that exhorteth, on his exhortation; and he that teacheth, on teaching; and he that giveth, he must do it with simplicity; and he that ruleth, with diligence; and he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness. So this work and practice is from the grace and faith of Christ in their hearts. Rom. xii. 3 to the 9th.

And the apostle exhorts to give no offence in any thing that the ministry, namely, of Christ, be not blamed.

Now you see what a care the apostle had upon him to keep all blameless, that God may be glorified, saying, But in all things approv ing ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in affliction, in necessity, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings, by pureness, by knowledge, by long suffering, by kindness, by the holy ghost, by love unfeigned, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, by honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report, as deceivers, and yet true, as unknown, and yet well known, as dying, and behold we live, as chastened, and not killed, as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing, as poor, yet making many rich, as having nothing, yet possessing all things.' 2 Cor. vi. 4 to the

11th.

Here you may see the ministers of God and Christ prove themselves. And the apostle exhorts the ministers and the church of Christ, 'to put on the armour of light.' Rom. xiii. 12.

Here you may see light is the armour against darkness and its works. And again, the apostle writes to the church of Christ, and the ministers, and saith, My brethren be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might; and put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil; for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness, and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked, and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God.' Ephes. vi. 11 to the 18.

Here you may see the heavenly and spiritual arms and armour, that the ministers of Christ and his church are to put on, which is able to defend and preserve them, against the devil and all his foul instruments. For God's people have proved and tried these heavenly arms and armour, and by it they have been preserved steadfast and undaunted,

and valiant for Christ Jesus and God's name and truth upon the earth; and by it they have been able to stand against the wicked, and overcome him, and have the victory over him. And my desire is, that all God's ministers and his church, may be armed with these heavenly arms and armour, in this their age and generation, and then they will not fear the devil, nor all his darts, nor lying accusations, nor slanders, nor false reports, but in the spiritual arms and armour of God, they will stand as valiant soldiers in Christ, over him and them all. Amen.

Let all have oil in their own lamps, and water in their own wells, and fruit on their own trees, and mind their own vine, and improve their own talent, and not hide it in a napkin, like the slothful servant, and let none put their candle under a bed, or a bushel, but in a candlestick, that it may give light. So let your heavenly light so shine that men may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

When Christ sent for his disciples, he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing?' and the disciples answered and said, they lacked nothing.

The apostle said, 'Let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and for an helmet the hope of salvation.' 1 Thess. v. 8.

Here you may see that Christ's disciples wanted nothing, who freely had received, and freely did give.

And you that are of the day of Christ, be armed with this breastplate of faith and love, and the helmet of hope and salvation.

David said, Mine heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty; neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me.' Psalm cxxxi. 1.

And the apostle said, 'I do exercise myself to have always a conscience void of offence, toward God, and toward men.' Acts. xxiv. 16.

And the apostle writes to Timothy, to exercise himself unto godliness, for bodily exercise profits little, but godliness is profitable unto all things; having the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. 1 Tim. iv. 7, 8.

And the apostle saith, 'Strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those, who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.' Heb. v. 14.

God chasteneth his people for their profit, that they might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seems to be joyous, but grievous; nevertheless, afterwards it yieldeth the peaceable fruits of righteousness, unto them that are exercised thereby.' Heb. xii. 11.

Now here Christ's ministers and his church must know these several sorts of exercises, both to God and man, and unto godliness, and a discerning of good and evil; and this exercise must be in the spirit and power of God, which keeps people's minds low and in humility. And this must be in the spiritual exercise, for bodily exercise profits little, or for a little time, that passes away, but godliness is profitable unto all things; and they that are exercised in this godliness, they have a promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come, which is life everlasting; and God preserve all his people in this exercise. Amen.

And Paul said to Agrippa, the king, when he was brought before him, he was sent to open people's eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith in Christ. Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision, but showed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.' Acts xxvi. 18, 19, 20.

So here you may see, it is no new thing for the ministers of Christ, to turn people from darkness to light, and from the power of satan to the power of God.

Concerning such who ignorantly do say that Christ reconcileth the serpent, satan, devil, and enmity; for Christ comes to destroy the devil, &c. and slay the enmity.

THE apostle saith, all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, and having made peace through the blood of his cross by him to reconcile all things unto himself, by Christ, I say, whether they be things in the heaven, or things in the earth, and that he might reconcile both Jews and Gentiles unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby, or in himself.

Now some have said, both ranters and others, that Christ doth reconcile the serpent, satan, the devil, and enmity, which they ignorantly say from these scriptures before mentioned; for they say, are not these things which defile a man, which come out of a man, the evil things? And though they are called things, yet these evil things were not in Adam, when God made him, nor as long as he abode under God's teaching; but when he forsook God, and disobeyed him, and followed the serpent, teaching them his transgression and sin, brought into his heart

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all these evil things which come from the heart; evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies, sin, death, and the devil, the power of death. And so these evil things defile a man and woman, which proceed out of him, as Christ speaks of.

And Christ was manifest to destroy the works of the devil, and who through death destroys death, and the devil the destroyer, who is the power of death, and bruises the serpent's head, and slays the enmity, and makes peace; and so doth destroy the things and works of the devil, satan, serpent, and enmity. And so it is clear, Christ doth not reconcile the things and works of the devil; nor the devil, satan, serpent, and enmity; but bruises the head of the serpent, and destroys the devil, and his works, and his things, and slays the enmity, as before; and Christ reconcileth all things in the earth, and things in the heaven, which are God's works that he hath made. And Christ sanctifieth man, who hath been defiled by the devil, and his evil things and works; and the old man must be put off with his deeds, and the new man put on, which is after God, &c. So the old man, and his deeds, and the evil things, and the members that are below, are to be mortified, or killed. So Christ doth not reconcile to God, the old man and his deeds; nor the evil things and members that are below; nor the body of death; nor the chaff, nor sins of the flesh. For Christ, baptizeth with the holy ghost and with fire, whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into his garner, but will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire; so the chaff and corruption is to be purged and burnt up with unquenchable fire, and not reconciled to God.

And the apostle said, 'Ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the spiritual circumcision of Christ.' So you may see this body of sins of the flesh is not to be reconciled, but to be put off. And God through Christ reconcileth all things in heaven, and things in the earth to himself, who bruises the serpent's head and slays the enmity; and destroys the devil and his works, and makes an end of sin; and so through death destroys death, and the devil, the power of death, as is said before. And so it is clear, that Christ doth not reconcile the serpent, satan, devil, nor none of his works, but destroys them, and slays the enmity; and yet God by Christ doth reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in the earth, or things in the heaven. Col. iii. 20.

Here you may see how the son of perdition betrayed Christ to the Chief Priests without, and how the son of perdition since Christ's ascension gets into the temple, and betrays Christ within, where Christ and his truth should be.

THE devil, who abode not in the truth, tempted Adam and Eve to disobey God, and to go into a false liberty, out of truth, to eat of that which God had forbid, by which they lost the image of God, and were drove out of the paradise of God, wherein was the true and blessed liberty, and all things were blessed to them. And when people began to multiply upon the earth, in the old world, they run into wickedness and false liberty, and corrupted the earth; and therefore God spared not the old world, but brought his judgments upon them, and saved Noah and his family, a preacher of righteousness; but the ungodly old world, regarded not his righteousness that he preached unto them, but went on in their loose and false liberty, until God brought a flood upon the old ungodly world and destroyed them.

And likewise the Lord turned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, who ran into wickedness and false liberty; and therefore God condemned them with an overthrow, making them an example unto all those that after should live ungodly. And Abraham prayed to God that he would not destroy the city of Sodom and Gomorrah; and the Lord said, if he found but ten righteous within the city, he would not destroy it for the ten's sake.' But the Lord delivered just Lot from them, who was vexed with the filthy conversation of those wicked people; for that righteous man, Lot, dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing it, vexed his righteous soul from day to day, with their unlawful deeds.

So here you may see these people of the city of Sodom and Gomorrah, their conversation was filthy and wicked, and their deeds were unlawful; such deeds and liberty, the Lord and his law did not allow of; and so they were in a false liberty. And therefore of that false liberty, which is out of righteousness and the law of God, let all take heed; for if they do not, they will be sure to come under judgment and condemnation. For God spared not the angels that sinned, which kept not their first estate, but left their habitation; he cast them down to hell, and hath reserved them in everlasting chains under darkness, unto the judgment of the great day. And therefore all are to have a care to keep their habitation in the truth and righteousness, and where there is righteousness, there is peace; for you read in the apostles' days, many in an outward profession did forsake the right way and went astray, following the way of Balaam; and also such as went in the way of Corah, Dathan, and Abiram.