the government of the church, that hath put the government upon his fhoulders, and anointed him King in Zion, Pfalm ii. 6.; and made him head of the body, the church vifible on earth, as well as invisible. But the new god, that now appears, is a god that robs Christ of his government in the vifible church, and seeks to deftroy the ancient order and difcipline thereof. But, with relation to this, (3.) Our God is a God that planted a hedge about his vineyard, Ifa. v. 2. and fenced it with a hedge of government, and walls of difcipline. But the new god, that appears in the strange doctrine that is a-fpreading, is for pulling down the hedge. The prefent delufive fpirit is the inftrument of God's wrath against a barren apostate church, by which God is faying, as verse 5. "And now, go to, I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard; I will take away the hedges thereof, and it fhall be eaten up; I will break down the walls thereof, and it shall be trodden down; and I will lay it wafte,&c." God fays this wrathfully, in his indignation: but the delufive fpirit fays it doctrinally, and by way of apprabation, making the fin of fuch as pull down thefe hedges, to be but a fmall matter, and what the Lord's people have little reafon to be concerned about, being none of their fins, or among the leaft of them, as fome exprefs it. Whereas, every deeply awakened and humbled foul will fee, and fufpect itself to be the Achan that troubles the camp, and provokes God to leave minifters and judicatories to fpoil his vineyard. (4.) Our God is a God that calls us, Song ii. 51. to "Take the foxes, (the great ones, and even) the little foxes that fpoil the vines; for our vines have tender grapes." To take and try thofe that fay they are apoftles, and are not, and to find them liars, Rev. ii. 2.; to refute and reject them: a God that says, a God that fays, "A heretic, after the first and fecond admonition, reject." But the new and different god, that the ftrange doctrine of the times brings in, is a god that cries up a boundlefs toleration of all fects, and a liberty of confcience to, and conimunion with all forts of heretics, especially if they have but the denomination of Chriftians. (5.) Our (5.) Our God is a God that hates covenant-breaking and perjury; and who, after he hath published to us his covenant of grace and mercy, warrants us to fhew our gratitude unto him by a covenant of duty and fervice, whether perfonal or natural. If a perfon vow his fervice to the Lord, as David did, faying, "I have fworn, and will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments." God hates his breaking of that vow, faying, "If any man draw back, my foul fhall have no pleasure in him.” If a church or nation vow and fwear that they will ferve the Lord, and cleave unto him, as Ifrael did, Deut. xxix. 12. 24, 25. God hates apoftafy from fuch a folemn profeflion, and threatens a fword to avenge the quarrel of his covenant. But it is a new and a ftrange God that feeks to have the moft folemn covenants broken, and thinks nothing of involving the land in national perjury: but if our God be the fame yefterday, to-day, and for ever, he is the fame God that he was this time hundred years, when he fignified his acceptance in our covenantingdays, by a remarkable out-pouring of his Spirit, and the fame Spirit will not feal contraries. (6.) Our Lord, who is the fame yesterday, to-day, and for ever, leads his people that are converted, to an efpoufing of, and an establishment in the prefent truth, 2 Pet. i. 12.; and to the keeping the word of his patience, and the teftimony of the time; and to an oppofition to the defections and corruptions of the times fee Rev. ii. 10. 2 John ver. 8. 10, II. But we hear the new and ftrange way, that the delufive fpirit of the times leads the converts unto, is even the greatest averfion from, and oppofition to the teftimony of the time: and to that which hath been the word of Chrift's patience, given to us in this land fince our reforming days. A vile reproach is indeed caft upon us, as if we would allow none to be true converts, but thofe that follow us; nor nothing to be the work of God, but what is wrought amongst us; nor none to be true Chriflians but fuch as join in with (what they call) our Teftimony. Meantime, I know no Teftimony we have, but what is for and in favours of that, work of Reformation, which the Lord's people in Scotland have this hundred years been calling VOL. VII. t Ff the the work of God, and if this prefent work, which ́is called alfo the work of God, be flanding in oppofition to that work of God, then furely we may fay, that old work and this new work cannot both be the work of God. (7.) Our God and Chrift, that we have been acquainted with by the word, leads us to discountenance thofe minifters who run without being fent, and that are evidently erroneous: he calls us to beware of their leaven; and to cease from hearing them, Prov. xix. 27.; and to mark them that bear down the work of God, and carry on the defections of the day, and walk diforderly. But the falfe fpirit of the day leads people to favour and own them as much, if not more, than even thofe that are contending for the faith. (8) The true Chrift is a Chrift whofe voice was not heard in the streets in a noify manner, and whofe kingdom. comes not with obfervation, outward fhew, or oftentation. But the new Chrift, now upon the field, is with such a noife, that all the fuppofed convictions and converfions are inftantly known and noifed abroad, as if fome outward motion were among the true marks of inward conviction; and as if heart-converfion to God were become as visible and evident to men, in a moment, as different poftures and geftures of the body are to the eyes of men. Alas! what delufions are thefe, if this be the cafe! (9.) The true Chrift is he that comes in the ftill, calm voice of the gofpel, which alone is the power of God to falvation and converfion, while therein is revealed the righteoufnefs of God from faith to faith, Rom. i. 16, 17. | But the new Chrift, the falfe Chrift of our day, appears, as it were, in a whirlwind, driving poor people out of their wits and fenfes, beating down their bodies with pains and convulfions, diflempers, and distractions, and then founding into their ear fome fudden comfort; for he that, as an angel of darknefs, frighted and terried them, can as foon, as an angel of light, flatter and befool them, even with falfe-applied fcriptures, to chear up their fpirits, and cherish their delufive affurance that all is well. (10.) The (10.) The true God is a God of order. The true Spirit of Chrift is an orderly Spirit, teaching us by his fent fervants, and faying, "How can they preach, except they be fent?" Rom. x. 15. But the new God, the new Chrift, the new Spirit that is fpreading, ftirs up private perfons; yea, even young boys, to preach, exhort, and expound fcripture publicly, and fo to proftitute the facred office of the miniftry; and, fo far as the devil gets leave, would make void and unneceffary that regular call and minifterial million that God hath appointed in his word, declaring, that no man taketh this honour unto himfelf, but he that was called of God, as was Aaron, Heb. v. 4. Other particulars might be added; but thefe are fufficient to fhew, that the delufive fpirit, that is now-adays going abroad, and fpreading through the whole land, is leading people to another God, another Chrift, than we or our fathers worfhipped, and not the fame God and the fame Chrift that we and they learned from the fcriptures to worship and ferve. The temptations of the day lead men, they fay, to Chrift; but it is to another Chrift, or elle (which is blafphemy to fuppose) to think that Chrift was another thing than he was, another perfon, another Saviour, another fort of a Lord and King than he was of old. But the beft antidote against fuch falfe Chrifts, and ftrange doctrines, is the faith of our text, Jefus Chrift the fame yesterday, to-day, and for ever. People have need therefore to continue in the faith they have been taught, Col. ii. 7. and to remember the advice Paul gives to Timothy, 2 Tim. iii. 12, 13, 14. "But evil men and feducers fhall wax worfe and worse, deceiving aud being deceived: but continue thou in the things which thou haft learned, and haft been affured of, and knowing of whom thou haft learned them." And the advice given, 2 John ver. 8. "Look to yourfelves, that we lofe not thofe things which we have wrought;" or, as it may be read, which ye have gained.' ་ 6. Hence fee, in the fixth place, how valuable the truth ought to be unto us, fince the view of Chrift, as the fame yesterday, to-day, and for ever, is given us as an antidote against all error, and against being carried about with diverfe and firange doctrines. When we are like children, running here and there, toffed to and fro with every wind of doctrine, and carried about therewith, we forget that Chrift is the fame yesterday, to-day, and for ever. We ought to be eftablifhed in the faith of the truth, in the faith of all fcripture-truth, because The word of the Lord endures for ever." But, more particularly, (1.) In the faith of the prefent truth. The present truth in the apostle's time, was the truth of Christ's being come in the flefh: for that was the truth then moft controverted; and if a man brought not that truth along with him, he was reckoned a deceiver and Antichrift, even tho' he fhould have preached never fo many excellent truths, that were not then controverted, 2 John ver. 7. 10. "For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confefs not that Jefus Chrift is come in the flesh: this is a deceiv er and an antichrift. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him, God fpeed." The prefent truth, in our time, is the truth that is oppofed and controverted in our time: if a man be not faithful to that, he will never be faithful in his generation; yea, if a man come and preach never fo many excellent truths, that are not controverted, he is but a deceiver and an antichrift, if he bring not the prefent truth, that the devil and the world are contradicting and oppofing: but if, instead of bringing the prefent truth, fuch as that of Chrift's headship and government in Zion, he fhall bring the very oppofite, and be á contradicter and oppofer of the prefent truth, then we are to look upon him as an antichrist and a deceiver, with a witnefs. (2.) We ought to be established in the faith of the leal truth, if any thing can be called little truth; the fmalleft we can think of is an invaluable treafure. Little truths are like the little pinnings of a wall, they are as neceffary as the great ftones; for take away the little pinnings, and you loofe and diffolve the whole building. There is a clofe connection between every truth; they are linked and chained together; and you cannot loofe one link, but you break the whole chain. They who are |