bear witness of some, in whom Christ wrought* all their works, and that "through him they were able to do all things." And many glorious things were spoken of, and were enjoyed by the true believers in Christ, while upon earth. But the titular Christian puts off all till he is dead, and pleads for the continuation of the devil and his works, term of life, and saith the devil works strongly in him, and prevails over him, and causeth him to sin in his holy duties; and that he is so captivated: by him, that he cannot live one day or hour without sin. So notwithstanding his profession of Christ, he knows him not greater in him than he that is in the world. So the strong man keeps house, and is furnished with his goods; and though he cries Lord, Lord, he is a worker of iniquity, and is bound in chains of darkness, and his feet stick fast in the mire and in the clay; even while he talks of Lord and saviour, he is led captive at the devil's will, and is a stranger to that power which is able to resist him, and make him flee, and to that faith which gives victory. So he cannot in truth call Christ the captain of his salvation, nor approve himself one of his soldiers, who is armed with the same power, and with it fights against the same enemy, and gains the victory, and followeth him, who rides on conquering and to conquer; so never comes to sit down with him in his Father's kingdom, triumphing over sin, death, hell, and the grave, but remains under the power thereof, through the fear of which he is "all his life time subject to bondage,"+ let his profession of liberty and redemption by Christ be what it will. His fair talk will avail him nothing; though he saith he believeth in Christ, and loveth him, yet if he keepeth not his commandments, he is a liar, and deceiveth himself, and hath not eternal life abiding in him. Profession and name of Christ, without possession and nature, is of no worth.

III The True Christian's Faith and Experience concerning the Holy Spirit.

The true Christian believeth in the holy spirit, being one of the three which bears record in heaven, which three are one. And he showeth forth his faith by his obedience thereto. He hath received the spirit of adoption, whereby he can call God Father; not as the Scribes, Pharisees, and hypocrites did, but in truth and righteousness. And he witnesseth a being led by the spirit in the way of holiness, and so cannot fulfil the lusts of the flesh, but by the same doth mortify them, and gain victory over them, and is sanctified and cleansed

In whom Christ works all, the devil works nothing. † Heb. ii. 15.

from them, and is taught by the spirit the true knowledge of God, and how to worship him aright in spirit and truth, and so prays with the spirit and with the understanding, and sings in the spirit, and praiseth God in the spirit, and the law of the spirit is in his heart, and this law of the spirit of life makes him free from the law of sin and death; and the spirit of God which raised up Jesus from the dead, dwelleth in him, and quickeneth his mortal body. And this true Christian is the spiritual man which discerneth all things, but is not discerned by another out of the same spirit which searcheth all things, yea the deep things of God. And he is led by the spirit from under the law, and through the law, to him which was before the law, and so is under grace, and brings forth the fruits thereof, which are love, peace, joy, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance; against this Christian there is no law.

The titular Christian he saith, he believeth in the holy spirit, &c. But how doth he demonstrate his faith and belief? He is ready to make a mock of receiving the spirit and being led by the spirit, and moved and taught by the spirit; this seems strange doctrine to him, that he should know his lusts mortified by the spirit, and that he should walk in the spirit, and be sanctified by the spirit from all sin and uncleanness, and that he should attend the motion and guidance of the spirit, and in all his conversation to do nothing but what will stand justified by this holy spirit, and that he should pray in the spirit, and sing with the spirit, and worship in the spirit, &c. These are new doctrines to the titular Christian, he knows not what to make of them, except it be to brand them with despicable names. And the law of the spirit of life, which should free him from the law of sin and death, he is a stranger to, and wholly ignorant of the in-dwelling of that spirit which raised Jesus from the dead, to quicken his mortal body. This he counts fanatic doctrine, &c. And instead of being a spiritual man which discerneth all things, he is carnal, and seeth not far off; the veil being over his heart, cannot see nor regard the glory of God when it appeareth in the inward temple, but opposeth and slighteth the appearance of that holy spirit which searcheth his heart and all things. And so is not led by it from under the law, which law was added because of transgression. And this titular Christian which liveth in the nature and act of transgression, and that knows not the cursed ground removed, which bringeth forth briars and thorns, from whence all evil thoughts, words, and works, proceed, and is a stranger to the mortification of them by the spirit; he is under the law, and liable to the punishment thereof, and not under grace. Let him profess what he will, if he brings not forth the fruit of the spirit in his life and conversation, he clearly showeth he doth not believe in it, nor walk in it, neither hath received it, nor come to any true knowledge of it by its work and operation in

his heart; he only talks of it with his tongue, as some book or body hath told him. This is the property and state of a titular Christian.

IV. The True Christian's Faith and Experience concerning the Holy Scriptures.

The true Christian truly honoureth the holy scriptures in their places, and believeth and receiveth their testimony, and is a living witness of the truth thereof, and he demonstrateth it as followeth: by believing, receiving, and obeying him, viz. Christ Jesus, of whom they testify, whereby he receives power to order his conversation according to them. And the true Christian believeth that they were spoken and written by the motion and inspiration of the spirit of God in holy men, prophets and apostles; and that it is his duty to wait upon God to receive the spirit of grace and glory, and the gifts thereof, of which they testify; that thereby he may be enabled to read them with understanding, and to receive the comfort of them, and to be made wise through faith in Christ unto salvation by them.

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And this Christian knows right well, that all the university or academical learning in the world is not able to give the true knowledge of the mind of the spirit in the holy scriptures; they are as a sealed book to all the wit, reason, comprehension and acquired parts of all mankind in the fall, learned and unlearned. And until man comes to receive, regard, and improve the manifestation of the spirit, which is given to every man to profit withal, as the scriptures witness, he is wholly ignorant, and a stranger to the key of true knowledge; and the treasures of life and wisdom are hid from him, and secured as with seven seals; and the cherubims, with a flaming sword, turn every way, and guard the tree of life, with the fruits thereof, from the fallen wisdom of man. And this the true Christian knows by experience, having tried what the wisdom of this world, in all its perfections, can do; and hath seen it confounded and brought to nought in himself, being discovered to be no part of the key of true everlasting knowledge; but rather that which hides it, and makes the veil the thicker, and shuts the door of the kingdom the faster; and those that abound in it, neither enter themselves nor suffer those that would. And this the holy scriptures testify.

The titular Christian, he saith, he honoureth the scriptures, and believeth the testimony of them, &c. But how doth he demonstrate his honour to them, and belief of them? Doth he order his conversation according to them? They exhort, "to abstain from every appearance of evil, and from every fleshy lust, which wars against the soul; and to

put on the whole armour of God, and thereby resist the devil, and make him flee." The titular Christian doth not obey this exhortation, neither doth he believe that it is possible that any should obey it on this side the grave. So while he pretends to honour them, he gives them the lie; for, what is more ridiculous and unreasonable, than to profess a belief that the spirit of God in holy men hath left holy precepts and exhortations upon record in the scriptures, which are impossible to be obeyed? Yet this is the language of the titular Christian, who honoureth them with his lips, and cries them up with his tongue, but in works denies them. Sometimes he will give them more titles of honour than to them is due, as when he calls them, "the word of God, the touchstone and trier of all spirits, the everlasting rule of faith and practice;" so in his ignorance will advance them with lip honour beyond what they testify of themselves, and above what they are; for they are not the word of God, but proceeded from it, and bear witness thereof; which word is sharp and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword, dividing in the inward parts; and this word is in the mouth, and in the heart, to be heard there, and obeyed there. And they call Christ, the word of God, which word was in the beginning, before the scriptures were written. And all that understand not the voice of this word, this inward and spiritual speaking word, are wholly ignorant of the words of God and good men, recorded in the holy scriptures; and is no true honourer nor believer of them, notwithstanding his verbal, traditional, notional profession and high titles he gives them. He only therein shows his blindness and folly, in taking the history and description, or declaration of a thing for the thing itself. They are not the everlasting rule, touchstone, and trier of spirits, but declare and testify of him that is; as Christ said to the Jews, speaking of the scriptures, "They are they that testify of me, but you will not come to me, that you may have life.”

V. The True Christian's Faith and Experience concerning the Doctrine of Repentance.

The true Christian believeth the doctrines and teachings of Christ and his apostles recorded in the holy scriptures, and that it is not only his duty, but his practice to obey them, and live according to them. As first the doctrine of repentance from dead works, or a turning from darkness to light, and from the power of satan, to the power of God. This is the gate of the kingdom, or the first step towards Christianity. This is the door at which the true Christian entereth; if any miss this way, they strive to enter in vain, without repenting, which is changing or turning from evil to good, from the way of death to the way of life,

from darkness itself to light itself, from the power and service of sin and satan to the power and service of God and righteousness. This is the nature and effect of true repentance, and without this no man hath a true title in Christ, nor Christianity, let his profession of it be never so high. For death reigned over all men from the fall of Adam till Moses, and all men have therein come short of the glory of God, and in that fallen nature are the children of wrath, dead in sins and trespasses; and God "hath concluded all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all."*

And now the call of God is to "all men every where to repent,"† and none but those that answer this call find the mercy. This call of God is more universally inward and immediate, than outward and mediate, the which if people slight, disregard, and neglect to obey, the outward instruments and means avail not.

Now the true Christian gives testimony that he believes and obeys the doctrine of repentance in manner following. First, whereas his mind and heart was running after, and captivated with the sight of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life, that are in that world which lies in wickedness; now his mind and heart is not only stopped, but also turned from them, and weaned from the delight and pleasure he had in them; and not only so, but by the shining of the light in his heart, is made to see the exceeding sinfulness of them, and to feel the weight and burthen thereof, which, while he was dead in sins and trespasses, he could not feel, nor be sensible of; but now being quickened by the voice of God, which calls to repentance, he cries out with Paul, O wretched man, who shall deliver me! &c. And this is the cry which the Lord is ready to hear, and to answer with the manifestation of his love and power, and with the joy of his salvation. And now is his face Sion-ward, and his travel towards the holy city is begun. And this true Christian right well knows that his repentance or turning from and out of the broad way of sin and satan, and setting his foot into the strait and narrow way, was not of himself, nor effected in his own will and power, but by virtue of the free gift of God, and operation of his free grace, and that he daily and momentarily needs the divine assistance of the same, to lead, guide, and assist him every step of his journey, to the end of the same.

And now he is a living witness of the truth of Christ's saying, when he said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the son of God, and they that hear shall live." This is the first distinguishing work of the powerful voice of God, and the true hearing of it; the world hears its convincing voice, but not regarding nor obeying it, are not made alive, nor

Rom. ii. 32.

D

† Acts xvii. 30.

+ John v. 25.