Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	body_n	end_n	soul_n	6,242	5	4.9650	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A89645	A little starre, giving some light into the counsels and purposes of God revealed in the Scriptures. Or A catechisme, wherein these ensuing principles. 1. What God is, and how he manifests himselfe. 2 Why he made the world and man. 3. Mans condition, what, 1. by creation. 2. By his fall. 3. By being restored by Jesus Christ. 4 The uses and ends of the law. 5. What the Gospell is. 6. Justification what it is. 7. Sanctification what, and how it is wrought. 8. What repentance is. 9. The use and ends of the Scriptures. 10. What true prayer is. 11. Baptisme, and the Lords Supper, why, and how used. 12. Generall redemption what, and how to be adjudged of. 13. Resurrection and judgement what. 14. Heaven and Hell what, in truth and misterie. All which are briefly by way of question and answer opened and explained. / By VVilliam Mason.	Mason, William, Anabaptist.	1653 (1653)	Wing M948; Thomason E1505_1; ESTC R208669	86,553	204

some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead For if there be no resurrection of the dead or of mens bodies then certainly Christ is not risen And if Christ be not risen then we have preached in vaine and ye have believed in vaine and ye are yet in your sinnes Yea and if Christ be not risen then the Saints that are fallen asleep in him are perished and God hath sent us to bear witnesse to a falshood if the dead rise not For if Christ be not risen then the dead shall not rise But if Christ be risen as indeed he is then it is impossible that the dead should not rise For Christs resurrection is a pledge a first fruits of the resurrection of the body But if there be no resurrection we and all the Saints are the miserablest men in the world And if the dead rise not why do I put my self to paine Why do I suffer reproaches stripes imprisonments watchings fastings c. Why am I alwayes in Jeopardy of my life Nay Why do I dye daily What advantage is all this to me if there be no reward no resurrection And the Saints in the 11. Hebrewes 35. are said to be tortured mocked scourged imprisoned stoned sawne asunder tempted slaine with the sword to wander about in sheep skins and goat skins to be destitute afflicted tormented and would not accept of deliverance Why so Did they not run with the world into every excesse of riot Did they not saile with every wind turne with every tide Yea did they not sweare and swagger rant and roare and say with the Epicure Let us eat and drink for to morrow or shortly we shall die and then there will be an end of us No saith the Text. They looked for a better resurrection a resurrection to life and reward for they knew full well that if they suffered with him they should raigne with him Neither was this resurrection which they expected that first spiritual resurrection namely a rising out of sin unbelief ignorance c. to live in newnesse of life for that the Apostles and the other Saints had attained to in their several measures or else they had not been able to endure such sharpe sufferings for Christ But as their sufferings were outward in the body so they waited for the perfecting of the adoption even the redemption of their bodies So that the resurrection here spoken of can be no other but that great and general resurrection when all men shall be raised and both souls and bodies reunited to suffer or to raigne together And for that general Judgement which is said to be a disposing of all things both good and evill to a full end and period or perfect state of life and death pleasure and paine salvation or damnation Let us a little consider what these good and evill things are that so we may be able to judge of this doctrine The good things in the Saints are faith hope love joy peace gentleness kindness meeknesse c. Now these being the divine nature or Christ in the Saints the hope of glory cannot be capeable of pleasure or salvation for they were never lost But the poor Creature was lost and Christ came to save that which was lost And by taking the poor creature into the divine nature or the same spirit with himself saves the lost creature and not the good things in the creature On the other side the evill things in evill men are unbeliefe wrath hatred mallice envy thefts murders adulteries Idolatries c. And these being the devill in the creature with whom the creature is made one in sin what pain or torment or damnation can befall these when the persons by whom and in whom they were acted perish like bruite beasts and have no resurrection Therefore as God by taking his own into himself saves them souls and bodies together with and in him So the wicked and unbelievers who are not in Christ or Christ in them but are one with the devill in sin are therefore soules and bodies condemned to be destroyed in and with the devill and sin Indeed this resurrection and judgement is already begun for the Saints are risen with Christ and Christ is daily raising of them in himself But the perfection and full completion thereofis and shall be when all the Saints are gathered into Christ to make him compleat in eternal glory And so likewise this Judgement is begun already the Judge sits every day Christ is refining and purifying the saints with fire and Fullers sope the power of his spirit destroying all their lusts and corruptions subduing their vile bodies and will at length change them and make them like his glorious body And he is also daily judging the wicked First in themselves convincing them of sinne and yet hardning them therein And then he is judging them by the Saints for when they behold the godly and undefiled conversation of the Saints they are ashamed and condemned in their consciences though they hate them for the same Now though Christ be thus judging daily yet the perfection of this judgement is that which the Apostle calls a revelation of the righteous Judgement of God when he shall render to every man according to his works To them who by patient continuing in well doing seek for glory and immortallity namely to them who are in Christ and are acted and carried forth by him to set forth his praise and glory to immortality to them he will give eternal life or glorifie them with himself in his eternal glory in heaven But to them who are contentious and do not obey the truth which is Christ but obey unrighteousnesse which is the devill indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and go ye cursed into everlasting hell fire prepared for the devill and his angels Q. Heaven and hell are misteries and admit of divers acceptations as Gods right hand and his left his love and his wrath pleasure and paine salvation and damnation but properly heaven is where God is and that is in every man And hell is where Satan is and that is in every man For there is in every man light and darknesse good and evill Michael and the Dragon Now as Michaell casts out the Dragon so darkness unbelief and all sin shall be cast out of man Christ shall make a separation for all things that are good as love joy peace delight holinesse c. and God shall be comprehended and gathered into one body of unity and concord in glory which is in heaven And on the contrary all evill as hatred sorrow sinne error death and darknesse and devils shall be gathered into one body of confusion and torment which is hell For although it be said Revelation 21. 8. That the fearfull and unbelieving

cleanse from all sin for saith he If we say that we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us But if we see our sinnes and confesse that we are sinners his promise is to forgive and to cleanse us from all unrighteousnesse And these things I write unto you to warn you that yee sin not yet neverthelesse if yee be overtaken as who is not be not discouraged for we have an Advocate with the Father even Jesus Christ who is perfectly righteous and he is the propitiation for our sinnes and not for ours onely who are Jewes but for all them that thus have fellowship with him among the Gentiles also in all Nations throughout the whole world And that this Scripture is thus to be understood the Apostle Paul shewes plainly Col. 3. 10 11. Where saith he there is neither Greek nor Jew Circumcision nor Vncircumcision Barbarian Scythian Bond nor Free but Christ is all and in all he doth not mean that Jewes and Greeks c. are all one and Christ is in them all as to every particular person among all these but onely those among them who in the verses before had put off the old man and had put on the new namely such as had mortified their earthly members fornication uncleannesse inordinate affections c. in the 5. vers and had put off anger wrath malice blasphemy filthy communication c. in the 8. vers which were the deeds of the old man and who also were renewed in knowledge according to the Image of God which is Christ the new man in wisdome righteousnesse and true holinesse c vers 10. Among these saith he there is no difference though some of one nation and some of another some bond and some free for they are all one in Christ and he is all to them and all in them Q. But doth not the Prophet Isaiah say That he meaning Christ was wounded for our transgressions and by his stripes we are healed And all we like sheep have gone astray and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all even all without exception And that he made his grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death Whereby it appeares that his death was an undertaking for all good and bad wicked rich men that saw no need of him Where then is the difference Or how can God be said to respect persons A. The Prophet in the former chapter had largely declared what joyfull and glorious dayes should be in the time of the Gospel and exhorted them to rejoyce in the consideration of the same yea and to account the feet of them beautiful that should bring them such good newes And under the Type of the captivity of Babylon whether they should be carried and from whence they should certainly return he prophecieth of their deliverance from the spiritual bondage and thraldome of sin by Jesus Christ who should both deal prudently and also prosper in his designes and though he should appear in a very despicable form as to men and his visage should be marred through sufferings yet he should be exalted and be very high and sprinckle many Nations with his bloud c. But who saith the Prophet will believe this report or to whom shall this arm or power of the Lord even Christ be revealed Why what was the reason Because the people should be very high in expectation and look for such a Christ as should even like David defend them from outward enemies warre and captivity But it was the pleasure of God that Christ should grow up by degrees as a tender plant n otregarded and as a root out of a dry ground which no man looks after to have no beauty or comliness that we should desire him A man of sorrows and griefes from whom all men should hide their saces yet surely saith he he hath borne our griefes and carried our sorrowes he was wounded for our transgressions the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed All we like Sheep have gone astray and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all c. But who are they that the Prophet is now speaking to Or who doth he here speak of Is he not speaking to Israel a people whom God did own above all people in the world and whom by an outward choice he had brought near to himself above all Nations whatsoever Yea and moreover was not Israel after the flesh a type of Israel in the spirit for all were not Israel in the spirit which which were so in the flesh Yea and the Prophet often calls them Zion and Jerusalem which doth usually signifie the Saints and Believers in the dayes of the Gospel and in speaking to these he doth figuratively speak of all the Saints who should believe in Christ Now Christ hath for these born and endured sorrowes and griefes for their transgressions was he wounded and his chastisement was their peace and they were healed by his stripes These were his lost sheep of the house of Israel which were gone astray and turned after their own wayes and that they might be reduced and brought home again the Lord said all their iniquities upon him With these he was content to make his grave though they were wicked in themselves that so he might be their righteousnesse and make them righteous in himself yea he emptied himself and lay down in death that they who were rich and full in their own apprehensions might empty themselves lie down in shame and receive of his fulnesse for these did the Lord bruise him and for these was his soul made an offering And to what end was all this That he might see his seed that he might thereby redeem a people from all iniquity and conform them to himself in all holinesse and so present them to the Father in himself spotlesse and blamelesse for this was the good pleasure of the Lord and it was prosperous in the hand of Christ for he did it effectually Yea Christ did prolong his dayes though he died as to the flesh and saw the travell of his soul and the fruit of his sufferings and was satisfied in the same for his bloud was not shed in vain for by his righteousnesse many not all were justified because he bare or suffered for their iniquities therefore God hath exalted him and made him glorious because he poured out his soul to death and bear the sinnes of not all but many Thus this Scripture being duly weighed all men may hence judge whether the Lord by the Prophet intends a general redemption of all without exception or of a peculiar people even mystical Israel whom he hath adopted to himself in Jesus Christ for Sonnes and Daughters for though the Lord be no respecter of persons as to any outward appearance he regards not

And he who is a Revealer of secrets and to whom interpretations doe belong shall in due time reveale the same unto you If you cannot receive it at present yet ye may in time but if not at all yet take heed of condemning it for heresie blasphemy Christ was called a blasphemer a Devil and that by Saints in profession Truth hath been adjudged to be falshood and sound doctrine hath been condemned for heresie in all ages If any dislike or cannot receive it because in some passages it may seem beyond his apprehension Let him know that the maine end of this is to carry up his heart to Christ above it selfe and if on the other hand any shall despise it and cast it away as too much below them let such know that it is not sent but to the lost sheep of the House of Israel and that the foolishness of God is wiser than men To whomsoever it comes it will bring this testimonie along that it hath no self-ends at all but comes meerly out of love to poore souls Deare Brethren Let me now in one word beseech you to lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh Be making toward your heavenly rest be longing after your Fathers house be owning of your own priviledges be standing fast in your own liberty be getting out of Babylon ye have dwelt long enough in confusion long enough in the mount of outward observations Take up your carriages raise up your hearts ask the way to Sion set your faces that way if you can but get one step into new Jerusalem you are past all danger here yee see sorrow sighing pain fear and death here you say oh that I were assured of Gods favour oh that I knew he loved me c. poore soules If ye were but entred into Christs spirituall Kingdome indeed if ye did but know God Christ and the Saints in the Spirit indeed your hearts would leap for ioy did you but know God in Christ Christ in the Saints the Saints united and made one with God in Christ by that one eternall Spirit your hearts would rejoyce your joy would be full yea yee would rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory Then you should see the Tabernacle of God with men and God dwelling with men or in men then should all teares be wiped away and then there should be no more feare of death no more sorrow nor crying nor paine in respect of the losse of Gods love and favour for all former things as namely all low and carnall apprehensions of God which caused feares doubts distractions would be passed away for there shall be no night nor clouds to hide his love but they that be his Servants shall serve him in Spirit and Truth and they shall see his face with joy and his name or glory shall be in their fore-heads or shine forth in them to his praise and they shall reigne with him here in joy and glory even in this life and shall at last injoy him in unconceiveable and eternall glory of which this is but a tast Brethren the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all Amen Your most affectionate Friend and Brother in Chist Iesus William Mason A LITTLE STARRE OR CATECHISME c. QUest What is the end of Catechizing Answ To instruct the ignorant in the knowledge of God and of themselves Q. Is there a God then A. Yes Psal 19. 1. The heavens declare that there is a glorious God and the firmament sheweth forth his handy work Q. What is God A. God is an eternal Spirit having his being in and of himself infinite in wisdome in power in justice in mercy and goodnesse yea who is all these in highest perfection Q. How doe you know that there is a God A. First By his works of creation and providence whereby his eternall power and God-head are wonderfully manifested And Secondly By the Scriptures which doe abundantly declare him But thirdly and chiefly By his Spirit which he hath given us 1 John 4. 14. and 20. Q. How many Gods be there A. There be many that are called Gods but to us there is but one God who is one intire invisible glorious being comprehending all things filling all things and who is not confined nor comprehended 1 Kings 8. 27. Q. Why then are the names and titles of God given to more than one namely to three called the three persons in the Trinity the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost if there be but one God A. God hath been pleased in much wisedom and goodness to manifest himself by and under these three denominations or titles not that there are three Gods but rather so many various discoveries and makings forth of one and the same God Q. What conceive you of God when he makes himself known by the name of Father A. First that he is the fountain the root the originall of all good to all men in relation to the outward condition And Secondly and chiefly that of and from himselfe he doth bring forth glorious discoveries and dispensations of infinite love and goodnesse toward the Sons of men electing and adopting them for himself drawing their souls up unto himself and making them partakers of himself Eph. 1. 4. 5. John 6. 44. Q. What conceive you of him when he makes forth himself by the name of Sonne A. Here is held forth a second way of his inexpressible love to man for here is a wonderfull condiscention the glorious God manifesting himself in the flesh taking on him our nature and our flesh becoming Immanuel or God made one with us in the flesh and in our nature and our flesh fulfilled all righteousness for us subjected himself in the flesh to death and curse to satisfie divine Justice which we had offended that by this means he might 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 us from that wrath and curse which we had deserved Q. And what doe you understand when he makes himself known by the name of Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit A. By this is manifested a third way of his abundant goodness for by his Spirit which is the powerfull working of his love in the hearts of his people he reveals and communicates himselfe with all the riches of his grace and love unto them yea by which he sanctifies and transforms them into his own Image fulfilling all righteousness in them and whereby he takes them into union with himselfe to live in him Q. Why did God make the world A. God who is infinitely glorious in himselfe yea who is an overflowing fulnesse of all glorious excellencies needed not the world to add to his glorious perfections but he made the world for the manifestation and declaration of his glory Q. Could not the glory of God shine forth sufficiently without the work of creation A. No That infinite and transcendent

all temporal blessings were made to the outward conformity and literal observations of the Law the Lord being pleased to deal with them as with children even to hire them to an outward conformity unto the same by giving them outward prosperity But the Covenant as it was inward and spiritual respected onely spiritual Israel believers both Jewes and Gentiles in all ages and in all nations to the end of the world Yet notwithstanding the Ordinances of the Law or Covenant were to continue but for a season namely until the promised seed should come which is Christ Q. What were those Ordinances and Services of the Law or Covenant A. First there was the Tabernacle and afterward the Temple which were representations of the flesh of Christ and also of the Saints in whom God would please to dwell and manifest himself And then there was the Priesthood of Aaron signifying the eternal Priesthood of Christ And there were also many Sacrifices and Offerings which did betoken the Sacrifice of Christ who should by that one offering of himself to God obtain eternal redemption for them And there were many and divers washings and cleansings which did shew forth the bloud of Christ which can onely wash and cleanse away all sin These and many others being visible representations and significations of Christ in the flesh his perfect fulfilling of the Law his making satisfaction to divine Justice c. All which were to be fulfilled and accomplished in him which being done the significations were to cease and to be of no more use Q. The Gentiles or Heathen had no fellowship or communion at all with the Israelites but were utter enemies unto them and hated them and sought their ruine continually How or in what respect then did the Law or the Covenant therein contained concern the Gentiles or belong to them A. The Lord having in his eternal purpose chosen to himself a people to be heires of life by Christ Jesus did yet notwithstanding for many generations suspend the manifestation of his love and favour unto all the people of the world except the seed of Abraham or the Israelites onely whom he had brought near to himself and to whom he manifested his great love not onely in outward and temporal blessings but chiefly in spiritual administrations withall forbidding them to have any communion with any nation whatsoever unlesse they would be circumcised and worship God according as he had commanded them which thing occasioned such an enmity and hatred in all nations against the Israelites that they would not be reconciled unto them at any hand yea though the enemies were very different in Religion and Idol-worship and hated one another even unto death yet they could agree together against the Israel of God to root out their name from the earth And this enmity or hatred was not against them as they were men or because they were of different nations but herein lay the enmity because the Israelites did worship the true God with such holy worship as he had commanded the seed of the Serpent or the Devil in all false worships and religions persecuting the seed of the woman or Christ and the Saints in the true Religion and pure worship of God in all agés and so the hatred was not onely against the Israelites in their persons but even against the good wayes of God in his pure worship and herein against God himself The great mystery that the Gentiles should be heires of life with the Jewes partakers of the same promises and of the same body was not yet revealed but kept secret But now they who were sometimes afarre off were made nigh by the bloud of Christ for Christ by subjecting himself in the flesh to death did break down that partition wall and that enmity that was between Jewes and Gentiles being slain thereby so that although they before were twain and hated one another yet now by the death of Christ they were united and made one and not onely reconciled to one another but also to God through faith in Jesus Thus the Gentiles by the preaching of the Gospel came to know that which before they did not know even to believe their Son-ship and their interest in the Covenant by Jesus Christ yet notwithstanding they were not under the Law as it was a Covenant of works for temporal blessings for so it concerned the Israelites onely and according as they acted to the command so they prospered in their temporal estates and this part of the Covenant was peculiar onely unto them But as the Law was spiritual and contained in it a Covenant of grace so all the elect both Jewes and Gentiles were concluded in it it being an eternal Covenant made with all the Saints in Jesus Christ in the eternal purpose of God before the world began and in due time manifested according to the dispensation of God who worketh all things according to the counsel of his own will that is who revealeth and discovereth himself in Jesus to whomsoever after what way soever and in what time soever he himself pleaseth But yet the Gentiles were not under those legall services and formal observations of the Covenant as the Passeover Circumcision all those Sacrifices and Offerings those legall washings and cleansings in a word all that Temple-worship whatsoever they being all fulfilled consummated and ended in Christ for now in this way of Temple-worship neither Jewes nor Gentiles were to worship God he having withdrawn himself in his appearances out of all these things but now both Jewes and Gentiles were to look unto God in Christ in whom and by whose most precious death and bloud-shedding he declared himself to be fully satisfied for all those transgressions and disobediences from which they could not be justified by the workes of the Law Q. The Gentiles indeed were not to observe those legall Worships and Services which the Jewes did But were they not to make the Law of God the rule of their obedience A. The Law as it was delivered to Israel upon the Mount so it was a revelation of the most holy and perfect will of God and so it was the rule of their obedience Now the Law being of a twofold consideration it was the will of God that their obedience should be suteable thereto First As the Law was outward and respected onely the outward man so it was his will that they should be obedient in all things to the very letter and form of all his commands and herein they were to act with all their strength in case they would be outwardly happy But secondly As the Law was spirituall and concerned the inward man so their obedience was to be answerable to the will of God herein Now it was not the will of God that they should act herein according to the letter and think to attain Righteousnesse by a strict

can abound I can as well be content to be hungry as to be full fed to be poor as to be rich to suffer as to raign to dye as to live when a man can live in God and unto God above all this world and esteem all things but drosse and dung in comparison of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus And true faith is also profitable to men when it is exercised in godly conference building up one another comforting one another and if need require reproving one another when it works in feeding the hungry clothing the naked releiving the oppressed and by doing to every man as we would be done unto This is living faith and it is thus evidenced to be alive Thus we are not justified by nor for our good workes for we are his workmanship created a new in Christ Jesus unto good workes that we should walk inthem Justification where it is indeed will evidence it self by acts of sanctification Q. What is sanctification And how is it wrought A. As Christ is made of God righteousnesse unto us for justification so also for sanctification as he is our justification because he perfectly fulfilled the righteousnesse of the Law for us and paid all our debts yeilding up himself to death for us so also he is become our sanctification by fulfilling the righteousnesse of the Law in our hearts even by living in us As we are justified by his death so we are saved or sanctified by his ●sfe Sanctification is an act of Gods infinite love whereby he takes us out of Adam or the old man and puts us into Christ or the new man and this is the new creation or the new creature when a man that before was unholy profane and to every good work void of judgement is now become through the power of Christ living in him holy unblameable and ready to every good work and this is wrought by the power of God revealing Christ in the soul when Christ is revealed in the soul to be white and ruddy the most excellent the most amiable one in whom God is well pleased and in whom his soul delighteth yea and by whom and in whom he is well pleased with poor sinners and delights in them then that soul is ravished with his beauty which is his love and with beholding or apprehending of it is transformed into the same Image of love more and more Christ is the Saints life and this life is hid in God untill it be revealed and when Christ who is our life doth appear in the soul then the soul lives in his life and appeares with him in glory Now every one in whom Christ lives indeed he conformes them to himself First in death if Christ be risen in the soul then the old man is crucified that the body of sin might be destroyed and the soul is dead indeed unto sin but alive unto God in holinesse through Jesus Christ who lives in him Secondly Where Christ is risen indeed there is a conformity in life Christ being the life living in the soul the soul must needs live indeed and live unto God and not any longer to the flesh for to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace and thus is Christ our sanctification when he arises and appeares in our hearts whereby he transformes and changes us into his own Image even his Image of glory more and more Q. But doth not the Lord in Scripture call men to repentance and promise them life upon condition of the same yea the Lord doth solemnly protest that he delights not in the death of him that dieth but rather that he should repent and turn and live And again why will yee die repent and turn and live yee And our Saviour saith except yee repent yee shall all perish and the Apostles exhort them in the Acts to repent for the remission of sinnes and that their sinnes might be blotted out And again if we confesse our sinnes he is faithfull and just to forgive us our sinnes and to cleanse us from all unrighteousnesse Doth it not from all these places appear very plain that repentance is necessarily required as a meanes or at least a condition of life A. There is in Scripture a twofold repentance spoken of a repentance of the Law and a repentance of the Gospel The repentance which is of the Law is suteable to that Covenant of workes which the Israelites were under for temporal blessings when they at any time acted contrary to the command then the Lord plagued them sometimes with famine pestilence warre captivity c. untill they did repent and when they repented or ceased from their wicked wayes and works then the Lord would also repent or remove the judgement for temporal blessings were promised upon condition of outward obedience and temporal punishments were diverted or turned away upon their legal repentance and ceasing from their evill wayes In the time of Ezekiels prophesie the Israelites were many of them in captivity already and the rest of them were threatened and when the Lord by the Prophet called for repentance the people thought it was to small purpose to repent seeing their fathers had eaten sour grapes and their teeth were set on edge and that it was but a light businesse to promise them any good upon condition of repentance seeing they did but pine away in their fathers sinnes To which the Lord commands the Prophet to tell them that it was no such matter it was their own sin which was the cause of their misery and that if they would return from their idolatries and other abominations he would cease from punishing of them and hereupon uses that solemn oath As I live I have no delight in plaguing you I had rather yee would turn from your evill wayes and live in your own land why will yee die or why will yee be slain or die by famine or pestilence c. And so our Saviour tells those which spake to him of Pilates cruelty that unlesse they did repent they should likewise perish meaning that some temporal judgement would overtake them and thus legal repentance served onely for the preventing or diverting of temporal punishments But repentance which is of the Gospel is not any meanes or condition of life for eternal life is the gift of God through Jesus Christ our Lord and it is a free gift and not purchased by repentance nor yet promised nor given upon condition of repentance for it is not sin nor Satan nor death it self can make a separation between them that are elected and the love of God in Christ Jesus which is eternal life The Lord who hath promised is not a man that he should lie or the son of man that he should repent in this respect Now this repentance is called godly sorrow and it is wrought by the working power of

any man as he is a man as he is a Jew nor as he is a Gentile as he is rich or as he is poor bond or free but as he is in Christ and Christ in him In this sence the Lord doth accept persons for he accepts of these in Christ and as for others who are not in Christ he regards them not be they Jew or Gentile high or low noble or base he accepts of none but in whom he appeares and manifests himself by Jesus Christ Q. But is not God in all men Is not he one and the same and doth not he infinitely comprehend all things in himself All come from his fulnesse and he dwells in all and every one in his fulnesse for he cannot be divided a piece in one and a piece in another but he is all and in all and to all onely there is not the same manifestations in some he lies hid and in others he shines forth and we are said to be the off spring of God and to live move and have our being in him How then can it be but that all must be saved seeing God is in all and all are in him A. That God doth infinitely comprehend all things in himself and that all things even the whole creation proceeded from his fullnesse is a truth yea that God is in all men in some sence or respect is also granted Man being created in the Image of God was thereby able to act according to God but having by sinne defaced this Image he was now become more like Satan than God And though he had lost all his wisdome and strength to act according to the will of God in things spiritual yet there remained so much of the light of nature in him namely his natural understanding and reason which served him and whereby he was enabled to act in moral and civill things and to leave him without excuse For without understanding and reason he could not be able to glorify God as God in the outward creation Now this natural understanding and reason as it is purely natural so God ownes it as a sparke of his Image but as it is corrupted and defiled with sinne so he disowns it and this is that which doth accuse or excuse When naturall men led on by the light of nature did act according to reason or judgement then their conscience did excuse them But when they acted contrary to reason even from corrupt and carnal principles then their naturall conscience was against them and accused them And this naturall principle hath many names even in Scripture somtimes it is called a knowing of God or a knowledge of God Sometimes mans righteousnesse Rom. 10. 3. And sometimes mans wisdome and the spirit of the World c. And by this spirit or principle of nature God is in all and acts in all rationall men yet in some in a higher and in others in a lower degree For it is by this spirit or principle that all natural and civill men act lawfully in all natural and civil things For there is not any action in the world that is naturally and civilly good but in this respect it is of God Neither can God ly hid in this respect in the most wicked or carnal men For even they many times do act things in themselves that are naturally and civilly good And thus all men may be said to be the off-spring of God not onely because they all came from him as their original but also as they are acted by him through a spirit or principle of nature to walk honestly and civilly in things of outward concernment But now there is a more special and spiritual in-dwelling of God in the Saints namely the eternal in-dwelling of his love in Jesus Christ wherely he hath from all eternity chosen them and made them one with himself in Christ And in due time in their several generations hath manifested and doth manifest and reveal this love which is Christ in their hearts which doth assure them of their adoption and of their union with him And whereby they are carried forth to live up to him yea to live in him being transformed more and more into his own glorious Image even by his spirit dwelling in them Now that God is not thus in all men namely in his love in Jesus Christ is clear both from Scripture and common experience The Apostle in the eighth Chapter of the Romanes and the first Verse layes this down as a firme conclusion That there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus But who are they Such as walk not after the flesh but after the spirit Now to walk after the spirit is to be led forth by the same to mortifie the deeds of the body that henceforth they might not serve sin For Jesus Christ who is in them a law of the Spirit which is a law of Life doth free them first from sinne and then from death But there are some that walk after the flesh and mind or are led onely by a naturall principle and this tends onely to death because this spirit or carnal principle is at enmity against God and neither is nor can be subject or obedient to Christ who is the Law of life or power of God to salvation in all that do believe but is full of self-righteousnesse acting by legall and fleshly performances for life and happiness And being thus earnal in their minds cannot please God because partaking not of Christ or of that spirit wherewith he is annointed they are not nor cannot be any of his But walk in the vanity of their own minds having nothing but darknesse in their understandings and by reason of that ignorance are estranged from the glorious Light and Life of God even Jesus Christ and being hardned by continual custome in sinne become at length insensible and give themselves over unto lasciviousness and wantonness to act all manner of uncleannesse and that with greedinesse But the Saints have better learned Christ for they being annointed with and receiving of his Spirit do therefore mind the things thereof and are led forth thereby into all well pleasing actions Christ who is the Life being risen in their hearts the old man or body of sinne is destroyed mortified and put off by little and little even as he is pleased to manifest himself But the wicked even the children of disobedience or unbeliefe they have no fellowship in Christs Kingdome which is Spiritual nor no inheritance in the Kingdome of God which is in glory eternal though they deceive themselves For the wrath of God cometh and abideth on them And thus it is clear from Scripture that God is not in all men in his love in Jesus Christ for he is where he comes in Christ both Light and Life and where he is thus he acts like himself And

and abhominable and murderers and sorcerers and Idolaters and all liars shall have their part in the lake of fire and brimstone which is the second death Yet those words can have no relation to mens persons for if they have what will then become of all men for what man is there which hath not one or other of these sins in him but great is the mistery of godlinesse God manifest in the flesh the truth manifest in a form so here is a mistery wrapt up in these words for this evill is not threatned against the persons of any no not of the most wicked but against these and all other particular sins and offences which break through the persons of men which being put together make up a perfection of wickednesse And which as a body of uncleanness dwells in men and this the Apostle calls flesh and sin even in himself And this is that which must be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone The wrath of God shall never cease burning up these lusts in this body of sin and death untill it hath quite consumed them For what other heaven can be intended or expected but a glorious uniting of all good things into God or what other hell can be imagined but a casting away of all evill things into Torment confusion and darknesse A. That heaven and hell are misteries and are also of various significations is not denied for the kingdome of heaven is sometimes taken for the outward profession of the Gospel and sometimes for the inward life and power of the Gospell c. Hell is also taken sometimes for the grave and sometimes for Satans kingdome in mens hearts for he is called the prince of the power of the aire the spirit that rules in the hearts of the Children of disobedience And although heaven and hell be misteries yet they are not altogether misteries The Scriptures are misteries but yet they are misteries revealed Christ spake sometimes plainly and spake no parable heaven and hell are misteries yet misteries revealed for there are these three things in all misteries 1. The historical or litteral narration 2. The interpretation and meaning And thirdly the truth or substance and reality And the first and the second of these be meer nothings without the third True indeed where God is there is heaven for God dwells in glory which is heaven and by his glorious appearance in his Saints he brings heaven into their hearts Againe hell is where Satan is and that is in wicked men For he dwels and raignes in them and hath his kingdome in their hearts sometimes he steales into the Saints and troubles them and disturbes their peace and causes mutinies in the soul but he dwels not there long for Christ and he cannot dwell long together Christ casts him out and suffers him no more to enter that is not to raigne And that God is not in all men in his love in Jesus Christ which is heaven hath been shewed already But he is onely so in his Saints whom he doth not onely act and order by outward and generall providences But also hath taken them into himself through his Son by his spirit and they are so united or made one with himself in that eternal spirit that they are thereby carried forth of themselves to live with him and in him Christ makes in them a separation indeed for he casts out by degrees the old man with all his deeds which is that body of sin the Apostle speaks of which is not wholy subdued while the Saints abide in the flesh and so he is gathering all the Saints which are those good things for the Saints are himself into God which is unity in glory blessednesse heaven But as for the wicked Christ is not in them nor they in him nor of him but of their father the devill And being incorporated and made one with him in sinne so they are carried on by him to live in all ungodlinesse with him and so must needs be in hell for Satan hath his kingdome in their hearts hence it is that out of that bottomlesse pit proceed murders adulteries c. and whatsoever is evill and of the devill And hence it is also that wicked men are many times tormented with hellish feares and terrors And thus wicked men are in hell when they think themselves to be in heaven even in this life But more especially by hell torment to which the wicked are reserved untill the judgement of the great day to suffer the vengeance of eternal fire when all sin and all sinners and devils and wicked spirits shall be gathered into one body and confounded or cast into a condition of torment or lake of fire which shall be kindled with the wrath of God like a river of brimstone which is the second death And whereas it is said that the evill or punishment threatened in the 21. Rev. 8. cannot relate to mens persons because if it should what would then become of all men there being not a man that hath not one or other of these sinnes in him and so conclude it to be a mystery wrapt up in a form of words To which it is answered that the Saints are in Gods esteem without sin for he lookes upon them in Christ and as Christ and so he cannot behold iniquity in them Again the Saints are born of God as to the divine nature in them and all that is born of God sins not neither can for the seed of God remaines in him Again to say and affirm that the Saints see an end of sin in them and that Christ hath finished transgression in them and that let them doe what they will they cannot sin and yet to conclude that the punishments there spoken of cannot relate to mens persons because the Saints must needs be guilty as having sin in them if this be not a mystery or rather a contradiction let all men judge Indeed the Saints even the best of them are in hell before they be in heaven for they all passe through a state of nature a kingdome of sin where while they remain unregenerated they are in the kingdome of Satan without Christ and without God in the world But when God reveales Christ in the soul when they are regenerated and born anew when Christ who is both light and life appeares then they are translated out of this kingdome of darknesse and entred into heaven then they are in the glory of God for God dwells in glory and when he hath taken any soul into himself in the least measure or degree then that soul is in heaven And this is many times but a low and clouded condition and great mixtures of light and darknesse day and night peace and trouble because they cannot apprehend any thing of God but through a veil or fleshly ordinances and formes of worship and therefore see and enjoy