himselfe into other shapes if ten horns be too heavy to be born he will be content to wear but two like a Lamb rather then none at all Qu. Why is Satan called a Serpent Answ Because in his first prevailing with that woman he did either make use of the Serpent Gen. 3.1 who was a Subtill creature and so comes in the Serpent unto the woman or else secondly transformes himselfe in the shape and forme of the Serpent and so represents himselfe unto the woman and so from hence received the denomination of a Serpent Rev. 12.9 In the first then learne that Satan usually makes use of the wisest and subtilest creatures to bring to passe his will in or by them if the second learn that Satan can transforme himselfe into any shape or forme to delude and deceive soules A third cause of mans fall was disobedient acting contrary to the mind of God In the day thou Eatest ihereof thou shalt dye saith the Lord Adam eateth thereof and dieth disobedience was the cause of mans fall Rom. 5.18.19 Qu. What was Adams disobedience An. Eating the forbidden fruit Gen. 2.15 Qu. What was this fruit Ans The fruit of a Tree in the Garden or Paradise of God Gen. 2 9.16 called the Tree of knowledge of good and evill good if a man did not eate of it evill if he did eat of it A Tree who so eateth the fruit thereof shall know the difference between good and evill so he indeed knew good by the want of it and evill by the sence enjoyment of it What mystery might be presented by this pleasant fruit I shall not at present dispute because it is something dark unto me whether sin which seems very pleasant unto a carnal eye or the world which much prevailes upon a carnall mind or honour or both All these temptations Satan made use of unto Christ himselfe and represented them to his eye as a deceiveable fruit if possible he might deceive him And the Tree of Life representing Christ that whosoever eateth drinketh of him might live for ever Io. 4 14. Rev. 22.2 SECTION 6. Mans misery by reason of his fall MAns misery by the sinne of Adam was death In dying thou shalt dy or thou shalt dye the death Gen. 2.17 Now under the name of Death the Scriptures comprehend divers things A spirituall death in sin so are all naturall men dead in trespasses and sinnes subject to externall miseries and deadly plagues Exod. 10 17. Externall afflictions upon the body so Paul 2 Cor. 1.5.6 the dissolution of mans externall and naturall ltfe Gen. 35.18 Psal 146.4 The perdition of body and soule for ever All which miseries come in by the sin of Adam As the second Adam was the way letting in all good to mankind so was the first Adam the way or floud-gate letting in all miseries upon foule and body Object Some will object and say But how could Adam lose a spirituall life and so come under a spirituall death seeing he never had a spirituall life in God how could he lose that which he never had Answ Although Adam had never a spirituall life in God yet he had a spirituall subsisting given him of God free from sin and so capable of defilement For the truth is it is the internall part of man that sins the forme or body of man is acted by the guiding of the internall part so that Adam now dyes in his spirit he hath neither power wisdome nor will to do that which is well-pleasing to the Lord he hath not only lost that wisdome will and power of acting in the first Adam but likewise of believing and so of applying that salvation tendered in the second Adam untill he spiritually and powerfully draw up the soule unto himselfe John 6.44 and so makes him not onely partaker of all that compleat righteousnesse wrought for him but likewise sulfils all righteousnesse in him Rom. 8.4 Or else mans misery may be considered under these three heads 1. A condition of death as you have heard In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt dye the death that is death internall and death externall and death eternall without a meanes or a remedy preventing it 2. A condition of enmity I will put enmity between thee and the woman between thy seed and her seed all unbelievers which so live and remaine are in a state of enmity God hath not declared himselfe any other unto them and their nature is still at enmity with God 3. A condition of insufficiency to help themselves Adam was not able to help himselfe and all he could doe was to hide himselfe he could not deliver himselfe out of this condition neither are all the sons and daughters of Adam able to help one soule our of this condition if God help not Therefore this should teach soules made alive by Christ to admire mercy and to cry Grace Grace un to the whole work of God both in them and for them SECT IV. What is the meanes God hath appointed for the recovery of man out of this condition THe meanes God hath appointed to deliver Man out of this condition is Jesus Christ and therefore promiseth Christ immediatly upon the Fall Gen. 3.15 Herein is Gods love manifested that he leaves not man in his lost estate but gives forth his Son out of his bosome that he might seek and save that which was lost and so deliver us from wrath to come Rom. 5.9 1 Thes 1.10 He is Jesus the Saviour and the alone Saviour of his people from their sins Mat. 1.21 acts 4.12 that is he is the alone way through which the Father brings downe salvation to sinners and through which he drawes up soules to himselfe there is no other way of God down to the soule nor of the soule up to God but through Jesus Iohn 14.6 Quest What must Christ Iesus undertake and performe before the breach is made up and faln man recovered Answ 1. He must take the sinne and fault upon himselfe Isai 53.6 1 Pet. 2.24 He that knew no sin was made sin for us that we might be made the righteousnes of God in him 2 Cor. 5.21 Admirable mercy that when man had sinned and lost himselfe Jesus Christ who never knew sin either in act or thought must now take upon him the sinners sin and so be made as it were a lump of sin and this he did willingly of himselfe he bare out sins on his owne body on the Crosse Christ took the whole sinne of Adam and the whole world upon himselfe when Adam had sinned and all mankind in him Adam and all must have died Christ takes the sinne upon himselfe and so taking the sinne upon himselfe he withall takes the curse and so undergoes the sentence of death The curse was In the day thou Eat est theroof thou shalt dye the death Christ he dies the death that so he might free man from death and so Christ in bearing the sinne and the
Answ 1. By the same power by which Jesus Christ was raised which was by the power spirit of God he was declared to be the son of God with power by his resurrection from the dead Rom. 1.4 Secondly by the same power and spirit the Saints are inlightned selfe which is the same power by which the body of Christ was raised so that when we say we are raised by the resurrection of Christ in the spirit that is by the same power by which Christ was raised therefore the Apostle desireth to know the power of the death resurrection of Christ Phil. 3.10 by the same power and spirit shall our bodies be raised at the last day Rom. 8.11 1 Cor. 15.13 14 15 16. this being a truth that they shall be raised by the same power it may some what direct us to the forme in which they shall be raised which is the second particular that is in a spirituall forme not in a fleshly for as the spirit of Christ raiseth us up in the spirit while we are here so shall it raise up our bodies in the spirit at the last day it is sowne a naturall body it is raised a spirituall body our vile bodies shall be changed and made like his glorieus body he tooke upon him our form that so we might be brought into his form for when he shall appear we shall be made like unto him the substance of our naturall body raised in spirit Of judgement it is appointed to all men once to dye but after this the judgement when all men shall be called to an account before him to wit the Lord Jesus there to give an account for all things done in their bodies whether good or bad Mat. 25. and so God in this way will acquit his Saints and clear them before the world although this is not their life neither that in which they appear Mat. 25.36 to 40. Fourthly of the estate of the Saints after Judgement it is first ever to be with the Lord beholding his glory l Thes 4.17 Iohn 17.24 and in his presence will be fullnesse of joy and 2. at his right hand everlastingly to be compleated in the same glory Col. 3.3 when Christ who is our life shall appear we shall appear with him in glory all flesh shall be swallowed up in spirit and our bodyes shall be changed and made like his glorious body all things that offend shall be done away and we shall be made eternally one in the Father and in the Sonne and in the Spirit one in eternity one in injoyment and one in glory this for the Saints is enough to know besides what shall be we do not know it is an height and debth a length and breadth unsearchable Oh the unsearchable riches of Christ what the Saints do injoy what they shall injoy swallowes up the spirituall Christian in the beholding of it hence let us continue searching after an higher measure of the height depth bredth and length of his love which passeth knowledge and there shal we be able to see and say that his wisdome is unsearch able and his wayes past finding on t FINIS A briefe discovery of Antichrist both in the Mystery and in the History By THOMAS COLLIER 1647. For my more cleare proceeding in the discovery of the Man of Sinne five things are considerable 1 What Antichrist or the man of Sin is 2 What his Reigne 3 What shall be his discovery 4 What his ruine 5 When his ruine shall be SECTION 1. What Antichrist or the Man of sin is ANtichrist or the Man of fin is to be considered either in the spirit or in the Letter 1. in the Spirit Antichrist signifies one seemingly for Christ yet indeed is against him and so is but a man of sin a Son of perdition and this he will appear to be both in the Mystery and in the History 1. In the mysterie or spirit and in this he hath taken hold of every man especially in these latter dayes yet t is true much time hath been spent by many to find out this man of sin who he is and for the most part ascribe it to some particular man never looking at the mystery or root of iniquity which is not in the first place a man but a wicked thing in man and this for want of a spirit of discerning we have not seen Antichrist in our selves but have cast him upon others and so misse of the thing or at least most strike at the top boughes and are ignorant of the root Now Antichrist in the mystery or spirituall and internall part It is a confederacie between Sathan and the deceitfull heart of man transforming himselfe into an Angell of light nay into the Sonne of Light and while nothing lesse then Christ and Christian wil satisfie he will be the Christ or at least the Antichrist in stead of Christ to deceive soules For this was and is the last the greatest and most deceiving stratagem that ever Satan made use of to ruin soules that where he cannot content soules but they must be Christians he can be content with that so he may be the Christ hence he is called the man of sin the Son of perdition that wicked deceiver 2 Thes 2. It is not Satan acting in a carnall and filthy form of flesh but in the most refined part of the first Adam so he keeps the creature in the first Adam still he cares not 1. There must be a reformation that it shall injoy provided it be legally in the Letter it must believe or else it cannot be satisfied and believe it doth but the ground must be built upon that first reformation qualification c. wisdom is required to walk in Gods wayes and to the knowledge of the mind of God wisdom must and may be obtained provided it be humane the wisdom of the first Adam that is enough power of acting must likewise of necessity be obtained a power shall be obtained but it must be a creature-power and a creature-acting under the name and notion of the power of God that is indeed and in truth condemned though in name owned there must now sometimes be a spirituall mind and that injoyes likewise in its own apprehension although hardly obtained and indeed the highest pitch of spirituallnesse is but carnall to the spirituall mans injoyment this is a high pitch of spirituall mindednesse where Satan dwells to have selfe thoughts of reformation thoughts to pray more to walke more exactly and to please God better never thoughts of living out of its selfe more and of living in the injoyment of God in the spirit more and spirituall joy it must haue sometimes too why that it shall have likewise but it must arise from inlargement in duties humiliations selfe-actings reformation and all from selfe and thus Satan and the deceitfull heart joynes together to the delusion of many a soule and this is Antichristian in the mysterie the man of sinne spoken of in Scripture that
the Church what p. 75. SECTION 9. The spirituall Kingdom of Christ in his Church in the latter dayes of the Gospel discovered p. 80. Who are the subjects of Christs Kingdom p. 81 The externall glory of the Church of Christ in latter dayes p. 82. 83 The spirituall glory of the Church p. 85. The Kingdome of Christ wholly spirituall p. 90 Objections answered conceruing the personall reigne of Christ p. 93 SECTION 10. Of death resurrection and Judgement p. 108. 2. Part. A briefe discovery of Antichrist or the man of sin both in the History and in the Mystery p 113 To the Reader PErusing this Treatise J could not but take notice of some pretious truths in it and commend them abroad The spirituall designe of this Author I find to be this Rom. 14 17. Ephes 4.3 2 Cor. to set up the Kingdome of God in spirit and to draw believers by that more into spirit and that no difference of outward administration or Ordinances should divide Christians that are baptised into one spirit which truth J did much rejoyce to see from his Pen and practise and should rejoyce to see the like from all the rest We know he is not a Jew who is one outward Rom. 2. neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh we are the circumcision saith the Apostle Phil. 3. who rejoyce in Christ Iesus and have no confidence in the flesh There are some excellent truthes hinted in this Book which I intend to speak on as of the two Adams the spirituall Church the spirituall Liberty the spirituall not personall reigne of Christ in a little Treatise of my owne Ephes 1.17 â— Cor. 2. The Lord fill us with the Spirit of wisdom and Revelation The spiritual man judgeth all things John Saltmarsh THE MARROVV OF CHRISTIANITY SECTION 1. Of Adams Condition before his fall THe condition of Adam in his innocency before his fall was 1. A condition of humane perfection an upright and perfect man this is the conclusion of wisdome Eccles 7.29 Loe this only have I found that God hath made man upright but they sought out many inventions Obj. But it is said Gen. 1.27 that God created man in his own Image in the Image of God created he him therefore it seemes that Adam had more in him then perfect humanity that he was made partaker of the divine nature Answ For the clearing of this Scripture two things are to be considered 1. what is meant by the Image of God 2. what is not meant by it 1. what we are to understand by the Image of God in which Adam was created 1. reason wisdom and understanding Adam was made a reasonable wise and understanding man in this particuler he was in the Image of God A wise God there is no searching of his understanding Esa 40.28 Adam had the Image of Gods wisdome not the wisdome of God not the thing it selfe it dwelled in God fully it was essential in him but imparted to Adam it was and is in God essentially he is wisdome it selfe Adam was but the Image God himselfe the substance That this Image was in man at first appears first from Scripture Gen. 2.19.20 the Lord brought all the creation to wit sensitive Creatures before Adam that he might give names unto them or to see what he would call them God would now put him to the imploying of that reason and understanding he had given unto him a perfection of reason above all other Creatures 2. It appeares from naturall experience hence it is that there is so much enquiring after a perfection of humane reason so much studying of Arts as Phylosophy Logick Rhetorick c. but from these corrupted reliques or principls of reason yet remaining in falne man striving after hardly being satisfied without the perfection of reason able to give a reason of all thiings this your heathen Philosophers have gon far in this is that maybe attained in an high measure yet be but a reasonable moral man nay were it possible to attaine that perfection that was in Adam yet it would be no more then a morall humane perfection and this is that which many who bear the name of Christians to much presse after glory in as if without this wisdom there could be no knowledge of mind of Christ thus did the Greeks seek after wisdom 1. Cor. 1.22 the Greeks being the deepest in the knowledge of humane Arts and of the nature and cause of things therefore they would judge of the Gospel according to reason they seek after natural wisdom but saith the Apostle we preach Christ to the Greeks foolishnesse so indeed is the Gospel in the mystery of it meer folly to the highest naturall understanding in the world nay it is that which the wisdome of the Gospel destroyes where it comes in power he destroyes the wisdome of the wise and brings to nought the understanding of the prudent 1 Cor. 1.19 and here lyes the great mystery of mistake I had almost said of Iniquity we seek after the knowledge of God unto this wisdome of the first Adaem how many are there that would confine the knowledge of God in the wisdome who are not ashamed to say that Phylosophy is the mother of Theologie without this naturall wisdome men must com short in the knowledge of God when the truth is the first Adam was of the earth earthly the 2d is the Lord from heaven and they who have but the first Adams wisdome are stil of the earth earthly the wisdom of the first Adam comes infinitly short of bringing us to the knowledge of God in the spirit but it is by the wisdome of the second Adam who is the Lord from heaven and the wisdome of the father we attaine the knowledge of God in the spirit which wisdom destroyes brings to nought the wisdom of the first Adam 1 Cor. 1.19 Chap. 2.6 7 8. and 3 Chap. 18.19.20 Note that all unbelievers and carnall professors are in the wisdom of the first Adam all believers spiritually made alive by Jesus being delivered from themselves are in the wisdome of the second Adam the Lord Jesus who is the wisdome of the Father 1 Cor. 1.24 2 Adam was in the Image of God that was in a perfect morall pure and sinlesse condition he was made upright innocent without sin but he sought out many inventions Quest How may a morall purity and righteousnesse be said to be the Image of God Answ 1. God was and is perfectly essentially and spiritually pure Adam was but the Image or Character of this purity as it is possible to draw a compleat Image of Character of a living man in a peece of stone or timber and we say and speak truly that it is the Image or likenesse of a living man yet it is not a living man nor hath it any part of mans nature in him even so was Adam in the Image of God there was not onely the wisdome
for the witness of Jesus were raised or lived and reigned with Christ as the sense of the former then they that shall be alive at the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep so that the spirit of God might as well deliver a truth which is in the Present tense in the Preterpluperfect tense as a truth in the Present tense which was in the Future and yet is all to exercise the mind of him that readeth and to let us know there is mystery in the Gospel Secondly very few Saints have been beheaded in the litterall sence those that have dyed for Christ have dyed other deaths and not beheaded therefore we cannot understand it in the Letter but in the spirit The fourth particular propounded was what was meant in that the rest of the dead were not raised untill the 1000. yeares were finished that is none that had been bodily dead Saints or wicked good or bad were raised till after the 1000. yeares were finished and then you shall see the resurrection of all which is called the second resurrection the first is called a resurrection and the first resurrection because it shall be a resurrection from shame and disgrace in the world And secondly it shall be a glorious resurrection in the spirit this first all the Saints have in some measure been partakers of it Thus it appeares that Christ shall have a Kingdome a glorious a spirituall One Quest But when shall this Kingdome be Ans It is already begun in the spirits of Saints The Kingdome of Heaven is within you 2. I beleeve that the time of the 1000 years which is a more glorious estate in the spirit is not yet begun but the beginning of that time shall be when the 7. seales are fully opened c. the 7. Trumpets fully sounded and the 7 vials powred forth they being but effects of each other the opening of the seales occasions the sound of the Trumpets the sound of the trumpets occasions the vials the opening of the seales the unfolding of the mysteries of the Gospell which have been hid Rev. 5.1 2. As light breaks forth the Trumpets sound the servants of Jesus preach forth the mystery of the Gospell in the power and puritie of it occasions the vials of wrath to fall upon the Antichristian estate both in the spirit and in the letter which work is now adoing Wait the Lords time and it will come on apace But first we are yet like to be given into the hands of the little horn who changes times lawes the two witnesses are yet like to be slain and to lye dead 3 dayes and a halfe and the Woman cloathed with the Sun to be driven into the wildernes for a little space a time times and halfe a time the beast with two hornes like a Lambe hath yet a little time to make use of his power perswading them that dwell in the earth to make an Image to the first beast and that none but those who own it shall buy or sell with them the Saints beheaded under the Alter to wait a little time before they be raised up to live with Christ 1000. yeares but it is not long the vision is for an appointed time in the end it will speak and not lye it will come and not tarry the first 1000. is almost past the second and third are coming on apace and all the Nations and Kingdoms in the world will come apace to be the Kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ and he shall reigne for ever their lives shall be prolonged for a season and a time and other Scriptures are alleaged for a personall reign of Christ as the stone cut out of the Mountain without hands Dan. 2. that is the glorious power of Christ by weak meanes subduing al Antichristian enemies without his Saints all Antichristian things by his spirit within them So that in Dan. 7.10 the glorious company of Saints attending on Christ in the spirit which shall be fulfilled at the raising of the two witnesses up into Heaven in the sight of their enemies Rev. 5.10 11. This is the first glorious work of the Lord Jesus in and amongst the Saints the Lord reigneth let the Saints rejoyce the Lord reigneth let the world tremble see Zach. 14.5 The Lord our God will come and all the Saints with him that is Christ will come in the Spirit and all the Saints shall appear gloriously in him A word of application First if this be truth that the Kingdome of Christ is a spirituall Kingdome and not of this world this may inform us how farr besides the Gospel in the spirit and truth of it those men are who make the Kingdome of Christ to be meerely politicall and a state-Kingdome who turne the world by a humane power into the Church and Kingdome of Christ as they say and Christ must have a worldly carnall Kingdome no better th n the Kings of the earth enjoy or else he shall have none at all it savours exceedingly of the earth and ere long thither it must returne 2. This could incourage the Saints to pres forward after the knowledge of God in the spirit that as the Kingdom of Christ is spirituall and not of this world so may the Saints Kingdome likewise be in the spirit and so all their enioyments may be spirituall enjoyments this is that will make the soule fat and wel-liking in the Lord I l fithe soule with joy and peace which the world is not acquainted with their eyes never saw it nor their hearts conceived it neither are they like to see it unlesse the Lord make them spirituall SECT X. Of Death Resurrection Iudgement and the state of the Saints after Iudgemene eternally with God FIrst of death It is appointed for all men once to dye Dust we are to dust we must returne and therefore it behoves us to to expect it All the dayes of mine appointed time will I waite til my change come Death is certaine although the time be uncertaine it is that none are in a common aid ordinary way exempted from unlesse those Saints who are alive at the last comming of Christ they shall be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye 1. Cor. 15.51.52 and so shall be caught up in the spirit to meet the Lord in the ayre 1 Thes 4.17 Secondly of the Resurrection That there shall be a resurrection of the Body at the last day is evident John 5.28 29. John 11.24 with 1 Cor. 15. throughout Rev. 20.12.13 although this truth is by some denyed and by others too carnally looked upon some thinking that our bodies of flesh shall be raised in the same forme in which it dyed others that it shall be spiritual yet question whether it shall be of the same substance therefore it will be necessary to consider two particulars for the clearing of it First by what power we shall be raised Secondly with what bodies 1 By what Power