Ralph Erskine's Faith No Fancy

The image of Christ's natural body in the fancy darkens the view of Christ, as the image of God, by faith. These two images cannot stand togther, no more than Dagon and the ark. Dagon must fall, if the ark come into the heart.

—Ralph Erskine, Faith No Fancy

Faith No Fancy, or A Treatise of Mental Images by Ralph Erskine (a Scottish churchman and a preacher who lived from 1685-1752) is available here. I'm currently working on transcribing Faith No Fancy and will publish the book here: http://faithnofancy.blogspot.com/. The Chapel Libarary's Free Grace Broadcaster has a selection from Faith No Fancy. Click here for the archived web version.

Also see my transcription of Ralph Erskine's sermon The True Christ no New Christ on Hebrews 13:8.

And these selections from from several of Ralph Erskine's other works:

http://idolatrycondemned.blogspot.com/2011/08/many-instead-of-gathering-to-christ.html

http://idolatrycondemned.blogspot.com/2010/11/unseen-jesus-ralph-erskine.html

http://idolatrycondemned.blogspot.com/2011/01/ralph-erskines-gospel-sonnets-on-1.html

HT: Gospel Driven Blog:

But, alas! say you, I cannot get away my filthiness; I cannot put away my lusts and idols. Oh! what mean you, poor soul? Do you think to put away your own sin, and take God’s work out of his hand? I tell you, in his great name, he never laid such an intolerable burden upon you; for, the cleansing from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, is harder work than the making of a world. It is only the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. He enjoins you “To take with you words, and say, Take away all iniquity,” Hosea xvi. 2. All your work is to put the work in his hand. Many think they cannot come to Christ, till first they put away all their sin, and give up with all their lusts; but all your pains, before you come to the blood of Christ, will be like pouring oil upon the fire, that will inflame it the more. Therefore, welcome, welcome a promising God, saying, “From all your filthiness, and from all your idols will I cleanse you;” for I have got clean water in my hand for that purpose: “I have found a ransom.” By the blood of the covenant, I will send forth these prisoners out of the pit wherein there is no water; but here is water enough.

(Ralph Erskine, “Sermon LXXXIII, Clean Water; Or, The Pure And Precious Blood Of Christ For The Cleansing of Polluted Sinners,” The Works of Ralph Erskine, vol. 4, p. 151)

From Erskine's Faith No Fancy, or A Treatise of Mental Images:

May this generation be delivered from an imaginary faith, religion and conversion, which will neither unite them to the true Christ, nor bring them to the true heaven, nor keep them out of the true hell. And may the Lord deliver all His people from the influence of gross delusion, instead of gospel-doctrine;from carnal trash, instead of spiritual truth; and from the truth as it is in men ’s fancy and imagination, instead of the truth as it is in Jesus and in His blessed Word, the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy God.