THE PEN OF TRUTH***


Transcribed from the 1814 B. Bennett edition by David Price, email
ccx074@pglaf.org

                   [Picture: Public domain book cover]





                                   THE
                              LIVING LETTER,
                             WRITTEN WITH THE
                             _PEN OF TRUTH_,


                           BEING THE SUBSTANCE

                               Of a Sermon,

                             PREACHED AT THE

                 _OBELISK CHAPEL_, _St. George’s Fields_,

                    On SUNDAY Morning, Sept. 26, 1813.

                                * * * * *

                        _By J. CHURCH_, _V. D. M._

                                * * * * *

    My Tongue is the Pen of a ready Writer.  Psalm xlv.  Ver. 1.

    Written among the living in Jerusalem.  Isaiah, Chap. iv.  V. 3.

    I will write on him my new name.  Rev. Chap. 3.  Ver. 12.

                                * * * * *

                                 London:
                         PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR,
               BY B. BENNETT, TICHBORNE STREET, HAYMARKET.

                                  1814.

                                * * * * *




_To Miss K. and Miss M._


_Dear Friends_,

_Grace and Peace be with you_:—_I received your kind present of the
Bundle of Pens_, _and beg your acceptance of my thanks for the same_; _I
really stood in need them_, _and I suppose you thought so by the badness
of my writing_, _or my reluctance in sending out more Sermoms from the
Press_.  _The Pens were very good_, _and I hope to use them for the Glory
of God only_,—_whilst laying before me they led me to reflect on the
passage I selected for a Text preached from on the following Sunday
morning_, _and I now send you the outlines of the Discourse_.  _This
Sermon will no doubt meet with the same reception that others have_;
_some bless_, _some curse_, _some believe the things that are spoken_,
_and some believe not_, _but to the great Head of the Church_, _I humbly
commit my feeble attempt to shew forth his praise_, _praying you may be
able to ascertain your personal interest in the Book of Life_, _where the
names of the elect are enrolled_, _and remain_,

                                   _Your obliged Servant in Christ Jesus_,

                                         [Picture: Signature of J. Church]




A Sermon.


                  II. CORINTHIANS, Chap. iii.  Verses 2 & 3.

    _Ye are our Epistle written in our hearts_, _known and read of all
    men_.  _For as much as ye are manifestly declared to be the Epistle
    of Christ ministered by us_, _written_, _not with ink_, _but with the
    spirit of the Living God_,—_not in tables of stone_, _but in fleshy
    tables of the heart_.

THE Epistle out of which this Text is selected, was with the one
proceeding it, written to the Church of Jesus at Corinth; many of the
Lord’s elect people were in this place, and the Apostle Paul was sent
here to proclaim the glad tidings of salvation; the Lord was graciously
with him, and gave testimony to the word of his grace, those who received
the truth, being knit together in spirit, formed themselves into a body.
Among them the Apostle abode two years and then departed.  Soon after his
departure he heard of their dissentions; defections in doctrines and
ordinances, luxury, intemperance, uncleanness, and abuses of their
religious liberties, litigious law suits and irregularities in their
public assemblies, he writes this Epistle to correct them, to warn,
instruct, and direct in all important subjects.  False teachers made sad
work among them likewise; endeavouring to set their minds against the
Apostle to bring him into contempt that his ministry might lose its
efficacy, and also to misrepresent his doctrine, as tending to
licentiousness, whereas there was nothing but the violation of law and
conscience, the effect of their ministry and which is to be seen to this
day amongst most teachers of the law such as direct their hearers to the
law instead of Jesus, as the law fulfiller:—these in general are full of
wrath, bitterness, pride, and carnal enmity, and though great advocates
for holiness and good works never perform any without making it well
known, that they may have to plead in the last day:—“Lord, Lord, have we
not done many wonderful works?”  However the Apostle in this second
epistle triumphs, that his ministry is a sweet savour to God; to some it
would terminate in their present salvation, to others add to their
condemnation for rejecting it.  Then he levels his artillery at those
false apostles, who had formed themselves into a body and gave letters of
recommendation to one another to the Churches where they went, they could
go no where without these letters.  But Paul and every true Apostle
needed not such recommendation.

“Do we begin again to commend ourselves to you, or need we, as some
others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from
you?”  No, ye are our epistles; you were written on our hearts, we
travailed in spirit for your conversion, and all could see the change
made in you, it was so clearly manifested to be the writing of Christ,
which we preach; the impressions made on you could not be erased from the
mind, and which will be seen in the last great day.  So runs the Text
which we will proceed to notice in the following order: first, the
writing; secondly, the means; thirdly, its publicity: “Ye are our
epistles written in our hearts, known and read of all men.”  We shall
first consider the writing.  First, the writing: Our covenant, God has
promised that he will write his laws on the hearts of his people; that he
will write on them his new name and the city of God.  These blessings in
the heart are the writings he himself will own it is his own image and
the superscription to this image all the elect people of God are divinely
predestinated; there never was but one image in which the great Jehovah
expressed his delight, namely, “Behold, my servant whom I uphold, mine
elect in whom my soul delighteth.”  This is the image and all others he
will surely despise: this image is the pattern model exemplar, it is
Christ’s holy nature and as the elect head of his family, possessing all
divine and human excellencies, graces and qualifications; these
excellencies shining in the human nature even in the seven-fold
operations of the holy spirit that was upon him, this was the image in
which God made man: “in the image of God made he man.”  In this he
delighted even from eternity, for Adam was formed the shadow of him that
was to come, from this image Adam fell, and to this we are brought again
by the renewing influences of the Holy Ghost: hence the Apostle says, we
all with open face beholding as in a glass, the glory of the Lord are
changed into the same image, this image the Apostle declares is wisdom,
righteousness and true holiness, it is an experimental knowledge of Jesus
and a covenant God in him.  Our dear Lord is called wisdom.  God made man
and endued him with wisdom and we are made wise unto salvation, through
faith in Christ Jesus, this image is love; the Saviour is love also; Adam
had it, and it is shed abroad in our hearts