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Front matter

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UNI'IKD STATES OF AMERICA.

Preface

The contents of this book are indeed extraordinary, and the doctrine it unfolds wonderful. " To the word and to the testimony^^ let every man go and search, and he will see that he who will believe the plain and simple word and testimony of God cannot be deceived, and cannot be mistaken. It was no doubt necessary that such a book as this should be confirmed in an extraordinary manner — that the evident and manifest authority of God should be given to his own truth and doctrine, at a time and in a day when that truth is lost and unknown in the confusion of religious sects, and in the unintelligible confusion of religious books and doctrines : and accordingly it is so.

Many things will concur to deceive men, and lead them away from giving any heed to the contents of this book. If there were no deceivers, no deceptions, no deceitful lusts, enticing and blinding men, none would be deceived and none would perish — for all would believe ; but God hath in his wisdom suffered the devil to have great power, and suffered his delusions to be strong, that they whom it is not the good pleasure of his will to save, may not be saved against their will. Therefore the truth of God has always appeared an absurdity to the men of this world, and especially to the wise and prudent among them, but who are not wise enough to receive the truth.

God will deliver those on whom he will have mercy, (to whom he will give repentance and make willing, and draw unto himself,) from " all the power of the enemy. ''^ But Satan has got ready beforehand delusions expressly prepared by him against this Little Book, that the manifest truth of its contents may be suspected, and that it may be classed with, and, if possible, be buried in and swept away by the flood of falsehood which he has poured out against the truth — the covenant of God's everlasting love — which covenant is called a woman. Those, therefore, who hate the truth in their hearts, (though ^^with their mouths they show much love^^^) will not be in want of abundant

Vlll PREFACE.

who " seek after wisdom as for hidden treasure,''^ to whom God hath given the mind and the wish to know the truth: they who would not dihgently seek and enquire, who would not go every length and make every sacrifice to obtain truth, will surely not find it, but will give heed to the first lie which turns away from it, (because, in truth, at the bottom of their hearts they do not care a straw about it,) whereas they, would go thousands of miles and not be turned away by any persuasion from the pursuit of a sum of money.

It is against God's elect that Satan raises up all these delusions and false lights, that he may lead them astray, but he cannot succeed with them ; God will fight for his Church, for Mount Zion, and " no weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper^

" Behold^ I come quickly ; Messed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this Book.^^ " He which testifeth these things saithj Surely I come quickly : Amen. Even so, come^ Lord Jesus.'^

Philadelphia, September 1, 1836.

Chapter I

The law of God must be fulfilled, it cannot be broken ; it is the

very principle of right and wrong, and it is utterly impossible that it

. can be broken in one jot or tittle. No wrong of any kind can be

done and go unpunished, else it were no law at all, and evil were no

evil at all.

The law of God is written in the hearts of all men, by which they all know that evil is evil, and good is good. But as men pervert this law and put it from them, and persuade themselves that evil is not evil, God gave this law in writing to a chosen people, by Moses and by the prophets, that truth might be known on the earth for the sakes of all those whom he will teach knowledge.

This law of God is the very substance of right and wrong ; but for it being written in their hearts, men would never have had any idea or any perception whatever of right or wrong. This law, that good must be done, and evil must not be done, God has established for ever, and it cannot be broken. Evil is therefore sure to follow evil, and the judgment of the world for wickedness is sure and inevitable.

This law is perfect, and therefore admits of no evil or wrong whatever, nothing short of perfect good is an obedience to this law ; if it admitted less than perfect good it would be both a vain and an unrighteous law, for the least evil being permitted, it would sanction all evil. An imperfect obedience is a violation of it ; herein is the condemnation of men, that they do not perfectly obey the law of God.

All men will be judged according to this law, whether they have obeyed it, or whether they have not, whether they have done good or evil ; they all know and confess its truth and justice, for by it they accuse and condemn one another, and take vengeance one upon the other, for it is written in their hearts, they know it naturally. When they say " if a man is virtuous he will be happy, if he is honest he will prosper, vice will hiding misery ^^^ and the like, they utter their knowledge of the law of God, which they have by nature. When they say " if you do good, you will go to heaven; if not you will go to hell,^^ they express their knowledge of the law of God which they have naturally ; for this is the law, that good will be rewarded and evil also will be justly rewarded. Now if the good be amplified by being called piety, religion, faith, &c., and if the reward be amplified by being called heaven, yet it is still only the law of God ; and if the evil be expressed by the name of irreligion, impiety, unbelief, &;c., and the punishment more forcibly represented by the words hell and destruction, &c., yet it is nothing but the law of God which men know naturally. And also if the good be inculcated and recommended by 1

^ INTRODUCTION.

speaking of Christ and love and the goodness of God, and if the evil be exhibited as the suffering of everlasting punishment, yet none of these additions or appendages change the fact ; it is still the law of God which men know by nature, which law is true, and makes known the fact, that good is surely followed by good as its reward, and evil is inevitably allied with evil as its own punishment. All these truths, however variously expressed, and though mixed up with whatever other sentiments, or united with the most pathetic descriptions of the death of Christ, and eulogies of the goodness of God ; — though enforced by the most terrific descriptions of punishment to come, are nothing but the law of God which all men know by nature.

Those who profess to serve God and obey the Gospel, call this natural knowledge of the law of God by the names of divinity, gospel, piety, or religion : they are spoken of by the Spirit of God as the Earth. Those who wickedly reject the authority of God, and revile his word, call their natural knowledge of the law of God by the names of virtue, morality, honour, &;c. ; these are described by the Spirit as the Sea, which signifies the world in general, as the Earth standing out of the waters signifies the body of religious professors. But at this time the Sea and the Earth are confounded together, there is no difierence in their doctrine, it is what they know naturally of the law of God. They both know the law and fulfil it not ; they both preach that they ought to do good and practise virtue, and they do evil. To testify against one is to testify against them both, and to declare God's truth is to set the feet upon (that is, to testify against) the sea and the earth, for they are now confounded together. Wherefore the Apostle speaking before of this day, has called the men of the Earth, not only wandering stars, having wandered far from the truth of the kingdom of heaven, but also " raging waves of the Sea,^^ for they are also men of the world, natural men, (calling their natural knowledge and fleshly wisdom the Gospel of God) ^^ foaming out their own shame ;'''' this they do when they talk loudly of their convictions for sin and what hell-deserving sinners they are ; which, true as it is, is a shame and disgrace to every man.

God has expressly declared in the psalms that " no man doeth good, no, not one^ All men know that they ought to do good, and not to do evil, this is the law of God written in their hearts ; but Righteousness, that is, doing good, does not come by knowing this ; Righteousness does not come by the law. So certain this is, that the Apostle declares that if having the law, knowing that we ought to do good and not to do evil, would lead men to do good, then the death of Christ would be unnecessary ; saying to the Galatians " if righteousness come by the laiv, then Christ is dead in vain.^^ Notwithstanding the express word of God to the contrary, the Earth, that is, the professors of religion, who profess to know and to be obedient to the word of God, imagine that they do good, and call upon men to do good, and highly esteem what they call piety, and pious actions and feelings which they imagine to be good. They think that they do good, that they obey God's law, (for there is no other good and no other Righteousness than a perfect and continual obedience to the law of God :) thus making God a liar, for God declares that no man doeth good ! They cover this wickedness by deceit, pretending to ascribe the good which they believe they do, to God, saying they do good by the Grace of God assisting them ! God doth not assist evil man who doeth not good, to do good : the sons of Adam do no good, neither with nor without assistance, they do no good at all ! God hath said this ! Christ Jesus, a new man the Son of God, alone doeth good (therefore he is called the Holy One) : he doeth good, that is perfect Righteousness for them that receive him, and the evil man hath no share nor part in doing the good, the righteousness, which he alone doeth ; this his own doing, his own Righteousness, he gives to and puts upon them that believe, and by this only they are righteous, and perfect fulfillers of the law, even by his doing, and his only. Therefore, no Righteousness comes by the law, and all Righteousness comes by Christ, and by him only, who is the righteous One, who is the Righteousness of God.

If God had never spoken and declared that no man doeth good, men bear witness of themselves and declare of themselves that they do not do good, that though they know the law, and talk of virtue and piety, yet they do not do good : their own records of themselves, their histories for nearly 6000 years are records of crimes, and testimonies of disorder, confusion and evil. Vain is all confidence in the flesh, vain is the expectation that evil man will be good ; vain is it to cry " do good''' " do good''"' to this sinful and malicious beast, who hath eyes but he seeth not, and ears but he heareth not.

The law of God requires men to do good continually, and to do no evil or wrong whatever, and its curse is upon all those who do wrong, who do not continually do good. This curse of the law is certain and inevitable ; if it could be escaped, the law would be no law at all, it would be a lie, and there would be no such thing as right and wrong. Since no man doeth good, no man can be saved under this law, for it condemns all who are under it ; being under this law a man is a transgressor and wicked ; this it is which renders him wicked, viz. being a transgressor of this law, and not obeying it in all things and continually. Since therefore there is no Righteousness by the law, by knowing it and following it and by trying to obey it, for let him do what he will, no man doeth good, therefore there is no Salvation by the law, for there cannot be Salvation without Righteousness.

If the Gospel of God was sent to command men to do good, there could be no Righteousness, and consequently no salvation by the Gospel any more than by the law ; for since God declares that no man doeth good, no man would obey the Gospel any more than the law, and no one could be saved by such a gospel. If the Gospel were a new means of doing good, with stronger inducements and better promises than the law, whereby to induce, and assist, and help men to do good by the grace of God, then the Gospel would be altogether vain and useless, for God expressly declares that no man doeth good at all, and therefore it is manifest that no man doeth good by any inducement or assistance, or grace, or help, or enticement ; and therefore if this w^ere the Gospel, no man would be saved

4 INTEODUCTION,

under it. Besides, if such were the case, if the Gospel were a promulgation of good and excellent precepts to men, to guide and teach them to do good, if it were an inducement and persuasive to them to do good, such a Gospel would be most vain and unnecessary, for the Law of God is all this ! The law is a perfect and comprehensive code of all that is good and true ; it is perfect, and wants no addition or help ; it offers every possible inducement and promise and stimulus to men to do good, and not to do evil ; and if the Gospel was such as this, commanding or persuading men to do good, it would be nothing but the law itself; for the law of God commands and persuades men to do good ; it is perfect, and omits nothing : there is no good that ought to be done, there is nothing wise and excellent that men ought to pursue, but the Law of God contains and commands it all. Whatever precepts or commands to do good can be given, they are already contained in the Law of God. All persuasions to do good, by whatever name they may be called, whether called virtue, or morality, or religion, or gospel, or philosophy, or piety, are the law of God ; whatsoever says to men " do good''' is the law and truth of God, though it may be covered and disguised with many mixtures and vain additions.

Therefore the Gospel of God is not the law of God ; the law of God commands to do good, the Gospel brings no such command, it is not wanted, for the law commands all good perfectly and abundantly, and requires no assistance or addition, for it is perfection itself; if the Gospel were a law commanding to do good, it would be vain and unnecessary, since there is a law doing all this, and doing it perfectly.

Neither does the Gospel, or the Grace of God, give any help or assistance to men to obey the law, that is, to do good. All who are under the law, are transgressors and wicked ; they have got to do good, and they do not do it, and therefore they are under condemnation, and are wicked. And God gives no grace to the wicked, he is angry with them every day, as the prophet David declares. Also Isaiah says, speaking the words of God, that it would be of no use whatever to show them grace, that is favour ; saying, " let favour he showed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness, in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly^ and will not behold the Majesty of the Lord.^^ God cannot show favour to those who do not perfectly obey the holy law, it would be to violate his own law, which cannot be violated ; they are under a curse, and cannot also at the same time be under a blessing. Christ is of no effect to them who are under the law, says the Apostle.

Besides, if Christ assisted men by his Grace to do good, then they would do good, and God would be made a liar, for God declares they do not do good.

If God assisted men by his Grace through Jesus Christ to do good, they would be perfect, and never do evil, for to do good is perfectly to obey the law, else a man is a transgressor whatever he may seem to do.

If men did good, being assisted or induced by the Grace and mediation of Christ, they might boast before God : the glory would be due to them, (for they would fulfil the law, else it is no good at all,) and some thanks only would be due to God for helping them. Man would be above God ; man would be the doer, and God a help ; man would be the principal, and God an instrument and servant to him. The wicked teachers of this abomination profess that it is so, when they allege, with feigned condescension and humility, that all the good they do is only by the instrumentality of God, making Him an instrument to them ! This method of salvation, which proceeds from the father of lies and is a lie, which is the false and lying Gospel of this evil time, by which man is exalted above God, he, that wicked one, doing all, by the Grace of God, is most highly pleasing to man, but is an abomination before God.

To preach to man, the sinful man, (that is, the man of sin,) saying to him " do good,'' is to set at nought the Lord Christ, and to make his death a vanity; it is to put him out of the way, which is to crucify him afresh ; for the Holy Ghost has expressly declared that if good, that is Righteousness, come by the law of doing good, by our following it, or our exertions to obey it, then Christ is dead in vain. To preach to man to do good, all good, the good which God's righteous law requires, and nothing more nor less than it, real good-doing to one another, and to all men in all things and continually, and no wrong, no evil whatever, — to do this in deed and in truth, is to preach God's holy, moral, just, and perfect law. But even this is not to preach Christ or his gospel, there is no good news in this, here are no glad tidings, for inasmuch as men do not obey this holy law, they are condemned by it, and cannot hope for salvation under it. But to preach to men a partial and not a perfect fulfilling of God's law, to preach substitutes of religious invention (ideas, doctrines, feelings, convictions, joining societies, and churches, &c. &;c.,) instead of the real and perfect good-doing, the righteousness of God's eternal law of right and wrong, — to call these things good, to dare to say that the Grace of God helps men in this wickedness, to dare to say that having good to do, a man can be saved if he does short of real good, and complete and continual obedience, — this is not only not to preach Christ or his Gospel, but it is not even to preach the law ! If even in preaching God's true and perfect law, there is no gospel and no salvation, what salvation is there in the preaching of the law mutilated, set aside, and overthrown ; in preaching vain things which are not the perfect law of God 1 By the law of God, the inviolable and perfect law of right and good, real good, that is. Righteousness, must be done, and no wrong no evil whatever must be done ; but to preach to men that, if they do something or any thing whatever less than perfect obedience in all things and continually, that then they will be saved by the Grace of God, through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, — this is turning the Grace of God into lasciviousness ; it is making the law a lie, since it need not be perfectly and wholly obeyed ; it is permitting imperfect obedience, which is transgression; and it is making Christ and his grace the minister of this sin, the means and plea for admitting evil and overthrowing the law !

This is overthrowing, destroying, or killing God's law, taking

O INTRODUCTION.

away all its force, and life, and power, saying it does not require complete obedience ; and also it is destroying and killing the Gospel, for there can be no salvation ; it cannot save, if it leaves man under the law, bound to fulfil it, and cursed and condemned as transgressors of it. This is now done in this day, by the Earth, those who profess to have the knowledge of God, and to be servants and children of the most high God, the professors of religion, who trample under foot the Son of God, and set him at nought, looking to do good, that is looking for Righteousness, to their own efforts and obedience of the law, thus crucifying and despising the Son of God, the only Righteous One ; and also while they look for life from the law of doing good, yet at the same time trampling under foot that very law, and setting up imaginary good of their own invention instead of it ! Thus the two witnesses of God, the law by which God testifies to man of righteousness and judgment to come, and the Gospel by which God witnesses to men of Grace and of the Righteousness of God, both these two witnesses which have long prophesied in sackcloth, in weakness and obscurity (viz. for 42 months, i. e. 1260 years) are now at length killed : the bodies of these witnesses are the books which contain the testimony of the law and of the Gospel, called the Bible; these are now dead, a dead letter, but (which would be far better) they are not buried, the law and the Gospel are slain, but their bodies, their mere carcasses, the bible, is set up almost as a god, and is sent about and seen of all the sects, and names, and parties (kindreds and tongues and nations) of the earth (apostate corrupt Christendom).

The earthly men, professors of human piety and human Righteousness, were always tormented when the truth of the law and of the Gospel was preached, even though in sackcloth ; but now they are merry and triumphant, and send about the presents of their tracts and " good hooks /" now they are no longer tormented with hearing the voice of truth, and in their triumph they proudly talk of bringing about the Millennium with a little more exertion of human power and righteousness! But their time is at hand, and they dream not of it. They are a city, spoken of by the Spirit of God, by the name of Sodom and Egypt and Babylon, and this city and its proud battlements must be destroyed, for it is a city of falsehood and violence, and hatred and strife, and confusion and hypocrisy.

Wickedness to such an extent, and triumphing with so much confidence under the deceitful appearance of wonderful holiness and piety and humility, has never before been witnessed in the w^orld since its foundation ; in no other time the law of God, that just and true and holy law of doing right and not doing wrong, has been so completely slain and thrust aside, and such vain and idle substitutes set up in the place of it : and in no other time since Christ appeared, has his holy name and doctrine been so despised and trampled under foot. And this is now done, not by enemies, with shame and fear ; not by the declared ungodly, but the law is thrown down and Christ is crucified afresh and put to shame, triumphantly, boastingly, and confidently, by those who call themselves servants and children of God ! and they commit this wickedness under the very name and pretence and with the profession of serving God faithfully and zealously, and doing wonderful things for him ! Accordingly even Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of this religious generation. This generation which crucifies afresh the Lord of Glory, setting him at nought, holding him up to scorn and derision, as performing a useless work and dying in vain, setting up above him the righteousness and piety of filthy and wicked man, this is the same with that generation which also crucified him before, preferring their own Righteousness before the Righteousness of God. But when they crucified him they did not practise deceit, they did not kiss him and pretend to obey him, nor call him " the dear Redeemer," while they set him at nought ; they did not talk in feigned raptures of his grace and power when they, as these do, openly exhibited him slain by them. They also set aside the law of God by their traditions, but they did not altogether kill it by nothing but vain substitutions of their own piety in its place ; for they were strict and devout according to the law, and some of them as to the righteousness of the law were blameless.

Chapter II

The doctrine is most true, that all who do good shall be saved ; all without exception, without any favour, or election : this is true, for it is the law of God ; whosoever he be who doeth good and who doeth no evil, he shall save his soul alive ; this is the law of God, and it is true ; here is no favour, here is no election ; such a person must be saved, it is due to him, it is a debt. If God left all men under this law, viz. that if they did good they should live, it would be right and good ; and no man then would be saved (for no man doeth good) and this also would be right and good.

Since this law cannot be broken, no man who is under it can be saved unless he perfectly fulfils it in all things and at all times : and since no man does this, no man can be saved who is under this law. If a man is under this law, it requires of him all good and no evil ; nothing short of perfect obedience will be admitted by it, for it is against all evil ; and also it is inexorable, it cannot forego its demands or admit of the least violation of its commands, else it were no law at all ; and therefore no man can be saved who is under it, for no man obeys it.

It is a monstrous deception of Satan, by which a man imagines that God will suffer the law to be violated by taking a part obedience instead of a perfect obedience, or by relaxing in its demands : this is impossible ; God does not set up a law and then cast it down ; all who are under this law must perfectly obey it, or they are lost. All men are born under this law, and under it they must remain unless God removes them from under it, for they cannot set it aside nor escape from it. All men cannot be taken from under it, all cannot be saved, for if so, there would be no law, that is, no right and wrong, and the Law having been given declaring the wrath of God against all wrong-doing, would be a lie, and there would be no wrath against unrighteousness and ungodliness, if all who have done unrighteousness escaped from the penalty of the law. God will save some, because he will have mercy, he will save them only and entirely for his own name's sake ; therefore before the world began, long before man was made. He, seeing and knowing every one of the human race, chose a portion out of the whole lump, each one of whom he knew and saw, whom for his own name's sake he appointed unto everlasting life ; whom he gave to Christ ; whom he loved in Christ ; giving favour and grace to them in him, as members of Christ, not as children of Adam, not as members of that corrupt tree. In the fullness of time Christ came to redeem these from under the law, that they might receive the adoption of sons, and become sons of God through faith in his name, and be no longer children of bondage. It is the will of God to punish the ungodly, for their ungodliness and for their wicked works, and only for them and in proportion to them, this is the law of God : and also it is the will of God to save the ungodly for his own glory, for his own holy name's sake, and only because he will have mercy. This is the Grace of God. This which is his will now, was his will everlastingly.