comes home to the all-important point of doctrine, and declares, "Before Abraham was, I am." As if he had said, "I am, not now only. This body that you see, is but a body prepared for me. The flesh profiteth nothing.' I am, through all time, the life of religion, the salvation of man, the everlasting covenant." This he was inwardly; and unless we know him inwardly our life, our hope of glory, we know nothing about Christ substantially or savingly.

Men are ever prone to idolatry. Speculative faith, speculative salvation, and an outside knowledge or opinion respecting Christ, now pass current for gospel faith and salvation. The only real salvation of souls, was always the spirit of man united to God, the fountain of divine life. "He that is joined to the Lord," says the apostle, "is one spirit." This was ever Emanuel, God with man, and man united to God. As man strayed from that which would, if kept to, have perfected this union, an outward law became necessary. This was therefore added, tending in its direction, and pointing through many types, ceremonies, and symbols, to "Christ within, the hope of glory;" and strikingly inculcating the necessity of death to the first nature, and of the consuming fire of the Lord, in order to acceptance and fellowship with him. This was still further exemplified in the coming of Christ, clothed with human nature, wherein we read, Emanuel, God with man, in actual union, as a lively display of the only possible salvation, in any age or nation. It must be one forever. The outward dispensations arise in condescension to man's outwardnesss and wandering: God, in and under them all, still leading and pointing, and drawing the mind, to the one thing needful, that is, union with himself. And as this can never take place, further than death takes place upon that which revolts from, and sins against him; so, both the symbols of the law, and Christ's outward death and sufferings, declare, the way to reconciliation and union with God, is through death to the transgressing nature. "He that will save his life, shall lose it." This through all ages, past and succeeding, is the one standing doctrine of the gospel. So far as the patriarchs, prophets, and virtuous heathen, knew this inward death, and therethrough arose into newness of life,

they were in the new covenant, united to God, and rejoiced in the gospel.

The gospel is no upstart thing, of only about eighteen hundred years standing. No soul ever was, or could be, saved without it, out of the life of it, or in ignorance of its redeeming power. It is never ideal, or speculative, but is always inward, vital, and experimental; and no man knows any thing more of it than he so knoweth it. Even though we may have known Christ, literally or historically, after the flesh; yet, if our faith is genuine and saving, it is, it must be, in living, vital union with God, and therein we may say with the apostle, "Yet now henceforth know we him so no more."

The gospel was preached to Adam, to Cain, Abraham, and all mankind. It is still preached in every rational creature, the world over. Some suppose the gospel is unconnected with obedience in man. But it is ever connected with it, requires it, leads to it, and effects it. "If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? But if thou doest not well, sin lieth at thy door." This short sermon, preached by God himself to Cain, some may think is all law, (for speculative Christians don't understand the distinction,) but the truth is, this was the preaching of the gospel, "the everlasting gospel ;"—not everlasting only as it looks forward; it includes all ages. The gospel never did nor can propose any easier terms, than death to sin in the soul, the only sure way of well doing.

The written, outward law takes hold of outward actions; hence can never make the comers thereunto perfect, since the most rigid observance of it, as a mere outward rule, cannot destroy the life of sin, and unite the soul to God. The law, observed only so far as respects outward actions, restrains only outward crimes, but the gospel lays the axe to the root of every corrupt, indeed every fruitless tree in the heart; and not a branch or two, nor indeed a tree or two, but "every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewn down and cast into the fire." This is the baptism of him "whose fan is in his hand," in order to winnow the chaff from the wheat, that it may be burnt up with unquenchable fire. Thus he thoroughly purges, (not in part only,) the whole floor of the heart. And accordVOL. 1.-4

ingly in preaching the gospel to the people, he stops not at outward acts, he goes beyond the outward law, and strikes at the very root and life of sin. He condemns lust as containing the very essence of sin; he supersedes the law of retaliation, an eye for an eye, &c. by condemning the inward disposition to revenge, or to resist violence by violence. He so much more than forbids killing, (which the law also forbids,) that he prohibits anger. Instead of barely restraining the hand and eye that offend, from the outward commission, he enjoins cutting off, plucking out, and casting away, that is, the eradication of the disposition. Instead of simply prohibiting forswearing, or false swearing, he strikes at the very occasion of it, and forbids swearing at all. Instead of only loving those that love us, and returning kindnesses received, he insists on a heart of inward, settled, universal benevolence, that would do good to all, enemies as well as friends.

This is the way in which the gospel exceeds the law, and the righteousness of a real Christian, that of the scribes and Pharisees. These are some of the very points wherein Christ exemplified the nature and meaning of his assertion, "except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case, enter into the kingdom of heaven." For, immediately after these expressions, follows his enumeration of the forementioned points, wherein the gospel exceeds and supersedes, but by no means destroys or disannuls the law.

Many are amused with an idea of evangelical righteousness, as they very improperly call it, which, though it leaves the soul. in sin and actual unrighteousness, and even in transgression of the outward law, they contend is the true righteousness of faith, and that, by an easy scheme of imputation, it exceeds the righteousness of the law. This they may dream of as long as they live; but they never can enter into the heavenly kingdom, till their real, inherent, actual righteousness, exceeds the most rigid outward observance of the outward law, in the very way described in that chapter by the dear Redeemer, that is, by a real death unto sin, and a new life of holiness, and holy tempers and dispositions, which, and which only, brings into the

fulness of the Emanuel-state, by uniting the human and divine natures, and joining man to God, in the one eternal spirit.

Men may seek to excuse themselves from the real death and destruction of sin in them, (the very work of Christ in man,) and so long as they hold themselves excused, or, under any specious pretence whatever, keep back from it, and save their own life, they are, notwithstanding all their talk of faith, imputation, and magnifying the merits of Christ, in a state of death and alienation from the divine life, and can no more enter into the kingdom of heaven in that state, than pride can become humility; enmity, benevolence; or inexorable revenge, that love and forgiveness of injuries which the gospel requires.

I am well aware how contrary these sentiments are, to the current doctrines of our day. I mourn under a sense of the doctrinal, as well as practical departure of professing Christians, from the gospel of Christ. Great part of the systems and doctrines, for several centuries past, preached up as gospel doctrines, is exactly calculated to evade the true force, meaning, and work of the gospel. That which first leads into sin, is in all ages, and under all dispensations, working to divert the mind from the shedding of that blood, without which there is no remission. The Jews rested and trusted in the law, and thought the blood of their mere figurative sacrifices, would answer for atonement; until "he that sacrificed a lamb," became, in God's view, "as if he had cut off a dog's neck; he that offered incense, as if he had offered swine's blood," &c. The professed Christian, in the same state, thinks the blood of Jesus, outwardly shed, answers all purposes for atonement. Thus, instead of seeing the true scope of all dispensations, and offering up the firstlings of the flock, the life of the first nature, men are seeking to save self alive, and hope to live and reign with Christ, without experiencing his death and sufferings in themselves. Instead of seeing, that death to the very life of sin, and sinful motions, is the drift and doctrine of the gospel, and yielding to it, they are striving to believe Christ has died that they might be excused from the death of sin. This is antichristian doctrine.

If, reader, the sentiments thou here findest, seem repug

nant to any thing thou hast esteemed a doctrine of the gospel, it may be well for thee to consider, that antichrist has long sat in the temple of God; and that under pretence of gospel doctrines, his ministers have been, age after age, inculcating doctrines as contrary to the gospel itself, as darkness is to light. And thou may receive it for truth, that if ever thou gettest quite redeemed from the influence of these antichristian teachers, thou wilt find the true doctrine, life, and power of the gospel, striking undisguisedly and unevasively at the whole life and power of sin in man. Christ's work is to finish sin, and make an utter end of transgression in the soul; and he does it infallibly, whenever he becomes the soul's complete salvation. Perhaps the words, antichristian teachers, may give thee offence. I tell thee, if Christ were now on earth, just as formerly, in that prepared body, his zeal would lash these ministers and professors of our day, with as much vehemency and seeming harshness, as it did the doctors and teachers of that day. It is the same thing in spirit and substance which now rules in these, that then ruled in them. It is the art and cunning of satan, to accommodate himself to any profession, doctrine, or dispensation, which becomes fashionable. He matters not what the faith, (or rather opinion,) and doctrines are. He can immediately call himself Christian, orthodox, or any thing to keep in credit, and then set up the cry of uncharitable! censorious! bigoted! and the like, against Christ in his true messengers, whenever he would strip the wolf of the sheep's clothing, and unveil the hidden and concealed face of antichrist.

Come, reader, consider a little. Did the true prophets steadily cry woe, against the false? Did the false abound through all former ages? Did they overrun the church in the time of Christ's appearance in that body? Did he most cuttingly expose and condemn them? And dost thou suppose our age, or our country, is clear of them? I tell thee, nay. The land now swarms with them, in our time, and in our corner of the earth. I see them, and I know them, from place to place, almost wherever I go. I am as sure they are ministers of antichrist, as I am of any thing in the gospel. They do the same which Christ accused their brethren of in that day. They take away