GENERAL PRINCIPLES CONCERNING received in churches, they are the cause of and an trarce into a fatal defection and apostacy. From the foundation of the world the principal revelation that God made of himself, was in the oneness of his nature, and his monarchy over all. And herein the person of the Father was immediately represented with his power and authority. For he is the fountain and original of the Deity, theother persons, as to their subsistance, be- ing of him. Only he did withal give out promisescon- cerning the peculiarexhibition of the Son in the flesh, in an appointed season, as also of the Holy Spirit to be given by him in an especial manner. Herebywere their persons to be signally glorified in this world; it being the will of God that all raen should honour the Son as they honoured the Father; and the Holy Spirit in like manner. In this state of things, the only apostacy of the church could be polytheism and idolatry. Accord- ingly, so it came to pass. The church of Israel was continually prone to these abominations; so that scarcely a generation passed, or very few, wherein the body of the people diet not more or less defile themselves with them. To wean and recover them from this sin was the principal end of the preaching of those prophets which God from time to time sent unto them, 2 Kings xvii. 13. And this also was the causeof all the calam- ities which befel them, and of all the judgments which God inflicted on them, as is testified in all the historical books of the Old Testament, and confirmed by instances innumerable. To put an end hereunto, God, at length, brought a total desolation upon the whole church, and caused the people to be carried into cap- tivity out of their own land. And hereby it was so far effected, that, upon their return, whatever other sins they fell into, yet they kept themselves from idols and idolatry, Kzek. xvi. 62, 63. chap, xxiii. ver. 27, 48. And the reason hereof was, because the time was now drawing nigh wherein they were to be tried with ano- ther dispensation of God, The Son of God was to be sent unto them in the flesh. To receive and obey him was now to be the principal instance and trial of their faith and obedience. They were no longer to be tried merely by their faith, whether they would own only the God of Israel, in opposition unto all false gods and idols; for that ground God had now absolutely won upon them; but now all is to turn on this hinge, whether they would receive the Son of God coming in the flesh according to the promise; here the generality of that church and people fell by their unbelief, epos. tatized from God, and became thereby neither church nor people, John viii. 21. They being rejected, the Son of God calls and gathe s another church, founding it on his own person, with faith and the profession of it therein, Matth. xvi. ver. 18, 19. In this new church, therefore, this foundation is fixed, and this ground made good, that Jesus Christ the Son of God is to be owned and honoured as wehonour the Father. 1 Cor. iii. 11. And herein all that are duly called Christians do agree; as the church of Israel did in one God after their return from the captivity of ßabylon; but now the Lord Jesus Christ being ascended unto his Father, hath committed his whole affairs in the church and in the world unto the Holy Spirit, John xvi. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. And it is on this design of God, that the person of the Spirit maybe singularly exalted in the church, unto whom they were so in the dark before that some, none of the worst of them, professed they had not so much as heard whether there were any Holy Ghost or no, Acts xix. 2. that is, at least as unto the peculiar dispensation of him then introduced in the church. Wherefore tite duty of the church now immediately respects the Spirit of God, who acts towards it in the name of the Father and of the Son. And with respect unto him it is, that the church, in its present state, is capable of an apos- tacy from God; and whatever is found of this nature amongst any here it bath its beginning. For the sin of despising his person, and rejecting his work now, is of the same nature with idolatry of old, and the Jews re- jection of the person of the Son. And whereas there was a relief provided against these sins, because there was a new dispensation of the grace of God to ensue in the evangelical work of the Holy Ghost; if men sin against him, and his operations, containing the perfec- tion and complement of God's revelation of himself unto them, their condition is deplorable. Sect. 28. It may be some will say, and plead, that whatever is spoken of the Holy Ghost, his graces, gifts, and operations, did entirely belong unto the first times of the gospel wherein they were manifested by visible and wonderful effects. To those times they were confined, and consequently that we have no other inter- est or concern in them, but as in a recorded testimony given of old unto the truth of the gospel. This is se
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