want to begin by reading from
Matthew chapter 12, the first verse of our text tonight, and
that's verse 38. Look at verse 38 with me. Then
certain of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we
would see a sign from thee. And that just jumped Right out
at me right there. I remember I remember being at
40,000 feet between Sacramento and Dallas Fort Worth Looking
out the left-hand side of an airplane and you could see the
results of the flood and I thought to myself Lookie here. Look how
obvious it is that the Word of God is true, but you know folks
how dangerous it is for me and anyone else to to put our faith
in what we see in this world. And I want to talk about that
tonight. In our handout, the top of page one, we read these
words. Our Lord gives an in-depth answer
to the request of these religious hypocrites, but I want to spend
a little extra time on this subject of signs and wonders. The Word
of God says much about this. He says over in John 4, verse
48, Then said Jesus unto him, speaking of one who was seeking
Christ to to heal his son, I believe it was. He says, except ye see
signs and wonders ye will not believe. And then, in Matthew,
in the 24th chapter, verse 24, we read these words, For there
shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall show
great signs and wonders, insomuch that, if possible, they shall
deceive the very elect. Now, in our natural state of
mind, we place all of our understanding, our confidence, our trust in
what we can see with these eyes and prove. Maybe it's just me,
but I can understand this request of the Pharisees because I remember.
I remember well what it was to be blind to God's truths. I can remember where my confidence
lay in the days before Christ. sought me out and shined his
light in my heart. My confidence was in my abilities.
My confidence was in the wisdom that I had within, my wisdom.
Things I could grasp a hold of, things that I could prove in
my own mind. This is a true picture of our
previous unregenerate state. dead in trespasses and sin, unwilling
and not wanting to believe God, relying on the wisdom of this
flesh to make our way through this world. Brother Don Fortner
wrote this, he said, unbelief always looks for a sign. The
Pharisees, in their brazen, obstinate arrogance, self-righteousness,
and unbelief, said, Master, we would see a sign from thee."
That's in what we just read in verse 38 of Matthew chapter 12.
Page 2, if you would, please. He goes on to say this, what
sham pretense. They pretend that they merely
wanted a little more evidence in order to be convinced and
become His disciples. The healing of the sick, the
cleansing of the lepers, the casting of devils, as we saw
last week, and the raising of the dead was not quite enough
evidence for them. It was not enough because they
were determined not to believe the Son of God. And I understand
that. I remember what it was before
the Lord gave me sight. Do you? Faith in Christ cannot
be produced by signs, proofs, or arguments. Faith is the gift
of God. It is produced in men and women
by hearing the Word of God. Listen to these words. For by
grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It
is a gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. We
know that's Ephesians 2, 8, and 9. Or how about this? And he
said unto them, if they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither
will they be persuaded. The one rose from the dead. That's over in Luke 16, 31. Or how about this? So then faith
cometh by hearing. and hearing by the Word of God,
Romans 10, 17. Or one more, if you don't mind.
For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom,
but we preach Christ, crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block,
and unto the Greeks foolishness, but unto them which are called,
both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God, and the wisdom
of God. Folks, the people of God, we
walk by faith, not by sight. That's what we read in 2 Corinthians
5, 7. Or as we read in Hebrews 11,
1, now faith is the substance of things hoped for. We've been studying the book
of Hebrews, and I've come to, we came to chapter 11 about two
or three weeks back, and man, it just, all of a sudden, we
just dove in to what this word faith means. Listen to this again. Now faith is the substance of
things hoped for, not seen. It's the evidence of things not
seen. That's what we read in Hebrews
11.1 We walk by faith, not by sight. And the basis of faith
is the opening revelation of God in Holy Scripture. Listen
to these words. 1 John 5, 9-13 If we receive
the witness of men, The witness of God is greater,
for this is the witness of God, which he hath testified of his
Son. Did you notice who he testified of? Of his Son. He that believeth
on the Son of God hath the witness in himself, and he that believeth
not God hath made him a liar. because he believeth not the
record that God gave of His Son. What is the Word of God? The
Word of God is about His Son, the Lord Jesus, from cover to
cover. Every page is about Christ. And this is the record that God
hath given to us, eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son
of God hath not life. These things have I written unto
you that believe on the name of the Son of God that ye may
know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the
name of the Son of God. Page three. The only way anyone
can ever see the glory of God and be established in the peace
of God and the truth of God is by believing, by believing God. He says, Jesus saith unto her,
said I not unto thee, that if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest
see the glory of God, speaking to Mary? In John 11 40 or or
how about this if if he will not believe surely she shall
be established That's in isaiah 7 9 or for god to love the world
that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever And that's
the key word to that phrase whosoever Whosoever believeth in him should
not perish but have everlasting life 3 john 3 16 able Enoch,
Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Rahab, and all
for whom he died on that cross, died in faith. Oh, I wrote if,
misspelled. Died in faith, not having received
the promises, but having seen them afar off and were persuaded
of and embraced and confessed that they were strangers and
pilgrims on the earth. Folks, there's only one One who
can speak to the heart of a man and convince him we are just
pilgrims on this earth. There's only one who can do that,
and that is God, and He only does that for those that He has
loved from before the world was. He speaks to us and gives us
the gift of faith that we would believe His Word. I know it's
interesting going on now in mid-page three. I know it's interesting
to look about and see the works of God and His creation. I know
that seeing the results of what He has said in His Word is a
blessing, but we should never put stock in what we see with
these eyes to use as proof of who He is. We should never use
those things to use as proof of what He has done. or where
he is now. Folks, his word is all the proof
that we need. I say again, only one who is
still lost in unbelief will look for signs and wonders to prove
him of who he is. That goes for signs within as
well, within our own self. How many of us look to the inside
of ourselves to see signs and wonders to prove that we're saved? I'm going to raise my hand. I
know I've done it. I've seen differences in the
way I am now and the way I was before. And I say, I've thought
to myself, well, I wouldn't have never done it that way. Oh yes,
I would have. If God had been within me, I
sure would have. This goes for signs within as
well. Remember what we talked about
a little bit last week? Those who say, oh, I am much
better person than I was before. I accepted God in my heart. We
looked a little bit at that last week. I call them the holier
than thou group. You remember those? Folks, the
truth of God's Word convicts the soul that is a sinner. It convicts us of the sin that's
within this flesh. One who sins because that's what
we are. If you're looking for proof inside,
for signs and wonders and find them, you need to be worried.
You need to be worried. The only sign of a true sinner
needs is the sign of Christ and Him crucified and raised the
third day. Or in other words, Jonah. That's
what the Lord talks about over here in Matthew 12, verse 40. For as Jonah was three days and
three nights in the whale belly, so shall the Son of Man be three
days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Read that
with me, if you would, over in verse 40. 39 through 41, 40. But he answered and said unto
them, an evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign,
and there shall no sign be given but the sign of the prophet Jonah. We see here, he declares plainly
who he is, why he came, and the results the resulting of his
coming. The Lord was not bashful about
what was coming. He was very clear about that.
Page four. Who he is. Listen to these words. He's very clear on this. He says,
I and my father are one. Now, some may try to take that
and twist it around to say, well, he wasn't really meaning that
they were one person. I'm going to show you here in
a moment in God's Word that those who stood around him knew exactly
what he was saying and didn't like it one bit. Listen to this.
Then the Jews took up stones. See what I mean? They knew exactly
what he said. Again, to stone him. And Jesus
answered them and said, many good works have I showed you
from my Father. For which of those works do you
stone me? And the Jews answered him, saying,
for a good work we stone thee not, but for blasphemy, and because
that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. You see what I mean? He's so
clear about it. He's not beating around the bush, folks. It's
not secretive. He was very open about what he
declared himself to be. He and God the Father are one,
one God. God the Father, yes. God the
Son, yes. God the Holy Spirit, absolutely,
but one God. And that's what the Lord Jesus
claims. All the fullness of the Godhead dwelleth in him bodily. Isn't that what the Word of God
tells us? The Jews answered him, saying, for a good work we stone
thee not, but for blasphemy, because thou, being man, makest
thyself God. Jesus answered them, is it not
written in your law, I said, ye are gods? If he called them
gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot
be broken, say ye of him whom the Father has sanctified and
sent unto the world, thou blasphemous, because I said I am of the Son
of God? If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.
But if I do, though you believe not me, believe the works, that
ye may know and believe that the Father is in me, and I in
him. Therefore they sought again to
take him But he escaped out of their hand. That's in John chapter
10, verse 30 through 39. Now they clearly understood what
he claimed. They were going to kill him for
it. They were offended by it. But they could not. They clearly
understood what he claimed, but they could not and would not
believe it. Of that same chapter of John, verses 24 through 26,
we read this. Then came the Jews round about
him and said unto him, how long dost thou make us to doubt? See,
look at there, there they are, looking for signs again. Do something
to prove to us that you're God. If thou be the Christ, they said,
tell us plainly. And Jesus answered them, I told
you, and ye believe not. The works that I do in my Father's
name, they bear witness of me, but ye believe not, because ye
are not of my sheep. And here we come to grace. You
see, folks, we were always sheep. From the beginning of the world,
we have always been sheep. We just thought we were goats.
We acted like goats. We walked with goats. We didn't
know we weren't goats. I remember we had a turkey out
here. Somebody came by. It was some kind of a European
turkey. It wasn't like the normal turkeys
we see around here, but it was bigger than chickens, that's
for sure. And somebody came by and dropped it off thinking that
we would give it, the fire department would give it a home, and they
did. But they had a whole bunch of chickens, and that turkey,
started living with those chickens, hanging out with them in the
pen, acting like them. And I'm telling you, it's the
funniest thing I'd ever seen in my life. This turkey would
actually crow like the roosters. If one of the roosters would
let out a howl, this turkey would come right behind it and howl
just like it. Well, that's the way you and I were. We've all
walked in the past in dead and trespassers and sin. And our
Lord says, after He had pointed out, back in our handout, mid-page
4, after He pointed out why they don't believe, the Lord's Word
turns to grace. He says, My sheep hear My voice. My sheep hear My voice. Remember the first time you heard
the voice of God? And I'm not talking about the man standing
before you, the man that was standing before you at that time.
I'm talking about the first time you heard the Word of God direct
from His Bible, from His Word. My sheep hear My voice. What grace! Those words just
drip with wonderful, precious grace. My sheep hear My voice. And then He says this, He says,
I know them. That word know is intimate. Folks,
He knows everything. Nothing can be hid from God Almighty. Nothing can be hid from the Lord
Jesus Christ. He knows everything. But He knows
His people Intimately, that means lovingly, deeper than just knowing
a person who's passed by, but knowing them personally, everything
about them. I know them. And here's the,
listen to this, and they follow me. Oh, those are so wonderful
words. And I give unto them eternal
life, and they shall never perish. Here's that promise the Lord
makes to his people. He made that promise to Abraham. He made that promise to all of
those that I gave on that list a moment ago of the Old Testament.
They couldn't see the promise in their own lives as they walked
this earth, but they saw it afar, just as you and I do. We see
it afar. But it's here now. The Lord Jesus
has come and laid down His life and shed His blood for us. Let me just read this from what
I brought a message on on Sunday. As He is, So are we in this world. And that's in 1 John. Right now,
we are perfected forever. Them that are sanctified by the
Lord Jesus by one offering. So back in our handout, the Word
of God is our confidence. Let me finish what I was reading
there in John chapter 10. My sheep hear my voice. Neither
shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father which gave
them me is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them
out of my Father's hand." The Word of God is our confidence,
folks. That's where our confidence is.
What we see with these eyes, what we think with this mind,
we've got to put that aside. This is tainted with the flesh,
tainted with the sin that is in the flesh. The only truth
we have is right here in the Word of God about who the Lord
Jesus Christ is, about what He's done, and about where He is right
now sitting on His throne. The Word of God is our confidence.
This is the promise that we look afar to. In this world, we have
nothing to cling to, nothing to rest in, nothing to have confidence
in. The Lord tells us, in Him, we
have eternal life. In Him, we have been made the
righteousness of God. And nothing can come between
Him and His loved people. Page 5. For whom He did foreknow. He also did predestinate. He predetermined us from before
the world was to be conformed to the image of His Son, that
He might be the first among many brethren. Moreover, whom He did
predestinate, them He also called. And whom He called, them He also
justified. and whom he justified, them he
also glorified. What shall we say then to these
things, if God before us, who can be against us? Is that not
good news? Is that not a great gospel? If God before us, who can be
against us? He that spared not his own son,
but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also
freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? Folks, verse one tells us there's
no condemnation. Why? Because Christ took our
condemnation on himself. He didn't do anything to deserve
being condemned. He knew no sin. There was never
any sin in Christ. Yet he was made sin for our sakes,
wasn't he? That's the word of God. How shall
he not freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who
is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea,
rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of
God. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation?
or distress, or persecution, we're in mid-page five. Or persecution,
or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword, as it is written, for
thy sake we are killed all the day long. We are counted as sheep
for slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are
more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded,
writes Paul, and every child of God can say this very same
thing, for I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor
angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor
things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature,
shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is
in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8, 29-39. Are those not great words of
grace? This is our sign. Our signs and
our wonders. This is what the story of Jonas
is a representation of. You know, Jonas, let's look back
at that. Take a moment here and turn back
to Jonah. And look what happened here when the Lord brought up
a storm. Now remember, Jonah was told
there in verses 1 or 2 to arise and go to Nineveh, the great
city, and cry against it. And he rose up in verse 3. and
fled to Tarshish. He was running from God. Then
in verse 4 we read these words. But the Lord sent out a great
wind into the sea. He had gone to Tarshish and boarded
his ship. And there was a mighty tempest
in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. This is
a picture of our Christ. This is a picture of our Savior.
Let's go on. Then the mariners were afraid,
and cried every man unto his God, and cast forth the wares
that were in the ship and the sea to light them. See how they
do everything they can physically to save themselves, but it does
no good. But Jonah was gone down into
the sides of the ship, and he lay and was fast asleep. So the
shipmaster came to him and he said, what meanest thou, sleeper?
Arise, call upon thy God, if it be so that God will think
upon us that we might perish not. And they said, everyone
to his fellow, come and let us cast lots that we may know for
whose cause this evil is upon us. They didn't even know. They
even came up with that idea. Well, let's see who we can blame.
That's the natural man. That's those religious Pharisees
who came to the Lord and said, show us a sign. Well, here's
a sign. Listen to these next words of
the Catholics. And the lock fell upon Jonah.
Then said they unto him, tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause
this evil is upon us. What is thine occupation? And
whence comest thou? And what is thy country? And
of what people art thou? And he said unto them, I am a
Hebrew. And I fear the Lord, the God
of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land. Then in
verse 10 it says, And then were the men exceedingly afraid, and
said unto him, Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that
he fled from the presence of the Lord, because he had told
them. Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that
the sea may be calm unto us? For the sea wrought and was tempestuous.
And he said unto them, Take me up. This is what our Lord said
to his father. Take me up. Take me up and cast
me forth into the sea. So shall the sea be calm unto
you. Isn't that almost the exact words
that the Lord says to you and I? Come unto me, ye who burden
and have laden, and I will give you rest. Let's go back to our
text now in Matthew. This is our sign, mid-page five. Christ died for the ungodly. That's our sign. What a wondrous
thing to see the Lord of glory for who he is. what he has done,
and where he is right now. Christ died for the ungodly.
Listen to these words from Romans 5, verses 5 through 10. And hope
maketh not a shame, because the love of God is shed abroad in
our hearts by... Is it by something we have done?
Is it by making a decision? Is it by being baptized? Is it
by going to church on Sundays? No, it says by the Holy Ghost.
See, that takes all the doings away from you and I. I like that. That blesses me a great deal
because I know that John Reeves can mess something up. We've
been remodeling the house next door. And thank God he sent a
professional contractor to come by and take care of that job
for me because I just know that if I'd have done it, every nail
would have been bent, my thumbs and fingers would have all been
blue from hammering them. I know how bad I can mess things
up. Thank God that He sent the Holy Ghost to shed abroad in
our hearts His love. which is given unto us. For when
we were yet without strength in due time, Christ died for
the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous
man will one die, yet pre-adventure for a good man some would even
dare to die. But God commended His love towards
us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more than being now justified
by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if,
when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death
of His Son, much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. Is that not great news? That's
our sign. The sign of Christ and Him crucified. There's a reason Paul said, I
wish to know nothing of you save Christ and Him crucified. There's
a reason why Pastor Gene reminds me over and over and over again,
just preach Christ. There's a reason why David Edmondson
came to John Reeves and said, preach Christ and get out of
the way. He does all the work. If you are to see a sign, it
would be your worthiness of death. and God's grace in dying for
a people to himself. Jonah learned this all as all
of God's people will learn salvation is of the Lord. That's our sign. Nothing I can do can add anything
to it. Nothing I can do can take anything
from it, page six. Chapter 12, verses 39 through
41, which I have here in the handout for you if you'd like.
But he answered and he said unto them, an evil and adulterous
generation seeketh after a sign, and there shall no sign be given
to it but the sign of the prophet Jonas. For as Jonas was three
days and three nights in the whale's belly, so shall the Son
of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation
and shall condemn it, because they repented at the preaching
of Jonas. And behold, a greater than Jonas
is here. As Jonah really was in the belly
of the whale for three days, so the Lord Jesus, when he was
crucified as our substitute, was buried in the earth and rose
from the dead three days later. The men of Nineveh who believed
Jonah's message and repented shall rise in judgment against
all who refuse to believe the message of grace from the lips
of the risen Christ. Behold, it says, a greater than
Jonah is here. Christ is a greater man with
a greater message than Jonah. Continuing on in our text, Matthew
chapter 12, verse 42, And as you think about this,
the Lord sends us two witnesses here. The second one, the first
one was Jonathan, now here he gives us another one. The Queen
of the South shall rise up in judgment with this generation
and shall condemn it. For she came from the uttermost
parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon and behold
a greater than Solomon is here. As Queen of Sheba diligently
sought Solomon and heard all of his wisdom, so all who seek
Christ shall find him and be taught of him all things pertaining
to life and godliness. Behold, a greater than Solomon
is here. This Queen of the South shall
rise in judgment against all who have Christ clearly set before
them, but refuse to trust him. Once again, I quote from Brother
Don Fortner, he wrote, the sign here spoken of displays our Lord's
kingly wisdom. As the fame of Solomon caused
the Queen of Sheba to seek him, so the doctrine of Christ commands
the attention of the whole world. Though the Pharisees and lost
religionists of our day refuse him who is the wisdom of God,
chosen multitudes scattered over all the earth gladly come to
him, bow before his majesty, and gladly receive his word. I would add, just as you and
I. And again, in Matthew 12, verse
43 through 45, it teaches us that nothing is so dangerous
and destructive to the souls of men as a profession of faith
without the possession of grace. Listen to these words, 43 through
45. When the unclean spirit is gone
out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and
findeth none. Then he saith, I will return
into my house from whence I came out. And when he is come, he
findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he and
taketh with himself seven other spirits, more wicked than himself,
and they enter in and dwell there, and the last state of that man
is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto
this wicked generation." What a comment to make. Do we not
see the grace of God in that sign and wonder He gives us in
Christ, the witness of the two witnesses about our Savior, and
then those who are on the other side, those who we were brought
out of? Faithful gospel preachers do
not seek to twist profession of faith out of people, young
or old. We do not win over souls to God. I can't tell you how often I've
heard churches brag, including a church in the Pollock Pines
that I know several folks who have gone there, brag about how
many souls they have brought to Christ. I'm going to tell
you something. I've brought nobody to Christ.
If anybody has come to Christ through the preaching of the
ministry here at Rescue, it has been by God himself, period. Nothing is more certain to destroy
a person than religion without Christ. Men, sin of God want
you to know Christ. We want you to trust Him. We
want you to be saved by Him. We urgently press upon you the
claims of Christ in the Gospel. If God has given you faith in
Christ, we'll urge you to confess Him in believers' baptisms. will
urge you to identify yourself with his people, to publicly
devote yourself to Christ, his gospel, and his cause, but we
will not knowingly aid converted men and women in making a refuge
of lies for themselves, professing faith without experiencing grace."
What do I mean by that? I mean, do you know the depth
of your sin? You see, to experience grace,
you have to begin with what you are before God. Do you understand
what you deserve before God? If so, If we understand, if we've
been given an understanding that nothing in us is good, nothing
about this flesh is good, then God help us to see this, that
Christ died for the ungodly. That's experiencing grace. When
you come to understand that Christ died for you, that out of grace
he gave himself as your substitute. None of God's elect going on
in our handout are going to perish because we do not pump professions
of faith out of people. Our only business is to faithfully
preach the gospel to people, pray for God's blessings upon
it, and wait for God to do His work. That's exactly what David
Edmondson told me. Preach Christ and get out of
the way. In these verses, the Lord describes what happens to
men and women who are talked into religion, who are persuaded
to make a profession in the lost religious generation. never experiencing
the grace of God. I know folks who used to come
to this church, who professed Christ, who don't go to any church
anymore. Oh, they still claim they believe
God. They still claim that they're
children of God. But they have no desire for God
and His gospel. They have no desire for God and
His people. Cheryl wants to come all the
way out here from Utah to join us for our conference next year.
That's one of God's people, desiring to go all the way. People came
over from Tahoe. Some of you may remember Mike
and Juanita Gotina. They would drive all the way
up into their 80s. over from Tahoe, an hour and
a half away, to hear the gospel and be with God's people. That's
God's people! They may experience a great change
of religious, moral, outward sanctification, but their ultimate
end will be everlasting ruin. Listen to Hebrews 4, verses 4-6,
for it is impossible For those who were once enlightened and
have tasted the heavenly gift and were made partakers of the
Holy Ghost and have tasted the good word of God and the powers
of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them
again unto repentance, seeing they crucify themselves, the
Son of God afresh. They crucified to themselves
the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame. Page 8. Listen to Hebrews 10.38,
Now the just shall live by faith, but if any man draw back, my
soul shall have no pleasure in him. And then we read in 2 Peter
2, verses 20 through 22. For if after they have escaped
the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and
the Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein and
overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
For it had been better for them not to have known the way of
righteousness than after they had known it to turn from the
holy commandment delivered unto them. But it has happened unto
them according to the true proverb, the dog is turned to his own
vomit again in the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the
mire. Let me bring this to a close
with a couple of quotes, one from J.C. Ryle and one from Robert
Hawker. J.C. Ryle wrote this, he said,
none prove so hopelessly wicked as those who after experiencing
strong religious convictions have gone back again to sin in
the world. The last state of that man is
worse than the first. Do not be content with Christless,
graceless religion. Robert Hawker wrote this, for
if while under the same awful influence of an unrenewed unregenerate
heart, the man is prompted to put on the appearance of an outside
sanctity and covers over the uncleanness that is within with
a seeming zeal for a religion without, these are like the seven
other spirits of the devil. more wicked than the former,
because more desperately deceiving both himself and the world, and
of the consequences, the end is more dreadful. And who shall
calculate the numbers there, as living under the most wretched
of all delusions? Who shall say the many who go
out of life well pleased with this whitening sepulcher reform,
in whose heart no saving change has been wrought? nor any acquaintance
made with the person, work, or grace of God the Holy Ghost.
Reader, see to it that no change satisfies your mind, but that
which is wrought by the Holy Ghost and Christ formed in your
heart, the life of glory. I close with these words. Examine
yourselves, whether you be in the faith Prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves,
how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? I ask
you, what is your sign? What is your sign and wonder?
Is it Christ and Him crucified? Pray, ask for the Lord to show
you Himself. Seek the Lord and He shall be
found. Amen.