*The sober divine, who abhors the pride of Enthusiasts, saith of himself and all men, We are poor, blind, imperfect creatures, all our natural faculties are perverted, corrupted, and out of their right state, and therefore nothing that is perfect can come from us, or be done by us. Truth enough! and the very same truth, as when the apostle saith, _The natural man knoweth not the things that be of God_. But what scripture ever required perfect works from this man, any more than it requires the _Ethiopian_ to change his skin? Or what an instructed divine must he be, who considers this old natural man, as the Christian, and therefore rejects Christian perfection, because this _old man_ cannot attain to it? What greater blindness than to appeal to our fallen state, in proof of a corruption, which we must have, when we are redeemed from it? Is this any wiser, than saying, that sin and corruption must be there _where_ Christ is, because it is _there_, where he is not?
*To what end do we pray, that this _day we may fall into no sin_, if no such day can be had? But if sinning can be made to cease in us for one day, what can do this for us, but that which can do the same to-morrow? What benefit in praying, that _God’s will may be done on earth, as it is in heaven_, if the earth as long as it lasts, must have as many sinners, as it has men upon it? How vainly does _the church_ pray for the baptized person, _that he may have power and strength to have victory, and to triumph against the devil, the world and the flesh_, if this victorious triumph can never be obtained? If notwithstanding this baptism and prayer, he must continue _committing_ sin, and so be a servant of sin, as long as he lives?
See how St. _Paul_ sets forth the true church.――_Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ, were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death, that like as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life._――Here we have the one true church infallibly described.――He goes on. _For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection._ Therefore to be in Christ, or in his church, belongs to no one, but because the old man is _put off_, and the new man is _put on_.――The same thing is said again in these words; _Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed_, That (N. B.) HENCEFORTH _we should not serve sin_.
Away then with all the tedious volumes of church _unity_, church _power_, and church _salvation_. Ask neither a council of _Trent_, nor a synod of _Dort_, nor an _assembly_ of divines, for a definition of the church. The apostle has given you, not a definition, but the unchangeable nature of it, in these words. But now _being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life_. Therefore to be in the true church, and to be in Christ a new creature which sinneth not, is the same thing.
*Look at all that is outward, and all that you then see, has no more of salvation in it, than the stars and elements. Look at all the good works you can think of, they have no goodness for you, but when the good Spirit of God is the doer of them. For all the outward works of religion may be done by the _natural man_, he can observe all church duties, stick close to doctrines, and put on the semblance of every outward virtue; thus high can he go. But no Christian, till led by the Spirit of God, can go any higher than this outward formality; to which he can add nothing, but his own natural, fleshly zeal in the defence of it. _My little children_, saith St. Paul, _of whom I travail again in birth, till Christ be formed in you_. This is the whole labour of an apostle to the end of the world. He has nothing to preach to sinners, but the absolute necessity, the true way, and the certain means of being born again. But if dropping this one thing he becomes a disputing reformer about words and opinions, and helps Christians to be zealously separated from one another, for the sake of being saved by different notions of faith, works, justification, or election, he has forgot his errand, and is become a blind leader of all who are blind enough to follow him.