CHAPTER X (6)

“Again, the apostle saith, ‘the grace of God that bringeth salvation, hath appeared unto all men, teaching us, that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world,’ Tit. ii. 11, 12. Now ye, that turn this grace which bringeth salvation, into lasciviousness, deny it, and say, that which teacheth the saints, who by grace are saved, hath not appeared to all men. Jude saith, ‘Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them, of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed, and of all their hard speeches, which ungodly sinners have spoken against him,’ ver. 15. Here mark again; him that cometh with ten thousands of his saints, to convince all of their ungodly deeds and hard speeches; here it is, ALL of their ungodly deeds, and ALL of their hard speeches; none left out, but ALL to be convinced and judged, the world reproved by him who comes with ten thousands of his saints, and will reign, and be king and judge. And have not ye all something in you, that doth reprove you for your hard speeches, and your ungodly deeds, the ungodliest of you all, who live in your hard speeches against him, and his light and spiritual appearance in his people?

“Again, the apostle, writing to the Gentiles, saith, ‘But unto every one of us is given grace, according to the measure of the gift of Christ,’ Eph. iv. 7. Now mark, here is the measure of the gift of Christ, ‘who lighteth every man that cometh into the world,’world,’ John i. 9, ‘that all men through him might believe. He that believeth on him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned, &c. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world,’ &c., John iii. 18, 19. Now every man that cometh into the world being enlightened, one loves it, and brings his deeds to the light, that with the light he may see whether they be wrought in God; the other hates the light, ‘because his deeds are evil;’ and he will not bring his deeds to the light, because he knows the light will reprove him. So he that hates the light, wherewith Christ hath enlightened him, knows the light will reprove him for his evil deeds; and, therefore, he will not come to the light.

“Again, the Lord by his prophet said concerning Christ, ‘I will give him for a light to the Gentiles, that he may be my salvation to the ends of the earth,’ Isa. xliv. 6. And what is that, which the children that walk ‘according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience,’ Eph. ii. 2, are disobedient to? Mark, and read for yourselves, who being disobedient, walk according to the course of the world, according to the power of the prince of the air; mark, I say, what it is that all such are disobedient to? He that hath an ear, let him hear. The apostle saith to the Colossians, ‘the wrath of God cometh upon the children of disobedience,’ Col. iii. 6. Come, ye professors, let us see, is not this something of God that is disobeyed? Is it not that which is of God manifest in them, which God hath shown them, which lets them see God’s judgments are upon such, when they act unrighteously? Is not this the measure of God (mark), the Spirit that is in prison? and the Spirit of God that is grieved?

“And ye professors, come, let us read the parable of the talents, and reckon with you, and see who it is that hath hid the Lord’s money in the earth? Come, ye that have gained, enter ye into your master’s joy. Go, thou that hast hid the Lord’s money in the earth, into utter darkness; ‘take it from him, and give it to him that hath;’ every man shall have his reward. For the Lord hath given ‘to every man according to his several ability,’ Matt. xxv. 15; mark that, ‘to every man according to his several ability?’ read this, if you can. Now is the Lord coming to call every man severally to account, to whom he hath given severally according to his ability. Now the wicked and slothful servant, who hid the Lord’s money in the earth, will be found out; and the Lord’s money will be taken from him, although he hath hidden it. To him the Lord’s commands have been grievous; but to us they are not, who love God and keep his commandments. ‘And,’ saith the apostle to the Romans, ‘I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith,’ Rom. xii. 3. Read and mark, here is a measure of faith.

“‘And,’ said another apostle, ‘as everyone hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God,’ 1 Pet. iv. 10, ‘For the grace of God hath appeared unto all men.’ The good stewards can give their account with joy; but ye bad stewards, that turn the grace of God into lasciviousness, now ye will be reckoned withal; now ye shall have your reward. ‘But,’ say the world, ‘must every one minister as he hath received the gift?’ ‘Yea,’ say I, ‘but let him speak as the oracles of God; and let him do it as of the ability which God giveth,’ ver. 11. John in the Revelation saith, ‘They were judged every man according to his works,’ Rev. xx. 13. Christ saith, ‘every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment,’ Matt. xii. 36. So ‘ye, that name the name of Christ depart from iniquity,’ 2 Tim. ii. 19. ‘The Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father, with his angels; and then he shall reward every one according to his works,’ Matt. xvi. 27. He who is gone into a far country, and hath given the talents to every one of you, according to your several ability, ‘will render to every man according to his deeds,’ Rom. ii. 6. ‘And further I say unto you, if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life, because of righteousness,’ Rom. viii. 9, 10. So let the light which cometh from Christ examine; for the Lord is appearing. Ye that have received according to your ability, smite not your fellow-servant; and think not that the Lord delayeth the time of his coming. Be not as they that said, ‘Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we shall die.’

“The apostle tells the Ephesians, that unto him ‘this grace was given—to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ,’ Eph. iii. 9. Read and understand every one with the light which comes from Christ, the mystery, which will be your condemnation, if ye believe not in it. This is to all, who stumble at the work of the Spirit of God, the manifestation of it, ‘which is given to every man, to profit withal.’ Come, ye professors, who stumble at it; let us read the parables. ‘A sower went forth to sow; and some seed fell on the highway ground, and some on stony ground, and some on thorny ground; the Seed is the Word, the Son of Man is the seedsman. He that hath an ear, let him hear,’ Matt. xiii. Now look, all ye professors, what ground ye are? and what ye have brought forth? and whether the wicked seedsman hath not got his seed into your ground? ‘He that hath an ear, let him hear.’ And come, read another parable, of the householder, hiring labourers to go into the vineyard, and agreeing with every man for a penny, Matt. xx. Every man is to have his penny, the last that went in, as well as the first; and the last shall be first, and the first shall be last; for many are called but few are chosen. He that hath an ear, let him hear.’ There is a promise spoken to Cain, that if he did well he should be accepted, Gen. iv. 7. And Esau had a birthright, but despised it. Yet it is ‘not of him that willeth,’ Rom. ix. 16; ‘but by grace ye are saved,’ Eph. ii. 8. And stand still, and see your salvation, Exod. xiv. 13. And ye that are children of light, put on the armour of light, that ye may come into the ‘unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ; that henceforth ye be no more children tossed to and fro,’ Eph. iv. 13.

“And the Lord said, he would make a new covenant, by ‘writing his law in people’s hearts, and putting his Spirit in their inward parts;’ whereby they should all come to know the Lord—Him by whom the world was made. Now every one of you, mind the law written in your hearts, and this Spirit put in your inward parts, that it need not be said to you, ‘know the Lord;’ but that ye may witness the promise of God fulfilled in you. ‘But,’ say the world, and professors, ‘if every one must come to witness the law of God written in their hearts, and the Spirit put in the inward parts, what must we do with all our teachers?’ As we come to witness that, we need not any man to teach us to know the Lord, having his law written in our hearts, and his Spirit put in our inward parts. This is the covenant of life, the everlasting covenant, which decays not, nor changes; and here is the way to the Father, without which no man cometh unto the Father.

“And here is the everlasting priesthood, the end of the old priesthood, whose lips were to preserve knowledge; but now, saith Christ, ‘Learn of me;’ who is the high-priest of the new priesthood. ‘And,’ saith the apostle, ‘that ye may grow up in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, in whom are hid the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.’ So we are brought off from the old priesthood that changed, to Christ, to the new priesthood, that changeth not; and off from the first covenant, that doth decay, to the everlasting covenant that doth not decay, Christ Jesus, the covenant of Light, from whom every one of you have a light, that ye might believe in the covenant of Light. If ye believe not, ye are condemned; for light is come into the world, and men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil. ‘I am come a light into the world,’ saith Christ, ‘that whosoever believeth in me, should not abide in darkness, but have the light of life,’ John xii., 46. And, ‘believe in the light, that ye may be children of the light.’ But ye who do not believe in the light, but hate it, because it manifests your deeds to be evil, ye are they that are condemned by the light.

“Therefore, while ye have time, prize it; seek the Lord while he may be found, and call upon him while he is near; lest he say, ‘time is past;’ for the rich glutton’s time was past. Therefore, while time is not quite past, consider, search yourselves, and see if ye be not they that hate the light; and so are builders that stumble at the corner-stone; for they that hated the light, and did not believe in the light, did so in ages past. ‘I am the light of the world,’ saith Christ, ‘who enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world;’ and he also saith, ‘learn of me;’ and of him God saith, ‘this is my beloved Son, hear ye him.’ Here is your teacher. But ye that hate the light, do not learn of Christ, and will not have him to be your king, to reign over you;—Him, to whom all power in heaven and earth is given, who bears his government upon his shoulders, who is now come to reign; who lighteth every man that cometh into the world, and will give to every man a reward, according to his works, whether they be good or evil. So every man, with the light that comes from Christ, will see his deeds, both he that hates it, and he that loves it. And he that will not bring his deeds to the light, because it will reprove him, that is his condemnation; and he shall have a reward according to his deeds. For the Lord is come to reckon with you. He looks for fruits; now the axe is laid to your root, and every tree of you that bears not good fruit, must be hewn down, and cast into the fire.”