that the

which is bypocrify. For to thefe, fays Paul, we gave not place by fubjection, no not for an hour, truth of the gospel might continue with you. them, for they have gone in the way of Cain.

Wo unto

I once read an old book, when I first came into the ministry, which faid" the believer is under the law as a rule of life;" from which I embraced that notion, without ever confulting the fcripture, or afking wisdom from God, about it; and this I have inferted in one of my first publications; which I intend to expunge whenever that book shall be reprinted; for it is no part of the gospel which I received, nor did it ever come to me from God, but from man.

Then fay fome, "If we are not under the law as a rule of life, we may live as we lift." I answer, I wish I could; for I would then be filled with the Spirit of God, and be free from all fin; and, if Paul could have lived as he lifted, he would have been delivered from his body of death; and Jabez would have been kept from fin, that it might not grieve him. However, God has promised to put his fear in our hearts, that we fhall not depart from him; and that he will work in us to will and to do; direct our steps; uphold us by his right hand; keep us by his mighty power; purge us, that we may bring forth fruit; and that fin fhall not have dominion over thofe that are under grace, only over thofe that are under the law, who are of the works of it, and un

der

der the curfe of it, who are in unbelief, and cannot please God; who, being in fin, and under it, can do nothing but fin.

I have written these things to thee, believer, to furnish, to arm and equip thee, that thou mayeft have Jomewhat to answer them who glory in appearance, but not in beart; for the innocent fhall ftir up himself against the hypocrite.

This publication will, I expect, procure me many anonymous epistles, and not a few twopenny and threepenny pamphlets, by thofe who shoot in fecret, and use sharpness; all which will only ferve to convince me that my doctrines are the myfteries of the crofs, because the offence is not ceased. As to their sharpness, it is neither for edification nor deftruction, not for edification, because there is no favour of charity; nor for deftruction, because there is no power.

But God fays, Look unto Abraham your father, and to Sarah that bare you, for I called him alone and blessed him. All the laws and rules that Abraham had were written on the tables of his hearttables of ftone he had none. The firft ftep that he took from his own country was in that faith which overcomes the world; which faith, working by love, took away all defire of returning back again. This is the fame faith as ours. He was circumcised at the command of God, which was a feal in his flesh of the righteoufnefs he had in his heart, which

was

was to be wrought out by a feed from his loins. And, when our hearts are circumcifed to love God, it is a feal of the Spirit to us that imputed righteousness is ours. He was to walk before God, and be upright; and God was his fhield and exceeding great reward. This was walking in the fear of God, in the faith of his protection, and in the expectation of an eternal enjoyment of him as his reward and portion. This rule he was to command to his household after him; and God fays they fhall keep

the

way of the Lord. Such was faithful Abraham, the friend of God; who, although he had not the two tables of stone with him, yet obtained a good report through faith.-Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. Gen. xxvi. 5. In these laft days, believer, God bath spoken to us by his Son; therefore he whom God hath fent fpeaketh the words of God.—This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleafed; hear ye him. I have fet my King upon my holy bill; blessed are all they that put their trust in him. Obey his voice, and stand fast in him, and thou fhalt fee and feel, to thy foul's comfort, that the moral law is abolished and done away in Chrift Jefus to thee. But, if thou get from Christ, backsliding in heart, or finning against him, thou must not wonder if God again and again fpeak to thee in the fecret place of thunder, because thou doft not abide in him who is a hiding-place from that storm. For my part, was I going to the tribunal of God this

night, and was to be asked of this matter now delivered, and fure of perishing if I spoke falsely, I would declare that, to the best of my knowledge and judgment, and agreeable to the teftimony of my own confcience, I believe what I have now preached is (as far as I have gone) the pure, unadulterated, truth of the everlasting gofpel. Let us, therefore, hold faft the word of Chrift's patience, and we shall be kept from the hour of temptation.And let us not be afraid of the name ANTINOMIAN, which in our days is given by graceless profeffors to those who are partakers of the Holy Ghoft; for a bad name will never hurt a good man.

A real Antinomian, in the fight of God, is one who holds the truth in unrighteoufnefs; who has gospel notions in his head, but no grace in his heart. He is one that makes a profeffion of Chrift Jefus, but was never purged by his blood, renewed by his Spirit, nor faved by his power.-With him carnal ease paffes for gofpel peace; a natural affent of the mind for faith; infenfibility for liberty; and daring prefumption for the grace of affurance. He is alive without the law, the fentence of the moral law having never been fent home to him. The law of faith was never fealed on him, the law of truth was never received by him, nor the law of liberty proclaimed to him. He was never arraigned at, nor taken from, the throne of judgment. He was never juftified at the throne of grace, nor acquitted at the bar of equity. The tremendous attribute of righteousness was never

1

feen or felt by him. The righteousness of the law was never fulfilled in him; the righteoufnefs of the law was never fulfilled by him; the righteousness of faith was never imputed to him; nor the fruits of righteoufnefs brought forth by him. He is an enemy to the power of God, to the experience of the juft, and to every minister of the Spirit; and is in union with none but hypocrites, whofe uniting ties are the gall of bitterness and the bonds of iniquity. He is one that often changes his opinions, but was never changed in heart. He turns to many fects and parties, but never turns to God. In word he is false to Satan, in heart he is falfe to God; falfe to Satan by uttering truth, and falfe to God by a falfe profeffion. He is a false reprover in the world, and in the household of faith a falfe brother. He is a child of Satan in the congregation of diffemblers, and a bastard in the congregation of the righteous. By mouth he contends for a covenant that cannot fave him, and in heart he hates the covenant that can. His head is at mount Calvary, his heart and foul at mount Sinai. He is a pharifee at Horeb, and a hypocrite in Zion. He is a tranfgreffor of the law of works, and a rebel to the law of faith; a finner by the miniftry of the letter, and an unbeliever by the miniftry of the Spirit. As a wicked fervant, he is cursed by the eternal law; and, as an infidel, he is damned by the everlasting gofpel. And this is a REAL ANTINOMIAN in the, fight of God.

THE END.