TO THE READER. C Hriftian, I defire thee to underftand, that the Great Mystery of Chrift, which was kept fecret all the time of the Law, was clearly opened by the Father and the Spirit in the first beginning of the Gofpel; and then again (according to the won derful Counsel of God) after a few years was closed up, that Antichrift might have opportunity to come forth into the World; but the days of the Abomination of Defolation its ftanding in the Holy Place, being now near finished, God hath begun again to reveal that Great Mystery of God in Chrift, and to make it manifest by that Spirit which ball glorifie Chrift, and fball confume Antichrift, and all his accursed Kingdom; and the Day is now making hafte, where in the Lord God and the Lamb fball become the Temple, wherein the faved of the Nations fball WorShip, and alfo the Light in which they fball walk. This the People fball fee, and flow together; and the Glory and Honour of the Nations Shall be brought in hither. Wherefore do thou Believe and Pray; for the Lord lives to accomplish all these things. And in this Faith and Hope, Ireft, Thine to Serve thee, in the Mystery of God, William Dell. The THE Crucified and Quickened CHRISTIAN. GALAT. ii. 20. I am crucified with Chrift; nevertheless I live yet not I, but Chrift lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me, and gave himself for me. I N this Chapter, we have one Apostle contending against another, Paul against Peter, and that about the truth of the Gospel, in a very chief point. For Peter, in the absence of the Jews, lived among the Gentiles, after the manner of the Gentiles, for outward converfation, wholly laying afide the Mofaical Rites and Ceremonies. But when certain Jews came from James, Peter did withdraw from the Gentiles, and from the use of that freedom and liberty of the Gofpel, wherein he had walked with them, and lived again with the Jews, after the manner of the Jews, in the use of the Jewish Ceremonies. By which practice of his, he laid a ftumbling block before the believing Gentiles, giving them occasion to think and judge, That Chrift alone, received by Faith, was not enough to Juftification and Salvation; unless they did alfo come in to live as the Jews, after Mofes Law. Hereupon Paul (who had a very clear knowledge in the mystery of Chrift and the Gospel) did exceedingly blame Peter for this his un-even walking; and tells him, that by thus doing, he committed a greater errour than he was aware; for hereby he made Chrift the Minifter of fin. For, if Chrift received by Faith, be abundantly fufficient and enough to all Chriftians, both for righteousness and life, and that without the Law; why doth Peter bring the Gentiles that had be lieved on Chrift, back again to the Law? Is not this (faith Paul) to urge Chrift of weakness and infufficiency, and to make him the Author and Teacher of a Doctrine that leaves men ftill in fin, it not being able to confer upon them, by it felfalone, full, perfect, and fufficient Righteousness? And by reafon of this grofs mistake of Peter, of fo dangerous a confequence, Paul according to the wisdom of the Spirit, takes occafion to dif course of that great point of Juftification, which is the very marrow and fubftance of the Gofpel: and he fhows, that we must not do the works of the Law, thereby to be made righteous: but that we must first be made righteous, ere we can do aright any work of the Law. For, as it is not good fruit can make a good tree, but it is a good tree that must bring forth good fruit; fo neither are we made righteous by working righteousness, but by receiving righteousness, out of which af terwards we work. And fo the Law, that commands Righteoufnefs, but doth not communicate Righteousness, can never juftifie us; But faith, that makes us righteous before we can work righteousness; it is that which juftifies us in the fight of God. Now to this Doctrine, Paul adds his own Experience, to make all clear: which kind of arguing, though it will not fatisfie the reafon of the |