chriftians are truly righte ous, not only by Imputation, but by Action alfo. Oh that those who make Profeffion of Holy Jefus would deny themselves, and take up their daily Crofs, and follow him in the Regeneration! otherwife, how can they be his Difciples or Minifters? And then would true Chriftianity flourish in the Earth; then would Christ be exalted over all, who, with the Father and Holy Spirit, is God bleffed for ever.

Now to return a little to Chrift's Baptifm, viz. He that believeth, and his baptized, fhall be faved. Here our great Baptizer, and Chief Minifter, is pofitive, that they fhall be faved who are baptized with his Baptifm: from which, with ftrong Reafon, we may conclude, that the Baptifm which is abfolutely neceffary to Salvation is not Water-baptifm, which was John's, but fpiritual Baptifm, which is Chrift's; and for this Reafon alfo, that moft Chriftians that have any Spiritual Understanding, do plainly fee, that notwith ftanding People being baptized, or fprinkled with elementary Water, many live wicked, ungodly Lives, and die in that State; but quite the contrary Effect hath that Baptifm which is of the Holy Ghoft, and Spiritual Fire, which is Chrift's Baptifm; for that where it is witneffed, and where People not only talk of it, but live according to its holy Operation on the Soul, it faveth and cleanseth from Sin and Evil, it wafheth by Regeneration, and reneweth the Soul by Grace, with Divine Life and Power.

The Call of a true Minifter, is from and by Christ, he must come to the School of Chrift, and take his Degrees there; in the univerfal Love of God he muft learn and experience Patience, Humility, Faith, Hope, and Charity; Learn of me; faith he, for I am

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meek and lowly in Heart; and yet, notwithstanding, he 1720.
was the great Heir of all Things, and all Power in
Heaven and Earth was given unto him, he humbled
himself to the Death of the Crofs, for the Sake of Man-
kind; and as the living Father fent his Son, fo the Son
fends his Servants contrary to the Will of Man, as the
Apostle Paul faid, But I certify unto you, Brethren, that
the Gofpel which was preached of me, is not after Man ;
for I neither received it of Man, nor was I taught it but by
the Revelation of Jefus Chrift, Gal. i. 11, 12. Hereby
it is plain he thought there was no abfolute Neceffity
of outward Learning, nor outward Call by Man.

And as there is no abfolute Neceffity of outward
Learning to make a Minifter of Chrift, fo there is no
Need to force an outward Maintenance; for Chrift
will take Care of his Servants, and feed and clothe
them, when he fends them, as he did his Difciples, who
went forth without Staff or Scrip, yet acknowledged,
after their Return, they lacked nothing. And as Chrift
faid, Freely ye have received, freely give; fo there is no
outward Compulfion or Force in Chrift's Doctrine or
Religion: Some are indeed of another Opinion, and
have practifed the contrary, and bring thofe Words of
Chrift to uphold them in the Practice of forcing Reli-
gion, where he fays, in the Parable of the Marriage
Supper, Go, compel them to come in; which was no
other Compulfion or Force but that of Love, which is
the greatest Power in Heaven or Earth; to construe
our Saviour's Words in any other Sense, would be ab-
furd, and contrary to the whole Tenor of his Doctrine
and glorious Ministry.

Thus then the Work of Chrift's Minifters is to bring the People to Chrift, as he is their Redeemer and Saviour from Sin, and as he is their Comforter, and good Remembrancer, and their fpiritual Guide into all Truth, in the Performance of which Work, they will have their Reward in this World, and in the World to come everlasting Life. Amen.

O 2

CONCERNING

CONCERNING

Perfonal Election and Reprobation.

A

CONCERN came upon me, in Chriftian Love to the Honeft-hearted of the Prefbyterian Way, to fhew unto them how their Teachers have mifled them, and mifrepréfented the Words of God, in their pretending to prove the Doctrine they hold of Perfonal Election and Reprobation, and in their wrefting the Scriptures in Support of it.

Some of the Texts of Scripture whereby they vainly endeavour to defend it, and whereupon they chiefly found their Tenet, are these, viz.

ift, Concerning Jacob and Efau, Rom ix. 13. Mal.

i. 2, 3.

2dly, Concerning the Lord's hardening Pharaoh's Heart, Exod. ix. 16. Rom. ix. 17.

3dly, He that made them, will not have Mercy upon them, and be that formed them, will fhew them no Favour, Ifa. xxvii.-11.

4thly, Hath not the Potter Power over the Clay of the fame Lump, to make one Veffel to Honour, and another to Dishonour, Jer. xviii. 6. Rom. ix. 21.

5thly, Therefore he hath Mercy on whom he will have Mercy, and whom he will be hardeneth, Rom. ix. 18.

1st, Relating to Jacob and Efau, the Cafe was thus: The Almighty fhewed Rebecca (the Mother of them. both) while the Children were yet unborn, That the

Elder

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