deny bis giving himself for our fins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our father, Gal. i. 4. or who deny the necessary connection betwixt suffering with him in this world, and reigning with him in the world to come, 2 Tim. ii. 11. 12. and iii. 12. 13. The Apostle fignifies this was to be done by men that feemed to be bought by the Lord, and not expressly, but under a cover, and by private interpretations of the prophecies of the Old Teftament; so that we cannot vindicate them from this charge, who would build a worldly kingdom to Chrift in the nations of this world, upon the prophecies of the Old Teftament, about the nations; thus fulfilling their own luft after power, and wealth, and worldly cafe, to the great reproach of Christianity. And the Apostle offers us an excellent prefervative against all the feigned words whereby fuch falfe teachers draw the multitude, when he fays, in the conclufion of his discourse on that subject, chap. iii. 2. "That ye may be mindful of the words which were "fpoken before by the holy prophets, and of the command"ment of us the apoftles of the Lord and Saviour." See ukewife John iv. 5. 6. 3dly, We hear another argument boafted of as invincible, from a prophecy in the book of the Revelation, chap. xi. 15. But when we consider that text and context, we fee not fuf ficient reafon for this boafting: for the words of the text are, "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Chrift," (or, are become our Lord's " and his Christ's,")" and he fhall reign for ever and ever." And we are as fure that no kingdom of this world will stand "for ever," as we are that Chrift's " kingdom is not of this "world." The context, 17. 18. reprefents the nations as angry at Chrift's kingdom to the end; even as he faid, his people should be " hated of all nations," and should “en"dure it to the end," Matth. xxiv. 9.-13. Whether we take this text in the Revelation to refer to Dan. ii. 7. or explain it by what follows, in the more parti. cular account of the events of the seventh trumpet, especially by what is faid, Rev. xx 4.- -6. and xxi. 24.-27. and xxii. 5. we cannot find the accomplishment of it in any time before the refurrection of the just, and the putting down of all rule, and all authority and power; and then shall that promife be performed, Rev. ii. 26. "He that overcometh and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations, and he fhall rule them with a rod of i « roni ron; as the veffels of a potter fhall they be broken to fhivers, even as I received of my Father." But till that time Chrift muft rule in the midft of his enemies; as it is fig. hified that the nations are angry till his wrath come, as the recompence of their anger. It were easy to fhow, from the book of the Revelation, that the followers of Jefus Chrift muft remain in a humble fuffering state, in conformity to their leader, "the Lamb that was flain," until the time of Antichrift's deftruction; by the brightness of his fecond coming, even the time of their conformity to him in his refurrection from the dead. See, for inftance, Rev. vii. 9. 13. 14. And you would contribute much to the removing of our difficulties about your teftimony, if you fhould take pains to fhew us, how a bodypolitic, a kingdom, or nation of this world, can become the kingdom of Chrift, by devoting itself to conformity to him. in his humiliation and fufferings in this world, in the hope of conformity to him in his refurrection and glory in the world to come. We find the outer court not measured, " because it is gi "ven to the nations who tread the holy city under foot "forty-two months," Rev. xi. 2. And we fee" the whore," or false church, "fitting on many waters," i. e. peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues, Rev. xvii. 15. And power is given the beaft over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations, and all that dwell on the earth worship him, "whofe names are not written in the flain Lamb's book of life, from the foundation of the world," Rev. xiii. 7. 8. These are the nations brought under the falfe church, by the power of the kings of the earth that commit fornication with her. The Roman church is very confident, that the na tions and kingdoms of this world became the kingdoms of our Lord and his Chrift, by furrendering themfelves to her, and applies the prophecies about the na tions with as much afsurance to the Chriftian kings and na tions in her communion, as they can be applied to the covenanted kingdoms that caft off her uniformity, and put on another in its place; but in both these applications we must take nations and kingdoms in the very fame fenfe, and in both we muft understand the kingdom or dominion of Chrift to be the rule and authority of the clergy over the nations of this world, through the power and strength of the kings of the earth given unto them to make uniformity, [on a vin], according to the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, Rev. xvii. 13. 17. 3 C -VOL. I. if If we be not satisfied in the true figns and wonders wrought in confirmation of the New Teftament when it came forth, and be not willing to reft in the teftimony of Jefus Chrift fealed by his blood, and the teftimony of his Spirit in his martyrs the apoftles, which is only pure and entire in the New Teftament fcripture, we may hear every fet of clergymen teftifying of their uniformity, and their kingdom, and pleading the blood of martyrs, figns, and the wonderful concurrence of Providence, in confirmation of their teftimony; but when it comes to this, the Roman church has more of this kind to pretend than any of them, though, when they infift on this, they take to themselves one of the cleareft marks of Antichrift, 2 Theff. ii. 9. 10. 11. 4thly, It is not eafy to fee how the argument for national covenanting is drawn from the practice of the churches of Macedonia, 2 Cor. viii. 1.5. The foundation of the argument is to be fought, especially in the Apoftle's faying, That "the churches of Macedonia firft gave their own felves to "the Lord, and unto us by the will of God." And it must go upon fuch an interpretation of these words as this is, viz. the churches of Macedonia devoted themselves firft to the Lord, as one national church, in a covenant, whereby Ma cedonia became the Lord's nation, bound to employ its whole power for the establishment of Chriftianity, as the only religion of that country, and for the extirpation of every other; and next, they devoted themfelves to the minifters of the gospel, to walk together in uniform fubjection to them, and to bring the whole country into that uniformity, by the faid extirpating power. But nothing can be imagined further from the mind of the Apoftle, and the cafe of the churches of Macedonia, than this is. It is furprifing, that a foundation for any thing of this kind fhould be fought, in the Apostle's fetting forth the rich liberality of the churches of Macedonia in their affliction and poverty, as an example of moft chearful liberal alms gi ving; and especially in his fetting forth their unexpected forwardness in it, as "firft giving themfelves," in what they gave, "to the Lord," for the relief of his poor faints, and next" to them" whom they preffed to take the charge and trust of that gift, wherein they "gave themselves." When we look at the erection of the churches of Macedonia in Philippi, Theffalonica, and Berea, Acts xvi. and xvii. we fee nothing of any covenant among them, but the New Covenant or Teftament, the gofpel preached to them by the apostles, apoftles, which came to them in power, and they believed it, and obeyed it, in the face of an adverfe magistracy and mobility, fo that they received the word in much affiiction; and this continued, as the epiftles to them inform us, Phil. i. 27.- 30. 1 Theff. ii. 13. 14. 2 Theff. i. 4. And they were not fuffering for any worldly kingdom, nor animated in their fufferings by any hope, but the hope of reft and glory with Chrift at his coming, and his kingdom, 2 Theff. i. 5.- 10. Yea, the Apostle tells us, they were "in a great trial of affliction," when they did this notable deed of charity, and not only fo, but in "deep poverty;" and therefore in the worst situation in the world for working up a national covenant; but, instead of projecting any thing like this, they were very forward to make themselves yet poorer, for the relief of the faints in another nation, thus pursuing, to their power, the defign of the Lord's exhortation, Luke xii. 29.-34. which we called you before to confider as no way agreeable to the defign of a nation or kingdom of this world. There is not the leaft infinuation, that the churches of Macedonia were one national church united in a common council of elders ruling over them: for the apostle calls them ftill the churches of Macedonia; and they were as far from being the bulk of the people of that country, as their practice was from being fuited to the state of it. When we nar rowly confider the frame and fituation of these, and all the other churches in the New Teftament, with all that is faid there of their practice, we have the jufteft ground to fear their way has been expressly abjured, under the name of Independency in fome of the national engagements to which you stand bearing witnefs. Having thus laid our difficulties before you, we beseech you to take them to your most serious confideration, and do your best in the way that shall seem to you moft proper to fatisfy us; and we likewise crave you may confider the pamphlet, intitled, A fupplement to Mr Erfkine's fermon, with that intitled, The right of the Chriftian people, and the three directions for reformation there proposed; because, if no fault be found in them, they seem to point out a far fhorter and plainer way of reformation to Chrift's people, in all times and places, according to his word, than the way of national covenants, If the difficulties, which we own have fome weight with us, feem light in your eyes, you can the more eafily remove 3 G 2 them ; them; and we hope you will not disdain to do an easy thing for the relief of fuch as you are ready to lament, as labour. ing under the power of error; but if you cannot, or will not, give us any fatisfaction in this matter, you cannot blame us if we diffent from you, and ftand to the best light we can have from the teftimony of Jefus against you. JOHN GLAS. ( |