The illustrating mirror, or, A fundamental illustration of Christ's Sermon on the Mount. For all lovers of the truth to examine their faith and to promote their observance of the doctrines of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Translated from the German

Front matter

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Chapter Third

Embraces a portion from the 27th verse to the end of the chapter. 1. Of adultery and offending members. 2. Of the married state. 3. Of oaths. 4. A man should not resist evil- 5. A man should be thus minded, not only towards his brethren* but also towards all men. 6. Who are qualified for this. a2

IV CONTENTS.

CHAPTER FOURTH, Embraces a part of the 6th chapter, from the 1st to the 4th verse, and treats of the manner in which alms should be given.

CHAPTER FIFTH, Embraces a portion from the 5th to the 15th verse. 1. An address to the reader. 2. Of the prayer of the old and new phctrisees. 3. Whose prayer is acceptable to God. 4. Treats of the Lord's prayer.

CHAPTER SIXTH, Embraces a portion from the 16th verse to the end of the chapter. 1. That a man should in all his actions have regard to the honor of God. 2. That a man should not lay up treasure on earth, but in heaven. 3. What the single eye is, and that a man should cut off the offending members. 4. Of heathenish cares, and that we should use the world and not abuse it.

Chapter Seventh

Embraces a part of the seventh chapter, from the 1st to the 7th verse, namely, one man should not judge another by his own reason or wisdom, but should commit all judgment to the Spirit of God, by whom the children of God shall judge the world.

Chapter Eighth

Embraces a portion from the 7th to the 15th verse. 1. It is shown how necessary the knowledge of ourselves is, if we would come to Christ. 2. That prayer is the means by which hungry souls draw nigh to Christ. 3. After the mystic death a man springs to life and becomes a new creature. 4. The life and increase of the new man consists in the spirit and gospel of Jesus Christ. 6. The reason why few are saved, is, that the gate is straight and the way narrow. 6. A representation of the great dangers a person is exposed to of being misled in regard to the reality of his conversion.

CONTENTS. V

CHAPTER NINTH, Embraces a portion from the 15th verse to the end of the chapter, wherein it is explained how a person must know the false prophets and try them by the doctrine of Christ. It contains, in addition, a call to the teachers of the present day, as also to the common people.

Chapter Tenth

An exhortation to my beloved brethren and sisters in Christ Jesus, for the encouragement and edification of their souls, in which are brought into view the love of God, and its nature and disposition, and its operation in the souls that possess it.

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PEEFACE.

Gentle and Pious Reader : We live in an age, in which a tendency to licentiousness exerts a powerful influence, the world being filled with all kinds of erroneous and perverted writings, for the most part the productions of philosophy and human reason, by which the truth is held in unrighteousness and the word of God adulterated ; the pure and evangelical doctrine has been rendered cloudy and obscure before the eyes and hearts of men, in consequence of which many candid inquirers are distracted and perplexed; a circumstance which gave me great anxiety, particularly when I observed so many poor wandering sheep drinking the impure water of false doctrine, which the faithless shepherds have rendered turbid with the feet of their philosophic wisdom. I have, therefore, been induced by the internal impulse of the Spirit to publish this work, constituting a clear mirror,

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in which every man may view himself and observe his shape, provided he proceeds cor rectly in the examination; for it contains, properly speaking, an illustration of Christ's sermon on the mount, which sermon every body will doubtless look upon as a mirror of all such christians as are dead unto the law and married unto another, namely unto him who is risen from the dead, inasmuch as in this discourse he has displayed before our eyes and hearts a doctrine which stands in direct opposition to our carnal desires and corrupted humanity. Hence so few are found in our time who regulate the conduct of their lives by this doctrine, or act in conformity with its requisitions ; for they love the pleasures of this world more than they love God, although Christ himself, in the conclusion of his sermon, declares, Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a. wise man, who built his house upon a rock, and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house ; and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them

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not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand ; and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house ; and it fell, and great was the fall of it that these words might sink deep into the hearts of all men; then would they not draw water any longer from the impure cisterns of human wisdom and corrupted writings, but they would resort to the true fountain of life, Christ Jesus, and draw from his doctrine the pure water of eternal life, which would become in them wells of divine wisdom springing up into everlasting life, and far transcending all the wisdom of this world.

Well, then, all ye fellow "travelers to eternity, into whose hands this book may fall, peruse it in the spirit of true devotion, and criticise upon it not according to your own sentiments, lest it may become a savor of death unto death ; but consider it well, and weigh it in the balance of God's word, and then, if you give ear^to the testimony of Christ and his Spirit, and to the witness of your own conscience, it may become a savor of life unto life. Would to God that you can read it with

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the same feelings and emotions, with the same openness of heart and mind, which, by the grace of God, I experienced while writing it ; I rest assured it would then produce within you its blessed operation.

But to return : In this little book you will no doubt meet with doctrines which are not at all pleasing to your nature, and which will not quadrate with your carnal wisdom ; this, however, must perish in you, or you cannot understand this discourse, for it must be spiritually discerned.

Now, I venture to say, that in this book there may be found medicine for every soul that knows how to make a proper use of it ; for he who is impenitent and carnal-minded will have his dangerous disease pointed out, as also the means necessary to effect his recovery ; nevertheless the medicines for diseases of the soul taste bitter and unpleasant, are acrid and pungent, so much so, that a person who is not sensible of the extreme danger of his sickness, will despise and murmur at them, and as a matter of course, will be unwilling to take them. Again, I am persuaded, that all who feel their sickness and

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experience the pain of their sins, will employ the means prescribed for their cure. For these in particular, namely, for all health-seeking souls who are scattered abroad in the world, like sheep having no true shepherd, is my heart's concern, that I may serve them with my humble talents ; for their salvation is near my heart, if, haply, I might win some to Christ, and promote their eternal felicity by means of this humble performance.

This work is likewise intended for all my beloved brethren and sisters in God, here and in other places, for admonition and self-exexamination, as also for their encouragement and consolation, so that every one may exert himself in order to please God, and walk worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ ; for it is his will that we preserve our soul and body pure and undefiled from all the unrighteousness of sin and of false doctrine, that he may have pleasure in us ; for it is his will that we render our members weapons of righteousness, and press forward with him, as spiritual soldiers, in the contest against the world, the devil, sin and the flesh. But this appears in

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the eyes of the world to be an irksome and laborious life, yet to pardoned souls it is a pleasant and heart-quickening life, which they bring forth, after godliness, in the mind and disposition of the Lord Jesus ; for they are the good trees which bring forth no corrupt fruit ; they are the fruitful branches in the vine Jesus, which can bring forth no other fruit (if they abide in him) than what partakes of the nature of the vine ; for they are meek and lowly of heart; they are spiritual and spiritually minded; they are peaceable and patient, merciful and compassionate ; their hatred is changed into love, their envy into forbearance, their life is pure and undefiled, their words are gracious, serving for edification ; their yea is yea, and their nay, nay ; they resist not evil by force ; they contend not by law in temporal concerns, but much rather manifest love towards those who inflict injuries upon them, by doing them good, and even praying for them ; they impart freely to persons in need and distress ; they walk forward within the pale of godliness, nor ever stop till they arrive at the boundary of perfection ; in

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the contest they divest themselves of every encumbrance, lest, being overcome, they should lose the crown of lifa

This must be the tenor of our life on this side the grave, if we think of inheriting with Christ, in the regions of bliss, the never fading crown of everlasting life, as may be seen in the connection of Christ's sermon on the mount

But this is the cost which we are to count, and the great and momentous undertaking, concerning which it is incumbent upon us to sit down and consider fully and dispassionately, whether we shall ever be able to accomplish it Christ and his doctrine must serve for the foundation upon which the whole building is to be laid and the superstructure erected ; and for this purpose (inasmuch as we are too poor of ourselves, either to commence this edifice, or bring it to a state of completion) we are necessitated to secure the kind assistance of God, and obtain the right and privilege of entering his treasury and taking out such funds as may be found requisite for the carrying on and completion of this vast and important design. That is to

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say, the way to the compassionate heart of Jesus must be opened unto us by faith towards God, that we may receive from the heart of Jesus, out of the rich treasury and fulness of God, grace for grace, by which we are enabled to complete the whole in the most firm and substantial manner ; so that neither the tempests of the devil, nor the rains and floods of temptation, which beat upon this edifice, shall be able to prevail against it.

But if we are desirous of finding the way to the heart of Jesus, it is necessary for us, in the first place, to discover our poverty, our inability, and our incompetency either to begin of ourselves or superintend this spiritual building, which Christ in the introduction of his sermon plainly presupposes, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. This humility and deep self-abasement must be firmly grounded in us, so that we may place no reliance upon ourselves, which Paul, the wise, deeply skilled and highly enlightened architect, was well acquainted with from experience ; for he says, our sufficiency is not of ourselves, but of God He was able to do all things only through

PREFACE. XV

him that strengthened him, namely Christ, by whose word and spirit he was rendered wise, skilful, and competent for the erection of this spiritual edifice, and has become a shining example for our imitation. So that we should take heed how we build upon this foundation, having Paul and the other apostles for examples, by which we can see how we ought to build ; for as they followed Christ, so ought we, having their example, to follow him also, that we may have part with him, and he become our all, so that he may work all things in us, both to do, to speak, and to urge on according to his good pleasure. how glorious and god-like is that soul who remains quite nothing and insignificant in her outward nature, so that Christ, residing in her inward part, may direct and influence all her movements. What a sweet and heavenly rest does she not find in her Saviour, who has chosen her as the place of his abode. Here the sen^ suality of the outward man vanishes entirely away, for now the soul esteems entirely as folly all carnal and philosophic wisdom, and goes on increasing by continued accessions of glory in the presence of the Lord Jesus; in

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consequence of which she is enabled, according to the doctrine of Christ, to try the spirits, whether they are of God, or whether they make a glorious display, in semblance of the light, by means of signs and lying wonders and a deceptive exhibition of power. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 1 Cor. I: 25.

Therefore, friends and fellow travelers to eternity, I come unto you in this little book, not with high sounding words or profoundness of wisdom, by which to make known to you the gospel of God ; but I have endeavored, according to the pleasure of God, by the foolishness of preaching, to be instrumental in promoting the happiness of them that believe. For God knows, I seek in this no honor from men, nor any earthly gain ; but I desire from my heart, through much prayer and supplication to God, that many of those who are yet shut up and imprisoned in Babylon, may be enabled to embrace the doctrine of Christ, and become heirs of eternal salvation.

Now, I give heartfelt thanks to- the everlasting mercy of God for his grace, in permit-

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ting the light of his Spirit to shine abroad in the hearts, and the word of life to take root in the souls of many, so that the true faith begins to flourish, and the truth of the gospel to beam forth and be received and embraced by many. Oh, may the bountiful and all- wise God bless his word and render it fruitful, not only here in our own land, but in all regions and countries, to his everlasting praise and the glory of his great name here in time, through Jesus Christ to all eternity. Amen.

THE ILLLUSTRATING MIRROR.

Chapter First

This chapter comprises first, an elucidation or exposition of the eight different blessings, as far as the 20th verse, wherein is clearly set forth the manner in which a man is led by grace from a state of humility, step by step, till he becomes a child of God, the light of the world, and the salt of the earth. 2. Six fundamental articles of proof. 3. A serious address to the reader's conscience. 4. A fundamental representation of Christ, and warning to awakened and converted sinners, as also an exhortation to steadfastness, for the consolation of their troubled souls. 5. An illustration of the manner in which Christ fulfilled the law for us.

I

The Lord Jesus says, Matthew 5 : " Blessed are the poor in spirit ; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

This is the state of mind with which a person must be made acquainted, before he is meet for the kingdom of God, or fit for the gospel of Christ ; for the kingdom of God must be manifested in us through grace; and before it is manifested in us and received by us, the kingdom of Satan must be destroyed, the strong man must be divested of his armor and deprived of his spoil ; we must be stripped of all our self-imagined and false righteousness, which, out of self-love and self-complacency, we lay claim to by reason of our own good works ; our self-will, self-love and self-sufficiency must be done away ; all the weapons of self-efficacy must be destroyed ; for as long as we retain these things in possession, we are not poor in spirit ; we are yet rich in ourselves, and unconscious that we are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked, (Rev. 3: 17) ; and in this wretched condition we rest satisfied; for self-love, like a subtle and luciferian serpent, has so blinded us, that we do not perceive the clear light of the gospel reflected from the brightness of Christ ; and therefore Jesus calls upon and counsels us to purchase of him gold tried in the fire. For all which we do not receive •from him, is but earth and dross, nay, a futile and damnable vanity, for which a man should have a just abhorrence ; nay, he should abandon his selfish principles, forsake his imaginary riches, and cast away his false righteousness, which is but a filthy and unclean rag, (Isaiah 60:6,) and go to Christ, his faithful counsellor, and obtain from him the gold of precious faith, refined in the fire of grace, and, by virtue of the same faith, put on the pure and white robe of righteousness, applying to his heart the eye-salve of the Holy Spirit, that he may have a light constantly shining on his path, whereby he may be enabled to walk and watch, and keep his garments, lest he walk naked.

' For as much as it is evident, that man is by nature sinful, impure, blind and ignorant in spiritual things, and estranged from the life that cometh from God, Christ hath appeared as the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world (John l) ; which light is continually striving, in order to convince men and open their eyes to a sense of their miserable condition, that they may be made partakers of eternal felicity. But if a man persists in shutting the door of his heart, and hardens himself in sins, loving them more than his own soul, or him who created heaven and earth and all that is therein ; if he walks according to the will of the flesh and the light of reason ; if he will not receive the love of the truth, that he may be saved : then God at length sends him strong delusions, that he shall believe a lie ; that all may be damned who believe not the truth, but have pleasure in unrighteousness. 2 Thess. 2: 11, 12.

But when, on the contrary, a man opens his heart to the reception of this saving grace, and permits the light of Christ to shine in upon his soul ; then the land of darkness and gloom will be illuminated, according to the saying of the prophet: "The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light ; they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. Thou hast multiplied the nation and not increased the joy ; they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian. Is. 9.

Now, my dear friend, awake thou that sleepest and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light, (Eph. 5 : 14) ; and when he illuminates the dark recesses of thy heart, and discovers unto thee the perverseness of thy way while sitting in the shadow of death, and begins to guide thy feet in the path of peace, (Luke 17: 9,) then wilt thou shudder at thyself and perceive, through the medium of this light, the enormity of thy guilt ; yea, thou wilt be convinced that thy evil passions raged like a tempestuous sea, and that out of thy heart proceeded evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness, and the like evil things, which have defiled thee. Mark 7: 21, 22. Here, my reader, thou art led to a discovery of the sinful nature of thy former life ; which circumstance does not excite thy joy, but produces a far greater sorrow and anguish of heart before the Lord ; for thou seest with open eyes, that thy sins have separated thee and thy God ; that in consequence of this separation, thou hast nothing to look for but death and eternal destruction, unless thou findest an atonement in the mediation of the Lord Jesus, which thy soul longeth for with anxious prayers and tears, if haply thou mightest incline him to pity, that he may speedily impart the gift of his grace. If thou dbst not obtain thy request immediately, thou wilt perhaps get discouraged and think that God does not hear thy prayer ; but remember that God setteth thee, first, under the law, as a schoolmaster, who chastises thee, displays in vivid colors the terrors of damnation, and keeps thee shut out from the faith which should afterwards be revealed ; for the law is our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we may be justified through faith. Gal. 3 : 23, 24.

At the same time Satan approaches, and smiting and wounding us with his deadly and poisonous darts, endeavors to rob us of all our faith, and make us doubt, or entirely to deprive us of the grace of a compassionate Jesus, whereby we may remain a prey in his hellish grasp. And the better to effectuate this, he overwhelms such a troubled person with a flood of evil and impure thoughts, yea, oftentimes with abominable blasphemies ; and this at the time of his best services, as prayer, reading and meditation ; which thing gives rise in his mind to so great horror, that he does not know which way to turn himself; for, thinks he, how shall I obtain grace of God, whom in my thoughts I blaspheme, and unto whom I am unable to address a prayer of faith ; and what is not of faith is sin, (Rom. 14 : 23,) and he that asketh doubting, receiveth nothing. James 1: 6,7. Here the combat rages, here the soul is oppressed with the slavery and bondage of Pharaoh or the devil ; Christ now is willing to release the soul and bring it into the land of promise, but before this can be accomplished, our nature has to be afflicted by the rod of Moses with many sufferings in the land of Egypt, till at length our innate and sinful propensities be exterminated by the hand of the destroying angel, and our souls be preserved by the blood of the Lamb, which produces reconciliation. Then the soul takes her departure and enters with gladness upon the happy journey towards the land of promise. But in a short time she reaches the wilderness, and soon after arrives at the Red Sea of redemption, in which she shall be released from her primitive bondage ; through this sea she must now pass, but is not yet able to discover any possible way, because the mysteries of God are not yet revealed.

And now there occur new proofs, new temptations, new anguish and new trials, in order to test our weak faith ; for Satan menaces the soul with utter destruction, and this causes her to cry the more earnestly unto God and long for his assistance, who at last opens unto her the way of faith through the atoning blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, in which the soul finds a heretofore incredible deliverance from all the temptations by which she had been held in bondage ; nor can she refrain from blessing and praising God, for she sees now that the yoke of her burden, the staff of her shoulder and the rod of her oppressor are broken ; she joys according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. Isaiah 9. Yea, at this time she can by no means believe that she shall soon find bitter water, new temptations and a want of consolation ; all which, notwithstanding, will have to be encountered ; nay, a spiritual warfare will have to be maintained against the world, the flesh and the devil, which must all be subdued by faith ; and an entrance thus made into the land of promise ; Jericho must be destroyed and the Canaanites slain ; the inhabitants of the land, who are proscribed by the Lord, must be rooted out, extirpated and made tributary ; that is, all our carnal lust and sinful impurity must be utterly destroyed and brought in subjection to the spirit, that at length Jerusalem, the city of peace, may be built up within us, the sanctuary and temple be consecrated by the peaceable Solomon, Christ Jesus, and thus we become the temple of the Holy Ghost, wherein God may move and dwell. 2 Cor. 6.

These are the means by which God strips, divests and humiliates us, that we may stand before him comfortless, void of counsel and destitute of help, and in this humility of spirit may exclaim with Saul and say, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ? or with those on the day of Pentecost, What shall we do, that we may be saved ? Acts 2. All the destitute and poor in spirit, who have despaired of their own strength and former services, who have sought counsel from the Lord alone, and become desirous of living according to his will, have attained the kingdom of heaven. Wherefore Christ says, Come unto me, all ye that labor and- are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me ; for I am meek and lowly in heart ; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. Matt, 11:28, 29.

A person thus poor in spirit, discovers salvation in no other name but the name of Jesus ; for which reason he approaches him with all his burden, desiring grace, not only to become happy, but grace to bear his yoke, and follow him wherever he goeth. For he looks now unto Christ, and desires medicine of him, in order to be cured of his sickness, like the woman who had the issue of blood. Matthew 9. Mark 5. Hence he will soon hear, Thy faith hath made thee whole ; be it unto thee as thou wilt. Reader, I wish thee to mark, that herein thou canst perceive, that real humility of spirit constitutes the entrance to the gospel ; for what poverty did not Christ undergo for our example ! and what humiliations and temptations did he not sustain in the wilderness, after the baptism of repentance, before he entered upon his ministry! For though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. 2 Cor. 9. Yea, by reason of the poverty and temptations which he suffered, he is become compassionate towards our weakness, and a faithful high priest to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. Heb. 2: 17. Chap. 4: 15. Therefore Christ commenced his sermon on the mount in these words, " Blessed are the poor in spirit ; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven ;" for he was well aware that the Jews were rich in themselves ; because they considered themselves the children of Abraham, and placed their reliance in the law, seeking to attain that righteousness by the works of the law, which is attained by faith alone. Rom. 9. Hence he signified to them, that it is only upon the poor in spirit that he bestows his kingdom ; that he is come to seek those only who feel in themselves that they are lost, to heal none but the sick, (Matt. 9: 12. Luke 5: 31, 32.)

to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison door to them that are bound ; as is plainly shown us in the gospel. Luke 4:18, 19. Isaiah 61: 1.

Now, Christ has exhibited in his sermon eight different blessings to serve as a mirror, in which we professing christians may see whether we have become partakers of the same, and having passed by saving grace through these grades of blessings, are born peaceable children of God. For these blessings must succeed one another,and be wrought up in us unto a true life of faith in God, through Christ Jesus, that we may, in truth, be the light of the world and the salt of the earth.

Christ says, first : —

1. Blessed are the poor in spirit ;for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Verse 3.