J. Church

“ We shall first consider the writing. First, the writing: Our covenant, God has promised that he will write his laws on the hearts of his people; that he will write on them his new name and the city of God. These blessings in the heart are the writings he himself will own it is his own image and the superscription to this image all the elect people of God are divinely predestinated; there never was but one image in which the great Jehovah expressed his delight, namely, “Behold, my servant whom I uphold, mine elect in whom my soul delighteth.” ”

“ Ye who have been called out of darkness into marvellous light by our ministry, and show forth his praises who has called you by a separation from the world, by a change of principle and practice. You have been observed, and thousands have seen the change, and wondered at the cause; they knew what you once were; they see what you now are; they gaze, they are astonished, and obliged to acknowledge the change;—many hate it, though they cannot but own it is the finger of God. ”

“ We notice the direction on it, to our Lord Jesus Christ, the Covenant Elect Head, the Redeemer and Saviour of poor lost sinners, whose I am by gift, by purchase, by power, by conquest, and dedication, first presented to him by the adorable Father in the counsels of peace; then by the eternal spirit at my conversion, and having his image written on my soul. ”

“ He is an enemy to the power of God, to the experience of the just and to every minister of the spirit; and is in union with none but hypocrites, whose uniting ties are the gall of bitterness and the bonds of iniquity. ”

“ The promise of the Father to Jesus, as the head belongs to the body, he shall give his angels charge concerning thee to keep thee in all thy ways. At our conversion they rejoice,—on the ministry of the gospel they attend,—round the dying beds of God’s people they wait,—till they perform the last act of friendship to their souls, by conducting them through into the hands and glory of their Lord. ”

“ I have often admired the wisdom of God in the qualifications of his dear ministers. Let not one minister envy, oppose or speak against another, every one will and must do his own work; they can never do the work of another. ”

“ Our dear Lord is called wisdom. God made man and endued him with wisdom and we are made wise unto salvation, through faith in Christ Jesus, this image is love; the Saviour is love also; Adam had it, and it is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost given to us; this image is righteousness: this is another name our Lord bears; in righteousness the first Adam was created and our privilege is to know that in the Lord we have righteousness and strength ”

“ A real Antinomian in the sight of God, is one who holds the truth in unrighteousness, who has Gospel notions in his head but no grace in his heart: he is one that makes a profession of Christ Jesus, but was never purged by his blood, renewed by his spirit, nor saved by his power. With him carnal ease passes for Gospel peace; a natural assent of the mind for faith; insensibility p. 20for liberty; and daring presumption for the grace of assurance. He is alive without the law, the sentence of the moral law having never been sent home to him. The law of faith was never sealed on him ”

“ By trials, by divine light, life and love, by knowledge and wisdom they are formed and furnished in heart, head, and tongue. Hence Paul says, God has made us ministers of the New Testament, and spiritual counsel in the heart of such men, is as deep water, and men of understanding shall draw it out. This makes their tongue like the pen of a ready writer, whilst their hearts teach their mouths and adds learning to their lips; by such means the spirit has accomplished the external designs of Jehovah, in bringing souls to the knowledge of a dear Saviour ”

“ As pens, we often want mending, we are apt to get dull when God is pleased to cut us, that we may be the more useful to others; if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation; this appears hard to us,—but faith bows with adoring submission, when the head fall into the water. ”

“ The image in which the person dies, he will rise in at the last great day,—whether the image of God or Satan; thousands will rise in the image of the devil, just as they died in a state of enmity against the Most High God;—these are the rest of the dead that lived not again till the thousand years are expired, then Satan and all the wicked will be released from their prison ”

“ Satan who begun this work by deceiving, will end it in deceiving, and this will be the last act of his deception; the image of the devil will be found on all his children; an image God hates, will reject and punish but those who bear the image of the heavenly Adam ”

“ He is one that often changes his opinions, but was never changed in heart; he turns to many sects and parties, but never turns to God. In word he is false to Satan, in heart he is false to God: false to Satan by uttering truth, and false to God by a false profession. He is a false reprover in the world, and in the household of faith a false brother. He is a child of Satan in the congregation of dissemblers, and a bastard in the congregation of the righteous. ”

“ By mouth he contends for a covenant that cannot save him, and in heart he hates the covenant that can. His p. 21head is at mount Calvary, his heart and soul at mount Sinia. He is a pharisee at Horeb, and a hypocrite in Zion; he is a transgressor of the law of works, and a rebel to the law of faith; a sinner by the ministry of the letter, and an unbeliever by the ministry of the spirit. As a wicked servant he is cursed by the eternal law; and as an infidel he is damned by the everlasting gospel: and this is a real antinomian in the sight of God. ”

“ I thought it necessary to discuss this point, to contradict the fiery flying serpents of infamous lies, that many holy kind of people have industriously circulated with great care, pains, and expence; is not the accusation of worldly men, which they bring against professors too true? they will not swear it is true, but they will lie. ”

“ No merit is due to the greatest preacher in the world, for he is nothing but as he is made, used and guided any more than a pen; hence the acknowledgement of one minister, for all I laboured more abundantly than they all, yet not I but the grace God; we must speak as the spirit of God gives us utterance, and as we are led into the truths of God’s most holy word, nor can we go but as we are led;—whence the promise, he shall guide p. ”

“ Thus it appears, what is in Christ’s human nature, is to be found in all his people, and what the Father has made known to him, he has kindly revealed to us,—this appears the sense of the writing in the Text, the love of God shed abroad in the heart, and the word having an abiding place in the soul, producing its glorious fruits to his honor ”

“ God giveth the increase, as pens differ, so do the ministers of God in their knowledge and ability, having different gifts, some give broad, others fine strokes, some cry an alarm in God’s holy mountains, others speak more comfortably. ”

“ The Prophet cut down a stick and cast it into the water also, which brought it up again; so the Lord appoints that his ministers should dive deep into tribulations to bring out his dear elect people. These pens are used to write charges and sentences. So Peter charged the blood p. 11of Christ to the consciences of his hearers; and Paul declares if the Gospel be hid, be it hid to them that are lost. The Saviour said whatsoever they bind on earth should be bound in heaven. ”