Some Gospel Truths
John Heydon
Originally Printed In 1647
Posted On Nov. 8, 2016
Some Gospel Truths Catechistically laid down, explained and vindicated; for the benefit of such as are weary of their own heart, conscience, mind, will, affections, thoughts, words, and works; that are all corrupt, impure and imperfect, and a very plague, as they stand in old Adam; and showing wherein they may find a pure, perfect and permanent heart, conscience, mind, will, affections, thoughts, words and works, viz., in the new Adam, Christ, that will commend them to God, and instate them herein, even in these dismal times, and bear them up in the saddest conditions, straights or exigencies that can befall poor believers in Christ, or, Man’s Badness & God’s Goodness.
John Heydon {Heyden} was a Parliamentary Army Chaplain to Colonel Henry Grey, under Sir Thomas Fairfax {to whom this work is dedicated} in 1646. Attached to the end of this volume is this interesting account. “This day {Dec.20th, 1646} Mr. John Heydon, Chaplain to the Honourable Colonel Henry Grey did powerfully preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Torrington, Devon, to the great comfort and encouragement of that great audience which were present.” The only other historical reference to Mr. Heydon that we are aware of, is found in the “Journal of the Proceedings of the Assembly {Westminster} Divines,” noted by Lightfoot, where on the date of August 14, 1643, Heydon’s name was mentioned in the following entry: “Now was the petition against the Antinomians finished and read, and sent away to be presented to the House of Commons. The names of some books complained of: “The Honeycombe,” “Christ alone Exalted,” “The Dangerous Dish,” “Faith, a Sermon upon Rev.3:18,” & “The Doctrine and Conversation of John the Baptist.” The names of the persons complained of: Mr. Randall, Mr. Batte, Mr. Lancaster, Mr. Symeon, Mr. Heydon, Mr. Emmerson, Mr. Erbury, Mr. Towne & Mr. Pen.”
Some Gospel Truths, setting forth amongst many other sacred and essential truths, that Christ is the truth of all Truth, the embodiment of that Covenant that is firm and sure in all things and is ordered aright. Christ by his fulfilling of righteousness for us, that as God was pleased to lay on him the iniquity of us all, so he hath borne them all and paid an all sufficient price, so that justice itself can demand no more of him, or from any for whom he died for; for Christ satisfied God’s justice in its entirety, pacified his wrath, beat out the teeth of the Law, took away sin, destroyed death, the devil, hell; removed the curse, shut up hell’s gates, opened heaven, obtained mercy and life eternal for all those whom he represented; namely, all the elect that are newborn, that believe that Christ was born for them, and that Christ hath paid the debt of service to God for them; that great debt of suffering unto death, so that they shall stand fully acquitted and blameless in his sight.