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. 3. Of the Word of God.

BUt to all this it might be demanded: ay but where is that truth to be met with, with which we are to be girt, and where shall we be instructed into that righteousness that will afford such comfort to us, and be as a brestplate on our hearts to keep us? what or where is that Gos∣pel of peace in which such furniture and firmness is to be had as will prepare us for these spirituall incounters? what is the rule of our faith, and according to what should our hope be acted that they may be a shield and Helmet to us? Every man will tell us, that what he says to us is the truth to be beleeved by us, & that in cleaving to it we shall do righteousness: they that slight the doctrines of the death and Resurrection of Christ as but low and carnall instructions, will also tell us that they have the everlasting Gospel to Preach to us which indeed will satisfie us and gi•…•…

us peace, and so will best of all shoo and prepare us for our walkings: they will say, thats Faith to believe what they tell us; and some, that Faith is but a low thing, and we must be beyond it: yea, they that tell us thus, give us hopes of greater things here then you propound to us, to be here as perfect as ever, and to have our full happiness; how shall we then discern our way in these matters?

Answ. To this, seeing I speak to Saints, the Answer is not difficult; for they that are such in∣deed, do in some measure know the Truth and are born of it, do know the Righteousness of God and have believed in it, have been begotten by the Gospel of Peace, and quickned by it, have faith in God and Christ, and the hope of salva∣tion through it: And the Exhortation is to hold fast, and put on what they have already known and met with; that Truth that hath begun to free them, that Righteousness of God in which he hath justified them, that Gospel that hath be∣gotten them, that Faith there through wrought in them, & that hope of salvation that is therein set before them; only because they that are weak in a day of temptation, are oftentimes through the cunning and policy of Satan to be misled, that they call in question what they have known and met with; and thats one main work of Sa∣tan, to lead to question them, either by presenting other things as more specious, or the same but

corrupted; therefore its needful that we mind what the Apostle further adds as useful for our di∣rection herein in that sixth of the Ephesians. viz.

6. Take unto you also the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. To the Law and to the Testament; that that speaks not according to that word hath no morning light in it, Isai. 8.20. there's no divine Truth in it; That will discover and drive back all assailants. The VVord of God, thats the immortal seed that the Believer is born of; and this is he still to covet after, that he may grow by it: This David his in his heart, that he might not sin against God; and indeed that's the best preservative from sin, and direction in Righteousness, when its so hidden: This is the Truth, and discovers the true Righteousness of God, is preached in and declares the Gospel, is the Mother and Nurse of right Faith, the word of Faith and of Salvation; yea, this is a Lant∣horn to our feet, and a light unto our paths. In this the Spirit worketh, and in the belief thereof pre∣serveth the soul unto eternal life; yea, this is Spi∣rit and Life (as its full of divine and living ope∣rations) unto Faith.

But what is this VVord of God? I Answer; in one sense, Christ himself is the Word, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the Word, or Reason that was in the beginning with God, and by which all things were made of God, the essential Word, or Word of power and Wisdom of God, which also was made flesh and

dwelt amongst us: And its no doubt but with this Word the Spirit fights as he doth glorifie and lift him up; but thats not done but by the Word in another sense; 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, thats the Word there in Ephes. 6. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, not 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉; the Word spoken, the declaration of the Mind and Truth of God, that which God hath uttered by the mouth of Christ, and of All his holy Prophets and Apostles; this Word as it was originally from, and by the Spirit, so is that the Sword that he leads his to make use of, and by which he driveth back the subtile and violent adversaries of our souls, and de∣fends us that believe, and believingly make use of it in the Spirit.

Take to you selves then this Word of God, this Sword of the Spirit; believe it, mind it, me∣ditate on it, cleave to it, bring all Motions, Doctrines, and Practises to the Light of it; let it dwell richly in you in all wisdom; it will teach and admonish you; it will shew you the right way, and how to behave your selves in every condition; it will admonish you of the danger that is in by-wayes, and in temptations: so that it be, I say, hid in your hearts and dwell there, so as that you know, love, believe, understand and mind it in what it speaketh, as it was in the heart of the Lord Jesus: being so kept it will keep you, instruct, teach, and guide you aright; for his words do good to the upright-hearted, Mic. 2.7. that believe, and obey them in sincerity. And

indeed this (as Cha. 3. Sect. 6. was before hinted) is worthy to be minded, that thats the accepta∣ble and right believing, which purely and singly closeth with God and Christ, not for or accord∣ing to our sensible experiments and feelings so much as for and according to the Soveraign au∣thority of God, and his infallible and most pure sayings, that believes the Word, though it see not any probability as to Sense or Reason of the things there declared; That Faith thats built upon Sense (as we have shewed) alters and varies often according to the alterations in sense, as we shewed in the Israelites, who so long as some great work was in their eye, and some sa∣tisfaction apprehended in their sense believed the VVord, and sang his Praise: but when those great things were withdrawn, and danger and death surrounded them, they distrusted, murmured and rebelled; the Word of God was of no ac∣count or force with them, because it was not the bottom of their faith, nor abode in them; So fares it now also with many souls that receive the Word as the stony ground doth the Seed with joy for a time, so long as there is no trial, but all seems to go along with, and demonstrate the thing that is spoken to, and believed by them; but when such sensible feelings or satisfactions to Reason fail, and trials come, then in a day of temptation they fall away; they wither in a year of drought, as it were not having moisture

enough from the Word within to cause them to abide in a patient waiting upon God for his gra∣tious returns to them; the Gospel of Peace hath not prepared them for a long travel or trial, be∣cause not heartily and throughly received and cleaved to by them in the love of it, nor well di∣gested in them; therefore they have no patience, but fall to murmuring, repining, and inordinate lusting after sensible feelings of comfort: and God deferring them, they either run back to the world again, resolving to have its consolations rather then none: or else, if any Doctrine or Spirit under pretence of Gods come unto them and promise them feedom from such sad condi∣tions and long waitings, though it be from Sa∣tan, and lead them quite from the faith of Jesus to some strong delusion, they embrace and run after it to their own destruction; preferring sen∣sible feelings and flashes of joy and comfort, and raptures, &c. though from false and failing delusions of Satan, withdrawing them from the VVord, before a patient hoping in a dark exer∣cised condition in the VVord for its unspeakable and eternal consolations.

Surely from this sometimes souls are misled, and given over to believe or rejoyce in a lye, as if they were now at prefect freedom, and as fully possessed of heaven as ever any shall be, had at∣tained the Resurrection already as much as any shall or can attain to; yea were Godhead with

God, and made parts of his indivisible Essence, Sa∣tan mounting them up aloft, and causing them to speak great swelling words of vanity, and shine as Comets to the admiration of others; he trans∣forming himself into an Angel of light, and per∣swading them it is the true Light that they see and glory in, though in the issue they go out in darkness, and have the blackness of it reserved for them; whereas on the other side where the Word of God is in the heart, and the meditation thereon day and night, and the hope in the Lord Jehovah, there-through and according thereto it will preserve and perfect that man to the inheritance, being the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes, Acts 20.32. a pure, infallible, and sure Word that will not fail or deceive any. Happy is he that though he see not, or prove little or nothing in his own sense, yet believeth according to what is said in that; that will give comfort, strength, greenness, growth, fruitfulness, and preserve the soul in patience to everlasting happiness; and the fruits that spring up in the soul from that, are very good and acceptable: Thus Abraham believed and saw not, and his faith grounded on the Word was stedfast; the sensible deadness of his own body, and decay of natural strength, nor the known and proved barrenness of Sarahs womb, caused him not to stagger, but the Word wrought effectually in him to keep him in

a patient waiting upon God for the accom∣plishment of the thing that was spoken; and ac∣cordingly, when he had patiently waited he re∣ceived the Promise, Heb 6.15. (the first fruits, or some particulars in it; for he died in Faith, not having received much of it; Heb. 11.13.) in a better way then Sarahs hasty counsel of turning in to Hagar could have brought about.

The Word of God, the Gospel of the King∣dom, being received in a good, single, honest heart, brings forth fruit with patience, per∣swades the heart to waite upon God in his way, keeps it from carefulness in a year of drought, when sense is not satisfied by more flowing feel∣ings of consolation from the pourings out of Spirit, but as faith comforteth in looking to the Word, and yet it leads the heart to long and thirst after those flowing consolations promised in the Word, in the way of the VVord; the de∣sires after which, and rejoycing in the injoyments of which, I would not be mistook as if I dasht against them, or at all faulted; It were better for me that my right hand should be withered, then write a word to take the heart off from pressing after them in the way of believing; but onely from the botoming our faith upon the sensible feelings of them, and not upon the VVord, that leads to wait for them in Gods way, and firms the soul against hast-making, and against the ready listening to other doctrines

promising greater liberty and freedom (or o∣therwise) then the VVord of God declares to us, or can there be found for our instruction.

Take you therefore heed, beloved, to the VVord of God, to believe what he hath said by the mouth of all his holy Apostles and Prophets; meditate ye in his Law night and day, and try the doctrines, yea and the Spirits too that come unto you, by their consonancy with those divine sayings, and count accursed what swer∣veth, or leadeth you therefrom, from, or besides the Gospel, Gal. 1.8.9. (I mean) as declared therein, so shall you be able to quit your selves as men, defending your selves against, and driving back from you Satan and his instruments in their Temptations.