Latest / Philosophy and Faith / 40 - Christian Perfection, Part 1 - Sermons on Several Occasions

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40 - Christian Perfection, Part 1 - Sermons on Several Occasions · Philosophy and Faith

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  Speaker 1: Christian perfection Part one. Not as though I had already
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  Speaker 1: attained either were already perfect Philippians three twelve. There is
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  Speaker 1: scarce any expression and holy writ which is given more
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  Speaker 1: offense than this. The word perfect is what many cannot
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  Speaker 1: bear the very sound of It's an abomination to them.
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  Speaker 1: And whosoever preaches perfection as the phrase is that is,
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  Speaker 1: asserts that it is attainable in this life runs great
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  Speaker 1: hazard of being accounted by them worse than a heathen
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  Speaker 1: man or a publican. And hence some have advised wholly
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  Speaker 1: to lay aside the use of those expressions, because they
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  Speaker 1: have given so great offense. But are they not found
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  Speaker 1: in the oracles of God? If so, by what authority
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  Speaker 1: can any messenger of God lay them aside? Even though
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  Speaker 1: all men should be offended, We have not so learned Christ.
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  Speaker 1: Neither may we thus give place to the devil. Whatsoever
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  Speaker 1: God hath spoken, that will we speak, whether men will hear,
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  Speaker 1: whether they will forbear? Knowing that, then alone can any
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  Speaker 1: minister of Christ be pure from the blood of all men?
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  Speaker 1: When he hath not shunned to declare unto them all
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  Speaker 1: the counsel of God. We may not therefore lay these
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  Speaker 1: expressions aside, seeing they are the words of God and
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  Speaker 1: not of man. But we may and ought to explain
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  Speaker 1: the meaning of them, that those who are sincere of
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  Speaker 1: heart may not err to the right hand or to
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  Speaker 1: the left from the mark of the prize of their
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  Speaker 1: high calling. And this is the more needful to be done,
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  Speaker 1: because in the verse already repeated, the apostle speaks of
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  Speaker 1: himself as not perfect, not saith he as though I
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  Speaker 1: were already perfect. And yet immediately after, in the fifteenth
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  Speaker 1: verse he speaks of himself yea and many others as perfect.
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  Speaker 1: Let us saith he, as many as be perfect, be
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  Speaker 1: thus minded. In order therefore to remove the difficulty arising
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  Speaker 1: from this seeming contradiction, as well as to give light
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  Speaker 1: to them who are pressing forward to the mark, and
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  Speaker 1: that those who are lame may not be turned out
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  Speaker 1: of the way, I shall endeavor to show first in
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  Speaker 1: what sense Christians are not and secondly in what sense
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  Speaker 1: they are perfect. In the first place, I shall endeavor
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  Speaker 1: to show in what sense Christians are not perfect. And
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  Speaker 1: both from experience and scripture, it appears first that they
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  Speaker 1: are not perfect in knowledge. They are not so perfect
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  Speaker 1: in this life as to be free from ignorance. They
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  Speaker 1: know it may be in common with other men many
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  Speaker 1: things relating to the present world. And they know with
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  Speaker 1: regard to the world to come, the general truth which
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  Speaker 1: God hath revealed. They know likewise what the natural man
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  Speaker 1: receiveth not, for these things are spiritually discerned. What manner
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  Speaker 1: of love it is? Wherewith the Father hath loved them
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  Speaker 1: that they should be called the sons of God. They
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  Speaker 1: know the mighty working of His Spirit in their hearts,
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  Speaker 1: and the wisdom of His providence, directing all their paths
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  Speaker 1: and causing all things to work together for their good. Yea,
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  Speaker 1: they know in every circumstance of life what the Lord
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  Speaker 1: requireth of them, and how to keep a conscience void
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  Speaker 1: of offense, both toward God and toward man. But innumerable
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  Speaker 1: are the things which they know. Not touching the Almighty himself,
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  Speaker 1: they cannot search him out to perfection. Lo, these are
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  Speaker 1: but a part of His ways, But the thunder of
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  Speaker 1: His power. Who can understand they can understand. I will
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  Speaker 1: not say how there are three that bear record in heaven,
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  Speaker 1: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In these
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  Speaker 1: three are one, or how the eternal Son of God
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  Speaker 1: took upon himself the form of a servant. But not
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  Speaker 1: any one attribute, not any one circumstances of the divine nature.
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  Speaker 1: Neither it is for them to know the times and
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  Speaker 1: seasons when God will work his great works upon the earth. No,
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  Speaker 1: not even those which He hath in part revealed by
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  Speaker 1: his servants and prophets since the world began. Much less
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  Speaker 1: do they know when God, having accomplished the number of
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  Speaker 1: his elect, will hasten his kingdom, when the heaven shall
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  Speaker 1: pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall
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  Speaker 1: melt with fervent heat. They know not the reasons even
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  Speaker 1: of many of His present dispensations with the sons of men.
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  Speaker 1: But they are constrained to rest here, though cloud and
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  Speaker 1: darkness around about him, righteousness and judgment, or the habitation
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  Speaker 1: of his seat. He often with regard to his dealings
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  Speaker 1: with themselves, doth their Lord say unto them, what I
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  Speaker 1: do Thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter?
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  Speaker 1: And how little do they know of what is ever
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  Speaker 1: before them, of even the visible works of his hands.
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  Speaker 1: How he spreadeth the north of the empty place, and
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  Speaker 1: hangeth the earth upon nothing, How he unites all the
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  Speaker 1: parts of this vast machine by a secret chain which
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  Speaker 1: cannot be broken. So great is the ignorance, so very
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  Speaker 1: little the knowledge of even the best of men. No one, then,
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  Speaker 1: is so perfect in this life as to be free
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  Speaker 1: from ignorance, nor secondly from mistake, which indeed is almost
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  Speaker 1: an unavoidable consequence of it. Seeing those who know but
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  Speaker 1: in part are ever liable to e'er touching the things
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  Speaker 1: which they know not. It is true the children of
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  Speaker 1: God do not mistake as to the things essential to salvation.
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  Speaker 1: They do not put darkness for light or light for darkness,
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  Speaker 1: neither seek death in the error of their life. For
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  Speaker 1: they are taught of God, and the way which he
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  Speaker 1: teaches them, the way of holiness, is so plain that
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  Speaker 1: the wayfaring man nor a fool need not err therein.
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  Speaker 1: But in things unessential to salvation they do air, And
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  Speaker 1: that frequently the best and wisest of men are frequently mistaken,
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  Speaker 1: even with regard to facts, believing those things not to
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  Speaker 1: have been which really were, are those who have been
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  Speaker 1: done which were not, Or suppose they are not mistaken
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  Speaker 1: as to the fact itself, they may be with regard
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  Speaker 1: to its circumstances, believing them, or many of them, to
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  Speaker 1: have been quite different from what in truth they were,
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  Speaker 1: and hence cannot but arise many farther mistakes. Hence, they
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  Speaker 1: may believe either powers or present actions which were or
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  Speaker 1: are evil to be good, and such as were or
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  Speaker 1: are good to be evil. Hence, also they may judge
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  Speaker 1: not according to truth with regard to the characters of men,
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  Speaker 1: and that not only by supposing good men to be better,
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  Speaker 1: or wicked men to be worse than they are, but
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  Speaker 1: by believing them to have been or to be good,
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  Speaker 1: men who were or are very wicked, or perhaps those
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  Speaker 1: who have been or to be wicked, men who were
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  Speaker 1: or are holy and unreprovable. Nay, with regard to the
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  Speaker 1: holy scriptures themselves, as careful as they are to avoid it,
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  Speaker 1: the best of men are liable to mistake and do
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  Speaker 1: mistake day by day, especially with respect to those parts
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  Speaker 1: thereof which thus immediately relate to practice. Hence, even the
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  Speaker 1: children of God are not agreed as to the interpretation
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  Speaker 1: of many places in holy writ. Nor is there difference
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  Speaker 1: of opinion any proof that they are not the children
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  Speaker 1: of God and either side. But it is a proof
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  Speaker 1: that we are no more to expect any living man
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  Speaker 1: to be infallible than to be omniscient. If it be
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  Speaker 1: objected to what has been observed under this in the
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  Speaker 1: preceding head, that Saint John, speaking to his brethren in
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  Speaker 1: the faith, says, ye have an unction from the Holy One,
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  Speaker 1: and ye know all things first John two twenty. The
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  Speaker 1: answer is plain, ye know all things that are needful
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  Speaker 1: for your soul's health. That the Apostle never designed to
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  Speaker 1: extend this farther, that he could not speak it in
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  Speaker 1: an absolute sense, is clear first, and hence that otherwise
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  Speaker 1: he would describe the disciple as above his master. Seeing
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  Speaker 1: Christ himself as man knew not all things of that hour,
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  Speaker 1: saith he knoweth no man, no, not the Son, but
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  Speaker 1: the Father only. It is clear secondly from the Apostle's
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  Speaker 1: own words that follow these things have I written und
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  Speaker 1: you concerning them that deceive you, as well as from
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  Speaker 1: his frequently repeated caution let no man deceive you, which
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  Speaker 1: had been altogether needless. Had not those very persons who
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  Speaker 1: had that unction from the Holy One been liable not
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  Speaker 1: to ignorance only, but to mistake also? Even Christians therefore
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  Speaker 1: are not so perfect as to be free either from
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  Speaker 1: ignorance or error. We may thirdly add nor from infirmities.
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  Speaker 1: Only let us take care to understand this word aright.
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  Speaker 1: Only let us not give that soft title to known sins,
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  Speaker 1: as the manner of some is so. One man tells
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  Speaker 1: us every man has his infirmity, and mine is drunkenness.
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  Speaker 1: Another has the infirmity of uncleanness, another of taking God's
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  Speaker 1: holy name in vain, and yet another has the infirmity
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  Speaker 1: of calling as brother thou fool, or returning railing for railing.
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  Speaker 1: It is plain that, oh, you who thus speak, if
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  Speaker 1: ye repent, not shall with your infirmities go quick into hell.
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  Speaker 1: But I mean hereby not only those which are properly
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  Speaker 1: termed bodily infirmities, but all those inward or outward imperfections
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  Speaker 1: which are not of a moral nature, such the weakness
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  Speaker 1: or slowness of understanding, dulness or confusedness of apprehension and
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  Speaker 1: coherency of thought, irregular quickness or heaviness of imagination, such
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  Speaker 1: to mention. No more of this kind is the want
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  Speaker 1: of a ready or of a retentative memory. Such in
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  Speaker 1: another kind are those which are commonly in some measure
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  Speaker 1: consequent upon these, namely slowness of speech, impropriety of language,
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  Speaker 1: ungracefulness of pronunciation, to which one might add a thousand
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  Speaker 1: nameless defects, either in conversation or behavior. These are the
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  Speaker 1: infirmities which are found in the best of men, in
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  Speaker 1: a larger or smaller proportion. And from these none can
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  Speaker 1: hope to be perfectly freed till the spirit returns to
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  Speaker 1: God that gave it, Nor can we expect till then
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  Speaker 1: to be wholly free from temptation. Such perfection belongeth not
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  Speaker 1: to this life. It is true there are those who,
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  Speaker 1: being given up to work all uncleanness, with greediness scarce,
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  Speaker 1: perceive the temptations which they resist not, and so seem
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  Speaker 1: to be without temptation. There are also many whom the
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  Speaker 1: wise enemy of souls, seeing to be fast asleep and
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  Speaker 1: the dead form of Godliness, will not tempt to grow sin,
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  Speaker 1: lest they should awake before they drop into everlasting burnings.
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  Speaker 1: I know there are also children of God who, being
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  Speaker 1: now justified freely, having found redemption in the blood of
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  Speaker 1: Crist for the present, feel no temptation. God hath said
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  Speaker 1: to their enemies, touch not mine anointed, and do my
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  Speaker 1: children no harm. And for this season it may be
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  Speaker 1: for weeks or months, he causeth them to ride on
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  Speaker 1: high places. He beareth them as on eagle's wings, above
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  Speaker 1: all the fiery darts of the wicked one. But this
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  Speaker 1: state will not last always, as we may learn from
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  Speaker 1: that single consideration, that the Son of God himself, in
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  Speaker 1: the days of his flesh, was tempted even to the
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  Speaker 1: end of his life. Therefore, so let his servant expect
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  Speaker 1: to be, for it is enough that he be as
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  Speaker 1: his master. Christian perfection therefore does not imply, as some
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  Speaker 1: men seem to have imagined, an exemption, either from ignorance
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  Speaker 1: or mistake, or infirmities or temptations. Indeed, it is only
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  Speaker 1: another term for holiness. There are two names for the
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  Speaker 1: same thing. Thus, every one that is perfect is holy,
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  Speaker 1: and every one that is holy is in the scripture
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  Speaker 1: sense perfect. Yet we may lastly observe that neither in
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  Speaker 1: this respect is there any absolute perfection on earth. There
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  Speaker 1: is no perfection of degrees, as it is termed, none,
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  Speaker 1: which does not admit of a continual increase, so that
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  Speaker 1: how much soever any man hath attained, or in how
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  Speaker 1: high a degree soever he is perfect, he hath still
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  Speaker 1: need to grow in grace and daily to advance in
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  Speaker 1: the knowledge and love of God his Savior. In what sense, then,
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  Speaker 1: are Christians perfect? This is what I shall endeavor in
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  Speaker 1: the second place to show. But it should be premised
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  Speaker 1: that there are several stages in Christian life, as in
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  Speaker 1: natural some of the children of God being but new
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  Speaker 1: born babes, others having attained to more maturity. And accordingly,
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  Speaker 1: Saint John, in his first epistle First John two twelve
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  Speaker 1: applies himself severally to those he terms little children, those
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  Speaker 1: whom he styles young men, and those whom he entitles fathers.
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  Speaker 1: I write unto you, little children, saith the apostle, because
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  Speaker 1: your sins are forgiven you, because thus far you have attained,
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  Speaker 1: being justified freely you have peace with God through Jesus Christ.
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  Speaker 1: I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome
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  Speaker 1: the wicked one, or as he afterwards addeth, because ye
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  Speaker 1: are strong, and the Word of God abideth in you.
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  Speaker 1: Ye have quenched the fiery darts for the wicked one,
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  Speaker 1: the doubts and fears, wherewith he disturbed your first peace
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  Speaker 1: and the witness of God. That your sins are forgiven.
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  Speaker 1: Now abideth in your heart. I write unto you, fathers,
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  Speaker 1: because ye have known Him. That is from the beginning.
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  Speaker 1: Ye have known both the Father and the Son, and
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  Speaker 1: the Spirit of Christ in your inmost soul, Ye are
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  Speaker 1: perfect men, being grown up to the measure of the
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  Speaker 1: stature of the fullness of Christ. It is of these
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  Speaker 1: chiefly I speak in the latter part of this discourse,
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  Speaker 1: for these only are properly Christians. But even babes in
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  Speaker 1: Christ are in such a sense perfect, are born of God,
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  Speaker 1: an expression taken also in divers senses as first, not
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  Speaker 1: to commit sin, if any doubt of this privilege of
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  Speaker 1: the sons of God. The question is not to be
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  Speaker 1: decided by abstract reasonings, which may be drawn out into
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  Speaker 1: an endless length and leave the point just as it
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  Speaker 1: was before. Neither is it to be determined by the
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  Speaker 1: experience of this or that particular person. Many may suppose
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  Speaker 1: they do not commit sin when they do, but this
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  Speaker 1: proves nothing either way. To the law and to the
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  Speaker 1: testimony we appeal. Let God be true in every man
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  Speaker 1: a liar by his word will we abide, and that
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  Speaker 1: alone hereby we ought to be judged. Now the word
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  Speaker 1: of God plainly declares that even those who are justified,
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  Speaker 1: who are born again in the lowest sense, do not
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  Speaker 1: continue in sin, that they cannot live any longer. Therein
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  Speaker 1: Romans six verses one and two, that they are planted
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  Speaker 1: together in the lightness of the death of Christ. Roman
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  Speaker 1: six five. That their old man is crucified with him,
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  Speaker 1: the body of sin being destroyed. That henceforth they do
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  Speaker 1: not serve sin, That being dead with Christ, they are
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  Speaker 1: free from sin. Romans six, six and seven. That they
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  Speaker 1: are dead unto sin and alive unto God. Romans six eleven.
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  Speaker 1: That sin hath no more dominion over them who are
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  Speaker 1: not under the law but under grace, but that these,
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  Speaker 1: being free from sin, are become the servants of righteousness
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  Speaker 1: Romans six, fourteen and eighteen. The very least which can
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  Speaker 1: be implied in these words is that the persons spoken
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  Speaker 1: of therein, namely, all real Christians or believers in Christ,
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  Speaker 1: are made free from outward sin, and the same freedom
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  Speaker 1: which Saint Paul here expresses in such variety of phrases.
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  Speaker 1: Saint Peter expresses in that one first Peter four one
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  Speaker 1: and two. He that hath suffered in the flesh, hath
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  Speaker 1: ceased from sin, that he no longer should live to
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  Speaker 1: the desires of men, but to the will of God.
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  Speaker 1: For this ceasing from sin, if it be interpreted in
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  Speaker 1: the lowest sense as regarding only the outward behavior, must
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  Speaker 1: denote the ceasing from the outward act, from any outward
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  Speaker 1: transgression of the law. But most expressed are the well
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  Speaker 1: known words of Saint John in the third chapter of
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  Speaker 1: his First Epistle, verse eight. He that committeth a sin
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  Speaker 1: is of the devil, for the devil sinneth from the beginning.
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  Speaker 1: For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested that
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  Speaker 1: he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is
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  Speaker 1: born of God doth not commit sin, for his seed
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  Speaker 1: remaineth in him, and he cannot sin because he is
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  Speaker 1: born of God. And those in the fifth verse John
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  Speaker 1: five eighteen, we know that whosoever is born of God
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  Speaker 1: sinneth not. But he that is begotten of God keepeth himself,
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  Speaker 1: and the wicked one toucheth him not. Indeed, it is
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  Speaker 1: said this means only he sinneth not wilfully, or he
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  Speaker 1: doth not commit sin habitually, or not as other men do,
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  Speaker 1: or not as he did before. But by whom is
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  Speaker 1: this said by Saint John. No, there is no such
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  Speaker 1: word in the text, nor in the whole chapter, nor
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  Speaker 1: in all his epistle, nor in any part of his
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  Speaker 1: writings whatsoever. Why then, the best way to answer a
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  Speaker 1: bold assertion is simply to deny it. If any man
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  Speaker 1: can prove it from the Word of God, let him
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  Speaker 1: bring forth his strong reasons. And a sort of reason
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  Speaker 1: there is which has been frequently brought to support these
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  Speaker 1: strange assertions drawn from the examples recorded in the Word
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  Speaker 1: of God. What say they did not Abraham himself commit
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  Speaker 1: sin prevaricating and denying his wife. Did not Moses commit
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  Speaker 1: sin when he provoked God of the waters of strife, nay,
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  Speaker 1: to produce one for all? Did not even David, the
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  Speaker 1: man after God's own heart, commit sin in the matter
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  Speaker 1: of Uriah the Hittite, even murder and adultery. It is
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  Speaker 1: most sure he did. All this is true. But what
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  Speaker 1: is it you would infer from? Hence? It may be granted,
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  Speaker 1: first that David, in the general course of his life,
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  Speaker 1: is one of the holiest men among the Jews, and
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  Speaker 1: secondly that the holiest men among the Jews did sometimes
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  Speaker 1: commit sin. But if you would hence infer that all
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  Speaker 1: Christians do and must commit sin as long as they live.
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  Speaker 1: This consequence we utterly deny it will never follow from
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  Speaker 1: those premises. Those who argue thus seem never to have
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  Speaker 1: considered the declaration of Our Lord Matthew eleven eleven. Verily,
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  Speaker 1: I say unto you, among them that are born of women,
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  Speaker 1: there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist.
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  Speaker 1: Notwithstanding he that is least in the Kingdom of Heaven
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  Speaker 1: is greater than he. I fear. Indeed, there are some
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  Speaker 1: who have imagined the Kingdom of Heaven here to mean
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  Speaker 1: the kingdom of glory, as if the Son of God
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  Speaker 1: had just discovered to us that the least glorified saint
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  Speaker 1: in Heaven is greater than any man upon earth. To
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  Speaker 1: mention this is sufficiently to refute it. There can therefore
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  Speaker 1: no doubt be made but the Kingdom of Heaven here
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  Speaker 1: as in the following verse, where it is said to
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  Speaker 1: be taken by force, or the Kingdom of God, as
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  Speaker 1: Saint Luke expresses, it is that Kingdom of God on earth,
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  Speaker 1: where unto all true believers in Christ, all real Christians belong.
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  Speaker 1: In these words, then our Lord declares two things. First,
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  Speaker 1: that before his coming in the flesh, among all the
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  Speaker 1: children of men, there had not been one greater than
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  Speaker 1: John the Baptist. Whence it evidently follows neither Abraham, David,
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  Speaker 1: nor any Jew was greater than John. Our Lord secondly
• 21:58
  Speaker 1: declares that he which is least in the Kingdom of God,
• 22:03
  Speaker 1: in that kingdom which He came to set up on earth,
• 22:06
  Speaker 1: in which the violet now began to take by force,
• 22:09
  Speaker 1: is greater than he. Not a greater prophet, as some
• 22:13
  Speaker 1: have interpreted the word. This is probably false in fact,
• 22:17
  Speaker 1: but greater in the grace of God and the knowledge
• 22:20
  Speaker 1: of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, we cannot measure the
• 22:24
  Speaker 1: privileges of real Christians by those formerly given to the Jews.
• 22:29
  Speaker 1: Their ministration or dispensation we allow was glorious, but ours
• 22:35
  Speaker 1: exceeds in glory. That whosoever would bring down the Christian
• 22:40
  Speaker 1: dispensation to the Jewish standard, whoever gleans up the examples
• 22:44
  Speaker 1: of weakness recorded in the Law and the prophets, and
• 22:47
  Speaker 1: thence infers that they who have put on Christ are
• 22:52
  Speaker 1: endued with no greater strength, doth greatly err neither knowing
• 22:57
  Speaker 1: the scriptures nor the power of God. But are there
• 23:02
  Speaker 1: not assertions in scripture which prove the same thing, if
• 23:06
  Speaker 1: it cannot be inferred from those examples. Does not the
• 23:09
  Speaker 1: scripture say expressly, even a just man sin is seven
• 23:13
  Speaker 1: times a day? I answer no, The scripture says no
• 23:17
  Speaker 1: such thing. There is no such text in all the Bible.
• 23:22
  Speaker 1: That which seems to be intended is the sixteenth verse
• 23:25
  Speaker 1: the twenty fourth chapter of the Proverbs, the words of
• 23:28
  Speaker 1: which are these, A just man falleth seven times and
• 23:33
  Speaker 1: riseth up again. But this is quite another thing. For first,
• 23:37
  Speaker 1: the words a day are not in the text, so
• 23:41
  Speaker 1: that if a just man falls seven times in his life,
• 23:44
  Speaker 1: it is as much as is affirmed here. Secondly, here
• 23:49
  Speaker 1: is no mention of falling into sin at all. What
• 23:53
  Speaker 1: is you're mentioned is falling into temporal affliction. This plainly
• 23:57
  Speaker 1: appears from the verse before the words of which these lay.
• 24:01
  Speaker 1: Not wait a wicked man against the dwelling of the
• 24:04
  Speaker 1: righteous spoil not his resting place. It follows, for a
• 24:08
  Speaker 1: just man falls seven times and riseth up again. But
• 24:12
  Speaker 1: the wicked shall fall into mischief, as if he had said,
• 24:16
  Speaker 1: God will deliver him out of his trouble. But when
• 24:20
  Speaker 1: thou fallest there shall be none to deliver thee But however,
• 24:26
  Speaker 1: in other places continued the objectors. Solomon does assert plainly,
• 24:30
  Speaker 1: there is no man that sinneth not First Kings eight
• 24:34
  Speaker 1: forty six I can Chronicle six thirty six. Yea, there
• 24:38
  Speaker 1: is not a just man upon earth that doeth good
• 24:40
  Speaker 1: and sinneth not. Ecclesiastes seven twenty I answer without doubt.
• 24:46
  Speaker 1: Thus it was in the days of Solomon. YEA. Thus
• 24:49
  Speaker 1: it was from Adam to Moses, from Moses to Solomon,
• 24:52
  Speaker 1: and from Solomon to Christ. There was then no man
• 24:56
  Speaker 1: that sinned, not even from the day that sin entered
• 24:59
  Speaker 1: in the the world. There was not a just man
• 25:02
  Speaker 1: upon earth that did good and sind nought until the
• 25:06
  Speaker 1: Son of God was manifested to take away our sins.
• 25:11
  Speaker 1: It is unquestionably true that the heir, as long as
• 25:15
  Speaker 1: he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, and
• 25:19
  Speaker 1: that even so they, all the holy Men of old,
• 25:23
  Speaker 1: who are under the Jewish dispensation, were during that infant
• 25:27
  Speaker 1: state of the Church in bondage under the elements of
• 25:30
  Speaker 1: the world. But when the fullness of time was come,
• 25:35
  Speaker 1: God sent forth his son made under the law to
• 25:38
  Speaker 1: redeem them that were under the law that they might
• 25:42
  Speaker 1: receive the adoption of sons, that they might receive that
• 25:47
  Speaker 1: grace which is now made manifest by the appearing of
• 25:51
  Speaker 1: our Savior Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death and brought
• 25:56
  Speaker 1: life in immortality to light through the Gospel and Timothy
• 26:00
  Speaker 1: one ten. Now therefore they are no more servants but sons.
• 26:07
  Speaker 1: So that whatsoever was the case of those under the law,
• 26:11
  Speaker 1: we may safely affirm with Saint John, that since the
• 26:15
  Speaker 1: Gospel was given, he that is born of God sinneth not,
• 26:22
  Speaker 1: it is of great importance to observe, and that more
• 26:25
  Speaker 1: carefully than is commonly done. The wide difference there is
• 26:29
  Speaker 1: between the Jewish and the Christian dispensation, and that ground
• 26:33
  Speaker 1: of it which the same Apostle assigns in the seventh
• 26:36
  Speaker 1: chapter of his Gospel. After he had the related those
• 26:41
  Speaker 1: words of are blessed Lord, he that believeth on me,
• 26:44
  Speaker 1: as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall
• 26:47
  Speaker 1: flow rivers of living waters. He immediately subjoins. Thus spake
• 26:52
  Speaker 1: he of the spirit ou emmelen lambanaine hoy pisteontes a autun,
• 27:01
  Speaker 1: which they who should believe on him were afterwards to
• 27:06
  Speaker 1: receive for the Holy Ghost was not yet given, because
• 27:10
  Speaker 1: that Jesus was not yet glorified. Now the apostle cannot
• 27:15
  Speaker 1: mean here, as some have taught, that the miracle working
• 27:18
  Speaker 1: power of the Holy Ghost was not yet given. For
• 27:22
  Speaker 1: this was given. Our Lord had given it to all
• 27:24
  Speaker 1: the apostles when he first sent them forth to preach
• 27:27
  Speaker 1: the gospel. He then gave them power over unclean spirits,
• 27:31
  Speaker 1: to cast them out, power to heal the sick, yea
• 27:34
  Speaker 1: to raise the dead. But the Holy Ghost was not
• 27:38
  Speaker 1: yet given in his sanctifying graces, as he was after
• 27:43
  Speaker 1: Jesus was glorified. It was then, when he ascended up
• 27:47
  Speaker 1: on high and led captivity captive, that he received those
• 27:52
  Speaker 1: gifts for men, yea, even for the rebellious, that the
• 27:56
  Speaker 1: Lord God might dwell among them. And when the day
• 28:00
  Speaker 1: of Pentecost was fully come, then first it was that
• 28:04
  Speaker 1: they who waited for the promise of the Father were
• 28:07
  Speaker 1: made more than conquerors over sinned by the Holy Ghost
• 28:11
  Speaker 1: given unto them. That this great salvation from sin was
• 28:16
  Speaker 1: not given till Jesus was glorified. Saint Peter also plainly
• 28:21
  Speaker 1: testifies where speaking of his brethren in the flesh as
• 28:25
  Speaker 1: now receiving the end of their faith the salvation of
• 28:29
  Speaker 1: their souls. He adds first Peter one, nine and ten,
• 28:33
  Speaker 1: of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently.
• 28:37
  Speaker 1: Who prophesied of the grace, that is, the gracious dispensation
• 28:42
  Speaker 1: that should come unto you, searching what or what manner
• 28:46
  Speaker 1: of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them
• 28:50
  Speaker 1: did signify when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ
• 28:55
  Speaker 1: and the glory the glorious salvation that should follow unto
• 29:00
  Speaker 1: whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us,
• 29:06
  Speaker 1: they'd administer the things which are now reported unto you
• 29:10
  Speaker 1: by them that have preached the Gospel unto you, with
• 29:13
  Speaker 1: the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven viz. At the
• 29:18
  Speaker 1: day of Pentecost, and so unto all generations, into the
• 29:22
  Speaker 1: hearts of all true believers on this ground, even the
• 29:26
  Speaker 1: grace which was brought unto them by the revelation of
• 29:30
  Speaker 1: Jesus Christ. The apostle might well build that strong exhortation. Wherefore,
• 29:38
  Speaker 1: girding up the loins of your minds, as he which
• 29:41
  Speaker 1: hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in
• 29:45
  Speaker 1: all manner of conversation. End of Section forty