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This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub, CHAP the prince of Devils..

33. How justly then was Christ represented as Mat. xü coming in the clouds of heaven, in a day of clouds 24. and thick darkness, seeing that clouds and darkness are figures of trouble and blindness of mind! And therefore said the prophet Amos, "Wo unto you Amos v. that desire the day of the Lord! to what end is it for 18. you? the day of the Lord is darkness, and not light.” This was plainly represented by the cloud which separated between the Egyptians and the Israelites, which was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light Exo.i by night to these.

20.

34. Then the coming of Christ in the clouds of heaven, implies no visible appearance either of pow er or glory to the world, but the contrary; seeing "God hath chosen the foolish things of this world to confound the wise; the weak things of the world to 1 Cor. confound the things that are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, and things which are not, to bring to nought things, that are; that no flesh should glory in his presence."

27.

35.

35. And therefore, to those who are in the flesh, that in which Christ appears is both dark and contemptible; and herein is the hiding of his power; Hab. iii. and hence it is, that he should come as a Snare upon Luke xai all them that dwell upon the face of the whole earth. Then nothing is more evident, than that the manner of Christ's coming, is not according to the expectations of man: For in vain is the net spread in the sight of any bird.

i. 7.

36. Therefore, when Christ speaks of his coming in the clouds, he also says, Then shall all the tribes of Mat.xxiv the earth mourn. And again it is said, Behold, he 30-Rev. cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see him, and Zech. xii. ail kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him: 10,11.&c. even so, Amen.

37. But why should they mourn and wail because of him? It is evidently because of the way, the truth and the fe, which is so contrary to their life, and which not only shakes the heavens and the earth, .but discovers the foundations of the world, and that

CHAP.

III.

upon which it stands, and all that is therein, namely, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride 1 John ii. of life.

16.

Psa. xvi.

38. "Then the channels of the waters were seen, 15.xxvi and the foundations of the world were discovered at 10

thy rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils. The waters saw thee, O God, the waters saw thee; they were afriad: The depths also were troubled."

39. Christ promised again and again, that he would come as a thief in the night; and therefore he again and again, solemnly warned his disciples to watch, and not to be overcome with surfeiting, and drunkenness, or cares of this life, lest that day should come upon them unawares.

40. And more striking figures could not be used than those of a snare upon all them that dwell upon the face of the whole earth, and that of a thief in the night, to signify the manner of his coming. Which agree perfectly with what the angels told his disciAetsi. 9, ples on the mount: "Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven."

J0j 11.

Mat.xxv.

32.

41. And the manner in which they saw him go, was, that a cloud received him out of their sight; which shewed them that as in the cloud he was invisible, so by coming in the clouds he would come out of sight.

42. It is strictly true that every eye shall see him; and before him shall be gathered all nations; and he shall separate them, one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats. But it is in the course and progress of his work that every eye shall see him, cither to their everlasting joy or sorrow. For as the brightness of the rising sun commenceth in the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall the coming of the Son of man be-gradual and progressive, until the whole earth is enlightened with his glory.

43. But it was foreseen, and foretold, by the Spirit of prophecy, that man, wholly under the influence of visible objects, living in earthly pleasures, and

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under false teachers, walking after their own lusts, CHAP should deny Christ at his second coming; because they would not see those visible changes in the natural creation, which in their blind senses, they had formed, and which they vainly imagined ought to take place, to answer their plans of the manner of his coming.

44. It is true, say they, wars, and rumours of wars, and commotions are great in the earth, but this has always been more or less the case, and there is nothing new. The Gentiles are not yet converted, say they, nor the Jews gathered to old Jerusalem; nor do we see the dead bodies rising up out of their graves, and bone coming to its bone; nor do we see the heavens on fire, or the earth burning up; nor the sun darkened, nor the moon turned into blood, or any of the stars falling from heaven, but all things continue as they were from the beginning.

45. Thus that scripture is fulfilled," Knowing 2 Pet. this first, that there shall come in the last days scof- 3,4. fers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation."

46. All of which is but the greater confirmation of the words of Christ: "For as in the days that were before the flood, [that is, while the ark was preparing, which was 120 years,] they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the Mat.xxiv day that Noe entered into the ark; and knew not until 39, 39. the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be."

47. Therefore, as the manner of Christ's coming was certainly and undoubtedly to be as a snare upon all flesh, and as a thief in the night; say not in thine heart, I shall see his coming, except thou watch and pray, and have thy lamp trimmed and burning.

48. The nature of his coming is likened unto the coming of harvest, and no person of common sense will say, Who shall ascend into the clouds to bring down harvest from above? or who shall descend into the earth, to bring up harvest from beneath? (for the seed is nigh thee, already in the earth, and according

IV.

CHAP. to the appointed seasons, must grow up to maturity, before the harvest can in reality appear.)

Rom. 1.

6, 7, 8.

49. Therefore, “Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above ;) Or who shall descend into the deep? (That is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But what saith it? The Word (or seed of Christ) is nigh thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart; that is, the Word of faith which we preach."

Prov.

1 John i.

CHAPTER IV.

The Order of God in the Confession and Forgiveness of Sins.

HAT all mankind have sinned, and that none

T can be justified, accepted, and saved, without

forgiveness, none will pretend to deny, who believe the scriptures of truth; and it is a truth equally undeniable, that without a confession of sins, there can be no forgiveness.

2. "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper : xxvii. 13 but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have 8,9,10. mercy.-If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.-Or, if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." This is the same as to cover sins. "But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

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3. Agreeable to this are the words of the prophet 2 Kad. xvi Ezra, "Let not the sinner say he hath not sinned: for God shall burn coals of fire upon his head, which saith before the Lord God and his glory, I have not sinned. Surely the Lord God knoweth your inventions, and what ye think in your hearts, even them that sin, and would hide their sin.-What will ye do? or how will ye hide your sins before God and his angels ?"

4. Then as it is impossible for any sinner to hide

CHAP.

IV.

Rom. X.

his sins from God or his angels, and there is no pos-
sibility of forgiveness without a confession, and it is
with the mouth, that confession is made unto salva-
tion; therefore, the coming of Christ with his holy 10.
angels, or in his saints, is to give mankind, who are
weary of sin, the privilege of confessing their sins
to God, by Christ the mediator, in his saints, where
he is actually revealed and made manifest, as the only
true light of the world; and which is the only door
of hope that ever was, or ever will be opened for real

salvation.

John xii.

31.

5. God will bring every work into judgment, with Feel. xii. every secret thing.-And, Now is the judgment of this 14 world. God heareth not sinners :—If I regard ini- 31,& ix. quity in my heart, says David, the Lord will not hear Psa. Lxvi. me. As I hear, I judge, says Christ. And the of man hath power on earth to forgive sins."

Son 18.

John v. 30.

Mat.ix.6.

6. The order of the confession of sins was first marked out under the law, by the command of God to Moses. And although the outward and ceremonial part of the law ceased at the appearing of Christ, such as offerings and sacrifices for sin; yet confessing and forsaking sin did not cease: For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And they of Jeru- 13..5,6 salem, and all Judea, and the region round about Jor- Marki.1. dan, were baptised of John in the river Jordan, confessing their sins: which was the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Matt. xi.

1 Tim. Y

7. Some men's sins are open beforehand, going before to Judgment. Which is in no other way than by 24. an open and free confession, or bringing their deeds into the judgment, where the judgment is given unto the saints. But some men's sins follow after. For a confession made in the dark, where the sin is com mitted, or in the desert, or some secret chamber, without any evidence or witness, is no confession at all; nor is any thing laid open in the sight of God, or brought to the light thereby, for all things are na ked and open before him, and nothing can be covered from him, nor any thing brought to the light of his All-seeing eye.

8. The order of God in the confession of sins, was marked out, in a shadow, under the law, and Christ

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