We're on? Okay. All right. Good morning to everybody. Veronica told us when she was up here that I can talk to her across here. If I ask questions, then we can know that she's wanting to see. Veronica, you can text. You can text Verla's phone. Give us the yeah, all right. So all right. Well, let's pray and we'll start father. We ask your blessing on us now as we come into your church that you would you would edify us by your word and and teach us and that as we fellowship together in Christ, that your spirit really would encourage us more and more to love and good deeds as we see the day of Christ drawing closer and closer. And so we thank you for Christ. Thank you for the great salvation that we have in him. And we pray these things in Christ's name. Amen. Okay, so when we read, I got something else to share with you here, but the Holy War is Chapter 18. In some ways, I think the book is getting more interesting. You still will never remember all the names of all the characters, and he introduces some more. But you can kind of see it shaping up here. In this chapter, Emmanuel, actually, it's an allegory about Christ establishing the New Covenant. And you always kind of have this feeling that At some point, you know, everything's going great and so forth. But if it's a picture of Christ's church in the world, you know, there's probably some trouble coming here and there, you know, and some... And of course, you know, Diabolos, he's still out there. Who was the guy that escaped the... I can't remember. Anyway, that one guy escaped and ran off to Diablos. So you know they're out there plotting somewhere. Anyway, last Sunday was Reformation Sunday, that we remember the Reformation. And I think that it's important. We mentioned this last time, but I wanted to emphasize it. It's important for us that we connect the Reformation because we remember the Reformation primarily as European, right? I mean that, you know, Martin Luther and John Calvin and those guys over there. But as it, and then when you're a kid, and when you were a kid in school, maybe not anymore, I don't know, but they, you know, Thanksgiving came around and at school you made paper turkeys and whatever and, And they taught you about the pilgrims eating with the Indians and this kind of a thing. And a lot of folklore to some degree, a large degree there anyway. But the point is that we need to remember is that the pilgrims who were basically Puritans, right, who came over to this country then on the Mayflower and so on, were a direct result and outgrowth of the Reformation, right? so that all of those, those were reformed Christians when they came, primarily Presbyterian and so on, and Protestants coming out of the Church of England. But there's a chapter, this is a fairly new book edited by Michael Haken. You guys have been here a long time. Remember, we actually had a pretty good size conference here one time, believe it or not, right? People from other churches came, some reformed churches, and we had Michael Haken come here, and he spoke, and he really, he likes to teach church history through biography, you know, of people, and so anyway, he edited this book, and it's called Strangers and Pilgrims on the Earth, and it's articles about the pilgrims. The first one, the very first one is a message by none other than Martin Lloyd-Jones on the Mayflower, all right, the Mayflower. It's really good. You can listen to that message, the audio on the MLJ Trust. I think, Aaron, you said you... Yeah, so it's really good. But just to appreciate a little more about, so that we don't take these things for granted, these people were fleeing In order to stand for Christ, they left houses and lands and were persecuted. And what it was like to be one of the pilgrims that came over to this country. So I'm just going to read you a few pages from this, The Voyages of the Pilgrims. As we commemorate the voyage of the Mayflower 400 years ago, a central theme in the story of the pilgrims is an understanding of the sacrifices these men and women made and the sufferings they endured for their faith. And needless to say, as I like to call them, the lying left today, wants to just totally denial. Oh, our nation wasn't founded, anything to do with Christianity, all that nonsense. So these include how they responded to the growing pressures to conform to the restriction that England's church authorities, the Church of England, applied to those who sought further reform in the Church of England. the difficulties of adjusting to a foreign culture and a different economy during their years in the Netherlands, because that's where they went first, they went to the Netherlands first, and the hardships of settling a new world. While the voyage from England to America is a critical part of the story, too often we neglect the dangers of traveling from England to the Netherlands and from Delftshaven, that must be in the Netherlands, to Plymouth. While many of their fellow Puritans in the first years of the 1600s continued to hope that it would be possible to remain in their parish churches in England and work for reform of the national church from within. Parentheses, it never works. Right. If a denomination, for example, has gone liberal, it isn't going to happen. You're not going to reform it. Anyway, some concluded they could no longer make the compromises demanded of them while waiting for further reformation. So in 1602, or within the next few years, one such group centered in the neighborhood of and I guess you pronounce this Scrooby, S-C-R-O-O-B-Y, Scrooby, and Nottinghamshire, separated from their parishes and they formed a new church by agreeing to covenant to, quote, walk with God and one another in the enjoyment of the ordinances of God according to the primitive pattern in the word of God. They chose the deprived clergyman. That means he got kicked out of the Church of England, right? Richard Clifton as their pastor, but within a few years, benefited also from the membership of John Robinson. who had been removed from a clerical post in Norwich for preaching against the practices of the established church. So what was driving them was the same thing as the Reformation. They wanted biblical Christianity. They wanted the Bible to be their authority, their only authority, and not tradition taught by man. By absenting themselves from their parish churches, The members of the new congregation were in violation of English civil and ecclesiastical laws, no separation of church and state there. Following the appointment of Tobias Matthew as Archbishop of York, pressures on the congregation intensified. As one of the members, William Bradford, later recalled, they could no longer continue in any peaceable condition. but were hunted and persecuted on every side, with some taken and locked up in prison, while others had their houses, quote, beset and watched night and day. The first voyages of the Scruby congregation involved efforts to cross the North Sea in search of refuge in the Netherlands. a land where other English separatists had found toleration. Since the 1540s, a variety of restrictions had been placed on Englishmen traveling abroad requiring authorization for such journeys. So you see, England has a history of tyranny, big time tyranny. And there's some of it, a lot of it happening today. You'll see it in Canada as well. find some in this country. The scruby refugees would have to evade those laws. An attempt to leave from the vicinity of Boston, there was a Boston in England I guess, I don't know, but in 1607 failed because the passengers were stripped of their money. books and other goods and handed over to the authorities, simply because they wanted to leave. After about a month's confinement, the majority were released. Undeterred, the believers tried again in May of 1608 from along the Humber River. Again, they were betrayed. though some were able to make their escape. Eventually, the members of the congregation were reunited in Amsterdam, from which they soon moved on to the town of Leiden. Leiden, L-E-I-D-E-N. Leiden. Leiden, is that how you say it? Leiden, Dutch, you see. Leiden. And then you're going to see, as you study the history of this, John Robinson, he becomes their primary godly biblical pastor there. The experience of crossing to the Netherlands was not what we might enjoy crossing on a modern ferry. And so we need to remember this, you know. William Bradford recorded how the ship he sailed on encountered a fearful storm at sea that lasted two weeks or more, during which they neither saw sun, moon, or stars and were driven near the coast of Norway. Preparing food was impossible. Passengers became violently ill as the ship was tossed in the waves. The crew was terrified. Sounds like the Apostle Paul in Acts, right? The crew were terrified, and we can imagine the pilgrims were as well. At one point, the waves crashed over the ship. Then, quote, the water ran into their mouths and ears and the mariners cried out, we sink, we sink. But eventually the storm weakened and the Lord filled their afflicted minds with comforts. One can imagine that those who survived such a journey would never wish to set foot on a ship again. Yet, when after 10 years in the Netherlands, the members of the congregation came to believe that while their situation was better than it had been in England, their goal of living godly lives was frustrated in their new home as well and they faced the necessity for another voyage. Refugees in a different land, they struggled to make their livings in a more commercial economy than they'd been used to and they didn't know the language, right? The cultural norms of the Dutch threatened to lead their children astray. And the probable resumption of warfare between the Netherlands and Spain might well embroil them in a conflict which was not theirs. And so they began to explore the prospect of immigration yet again, this time with their focus on the new world. Such a voyage would be much more challenging than their relocation to the Netherlands. For while they had faced challenges in that country, It was a European nation with most of the civilized amenities to which they were accustomed. In America, which they called a howling wilderness, by the way, in America, as a later traveler to New England pointed out, Once you leave Europe, you shall meet neither with taverns nor ale houses, nor butchers nor grocers, nor apothecary shops to help what things you need. Here are neither markets nor fairs to buy what you want. Rather than fellow Protestants, some of them fellow English refugees who had welcomed them into Netherlands, the new world in which they would settle was inhabited by those whom Bradford referred to as savage and brutish men. which range up and down little otherwise than the wild beasts of the land. Though such generalizations mischaracterize the natives of America. Now that statement there, I wonder, it may not have mischaracterized them all that much. So, anyway, you have to look into it. There was real savagery there. Those such generalizations mischaracterized the natives of America. The men and women who contemplated this new journey found plenty of accounts that described the Indians as cruel, 5 Barbarous and most treacherous, 6 being most furious in their rage, and merciless when they overcome, 7 not being content only to kill and take away life, but to delight to torment men in the most bloody manner that may be. And they were, they had their essentially what shamans, witchdogs, they were into basic demonic practices and so forth. So equally daunting were the tales of failed ventures, people, Englishmen that had gone there before. They would have been familiar with the story of the lost colony on Roanoke Island. They knew of the horrors of what was called the Starving Time of 1609 in the Jamestown settlements. And closer to home, they knew of two failed attempts to settle in America by English separatists. Francis Johnson, who was a leader of the ancient church in Amsterdam that had provided the initial welcome to the pilgrims in the Netherlands, had attempted to reestablish, to establish a separatist refuge in Newfoundland in 1597. But his colony by the St. Lawrence River had failed, and Johnson had returned to Europe. In 1618, just when the laden pilgrims were reaching a decision, Francis Blackwell, who had been an elder of the ancient church, set forth with 180 fellow passengers to plant a settlement in the Virginia colony. packed together as herrings on the ship, they experienced the flux, dysentery, and also a lack of fresh water, with the result that 130 of them, including Blackwell, died before reaching America. Well, it goes on, and they set out eventually on the Mayflower and a second ship, the Speedwell, but then it started leaking like a sieve and they had to go back And they all, I think they all packed into the Mayflower. The Mayflower was not that big. And to set out in those days, and I'm surprised they found North America, you know, let alone, I'm not sure all, they probably just had a compass and that would have been about it and they could get blown off. You know, you think about it when you're sailing You can be right on with your compass, but you might be over here. If it moves you over here and you're still going that direction, but you're going to land anyway. So they didn't have that. But anyway, they were motivated primarily by their love for Christ. And they wanted to have the freedom to worship God according to scripture, according to God's ways, and so basically the Church of England was largely affected by Rome, and that's what happened. You know, the state, the church would put out this Book of Common Prayer, they call it, and you are to practice your Sunday services and whatever according to the Book of Common Prayer. Well, they started putting things that were Roman Catholic into that, and that's why the Puritans objected to it. And, you know, eventually there was one Decree, I can't remember which year it was, in the 1600s, where about 2,000 Puritan pastors were kicked out of their, were, you know, the church said, you're done, and you're not permitted to preach within like five miles of where you were. So they lost their living, they lost their, where they were going to live, and all that great, anyway. So when people, demean this nation, right? When people demean this nation or try to turn it into, try to deny its history, then really they are, here they are, enjoying all kinds of prosperity and blessing in this country because godly people way back when in the 1600s were willing to make these sacrifices for the cause of Christ and they came here and established then this nation and now basically what? They're just held in contempt and so on. So it's important for us to know about those things. The one, if I'm not mistaken, the people that came over on the Mayflower the first winter, I'm thinking half of them died. Half of them died, so tremendous sacrifices made there. All right, well, let's go back to another one of their people in the 1600s, John Bunyan. And he had the same spirit as the pilgrims, but locked up for 12 years simply for preaching the gospel. 18th chapter, man's soul is made new. And so here we go. It's on page 199 of our edition here, the Anecho Press version. When this good work was done, the prince came down to visit the men of man's soul, speaking to them in a comforting manner. and strengthening their hands in such work. He said to them, by this act, I've tried you and found that you love me, for you observe and respect my laws, and in this way, honor me." Now, at this point, I'm thinking, man's soul is like becoming more and more a symbol of the church, okay, of the church. Then to show them the town would not lose or be weakened in any way by the loss of the prisoners that the wicked that they arrested and some executed, he said, I will make another captain from among you. And this captain will be the ruler of a thousand for the good and benefit of the town of Mansoul, which is now flourishing. He called a man by the name of Waiting, to come to him and said, go quickly up to the castle gate and inquire there for a young man by the name of Mr. Experience who waits upon Captain Credence. Ask him to come here to me. The good Prince Emmanuel's messenger hurried and delivered the message as commanded. He found the young gentleman, Mr. Experience, lingering in the castle yard as he watched the captain train and muster his men. Mr. Waiting said to him, Sir, the prince asked that you come down to his highness straight away. So he brought the young man to Emmanuel. And when he arrived before the prince, the young man bowed respectfully. Now, the men of the town knew Mr. Experience well, for he was born and bred in Mansoul. He was known to be a man of admiral conduct and valor, and he was a person sensible and wise in matters. He was a handsome person, well-spoken and very successful in his undertakings. When the people saw the prince was so taken with Mr. Experience, they were filled with joy that he would make him a captain over a band of men. With one mind, they bowed the knee before Emmanuel and shouted, let Emmanuel live forever. Then the prince said to the young gentleman, Mr. Experience, I've deemed it good to bestow upon you a position of trust and honor within my town of Mansoul. And then there's, quote, 2 Corinthians 9, for the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints, but it's also overflowing through many thanksgivings to God. Because of the proof given by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ and for the liberality of your contribution in them to them and to all. Upon hearing this, the young man bowed his head and worshiped. Emmanuel said, the position of which I speak is that of a captain over a thousand men in my beloved town of Mansoul. Then the newly appointed captain said, let the king live. The prince gave orders to the king's officer over such matters to drop a commission for Mr. Experience. to make him a captain over a thousand men. And when you've written it, bring it to me so that I may set my seal to it. All was accomplished as he commanded. The commission was drawn up, brought to Emmanuel, and he set his seal to it. Then he sent the commission to the captain by the hand of Mr. Waiting." Now, this I might be wrong here, but it seems that somewhere here and maybe this is an example of it. Christ is appointing his apostles. And I'm not sure if that's exactly what Bunyan had in mind here, but or maybe. minister in the church, although he's appointed over thousands. So anyway, we'll see. As soon as the captain received his commission, he sounded his trumpet calling for volunteers. Young men quickly answered the call and joined him where he stood. Among them were sons of the greatest and most important men in the town who sent their sons to be enlisted under his command. Therefore, Captain Experience came under Emmanuel's command for the good of the town of Mansoul. For his lieutenant, he selected Mr. Skillful, and for command of his company of cavalry, Mr. Memory. I don't need to name his under officers, but I will say his colors were white and the symbol on his shield was the dead lion and bear, the dead lion and bear. So I'm sure Bunyan has some kind of symbol that this represents in his mind, but when the prince returned to his royal palace, The elders of the town of Mansoul, namely the Lord Mayor, the Recorder, and Lord Willbewill, went to congratulate him. They wanted to thank him in a special way for his love, care, and tender compassion, which he showed to his ever-indebted town of Mansoul. After a time of sweet communion, the townsmen solemnly ended their celebration and returned to their residences. At this time, Emmanuel appointed a day on which he would renew their charter. Now, this is more clear here. This represents Christ establishing the new covenant with his church, all right? You'll see that here. He planned to renew it, but also enlarge it to fix several defects in it so Mansoul's yoke might be made easier. So, remember, Christ did not just, you know, the new covenant wasn't new in that sense. It was, it really is the promise of the Old Testament made to Abraham. But now there's this change from the law to the promise, right, to the covenant. And so the new covenant then in Christ. And sure enough, Matthew 11, come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. for I'm gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls for my yoke is easy and my burden is light. And it wasn't under the law, right? So he did this on his own freely with open communication and honorable intentions without any requests or petitions on the part of man's soul. So when he sent for the old charter and saw it, he laid it aside, right? The prince said, Now that which decays and grows old is ready to vanish. The town of Mansoul shall have another charter, a new and better one, which is perpetual and by far more certain. Hebrews 8, For this is the covenant Okay, Hebrews 8 is quoting Jeremiah 31 Okay, Jeremiah 31 for this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days says the Lord I will put my laws into their minds and I will write them on their hearts and I will be their God and they shall be my people and And they shall not teach everyone his fellow citizen and everyone his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for all will know me. from the least to the greatest of them for I will be merciful to their iniquities and I will remember their sins no more when he said a new covenant he has made the first obsolete but whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear so little note here alright so We have to start, you guys have to start coming to church three times a week because I keep getting all this stuff and there's no time to present it all. That's why we're, we started a new series, video study on Daniel this week. So part one is done there too. So, but anyway, side note here, one of the messages I heard from Lloyd-Jones was, and I want us to listen to it here in Sunday School sometime before too long. And it's only 40 minutes long, but I think we'll have to divide it in half because we'll kind of go through it a bit slowly. I'll see if I can get a printout of it too. But it's on God's plan for the Jews, all right? And it's not anything that we haven't taught here and learned here together. It's about the errors of dispensational theology and so forth. But what is God's plan for the Jews? What is God's plan? And specifically then, who is Israel? And one of the points that Lloyd-Jones makes in that message is that We know that when in the Old Testament, such as this passage here from Jeremiah 31, that when, and there's numbers of prophecies like this in the Old Testament prophets, when they mention Israel, we know from the New Testament's explanation of those passages that what is meant is the church. What's meant is the true Israel of God, consisting of Jew and Gentile, all who are in Christ. And so, anyway, he does a really good job explaining that. And I guess one reason that I want to make sure that all of us understand that as well is because until I finally understood this, because I was raised in a pretty heavily influenced dispensational church and background, and the college, the Bible college and seminary I went to was dispensational. You will never be able to really understand your Bible. If you don't understand, because I mean, here's this passage we just read here. This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days. The house of Israel. And if you've been taught that, well, then that has to be with Israel. He's talking about in the future he's going to make a new covenant with the Jews, all right? And you just say it's Israel, then you're going to miss it. You're going to miss it. You won't understand that Romans 2, he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, but one who is one inwardly. Circumcision is not a matter of the flesh, it's of the heart and so on. Anyway, when the lights go on for you in that respect on that theme, suddenly a whole bunch of the Bible becomes, oh, okay, I get that now, I get that. And it's also important for us to know this in these days when all this stuff is still going on in the Middle East, so you're going to have people you know, preachers and so forth and that are dispensational. Yeah. Oh, this is that this is what's happening there and and remember now it has to be Israel right or wrong. We've got to stand with Israel right or right or wrong. But if you don't understand who Israel is that God is talking about then you can get things really wrong. So anyway, That's kind of a side note, but this is an example here, the New Covenant quoting, Hebrews 8, quoting Jeremiah 31. All right, let's go on here. The essence of this new charter is as follows. I am Emmanuel, Prince of Peace, and a great lover of the town of Mansoul. In the name of my father and in my own merciful disposition, I do treat my beloved town of Mansoul with tenderness and mercy. I forgive, spare, grant, and bestow the following. First, free, full, and everlasting forgiveness. Of all wrongs, injuries, and offenses done by them against my father, me, their neighbor, or themselves. Micah 7. He will again have compassion on us. He will tread our iniquities underfoot. Yes, you will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. 2. I give them the holy law and my testament. All that is contained within it is for their everlasting comfort and consolation. 3. I give them a portion of the selfsame grace and goodness that dwells in my Father's heart and mind. 1. I thank my God always concerning you. for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus that in everything you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge. Fourth, I grant and bestow upon them freely the world and what is in it for their good. James 1, every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above coming down from the father of lights with whom there's no variation or shifting shadow. They shall have power over them and will stand with the honor of my father, my glory and their comfort. Yes, I grant them the benefits of life and death, things present and things to come. No other city, town or company shall have this privilege, but only my man soul. Fifth, I grant them permission and free access to come to me in my palace at all times. to my palace above or below so they can make known their wants to me. I promise them I will hear and make right all their grievances. Hebrews 4. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. I grant the town of Mansoul full power and authority to seek out, now this is interesting, to seek out, take, enslave, and destroy all manner of Diabolians at any time from wherever they're found in or about the town of Mansoul, right? So, see, Bunyan's saying that the church is supposed to go attack and enslave and so forth, unbeliever. Well, no, that's not it, right? But he's talking about, well, what is he talking about? The Diabolians, the servants of the devil, right? Who are opposing Christ's kingdom to seek them out. Seventh, what's that? It's a more internal thing, right? So isn't it talking more about like the, any of the remaining like kind of sin? Oh yeah, that's a good point. Yeah. Yeah. So Kevin said that it could be an individual thing also where we are to put to death the deeds of the flesh by the spirit, right? So something like that. Well, I mean, not even, I mean, mostly probably foremost individual, but also just within the church, right? I mean, sin within the church, we're not to put up with it, right? The whole thing where Paul talks about take every thought captive isn't just a personal thing. He's actually talking about within the church, right? There's a... Yeah, so it's like, yeah, take every thought captive. So that would be, as Kevin said, not just, not only an individual thing, but also in the church, take every teaching captive, test the spirits to see whether they're of God and that kind, that kind of a thing. So yeah, right, right. First Corinthians five. Yeah. Seventh, I grant to my beloved town of Mansoul authority to not allow any foreigner or stranger or their offspring to be free within the blessed town of Mansoul. So what would that mean, you think? Authority to not allow any foreigner or stranger or their offspring to be free within the blessed town of Mansoul. What do you think? He's talking about the church. Yeah, the church. And so we're not to knowingly let people who are, well, it's more than not, we're not to let creeps creep into the church, right? I mean, that's about what it, and people that, they're foreigners because they don't know Christ, and they don't want to know Christ, but they're fakes, and so we're not to allow that. I think probably he also has in mind Old Testament imagery. So like when God told the Jews to go into Canaan, He told them off to destroy the enemy, to destroy the enemies that were there. But also they were not to allow foreigners or strangers to just, they weren't to intermarry with them and this kind of thing. So what were those? Remember that one group that deceived them and they pretended that they had come from a long ways away, right? And then anyway. Were they Midianite? Anyway. So, nor shall they share in Mansoul's valuable privileges. What's that? Maybe so. Maybe so. Yeah, from Ai? Yeah. So, and they were not to share in Mansoul's valuable privileges because, again, they're not in Christ. So, all the grants, privileges, and immunities I bestow upon Mansoul shall be for those who are native born. born again, right? And thus true inhabitants, all I give to them and to their offspring after them. But the Diaboleans of every sort born in another country or kingdom shall be hindered from sharing in these privileges. And so here's this classic 2 Corinthians 6. Do not be bound together with unbelievers. For what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial? I think that's a name for Satan. Or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God. Just as God said, I will dwell in them and walk among them and I will be their God and they shall be my people. When the town of Mansoul received their gracious charter from the hand of Emmanuel, it embodied even more than I've explained to you here, but what I've offered provides the essence of it. They carried it to the public in the marketplace, and there Mr. Recorder read it in the presence of all the people. After this, they carried it to the castle gates and engraved it upon the doors in letters of gold. So the town of Mansoul might always view it and be reminded of what a blessed freedom their prince had bestowed upon them. This was done so their joy might be increased and their love renewed for their great and good Emmanuel. John 15, these things I've spoken to you so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full. At this point, you can't imagine what joy, comfort, and relief possessed the hearts of the men of Mansoul. A great celebration followed, the bells rang, the minstrels played, and people danced. The captain shouted with joy, the silk flags waved in the wind displaying the colors, and the silver trumpet sounded. While all this was going on, the Diabolians hid their heads like those long dead. The enemy is still lurking among them, right? And when it was over, the prince sent for the elders of the town of Mansoul and talked with them about a ministry he intended to establish among them, a ministry that might open them to instruction in things that concern both their present and future state. 2 Corinthians 5, therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us. We beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. When the elders of Mansoul brought this news to the people, The whole town came running, united in purpose, for whatever the prince did pleased the people very much. There's a, they have a black and white drawing in the book here. The charter is read in the marketplace and probably, hopefully, people online have probably gotten a copy of this book. Remember, this is the, this is the one, Anecho Press version here. The drawings in it are pretty neat and detailed. So, with one accord, they implored his majesty to establish such a ministry among them that might teach them both law and judgment, statute and commandment, so they might be familiar in all things good and wholesome. 2 Timothy 2, be diligent. to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. So he said, I will grant your requests and will establish two among you, one from my father's court and one who is a native of Mansoul. So it's like they're establishing a ministry of preaching here. He who is from the court, oh, here we go. This is gonna talk about the Holy Spirit. That's what's happening. He who is from the court is a person of the same quality and dignity as my father and me. He is the Lord Chief Secretary of my father's house. For he is and always has been the chief dictator of all my father's laws. And he's talking about the Holy Spirit inspiring the apostles to write God's word. That's what he means there. He is and always has been the chief dictator. He dictates, all right, of all my father's laws, a person altogether well-skilled in all mysteries and knowledge of mysteries, as is my father and myself. He is one with us in nature and as loving and faithful in the eternal concerns of the town of Mansoul. And this is he, said the prince, who must be your chief teacher, for it is he and he only who can teach you clearly in all exalted and supernatural things. So, you know, think about that. He'll show us here in a minute, 1 John 2, but ultimately, that's important, ultimately, for us, all of us, It is the Holy Spirit who is our teacher, right? It's the Holy Spirit who's our teacher. And apart from him, a person that's not born again and does not have the Holy Spirit, they cannot understand God's word. They can't understand it. So, here's the quote, 1 John 2, As for you, the anointing of the Spirit, which you receive from Him, abides in you. And you have no need for anyone to teach you, but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true, and is not a lie, just as it has taught you, you abide in Him. Only He knows the ways and methods of my Father at court. So remember Paul at the beginning of 1 Corinthians, he frequently refers to the fact that the Spirit searches all things. Only the Spirit knows the mind of the Father, right? That kind of a thing. So, none other can show the inclination of my father's heart at all times in all things. upon all occasions towards Mansoul. For no man knows, oh yeah, here we go, no man knows the things of a man but the spirit of a man in him. And in the same way, no man knows the things of my father but his high and mighty secretary. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so, The thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God, 1 Corinthians 2. Nor can any other tell Mansoul how and what they shall do to keep themselves in the love of my Father like the secretary. Now, why would Rome not like what Bunyan is teaching there? Yeah, right, exactly. So Rome makes the church, and I mean the Roman church, all right, which is a monstrosity, but Rome makes it, essentially puts it in the place of the Holy Spirit and scripture and everything. Now, if you're going to be taught God's word, you have to come to us. We are the only ones that can understand. That's why, historically, Rome has kept scripture from its people. Today, people, oh, Rome, oh, yeah, they've changed, though. They really are encouraging people to read their Bible. But there's always a catch, isn't there, with Rome. but we will tell you what it means. That's what Rome does. See, we will tell you what it, I mean, you can read it, but, and so they totally bypass then the Holy Spirit. He is the one who can bring forgotten things to your remembrance and who can tell you things to come through his word. It's all in conjunction with his word. For this reason, this teacher must have preeminence in your desires, inclinations and judgment before any other teacher. John 14, but the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. His personal dignity, the excellency of his teaching, and the great skill he has to help you make and draw up requests, supplications, and prayer. We do not know how to pray as we ought, but the spirit groans within us, right there. And prayer to my father to ask for help in a manner pleasing to him requires that you love the teacher, fear him, and pay attention that you don't grieve him, Romans 8. In the same way, the spirit also helps our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. This person can put life, power, and strength into all he says, and he can put it into your heart. This person can make a profit of you and can make you tell about future events. Through this person, you must compose all your petitions to my father and me, always obtaining his advice and counsel first, before you let anything enter the town or castle of Mansoul. If you don't do this, it may very well disgust and grieve this noble person. Ephesians 4, do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Listen to what I'm telling you. Do not grieve this minister, for if you do, he may fight against you. If he is once forced to set himself against you in battle array because of your actions, it will distress you more than twelve legions sent from my father's court to make war upon you." So there he's talking about the Lord's discipline, right? But as I said, if you listen to Him and love Him, If you devote yourselves to His teaching and seek to be turned from your way and go His way to seek communion with Him, you shall find Him ten times better than anything in the whole world. For He will shed the love of my Father in your hearts and beyond the walls of Mansoul. And native Mansoulians will be the wisest, most blessed of all people. Then the prince called the old gentleman to come to him, who had previously been the recorder of Mansoul, Mr. Conscience. He said to him, in view of the fact that you're well skilled in the law and government of the town of Mansoul because you're well spoken, you are qualified to deliver my master's will to people in all the earth and in domestic matters. He went on to say that he would make him a minister for, in, and to the town of Mansoul regarding all the laws, statutes, and judgments of the town. And the prince said, you must limit, so here are, this is a man who is a preacher, okay, he pointed to go and preach, so you must limit yourself to teaching moral virtues and how they apply to civil duties in the natural course of things. Now wait a minute here, maybe that, he might not be a pre, let's see how this goes here. However, you must not attempt to presume to be a revealer of those high and supernatural mysteries kept close in the bosom of Shaddai, my father. For those things no man knows, and they can only be revealed by my father's secretary, the spirit, right? John 16. But when he, the spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own initiative, but whatever he hears, he will speak and he will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify me for he will take of mine and will disclose it to you. You are a native of the town of Mansoul, but the Lord's secretary That's the spirit, is a native of my father. Therefore, as you have knowledge of the laws and customs of the town, so he has knowledge of deep things and the will of my father. Therefore, Mr. Conscience, although I've made you a minister and a preacher, okay, and a preacher to the town of Mansoul, you and the rest of Mansoul shall be students. taught by the Lord's secretary as he teaches this people. For this reason, you must go to him for information and knowledge about all exalted and supernatural things. For there is a spirit in man, for though there is a spirit in man, this person's inspiration must give him understanding. Therefore, Mr. Recorder, keep yourself humble and remember that the Diabolians who didn't hold true to their first responsibility but left on their own assignment are the same who are now prisoners in the pit. With this in mind, be content with your situation in life. I've made you my father's proxy on earth in things which I mentioned to you earlier. Now, use this power to teach Mansoul these things and yes, even force them with whips and rebukes if they don't listen to your instruction. And Mr. Recorder, because you're old and have become feeble due to many abuses, I'm giving you permission to go to my fountain whenever you wish. From here, you may drink freely of the blood of my grape, for my conduit always runs with wine. Doing so shall drive out foul, gross, and hurtful thoughts, moods, or fixed evil from your heart. It will brighten your eyes. and strengthen your memory to help you retain and recall all that the king's most noble secretary teaches you." Maybe talking about the word there, I'm not sure. When the prince returned Mr. Recorder into the place and office of a minister to Mansoul, the man thankfully accepted, and Emmanuel then turned to address the townsmen. Well, we'll stop. Well, stop right there and pretty clearly this has been an allegory of Christ establishing his church in the new covenant and appointing. A lot of good teaching there about the ministry of the Holy Spirit. to us and how he's admonishing that minister there to, you better not be teaching things that you come up with, right? And completely rely upon him. Father, we thank you for your word. Thank you for your spirit that you've sent to us. We pray that he would be very active, that we would not grieve him, that he would be constantly teaching us and bringing to our minds your truths and your word that we might live and think and serve you in a better and better way. And we pray this in Christ's name. Amen.