THE CONCLUSION. Fin God's fear, candid reader, thou appliest thyfelf to confider this fyftem of religion here delivered, with its confiftency and harmony, as well in itself as with the fcriptures of truth, I doubt not but thou wilt fay with me and many more, that this is the fpiritual day of Chrift's appearance, wherein he is again revealing the ancient paths of truth and righteoufnefs. For thou mayeft obferve here the Chriftian religion in all its parts truly established and vindicated, as it is a living, inward, spiritual, pure, and substantial thing, and not a mere form, fhew, fhadow, notion, and opinion, as too many have hitherto held it, whose fruits declare they wanted that which they bear the name of; and yet many of thofe are fo in love with their empty forms and fhadows, that they' ceafe not to calumniate us for commending and calling them to the fubftance, as if we therefore denied or neglected the true form and outward part of Chriftianity, which indeed is, as God the fearcher of hearts knows, a very great flander, Thus, because we have defired people earnestly to feel after God near and in themselves, telling them that their notions of God, as he is beyond the clouds, will little avail them, if they do not feel him near; hence they have fought maliciously to infer that we deny any God, except that which is within us. Because we tell people, that it is the light and law within, and not the letter without, that can truly tell them their condition, and lead them out of all evil; hence they fay, we vilify the fcriptures, and set up our own imaginations above them. them. Because we tell them, that it is not their talking or believing of Christ's outward life, fuffer. ings, death, and refurrection, no more than the Jews crying, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, that will ferve their turn, or justify them in the fight of God; but that they must know Chrift in them, whom they have crucified, to be raised, and to justify them, and redeem them from their iniquities: hence they fay, we deny the life, death, and fufferings of Chrift, juftification by his blood, and remiffion of fins through him. Because we tell them, while they are talking and determining about the refurrection, that they have more need to know the Just One, whom they have flain, raifed in themselves, and to be fure they are partakers of the first resurrection; and that if this be, they will be the more capable to judge of the fecond: hence they fay, that we deny the refurrection of the body. Because when we hear them talk foolishly of heaven and hell, and the laft judgment, we exhort them to come out of that hellish condition they are in, and come down to the judgment of Chrift in their own hearts, and believe in the light, and follow it, that fo they may come to fit in the heavenly places that are in Chrift Jefus hence they maliciously fay, that we deny any heaven or hell but that which is within us, and that we deny any general judgment; which flanders the Lord knows are foully caft upon us, whom God hath raised for this end, and gathered us, that by us he might confound the wifdom of the wife, and bring to nought the understanding of the prudent; and might, in and by his own Spirit and power in a despised people (that no flesh might glory in his presence) pull down that dead, dark, corrupt image, and mere fhadow and fhell of Chriftianity wherewith Antichrift hath deceived the nations: for which end he hath called us to be a firft-fruits of those that ferve him, and worship worship him no more in the oldness of the letter, but in the newnefs of the Spirit. And though we be few in number, in refpect of others, and weak as to outward ftrength, which we also altogether reject, and foolish if compared with the wife ones of this world; yet as God hath profpered us, notwithstanding much oppofition, fo will he yet do, that neither the art, wifdom, nor violence of men or devils fhall be able to quench that little Spark that hath appeared; but it fhall grow to the confuming of whatsoever shall stand up to oppofe it. The mouth of the Lord hath spoken it! yea, he that hath arifen in a fmall remnant shall arife and go on by the fame arm of power in his fpiritual manifeftation, until he hath conquered all his enemies, until all the kingdoms of the earth become the kingdom of Chrift Jefus. Unto Him that hath begun this work, not among the rich and great ones, but among the poor and fmall, and bath revealed it not to the wife and learned, but unto the poor, unto babes and fucklings; even to him, the Only-wife and Omnipotent GOD, be Honour, Glory, Thanksgiving, and renown, from henceforth and for ever. Amen, Hallelu-JAH, A TABLE |