thereby even the promis'd gift of an everlasting righteous Life and so all their own fading good again with usury The Law or law-life in Man or Angel us'd unlawfully as kept up for Weapons of War in rebellion against Christ's Gospel-life is destroy'd by the said Sinner in evil Angels and Men. They thus destroy and frustrate all the good intended in and by their first-creation State and for ever exclude themselves from the immutable good of the second So destroy they much good even the whole good of the first and second Creation By the lawful use of the first they might have had all the good of both By the unlawful use thereof they spoil and lose all all the good given them in the former and offer'd them in the latter Then as six'd in unchangeable enmity to God they must fall and lie down for ever under the unchangeable Wrath of God as their undeniably just portion CHAP. X. V. 1. Dead Flies Heb. flies of death cause the Ointment of the Apothecary to send forth a stinking savour so doth a little Folly him that is in reputation for Wisdom and Honour THe dead flies or flies of death found in Men since the fall that cause the first-covenant precious Ointment of Christ the great mystical Apothecary or perfumer of Man's filthy loathsome corrupt polluted nature dead in trespasses and sins are a character of the 〈◊〉 to God's divine and creature-spirit which is filth of spirit in Man This enmity as the single product of the first sin is call'd the little folly in eminently restor'd righteous Man that with Job is there in great reputation for Wisdom and Honour Job 29. 7 -10 This little folly a changeable pardonable curable enmity to God in all comparatively with the great folly the incurable unpardonable great transgression or presumptuous sin unto death as thro' Man's wilful madness this changeable is turn'd into a fix'd unchangeable enmity to God in many this little folly what a noise it made in Job against the dispensation of the Cross when under it as we find at large by the reproofs Elihu and Christ himself came upon him with Job 32 to almost the end of that Book Man in the honour he was created in not understanding or duly considering the changeable nature of that honour and slipperiness of his standing in it soon fell and became as the Beasts that perish Psal. 49. 12 20. a brutified meer sensual creature as 't were having forfeited the righteous life of a Man And when restor'd by the redeemer out of that polluted bloody condition into the same kind of changeable first-covenant righteous life of a Man again Ezek. 16. 6. so as to remove and take off the punishment of the first sin the first sin it self is not hereby cured but through this very fresh coming of the command or Christ's setting up his first-covenant Law-life in him again does this sin of Enmity revive also which with and in dead nature lay as dead into an active bold confident daring presumptuous resisting of God and his Gospel-spirit as Paul experienc'd Rom. 7. 9 -11. And had he obstinately persisted in that course when convinced of his duty it had slain him for ever But he yielded to the death of that restor'd 〈◊〉 covenant law-life as the known means of abolishing that 〈◊〉 which reviv'd sprang up with it and is inseparable from it No way then to be rid of that enmity but by being rid of that life under the Cross. And no other way or on no other or lower and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 can God's Gospel-life of 〈◊〉 Righteousness be 〈◊〉 by or set up in us He therefore gloried in nothing save the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that by its twofold death and life-operation runs down the 〈◊〉 covenant life and 〈◊〉 up the second crucified all 〈◊〉 life and desire in his spirit to all this World's desirables and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it Gal. 6. 14. and set up a life in him the Palate Belly or 〈◊〉 and Desire whereof wholly and only savour'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 desir'd and 〈◊〉 after the things of God things eternal delights of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God He so became alive only to the World to come and that to him a meer Pilgrim and Stranger in and to this to the delights of the Sons of Men things seen temporal 1 Pet. 2. 11. 2 Cor. 4. 18. The dead Fly or little solly here is the same with the little leaven that leavens the whole lump Gal. 5. 9 of mankind which can be purg'd out of any no otherwise then by the death and Sacrifice of Nature at best from which inseparable And then with our sacrific'd spotless Nature in Christ our Pass-over shall we find that the destroying Angel even Christ with the same spiritual-Sword or Gospel-Cross will pass over us as to that use he will make of it in Wrath upon all fix'd incorrigible enemies Angels or Men. This fix'd leaven or Doctrine of the Pharisees in a sowr'd leaven'd spirit of unchangeable enmity in a 〈◊〉 Covenant righteous life against the second Law against Gospel is that Christ warn'd his Disciples to beware of Mat. 16. 6 11 12. For this cause did Christ sanctify our nature by the death thereof in himself that by the like death-sanctification the same fire-Baptism of his heavenly Spirit of Truth on our earthy-spirit of enmity and falshood he might sanctify it in us Joh. 17. 17 19. The enmity or Fly of death becoming unchangeable in Men renders them a most stinking abomination to God for ever Their Soul unchangeably loaths God's Soul or Spirit of Grace and his them Then Christ's fresh first-Covenant Gift that was for a season as salt to dry up the fleshly filth of their polluted nature loses its savour and the whole person becomes a stinking loathsome thing as all-over polluted with a spreading incurable Leprosy or most noisom Disease Vers. 2. A wise Man's heart is at his right hand but a fool's heart at his left Here 's a description of the truly wise and of the greatest fool The heart of the former is at his right hand fix'd and set to follow those right counsels of God in the life activity desire and thought of the incorruptible Seed of God's right-hand-planting in him by a new-creation which will set him at Christ's right hand when fools or lustful Goats in the activity life and desire of the corruptible seed of his left-hand-planting in them by a first-creation in which wholly set upon this worlds vanities will be found at his left-hand and doom'd to eternal punishment Mat. 25. 33 46. Saints give up their fleshly Tree with the fruits or works thereof their left-hand first-Covenant life to the death of the Cross that they may receive that right-hand second Covenant Gospel-life wherein to be wise unto Salvation Others of a perfectly contrary mind fool themselves into eternal damnation Vers. 3. Yea also when he that is a fool walketh by the way his Wisdom Heb. heart faileth him and
knowledg of Christ after the flesh 2 Cor. 5. 16. in a righteous Law-Life for the knowledg of him after the spirit in his spiritual Gospel-life into which risen out of the Death of the former Phil. 3. 7-10 This according to his own advice in the Holy Ghost Rom. 7. 1-4 That which is born but of the Flesh of Christ the Fleshly First-Covenant Law-life is but holy flesh not Eternal Life But that that 's Born of his Gospel-Spirit only Jo. 3. 6. The former when taken by himself as made under the Law he Crucified as the only means and way of exalting our nature in himself into the second in which he Lives for evermore So must we As there was an appointed time for him and so for us by his mean's to be Born or have this Righteous Law-Life brought forth in him So was there an appointed time for the death and loss of it in him and is also in us By the fresh Gift and Birth of it from him is he the Healer Planter Restorer and Builder up of Man afresh out of the Shameful Bloody Polluted State of Nature dead in Trespasses and Sins into the Fading Glory Life Wisdom and Righteousness of Man the Goodliness of Holy Flesh which yet is but as a Flower of the Field Isai. 40. 6. This Restoring Healing-work of Christ as to the deadly Wound given to all Men by the First Sin of the First to the top-stone of this Renewed old Building by his comlines or perfect Righteousness of the Law imputed to or put upon them he warn's against the abuse of by an over-value of it over-considence in it and doating love to it so as to prefer it before his offered Spiritual Life and Everlasting Righteousness in the Image of the Heavenly the new Building For this is Mystical Adultery against him as their true Spiritual Lord and Husband worse then Litteral Yea and Murder also as a Murdering Mind of Enmity against him there is Interpreted for which they are to be Judg'd as the most Criminal Adulterers and Murderers All this we find Ezek. 16. 1-15 and v. 38. Man as Dead in Sin is figuratively Charactred by the helpless condition his Body is Born in as to any thing he can do for himself v. 3-6 These Expressions Represent the Dark Black Dismal Bloody Condition and Desolate State of his Spirit that none but Christ can help Let him look within without and round about him there 's none to Pity or have Compassion upon him that can help him This disconsolate State and Extremity God declares to be a motive and opportunity to him to help him restore Life to him Cleanse or Sanctify him and by Imputation of another's Righteousness justify him and render him fruitful in his Restor'd Naturals under the Fructifying Influences of Christ as a Fleshy Bride-groom and Husband who also puts the Mystical Ornaments Bracelets and Jewels of Supernatural Spiritual Enlightning Gifts upon him And he causes him to feed at his earthly First-Covenant Table on such Meats or Communications from him as tend to Nourish Strengthen and Build him up into a Fruitful Flourish in that Life to the Encreasing with the Encreases of Man not of God in the Wisdom aud Glory of his own Life not of God's So grows he exceeding Beautiful prospering into a kind of Kingdom State in his own Life and way consisting in a Ruling Power of his Restored Spirit over all the Inferiour Powers of Nature in him Such Kings Paul found amongst the Corinthians 1 Cor. 4. 8. Multitudes refuse this common Salvation love their Chains and Bondage under the Brutish Lusts of their fallen degenerate nature so as not to accept of deliverance there-from And Multitudes of First-Covenant Believers and Professors that receive this Common Salvation refuse the Special the Crowning benefit of Christ's Death his Spiritual New-Creation or New-Covenant Life his unspeakable Gift Their Restor'd Spirit of Nature or the Law is still a Spirit of Bondage under the Law and Curse Gal. 3-10 another State of Death by Filth of Spirit or Enmity to God's Spirit in which alone they can be finally saved Paul found his Holy Flesh or Restor'd Natural State a Body a Law of Sin and Death as Phil. 3. 6. and Ro. 7. 24. 8. 2 compared do Evidence Man's Rational Powers and Free-Will at best are the Living Holy Sacrifice God requires as their reasonable Service and true Gospel-Free-Will Offering unto him by the death of all Rom. 12. 1. Final refusing to do this renders men Conformable to this World v. 2. yea to the Devil the God of this World who has set up his Superiour worldly life wisdom and glory in unchangable enmity to God Thus fall first covenant Saints by refusing the second and crowning benefit of Christ's death under greater Guilt and sorer Condemnation then if they never had received the First They refuse to listen to Christ's Heavenly second voice and call to them out of the Fading Life and Earthly Freedom of the Sons of Men into the Everlasting Life and Glorious Liberty of the Sons of God Thus do Men sin away their First-Covenant Life and second Covenant Light again after the Similitude of Adam ' s Transgression by preferring such Life and Ornaments to the very Gospel New-Covenant more excellent Life and way 1 Cor. 12. 31. And so come they to a latter end worse then their beginning either in Innocency or as Born dead in Sin because now Irrecoverably Unpardonably and Unchangably dead This then is Solomon's meaning here God has appointed a time for the Birth and Death the Planting and Plucking up the Building and Pulling down the Healing and Wounding or Killing and Destroying Man as to this mortal first-covenant-life of his own nature The Birth of the Planting and Building him up therein is the ground and cause of his Laughing Dancing Exulting and Rejoycing in the Embraces of Christ as a fleshly Bride-groom The pulling down and destroying all this again by his Gospel-Cross or spiritual Sword is the cause of his Weeping and Mourning All this have we Vers. 2 3 4. Vers 5. A time to cast away Stones and a time to gather Stones together a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing Christ has a set time for gathering together the stones of Man's ruined desolated Building in his own nature and a time to pull down his rebuilt natural state and cast away the stoues thereof again uot leaving one stone upon another in this fleshly Church-building Thus serv'd he the first mystical Temple-building of our spotless nature in himself figured in his Prophecy of the downfal of the litteral Temple at Jerusalem in Answer to his Disciples Mat. 24. 1 2. Christ has a time to embrace Men as a fleshly Bridegroom to them and a time to refrain from embracing on his dying and departing from them there And he requires them to desire expect or look after him no more there for a knowledg of him after the Flesh but wholly fix
admitted into our Closet of prayer and consulting with Christ about it's own Death so as to have a vote in the case it will pray plead and vote against it alway's and reckon Christ and the Saints Spiritual Man it 's unreasonable enemies It will reckon all the prayers of the Spiritual man against it cursing and all his endeavors in union with Christ to crucify it murder 'T wil cry out to the Devil Oh! Murder murder and call for assistance against its and his enemies All that it will agree to pray for will be but an asking amiss such things as may gratify its own lusts in enmity to God It is the perpetual disputer wrangler and quarreller against the only way of Salvation under the Cross against its own Death which is God's declared undispensable way in the appointed methods of his wisdom for man's Salvation This secret faithfully kept according to Christ's counsel by the Spiritual man of the Saint from his own natural when the sacrificing Death-work on the natural is over and finished Christ will reward him openly Mat. 6. 6. at the manifestation of the Sons of God in the visibility of his before hidden Spiritual Life hidden till Christ's second coming and manifestation in Spirit in himself and Saints The Saint is deeply concern'd to check his own hasty rash forward Spirit as a most dangerous foe in his own house or Person God is in his heavenly Spirit thou in thy earthly therefore let thy words be few indeed none at all If that foe be the speaker or chuser all will go wrong All its prayers will run for and be calculated to its own interest Life and livelihood the belly and meats the desires and desirables that will all be destroy'd and perish It will hate Christ the fountain of Life and chuse its own eternal Death in the causes of it and ready way to it Pro. 8. 36. Vers. III. For a Dream cometh through the multitude of business and a fool's voice is known by a multitude of words Man at best in his own nature is altogether vanity walks in a vain shew Heb. an Image lead's but an Imaginary Life in the Image of the Earthly the Law-Spirit of nature shadow of the heavenly the Gospel-Spirit of Grace and Truth All man's concerns and labours relating to such a Life all his disquietings of himself about it must needs be in vain The very life to which all relate is very vanity In all the noise trouble stir and din man makes about himself herein can he never please God or profit himself as to true blesedness Vain are all his solicitudes in getting heaping up and keeping such litteral or mystical riches of his own nature as will all make themselvs wings and fly way do what he can when all 's done All such riches are but a vanity tossed to and fro by them that love Death 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but a tumbling cast in which men are tossed up and down by providence like balls as the Poet say's never at any certainty Many rich in outward litteral wealth live to see all gone and themselvs run down into poverty And so as to mystical many rich for a season in 〈◊〉 treasures and fruits of a first-covenant righteous Life roll back again with the Dog to the vomit and Sow to the mire of their old sins brutish vilenesses and so come again to be as poor and tattered there as other beggerly brutish sinners of the Genti'l's Yea in a worse condition then they if unfix'd there because now come to their latter end worse then that beginning as born dead in trespasses and sins 2 Pet. 2. 20-22 For but these two sorts of 〈◊〉 deceitful riches especially the mystical do men turn their backs on Christ's true riches heavenly treasures eternal Life with the Young Man in the Gospel not regarding them at all any more then a bruit beast does And this renders man's whole Life and labour in this World from his Cradle to his Grave a very dream In the multitude of his buisiness cumbring himself as Martha with the many things of this World that Satan is called Prince and God of he wholly neglects Maries better choice of the one thing necessary which comprehends all things relating to true blessedness in the World to come The full sum of all man labours but for some little particle of the god of this World offer'd Christ and was refused even all the Kingdoms of this World and Glory of them that is all humane and angelical excellencies sound in the first creation yea and all these by his transforming art gilded over with the nearest resemblance of all the things of God the spiritual Life Wisdom and Righteousness of God in the second What madness is it for Men to trade in seed and wholly dote upon but such perishing vanities or meats Satan is the known permitted Master and dispenser of Mean while all eternal things and concerns are as wholly neglected despised and hated even that spirit of Christ that one thing comprehending all things necessary to salvation This Gospel-spirit of God with all its words the only right do-all and say-all to God's well-pleasing and Man's salvation Man will not reckon worth his thought regard looking after or listening to But on he goes in his dreamish Life of Vanity to try what work he can make on 't there for true happiness under an absolute known impossibility of ever finding it He sondly seeks for it in perishing vanities which God reckon's things that are not and never 〈◊〉 things spiritual heavenly and 〈◊〉 which God call's the only things that are Thus cross and contrary is the judgement are the conceptions and words of Man's wisdom at best to God's Man will own nothing above his fading natural things first-creation vanities but infinite divinity He will not believe there are any middle sort of things of a spiritual everlasting righteous new-creation nature between natural and purely divine things Thus does Man leave no room for his advance in creature-ship above his natural first-creation state of vanity but only a being swallowed up into infinite divinity wholly losing his creaturality by annihilation and so indeed getting just nothing Infinite Divinity will be where 't was and what it was from Eternity to Eternity beyond and above all possibility of addition and all Creatur's Men and Angels where they were before Creation a meer absolute nullity vanished Shadows If there be no other creature-state but what they both and all receiv'd by the first creation what else imaginable can become of them but a reduction of them all into their primitive nothing The towring presumtuous thought of being godded with God is at bottom when well examin'd a being downright nothing'd and no better God will not only confute but destroy all this wisdom of man in which he presumtuously rambles about for happiness in his own will and way against his makers known mind and counsel about him pitching upon his own fading natural creature things
and interest to obey the counsel and follow the example of Christ in his suffering steps through a temporary house of mourning into his eternal house of feasting and rejoycing But for such doctrine of the cross and practicing it upon our nature in himself was Christ himself contradicted and blasphem'd Joh. 10. 20. as by Beelzebub the chief or Prince of Devils a master devil casting out other lesser and weaker Devils Mat. 10. 25. 12. 24. Mar. 3. 22. Luk. 11. 15. Holy first-covenant Preachers and Professors handled Christ thus And the Disciple must not look to fare better then his Lord from or amongst the legal-spirited generation in any age of this World under Satan's reign and in Man's day while his Wisdom will shuffle it self in for Judge and Umpire in Religion and Worship and force all it can to receive its sentiments as the only Orthodox and sound 〈◊〉 Vers. 3. Sorrow is better then laughter for by the sadness of the Countenance the heart is made better The sorrow Heb. anger or mourning of the natural Man under the cross at which offended angry troubled griev'd as run down in his own life and denied the pleasing himself in his former freedom of feeding on the gratifying delights of the Sons of Men all this as ill as it appears is better than all his former laughter in the flourish fruitfulness and joy thereof in its own way and after its own heart When brought into such a state of darkness and ignorance under this dispensation as not to understand God's design in all his withdrawing from him the favours and fruits of his former presence as a fleshly bridegroom in which he has found much content and satisfaction yet is this a certain truth he ought to believe for his own comfort that this sorrow is better than all his former laughter in the first-Covenant house of feasting while the candle of the Lord therein shin'd upon his Tabernacle which Job while yet in the dark as to what follow'd wish'd for the fresh experiencing Job 29. 2 -6. The veneration his person was in so that young Men hid themselves aged stood up Princes refrain'd talking and Nobles held their peace when he appear'd and spoke amongst them this honour from others and satisfaction to himself he had found in the wisdom glory and fruitfulness of his inlight'ned righteous Nature begot in him a lingring desire to return thither again even to his old house or state of feasting and rejoycing O that I were as in months past c. Under the cross all his Glory and Visage was so marr'd that now younger then I sayes he have me in derision c. Job 30. 1. Not seeing the more excellent Glory that was to follow this was a hard point with him Paul when of such a wise strong and honorable Man was rendred by the same sharp discipline of the cross a fool weak and despicable saw that spiritual Glory yea had it in him which is to be revealed or made manifest in him and others at Christ's second coming and manifestation of the Sons of God in the visibility of spiritual Saintship with which he reck'ned not the sufferings of the present time worthy to be compar'd Rom. 8. 18 19. And Solomon here declares the advantage of this amazing dispensation of the cross wherein Christ not only with-draws his comforting presence as a fleshly Bridegroom but turns his hand against his Spouses and Children in the first Covenant coming in the posture of an enemy with his Gospel-fire Sword and Cross speaking nothing but war and death to them there Yea he runs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as a Giant with 〈◊〉 force breaks them with 〈◊〉 upon breach takes them by the Neck and shakes them to 〈◊〉 and all this sometimes without shewing any cause why that the Saint is able presently to take distinct notice of in such confusion as in Job's case Job 16. 12 14. and Job 2. 3. 9. 17. 〈◊〉 wonderful 〈◊〉 and contrivances of God's Wisdom leave Saints quite at a loss till they come to see how matters go Yet this sorrowful state is better in it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 take it then all his former laughter and 〈◊〉 in the house of feasting by him 〈◊〉 Christ withdraw's the lesser glory of the first-Covenant-Sun in order to shine upon him in that of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that excell's and remains for ever The very Apostles were at the same loss and sad pass with Job on Christ's withdrawing from them as a fleshly Bridegroom and Comforter Their hearts were sill'd with sorrow But the joy that follow'd in the visits of the better Comforter over-answer'd all When Paul had by the Gospel-Doctrine of the Cross made the Corinthians sorry dashing all their vain hopes and false considences in the fading glory of a first-Covenant life he repented not but rejoyc'd 〈◊〉 as that right godly sorrow wrought a Gospel-repentance in them to Salvation not to be repented of or that can never be sinally turn'd again from 2 Cor. 7. 8 -10. A Law-repentance or change of mind from the corrupt to the righteous life of Nature they had experienc'd before as himself also when he persecuted the Gospel But now came they to the happy experience of a Gospel-repentance conversion or turn of mind from Law to Gospel from the life and 〈◊〉 of Man to God's The letter that made them sorry seem's to be his first Epistle to them wherein he shew's the vanity of their false joy and confident reigning as Kings without him or Christ yea against both 1 Cor. 4. 8. Nor he nor they would ever have cause to repent of such right sorrow as was follow'd with repentance unto life For no damage but great advantage receiv'd they thereby But say's he worldly sorrow worketh death Unwarrantable joy in this world's vanities disposes to unwarrantable worldly sorrow about the loss of them which works death A crucified mind to all worldly perishing vanities upper or lower mystical or literal with the sorrow of the natural Man and pangs of death upon him in order thereunto work life or a repentance unto life Such short sorrow of the natural Man in the Saint tends to his everlasting joy in spiritual life By obedient losing his own life he find's God's From all these reasons or grounds sorrow is better than laughter and this farther reason hereof does Solomon give for by the sadness of the Countenance the heart is made better The Visage of the natural Man marr'd defac'd and made black by the Cross in Man's sight the more comly is the Saint therein to God Cant. 1. 5 6. When Paul was a fool weak and despicable in the judgment even of those that were yet wise strong and honorable in Christ as to a fruitful flourish in first-Covenant life was he truly wise and honourable in God's sight such a one as the Lord commended 1 Cor. 4. 10. 2 Cor. 10. 18. The whole-spirited Man in the fading glory of the first-Covenant has the praise of Man