Z
PARTIAL APOSTASY FROM THE GOSPEL. 57
image, and representation of holiness; they delineate a form of reli- gion by a substitution of other things in the room of the life and substance of it, which are lost. The power of Christianity is openly denied in their being acted by the power of all those lusts which are contrary unto it; for the grace of God in the gospel teacheth them by whom it is received to “deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world.” This men cannot more perfectly renounce than in being “ foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another;” such persons being sufficiently remote from being “‘ saved by the washing of re- generation, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.” Whilst men live in this state and condition, wherein a complete denial or renuncia- tion of the power of godliness or religion doth consist, if, to supply the absence thereof, they draw and take on themselvesa scheme, form, and appearance of it, by the application of the names, offices, and properties of gospel effects unto outward, lifeless duties, or ap- pearances of them, the apostasy foretold is completely accomplished. This is to let David go, and to foist an image covered with goats’ hair in his stead; or at best, like Rehoboam, to make brazen shields in the room of those of gold taken away by Shishak. No otherwise doth the church of Rome deal in this matter. The power of faith, love, peace, holiness, conformity unto Christ, self-denial, and all the principles of a heavenly conversation, being lost and denied among the generality of its members, and all the real glory of Christianity thereby forfeited and despised, they have set up a form or image of it, wherewith they content themselves, and attempt to deceive others. Instead of that mystical, spiritual union with himself and among themselves which Christ’ prayed for and purchased for his disciples,
_ they have substituted the morphosis or mormo of an agreement in
professing subjection to the pope of Rome. For that heavenly love
of one another in him, and for his sake, which he renews the souls
of believers unto by his grace, we are presented in their profession with outward. works of charity and bounty, measured and valued by the advantage which redounds unto the principal actors in this show. Peace (the great legacy of Christ unto his followers) with God in their own minds, with the whole creation not shut up under the curse, that comprehensive grace and mercy wherein is comprised all the blessedness which in this world we can be made partakers of, is pre-
‘served in the flourishing prosperity and temporal successes of the
court of Rome. The internal, effectual operations of the Spirit of grace have the outward dispensations of ordinances shuffled in their place and stead; regeneration is baptism; growth in grace is episcopal
confirmation; the application, by faith, of the blood of Christ, once
58 THE NATURE AND CAUSES OF APOSTASY.
offered in a holy sacrifice for us, must give way unto the daily sacri- fice of the mass offered for the sins of the quick and the dead; dis- ciplines and some outward bodily severities must supply the place of the mortification of sin, the power whereof is never more lost and denied than it is under the highest external pretences of it. So the whole work of the Spirit as a Spirit of grace and supplication in the church must be, and is unto themselves, satisfactorily represented by reading, saying, chanting with voices and musical instruments, prayers and praises invented and composed by they know not whom, and in a language which the most of those who are obliged to com- ply with them understand not at all.
And even the worst part of their image is in what they have fixed on as the delineation and representation of the rule and discipline of Christ in the gospel; for, rejecting that humble, holy, meek, diligent endeavour to preserve all the faithful in obedience, love, unity, and fruitful walking, by the application of the commands of Christ unto’ their souls and consciences through his Spirit, and with his autho- rity, they have erected a worldly domination over God’s heritage, in whose exercise more force, fraud, extortion, oppression, violence, and bloodshed, have been acted and perpetrated, than it may be in the secular government of any tyrannical state in the world.
Other instances of the like nature might be given. This is that MbpDucis Tig edoeCe/ac, OY KAndsing rig nar edoeCeray, that figure and re- presentation of evangelical truth and holiness wherewith these men would countenance themselves in, and cover from others, that apos- tasy from the gospel which predominant lusts have cast them into and keep them under the power of, according as it was foretold it should come to pass in the latter days.
It is yet replied, “ That whatever apprehensions others may have, or whatever judgment shall be made, of the predominant evils reigning among the generality of them, and their seeming inconsistency with the doctrine of the gospel, yet the promise of the Spirit to lead into all truth is not only granted but confined unto them, so as that they are eternally secured as to faith and belief, whatever,other miscar- riages they may fall into.” And the nature of this plea is so effec- tual, that if it could be made good and confirmed on their behalf, notwithstanding I see not as yet how it is possible to solve other difficulties that occur in this case, yet would it with me determine all things in controversy between them and us. Let them but evince that they alone do inherit the promised Spirit of Christ exclusively unto all others,—that he dwells, resides, works, guides in and among them alone,—and in other things we will spare them the trouble of farther pleading their cause. But their pretence hereunto is impo- tent and contemptible; for what they insist upon amounts to no