February 18, 2005

• DECEIVING AND BEING DECEIVED
   
  

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  Accursed be the doctrine! Accursed the deceiver!
  
  Accursed today, and accursed forever,
  
  The doctrine which leads men away from our God,
  
  And plunges men headlong in Satan’s abode!
  
  From Satan’s abode, and by Satan it rose;
  
  By Satan it reigns, and with Satan it goes;
  
  The doctine supposing our nature is good;
  
  The doctrine which vilifies Jesus’ blood;
  
  
  
  The doctrine which blows upon natural pow’rs,
  
  From dead fallen blooms to bring sweet-scented flow’ers;
  
  
  The doctrine which teaches you something to do,
  
  That God’s righteousness may be given to you-
  
  When men put the question, O what shall we do,
  
  To escape the damnation and curse that is due?
  
  God’s answer to such is, “Believe in the Lord:”-
  
  But this is an answer few teachers afford;

  
  
  
  
  If they give you the words, they will keep back the Spirit;
  
  Tho’ Christ get the name, yet themselves take the merit;
  
  They give with the one hand, and take with the other;
  
  They bring forth the child, but they quickly do smother.
  
  They’ll tell you, The work is quite finished now,
  
  Then give you directions the same how to do;
  
  They’ll tell you that Jesus the Law has fulfilled;
  
  But why should your consciences thereby be filled,

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  Q: When did the Lord Jesus Christ begin to be revealed as the Mediator between God and men?

  A: Immediately after the fall of Adam the Lord God said, speaking to
  the serpent, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between
  your seed and her Seed; He will bruise your head, and you shall bruise
  His heel.” (Gen 3:15).  Indeed, “Through death He might cause to
  cease the one having the power of death, that is, the devil.” (Heb
  2:14).

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  Except you have turned your scales to favours
  
  By dint of your heart-work and serious endeavours?
  
  They speak of the peace in his Testament-blood;
  
  Then, kindly directing, bid you make it good.
  
  They give you their rules for an int’rest secure;
  
  Which if you shall follow, your int’rest is sure.

  
  
  They given you receipts how to make a conversion!-
  
  And what is all this but to hell a diversion?
  
  
  
  
  They write on their methods, ‘This is a probatum**,’
  
  As if you anointed a curse with pomatum*;
  
  Promatum will never enliven a corse;
  
  Nor enliven a soul, all their reasoning force.
  
  Is peace in the blood of the pure Lamb of God?
  
  This peace is your won, if the thing’s understood.
  
  If righteousness in the word is vouchsafed,
  
  This righteousness is your own, if believed.
  
  
  
  If the gospel from them that are lost be concealed,
  
  Then to them that are sav’d it is only revealed;
  
  And if ’tis revealed, what want you now more?
  
  You love, you obey, you rejoice, you adore.
  
  Pray how came the sin and the death unto you?
  
  From Adam the sin and death to you flew;
  
  Conceived in sinning, you live all in sorrow;
  
  Your life, sin, and death, from another you borrow.
  

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  Q: Are not all men everywhere expressly commanded to repent of their own wickedness, and to believe God, that they may be saved?

  A: There is nothing more certain, for God says: “He who has an ear, let
  him hear.”–”Hear, and your soul shall live.”–”Today, harden not your
  hearts.”–”Repent and believe the gospel.”–”Repent and be converted,
  that your sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall
  come from the presence of the Lord.”–”Believe in the Lord Jesus
  Christ, and you shall be saved.”–”God commands all men everywhere to
  repent.”–”This is His commandments, that we believe on the name of His
  Son Jesus Christ, and love one another as he gave us commandment.”
  

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  Have death now and sin overflowed a little?
  And may not their fury God’s righteousness settle?
  That, where sin and death all abounded in rage,
  
  Grace reigning thro’ justice, might full assuage;
  
  Yes, fully assuaging, might fully destroy,
  
  And in their room bring overflowings of joy.
  
  By sin not our own, but imputed, we died;
  
  And why not by righteousness so justified?
  
  
  
  Is God on damnation so early bent,
  
  That into the world he all of us sent,
  
  Conceived in sin, to be led of the devil,
  
  Abhorring of good, and all cleaving to evil,
  
  And yet not as easily bring us to peace
  
  And innocence, by his own righteousness?
  
  Pray, what was our action when we were conceived?
  
  Pray what is our action when we have believed?
  
  
  
  O where is your action the light when you see?
  
  And where when the gospel appears to thee?
  
  Behold how the sun all so gloriously streams,
  
  Enlightening all eyes, where they are, with his beams;
  
  Ev’n so, the glad tidings of peace and great joy,
  
  Belong to all those who have eyes to enjoy-

  
  
  But a parcel of quacking bewildered fools
  
  Would give you prescriptions for murd’ring your souls.
  
  
  

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  Q: Do Christians receive God’s Word — in every instance and respect where it is believed and
  understood as the truth of God — with absolute certainty, without a
  possibility of doubt remaining in the heart of the person?

  A: Undoubtedly it does.  “For if we receive the testimony of men,
  the testimony of God is greater”–”He that believes God has the
  testimony in himself. But he that believes not God has made him a
  liar”–(there is no middle way between believing God and holding him
  for a liar)–”Because he does not believe the record that God has given
  concerning His Son”–(He that believes God has set to his seal that God
  is true, being fully persuaded, giving glroy to God, according to the
  full assuance of understanding, receiving the Word with much assurance
  and joy in the Holy Spirit)–”Let every man be fully assured in his own
  mind”–”Have you fiath? Have it for yourself before God. Happy is he
  who condems not himself in that thing which he allows; for he that
  doubts is damned.”

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  Did thus the apostles, who followed the Lamb,
  
  When on them from heaven the Holy Ghost came?
  
  They sounded all loudly, “That death was in sin;
  
  That as we were born, so we lived therein;
  
  That all men by nature were children of wrath;
  
  No man by his doing could escape from the death;
  
  But now there is preached you free remission;
  
  From all the law-cursing, a total dismission;
  
  
  
  Thro’ Jesus proclaimed, proclaimed to all;
  
  On all who believe them, those blessings do fall;
  
  On all who believe the report made of Jesus,
  
  That he is the end of the law now and save us.”
  
  They that were ordained to life believed;
  
  The Lord added daily who were to be saved.
  
  They who understood cried not “What shall we do?
  
  What do to be saved?” But, “What shall we now,
  
  
  
  Now that we are saved, accepted, and bless’d,
  
  Now do thro’ the Spirit, of him being possess’d?
  
  How shall we for him all our members employ,?
  
  Until we receive all the promised joy?”
  
  Did not the apostles all walk in this way?
  
  Consult their epistles, and hear what they say;
  
  “Faith comes by hearing, by hearing His Word;”
  
  This, this is the way of our Shepard the Lord.

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  Q: Do all believers have full assurance?
  A: Yes. “He that doubts (what God declares to be right, and good, and
  true) is condemned on that account…. For whatsever is not of faith is
  sin.” (Rom 14:22-23) (Now the maxim here given, although applied to a
  particulare case, respecting the conduct of man. But without faith it
  is impossible to please Him, for he that comes to God must believe that
  He is (what he really is, and has declared Himself to be), as that He
  is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him (Heb 11:6).

  
  

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  By what believed, and not by our doing,
  We live; but, if otherwise, doomed to ruin:
  
  Thus Abra’am believed; he lived by faith;
  
  And, that we might follow, he left us a path.
  
  Thus Abra’am all righteousness and justified stood;
  
  And how was he justified?-By the Lamb’s blood;
  
  And was that an act, or a doing of his?
  
  Ah me! How absurd a delusion is this!
  
  
  
  The Lord Jesus came the redemption to finish,
  
  And not to direct us the Law to diminish:
  
  High-thund’ring, the law says, “All do or be damned;”
  
  The gospel, “Believe and be never ashamed.”
  
  O, were all solicitous gospel to preach!
  
  O Lord, we offend all: the mark do you reach:
  
  O send forth your Spirit; your Spirit is good;
  
  And be your good Word by us all understood.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  ** probatum est: It is proved
  
  *pomade: hairdressing consisting of a perfumed oil or ointment
  

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