"By his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us." Hebrews 9:12 |
It is of supreme benefit to the world that throughout the four Gospels we are afforded singular views of the qualities and characteristics of the Godhead, so that various attributes of the Godhead are emphasized in Jesus Christ in a particular way. For example, the attribute of God's LOVE is emphasized particularly in the CROSS of Jesus Christ; the attribute of God's GRACE is emphasized particularly in the INCARNATION of Jesus Christ; the attribute of God's GLORY is emphasized particularly in the TRANSFIGURATION of Jesus Christ -- but nowhere is the attribute of God's HOLINESS more particularly emphasized than in Jesus Christ's CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE. Here the HOLINESS of God burns brighter than the sun shining in its strength.
At the beginning of his earthly ministry, upon the first time that Jesus entered Jerusalem after his baptism, and at the end of his earthly ministry, upon the last time that Jesus entered Jerusalem before his crucifixion and resurrection, the MESSENGER OF THE COVENANT cleansed the temple according to that Scripture -- "Judgment must begin at the house of God." He drove out all them that sold and bought in the temple, along with the sheep and oxen, and he overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, and -- with the exception of the sheep and the oxen and the doves -- he tagged these pious temple traffickers for what they were -- hypocrites one and all. [1 Peter 4:17; Malachi 3:1-3; Matthew 21:12-13; John 2:14-17]
And thus one reason judgment begins at the house of God is because that's where the worst offenders are generally found. This same type of temple trafficking is easily seen today by the various gospels that are pawned off on the unsuspecting by wolves in sheep's clothing, such as the gospel of WORKS, which gospel feeds the insatiable pride of a proud man and seduces him into thinking that God chose him because he FIRST chose God, an arrogance that reaches the very pinnacle of pride itself, but more of this anon, or the gospel of PROSPERITY, which gospel is always good for those who have credit lines, but by the way, there's no room for the sinner who wants to see Jesus Christ in his glory in this gospel, for Jesus Christ turned down the gospel of PROSPERITY when Satan offered it to him in the desert, or the gospel of POLITICS -- and the gospel of POLITICS has its own serpentine allure, especially for the worldly minded who haven't the slightest conception of what Jesus meant when he stated that his kingdom is not now of this world -- for this gospel -- the gospel of POLITICS -- is peculiarly Antichrist's gospel, as has already been made manifest to those who have eyes to see with, or the gospel of MORALITY, cousin to the other three, but older and more deceitful than them all, having sprung up and sprouted its fig-leaves in one primordial fell-swoop, notwithstanding, be assured that the gospel of MORALITY is always good for a POLITICAL mile or two as well, for these two gospels, though cousins, are also bedfellows -- ad nauseam.
On the other hand, leave it to REDEEMED SINNERS to preach the GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST -- the ONLY TRUE GOSPEL -- whereby SINNERS are TRANSLATED from darkness to light by the MANIFEST SOVEREIGN POWER of God, whereby SINNERS are TRANSLATED from CONDEMNATION into ETERNAL LIFE in a moment of time, even in the twinkling of an eye, by the RESURRECTION POWER -- by the MANIFEST RESURRECTION POWER -- of Jesus Christ, for THIS GOSPEL -- and no other -- IS THE POWER OF GOD UNTO SALVATION TO EVERY ONE THAT BELIEVETH, and no other gospel is the POWER OF GOD unto salvation -- none -- not the arrogant gospel of WORKS, not the boastful gospel of MORALITY, not the serpentine gospel of POLITICS, not the deceitful gospel of PROSPERITY -- no other gospel WHATSOEVER, but the gospel of JESUS CHRIST ONLY.
Yea leave it to REDEEMED SINNERS to preach such a gospel, REDEEMED SINNERS who KNOW what it is to be delivered from the BONDAGE of sin and death by SOVEREIGN GRACE, who can thus and thereby assure the SINNER that there is a WORLD TO COME, which is the WORLD the GENUINELY born again Christian lives in, and testifies of, yea, and that there is a SOVEREIGN GOD who can bring him thither, whose power is LIMITLESS, even over a man's puny corrupt darkened will (which is the greatest news a poor helpless sinner could ever hear -- for EVERY man who has had his sins revealed to him by the LIGHT OF GOD'S SPIRIT no longer strives for the glory or riches or rewards of THIS world, but CRAVES DELIVERANCE from it, and from his sins) -- aye, and so the REDEEMED SINNER makes it known that the SINNER'S time is short indeed, and that if he wishes to escape eternal damnation that he'd better repent NOW, for NOW is the acceptable time, and that if he passes this time by, the SOVEREIGN God may give him over to himself for all eternity, and never suffer him to repent again, for even REPENTANCE is a GIFT of God, just like FAITH is a GIFT of God (which is PURE gospel), and without the GIFT OF FAITH and the GIFT OF REPENTANCE -- NEITHER of which the SINNER has control over, for they are UNMERITED GIFTS! -- so that without the GIFT OF FAITH and the GIFT OF REPENTANCE, he is lost forever, but that if he'll call on Jesus Christ NOW and in TRUTH (which is also PURE gospel), Jesus Christ will save him SOVEREIGNLY by rebuking his sin of UNBELIEF and in place of it give him SAVING FAITH. [Colossians 3:1-4; Ephesians 2:5-6; John 8:34]
Yea, leave all these other gospels to the REPROBATE, for these gospels are men-pleasers to be sure, but they are nevertheless a foul stench in the holy nostrils of the Almighty, who will exterminate these false gospels, along with ALL of those who preach them, in everlasting hellfire, and will make it plain in that day that it is ONLY the GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST that is THE POWER OF GOD UNTO SALVATION TO EVERY ONE THAT BELIEVETH, and no man BELIEVETH without POWER from heaven.
Accordingly, as the Scripture plainly states, and as the Holy Spirit irresistibly testifies to in EVERY one that is born again, the greatest of sins, apart from the blasphemy of the Holy Ghost, is the sin of UNBELIEF. The Scripture denominates UNBELIEF not only as a sin -- a sin which EVERY son of Adam is guilty of, even from the MOMENT of conception -- there are NO exceptions, none whatsoever (the conception of Jesus Christ was SUPERNATURAL, and so Jesus Christ is not a son of Adam by nature) -- but likewise denominates the heart which wields this sin -- the sin of UNBELIEF -- as particularly EVIL, even as the Spirit HIMSELF testifies -- "an evil heart of unbelief." [Hebrews 3:12; John 16:9, Romans 14:23; Genesis 6:5; Jeremiah 17:9]
It was Origen, according to Jerome, who first denied the doctrine of original sin de facto by injecting the poison of FREE WILL into the Christian church, taking his cue from heathen philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, ad nauseam, and along with Origen's Platonic poison came all manner of heresies, including the wicked heresy of universal atonement, even though the only way universal atonement can be maintained, like all of Origen's heresies, is by allegorizing the Scriptures into meaningless non sequiturs which, as a learned divine observed some four hundred years ago, seemed to be invented only to make Christianity look ridiculous, especially the supreme non sequitur of FREE WILL, and thus expose Christianity to derision before all who possess a discerning eye.
AS a brief aside, those who assert that the doctrine of an ENSLAVED will excuses man from obedience to God, or that the doctrine of ELECTION makes a man's actions academic, are far too feeble-minded to even waste time on, so I pass by, for these are not merely graceless persons, but they are willfully so, demonstrating by their continual lies and misrepresentations that their own position is bankrupt -- otherwise they wouldn't continuously bear false witness against people like Augustine, Calvin, Spurgeon, the Puritans, et cetera, willfully misrepresenting these men at every twist and turn, which is a very accurate barometer of their own eternal state, for the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of TRUTH, and no one who willfully misrepresents others is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, but more of this anon -- and moreover, by their false doctrine of free-will they further demonstrate their own EXPERIENTIAL ignorance of BASIC OPERATIONS OF THE SPIRIT, thus revealing infallibly that they know nothing EXPERIMENTALLY of the NEW BIRTH. Nothing at all.
This is one reason the free-willer can never explain why God gives his saints a NEW WILL -- not a REFORMED will -- but a NEW WILL, sprouted IMMEDIATELY out of the soil of the NEW CREATURE -- yea, a NEW WILL that is imparted to his elect in the MOMENT OF REGENERATION -- there are no exceptions, and thus the free-willer cannot explain this because he knows nothing about it. He's never been born again himself, and consequently he knows nothing about receiving a NEW WILL -- which is as distinct from the old will as the day is from the night -- and which is just one of the MANY HIDDEN GRACES that the Holy Ghost imparts to a man when Jesus Christ SOVEREIGNLY saves him. The born again Christian is WILLING to obey God IN THE SPIRIT because he has been GIVEN A NEW WILL with the ABILITY to obey God IN THE SPIRIT -- I say, IN THE SPIRIT, which is the ONLY obedience that is ACCEPTABLE to God (there are no exceptions) -- which the natural man with his natural will is UTTERLY incapable of (though the natural man's superficial and carnal understanding deceives him and makes him think he is obeying God, when in point of fact he is actually offending God, as we'll see below), and therefore because this experience of receiving a NEW WILL -- and being AWARE of it -- is foreign to the free-willer, he contends against it. [Jeremiah 31:33; Ezekiel 11:19; Ezekiel 36:26; John 1:12; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15; Hebrews 10:16]
In short, no man born of the Spirit believes he had free will before he was born again, for he KNOWS he was given a NEW WILL IN ORDER TO BELIEVE -- and he REMEMBERS it, for it happened in the MOMENT of his REGENERATION -- and this has been recognized by genuinely born again Christians since the earliest times, just as Spurgeon observed --
"I will go as far as Martin Luther, in that
strong assertion of his, where he says, If any man doth ascribe aught of
salvation, even the very least, to the free-will of man, he knoweth nothing of
grace, and he hath not learnt Jesus Christ aright."
And then Spurgeon adds --
"It may seem a harsh sentiment, but he who in
his soul believes that man does of his own free-will turn to God, cannot have
been taught of God, for that is one of the first principles taught us when God
begins with us, that we have neither will nor power, but that he gives both;
that he is Alpha and Omega in the salvation of men."
[Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Vol I, Free Will - A Slave]
But the free-willer knows nothing about any of this. The free-willer thinks the natural man is capable of pleasing God PRIOR to regeneration, even though the Holy Spirit EMPHATICALLY denies it -- "They that are in the flesh cannot please God." [Romans 8:8]
This refers to EVERY man who is descended from Adam's nature -- that is, the natural man -- and so the obstinate free-willer who professes to be a Christian is hereby the greatest blasphemer on earth. He not only believes that in his own natural state he can please God (especially with his carnal faith), but he further believes that God chose him because he FIRST chose God -- O! what pride and arrogance! -- this is a pride and arrogance hardly equaled by the devils even, yea, a pride and arrogance that borders on the supreme blasphemy itself, yet this is a wicked pride and arrogance which every free-willer who professes to be a Christian is guilty of -- some in much greater degrees than others -- and some to such a degree -- BEWARE! -- yea, SOME to such a degree that they have already passed their day of grace (God knows who they are), for their pride and arrogance is so deep and full that God has already given them up to themselves for all eternity, and a man's willingness to deceive, and his willingness to misrepresent, is an extremely good indicator that this is a man who is already in this state, or nearing it, that this is a man who is already in the very highway of this eternal abandonment by God, and very few who enter this highway ever come out again. BEWARE INDEED!
And be it known that this matter of God giving men up to themselves is something which happens FAR more often than this ignorant generation perceives, which is also just one of the MANY reasons there is no urgency in their preaching, for they themselves don't even understand the bare basics of the gospel, and thus they don't REALLY believe that God gives men up before their death, especially those who PROFESS and APPEAR to be believers, when in reality they are nothing but imposters crept in unawares, yea, they don't REALLY believe that God forever shuts men out of mercy while still in this life, even though there is ample witness in both Scripture and history to the contrary, not to mention the infallible testimony of the Spirit bearing witness to his saints in prayer, for -- "there is a sin unto death" -- and the Holy Spirit will not let his saints pray for such an one -- I say, the Holy Ghost HIMSELF will, on occasion, not let his saints pray for such a man, and this is an OMINOUS condition INDEED -- aye, so these idolaters don't REALLY believe all of this, and therefore they don't comprehend the simple fact that God not only DOES ofttimes give men up long before their death, but that he does so much more FREQUENTLY than the natural man, with his carnal understanding, can possibly conceive. [1 John 5:16; Isaiah 1:15; Jeremiah 7:16; Jeremiah 11:11-14; Jeremiah 14:12; Micah 3:4; Malachi 2:2; Matthew 11:25; Matthew 15:13; John 10:26; John 12:37-41; Romans 1:24; 2 Thessalonians 2:11; Hebrews 6:4-6; Hebrews 10:26-30; Psalm 81:12; Psalm 69:22-25]
"The day of grace ends with some men before God taketh
them out of the world... Thus, therefore, Cain’s day of grace ended; and the
heavens, with God’s own heart, were shut up against him; yet after this he lived
long... Beware, ye young barren professors! Now, Ishmael lived a hundred and
nineteen years after this, in great tranquility and honour with men. After this
he also begat twelve princes, even after his day of grace was past... Now, the
ending of Esau’s day of grace is to be reckoned from his selling of his
birthright; for there the apostle points it... But Esau sold his birthright long
before his death... Yet these three, after their day of grace was over, lived
better lives, as to outward things, than ever they did before... Ease and peace,
and a prosperous life in outwards, is no sign of the favour of God to a barren
and fruitless professor, but rather of his wrath; that thereby he may be capable
to treasure up more wrath against the day of wrath, and revelation of the
righteous judgment of God."
The free-willer also thinks his religious duties or his prayers or his witnessing or his preaching or his charity pleases God, but he is grossly deceived, for his unregenerate works, though perhaps good in and of themselves, are in fact an abomination to God, because they come from unregenerate flesh, and therefore they are corrupt works through and through, for a corrupt tree cannot produce good fruit, even though the fruit may appear outwardly good to the carnal eye. However, God doesn't need their good works; God is able to raise up children to Abraham from the stones to do good works, and God's miraculous interventions throughout history are ample proof of this, even to the heathen (if not to professing Christians), but as far as good works proceeding from men themselves, well now, in this case, God considers the SOURCE, and the SOURCE of good works in the unregenerate is nothing but a poisonous stream, and therefore Jesus Christ HIMSELF will take VENGEANCE on EVERY unregenerate work in the great day of judgment -- EVERY UNREGENERATE WORK, no matter how righteous and good and wholesome it may appear to the world at large -- but the idolatrous free-willer doesn't believe this, either.
On the contrary, the idolatrous free-willer thinks he can of himself contribute to God, thinks that there is just a little bit of good left in his nature, a little bit of something that he possesses on his own, so that he was able all by himself to make God choose him after he FIRST chose God, to make God predestinate him after he FIRST predestinated himself, to make God elect him after he FIRST elected himself, ad nauseam -- O! this Mighty Free-willer, who has the power to command God's will in eternity past, who makes behemoth and leviathan nothing but dry twigs -- and therefore this free-willer is inwardly as proud as the devils themselves, yet little does this arrogant viper know, until it's too late, that there is a point of no return with this type of pride, a point in which this type of pride takes such deep root that God will give the obstinate free-willer up to himself forever -- as some have no doubt already demonstrated by their gross and habitual misrepresentations (for willful habitual deceit in those who profess to belong to Jesus Christ is not normally undone; God generally gives them over to themselves until the day of judgment) -- and the free-willer will thus have his pride and his lusts to contend with for all eternity in the raging flames hell, where his leviathan worm will not die, and where his behemothian fire will not be quenched, for the free-willer -- more than any other man on earth -- robs the Lord Jesus Christ of his glory, and thus, for this alone, the FATHER HIMSELF burns against this arrogant free-willer.
John Bunyan spake true of the proud free-willer --
"There is also that free-willer, who denies to the Holy Ghost the sole work in conversion... touching whose damnation, they dying as they are, the Scripture is plain: these will seek to enter into heaven, and shall not be able." The Strait Gate
On the other hand, if you are a GENUINE SINNER who is not really too familiar with all of this; if you are a GENUINE SINNER who simply wants to find a way out of the bondage you SEE and FEEL yourself in, then fear not, for not only are you already much wiser than the free-willer -- even though the free-willer may be a preacher, while you, conversely, may have never cracked a Bible in your life -- yea, fear not, for God has already blessed you by showing you your bondage -- if you've really seen it, that is -- and God has NEVER given up a GENUINE SINNER who has seen his own bondage and then turned to Jesus Christ to be delivered from it, that is, a SINNER who KNEW he was a SINNER, and who desired -- ARDENTLY DESIRED, more than ANYTHING in the world -- for Jesus Christ to SOVEREIGNLY reach down and lay hold on him and deliver him from his bondage, for Jesus Christ to reach down and deliver him SOVEREIGNLY from his sins, his sins PARTICULARLY -- I say, his sins PARTICULARLY -- aye, from both the FILTH and the POWER of them -- for he who has seen himself under the LIGHT OF GOD'S SPIRIT is no free-willer, but a slave BEGGING for deliverance indeed -- I say again, he who has seen himself under the LIGHT OF GOD'S SPIRIT is no free-willer, but a slave BEGGING for deliverance indeed -- so if you are one of these -- a GENUINE SINNER CRAVING DELIVERANCE -- then fear not, for Jesus Christ has not by any means given you up, no matter how dark your sins, no matter how vile and wretched your lifestyle, whatever it may be. Jesus Christ has certainly not given you up, for one speck of Jesus Christ's righteousness is mightier than all your sins combined, no matter how dark, deep, or vile.
But don't dawdle, for many will seek to enter into heaven, and shall not be able. Therefore, SINNER, if you are weary and heavy laden, then thank God for it, for it is God who has made you so, and thus, if you have the heart for it, call upon the name of the Lord, even the Lord Jesus Christ, and if you don't have the heart for it, then ask the Lord Jesus Christ to GIVE you the heart for it, for Jesus Christ has riches beyond measure, and POWER beyond measure, too, and with his POWER Jesus Christ can save to the UTTERMOST, even those whose will is at enmity against him, as Paul's was, as yours is (whether you know it or not), and as every unregenerate man's is, regardless of his religious duties and professions of faith.
Yea, SINNER, beg Jesus Christ to descend from heaven and do this work upon you, for your own carnal faith will only deceive you, so beg Jesus Christ for SOVEREIGN GRACE, and wait upon the Lord until he bestows it -- and keep waiting, if necessary, and keep begging, and keep to the written Word of God (but know that the written Word without the Spirit is useless in salvation), aye, keep after Jesus Christ with your cries and sighs until Jesus Christ bestows SAVING GRACE upon you -- otherwise you will spend eternity with the proud free-willer in everlasting misery.
And how will you know that Jesus Christ has indwelt you?
"And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us." [1 John 3:24]
You who PROFESS to be a Christian -- when did you EXPERIENCE the MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH? Do you remember?
"This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?" [Galatians 3:2]
"In the Scriptures and in church history, persons filled with the Spirit always knew they were filled, and it was an instantaneous act, not a gradual filling." [A. W. Tozer -- The Tozer Pulpit, Vol II]
This is not a cunningly devised fable, SINNER. I write to you not only upon the authority of the Spirit and Word of God, but also from the other side of the MIRACLE of the Red Sea, yea, he who writes these words is a SINNER indeed, a miserable, vile, wretched, guilty SINNER, who, by the BLOOD of Jesus Christ, was CLEANSED, and by the POWER of Jesus Christ, was RAISED from the dead by SOVEREIGN GRACE in the MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH, whereby Jesus Christ HIMSELF parted the waters that separated heaven from earth, and thereby RAISED ME UP and MADE ME SIT WITH HIM IN HEAVEN -- which is true with EVERY ONE that is born of the Spirit (there are no exceptions) -- just as Lazarus was raised from the dead bodily, just as THOUSANDS of GENUINELY born again Christians down through the centuries have likewise been raised, and have likewise testified thereto, exactly as I testify to you now, lest you labour under the misconception that this MIRACLE is only for CERTAIN Christians. [Ephesians 1:20; Ephesians 2:6; 2 Corinthians 5:17]
That notion is a lie straight from the pit of hell, for there is NO OTHER WAY to become a Christian. The ONLY way to become a Christian is by a MIRACLE -- just as the ONLY way the Israelites could escape the bondage of Egypt and cross the Red Sea was by a MIRACLE -- and the MIRACLE of REGENERATION -- whereby the command goes forth from the MOUTH of the Lord Jesus Christ -- AWAKE! -- yea, whereby the COMMAND goes forth out of the MOUTH of the Lord Jesus Christ -- AWAKE THOU THAT SLEEPEST, AND ARISE FROM THE DEAD, AND CHRIST SHALL GIVE THEE LIGHT! -- just as Jesus Christ commanded Lazarus to AWAKE, AND ARISE FROM THE DEAD -- and so Lazarus awoke, and arose from the dead -- yea, just as Jesus Christ commanded in the very beginning, LET THERE BE LIGHT! -- and verily there was LIGHT! -- and thus when this command goes forth out of the MOUTH of the Lord Jesus Christ -- who is HIMSELF the ETERNAL, IRRESISTIBLE, UNCONQUERABLE WORD OF GOD -- verily, a NEW CREATURE is made -- not a REFORMED creature, but a NEW CREATURE, as the Scriptures EMPHATICALLY testify, and thus LIGHT arises in the soul of this NEW CREATURE, its beacon formed by the VERY RESURRECTION POWER of Jesus Christ in the MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH -- which is a MIGHTIER POWER than created the very WORLDS -- and so it is with EVERY ONE that is born of the Spirit -- there are NO exceptions -- and he who cannot testify LEGITIMATELY to this MIRACLE -- a bona fide, genuine MIRACLE, even the MANIFEST RESURRECTION POWER of Jesus Christ -- is an imposter, no matter how sincere he may be about his profession of faith. [Ephesians 5:14, John 3:6-8; Genesis 1:3; John 11:43-44]
Nor will I water down the effects, as so many graceless professors are wont to do today, graceless professors who DENY THAT JESUS CHRIST IS COME IN THE FLESH by asserting that it's possible to experience the RESURRECTION POWER of Jesus Christ in the MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH, and yet not feel it, to experience the RESURRECTION POWER of Jesus Christ in the MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH, yet have nothing noticeable -- that is, MIRACULOUS -- happen. Verily, these are graceless reprobates who assert that a man should just "take it by faith," which is not faith at all -- I say, this is NOT GENUINE FAITH at all; this is NOT SAVING FAITH at all -- rather, this is nothing but mere mental affirmation, mere human decision, mere human determination, mere will-worship -- wicked, worthless, will-worship -- which will damn innumerable professors who THOUGHT they were saved, but who in fact were never saved at all, and all due to their own pride, for they would not lower themselves to the HUMILITY of REGENERATION. As George Whitefield stated --
"Indeed, I will not say that all our letter-learned preachers deny this doctrine in express words; but however, they do in effect; for they talk professedly against inward feelings, and say, we may have God’s Spirit without feeling it, which is in reality to deny the thing itself." [The Indwelling Of The Spirit]
And Martyn Lloyd-Jones made this astute observation --
"In every single instance that is given in the New Testament of people receiving this gift of the Holy Spirit, it is always accompanied by much and strong feeling, and by the knowledge that they have received it... The answer of the New Testament is that when the Holy Spirit came upon the early Christians they knew it... You cannot be baptized or filled with the Spirit without knowing it." [D. M. Lloyd-Jones, Romans -- The Sons Of God]
"Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." [Romans 8:9]
Your pastor can't do this for you; you can't do it for yourself; your relations can't do this for you -- in short, there is one person only who can both authorize and effect this MIRACLE. His name is JESUS CHRIST, and if you would be born again, if you would go to heaven, it is Jesus Christ -- and him ONLY -- who can bring you there, and if you doubt or deny that Jesus Christ actually works such a MIRACLE -- even the MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH, a MIRACLE that is thereby MANIFESTED in the VERY RESURRECTION POWER of Jesus Christ -- yea, if you deny this, then you yourself don't TRULY believe HE IS RISEN, all your flattering lip-service notwithstanding. And therefore I tell you again --
Beg Jesus Christ to descend from heaven and do this work upon you -- to make you a NEW CREATURE, not a REFORMED creature, but a NEW CREATURE -- yea, BEG Jesus Christ to hear from heaven and come down with SAVING FAITH, for your own carnal faith will only deceive you, so beg Jesus Christ for SOVEREIGN GRACE, and wait upon the Lord until he bestows it -- and keep waiting, if necessary, and keep begging, and keep to the written Word of God (but know that the written Word without the Spirit is useless in salvation indeed), aye, keep after Jesus Christ with your cries and sighs until Jesus Christ bestows SAVING GRACE upon you -- howbeit, your ability to keep after Jesus Christ will be commensurate with your degree of BONDAGE, that is, your ability to keep after Jesus Christ will certainly be commensurate with the extent that you SEE and FEEL yourself in BONDAGE to sin and damnation, as can ONLY be revealed by the Spirit, so therefore PRAY -- O! therefore PRAY -- PRAY indeed -- for the Lord of the harvest to pursue YOU! I say, pray the Lord of the harvest to pursue YOU! And thus...
"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." [Matthew 7:7-8]
For if you knock long enough, SINNER -- I say, if you knock long enough -- I say AGAIN, if you knock long enough -- you will find Jesus Christ HIMSELF opening the door...
"He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them" -- ASK, SEEK, KNOCK -- "he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, AND WILL MANIFEST MYSELF TO HIM." [John 14:21]
And now to the second branch of this
discourse, which is inextricably bound to the foregoing, and in that vein, know
that the aforementioned sin -- the sin of unbelief -- is not merely ONE
of the sins that Jesus Christ died for, but is in fact the MAIN sin that
Jesus Christ died for. Therefore, only those who actually BELIEVE have
had this sin of UNBELIEF paid for by the death of Jesus, otherwise they
could not be saved, so that only those who actually BELIEVE can be
sharers in the benefit of his death herein.
Consequently, these believers -- these
GENUINE believers -- are what Jesus himself refers to as his ELECT.
The sin of UNBELIEF in the ELECT was paid for by the death of
Jesus, and because it was paid for, the ELECT are given the GIFT
OF FAITH, otherwise they could in nowise enter heaven, and
furthermore, had Jesus not paid for the sin of UNBELIEF in his ELECT,
his ELECT could not have been given the GIFT OF FAITH
in the first place. [Ephesians 2:8, 2
Thessalonians 3:2; Acts 13:48]
And herein note: God gives FAITH,
not the mere POSSIBILITY of faith, but FAITH -- FAITH
ITSELF -- and this FAITH, this GIFT OF FAITH in its operation
ALWAYS -- there are NO exceptions (for it is SUPERNATURAL FAITH,
born and bred DIRECTLY by the HOLY SPIRIT HIMSELF, which is
another matter the free-willer knows nothing about EXPERIENTIALLY) --
yea, this GIFT OF FAITH in its operation ALWAYS obeys God, for
WITHIN this GIFT OF FAITH is a NEW WILL -- I say, a NEW
WILL, a will that is NOT a SERVANT OF SIN, unlike that in the
OLD MAN -- yea, and this GIFT OF FAITH is given --
not OFFERED -- but GIVEN, IMPARTED, INGENERATED, to ALL of
the ELECT, even ALL of those whose sin of UNBELIEF was paid
for by the death of Jesus, and the PROOF -- yes, the PROOF -- of
this GIFT OF FAITH is the GIFT OF THE
HOLY SPIRIT, as John testifies,
"Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of
his Spirit." [1 John 4:13; John
8:34; John 1:12; Deuteronomy 30:6; Jeremiah 31:33; Jeremiah 32:40; Ezekiel
36:26-27]
When did you receive the Holy Spirit? Do
you remember that?
"This only would I learn of you, Received ye
the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?"
[Galatians 3:2]
"This blessed Spirit, who once moved on the face of the great deep; who over-shadowed the blessed Virgin before that holy child was born of her; who descended in a bodily shape, like a dove, on our blessed Lord, when he came up out of the water at his baptism; and afterwards came down in fiery tongues on the heads of all his Apostles at the day of Pentecost: this is the Holy Ghost, who must move on the faces of our souls; this POWER of the Most High, must come upon us, and we must be baptized with his baptism and refining fire, before we can be stilled true members of Christ’s mystical body." [George Whitefield -- Marks Of Having Received The Holy Ghost]
"Give someone an electric shock and I warrant you he will know it, but if he has the Holy Ghost, he will know it much more." [Charles Spurgeon -- Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Vol XXX, Receiving The Holy Ghost]
"Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." [Romans 8:9]
There are no exceptions. He who has not
been given the Spirit, no matter how strenuously his mental faculties and his
carnal will exercise themselves, does not truly believe in Jesus Christ, even
though he THINKS he does -- yea, these are the WILL WORSHIPPERS,
these are the very people who THINK they believe, and consequently these
are the very people who will be shocked on the day of judgment --
"Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord,
have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in
thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never
knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity" -- and thus the sin
of UNBELIEF is not revealed to them by the Spirit, for most of those who
are born of the Spirit THOUGHT they believed beforehand (albeit on carnal
grounds, knowing nothing of the MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH), but
when the Spirit of Christ regenerated and indwelt them, the Spirit convicts them
of the sin of UNBELIEF and they realize that they never SAVINGLY
believed at all -- I say, they realize they never SAVINGLY believed at
all. [Matthew 7:22-23]
That's why the Scripture warns a man to
examine himself, to prove himself whether he be in the faith or not. He who
doesn't examine himself -- seriously and often -- and who, upon finding that his
EXPERIENCE doesn't match the EXPERIENCE laid out in the
Scriptures, not only will have no excuse in the day of judgment, but will
receive the greater damnation, because he had access to the gospel, while
innumerable millions throughout history never have.
[2 Corinthians 13:5]
This habit today of equating a strong
mental affirmation with BIBLICAL FAITH, and this habit of equating
agreement with the principles of the New Testament with BIBLICAL FAITH,
and this habit of equating a strong human determination to follow these
principles with BIBLICAL FAITH, I say, the habit of equating these with
BIBLICAL FAITH -- with SAVING FAITH -- is found NOWHERE
in the Scripture. Indeed, in the Scripture it takes a MIRACLE to be born
again; it takes a MIRACLE to receive the Holy Spirit, so these idolaters
will have no excuse, for the Scripture and church history are overflowing with
EXAMPLES, and these examples EXPLAIN the commands. Aye, though
hell is hell, nevertheless, the damnation of those who never heard the gospel
will be less than the free-willer who had access to the gospel but failed to
press on to genuine regeneration, which can only occur when the free-willer
comes to the end of himself and realizes that he has no genuine faith of
himself, and that it will take SOVEREIGN GRACE to save him. But
alas! the free-willer in his proud heart despises SOVEREIGN GRACE,
and thus, as Bunyan stated, the Scripture testifies plainly that these
free-willers, dying as they are, that is, in their natural state, shall seek to
enter into heaven, and shall not be able.
[Matthew 23:14; 2 Corinthians 13:5]
This truth only heightens the iniquity of
those idolaters who maintain that Jesus died for the sin of UNBELIEF even
in a man who ends up in hell anyway -- and ends up there BECAUSE of his
unbelief -- yea, such perverters of truth do nothing but mock the grace of God
and blaspheme the sacrifice of the Son of God. In short, these spiritual Esau's
-- not the merely ignorant, but those who exhibit a WILLFUL STUBBORN CONTEMPT
of the plain gospel declaration of election and predestination, their perverted
semantics notwithstanding -- have "trodden
under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith
he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of
grace." [Hebrews 10:29]
Yet, this blasphemy is only one of many
blasphemies leveled against the Son of God by the overwhelming mass of
unregenerates in this most apostate of all generations, and it is a blasphemy
that is based on the free-willer's carnal interpretation of the value of the
blood of Jesus Christ, and the free-willer's carnal definition of God's love.
For the latter, the free-willer, like
Origen, hasn't the slightest concept of godly love, hasn't the slightest notion
that unless God's love is an ELECTING LOVE, then it is NO
LOVE AT ALL, for ELECTING LOVE is the ONLY
love that is pure and eternal, but that is entirely another treatise. For now,
it is enough to note that the free-willer's concept of love has NOTHING
to do with the Scripture's definition of love -- nothing whatsoever -- nor with
the truth as it is in Jesus. [2 Timothy 1:9;
Romans 9:13; Deuteronomy 7:7-8; Isaiah 51:2]
With regard to the VALUE of
Christ's blood, be it known that the blood of Jesus Christ is of INFINITE
value and therefore has absolutely nothing to do with the QUANTITY of
sins remitted, or the QUANTITY of people it applies to, as these
free-willers suppose, and as they habitually assert. Rather, the value of the
blood of Jesus Christ is determined by its QUALITY, and since the blood
of Jesus Christ is the BLOOD OF GOD, its QUALITY is
INFINITE, just like the BEING who shed it.
[Hebrews 9:14; Acts 20:28]
Indeed, the blood of Jesus Christ is so
efficacious that it can remit an INFINITE number of sins, and therefore
to equate its value to the NUMBER of people redeemed is a double
blasphemy, a blasphemy which the idolatrous free-willers persist in, for they
maintain that by applying the blood of Jesus Christ only to the elect -- in
other words, to a NUMBER -- that it somehow lessens the value of his
blood, and that his blood would have GREATER value if applied to ALL
mankind.
As if the value of the blood of God were
actually measurable -- that is, as if the value of the blood of God could be
measured by the number of souls it saves. Yet, this is precisely what the
free-willers assert, thereby once again placing more value on the CREATURE
than the CREATOR, which is an habitual practice with this idolatrous
brood of vipers, thus displaying their complete ignorance of God's purpose in
creation, as opposed to those who understand basic doctrine, such as the Puritan
Thomas Goodwin, who couldn't have stated the case more gloriously -
"God's
chief end was not to bring Christ into the world for us, but us for Christ. He
is worth all creatures. And God contrived all things that do fall out, and even
redemption itself, for the setting forth of Christ's glory, more than our
salvation."
[Ephesians -- Sermon VI]
Accordingly, their fiction not only
demonstrates the feeble-mindedness of the free-willers, but also infallibly
reveals their own catastrophic ignorance of even elementary bible doctrine, for
by equating the value of Christ's blood to the NUMBER of mankind, they
thereby make the value of the blood of Jesus Christ FINITE, for it is a
FINITE number of people that make up mankind, and thus in tandem with
this blasphemous fiction, the free-willers effectively deny the deity of Jesus
Christ as well, for if the value of his blood is FINITE, which the
debauched doctrine of the free-willers asserts, then so must Jesus Christ be a
FINITE BEING.
In sum, the free-willers first blaspheme
Jesus Christ by making the value of Christ's blood FINITE, then they
tread under foot the Son of God and count the blood of his covenant an unholy
thing by asserting that Christ's blood was shed even for those who end up in
hell -- in other words, according to these idolaters, the ransom of Jesus Christ
was paid out for both the damned as well as the elect, but the damned end up in
hell anyway -- the free-willer thereby avowing that Christ's blood was not
powerful enough to deliver the damned from the sin of unbelief.
This is nothing but blasphemy heaped upon
wicked blasphemy; nothing but the corrupt fruit of the free-willer's manifestly
unregenerate man-centered doctrine, as opposed to the doctrine of the
Scriptures, which is Christ-centered, and which couldn't possibly be clearer in
this matter of election, predestination, vocation, justification, glorification,
ad aeternum, for the issue of Christ's redemption has always been tied to
the doctrines of election and predestination, which the free-willers wickedly
deny.
Indeed, the greatest idol the world has
ever known is the monster FREE-WILL, and as the father is, so are the
children, which is why John Bunyan correctly noted that no free-willer will ever
enter heaven, for no free-willer has ever experienced SOVEREIGN GRACE. If
he had, he would no longer be a free-willer, for the MOMENT a person is
born again, he KNOWS that his new birth was
"not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh,
NOR OF THE WILL OF MAN,
but of God," and he further KNOWS that his FAITH WAS
NOT OF HIMSELF, but rather, that his FAITH was the
GIFT OF GOD, exactly as it is written --
"For by grace are ye saved through faith,
AND THAT NOT OF YOURSELVES, IT IS THE GIFT OF
GOD." [John 1:13; Ephesians 2:8]
Be it known, therefore, that the NEW BIRTH is not only a MIRACLE, but it is in fact the GREATEST MIRACLE -- apart from the resurrection of Jesus Christ -- that any man will ever see, and the MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH is effected JUDICIALLY by the merit of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ -- which is yet another nail in the coffin of universal atonement for everyone except the feeble-minded -- and INSTRUMENTALLY by the SOVEREIGN effectual, efficient working of the Holy Ghost, and no other way, as the Scripture SHOUTS throughout, and FAITH -- SAVING FAITH -- is the FRUIT of REGENERATION, not the cause of it.
I say, REGENERATION is the CAUSE of SAVING FAITH, not the RESULT of it, just as REGENERATION is the CAUSE of SAVING REPENTANCE, not the RESULT of it, and he who disputes this not only overthrows the entire gospel of Jesus Christ, but likewise proves himself INFALLIBLY unregenerate, and thus overthrows his own salvation as well.
"All the professors that have not faith which FLOWETH FROM BEING BORN OF GOD, will seek to enter in [to heaven], and shall not be able." [John Bunyan -- The Strait Gate]
The NEW BIRTH is effected by the VERY RESURRECTION POWER of Jesus Christ, and until then -- until REGENERATION -- a man is DEAD in his trespasses and sins, UTTERLY incapable of pleasing God, even in the most minute detail, for WHATSOEVER IS NOT OF FAITH IS SIN, and apart from the UNCTION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT there is NO GENUINE FAITH at all. None whatsoever. [Romans 14:23; Ephesians 2:1; Romans 8:8]
Yet the free-willer thinks he is able of himself to work this work, for the free-willer is a consummate will-worshipper. Yea, the free-willer thinks, in spite of the Scripture, that his faith IS OF HIMSELF, and that his OWN FAITH brings about REGENERATION -- (though Jesus Christ will never own him, and in that day will testify he never knew him) -- and so the proud free-willer believes that he is truly able to work this work HIMSELF, just like Pharaoh and his army, who soon drowned, but who will not abide alone, for Pharaoh and his army will have the proud free-willer for company ultimately, unless the free-willer repents, for if the proud free-willer, who is the foremost ringleader in every age in robbing Jesus Christ of his glory, will not drink the pure water of the Word today, he will be drowned by it on the great day. Just like Pharaoh.
Look to it, Professors! you who
PROFESS to be born again, but clearly know NOTHING EXPERIENTIALLY of
the NEW BIRTH.
For the rest of you -- for the SINNER,
for the GENUINE SINNER -- this is the greatest news you could ever hear.
Aye, this is verily the greatest news you could ever hear, for no man who was
truly helpless -- that is, no man who SAW himself TRULY
HELPLESS -- I say, no man who SAW himself truly helpless, no man who
FELT himself truly helpless -- which is the case with EVERY GENUINE
SINNER -- and who called on the name of the Lord, even the LORD
JESUS CHRIST, yea, no such man has ever been denied SAVING
GRACE. No man. Not ever.
Peter discovered this truth for himself one stormy evening as he strolled upon the water. Yea, it wasn't Peter's faith, but Christ's faith, that kept Peter from drowning. Peter would have been bottoms up if Jesus hadn't exercised sovereign grace -- "And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" [Matthew 14:28-31]
Peter's faith was only good enough to sink him, but the faith of Jesus Christ raised him up, and so it is with EVERY ONE that is born of the Spirit -- there are no exceptions -- and so will it be with you, SINNER, if you end up in heaven, for it is not the self-sufficient free-willer with faith of his own, but the sinking sinner -- I say, the SINKING sinner -- that gets saved. Yea, it is the SINKING sinner who discovers -- and that in the midst of a tempest -- that his own faith will only damn him; aye, it is the SINKING sinner who's only hope lies, not in his own faith, but in the faith of Jesus Christ, and thus the SINKING sinner who learns this secret, and who thereby despairs of himself utterly, will soon find the day star arising in his heart, just like SINKING Peter found that very same day star raising him from the watery depths of doom, and therefore of the faith of Jesus Christ it is written -- "herein also ye are risen with him through the faith OF the operation of God," and again, "that we might be justified by the faith OF Christ," and, "the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith OF the Son of God," and, "In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith OF him," and, "And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith OF Christ." [Colossians 2:12; Galatians 2:16; Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 3:12; Philippians 3:9; 2 Peter 1:19]
Had Jesus Christ kept conversing with Peter after he stepped out of the boat, Peter no doubt would have never noticed the boisterous wind, for he would have been too busy concentrating on his Master's voice, too busy fixing his eyes on his Master's face. Ah, but Jesus knew better, so he uttered not a word. The Master was interested in his disciple's soul, as well as his body. Jesus Christ HIMSELF was Peter's faith, but Peter did not yet comprehend that, so when the water-walking disciple took his eyes off Jesus, which Jesus himself orchestrated by both his silence and his Father's decree -- for no man can SAVINGLY fix his eyes on Jesus Christ without power from heaven -- yea, so when Peter took his eyes off Jesus, he quickly began to sink, for the moment he took his eyes off Jesus, in that self-same moment, Jesus withdrew his power, thus showing Peter where his treasure of faith truly lay, and Peter learned this lesson rapidly indeed, for no sooner did the waves begin to wet his ankles than SINKING Peter immediately turned his attention back to Jesus Christ and cried out, LORD, SAVE ME! And therein Jesus Christ sovereignly stretched out his hand and laid hold on Peter -- which is the case with EVERY ONE that is born of the Spirit (there are no exceptions) -- and thus Jesus Christ immediately became Peter's SAVING FAITH, yea, and SAVING FAITH is a faith of a deeper dye, and of a mightier power, than that which Peter had hitherto known, and thus it is written for the ELECT'S SAKE (both called, and not yet called) -- "If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself." [2 Timothy 2:10-13; John 3:27; John 15:5]
It is Jesus Christ who chose Peter, and not Peter Jesus, and therefore Peter was Jesus Christ's responsibility, yea, and YOU are likewise Jesus Christ's responsibility -- if you truly belong to him -- and just as in Peter's case, Jesus Christ cannot deny HIMSELF even in YOUR failures -- if you TRULY belong to him -- and therefore Jesus Christ will not lose a single soul that the Father gave him from the foundation of the world -- excepting the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled -- which is why it must be the faith OF Christ, yea, why it must needs be the faith OF Christ to bring ALL of the elect SAFELY home to heaven, just as the faith OF Christ brought Peter SAFELY home into the ship, for no other faith can claim the day, aye, and therefore as Bunyan notes, that faith which floweth NOT from REGENERATION, is a mere damning faith, but SAVING FAITH -- the faith OF Christ -- is a GIFT indeed. [John 10:28-29; John 17:6; John 18:9]
Accordingly, if you would be wise unto salvation, SINNER, then hear and understand -- it is the faith OF Jesus Christ that saves the sinking sinner, and none other, for GENUINE faith -- that is, SAVING FAITH -- cannot be separated from the AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF FAITH, even CHRIST. [Hebrews 12:2] Yea, faith is a GIFT indeed, as the Holy Spirit testifies, yet, this GIFT -- this GIFT OF FAITH -- is none other than JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF.
Granted, this is love and wisdom in a riddle, and while the carnal intellect can sift this riddle adroitly in the mind like any old rhyme, he who has nevertheless been born of the Spirit KNOWS IN THE SPIRIT whereof I speak, and has EXPERIENCED it so. Just like Peter. I say, JUST LIKE PETER.
You who PROFESS to be a Christian -- when did you EXPERIENCE the MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH? Do you remember?
You say you were born again, but not filled with the Spirit when you were born again? In that case, you've just invented a new Christianity, yet, admittedly, a Christianity that is preached almost universally today in this spiritually ignorant generation. In short, PROFESSOR, your assertion is UTTERLY IMPOSSIBLE. If you will not come off of such foolishness, you best start preparing for eternal misery, for hell is already rising to meet you, yea, for the NEW BIRTH is the RESURRECTION POWER of Jesus Christ, and if you deny the RESURRECTION POWER of Jesus Christ in the NEW BIRTH, you deny that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh -- and the Scripture is UTTERLY against you, for SAVING FAITH -- that is, THE FAITH OF JESUS CHRIST -- yea, make no mistake -- this faith will verily -- in every instance -- RAISE YOU UP, AND MAKE YOU SIT WITH JESUS CHRIST IN HEAVEN. [Ephesians 2:6]
Fair warning, PROFESSOR!
Likewise, be ye also warned, SINNERS, for this privilege, even for you GENUINE SINNERS -- GENUINE SINNERS ONLY, because the free-willer who thinks he has strength enough of himself to believe SAVINGLY has no place herein, or in the kingdom of heaven -- yea, even for the SINNER, this privilege of calling on the name of the Lord is fast running out, and soon will be gone forever. I say, this privilege, even for the SINNER, is fast running out, and soon will be gone forever, for the redemption of the ELECT draweth nigh.
Which is why, as you see, judgment must begin at the house of God indeed, for the house of God is overflowing with temple traffickers today -- more than any time in history -- and none but the HOLY -- I say, none but the HOLY -- will stand in the presence of the Lord in the great day of judgment, which is why Jesus Christ not only went beforehand, to prepare the way for his ELECT, but also to CLEANSE the way as well, just as his CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE before leaving this world was a foreshadowing of what must take place in the heavenlies when he came there in his glory, having conquered the world, the flesh, and the devil, yea, after he had BY HIMSELF PURGED OUR SINS, AND SAT DOWN ON THE RIGHT HAND OF THE MAJESTY ON HIGH. [Hebrews 1:3]
And therefore, on the night of his passion -- and in direct correspondence to the foregoing -- the Lord Jesus unleashed that mighty, victorious revelation, one of the mightiest declarations in all the Word of God -- "Now shall the prince of this world be cast out." [John 12:31]
Aye, for judgment must begin at the HEAVENLY house of God FIRST, where the root of all sin and rebellion was initially born, before the Lord Jesus Christ HIMSELF executes judgment within his church militant on earth, which is a mere shadow of the heavenlies, a judgment which the Lord Jesus has executed on various and sundry occasions since he cast out Satan -- particularly during the glorious Reformation, in which Jesus Christ unveiled his truth for all the world to see -- aye, and there is yet one judgment more, which is already in swing, albeit hidden to most, yea, hidden to all but the FEW who in this apostate generation shall be heirs of salvation, but a judgment nevertheless, which the Lord has effected strictly in order to prepare for Jesus Christ's glorious return to earth, in which he will come SUDDENLY AND IN FLAMING FIRE, TAKING VENGEANCE ON THEM THAT KNOW NOT GOD, AND THAT OBEY NOT THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST, WHO SHALL BE PUNISHED WITH EVERLASTING DESTRUCTION FROM THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD, AND FROM THE GLORY OF HIS POWER, WHEN HE SHALL COME TO BE GLORIFIED IN HIS SAINTS, AND TO BE ADMIRED IN ALL THEM THAT BELIEVE. [2 Thessalonians 1:8-10]
Take heed, all who read these words, take heed -- for since Jesus Christ is HOLY, those who dwell with him everlastingly will also be HOLY, and not simply by imputation, but by CONFORMATION, which is a result of the NEW BIRTH, and ONLY the NEW BIRTH. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear. Therefore, SINNER, if you plan to recline with Jesus in everlasting glory, you better make sure you have the MANIFEST HOLINESS of JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF -- and not in religious duties, or other outward manifestations, such as a pastoral temper, which is the exact OPPOSITE of the temper Jesus Christ exercised in cleansing the temple (for TRUE HOLINESS is overflowing with ZEAL, not the wicked VOLUNTARY HUMILITY that is so in vogue today) -- nay, but the HOLINESS that Jesus Christ requires is WITHIN YOURSELF -- a HOLINESS that consists in the VERY IMAGE OF JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF -- WITHIN YOURSELF -- through the MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH, for, as this heading discloses, when Jesus Christ ascended on high and led captivity captive, he not only ENTERED IN, both ALONE and with POWER, and by virtue of HIS OWN BLOOD, but also be it known that, after casting out Satan --
(Finis - Part V)