A caveat to all true Christians: against the spreadings of the spirit of Antichrist, and his subtile endeavours to draw men from Jesus Christ / propounded to them by J. Horn, one of the unworthiest of Christs servants in his gospel, a preacher thereof in South Lin, Norfolk ; together with some brief directions for their orderly walkings.

Sect. 1. That exhortations are usefull and needfull to Believers.

TO all this thats before said, I shall add onely some exhortations and directions to you to walk as be∣cometh Saints, that you may glo∣rifie God, who hat hitherto cal∣led you; preserve your selves in his Love, and be useful unto others; which I beseech you to suffer, and think not that in exhorting you hereunto I put a burthen upon you that you are not fit to bear, or that I put you under the Law: Christia∣nity consists not onely in Speculation, but also (and that rather too) in divine vertue and action; wherein God deals not with his Saints

with Herbs and Plants that have no sense nor ••ason: as they are intelligent reasonable crea∣••res, so he governs them by his Word and Spi∣•…•…t, and puts them upon an exercise of those fa∣•…•…lties given them, that they might not appear to ••eidle and to no purpose in them. He doth not •…•… take all upon himself to do in them, that they ••re thereby left without all action; nor doth he ••act them by force and violence, transporting •…•…em beyond themselves, that they need no ad∣••ce, counsel, or exhortation. Its true. they are ••ot under the Law of Moses, either the types ••ad shadows, to be instructed to wait for Christ 〈◊〉〈◊〉 come: nor under the precepts and injuncti∣••ns as ministred by Moses to be shut up under 〈◊〉〈◊〉 and curse, much less to be left to seek to ob∣•…•…in righteousness by endeavouring after them: ••ot yet neither are they without Law to God; •…•…ey have a royal thought•• not a rigid Law; a Law ••f Liberty and Freedom of spirit to serve God, ••hough not a Law of bondage under sin and death; 〈◊〉〈◊〉 law of grace they have in them, and the sove∣•…•…gnty and government of God over them; they have the Spirit to guide them, and the Law of the Spirit which is to be obeyed by them, that which the Grace of God received by them re∣quires again of them, and leads them to both towards God and man. Grace and Love from God, as well teaching and obliging to duty, as

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Mosaical precepts; and indeed the believer hath no other Law but such as springs from Grace, and leads to answer Grace; The Law of Christ, which is a Law of Love, even of Gods Love in him, and thats a Royal Law indeed; for it giveth first what it requires again of us. It gives power and spirit for acting, as well as puts an obliga∣tion and ingagement upon us so and so to act. The Spirit writes it, and prompts to walk as we receive, to work out as he works in us; and to yield up our members and powers to him, that he may write in us, and act forth by us his whole pleasure, and confirm us to his minde; and yet we are not to put a fancy upon his writing the Law in us, as some do, that strain their wits to shew how God writes all the Bible over in man, the Books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, and so on, the Creation of the world, of heaven, earth, light, firmament, herbs, plants, fishes, fowls, beasts, and man himself; and so of the Paradise, woman, tempter, &c. which yet they cannot strain cleaverly to their purpose in all matters, but are fain to catch at here & there a picce, as their wits serve them, and let the rest alone: This is to turn the Truth of God into a fancy, and secretly to withdraw the heart from giving, glory to God in the belief of the Truth of the sacred story. But this writing the Law in man, is his framing the heart unto his own

Heart and Will, putting into it heavenly princi∣ples and dispositions of love and holiness, and whatsoever the Law requireth; That denying un∣godliness and wordly lusts, we may live godly, so∣berly, and righteously in this present world, Tit. 2.11,12. nor yet because God writes thus in man, do they put too much upon man that exhort to these things; for we may the better exhort to them, because men have principles to act them; no man would exhort a dead man to walk, because he wants a principle to inable him; but to living men such an exhortation is agrecable, though it be God that makes themwalk, or that hath prin∣tipled or inabled them thereunto; no man would blow upon wood without fire put to it, thinking by his blowing to make it burn, because there wants a principle; but when fire is put to it, the blast of the Bellows is and may be profitable; so is it here: As the Apostle John in giving in∣structions, says to the Churches, I write not these things to you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lye is of the Truth, 1 Joh. 2.21. So I may say, I give the following (with the foregoing) exhortations to you; not because ye have no ability to discern of them, or principles to lead you to them; but because ye have, because the Spirit, of God hath begun to write his Law within you.

Object. But what need for man to exhort,

when God himself works and writes hi•• mind?

Answ. I answer, man therefore exhorts, be∣cause God works; for he works in one to ex∣hort another, and he writes by Exhortations o•• Declarations made by men to one another; fo•• God is in his people of a truth, 1 Cor. 14.25. Ephe•• 4.6. In all the Saints, and through all th•• Saints. In every of them, working, inlightning supporting, gifting them, and through them all speaking and acting through his gifts given t•…•… one to and in another, so as that the body make an increase to it self in love through the Spirit divine power, and working of God that dwell therein; though the Saints are Christs Epistl•• written by the Spirit or Finger of God; yet that Spirit is ministred by the Saints, that is, in the exercise of their divive gifts to one another Ministred by us, written by God, 2 Cor 3.2.3. W•• are as the Pens with which God writes upon the heart, though the Spirit of God is the hand that guides us, and his Word and divine gifts the inke that fills us, and makes us capable of leaving Characters and Impressions upon one another in our Ministrations: we can indeed minister thi•• writing no further then that hand of the Spirit uses and impowers us; and that divine Ink fills us but so far we may: therefore let no man despis•• Prophecying, 1 Thes. 5.20. or slight Exhortation

presuming that God immediately without the ministrations of his gifts in and by others, will do all in him: God hath not dispenced all his fulness to any one member (except the Head) but to all together in union with the Head, that through each he might supply other. Therefore let no one member swell against, and despise other, much less God in his brother; nor let him that is to administer (as particularly that ex∣horteth) be negligent therein, as if his admini∣stration or exhortation could add nothing to his brother, or as if his brother had no need thereof, Rom. 12.8. for God is in and with his divine gifts and administrations; and as God in me may make his operations through me profitable to my brother; so doth my brother need that addition of helpfulness from God that be tendreth him by me; both because he is not full of himself without me, and therefore cannot say He hath no need of me, 1 Cor. 12.21. and al∣so because he hath a principle in him that resist∣eth and fighteth against that of God that work∣eth in himself; and that principle so strong and subtile, and he so apt to yield to it, that he needs anaddition of watchfulness and helpful∣ness from God through others, as though the fire be apt and fit to set the wood put to it on a flame, yet if there be much moisture in the wood to damp the fire, the fire will need help

from the blast of the Bellows to strengthen and excite it against that moisture, or an increase of fire to be put to it, that the strength of it multi∣plied may operate more strongly: Saints are not all Spirit, though in a degree they be spiritual, they have a law in their members as well as in their minds; a law of sin opposing grace, as well a law of grace opposing sin. Now the law of sin is more natural to them, and is much excited and stirred up by many outward occasions, sollicitations, provocations, examples, threats, &c. from with∣out; so that ostentimes the Saints listen to it rather then to the Law of Grace in them: there∣fore also an addition of spiritual Grace by, and through the communication of the gifts and measure of grace given to other Saints is needful; that spirit in its forces uniting it self together in the Saints, as well as the flesh unites its forces together that it may be able to resist and over∣come it; the charmings of the flesh backed with its outward objects, motives, and provocations are often ready to lull the soul asleep, and make it deaf to the teachings of Grace, and then the operations in and through a waking Brother may be of use by way of Doctrine, Admonition, Exhortation, and Councel, to awaken it, and make it give better attention to the whisperings of Grace within it self; though the Apostle told the Philippians, that God wrought in them to will

and to do of his good pleasure, Phil. 2.13. yet he nei∣ther ceased to exhort them, nor intimates that its needless for them to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling; but indeed upon that ground exhorts them thereunto. Its God that works in you to will and to do of his good plea∣sure. O stand in aw then & fear to smother those ••nward operations of grace within you; fear to grieve and resist him, yield you up your members ••n that strength of his that worketh in you, to ••ffect, finish, or work out what he there work∣••th you to: nor is it for any to say, God is Al∣mighty, and if he works in us we will take no are; we cannot fail to work out; his workings ••re Almighty and cannot be resisted and fru∣strated; for though in himself he be Almighty, and can, and often doth work so almightily, that ••one can or shall resist him; yet his way of working in the soul, in the excitings and move∣ings of his Grace, are neither always nor ordina∣••ly in that Almighty way. He is Almighty that works, but he works not always so Almightily as that his workings may not be resisted. He is Al∣mighty in all his works, & its his Almighty power that effecteth them: the very growing of the corn or grass is the Product of his Almighty power; but yet he doth not work so almightily therein, but that man by substracting, or removing some se∣condary cause, or instrumental medium through

which that power is put forth, may usually hin∣der the growing of this or that particular grass or corn, as by drying up, and hindring the moi∣sture from it, or inclosing it from the Air and heat of the Sun, &c. and yet man is not there∣fore stronger then God; for God could (maugre all that man can do) make it grow; but he dispenses his Power usually according to the ca∣pacity of the medium, through which, and sub∣ject unto which he conveys it; and he doth not usually alter the course of his ordinary way to shew forth what almightiness is in himself. though therefore Gods Power in it self, and he in himself be Almighty that worketh, yet his woking is not so Almightily put forth, but that a man turning his eye from what he sets before him, and listening to the Law in his members, may deprive or hinder himself of the efficacie and operations of it: and therefore great need also of exhortations to incite and stir up the heart to listen and take heed to the Grace of God, in and with which Gods Power works in the soul; that through that heeded and minded, it may experiment and receive the working of that mighty power to its own preservation un∣to life eternal. For though its the power of God that keeps us unto salvation, yet that power keeps us not but through faith, 1 Pet. 1.5. and is not to be felt and received by us but in believing;

and mens unwary separating of these two from one another, as if they should certainly find the power of God to save them, though they sit loose from the Word of Faith, in which be∣lieved and minded, God conveyes it over to men, is the very ground and bottom of much presumption, and brings many fool-hardily to throw themselves out of Gods wayes into their own destruction.

But, yebeloved, as ye are before warned, separate not those things that God hath joyned together; Wait on the Lord and keep his way. Listen to bro∣therly instructions, councels, and exhortations, •…•…ying all things (because Satan sometimes insi∣•…•…ates his operation in stead of Gods, into, and ••y Brethren (as he spake in Peter when he ••ounselled Christ from his sufferings) and hold •…•…st that that is good. And so I shall address my •…•…f to what I have to say further by way of Ex∣••ortation; and that which I have to say, is for our walking as Saints in these four Considera∣tions: viz. 1. As to God. 2. As to one ano∣ther. 3. As to Seducers. And 4. As to the un∣filled, or residue of the world.