SECT. XI. The conclusion to the Christians; who are admonished of their duty upon occasion of the foregoing things.
HAVING finished this last dispute, I come now to the conclusion, which regards not strangers but Christians of all sorts and conditions: briefly shewing the use of those things which have been hitherto said; that those which are right may be done, and those which are wrong may be avoided. First, that they lift up undefiled hands800800 to that God who made all things, visible and invisible, out of nothing;801801 with a firm persuasion that he takes care of mankind,802802 since not a sparrow falls to the ground without his leave:803803 and that they do not fear them who can only hurt the body,804804 before him who hath an equal power over both body and soul: that they should trust not only on God the Father, but also on Jesus,805805 since there is none other name on earth by which we can be saved:806806 which they will rightly perform,807807 if they consider that not they, who call one by the name of Father, and the other by the name of 242Lord shall live eternally; but they who conform their lives to his will. They are moreover exhorted carefully to preserve the holy doctrine of Christ, as a most valuable treasure;808808 and to that end, often to read the sacred writings;809809 by which no one can possibly be deceived, who has not first deceived himself. For the authors of them were more faithful,810810 and more full of the divine influence, than either willingly to deceive us in any necessary truth, or to hide it in obscurity; but we must bring a mind prepared to obey,811811 which if we do, none of those things will escape us, which we are to believe, hope, or do;812812 and by this means, that spirit will be cherished and excited in us,813813 which is given us as a pledge of future happiness.814814 Further, they are to be deterred from imitating the heathen; first, in the worship of false gods,815815 which are nothing but empty names;816816 which evil angels make use of817817 to turn us from the worship of the true God;818818 wherefore, we cannot partake of their rites,819819 and at the same time be profited by the sacrifice 243of Christ. Secondly, in a licentious way of living.820820 having no other law but what lust dictates, which Christians ought to be the furthest from;821821 because they ought not only far to exceed the heathen,822822 but also the scribes and pharisees among the Jews;823823 whose righteousness, which consisted in certain external acts, was not sufficient to secure them a heavenly kingdom. The circumcision made with hands availeth nothing now,824824 but that other internal circumcision of the heart, obedience to the commands of God,825825 a new creature,826826 faith which is effectual by love,827827 by which the true Israelites are distinguished,828828 the mystical Jews, that is, such as praise God.829829 The differences of meats,830830 sabbaths,831831 festival days,832832 were the shadows of things, which really are in Christ and Christians.833833 Mahometanism gave occasion for mentioning the following admonitions: it was foretold by our Lord Jesus, that alter his time there should come some who should falsely say they were sent of God;834834 but though an 244angel should come from heaven,835835 we are not to receive any other doctrine than that of Christ, confirmed by so many testimonies.836836 In times past, indeed, God spake in many and various manners to the pious men that then were;837837 but last of all he was pleased to call us by his Son, the Lord of all things,838838 the brightness of his Father’s glory,839839 and the express image of his substance; by whom all things were made,840840 which were or shall be; who acts and upholds all things by his power;841841 and who having made atonement for our sins,842842 is advanced to the right hand of God, having obtained a higher dignity than the angels;843843 and therefore nothing more noble can be expected than such a lawgiver.844844 They may also take occasion from hence to remember, that the weapons appointed for the soldiers of Christ are not such as Mahomet depends upon, but proper to the Spirit,845845 fitted for the pulling down of strong holds, erected against the knowledge of God, the shield of faith,846846 which may repel the fiery darts of the devil; the breastplate of righteousness, or holiness of life; for a helmet which covers the weakest part, the hope of eternal salvation; 245and for a sword, the word delivered by the Sprit,847847 which can enter into the innermost parts of the mind. Next follows an exhortation to mutual agreement,848848 which Christ seriously commended to his disciples when he was about to leave them: we ought not to have amongst us many masters, but only Jesus Christ:849849 all Christians were baptized into the same name,850850 therefore there ought to be no sects or divisions amongst them:851851 to which that there may be some remedy applied, those words of the apostle are suggested, to be temperate in our wisdom,852852 according to the measure of the knowledge God has afforded us:853853 if any have not so good an understanding of all things,854854 that we bear with their infirmities, that they may quietly, and without quarrelling, unite with us:855855 if any exceed the rest in understanding, it is reasonable he should exceed in goodwill towards them:856856 and as to those who in some things think otherwise than we do,857857 we are to wait till 246God shall make the hidden truth manifest unto them: in the mean time, we are to hold fast, and fulfil those things We are agreed in.858858 Now we know in part;859859 the time will come when all things shall be most certainly known.860860 But this is required of every one, that they do not unprofitably keep by them the talent committed to their charge,861861 but use their utmost endeavours to gain others unto Christ;862862 in order whereunto, we are not only to give them good and wholesome advice,863863 but to set before them an example of reformation of life;864864 that men may judge of the goodness of the master by the servant, and of the purity of the law by their actions. In the last place, we direct our discourse, as we did in the beginning, to common readers, beseeching them to give God the glory, if they receive any good from what has been said;865865 and if there be any thing they dislike,866866 let them impute it to the errors all mankind are prone to fall into; and to the place and time in which this was delivered, more according to truth than elaborately.867867
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