the originally unchangeable never-sinning Creature-life of God in the Mediator the only Life or Principle of everlasting Active Obedience to God and Blessedness to Man All true thorow-Followers of the Lamb slain in the narrow unpleasing Way to Nature at best will find all their own Life and Things with unspeakable Gain in an infallible all-discerning spiritual Understanding and incorruptible Will by personal Union with Christ in his heavenly Creature-spirit of true Holiness and eternal Life And so will they find themselves in unchangeable Harmony with and Obedience to the infinite Divine Will This is the glorious Liberty of the Sons of God in which they that are born of God by the new-creating Workmanship of Christ passing upon them to the Death of their natural Spirit and Resurrection into his spiritual Life come to be Heirs and Coheirs under and with Christ of God Rom. 8. 17. 2. Thus became the exalted Creature-Son and Branch in the Mediator of the First-born of every Creature in the Fountain-purity of a mortal earthly Life the First-born from the Dead Col. 1. 15 18. in the originally immortal Creature-life of his Root and Father So became he the living Word of God the Book of Life of the Lamb slain and exalted in which were written by the super-wonderful mysterious Way of Divine Writing or Engraving the Names of all God's Elect predestinated to be conform'd to Christ their Head in a like Passive Obedience to the Divine Will by the Death of their natural Spirit or living Soul of the First Adam and Resurrection into the quickning Spirit of the Second the Life of their Creator Rom. 8. 29. 6. 3-6 Whoever do finally refuse to die with him and lose all their own mortal earthly Life and Things receiv'd in their first Creation or restor'd since with all Works or Fruits done or brought forth by them therein will never attain that heavenly eternal Creature-life of their Creator in which to live and reign with him 2 Tim. 2. 11 12. True Followers of the slain Lamb of God will be enabled to say with him I was dead in my own mortal earthly Law-spirit of Works and am alive in his Gospel-spirit of Grace and Truth for evermore Rev. 1. 18. All that establish themselves in their own Law-spirit of Works and Righteousness of Man will be found unchangeable Enemies of God's Righteousness in his heavenly Gospel-spirit and so in unchangeable Union with the God of this World the Devil Such mystical Sodomites in Filth of Spirit Enmity to God and his Gospel-spirit of Grace will have worse of it for ever under the Wrath of God than common Sinners in Filth of Flesh wallowing in the miry Filths and Brutalities of literal Sodom Mat. 11. 23 24. 3. Thus became the exalted Branch in the Mediator the ready prepar'd immediate Hand and living Word of God for performing his whole Divine Mind and twofold Purposes thereof in the twofold Creation of Angels and Men and for the dealing with them both and all as hating their own Life given them in their first Creation in love to his own offer'd them by a Second or as from love to their own in the first unchangeably hating his own offer'd by a second in Union with the Devil The said exalted Son and Branch did bring forth Angels and Men out of their radical Existencies in himself into their personal Subsistencies and Individuations in themselves This was their first Creation in the same kind of mortal earthly First-Covenant Law-life himself had first taken in the supream Fountain-purity thereof as First-born of every Creature therein and rightly us'd in order to the second in which he became the First-born from the Dead in a Life above all Deaths temporal or eternal Thus was it true in the immediate Creator as well as in meer Creatures Angels and Men First that which is natural and afterward that which is spiritual 1 Cor. 15. 46. Unchangeable Love to our selves in our own Life receiv'd in our first Creation is the unpardonable Sin against the Holy Ghost or heavenly Creature-spirit of Christ and Life thereof offer'd by a second 4. The exalted Creature-Son or living Word of God his prepar'd and fitted immediate Hand for the twofold Creation of Angels and Men was also his ready prepar'd infallible Mouth Wisdom and Word to declare to them as soon as made his whole Counsel Will and Command for the right Use of their natural Beings and Life given them in their first Creation in order to a second and that as their unspeakable Concern as well as Duty for finding the Salvation of Heaven or scaping the Damnation of Hell Final refusing the Loss of all their own in the first for his own by a second will be everlasting Destruction to all that so do 5. Christ as exalted Creature-Son and Branch became the ready prepar'd immediate sacrificing High-Priest of God after the Order and in the Power of the Original Melchisedec Heb. 5.6,10 6.20 7. 17. his Creature-root and Father who first perform'd the sacrificing Death-work upon himself when in the Fountain-purity of all mortal First-creation Life Thus is the immediate Creator of Angels and Men by a first Creation the immediate High-Priest of God to perform the like sacrificing Death-work on them therein as his Creature-Father had before perform'd upon himself This exalted Son and Branch was the Melchisedec Priest of the most high God that met Abram returning from the Slaughter of the four Kings and bless'd him Gen. 14. 18 19. Heb. 7. 1. He was also one of the three Men Abram pray'd to and worshipp'd as God Gen. 18. which no good Angels would ever own Rev. 19.10 22.9 The Devil and his proud self-exalting evil Angels own themselves as Gods in the uncontroll'd Soveraignty of their own Wills above and against all that is truly called God and to be worshipp'd requiring Divine Worship to be paid them Isa. 14 12-14 2 Thess. 2. 3 4. Yea Satan most presumptuously attempted to bring the Lord himself to own fall down and worship him as the true God whom he knew to be the true Lord and God Mark 1. 24. he and all Angels and Men ought to worship Mat. 4. 8-10 Christ own'd the wise Mens worshipping him when born in our Nature Mat. 2. 1 11. and after others worshipping him Mat. 8.2 9.18 with eight other Scriptures in the four Evangelists 6. And lastly Christ as exalted Branch was in the fully partaken of Life of his Creature-root the ready prepar'd infallible Example and unerrable Pattern for Angels and Men to follow by the like Death of Nature in them at best in order to a happy Resurrection into the spiritual everlasting righteous Life of their Creator All that finally refuse a Submission in Passive Obedience to this Change will perish for ever For this Change as their Duty and unspeakable Concern did he represent himself in such Transactions as had pass'd in the Creature-part of his Person to all the Angels
seemingly harder Saying than this No Man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me by the attractive Power of his electing Love draw bring and give him to me John 6. 44. And I will give eternal Life to as many as the Father hath given me John 17. 2. to all whose Names are written in me the living Word and Book of Life Revel 13. 8. predestinated to be conform'd to me in that heavenly eternal creature-Creature-life into which I was exalted as the Lamb slain from the Foundation of the World out of the Death of the First-creation into the Life appointed to be given Angels and Men by a Second Rev. 13. 8. Rom. 8. 29. The attaining eternal Life is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth in the Life Will and Understanding of his own Spirit at best but of the Will of God who will shew to whom he please such Mercy as is the Free-Grace-Gift of quite another Life Will and Understanding than was given Angel or Man in their First-creation Rom. 9. 16. The Election or Elect from among Mankind will obtain what they seek for even eternal Life the rest will be blinded by Satan and find eternal Death Rom. 11.7 These with many the like Sayings in the Scripture seem exceeding hard to Man's Wisdom in which if the attaining eternal Life or scaping eternal Death be not in the Power of his own Will and if the things of God in his eternal Gospel-life be quite out of the reach of his own Understanding so as that it is impossible to be sav'd in his own Will and Way he is ready with his strong Reasonings to charge God himself with Unrighteousness as requiring Impossibilities Rom. 9. 14-21 Man with all his strong Reasons when he produces his Cause and stands up in his own Defence against God will be found less or worse than nothing Isa. 41. 21 24. All seeming hard Sayings in the Scriptures of Truth about Mens eternal Concerns the finding eternal Life depending singly and meerly on the electing Love of God exclude none from the Hope of a Share or Portion therein till guilty of the unpardonable Sin against the Holy Ghost or Gospel-spirit and so of unchangeable Enmity to God Even Gospel-Saints know not who are elected of God till it appear to them by the self-evidencing Fruits of Christ's Gospel-spirit in them On this account Paul knew his Gospel-converts amongst the Thessalonians to be the Elect of God 1 Thess. 1.4,5 Those that are elected of God and shall be true Saints are born with all others of Mankind dead in Trespasses and Sins Ephes. 2. 1. Col. 2. 13. Could the self-confident righteous Scribes and Pharisees think Mary Magdalen and Zacheus the Elect of God while in the same corrupt Spirit of Nature with other Publicans and common Sinners in Filth of Flesh Could awaken'd Gospel-Saints think Paul elected of God when they saw him a fierce Persecutor and Blasphemer of all Gospel-Truths None are absolutely excluded from a Hopefulness of a Share in God's electing Love and so of finding eternal Life till fix'd by their own sinful unpardonable Choice and God's righteous Judgment upon them in giving them up thereto in Filth of Flesh or Spirit corrupt or righteous Nature rendring them a literal or mystical Sodom in unchangeable Enmity to God and his Gospel-spirit of Grace and Truth No Scriptures rightly interpreted and understood give ground to any for despairing or giving up all Hopes of God's electing Love save to the two abovesaid Sorts of Sinners A distrusting our own Understandings and Wills at best as to the finding eternal Life or ever answering the whole Mind Will and Counsel of God such a kind of Despair is a Duty of high Concern and a false Confidence therein is exceeding dangerous as answering Satan's whole Counsel to our eternal Destruction God forewarns us hereof Ier. 10. 23. Prov. 3. 5-7 None will finally take this warning but the Elect and not they till the dormant Seed of Gospel-life unknown to themselves be actually quicken'd and waken'd up in them The Words of God's Wisdom and Counsel about our eternal Concerns are universally contrary to the Words of Man's Wisdom Christ told the self-confident Law-righteous Scribes and Pharisees who reckon'd themselves and Followers such as were born of God Iohn 8. 41. and could not miss the Salvation of Heaven they were Serpents a Generation of Vipers that could not escape the Damnation of Hell Mat. 23. 33. He calls them Hypocrites not as pretending only to and not really experiencing the Righteousness of Man but as accounting themselves therein the only true Saints in the Kingdom-life and Righteousness of God when in unchangeable Enmity thereto All such Interpreters of Scripture exploding denying and blaspheming Christ's Gospel-life and Truths in which any can ever enter into his Kingdom are said to shut up the Kingdom of Heaven disswading any that are looking after that Life in which alone possible to enter into it as a most dangerous delusive Fiction ver 13. Except our Life and Righteousness be quite of another kind than the Law-life and Righteousness of Man to wit the Gospel-life and Righteousness of God by a New or Second-creation we can in no wise enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Matth. 5. 20. The highest Rank of Antichristian Enemies to true Saints and their Doctrine of Grace in the Words of God's Wisdom are such righteous Men who set up for Salvation in the same Law-principle of restor'd Nature as Christ found the teaching and professing Jews in Under all blasphemous Contradictions and Persecuting-work of such as set up in the restor'd earthly Law-life and Righteousness of Man in preference and opposition to the Heavenly Gospel-life and Righteousness of God Saints have God on their Side who can be against them Rom. 8.31 so as to do them the least Harm 1 Pet. 3. 13 14. Whatever Devils or Men as God's permissive Hand can in their implacable Malice do to them is infallibly overrul'd by God's infinite Wisdom and Power for their greatest Good They are secur'd from any hurt by the great red Dragon or any of his innumerable serpentine Seed of Mankind Rev. 12 3-5 What was the Issue of the first War in Heaven between Michael and his Angels in the heavenly Life and Glory of the New or Second-creation and the Dragon and his Angels in the earthly Life of the first we find v. 7 8. They were utterly excluded out of Heaven from ever entring thereinto as transform'd by themselves into the Guise or Appearance of true Gospel-Angels of Light And by such deceitful Work does that Old Serpent the Devil and Satan deceive the whole World v. 9. all in but the worldly Principle of Life and Righteousness of Man By such deceitful transforming Work of Satan and his Angels of Darkness into Angels of Light and his Ministers of but the Righteousness of Man into the Likeness of Christ's true Gospel-Ministers of the Righteousness of God does he decry
all mortal and to be done away for ever He therefore determin'd to set up in personal Union with his Divine Nature a Creature-Spirit of originally eternal Life and render it communicable to Men and Angels by a new Creation of them The former rendred them but mystical Trees of Good and Evil. The latter makes them particular Trees of Life under and with Christ. God hereby works all their works in them Isa. 26. 12. and they in him Iohn 3. 21. The Leaves of such Trees never wither every thing they do therein prospers Psal. 1.3 All good Works or Fruits done or brought forth by them in the former at best are nothing to God Hos. 10. 1. Iob 35. 7 8. nor of any avail for their ever entring into his Kingdom but only a new Creature Gal. 6. 15. The most restor'd Life and Righteousness of Man preach'd up and warranted for Salvation is Man's Dream under Satan's Witch-crafts all their delusive Doctrine therein Chaff Psal. 1.4 And what 's this Chaff to the Wheat the Gospel-Doctrine Words and Things of God Ier. 23. 28. Chap. 3. 1. In pursuance of God's twofold Purposes for a twofold Creation of Angels and Men the first of the Divine Three call'd Father did produce beget and set up a Creature-spirit of immortal Holiness of the same Name in the Creature-part of the Mediator with its Divine Producer Father 2. The Second the Word caus'd the said Creature-root to bring forth a Branch in the Fountain-purity of all mortal First-creation Being and Life that was to be set up in Angels and Men by a first Creation 3. The Third the Holy Gost by its peculiar Operation brought the Creature-Father and Son into unchangeable personal Union and so the whole Creature-nature in the Mediator into unchangeable Union with his Divine Nature The Creature-Son and Branch thus exalted was the immediate Creator of all things in both Creations or Worlds natural and spiritual Heb. 1. 1 2. Chap. 4. 1. Thus were the Works determin'd of God to be set up in Angels and Men by a first Creation finish'd in the Mediator by the right Use of all in order to the second Heb. 4. 3. 2. Herein was the exalted Son and Branch the living WORD and Book of God in which were written the Names of all the Elect that are to be conform'd to him in the like Death of the first Creation and Resurrection into the Life given by a second 3. The exalted Branch or living WORD of God gave Angels and Men their Being and Life by a first Creation as the immediate Hand of God for it 4. He was therein the infallible Mouth of God to declare his whole Counsel to them for the right Use of all given them in their first Creation in order to the second 5. He was therein the High-Priest of God to perform the like Death-work on them as had pass'd upon himself by the Original Melchisedec his Creature-root and Father 6. And lastly He was the ready prepar'd infallible Pattern for them to follow out of the mortal earthly Life of the first Creation into the immortal and heavenly by a second as the only Means and Way to find the Salvation of Heaven or scape the Damnation of Hell CHAP. VI. Concerning the Trinity THE three distinct Powers in the Divine Essence or Father shining forth from all Eternity in the Divine Form or Son consider'd separately in each or jointly in both are call'd Father Word and Holy Ghost 1 John 5. 7. The one of these is not the other in the Divine Father or Son The word Father as the Divine Essence is call'd in distinction from the Divine Form or Son is of a very differing Consideration from the same Word as signifying the first of the Divine Three in both So the word Son as signifying the Divine Form is of a very differing Signification from the same Word as signifying the Second of the Divine Three in Father and Son The like may be said of the Third of the Divine Three the Holy Ghost in Father and Son of distinct Significancy from what the Divine Father and Son jointly together are so call'd as the one Infinite Divine Being The Three distinct Divine Powers in the Divine Father and Son do beget and set up their distinct secondary Record or Witness of themselves in a Creature-Form distinct from the Divine Form The whole Creature-nature of the Mediator Root and Branch is call'd Earth in distinction from the Divine Form in him the supream Heaven of Heavens Their threefold Witness in Earth is signified by Spirit Water and Blood 1 John 5.8 The same Three that are One in the Divine Nature agree in compleating the one Mind of all Three in the Earth or whole Creature-nature of the Mediator The Witness of the First of the Divine Three is Spirit a Creature-spirit of originally immortal Holiness and eternal Life The Witness of the Second is call'd Water signifying the Creature-Son and Branch in the Fountain-purity of all mortal Being and Life design'd to be set up in Angels and Men by a first Creation Blood signifies the Death of that as first-born of every Creature in order to its Resurrection into the originally unchangeable Life of its Root and Father and therein first-born from the dead In by and through this Creature-form do the three in the Divine let down the Vision of themselves to the spiritual Sight and Enjoyment of Angels and Men and by such Transactions therein do notify to both the only Means and Way for their true Blessedness by the Death and Loss of all Life and Things receiv'd by them in the mortal First-Covenant Law-life of the first Creation in order to ascend into and receive his originally immortal new and everlasting Covenant Gospel-life by a second communicated to them by the exalted Son and Branch as first-born from the dead and therein the immediate Performer of the one Will of the Divine Three in both Creations and in dealing with all Angels and Men Good and Bad in final Love or Wrath to all Eternity accordingly as they submit or refuse to submit to the Terms of receiving the Life offer'd by a second Thus was the Foundation laid within God himself in the Creature-part of the Mediator for rendring the three that are one in the Divine Nature discernable and enjoyable to blessed Saints and Angels in their spiritual new-Creation Capacities Man's highest Wisdom and Understanding sees not the heavenly Creature-things of God by which only the Divine Three can be known 1 Cor. 2.9 So all his Conceptions Thoughts and Words about the Trinity can be but implicite random-Conjectures and Discourses not seeing or knowing what he says The immediate discernable Objects of Man's highest natural Understanding are but the mortal Life and Things of the first Creation by which they ought to conclude and may know there is an eternal Power and Godhead but see nor that nor his heavenly Creature-things immediately Rom. 1. 20 21. 1 Cor. 2. 9. Isai. 66.