action And hereby is he fitted to enjoy God in whose favourable presence is fulnes of Joy and at whose right hand are pleasure's for evermore Psal. 16. 11. Secondly then who is the Sinner here This sinner is not only nor chiefly the common sinner in the corrupt spirit of nature unfix'd there All are so born Children of Wrath and death serving divers lusts hatefull and hating one another Eph. 2. 3. Tit. 3. 3. All are sinners against the son of man or light and righteous life of the first-covenant law the highest edition and dispensation whereof was found in Christ's person as Son of Man in the earthly law-life of our nature holy flesh If such sins and sinners were not pardonable and the wrath thereby provoked and demerited atoneable by Christ's obedient sacrifice of that spotles law-life and by his powerful intercessions no man could be saved The sinner here then is of a higher rank and deeper die then so The principles of corrupt and righteous nature in a kind of struggle and fight against each other in man too generally mistaken for flesh and spirit are but corrupt and holy flesh which joyn in war against what 's truly called spirit in scripture the spirit of Christ and spiritual mind thereof in Saints Gal. 5. 17. Paul in holy flesh was a fierce persecuter of Gods Holy Spirit and true saints And when a signal Apostle he found that holy flesh a fighter against Gods holy spirit in himself as he abundantly complain's Ro. 7. While man then interprets the words of Gods wisdom by the short-sighted conceptions and words of his own wisdom he shuts up the kingdom of Heaven excludes all the mystery and spiritual truth of scripture out of all his teaching and reputed orthodox divinity All this lies buried in deep silence and inadvertency And would this were all When the spiritual mystery and kingdom-sense of all scripture is offered such humane divines in their lying spirit of 〈◊〉 as to all Gospel-truths or things of God set themselvs might and main to 〈◊〉 and decry it disswade their hearers from listning to 't as the most detestable blasphemous doctrin in the world The enlight'ned professing righteous Jewish Teachers said on this very account of Christ himself he hath a Devil and is Mad Why hear ye him Joh. 10. 20. Do any of the Scribes or Pharisees believe him None but silly ignorant Women and Fishermen Publicans and Harlots such as know not the Law and are cursed regard his words Here 's the passe Golpel-truths were at amongst the only professing people at that day in the world when Christ himself was the Preacher Such Sinners against the Holy Ghost or gospel-spirit of truth when rich full and reigning as Kings as needing nothing for Salvation when they want every thing 1 Cor. 4. 8. 10. Rev. 3. 17. Wise Strong and honourable in Christ as to first-covenant attainments and fruitful in the life thereof these are the very sinner or sinners here meant when obstinately fixed there The self-same law-spirit or restored principle of righteous life and action in their own nature fixed in under the outward dispensation of the Gospel renders men a-like prejudic'd now against the whole mystery and truth of Gospel the very Christ the very Gospel as they were under the outward dispensation and ceremony of the Law They exclude all the Gospel-sense of all scripture old and new Testament out of all their divinity 〈◊〉 are the divines that shut up the kingdom of Heaven against men not entring themselvs nor suffering others to enter They set up Satan's kingdom of marvellous darkness for Christ's Kingdom of marvellous light They preach up that accursed other Gospel he preached to Eve and is at ever since that man shall not die at all that is that in his own enlightned righteous nature he has eternal Life So Second-covenant newness of Life true Grace Regeneration c. are all frustrated or made void as useless nothings that are all in all for true salvation All new-covenant Titles are given to the old and the very new 〈◊〉 with all its doctrin as madness These that pass thus for Christs only Church and Saints will be found when God is Judg himself the most criminal sinners beyond litteral Sodom even a spiritual Egypt and Babylon In all their conformity to Christ in that Life of our nature he crucified are they in flat opposition to that spiritual he raised it into in which he lives for evermore Rev. 1. 18. These 〈◊〉 painted Sepulchres whited Walls full of enmity to God filth of spirit mystical rottenness and corruption They are Theeves and 〈◊〉 that having shut up the right Door of Entrance into the kingdom by the death of nature at best under the Cross climb up some other way to take it by violence force their entrance in holy flesh their own Wisdom and strength with satan Christ crucified and abolished all that in himself they daringly and presumptuously attempt to enter it with These are Wolves in sheeps Clothing dressing up their visible saint-ship in but holy Flesh with all the words and titles belonging to the invisible saint in God's holy spirit a life yet hid with Christ in God In this disguise are these mystical robbers of Christ and his true saints of all their titles their fiercest and most outragious enemies as Christ warn's his followers Mat. 10. 16-18 Next then what 's meant by God's giving such a sinner travel to gather and to heap up that he may give to him that is good before God 1. First what is it this sinner gathers and heaps up 2. Secondly in what sense is God the giver to him with pain and travel so to do 3. And thirdly how and in what sense is what he so heaps up given to him that is good before God To the first The peculiar treasures of the choicer sort of Kings of the earth mystical Silver and Gold v. 8 and Jam. 5. 2 3. the Laodicean treasures of such first-covenant Kings Rev. 3. 17. 1 Cor. 4. 8. of the earthly Jerusalem-spirit as are totally destitute of the heavenly Men reckon their matters safe as to eternal life and peace with God in a spirit of direct enmity to him To the second As a present punishment for so doing God gives them pain and travel in heaping up such riches How By spiritual light he convincingly shews them the vanity of all that life and treasure and requires all in sacrifice by a holy death to him This besides the far greater punishment that follows under the wrath to come gives present pain amid'st all their self-deluding satisfactions in this upper sort of the delights of the Sons of men The distinct superiour excellency of spiritual life and things of God in the second or new-covenant beyond Man's in the first or old as farr as the heavens are above the earth convincingly set before them in mercy when wilfully sinned against torment 's them For such conviction becomes a self-condemning
and the positive Inflictions of final Wrath upon his whole being for ever Sad gains Beware then of Satan's most destructive 〈◊〉 Counsel for sparing righteous first Covenant-self in Enmity to God and his Everlasting Creature-Life and Righteousness offered in the second If Satan could make an Apostle his SpokesMan for this to Christ himself guess at your danger of being Beguiled by the same old subtil Serpent that so Beguiled Eve at first and a World since Take heed of following this Enemie's pleasing Counsel and Example and so of Rejecting Christ's The highest Glories tallest Cedars in the first-Creation-State of Angel or Man are fading flowers perishing vanities Look about you and consider what ye lay hold on or trust in for happiness The same death of nature that qualified the slain Lamb to open the Sealed Book of the Mind and Visions of God can qualify any followers of him to read it when open'd Till they have a spiritual understanding read while they will the main Scope and Intent of the Author God himself is not seen or taken out The Scriptur's that are a Transcript or Copy of that whole Mind and Counsel of God about the Salvation of Angels and Men that 's Engraven in the Gospel-Spirit of Christ the Original Book and Living Word of God are a Book Sealed up from Learned and more from Unlearned Man all destitute of Spiritual Wisdom See else Isai. 29. 11 12. 1 Cor. 2. 14. But after all that can be said still still the Cross is a Stumbling-block and Foolishness and the truly Obedient followers of Christ under it are highly offensive to Moral Heathen or Legal Christian in the flourish and Wisdom of their unbroken naturalls They are what and where they were say or warn the Spiritual Seer what or while he will or can The more will be their sorrow for such destructive Self-Love and Pity They loath God and he them Zec. 11. 8. Who can help them All offended at the Cross of Christ become an offence to Christ. Where are they then who will be found uppermost Have they an arm like God Can they thunder with a voice like him Job 40. 9. If flesh Holy Flesh that can't Inherit the Kingdom 1 Cor. 15. 50. be kept up and that Holy Spirit in which Men can be rejected where will they be On supposal a Man should violently crow'd into the Kingdom in Holy Flesh and sit at Christ's Wedding Supper still what the better Bind him hand and Foot say's Christ and cast him into outer darkness where shall be Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth Why Because he has not the Spiritual Wedding Garment of Everlasting Righteousness but of the filthy ragged Righteousness of his own nature kept up and held fast in direct Enmity to and Rebellion against God The Man so handled will be Speechles he 'l see he has nothing to say for himself Mat. 22. 11-13 The hating the fading Life of our own nature that 's at best altogether Vanity is a requisite qualification of all true Disciples Luk. 14. 26. Jo. 12. 25. Loving our own loses us Christ's Eternal Life Hating our own is the only way to get it A fix'd self-Love in corrupt or Righteous nature is Eternal Damnation 'T is unchangable Enmity to God And what think you then Better is one handful with quietness then both hands full with Travel and Vexation of Spirit Better is it to go to Heaven with one Eye Hand or Foot then to Hell by keeping both and all Better go Slain to Heaven then alive to Hell Better die under Christ's Sacrificing hand or Cross then be catch'd alive in Satan's Snare a first-covenant Righteous Life the very Snare by and in which he takes Men at his Will 2 Tim. 2. 26. and so fixes them with himself in Enmity to God and the second Better go Poor Halt Maim'd Crucified to Heaven with Christ then Rich Wise Full Strong and Honourable in the fading natural Glory of a first-Covenant Life turn'd into unchangable enmity to God with the Devil to the lake of fire and brimstone prepared of old for both even all incorrigibly wicked Angels and Men. The Spiritual 〈◊〉 Eye or understanding set up in the 〈◊〉 natural Man of the Saint is that single Chast Dove-like Eye Mat. 6. 22. that fills the 〈◊〉 Body or Man full of Light This is the Eye or 〈◊〉 by which Man understands all things 1 Cor. 2. 15. not that Eye that turns and looks both way 's to good and Evil and that good it regards but fading 'T is Man's unexcusable Folly to 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Labour of his own Spirit to his Vexation and Everlasting Destruction rather then quit that for God's and unspeakable everlasting Joy and Blessedness But notwithstanding all the known advantages of quitting all evil with the Life of his own will for all good in the Life of God's Man will on in his own self-chosen way and course come what will Man's one handful in quietness and final Peace with God in his Gospel-Spirit of truth is transcendently better then both his Hands full of such Riches in his own Law-Spirit of nature as are Vanity and will prove Eternal Vexation of Spirit to him Mystical as well as Litteral Riches the Laodicean Treasures of nature in but a first-Covenant Righteous Life are heap'd up with Disquietment kept with Anxiety and fear of loosing from the known self-Evidencing Perishableness thereof So that Men are in continual Bondage all the days of their Life therein through fear of the Death and loss of all Ps. 39. 6. Heb. 2. 15. Out of this Life and Spirit of Bondage are true Saints brought into the Glorious liberty of the Sons of God made truly Rich Wise Strong and 〈◊〉 in his new-Covenant Spirit of Everlasting Life and 〈◊〉 Amidst all Jollity in the first-covenant House of Feasting Men can't but with Job 3. 25. have a Secret bottom-fear of losing all from the Perishing nature of all therein All there is gotten and kept with sore Travel and Vexation and then leaves a Man after all his Labour Sorrow and 〈◊〉 Anxiety and disquietment in Eternal Vexation of Spirit Vers. VII Then I returned and I saw Vanity under the Sun What Vanity This. Vers. VIII There is one alone and there is not a second yea he hath neither Child nor Brother Yet is there no end of all his Labour neither is his Eye satisfied with Riches neither saith he For whom do I Labour and Bereave my Soul of good This is also Vanity yea it is a sore Travel Here 's another Similitude or Comparison to manifest the truth already spoken to In Letter Solomon Character s the Vanity and Folly of the Covetous Man that Toil 's and Labours wholly for the Litteral Wealth of this World when destitute of any Heir Child or Brother to Inherit the same any second to Succeed and enjoy it after him Yet grow's he dayly more and more Solicitous about heaping up and encreasing this lowest sort of
worldly Riches as he draw's neerer his Journey 's end Death The less he needs the more Covetous and Raking is he to heap up such Treasure the more Tenacious and Churlish as to the free parting with any thing to those that want This is familiar to common Observation Thus is Vanity and Folly Written out in all his Foolish Labours Solicitud's Carking Thoughts and Sharking Practices to heap up Wealth in his last day's which render's them his worst his Litteral latter end worse then his beginning or any other part of his Vain Shadowy Life in this World All he Labours for is but Vanity of Vanities Shadows of Shadows Figures of the inward Mystical Laodicean Riches heap'd up in the fruitful exercise of our own nature in a first-covenant righteous Life All 's but Shadow and perishing Vanity one and t'other All that are for either walk in a Spirit of Darkness as to all Gospel things and truths in a vain shew disquieting themselves in vain in direct contradiction to Christ's own Counsel and Irrefragable Arguments for it Mat. 6. 25-34 In every Circumstance of the Litteral Rich Covetous Man does Solomon Represent the Mystical in all the inward Riches Glory Comeliness and Fruitfulness of his restor'd righteous natural Spirit which at best is but a fading flower and he therein altogether Vanity lighter worse then Vanity it self less then nothing All the Rusty Mystical and Litteral worldly Mammon of Unrighteousness heap'd up in a Spirit of Enmity to God will be found by the final Choosers and Possessors thereof with their Moth-eaten Garments or filthy ragged first-Covenant Righteousness to Testify against them for their Folly in trusting thereto for acceptance with him at last day against all his faithful warnings and their own experiences to the contrary Mat. 6. 19 20. Jam. 5. 1-3 The only profitable use of the said twofold 〈◊〉 Mammon according to the command of the giver is the giving all up with themselves to his disposal to do with them and that as seem's good in his sight For then will God and Christ bestow upon them that durable Life and true Riches in which they will ever be own'd by them as Friends of both and they to them Luk. 16. 9. This making themselvs Friends of the Mammon of 〈◊〉 or the Unrighteous Riches is the only way for the gaining of the true Riches in which they 'l find their own again with Usury and be received into Everlasting Habitations even Mansions of Glory in the 〈◊〉 House But of the two the mystical rich man is in a state of deeper vanity and 〈◊〉 travel than the Litteral And he is at the same loss has no Heir or Second Child or Brother He cannot without self-deceiving propound any good end to himself in his distinct higher scene of Vanities beyond the litteral covetous rich man as the issue and result of all his labour and travel therein For his Riches are equally perishable as the others And he has no Heir to inherit them more then the other They are both and all under the same impossibility of ever finding any true content or satisfaction in their Riches They Both fall under the same just Judgement of God for doting upon inordinately labouring for and coveting after such fading Riches by which they are given up to and caused more and more to encrease in their unsatiable desire after and love to them And so are they gradually more and more alienated from God and his durable Life 〈◊〉 Food and Clothing till absolutely fixed in unchangable Enmity to all The whole design and course then of both these sorts of Rich Men who Trade wholly in Vanities is down-right madness Two things are here distinctly to be considered First What 's meant by the unprofitable Labourer and Labour reproved here Secondly What by the said Labourer's being destitute of an heir To the first Man's Immortal Spirit is the Labourer His unprofitable foolish Labour is the whole Desire Thought Word and Action of it in a restor'd first-creation or 〈◊〉 covenant-Life All this Life Action Desire Thought and Things thereof the Tree with the Fruit is but a lump of perishing Vanities Shadows meer Impertinencies and Nullities as to any thing of or conducibleness towards the true blessedness of man's Immortal being For his heart labour tug toil and lay about him while he will do what he can he never arrives at the enjoyment and possession of any good that exceed's the sphere of vanities The fleshly Tree with the Fruit Root with the Branch as to any goodness thereof will be burnt up and vanish away And then will all that trust therein be left in the most destitute helpless condition imaginable to eternity No Creature can secure or deliver them from being torn in pieces by their Creator's wrath Ps. 50. 22. None of their fellow-rebels humane or Angelical Rocks or Mountains Principalities or Powers of this World can shelter or hide them or enable them to stand before him when the great day of his wrath is come Rev. 6. 15-17 Yea those Supream Rocks and Mountainous first-Creation Powers of Darkness the evil Angels proud Man's proud helpers against God shall not themselvs be able to keep upon their feet in their unchangable hostility to him but stoop and lie down for ever with all their children of pride from amongst men under the same final wrath of God Job 9. 13. The whole mystical and litteral Babylon King and Subjects will all go to wrack into eternal Confusion darkness and death under wrath This will be the end all such proud covetous boasting traiterous heady high-minded despisers of Christ's dominion and Government will come to 2 Tim. 3. 2-4 Those that finally resist the Government of God delegated to the Man Christ will receive final damnation Rom. 13. 1 2. 2 Pet. 2. 10. Jude 8. What Man that deserv's to be reckon'd in his wits can think any possible Labours in his own Life of enmity to God and that spirit of Grace in which alone any can be saved can signify any thing towards his true Rest or Blessedness Can he ever be blessed in his deeds of the Law that does all in a spirit of enmity to God and his Gospel-Life 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 does or teaches others in his own wisdom finally persisting there 〈◊〉 not the least aim towards the Saints Everlasting 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 wholly to a fixing them in an unchangable enmity to God and everlasting exclusion from it Such Preachers do shut up the Kingdom of Heaven exclude and detest the Righteousness of God In a perfect contrariety to their Judge's own counsel Mat. 6. 33. Hence will that most righteous Judge who if 〈◊〉 obey'd and 〈◊〉 to would be their Advocate to plead their 〈◊〉 with the Father 1 Joh. 2. 1. intercede against them as his implacable Adversaries They that hear not Moses and the Prophets will not be perswaded though one rose from the dead Luke 16. 31. Be willing and obedient to the spiritual Counsel of Moses
to suffer and die with Christ as to his short Law-liv'd nature that he may Reign with him in his long-liv'd Spirit of Grace 2 Tim. 2. 11 12. 〈◊〉 we be dead and 〈◊〉 with Christ we shall live and reign with him There 's for the poor wise Child If we deny him he will also deny us Ther 's for the old foolish King The 〈◊〉 by death com's out of his Prison-State or natural Spirit of Bondage to Reign The latter King's it like an old doting Fool in his Prison-Spirit of Bondage and Death These old foolish Kings the Mystical Princes of this World under the Devil by God's Permission have bin the self-confident Persecutors and Murderers of Christ and his Spiritual Saints in all Ages Cain a first-Covenant Worshipper of God began this work on Abel a second 〈◊〉 winding up of all true Abel-Saints will be the Fowls of Heaven that are to feed upon or delight themselvs in a Union of Mind with God in the final Slaughter of all such Mystical and Litteral Kings and People of the Earth as are found in unchangable Enmity to God and them Rev. 19. 17-21 Vers. XV. I considered all the living which walk under the Sun with the second Child that shall stand up in his stead Here 's Solomon's confirmation of what has bin said his judgment upon the whole matter in sanctuary-light In this he considered all the living under the mystical first-creation-Sun walking under the Conduct or in the Light of the first-covenant spirit as therein made alive again in some degree by the Redeemer By the unlawful use of this restor'd Life or Light of the Law in enmity to God and his Gospel-spirit of Grace do they bring themselvs into everlasting poverty and nakedness Their immortal spirit as thus pleasing themselvs by taking up their rest for salvation in the restor'd natural righteous Life thereof he considers with their whole man in that state they shall be caused to stand up in for ever in the stead of what they were in this mortal World and Body This second Child or state of Man in the Resurrection will to the Old foolish King be found a state of everlasting darkness and death in a Resurrection of damnation under final and unquenchable wrath The full infliction of wrath is reserved for this second Child in the said Resurrection-state of the whole Man This second Child or state of Man is that in which he must answer by way of suffering for all the evil done by him in his natural body or slate on earth through a willful abuse of the first-covenant Life of the Law in unchangable enmity to God and the Gospel This comes the said old foolish King to Vers. XVI There is no end of all the People even of all that have been before them they also that come after shall not rejoyce in him surely this also is vanity and vexation of Spirit Solomon having consider'd the present generation of old foolish kings in his own day upon earth tells us the case was alway's the same in former and will so be in all after-times of this world So these two last Verses of this Chapter are a farther enlargment as to the Character and future condition of the Old foolish King to Eternity As to the poor wise Child he asserted him in general to be better than the Old foolish King vers 13. Then vers 14. gives his reason for it because he comes out of his Prison to reign with Christ in a state of eternal Life absolute freedom and true blessedness There 's enough for him all that need be said of him But the Old foolish King vers 13. declar'd in general vers 14. amidst all his conceited riches to be poor he farther signifies vers 15. that he will so be found to all eternity And then vers 16. that this is the Case of all the like old foolish Kings in former generations from the beginning of the World and will be found the Case of all of the like spirit in after-Generations to the World's end To the first of these he speaks in the former part of this Verse There is no end of all the People even of all that have been before them There 's no end of their immortal beings and exquisite sensibleness of their whole Persons Body Soul and Spirit in a Resurrection-State of Damnation Annihilation-death they 'l ever desire but never find Such death will ever flee from them And Eternal Life they can never have For though in a general confused random-guess at happiness every one would be happy that Life in which true happiness ever can be found are and wil they be found in a Spirit of unchangeable enmity to Such life then can they never have nor such death as annihilation of their beings or insensibleness in their beings amounts unto however hotly pursued desired or sought by them There 's no end of their being nor yet of their most exquisite sensiblenes therein under the tormenting wrath and fiery indignation of God for ever The immortality of their whole being in a resurrection of damnation will hold them close to 't under punishment for ever in hell for the ill Use they made of their immortal Spirits and mortal first-covenant righteous life thereof while in their mortal Body's upon earth The second Child or whole man body Soul and Spirit put together again in a resurrection-state of immortality as to being is to answer for all done in the mortal body or natural state and life of all 2 Cor. 5. 10. and Ec. 12. 14. Thus will it be with the Old foolish King for ever as to being But as to that Mortal changable first-Covenant righteous Life which he pleased and flatt'red himself with as an endless Life of true blessedness that will come to an end He will find himself rid of all the fading good and comfort of that which he would fain keep and will be kept up for ever in a most desolate wretched State of being under wrath which he would fain be rid of So is he gone every way All he would not have he must have and that for ever and all he would have he will for ever be deprived of without the least relief when Tormented in the flames of God's Wrath so much as by a drop of Water to cool his Tongue Luk. 16. 24. The mortal first-Covenant Life of his immortal Spirit Exspires and Vanishes dies away and ceases with the mortal Life of his Body So such wise old foolish Kings wise in Christ 1 Cor. 4. 10. as to first-Covenant attainments and fixing there in Enmity to the second will die and perish for ever as the Fool or Brutish Sinner of the Gentil's Yea worse will be his final Doom of the two The righteous Mystical Sodomite in the form of Godliness righteousness of Man in his own restor'd nature but Enmity to the Power of it and righteousness of God in his Gospel Life and Spirit of Grace which is filth of Spirit will
1. Cast thy Bread upon the Waters for thou shalt find it after many days HEre 's an Admonition to the universal practice of Charity in doing good to all but specially to the houshold of Faith Gal. 6. 10. As having a compassionate fellow-feeling with our fellow-Creatures and Brethren in the same nature by a free-hearted distribution of this World's goods As contriving opportunities for the practice of this duty has God given some a super-abounding over-flow of such things while others are destitute of the very necessaries of Life To a faithful answering his design and our duty herein a Blessing is promised He that hath pity on the Poor lendeth to the Lord and that which he gives will he repay Prov. 19. 17. See also the contrary threat'ned Prov. 21. 13. Whoso stoppeth his Ears at the cry of the Poor he also shall cry himself and not be heard As for the peculiar charity to the houshold of Faith Christ's little ones as his spiritual Disciples this will not miss of the great reward Mat. 10. 42. 25. 34 40. But we should extend our charity also to all which though it seem but as a casting our Bread upon the Waters 't will through God's promised Blessing be found again Deut. 15. 10. Vers. 2. Give a portion to seven and also to eight for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the Earth The practice of the said duty towards others is oft made a seeds-time to ones-self in such an unfore-known time of evil wherein we may be reduc'd to the like want Give and it shall be given you The same measure ye mete with shall it be measur'd to you again Luk. 6. 38. Such retaliation in distress will be comfortable when the said duty has bin well perform'd in prosperity So much of the literal sence of these two Verses In the spiritual or mystical what 's casting Bread upon the Waters Obedience to the Cross the spiritual Law whereof calls for mystical charity even the free giving up of all the Life Riches and fading Glory Wisdom and Strength of our own Spirit so as to become poor and dead with Christ there in order to live and reign with 〈◊〉 in that life he has rais'd our Nature into Here 's the recompence of such Love Obedience and Conformity to Christ a quitting our perishing life meats and riches for his never-perishing Christ himself was made poor in our Nature as to the mortal first-Creation 〈◊〉 and State thereof that thro' his exemplary poverty he might make many all followers of his suffering steps rich in God or in the everlasting righteous life of the second 2 Cor. 8. 9. The kindly suffering of the natural is the mystical seeds-time that will bring in a blessed harvest to the spiritual Man thro' an abounding fruitfulness in a newness of life Psal. 126. 5 6. Gal. 6. 7 8. He that sow's to the flesh builds his Faith hope and expectation for Blessedness on the corruptible life and fruitfulness of his but restor'd earthy natural state will reap corruption and eternal death He that sows to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap Life everlasting All in spiritual life principle and fruits the mystical Births and Children therein have Holiness to the Lord written in all their fore-heads The spirit of bondage and her Sons all Fruits Births or Works producible or performable in the most restor'd righteous natural state or life of the Law have all of them vanity and vexation to the Worker enmity and rebellion against the Lord writ out upon them All the Children there then are Children of death Except the 〈◊〉 seed of God's left-hand planting by a first-creation die in us 1 Cor. 15. 36 38. 1 Pet. 1. 23 25. as obedient to the husbandry and plough of Christ's spiritual Cross the incorruptible seed of an everlasting righteous life of God's right-hand planting in us has no room or way made for a springing up into its own life activity and fruitfulness under the powerful quickning influence of the same Spirit of Christ that destroys all our earthly life and fruit the mystical 〈◊〉 tree of good and evil root and branch tree and fruit This spiritual Love or Charity is the Saint to shew to Christ as the full and right payment of all mystical tithes and offerings to the true Melchisedec or high-Priest of God in a universal surrender of all changeable good things in his nature for all unchangeable good things in his Spirit of Grace as rais'd out of the death of his slain sacrific'd Nature into the life of the very Priest that slay's him But why should he be thus charitable and obedient to Christ Because he know's not what evil may be or come upon the earth even on all that rebelliously remain in their earthly life under final Wrath in everlasting poverty want and nakedness as to any goodness changeable or unchangeable A being willingly made poor there intitles to the true durable Riches and secures from all want for evermore in eternal life Vers. 3. If the Clouds be full of Rain they empty themselves upon the Earth and if the Tree fall towards the South or toward the North in the place where the Tree falleth there it shall be Man's natural spirit how everfill'd with the fading life riches fruits and products thereof at best must be emptied of and lose all again or never receives an everlasting life with the never-perishing meats fruits riches and clothing thereof Mat. 16. 25. North and South here may signifie the first and second or old and new-creation state Man in the first corrupt or righteous fall's toward the North into a cold barren desolate starveling condition for ever In the second toward the South has everlasting warmth and blessedness under the joynt shinings forth of the Divine and Creature-Sun of 〈◊〉 and everlasting Righteousness As the Tree fall's or Man dies in a six'd enmity to God as establish'd in his own life corrupt or righteous or in a spiritual life of everlasting union with and obedience to God there he shall be in Hell or Heaven Cold comfort in the former none at all under the scorching flames of unquenchable Wrath which will be found to make up to incorrigibly wicked Angels and Men a state of eternal darkness and death Vers. 4. He that observeth the Wind shall not sowe and he that regardeth the Clouds shall not reap The slothful Man that looks upon Winds and Clouds that are nothing but uncertainty it-self in their motions omit's the diligent husbanding his Ground and will not so sow as to reap any true profit or advantage to himself In the mystical sense he that neglect's Christ's voice and convincing discoveries not submitting to the spiritual husbandry of his Cross on his earthy natural state to make way for the springing up of a spiritual Seed and listen's to the stranger's voice the uncertain words or reasonings of Nature in himself or others signified here by Winds and Clouds for sparing that
returning thereunto as in unchangable union therewith can truly satisfy it Vers. VIII All things are full of labour man cannot utter it the eye is not satisfied with seeing nor the ear filled with hearing Man in his natural first-creation state at best in all possible attainments and contentments thereof is but labouring in vanity from first to last and his misery therein not to be conceived or uttered by him Everlasting perplexity and unutterable vexation of spirit will inevitably seize him for ever after all his doating mirth in his fools paradise here if he get not out of this finfull folly and madness The understanding or eye ear and heart of his immortal spirit in the best natural state thereof cannot see hear desire take in or enjoy the divine and eternal spiritual creature-things of God provided in the Mediatour for them that love him which alone can answer all the wants of their immortal spirits not onely to satisfaction but extasy and wonder to all eternity A new spiritual eye ear intellect and palate are absolutely necessary for mans rightly taking in seeing hearing savouring enjoying and delighting in these things of God But how or which way must or can man come by these spiritual senses eye ear palate and understanding By the assimilating regenerating touch of Christ's new-creature heavenly spirit on man's natural and earthly Man obediently submitting to the death-work of Christ's heavenly priestly spirit as himself did in our spotless fleshly nature offering it up in sacrifice to the will of God in the fire thereof Heb. 9. 14. kindling that fire on the earth or earthly state of our nature in himself Luk. 12. 49-51 by this means and way only can any truly please God effectually resist and overcome world and devil scape eternal death or find eternall life in the senses whereof to be satisfied with seeing and filled with hearing He must be content to have his right eye hand and foot plucked out cut off and cast away to part with and lose the best discerning wisdom and light the exactest working righteousnes and walking righteously in his own renewed natural state offended at the cross signified by eye hand and foot in order to be filled with another life springing up from the incorruptible seed thereof as begotten and born of the spirit or ever-living word of God 1 Pet. 1. 23. in which alone he can see hear work righteousness or walk with a right foot according to the gospel of the grace of God so as truly to please God or find true blessedness for himself where his eye ear and heart can take in what will fully answer all the wants or desires of his immortal spirit to eternity Thus only can man come so to delight in the Lord as to have the whole desire of his heart Psal. 37. 4 all the needs of his immortal being eternally over-answered in such enjoyments and things as the natural eye ear or heart of Angel or Man can never see hear desire understand or take any right measure and cognizance of 1 Cor. 2. 9. By submitting to the death of nature at best under the hand of the gospel-high priest of our profession Heb. 3. 1. as himselfe in our nature did can these things be brought to pass The promise of the father will be certainly performed by the son for the quickning us up out of the death of our obediently sacrificed nature into the life of the true Melchisedec or sacrificing High Priest of God So shall we come to have an eye that can be satisfied with seeing and an ear filled with hearing in the fight and enjoyment not only of the Rivers of true Life in the creature-spirit of the Mediator but infinite divine Ocean-fullness of God most high The natural Eye Ear Heart and Understanding have nothing for Object of the desire and thought of Man but a heap of perishing visible or invisible vanities that can never answer the wants of his immortal being All his appetite there is but a belly for meats and meats for a belly that God will destroy both one and t'other 1 Cor. 6. 13. desires and desirables which are all Vanity Man in whatsoever variety of his own nature then is vainly labouring under an impossibility of pleasing God or profiting himself as to true blessedness All he does in his natural state or Body the restored living soul and Image of the earthly is but bodily exercise 1 Cor. 15. 44-49 1 Tim. 4. 8. Man by trusting and establishing himself in his righteous Law-life becomes the unchangable enemy of God and his Gospel-life and Truths Filth of flesh or spirit an enmity to the divine and everlasting righteous creature-spirit of Christ and God fixed in makes Men a litteral or mystical Sodom to which the vengeance of eternal sire is the meet recompence When Man is once come to this pass all his labours are but as the tossings and uncertain tumblings of a raging foaming Sea casting up mire and dirt 〈◊〉 of flesh or spirit Isa. 57. 20. No peace with God no peaceable fruits of righteousness to God in a fixed spirit of enmity to him These can only be found and brought forth in that Gospel spirit of truth which is called Love as unchangably loving and beloved of God the fulfiller of his whole Law Rom. 〈◊〉 10. in every point in the full comprehensive litteral and mystical meaning thereof the fulfiller of all righteousness God's and Man's to God's well-pleasing and Man's Salvation Man establish'd in the most righteous Life of his own nature and so in unchangable enmity to the Righteousness of God in his spirit of Grace is unchangably wicked He walkes but in a vain shew a troublesome dream disquiets himself in vain heaps up Riches and knows not who shall gather them Psal. 39. 6. Christ by the same Cross or spiritual Gospel-Sword and Fire in final wrath will seize gather take and consume all which had they obediently submitted to as offer'd to be brought upon them in Love he would have given them his durable Riches and everlasting Life in the room thereof and so a spiritual Eye that should have bin satisfied with seeing and an Ear that would have bin filled with hearing Without Gospel-exchange-Traffick of Nature for Grace the Life of Man for God's of the Creature for the Creator's who is God blessed for ever we never find true satisfaction In his own nature Man trades only in shadows will never make any thing on 't to purpose That Life and all it feeds on are but vanishing shadows all the visible and invisible goodnesses thereof but fading flowers All that willfully and knowingly spend their days in such vanities will in a moment go down to the grave and all their thoughts perish Job 21. 13. All their beauty will be consumed in the grave from their dwellings Psal. 49. 14. This will men come to by the willful neglect of this timely warning from God that the inmost Eye and Ear of their Immortal Spirit in
spirit into you by which ye shall rightly understand all my words vers 23. While men ramble after their many things spend all their labour and money for that which is not Bread Satans divers and strange Doctrines they come to be established in their own Nature with his meats to their final destruction in stead of being established with the Grace and Doctrine of Christ for their everlasting 〈◊〉 Heb. 13. 9. All our Old things Life Light Wisdom Righteousness c. must pass away that we may receive Christ's new 2 Cor. 5. 17. Vers. IX There is no remembrance of former things neither shall their be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after All former things excellencies and perfections found in the natural first-creation state before the fall or gradual restorations of the like since are of no account or remembrance with God Nothing short of his Life of everlasting righteousness set up in Man brings him under his approbation-Seal Men must be unmade broken down and pull'd up by the roots as to that Building and Life they were set up in by God himself in their first-creation-make in order to be new Vessels of his newness of Life by a second God planted in Man an incorrupt seed of corruptible Life that in its utmost flourish and fruitfulness amounts but to a fading flower by his left hand in a first-creation He offers to plant and quicken up in him on the obedient death and removal of all this Root and Branch Tree and Fruit an incorruptible seed of an everlasting Life by his right hand in a new-creation of him See both Seeds with a negative on the former in all born of the latter 1 Pet. 1. 23. This only and man therein will be of everlasting account and remembrance with God the other never in time past in innocency or any restorings of it since or time to come by the like restorings of it in following generations under Satans reign or the full perfection of it under Christ's reign which shall come after Vers. XII I the Preacher was King over Israel in Jerusalem What more contemptible than Satan's mercenary Priests and Preachers of Lies What or who more honourable than the Preachers of God's Truth King Solomon and a far greater than he Christ himself the high Priest of God is the Preacher of his Truths and Declarer of his Counsels to Angels and Men. Preaching Christ's Gospel is the best of Callings Satan's the worst of Trades Solomon the Preacher and Writer of this Book was King over litteral Israel in Jerusalem and therein a Type of Christ King over the whole spirituall Israel of God in the New-Jerusalem In the all-discerning Spirit of Prophecy does Solomon reflect upon his former vain thought for finding true happiness or the way towards it in the single wisdom of his own enlightned nature however eminent as follows Vers. XIII And I gave my heart to seek and search out by Wisdom concerning all things that are done under Heaven This sore travel hath God given to the Sons of Man to be exercised therewith Solomon here in the true preaching Spirit of Jesus reflects upon and gives an account of his own mistaking wisdom and thought about blessedness and of his sad experience therein I gave my heart to search out by my own Wisdom wherein I excelled others concerning all things under Heaven The result was he found this sore travel and labour of his natural mind to be what God has given to the sons of men to exercise afflict or humble them by In the new-creature Wisdom of God he finds the vanity of his own and his vain design thought and labour therein He finds that and all the things or works and fruits thereof to be but earthly from beneath below that Life wisdom and things of God he had now the experience of in him under Heaven So he at once confesses declares and corrects his vain thought of reaching knowing and doing all things relating to his true blessedness therein By way of Recantation toward the close of his Life and day in this World he confesses the vanity of his thought and unprofitableness of all his labour therein calling it as by sad experience he had found it a sore travel He declares also God's design in letting even Saints for a season run their course there to humble and Afflict them and so dispose them to a willing surrender of that for a better Life and Wisdom in which alone they may find what they were under an impossibility seeking for Thus God let Job and his three Friends run to the end of their Line in their own Wisdom and Spirit as Disputers of this world till at an absolute puzzle and period none of them being able to unriddle the design and methods of God's Wisdom towards Job under that dispensation of the Cross. Then he opens the mouth of his fore-runing Messenger 〈◊〉 to instruct them all in another Wisdom and Spirit on which they were 〈◊〉 answered no more but left off speaking Job 32. 2. 15. Enmity to God inseperable from the highest restored Life and Wisdom of Man must needs render his utmost labour therein about happiness a sore travel God in greatest love on Man's fall 〈◊〉 the mystical Ground Earth or earthly state of Man's nature and that for Man's sake so as to render that enmity to him contracted by the Fall unextinguishable otherwise then by the perfect death thereof Thorns and Thistles shall it bring forth say's God to Adam Gen. 3. 17. 18. Both the litteral and also mystical earth of Man's Nature in the very restored Life of the Law Image of the earthy and righteousnes of Man fell immediatly under this Curse All in the best works of their Law-life are under this Curse Gal. 3. 10. What Thorns and Thistles was Paul when eminent herein bringing forth in a fierce persecuting enmity against Christ and all his Gospel Truths and Saints Phil. 3. 6. Act. 26. 11. The death of nature then the right way not in but to sin so that sin becomes dead in them not they in it under the Cross and Gospel-sword is undispensably necessary to the ridding man of all evil and capacitating him to receive a Life of everlasting righteousness wherein he will find himself possessed of all good a state wherein 't is as impossible not to please God in every thing as in his own Life at best ever to please him in any thing This comes Man to by obediently complying with God's design in gladly receiving his sentence of Death within him as Paul and so getting rid of his own Law-spirit of bondage enmity and death and all his sore travel and labour therein to no purpose as to his grand concern in exchange for the Gospel-life of Christ and therein glorious liberty of the sons of God an everlasting freedom to good only and from all Evil of sin or punishment for ever Then all our works are wrought in
God Joh. 3. 21. and God works all our works in us and for us We therein are co-workers with God All such works are ever acceptable to him and most easy delightful and profitable to man What all works in man's earthly Life and Nature under Heaven amount unto we find yet farther Vers. 14. I have seen all the works that are done under the Sun and behold all is vanity and vexation of spirit Solomon in the new light and wisdom of God positively concludes the most rectified Principles of nature and man's utmost fruitfulness exactest walking best works designs counsels thoughts and purposes therein to be but vanity in themselves and vexation of spirit to himself The more rich and full Man is in the righteousness wisdom and glory of his own nature the more apt to grow offended at the Cross that comes to seize and set fire on all and hereby the more is God offended at him A confidence in such encreasing riches as are but vanity encreases vexation of spirit every way Vers. 15. That which is crooked cannot be made straight and that which is wanting cannot be numbred Humane nature at best in innocency as liable to wax old decay and die in all the Wisdom Life and Glory of it and as liable to corrupt and be depraved through Man's evil use of all in preference and opposition to what 's more excellent might be called old and crooked But since the fall 't is actually and apparently so A glory it had which was no glory to the glory that excells and remains for ever in new-creation Life The Life Wisdom Righteousnes of man in his first created state was no Life Wisdom Righteousnes in respect of what is given to and set up in him by the second is admitted no comparison looked upon as nothing to it is to be folded up and laid aside as an old garment for it God himself thus handles all the first-creation works of his own hands Isa. 34. 4. 66. 1 2. Heb. 1. 10-12 Man though made perfect and upright at first all the life and goodness he was possessed of was corruptible and changable though not corrupt So not to be compared with the incorruptible unchangable everlasting Life Wisdom Righteousnes and Glory of God set up in and put upon man by a new-creation Man's and Angels attempts and designs for holding fast making straight and establishing themselves in their natural first-creation Life which God hath made crooked 〈◊〉 7. 13. in opposition to his offered straight and incorruptibly perfect new-creation life is peerless madness and inexcusable folly God requires them both and all to part with their own crooked life how ever straight in their Eye for his own absolutly straight and incorruptibly perfect new-creation life which only is straight in his Eye But farther what God made 〈◊〉 to crookednes and in that sense crooked fallen Angels and Man have made actually perverse crooked and tortuous In evil Angels t is made unchangably so in rebellion against God and a justling competition with his unchangably straight new-creation life In fallen man enmity to God and his everlasting righteous creature-life is inseperable from his natural state and life however restored But both that enmity and his life are seperable from him by his obedient death in sacrifice to God on which he receives thepromise of the Father the unchangably straight new-creature life of the Son Evil Angels are continually at it with Men follow them closs with this lying suggestion that their but restored righteous natural state is the straight thing in God's sight as well as theirs which will give them entrance into the kingdom of God Multitudes multitudes all along this World under Satan's reign have drunk in this serpentine venom to their eternal ruin as will appear in the valley of decision Fixure in the life of nature corrupt or righteous renders men litteral or mystical Sodomites both most Crooked perverse and abominable in God's sight and thoughts be what they will in their own Such establishment in the righteousnes of Man as is highly esteemed amongst men is abomination in the sight of God Such an evil concupiscence lust or covetousnes after and delight in the mysticall riches fruits wisdom glory and righteousness of their own nature or house as makes them finally to despise the durable riches wisdom life and glory of God in that spirit of grace which is his house and to refuse the required exchang of all their fading vanities for them is death without mercy Thus do men by an evil covetousnes to their own house consult shame to themselves and get everlasting contempt as vessels of dishonour Hab. 2. 9 10. This did the Pharises who were thus covetous Luk. 16. 14 15. This fixes man in an unchangable bloody mind of enmity to the constant steady right Psa. 51. 10. unchangably straight creature-spirit of everlasting righteousness and truth and to God most high The defects of man or what is wanting to him for eternal Life in his own nature corrupt or righteous from which since the fall filth of flesh or spirit are inseperable cannot be numbred For he wants every thing all things Spiritual Heavenly and Eternall and must part with every thing he has for them Till poor desolate and undone in himself he cannot be rich and strong in God till impoverished even to death in his own spirit not rich in God's but wretched poor blind and naked destitute of and wanting all things for eternal Life Enmity to God and that Spirit of Grace in which alone any can be saved is as inseperable from man in the corrupt or righteous Life of his own spirit of nature as the Ethiopian hiew or Leopards spots from them Jer. 13. 23. Till the said exchang by death be obediently yielded to the terms God's wisdom put 's on man as his part in order to an entrance into his new and everlasting covenant-life on which he will certainly perform his part of that covenant in giving him that life the things man wants for salvation cannot be numbered All the numberless spiritual new-creation things the everlasting creature-Life Wisdom and Righteousness of God with the innumerable fruits to be brought forth by men therein to God and the innumerable fruits of Gods love therein 〈◊〉 man Love Joy Peace c. Gal. 5. 22 23. All these things are wanting that is every thing Vers. XVI I communed with mine own heart saying Lo I am come to great estate and have gotten more wisdom then all they that have bin before me in Jerusalem yea my heart had great experience Heb. seen much of wisdom and knowledg Solomon was eminent in mystical earthly-Jerusalem life and in the Ornaments or excellent best and most spiritual inlightning gifts of the Heavenly In this super-eminent wisdom and understanding the vain thought and pussing up Imagination of his own heart was that he now wanted nothing for the rendring him compleatly happy His wisdom and largeness of heart was as the
knowledg of Christ after the flesh 2 Cor. 5. 16. in a righteous Law-Life for the knowledg of him after the spirit in his spiritual Gospel-life into which risen out of the Death of the former Phil. 3. 7-10 This according to his own advice in the Holy Ghost Rom. 7. 1-4 That which is born but of the Flesh of Christ the Fleshly First-Covenant Law-life is but holy flesh not Eternal Life But that that 's Born of his Gospel-Spirit only Jo. 3. 6. The former when taken by himself as made under the Law he Crucified as the only means and way of exalting our nature in himself into the second in which he Lives for evermore So must we As there was an appointed time for him and so for us by his mean's to be Born or have this Righteous Law-Life brought forth in him So was there an appointed time for the death and loss of it in him and is also in us By the fresh Gift and Birth of it from him is he the Healer Planter Restorer and Builder up of Man afresh out of the Shameful Bloody Polluted State of Nature dead in Trespasses and Sins into the Fading Glory Life Wisdom and Righteousness of Man the Goodliness of Holy Flesh which yet is but as a Flower of the Field Isai. 40. 6. This Restoring Healing-work of Christ as to the deadly Wound given to all Men by the First Sin of the First to the top-stone of this Renewed old Building by his comlines or perfect Righteousness of the Law imputed to or put upon them he warn's against the abuse of by an over-value of it over-considence in it and doating love to it so as to prefer it before his offered Spiritual Life and Everlasting Righteousness in the Image of the Heavenly the new Building For this is Mystical Adultery against him as their true Spiritual Lord and Husband worse then Litteral Yea and Murder also as a Murdering Mind of Enmity against him there is Interpreted for which they are to be Judg'd as the most Criminal Adulterers and Murderers All this we find Ezek. 16. 1-15 and v. 38. Man as Dead in Sin is figuratively Charactred by the helpless condition his Body is Born in as to any thing he can do for himself v. 3-6 These Expressions Represent the Dark Black Dismal Bloody Condition and Desolate State of his Spirit that none but Christ can help Let him look within without and round about him there 's none to Pity or have Compassion upon him that can help him This disconsolate State and Extremity God declares to be a motive and opportunity to him to help him restore Life to him Cleanse or Sanctify him and by Imputation of another's Righteousness justify him and render him fruitful in his Restor'd Naturals under the Fructifying Influences of Christ as a Fleshy Bride-groom and Husband who also puts the Mystical Ornaments Bracelets and Jewels of Supernatural Spiritual Enlightning Gifts upon him And he causes him to feed at his earthly First-Covenant Table on such Meats or Communications from him as tend to Nourish Strengthen and Build him up into a Fruitful Flourish in that Life to the Encreasing with the Encreases of Man not of God in the Wisdom aud Glory of his own Life not of God's So grows he exceeding Beautiful prospering into a kind of Kingdom State in his own Life and way consisting in a Ruling Power of his Restored Spirit over all the Inferiour Powers of Nature in him Such Kings Paul found amongst the Corinthians 1 Cor. 4. 8. Multitudes refuse this common Salvation love their Chains and Bondage under the Brutish Lusts of their fallen degenerate nature so as not to accept of deliverance there-from And Multitudes of First-Covenant Believers and Professors that receive this Common Salvation refuse the Special the Crowning benefit of Christ's Death his Spiritual New-Creation or New-Covenant Life his unspeakable Gift Their Restor'd Spirit of Nature or the Law is still a Spirit of Bondage under the Law and Curse Gal. 3-10 another State of Death by Filth of Spirit or Enmity to God's Spirit in which alone they can be finally saved Paul found his Holy Flesh or Restor'd Natural State a Body a Law of Sin and Death as Phil. 3. 6. and Ro. 7. 24. 8. 2 compared do Evidence Man's Rational Powers and Free-Will at best are the Living Holy Sacrifice God requires as their reasonable Service and true Gospel-Free-Will Offering unto him by the death of all Rom. 12. 1. Final refusing to do this renders men Conformable to this World v. 2. yea to the Devil the God of this World who has set up his Superiour worldly life wisdom and glory in unchangable enmity to God Thus fall first covenant Saints by refusing the second and crowning benefit of Christ's death under greater Guilt and sorer Condemnation then if they never had received the First They refuse to listen to Christ's Heavenly second voice and call to them out of the Fading Life and Earthly Freedom of the Sons of Men into the Everlasting Life and Glorious Liberty of the Sons of God Thus do Men sin away their First-Covenant Life and second Covenant Light again after the Similitude of Adam ' s Transgression by preferring such Life and Ornaments to the very Gospel New-Covenant more excellent Life and way 1 Cor. 12. 31. And so come they to a latter end worse then their beginning either in Innocency or as Born dead in Sin because now Irrecoverably Unpardonably and Unchangably dead This then is Solomon's meaning here God has appointed a time for the Birth and Death the Planting and Plucking up the Building and Pulling down the Healing and Wounding or Killing and Destroying Man as to this mortal first-covenant-life of his own nature The Birth of the Planting and Building him up therein is the ground and cause of his Laughing Dancing Exulting and Rejoycing in the Embraces of Christ as a fleshly Bride-groom The pulling down and destroying all this again by his Gospel-Cross or spiritual Sword is the cause of his Weeping and Mourning All this have we Vers. 2 3 4. Vers 5. A time to cast away Stones and a time to gather Stones together a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing Christ has a set time for gathering together the stones of Man's ruined desolated Building in his own nature and a time to pull down his rebuilt natural state and cast away the stoues thereof again uot leaving one stone upon another in this fleshly Church-building Thus serv'd he the first mystical Temple-building of our spotless nature in himself figured in his Prophecy of the downfal of the litteral Temple at Jerusalem in Answer to his Disciples Mat. 24. 1 2. Christ has a time to embrace Men as a fleshly Bridegroom to them and a time to refrain from embracing on his dying and departing from them there And he requires them to desire expect or look after him no more there for a knowledg of him after the Flesh but wholly fix
of God executed by the Cross on obedient Saints or eternal wrath of God by the same Cross on incorrigible sinners And so are we brought by Solomon to consider the Result from all this which he declares by way of Question Vers. IX What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth A like Question to that Chap. 1. 3. already spoken to Who is this he that worketh Man in the twofold perishing life of his Body and Spirit both inevitably falling under a twofold Dispensation of Birth and Death from God A vicissitude of building up and breaking down are unavoidable to both For Man in the utmost flourish of both is but a fading flower altogether Vanity lighter then vanity less than nothing Isa. 40. 7. 17. Psal. 39. 5. and 62. 9. The Life of both is mortal So was that of Angels in their innocency So is this Question of great weight What profit can Man have of all his Labours in a Life that 's Vanity All his best Labours therein do but encrease his heap of Vanities And what is he the better Eccl. 6. 11. Both lives in conclusion vanish and all the works fruits riches litteral and mystical all the things thereof things of man come to nothing Man then struggles under an impossibility to keep up the said lives or things thereof in rebellion against God's declared order and Command for surrender of all to him in obedient sacrifice by death If he refuse to give up all as demanded in love God will take away all In final Wrath. 'T is utterly impossible to avoid one of these two way 's of losing all No remedy All striving against these unalterable Appointments of God and fading nature of the things themselvs renders the inevitable parting with all and all Death-blow's of a tendency there-towards more Heavy Painful Bitter and Uneasy to Man's sore disadvantage and at last totall amazing disappointment If he has no other ground to stand on when all that is gone where is he What was his duty and beautiful in its season righteous performances in the activity of first-Covenant principles when call'd to Passive Obedience by the death and loss of all in order to active Obedience in the new-covenant Spirit and Principle of Everlasting Righteousness is Rebellion as the Sin of Witch-craft and Idolatry 1 Sam. 15. 23. T is a keeping that Amalekite Law spirit of Bondage alive as Ruler that God requires the death of Under such Witch-craft Paul found the Galatians Gal. 3. 1. No saving natures head from the irresistible Sword of the spirit of Grace No scaping in this War for Fighters against God Should the whole Creation Angels and Men lend their helping hand set their Shoulders to Boulster up and Support any one Man in this case he is gone They are all less then nothing to him we have to deal with All proud helpers and helped all final Resisters must stoop and fall under his Victorious Flaming Two-edged Spiritual Sword Wherein any deal proudly presumptuously keeping up the Life it ' larum's them in and summon's them to surrender it will be above them All that submit not to it in order to be made by it new Vessels of Honour and Fternal Life it will make their old ones Vessels of Dishonour and everlasting Contempt in Eternal Death To one of these two final Periods will the Versatile changable Spirit of Man Infallibly come The Obedient Saint when he awakes out of the Marred Visage and Death of the Earthy will be satisfied with the Image of the Heavenly Ps. 17. 15. And when Christ shall awake or come forth in the Visibility of the Heavenly he will despise or destroy all self-exalters against him with their Image of the Earthy Ps. 73. 20. In the Morning of Christ's day of Appearance with all his Saints in their Spiritual Resurrection-life after the long Night of this World under the Powers of Darkness will they have Dominion over all their Enemies in the Earthy and Consume all their Fading Beauty or Comliness Ps. 49 14. And what profit then will they find of all their Labours in a Law-Spirit of Bondage Death and Enmity to the Gospel Vers. X. I have seen the travel which God hath given to the Sons of Men to be exercised in it Heb. To afflict or humble them thereby Here 's Solomon's experience and Conviction of the unprofitableness of all Man's Labour and Travel for the gratifying and keeping up the Life of his Body or Spirit in the fading glory of a first-covenant state God gives or permits this Travel to Men in answer to and pursuit of their own vain Desire and Thought to humble or afflict them even by that very self-exalting Labour and State they chuse delight in and please themselves with They must with Job Solomon and others sit down at last in dust and ashes acknowledging the vanity of both the said Lives and of all done by them in the activity of both Happy they only that are timely humbled by the due consideration hereof so as to be willing to cease from the same quitting the folly of all their unprofitable Labours and false Confidences to walk with God in the more excellent Life and Way Vers. XI He hath made every thing beautiful in his time also he hath set the World in their heart so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end Man by Creation was made beautiful in the glory of a first-covenant Law-life for God's appointed season to him there So again when restor'd by Christ while he continues a fleshly Bride-groom to them there as his present dispensation But when by the convincing light of his new-covenant Gospel-spirit he discovers all this beauty to be but a fading Flower a Glory to be done away and that there 's Enmity to God under all then does Man's unlawful use of the Law or Rebellious keeping up his Law against Christ's Gospel-Life render that which was Beautiful most Filthy and Abominable to God Spiritual Sodomy worse then Litteral Man's hardning himself in his Law-Life against Christ's graciously shew'd and offered Gospel-Life provokes him to depart and Swear he shall never enter his Rest Heb. 3. 7. 11. Thus does Man bring his matters to a desperate pass by wilfully refusing so great Salvation as is offered and so is excluded for ever from it shall never be offer'd it more Christ and his true Saints and Seers will meddle no more with him in their Gospel-ministry nor intercede for but against him Act. 13. 46. 51. 1 Jo. 5. 16. They 'l shake the Dust off their Feet against him and away If Men say to Christ's Seers see not Prophecy not unto us right things They'l'a done Their Commission is out In Judgment on them they shall be Dumb Ezek. 3. 25 26. I know God has determin'd to destroy thee said the Prophet to King Amaziah because thou hast not 〈◊〉 to my Counsel and so on his threatning forbare 2 Chro. 25.
charg'd with hiding his Talent in the Earth Not using it at all to Suppress and Resist the vile affections of his corrupt Spirit of nature or evilly using it in Preference and Opposition to the spirit of Grace and Everlasting Righteous Life of God brings him to the same point From both or either of these Follies comes his whole person to be a Mystical Field or Vineyard all over-grown with Thorns and Nettles and to have the stone-wall or Fence thereof broken down God puts it to such a fleshly Israel themselvs to judg what they can desire he should do for them that he has not done Isai. 5. 1-7 God spared not his own Son but delivered him up to Death for us all That Son spared not his own natural Life at best but laid it down of himself for us What unpardonable folly then must it be for any to keep up the shat-ter'd Sinning Life of their own Spirit in preference to the everlasting righteous Life of God's But so far are they after all done and said from yielding to the Exchang-Traffick of old for new-Creation Principles that they signally hate and Oppress those that do Christ gathers out the Stones Thorns and Weeds found in Man's Barren Wilderness-State of Polluted fallen nature cleanses him from filth of Flesh the Pollutions of his worldly State and then requires and warns him not to return to his Old Sins therein with the Dog to the Vomit Nor commit new and more dangerous ones under all the righteousness thereof in despite to his Spirit of Grace the only infallible Principle of every truly right work which would secure men from an unpardonable return to their old or being guilty of the said new Sins On returning to their old or committing the said new Sins the stone-Wall is broken down and they become a ruinated heap a Barren Desolate Howling Wilderness a Habitation of Dragons Devils and Wild Beasts or Bestial Lusts worse then before cleans'd and restor'd as now unchangably so 2 Pet. 2. 20-22 By observing what other Sluggards and Apostat's have thus come to ought they with Solomon to receive Instruction and avoid the like evils of Sin and Punishment Christ's restoring them into the righteous cleansed nature of Man does cleer them for a season and in degree from Thorns Nettles and Brambles But they are yet but Fallow Field bring forth no Fruits to God till the Plow of the Cross go so deep as to fetch up that very Life and Tree of good and evil by the Roots to make way for quickning up in them the incorruptible Seed of a new Life in which only they can so do When by following Spiritual Conviction Light for a season they ran well Gal. 5. 7. putting their hand with God's to the Plow of the Cross to carry on such mortifying-work on their renewed Earth or Earthly State by looking back and turning from such Husbandry on themselvs become they Apostat's unfit for the Kingdom of God Such looking back is a Repentance or chang of mind unto death which they can never truly Repent of or chang back again from This turns them into a Mystical Sodom As Bewitch'd with their Holy Flesh a Glory to be done away they Recant fly back from and quit Christ's Holy Spirit Gal. 3. 1-3 Such perswasion comes not of God that call's them forward toward Salvation but of Satan that call's them back again to Destruction Gal. 5. 8. So a Spirit of unchangable Enmity to God becom's the principle of all their Desire Thought Life Word and Action a Root of bitterness against God Christ all Spiritual Saints and Truths This renders their Earth or earthly natural State not only nigh unto Cursing but for ever Accursed without Remedy or Chang. Obedient yielding to the declar'd Methods of God's Wisdom 〈◊〉 Salvation is the only way to prevent all this mischief From a contrary demeanour all the good benefit or comfort of their restor'd natural Talent is taken from them which the right Users and Improvers of Receive again with Usury and great gain in another a new-Creation Life In this sense is the Talent taken from the Wicked Slothful Servant and given to the true Spiritual Sons of God These go into Lise Eternal and the other into outer Darkness where shall be Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth Thus Eternal Poverty Wo and Misery comes upon such Sluggards as an Armed Man They lose all the fading good they once had and are for ever excluded from the unchangable goodness once offer'd them This come Sluggards to They fold their Hands together and Eat their own Flesh. In love to their own Flesh or sleshly natural State and Food or things thereof and Hatred to God and his Spirit they chuse it as turn'd into unchangable Enmity to God So become they sit Fewel for his Unquenchable Wrath. God in just Judgment gives them up to Satan's strong Delusion and their own mad and wilful choice So all concurr on one account or other to destroy them for ever All this because they refus'd to submit to such a Temporary Destruction of their Flesh or fleshly nature and life under the kindlings of the same Mystical Fire of the eternal Gospel-Spirit Heb. 9. 14. Christ kindled upon it at best in himself Luk. 12. 49. as their influencing and Meritorious Pattern They pitty spare and save their Fleshly Life of nature in their own will and way after their own Heart as Satan by Peter would have perswaded Christ himself and so lose it and Perish for ever Mat. 16. 21-26 By refusing to have it rightly and most advantageously Destroy'd by the 〈◊〉 of the Cross in Sacrifice to God they do Destroy it and so themselvs for ever They lose their own Soul for ever after all their conceited worldly gain in Rebelliously keeping up their Fading life with the Perishing Food Moth-eaten Clothing or Filthy Raggs their best Righteousnesses are no better Isai. 64. 6. and Canker'd Rusty Riches Mystical Gold and Silver their Laodicean Treasures heap'd up in the Fruitful Exercise of their restor'd nature in a Righteous first-Covenant Life For this most Criminal Sacrilegious robbing God of his Mystical Tithes and Offrings Mal. 3. 8. by keeping up the Life and Activity of nature as the fit Sacrificing Priest that God requires by Passive Obedience to become the Sacrifice to him do they Provoke him to kindle a sire within as well as upon them He will set up his Spiritual-Conviction-Light in their Spirits Hearts and Conscicnces by which they shall everlastingly be kept in the forced sight of what they had bin fairly warn'd about Mat. 6. 19 20. Luk. 12. 33. in their Mortal day and State on Earth that all they trusted in was liable to Moth-eating Cankers Rust and Thievs and so in conclusion would as to all the Goodness and Comfort thereof Vanish and Perish for ever as Dung. This very Corruption Rust and Canker comming upon their Riches all they are or have will be a Witness against them for their
their own spiritual Mind Ro. 7. 15. 23. Solomon had a larger sad experience of this then Paul But though this one even the natural Spirit of the Saint in its own Life lust will and way oft prevail against him even against his spiritual mind or man two shall withstand him even this rebellious flesh or natural man What two Who are these The Fountain Spirit of Christ in himself and the quick'ned up Seed thereof or Spiritual Man in the Saint The Rebellious natural Spirit Satan's Party in the Saint and he at the back of it to encourage and strengthen it with all variety of Arguments Motives Reasons and Uses against its own Saviour and Salvation shall both fall down together under the prevailing Power of the Spiritual Man Christ's Party in the Saint and he at the back of it making up the blessed two here These will weaken Satan's Party in the Saint and at length quite extinguish all the Life and abolish all the Power thereof laying it in the Dust. Then the whole Man shall be fill'd with and actuated by his Spirit of Life there 's no dealing or medling for Satan with Perfect Conformity to Christ's Death and Resurrection is all compleat's the Saints work and deliverance from all Enemies without and within He that 's thus dead is freed from Sin Ro. 6. 7. Sin or the guilty Sinner the natural Spirit is dead and gone as to its own sinning life of enmity So comes a ceasing from Sin for ever 1 Pet. 4. 1. The same mind in the Saint with Christ for a compleat full suffring in the flesh extinguishes all Sinning self-destroying Power for ever in him And this bring 's the Saint's matters to the self-same passe with Christ's when he said Now come's the Prince of this World and hath nothing in me Jo. 14. 30. Satan would have perswaded Christ himself and that by an Apostle to pity and spare his first-Covenant Law-Life or righteous natural self But he utterly rejected these flattering Judas-Kisses and Smooth words of the Enemy which are drawn Swords to Wound and Kill Men eternally He took not the Enemie's Counsel but clean contrary brought his own Spiritual Sword and Fire upon it Crucified offered it up by a Holy Obedient death in Sacrifice to his Fathers Will. Saints must do likewise They must hate that Life in themselvs he Crucified in himself or cannot be his Disciples But under all plausible appearances of kindness for Self-Preservation and Salvation does Satan animate his Party in Man the Disputer of this World to Dispute and Contend for his own everlasting Destruction against all Christs Gospel-things and truths By Man himself does he carry on his work smoothly and fair for the destroying him for ever Men are generally in their fallen State of nature Children of Wrath dead in Trespasses and Sins hatefull to and hating God and one another So are they half Devils ready as 't were made to Satan's hand by his own hand or first blow upon humane nature in our first Parents They are Enemies of God Lovers and Friends of World and Devil in corrupt or in part righteous nature They are Litteral or Mystical Adulterers and 〈◊〉 Jam. 4. 4. Thus we see Men want no more of being compleat Deuils as Christ asserted Judas to be Jo. 6. 70. then of being fixed and rendred unchangable in Enmity They are born and live as thus forward in the ready Rode and broad way towards their everlasting Destruction And to forward and encourage the restor'd righteous Party in this way there want not for a World of false Christ's and false Apostles in the Counterfeit guise apparel and dress of the true fitted to deceive if possible the very Elect. These evil Angelical Roaring Lions in Christ's Clothing and 〈◊〉 in the Clothing and appearance of Christ's true Apostles and 〈◊〉 will in their Lying Spirit of Divination and false Prophecy warrant this their very way to Salvation Ezek. 13. 6. Here 's Man 's dangerous condition on all hands as to his grand concern In this deplorable State these almost desperate Circumstances all Men are in does Christ the true WISDOM of God publickly warn and cry out aloud to them all to take heed of being taken with this deceitful Doctrin of Men and Devils their false accursed other Gospel and that they listen to his contrary Counsel and Instructions of Life submit to his Reproofs of Death on that Spirit of nature that 's 〈◊〉 and so receive his Spirit of 〈◊〉 that can never Sin or be deceived err or miscarry but 〈◊〉 discern and own all his words of truth Prov. 1. 20-23 See then and consider Oye Sons of Men the different posture ye are in towards your Blessed Saviour and the Abaddon Apollyon Red Dragon and Destroyer Christ comes to Cross and run down fallen nature as to the corrupt Lusts and vile affections of Litteral Sodom This done and nature recovered and set afresh upon its 〈◊〉 in a rectified first-Creation orderly state or mystical house he comes again with Fire and Sword upon this to pull it down and destroy it in order to the new spiritual Building and Life of the Rock Here 's all this unpleasing Cross-work to nature corrupt or righteous which must be submitted to and obediently complied with or no Salvation On the other hand Satan that comes to destroy Men finds them in a ready posture gladly to receive and entertain him and all his words his flattering Kisses and smooth Sayings in his accursed other Gospel all after their own Hearts desire and Palate And if he can but fix them in Enmity they are his own for ever direct Devils Now whom think you like to be most welcome to Man the destroying Saviour or the saving destroyer Christ or the Devil the Angel or Messenger of Gods everlasting Covenant or the Angel of the Bottomless Pit The whole World or earthly party of mankind corrupt or righteous lieth in Wickedness 1 Jo. 5. 19. or in the wicked one the Devil liable to be used by him against God Christ all awak'ned Spiritual Saints and Gospel-Truths as Paul when eminent in the Law-Righteousness of Man was Ready are all save actually awak'n'd Spiritual Saints to embrace his smooth words of Counsell which are drawn Swords to kill them saw they all and to be at his service greedily receiving teaching and Hearing the very doctrin of Devils without the least scruple for Salvation All the World wonder and run after the Beast Rev. 13. 3. His Ministers and Apostles are of the World or worldly earthy nature and Life in the Image of the earthy the Wisdom and Righteousness of Man so teach only such worldly things for Salvation speak of the World and the World all of the like earthy-temper and Spirit hear follow and Embrace their Doctrin Down it goes without any chewing pause doubt or suspition If this Doctrin wear thred-bare and lose its colour he will clothe it with the appearance of Christ's Spiritual true Gospel-Doctrin In
litteral Esau or Edom. God sends his ambassadour Obadiah to declare their offence and proclaim war against them for it v. 1-3 They say in their hearts who shall bring me down to the ground This they Presumptuosly say in the very day of God's Controversy with them and Judgments upon them even when they feel that Power of his they know there 's no bearing up against or standing before Yet they say who shall bring us down from those Clefts of the Rock those Mystical high and strong places we have made and got for our Habitation This high Rocky Habitation does import that high and Heavenly place or appearance of Christ's truly Rocky new-Creation Life and Glory they most wickedly transform themselves into the likeness and resemblance of to fight against even against the true Rock of safety and everlasting Salvation which the poor wise children trust in run into and are safe for evermore The old foolish Kings get into these counterfeit Heavenly places or Gospel-appearances Satan's prepared strongest holds for them and there as fondly imagining themselvs out of the reach of Gods Wrath or Power do they boldly bid defiance to him and his Spiritof Grace as if they should say let God do his worst We fear him not For Who can bring us down from our high and strong place They have made their Eagles-Nest so high that they reckon themselvs secure from the Power of evil any Punishment from God Habac. 2. 9. Thus accoutred and fortified for self-defence do they most proudly daringly and Presumptuously send their challenge against the Almighty Divine and irresistibly mighty new-Creation Power of Christ and God as if higher and stronger then both and so in no danger of being brought down by either Who shall bring us down Here 's their confidence in their Mystical first-Creation Rocks and Mountains evil Angels their proud helpers who must all stoop under Christ's all-powerful Revenging hand helpers and helped which when actually upon them they 'l still persist obstinately in their Presumption saying of themselvs I am God before him that slay's them but say's God thou shalt be seen and found to be but a Man and no God in or under the hand of him that slayeth thee Ezek. 28. 9. They say Who shall bring me down I will says God Obad. 4. Though thou exalt thy self as the Eagle-ey'd Spiritual Saint as if Wiser then Daniel Ezek. 28. 3. and though thou set thy Nest among the Stars as if equal to my Holy Angels thence will I bring thee down saith the Lord. Thus will they by ouvert Acts give the utmost evidence of their most desperately wicked Hearts by which fully to ripen themselvs for the final Triumphs of Gods Justice upon them all Though hand joyn in hand Men with Angels in this desperate Confederacy and Combination against God most high for the practice of the utmost Spiritual wickedness against him they shall not scape unpunish'd He is infinitly above them in all their proud dealings against him and will do as he sees meet to them all They pretend to all the safety Strength and Wisdom of Spiritual Saints and Angels All this will not do their work but ripen them for God's strang and wonderful work in Judgment upon them all The things of this Esau-party of Angels and Men shall be search'd out and their hidden things sought up v. 6. their hidden Works of darkness not only hidden under the form of Godliness and Righteousness of natural Man or Angel but under the disguise and counterfeit resemblance of the very Power of Godliness and Righteousness of God All won't secure their Mystery of Iniquity from God's infinite divine and all-searching all-discovering infallible new-Creature understanding All their first-Creation Vanities and Deceits under whatever Artificial Gildings and Glittering appearances will be discovered blasted and destroy'd by him they have to do with 'T is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God They 'l too late find it so All the disguise and deceit used by them has bin to manage their design for offring Violence to their Brother Jacob God's poor wise children true Spiritual Saints For this Shame shall cover them and they shall be cut off for 〈◊〉 v. 10. Cruelty and Persecuting Enmity to them Christ takes as done to himself Why Persecutest thou me Act. 9. 4 5. Mat. 25. 45. No kindness from the old foolish Kings is to be expected by Christ's little ones his poor wise children The season for Jacob's absolute deliverance will be the season of Esau's absolute destruction Obad. 21. When the Kingdom shall be the Lord's Saviours even Christ with his Angels and Saints shall come upon Mount Sion to judg the Mount of Esau. Then shall it appear whose Rock or 〈◊〉 is strongest or greatest Their Rock will dash all Enemies Rocks in pieces their Mountain or Kingdom crush and sink all the Enemies Mountains or Kingdoms under-Foot and be set on the top of them over all Spiritual Saints out of all Nations shall flow unto it Isai. 2. 2. as their invincible strength and safety against above and from all the Powers of darkness and Gates of Hell itself For on this Mount Zion shall be deliverance and the House of Jacob and Joseph shall be a fire and a flame and the House of Esau for Stubble to be devour'd by them Will any doubt or question this The Mouth of the Lord the Mouth or new-Creature Wisdom the Living Word or Supream Prophet of God Christ himself hath spoken it Obad. 17 18. The fire and flame of Jacob and Joseph signify the irresistibly burning and bright-shining Light of Christ's new-Creation Gospel-Life and Spirit in true Saints at that day of Judgment that shall undeniably evidence the unpardonable wickedness of their implacable Enemies and irresistibly burn and consume all their Glory and Power for ever So shall the whole Babylonish party of incorrigibly wicked Angels and Men as fitted fuel for the said Mystical fire and flame sink and never rise more as is figur'd in God's denounced Judgment on Litteral Babylon Jer. 51. 64. They shall be punish'd from the presence of the Lord and Glory of his new Creation-Power in himself in his Saints and in his Mighty Angels 2 Thes. 1. 7-9 This get the old foolish Kings by their obstinate return to build up the desolate places or that State and Life in themselvs and others God is blasting and pulling down in them all by his righteous Judgments upon them This work and design of theirs is the highest aggravation of their wickedness under a self-condemning Light within them and the certain effects of God's evident displeasure upon them God will render their final destruction and the cause of it so manifest to themselvs and all others that they shall be seen by all to be justly called the People against whom he hath Indignation for ever And thus have we some account of the poor wise Child and old foolish King here and what conclusion they
Capacity and lawfull Calling in this World diligently performing his Duty and referring the issue and success of his labours to Providence without any carking solicitud's or murmuring repining thoughts against God when cross'd in his expectations and disappointed of his hopes has rest and quiet to himself therein Such a one however low in outward Riches Solomon preferr's as to outward worldly Happiness before the litteral covetous rich man that from excessive inordinate Love to such Wealth robb's and deprives himself of all right comfort therein His solicitous self-tormenting thoughtfulness for getting and keeping such Wealth and then fear of losing all again all which the other is freed from render him a very 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 His abundance of Riches fills his Heart with abundance of trouble and disquiet as well as his Coffers with Silver which will not suffer him to rest or sleep Through this vanity under the litteral first-creation Sun Solomon saw such Riches downright hurtfull to the Owners thereof instead of being of any benefit or advantage to them Semblably the inward Riches of man's Spirit under the mystical first-creation Sun the enlightning enlivening fructifying influence of Christ as a fleshly Bride-groom in his first-covenant Spirit Single upon man's nature Laodicean Treasures heaped up and trusted in and to by man for true Happiness produce the same restlesness and disquiet to him Full of solicitud's is he in getting and keeping and of Fears about losing all again as the litteral covetous rich man is Is there not a cause for such Jealousies and Fears All 's but a vain shew in Holy Flesh a first-covenant Spirit of bondage and fear about his known perishing vanities refusing Christ's convincingly shew'd and offer'd durable Riches and true Freedom even the glorious Liberty of the Sons of God in his Gospel-Spirit or perfect Law of Liberty to good only and that good unchangable That 's Freedom indeed to purpose Heb. 2. 15. 2 Cor. 3. 17. Joh. 8. 32. 36. Jam. 1. 25. and 2. 12. The Truth Christ's Gospel-Spirit of Truth makes us Christ's true freemen though in letter man's Servants 1 Cor. 7. 22. And the Master that 's free in letter if effectually call'd by Christ into his heavenly Life of true freedom is his Servant Christ's new-covenant Law or Gospel-Spirit of Life by its death-work on our old or first-covenant law-Spirit of Sin Bondage Enmity and Death sets us free from Sin and Death Rom. 8. 2. all vain Trouble Bondage and Fear He that 's so dead is freed from Sin Rom. 6. 7. ceases for ever from it 1 Pet. 4. 1. Vers. XIII There is a sore Evil which I have seen under the Sun namely Riches kept for the Owners thereof to their hurt This with the Verse before and four following joyntly Character the folly and misery of the litteral and mystical covetous rich Man the former as a Type of the latter One of them is fill'd with cares and solicitud's about making provision for his bodily ease the other is as busy about provisions for his Soul's ease Luk. 12. 16-19 Both of them trade but in perishing vanities 'T is but for perishing meats that gratify the evill Lust's the Belly Desire or Appetite of a mortal perishable Life of Body and Soul these two sorts of foolish Labourers Toil and fill their Heads and Hearts with vain self-tormenting cares and solicitud's All 's but to compass and finger the vain Delights of the Sons of men Nothing of the never-perishing Life and Meats of the Son of God delights of the Sons of God are admitted into their regard God is not in all or any of their thoughts Psal. 10. 4. Nothing of God's Christ's new-creature Life is sought after They 'l not come to him for it nor regard it when he comes and offers it to them Ioh. 5. 40. How oft would I have gather'd you together unto me under my divine and Creature-wings in this Life and ye would not Mat. 23. 37. Ye are all for your selves your own Life will have none of me or mine Then take your course ye shall never have mine at all never enter into my rest So will be left to your own desolate house for ever V. 38. The mystical rich man delightfully contemplat's the Beauty Fruitfulness and Riches of his own enlight'ned nature and too oft arrivesat this highest point of Spiritual wickedness as the result of his own wisdom to strike up an everlasting-covenant-union with the Devil He agrees to receive by his transforming Hel-fire-Baptism an advance of his own nature out of a narrower changably evil humane capacity into a wider and unchangably evil angelical This by suffering Satan to fill his Heart with his Spirit of unchangable enmity to God This is the making man's mystical House or Barns greater Luk. 12. 18 the enlarging and heightning his natural capacity by a kind of mystical death through Satan's false cross-work or counterfeit mortification for the death of man's Spirit of nature on his engagement by covenant and satisfying assurance that he will raise and catch him up out of that mystical Grave into his higher wiser stronger more excellent and capacious angelical nature Thus by bargain does he touch man's Spirit with the transforming alterative assimilating touch of his and translate him out of his narrower humane into his larger angelical capacity of the first-creation sort Man rather chooses this heightning and enlargment in his own way and after his own heart in the first-creation state of nature which renders him a man after the Devil 's own Heart in unchangable enmity to God then such destruction of his fleshly nature or whole natural state and life at best as leaves him no hopes of ever finding himself in a single natural first-creation-life more for ever but in a spiritual and heavenly by a new-creation in the new everlasting covenant Gospel-principle God's Spirit of Grace and Truth The assimilating transformingwork of Christ's Spiritual Cross or heavenly fire-baptism upon man would translate him if obediently submitting thereto and compliant therewith into the life of God's sacrificing Gospel high-Priest of our Profession or of that very Spirit and fiery law of liberty Deut. 33. 2. Jam. 1. 25 that puts his Law or lawless Spirit of bondage enmity and Death to Death with engagement by Covenant to raise it into the everlasting Life and Glorious liberty of the Sons of God Satan will Personate this very high Priest of God and God himself 2 Thes. 2. 4. And he will transform his higher Angelical excellencies and capacity into the likeness or neerest possible resemblance of Christ's new-creation Glories This is the top-stone of his mystery of iniquity the strongest delusion by which this most subtle old Serpent Dragon and roaring Lion deceives and devours men when and where God permitt's for his own most wise and holy ends Think what this choice of man under Gospel-conviction-Light to joyn unchangably with the Devil rather than with God deservs In order to secure their
beloved natur's head from the Gospel-Sword and Fire of the Cross or Spirit of Christ do men mount up into superiour first-creation strength subtlety and power to oppose and fortify themselvs against Christ and God that they may be deliver'd from the power of evil even from the wrath of God Hab. 2. 9. This is man's design in his evil covetousness to set his nest on high amongst the evil angelical Rocks and Mountains with a vain hope to fight and make good his ground and standing there against God himself Most daring foolish presumptuous self-destroying wickedness Thus comes the mystical House of man 's swept garnish'd nature but empty of the Gospel-Spirit of Christ that 's greater than Satan after all cleansing from filth of flesh and adorning with Spiritual enlightning excellent Gifts to be re-entred and repossessed by him in a sevenfold more dangerous manner than before he was cast out of his changable corrupt state of nature that is unchangably This is cleans'd righteous man's latter end worse than his beginning in polluted nature dead in trespasses 〈◊〉 sins but recoverable and curable by the redeemer Mat. 12. 43-45 In this desperate and most deplorable condition did Christ find and declare the self-confident righteous Scribs Pharisees and professing Jews who asserted themselvs to be true Children of Abram yea and of God himself as born of God Joh. 8. 39. 41. to be of their Father the Devil as born of him and walking acting and speaking in his very murdering lying Spirit of unchangable enmity to God as the very principle of their life desire thought and action V. 44. Man's Body or natural state given up to be burn'd not in the true Fire of that Gospel-Spirit that 's called Charity or Love 1 Cor. 13. 3. but in the false Fire of Satan's Spirit of unchangable enmity to God profits him nothing but indeed becom's the highest and utmost imaginable disadvantage to him It renders him a fix'd Temple of the very Spirit of the Devil as the true Saint of God's This abundance of mystical first-creation Riches men singer by advance into evil angelical excellencies superiour to meer humane will not suffer them to sleep being for ever excluded God's Rest the new-creation Spirit of Christ. They must lie down for ever with their Father the Devil and his Angels under wrath in eternal vexation of Spirit But the mystical poor Labourer that sets his hand to the Plow of the Cross to turn up the very Root or natural principle of all mystical first-creation riches or fruits will have sweet sleep rest and peace with God for evermore He cast's away and willingly parts with all the riches as dung that the other cumbers himself with and all desires after them or care and solicitud's about them Who has the better on 't the rich Christ pronounces wo to Luk. 6. 24. or the poor in Spirit whose is the Kingdom of Heaven Mat. 5. 3. The more speedily the fleshly Tree with all the fruits and riches produced in and by it is dayly dying and withering away under the Cross at the farther distance is the true Saint from the danger the covetous rich naturalist is involv'd and in a perillous tendency towards an unalterable fixure in by not submitting to God's sentence of Death upon nature at best as Paul did 2 Cor. 1. 9. so as to have it speedily executed upon them This exposes men to Satan's fixing or setting their Hearts in them to do evil Ec. 8. 11. in unchangable enmity to God with him So all their heap'd up riches are kept by and for the owners thereof to their own hurt Hurt yes to purpose their eternal ruine He that incorrigibly loves and dotes upon such riches hates Christ and his true life and riches so loves Death Prov. 8. 36. Had the young man listned to Christ and quitted the fading earthly life and riches of his own nature for his heavenly he had found that eternal Life he enquir'd after But quitting Christ's faithfull Command and gracious Offer all for his unspeakable advantage if complied with in case he finally persisted therein what less than eternal Death could befall him Mat. 19. 16-22 Vers. XIV But those riches perish by evil travel Heb. in the evil use or employment of them and he begetteth a Son and there is nothing in his hand Litteral riches got by evil travel and as ill us'd are by the just hand of God oft taken away again Man set's himself to build Castles in the Air or leave house and land to his Posterity called after his own name and all comes to nothing The Son begotten by him and left behind him bring 's his matters to such pass that nothing remain's to him or is left in his hand As for the deceas'd Father he could carry nothing of such riches away with him Psal. 49. 17. Job 21. 13. -21. What a dismal issue is here of all vain travel relating to the outward pelf of this World and the same issue come all the mystical rich man's labours to as has been above evidenc'd abundantly He trades but in a higher sort of perishing vanities with the litteral Both of them as they came naked in Body and Soul into the World so do they march out of it again after a long travel and trading in a scene of perishing shadows as follow 's Vers. XV. As he came forth of his Mothers Womb naked shall he return to go as he came and shall take nothing of his labour which he may carry away in his hand No comfort or benefit for ever will remain to either of the said evill Labourers and Abusers of litteral or mystical perishing worldly riches Psal. 39. 5 6. and 49. 11-20 They carry nothing away to stand them in any stead in a resurrection of damnation for the second Child that shall stand up in an immortal being of Body Soul and Spirit in lieu of their mortal Life of all in this World Eccl. 4. 15. Vers. XVI And this also is a sore evil that in all points as he came so shall he go and what profit hath he that hath laboured for the Wind Man wholly destitute of the Life Riches and Glory of the World to come labour 's in Sin Vanity and Darkness all along his day in this He has nothing but a delusive transient jollity in things that perish in the using Belly and Meats Desires and Desirables all vanity God will destroy one and t'other All 's but a passant wind he labours about And all his false joy lead's directly to eternal sorrow that he 's to lie down in under wrath Vers. XVII All his days also he eateth in darkness and he hath much sorrow and wrath with his sickness In this verse and the two former have we a true description of man's doleful state after the largest possessions litteral or mystical that can fall to his lot in first-creation life He huggs but a wind phantome shadow or self-pleasing Dream All 's nothing and he
under the mystical first-creation Sun the first covenant Spirit as to all their fruits and Laodicean riches heap'd up there as in the litteral Rich man under that Sun that produces the litteral riches and fruits of this Earth we tread upon The influence rain anointings gifts enlightnings and comforting warmth of Christ 〈◊〉 his single distributions of first-covenant light and life as a fleshly Bridegroom and Comforter makes men first-covenant Saints in holy cleans'd flesh or a righteous natural State freed in degree from the pollutions of their sormer polluted worldly nature This makes them 〈◊〉 fruitful rich full flourishing wise strong and honourable there in holy flesh by such knowledg and experience of Christ after the flesh Christ's mystical husbandry and husbandly influence upon them there has these real effects upon them brings them a-fresh into the 〈◊〉 of godliness and real righteousness of man in the image of the earthy or first Adam restored and put upon them as a comeliness and beauty all which yet is but a 〈◊〉 flower a perishing 〈◊〉 as at first in Adam And now also filth of spirit or enmity to God's divine and new-creature Gospel-spirit of grace is inseparable from this restor'd life of holy flesh This disease therefore is curable only by the obedient death and loss of all this again for Christ's spiritual Gospel everlasting righteous new-creation life by which to become one with him there as married to him in that life into which he is risen out of the Death of that Law-life of holy-flesh in his own person Rom. 7. 1-4 These first-covenant Brethren Children and Spouses of Christ in the first-covenant finally refusing the terms of being Married to him in the second which is the death and loss of all their fading vanities come to be Married to the Devil for ever and so of a changable spouse and people become not only no spouse children or people of God but a very Synagogue of Satan 〈◊〉 the mystery and power of Godliness they are finally catch'd and for ever swallowed up in Satan's mystery of 〈◊〉 Such righteous first-covenanters in Law-life thus joyning unchangably with the Devil in an everlasting Marriage-Union with him hated all Christ's spiritual Gospel-Doctrine and Crucified the Lord of Glory put to a temporal Death the very Prince of everlasting life These drive a more dangerous trade with their vanities then the litteral Rich man with his Paul and all spiritual Saints follow Christ's suffering steps out of the Glory and Life to be done away into the Glory that excell's and Life that remain's for ever This is the rendring any man truly blessed And this in great variety of Scripture-language and Figurative Parabolical instruction is signified to men by the voice of the true Shepherd and wisdom of God the words of his heavenly Gospel-spirit in himself and Saints But man notwithstanding all that can be said pitches his foot resolutely in harmony with Satan for Salvation in the but restor'd earthy first-covenant life of his own nature in his own will and way after his own heart which in fine render's him a man after Satan's own heart They so interpret all Scripture by the words of their own wisdom and in their lying spirit of divination as to warrant this a state of true and everlasting blessedness This Doctrin in all its variety is the Doctrin of Devils and no better the self same the Serpent Preach'd to Eve and prevail'd in Gen. 3. 4. Ezek. 13. 6. So have ye Satan's and his Apostles accursed other Gospel-Ministry in flat contrariety to every word of Christ's If ye follow it ye must take what follow 's for ever the wrath to come be as jocund and confident as ye will now This has been Satan's and Man 's delusive cursed other Gospel that 's no. Gospel from the beginning and will be to the end of this world under all variety of dispensation from God before and under written Law or Gospel the Oracles of God in a sound of words which make up the Scriptures of Truth the holy Bible or Book of God a transcript of the living Oracles of God in the person of Christ the living creature-wisdom word and book of God's whole very Divine mind and counsels about the Salvation of his Creatures Angels and Men and the supream Prophet and declarer thereof Prov. 1. 20-23 and 8. 1-9 Man and Angel must die as to first-creation 〈◊〉 at best that 's but vanity and a fading flower say's 〈◊〉 No such matter says the Devil and say his Gospel-ministries in all their tosses variety of thought and clashing language of their wisdoms Ye shall not die at all No danger or death is incident to you to be suspected or feared by you in your righteous cleans'd natural State Here 's the universal clash and contrariety of Satans lying and Christs true Gospel which will ye choose O simple ones Object 1. The willingly deluded followers of Satan's object against Christ's that 't is but one and the same thing whereas that they call Satan's has great variety Hear you say they or turn your books while we will open them at any leaf we find still one and the same thing insisted on 'T is all one where we open or what we read 〈◊〉 What amounts this objection to That Christ's Gospel-words are in exact harmony thorow-out and Man's and Satan's Babel-gospel has great confusion of Language and contradicting words proceeding from contrary Opinions Thoughts or Apprehensions larded with a world of fine stories similies and perswasive words of man's eloquent wisdom But all uniformly against and contrary to all Christ's 〈◊〉 Gospel to a Tittle This variety tickles the itching Ear 2 Tim. 4. 3. and gratifies that Palate in man which with Satans savour's only the many natural things of Man or Angel in the first creation and not at all the one thing necessary that 's comprehensive of all the things of Christ and God communicable to Men in the second Object 2. We deny say Satan's Gospellers there 's any creature-life or spirit distinct from what God set up men and Angels in by the 〈◊〉 creation above that or between that and the infinite divine life 〈◊〉 spirit And this is that fill's all your Books and is the substance of your pretended-gospel And this higher creature life you call the life of God and the wisdom righteousness and all the things of it the wisdom righteousness and things of God What can you mean by all this save the very 〈◊〉 life the eternal righteousness and wisdom And we hold a swallowing up of creatur's beings and wills at last into the Divine life and will of God Answ. What 's this at bottom but annihilation of Man and Angel and then God is where and what he was from Eternity and nothing of the Creature in any sense or capacity remain's at all Here 's the sum of the controversie between hypocritical Sinners in Zion pretending to right saving Saintship in renew'd naturals first-covenant
followers are calculated and designed only to catch at something from them to accuse and charge them for right or wrong This was Christ's own case all along his Ministry on Earth among the Jewish Professors When brought Prisoner before the chief Priests and Council of the Jews very inquisitive are they for Witness against him to put him to Death but none can they get that will serve their turn Then they seek to pick something out of his own mouth to do their work For this the High-Priest ask's him Art thou the Christ the Son of the Blessed Tell us in a word Jesus said I am Oh! now we have him here 's enough out of his own mouth to condemn him what need we any further witnesses ye have heard the Blasphemy what think ye Guilty of Death say they as a cursed Jury of Rebels All 's of a batch Judges and Jury against Christ and his Followers They all condemned him as worthy of Death They never examine his Doctrine but cry tell us in a word this or that and lie at catch for an answer and then in another word condemn him for witnessing an infallible truth that 's their next word Then they spit on him buffet mock him and so on to his Crucifixion and Death Mark 14. 61. 65. What may the Servant expect when the Lord was thus handled So Luk. 22. 66-71 The Elders chief-Priests and Scribes lead him into their Council and all of them say to him Art thou the Son of God On his Answer they say What need of further witness For we our selvs have heard of his own mouth He has said enough at the Bar to take away his life though we had nothing else against him before What think ye Think bad enough no doubt all of a mind the whole rout of Wolves and Bears guilty of Death say all Christ asserted himself the Son of God Blasphemy cry they not considering whether true or false But Satan will such own not only for the Son of God but God most high himself He will assert himself to be God and the true new-creation Temple of God 2 〈◊〉 2. 4. in his transform'd appearance thereof and find followers and owners enow even amongst Professors Chief Priests Types of Christ by Office Elders and People of the Jews the only then professing people in the world Christ own'd himself the Son of God by way of Eminency above all other Sons of God begotten and Born of his Spirit Do any such dare to own themselvs Sons or Children of God in his new and everlasting Covenant-Principle his Gospel-spirit of Grace and Truth Dare they speak the words of that Spirit Words the Holy Ghost teaches and are these words contrary to their's and Satan's accursed other Law-gospel Down they go at a word for Blasphemers Guilty my Lord say the goodly Jurors all of a Pack chuse where you will Professors notion of grace is short They look 〈◊〉 it only as an act of favour from God as it is also and a transcendent gracious one But they consider not or own it as a distinct principle root and spring of life desire thought and action in man from the natural first-covenant or first-creation Law-principle A word to the wise But to undiscerning fools or worse wilful Rebels against conviction what words will serve the turn to recover them out of their folly and madness Here 's the great turning point for Eternal Life or Death Single nature corrupt or righteous fix'd in is certain Damnation Grace Salvation We are saved by Grace or in Grace through Faith or in the incorruptible new-covenant Gospel-Principles of everlasting Righteousness not in or by Nature which at best is but a fading Flower altogether Vanity not of our selvs or any thing performable by us in our own Nature the first-covenant Principle Eph. 2. 8 9. 'T is the gift of God the unspeakable gift of his Spirit of grace in us is Salvation to us Here 's a word to those that are only for a word and away about Christs Gospel-Doctrine for Salvation All ye talk of is but one thing say they 〈◊〉 therefore hear it in one word What need such a do with so many words about it Pray what 's yours and Satan's Gospel all that Man's and Satan's wisdom jointly preach up declare and warrant to be Salvation that indeed will prove eternal Damnation to all final and resolute followers and owners thereof what 's this but one thing as abovesaid That the righteousness of Man or Man in his restor'd righteous life according to the Law blameless is in a state of everlasting Salvation Did not Paul when all this most fiercely persecute Christ and all his Gospel-Saints and Truths And was he not as fiercely persecuted by such as soon as he became a Gospel-Saint What would ye have where must one be to get the least of Truth into your understandings and hearts What but this one thing the Righteousness of Man is the bottom-story of all your innumerable Books and Preachings for Salvation And what do all such gingling words such tinkling Cymbals amount unto A confused uncertain sound And if the Trumpet give an uncertain sound who shall prepare himself to the Battel What Battel the Battel of the Lord against the Mighty What Mighty Evil Angelical Principalities and Powers of this World If the righteous Life Armour Strength and Wisdom of Man be asserted fit to undertake them in all such Doctrine is a Lie All these are but as straw and rotten wood Job 41. 27. to the superiour Wisdom and Strength of evil Angels the mystical Leviathan or Goliah and his Philistine Army All such Doctrine from top to bottom in all variety of words and dress by Eloquence Wit Art and Method Reasons Uses Motives c. all is an absolute downright falshood Satan's Synagogue-Lie Rev. 3. 9. his accursed other Gospel the Laodicean Delusion v. 17. The Power of Godliness Life Wisdom Righteousness things of God all comprehended in his one Gospel-Spirit of Grace the unspeakable Gift these are the Gospel-onething necessary to be found in Man for Salvation Form of Godliness Righteousness Life Wisdom things of Man in his restor'd Law-spirit of Nature the first-Covenant Principle these make your one Law-thing you place Salvation in cloathing it only with the Gospel-words and titles of God's one thing to deceive See ye now where we both are with our several one-things And will ye allow God's one-thing and Christ's Gospel but one word and your one thing or Satan's Gospel-principle and state Millions in throng'd auditories and crowd's of numberless Books and Writings Must God's one-thing be decried for Heresie Blasphemy and a diabolical Fiction and the Devil 's and your one-thing be the only orthodox sober Truth or thing Fools when will ye be wise Psal. 94. 8. and look about you as to your most important concern which you yet leave at random and an all-adventures in the hands of your trusty Trojans your blind Leaders of
spiritual new-covenant life Our nature in Christ was straitned and sore pain'd under the progressive work of the Cross and pangs of Death thereby caused till accomplished Luk. 12. 50. His living Soul was exceeding sorrowful even unto death Mat. 26. 38. as the Sacrifice under the crucifying Work of his own quickning Spirit the Gospel high-Priest and true Melchisedec The first Adam ought to have given up that Sacrifice to God by the same Priestly hand of and in the second True Saints with 〈◊〉 receive the sentence of death within them and find it their great advantage to have it speedily carried on upon them and their ease to have it perfected or accomplish'd The full death thereof kindly submitted to is perfect conformity to Christ's death and their perfect deliverance from all evil all wicked enemies within them and without and from all the danger of ensnaring vanities and tempting objects they are continually surrounded with which are gratifying to their natural life and desire corrupt or righteous while they have any activity thereof left about them So all former natural fruitfulness in a first-Covenant under Christ as a fleshly Bridegroom is turn'd into barrenness in which with Hannah they become a scorn and derision to such as continue fruitful Peninnah's in the first that house of feasting Paul that was an eminent somebody in the first when converted into the Gospel-life of the second was a stark fool a no-body to such some-bodies Phil. 3. 4. 1 Cor. 4. 10. 2 Cor. 10. 12. Rich wise full first-covenanters were the mystical strong Bulls of Bashan that gaped on Christ himself and so on Saints 〈◊〉 him round as ravening and roaring Lions Psal. 22. 12 13. These are the mystical 〈◊〉 cattel that thrust with side and sheulder and push all the weak poor lean wounded diseased 〈◊〉 under the Death-work of the Cross upon their natural man with their horns Ezek. 34. 20 21. Such lean barren diseas'd ones fools and as little Children are God's The fat wise and strong finally persisting there in enmity to the Cross the Devil 's He gets all such fat cattel The poor and lean get the Kingdom of God the rich and fit the Kingdom of the Devil by kinging it in the same Spirit with him against God But besides enemies without the grieved sorrowful natural man of the Saint within adds to the affliction All its whining passions and false reasonings under and against the Cross or Spirit of Christ in him are foes of his own house or in his own person in union with enemies without doors Thus is his tribulation compleated in that house of mourning that 's the ready road to Heaven But amidst all scornful despisings of first-covenant 〈◊〉 Christ as Bridegroom to his spiritual Spouse figur'd in Elkanah loves her transcendently more then any fruitful wife in the first and so is better to her then ten sons any possible fruits brought forth in that state 1 Sam. 1. 1 8. Amidst all bitternesses of the natural the spiritual hidden Man of the heart prays for the full birth of the 〈◊〉 figured by Samuel which when born turns the natural house or state of mourning into a spiritual house or state of everlasting feasting and rejoycing For this see Hannah's song of praise in the true house of feasting on God's having granted the prayer she put up to him in her house or state of mourning and barrenness 1 Sam. 2. 1 10. Christ foretold the sorrow of his Disciples on his departure from them as a fleshly Bridegroom in the first-Covenant till his return to them in the second according to the promise of the Father and of himself too which they were to wait for in that state of mourning to their natural Man Joh. 16. 20 -- 22. Act. 1. 4. Act. 2. 1 4 Christ's such return to them turn'd all their short sorrow into everlasting joy Joh. 16. 16 22 gives a full account of his fore-hand preparing his disciples in this case to look for him as a better Comforter in a new-Covenant Marriage-Union with him as risen from the dead A little while and ye see me no more in the first Again wait a little and ye see me in the second in a life I have in unchangeable Union with the Father They understood not this mystery They knew not what he said or what to make on 't Yea when risen he found two of his disciples in a drooping sad dejected Condition Luk. 24. 17. In a little short temporary wrath he forsook their sinning natural Man in a life of Enmity but with everlasting kindness he soon return'd to them in his never-sinning spiritual-life and set it up in them Isa. 54. 7 8. 'T is but once and for a little season the waters of the Cross figur'd by Noah's flood drown and overwhelm their natural Man extinguish all the life lust desire and thought thereof and then all joy for ever after in Christ's rocky spiritual life figur'd by Noah's Ark a state of everlasting feasting and rejoycing in the Kingdom of the Father v. 9 10. Christ will not leave them long comfortless in a state of Orphanship and Widowhood fatherless and husbandless as to their natural state He will soon be with them again in that Spirit of truth the merry self-confident first-Covenanteer receives not Joh. 14. 16 20. So then the Saints short mourning ends in everlasting feasting and rejoycing the others short rejoycing in eternal sorrow mourning darkness and death Mat. 5. 4. Luk. 6. 25. Who hath begotten me these even these Children or Sons of Peace these spiritual fruits peaceable fruits of righteousness brought forth in a newness of life to God The Faith of the Saint's spiritual Man answer's this question of his amaz'd natural ascribing all to the spiritual Bridegroom and better comforter then himself was in the first-Covenant No way but thro' the house of mourning and death as to all fading first-Covenant life of nature into Christ's spiritual house of everlasting rejoycing where all sorrow and sighing 〈◊〉 away for ever Isa. 35. 10. Psal. 126. 5 6. Rev. 21. 4. and 7. 17. The contrary state to the said mystical house of mourning is Man's flourish in a restor'd first-Covenant righteous life holy flesh and a fruitful living and walking therein as a present Victor and Master over or 〈◊〉 of the vile affections of the corrupt spirit of nature Rectified rational and intellectual powers keep the sensual in some degree of a first-creation rectitude and good order All this yet is vanity a fading flower And this with the fruits and enjoyments of it is all that 's found in the first-covenant house of feasting The final self-consident keeping here in refusal of and opposition to Christ's offer'd spiritual second-covenant life is certain damnation Satan has a seven-fold more dangerous hold of them and abode in them as his absolute temples and habitations for ever even of these mystical swept 〈◊〉 garnish'd houses in first-covenant life and second-covenant light then of
God and death to it self a Body a Law of Sin and Death as Paul found Rom. 7. 24. 8. 2. into the marvelous Palace or Paradisical Light and glorious Liberty of the Sons of God cannot forbear to go tell their 〈◊〉 how they fare They give them an account or true report of the new-creation Land of Promise or state of Life with the fruits and peculiar enjoyments therein above all other Countries Lands or States as far as the Heavens are above the Earth How is this News resented by these two sorts of Sodomites the Prophane in silth of 〈◊〉 or Legal-spirited Professor in filth of spirit enmity to God and all spiritual Truths that 's brought to both their ears by the Gospel-spirited Saint They all hiss at and deride his pretension to such Sun-light as the most presumtuous conceit and phanatical delusion in the World They sit them still won't budg an inch from their opinionated happiness in Rational Light and Moral Heathenism or first-covenant life also in Legal Christianity just as the case was in Plato's Apologue or fabulous Cave-students in their demeanour towards him that had ventur'd up a rocky Precipice with great difficulty and danger into the open Air and Sun-light on his return and tydings thereof to them What of all this The Saint is not to regard these contradicting Blasphemers misregarding him or his words nor be weary nor faint in his mind or Spirit Heb. 12. 3. They are to look wholly to God Christ blessed Angels and Saints that know and own them for what they know themselves to be What matters it for Man's day or judgment in which nothing of their spiritual life or doctrine is rightly seen felt heard or understood Saints by spiritual senses do all this natural never can do They hear see look upon and handle the Word of life even the original new-creature life in the living Word Wisdom of God Christ's Person 1 〈◊〉 1. 1. And they 〈◊〉 such life also in the derived streams of the living waters thereof in true Saints When their own Spirit is dead in Man's sight and judgement 't is most of all alive in God's Sight in his Spirit of Grace And those that live and spend their Widow-hood on Christ's death and departure from them as a 〈◊〉 first-Covenant Bridegoom in the pleasures of that life he has forsaken them in however alive in Man's sight are dead in God's while they so live 1 Tim. 5. 6. Incorrigible sinners in filth of Flesh or Spirit pass along this mortal World and Life jollily in the broad way to an eternal house of mourning Job 21. 13. Psal. 39. 5 6 11. Psal. 49. 10 -- 20. while true Saints through much tribulation and mourning are passing into an eternal house of feasting Those that will on in their various temporary houses or states of feasting literal or mystical making large and swift steps towards the Chambers of death seem to have much the better on 't in this World Who can help them Who can lift them up out of these drowning self-chosen lustful goatish ways of Vanity that will most certainly set them among the left hand 〈◊〉 Goats at last day Mat. 25. 33. Will ye hear a Wonder Spiritual Saints have the best on 't even in this World as thus They have the promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come True Godliness the power of Godliness is profitable to all things The form of it and bodily exercise or the fruitful exercise of Man 's cleans'd natural Spirit therein profits little The truely pure sinless use of worldly enjoyments without any sinful love to or delight in them and spending the strength of all in a serviceableness to the designs and interests of Christ upon and in Men belongs to the true Spiritual Saint only And they have a daily encrease with the encreases of God in the promised life of the World to come So have they the best on 't indeed and in truth even in their mortal day and state on earth All their Tribulations Persecutions and seeming worst things are wholly and exactly calculated for their good by him who cannot miss of accomplishing his design upon them therein and by There are three sorts of Men on the stage of this Earth together in a confused jumble as a mix'd heap in mortal bodies Profane inhabitants of the Sea in the corrupt Spirit of nature of the Earth in the righteous cleans'd earthy state or spirit of nature and dwellers in Heaven or in God's heavenly Spirit of Grace Rev. 12. 12. All People upon Earth are living and walking in the corrupt or changeably righteous Spirit of Nature or in God's unchangeably righteous Spirit of Grace No state in changeable nature is unchangeable or everlasting Salvation but a state of Grace only Eph. 2. 8 9. Not our working Spirit of Nature but God's working all in us and for us by his Gospel-Spirit of Grace will give us entrance into his Kingdom 'T is the unspeakable new-creation gift of God and workmanship of Christ fits any for the Kingdom And 't is then the unspeakable folly and madness of Man to refuse the receiving that Gift on any terms seem they never so hard to his nature Wo to Laughers they shall weep and mourn eternally Blessed are the mourners they shall rejoyce and laugh eternally These were Christ's spiritual sayings and warnings to all when in our flesh And he will be the Judge of all in that Spirit wherein himself is justified for ever in our nature before God most high 1 Tim. 3. 16. An innumerable multitude that have thought it so brave to have their wills in this World will meet with unimaginable amazing surprizing disappointments in the next An irresistible blast an irrecoverable death-blow will they be fore'd to receive on all first-creation delights desires and desirables belly and meats 1 Cor. 6. 13. All these dreadful things the living spiritual Saint lays to heart and as knowing the terrors of the Lord what a fearful thing 't is to fall into the hands of the living God and be torn in pieces without any possibility of deliverance Heb. 10. 31. Psal. 50. 22. endeavours to perswade Men while call'd to day to desist from their jovial march and swift posting it in their several sensual and intellectual paths of delight and present pleasure to their mis-judging nature which do all tend to meet and center in one and the same point a state of everlasting darkness and death under the triumphs of divine Justice and final Wrath. Solomon bewail's the unhappy choice most Men make of the merry self-pleasing-paths to eternal mourning But to allay the compassionating grief of this undeniably true observation he discovers an opposite party of happy People that in a new life and spiritual understanding do lay all these errors follies and madnesses of their fellow-mortals to heart though they can have little or no hearing with them and that find it their unspeakable concern
and interest to obey the counsel and follow the example of Christ in his suffering steps through a temporary house of mourning into his eternal house of feasting and rejoycing But for such doctrine of the cross and practicing it upon our nature in himself was Christ himself contradicted and blasphem'd Joh. 10. 20. as by Beelzebub the chief or Prince of Devils a master devil casting out other lesser and weaker Devils Mat. 10. 25. 12. 24. Mar. 3. 22. Luk. 11. 15. Holy first-covenant Preachers and Professors handled Christ thus And the Disciple must not look to fare better then his Lord from or amongst the legal-spirited generation in any age of this World under Satan's reign and in Man's day while his Wisdom will shuffle it self in for Judge and Umpire in Religion and Worship and force all it can to receive its sentiments as the only Orthodox and sound 〈◊〉 Vers. 3. Sorrow is better then laughter for by the sadness of the Countenance the heart is made better The sorrow Heb. anger or mourning of the natural Man under the cross at which offended angry troubled griev'd as run down in his own life and denied the pleasing himself in his former freedom of feeding on the gratifying delights of the Sons of Men all this as ill as it appears is better than all his former laughter in the flourish fruitfulness and joy thereof in its own way and after its own heart When brought into such a state of darkness and ignorance under this dispensation as not to understand God's design in all his withdrawing from him the favours and fruits of his former presence as a fleshly bridegroom in which he has found much content and satisfaction yet is this a certain truth he ought to believe for his own comfort that this sorrow is better than all his former laughter in the first-Covenant house of feasting while the candle of the Lord therein shin'd upon his Tabernacle which Job while yet in the dark as to what follow'd wish'd for the fresh experiencing Job 29. 2 -6. The veneration his person was in so that young Men hid themselves aged stood up Princes refrain'd talking and Nobles held their peace when he appear'd and spoke amongst them this honour from others and satisfaction to himself he had found in the wisdom glory and fruitfulness of his inlight'ned righteous Nature begot in him a lingring desire to return thither again even to his old house or state of feasting and rejoycing O that I were as in months past c. Under the cross all his Glory and Visage was so marr'd that now younger then I sayes he have me in derision c. Job 30. 1. Not seeing the more excellent Glory that was to follow this was a hard point with him Paul when of such a wise strong and honorable Man was rendred by the same sharp discipline of the cross a fool weak and despicable saw that spiritual Glory yea had it in him which is to be revealed or made manifest in him and others at Christ's second coming and manifestation of the Sons of God in the visibility of spiritual Saintship with which he reck'ned not the sufferings of the present time worthy to be compar'd Rom. 8. 18 19. And Solomon here declares the advantage of this amazing dispensation of the cross wherein Christ not only with-draws his comforting presence as a fleshly Bridegroom but turns his hand against his Spouses and Children in the first Covenant coming in the posture of an enemy with his Gospel-fire Sword and Cross speaking nothing but war and death to them there Yea he runs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as a Giant with 〈◊〉 force breaks them with 〈◊〉 upon breach takes them by the Neck and shakes them to 〈◊〉 and all this sometimes without shewing any cause why that the Saint is able presently to take distinct notice of in such confusion as in Job's case Job 16. 12 14. and Job 2. 3. 9. 17. 〈◊〉 wonderful 〈◊〉 and contrivances of God's Wisdom leave Saints quite at a loss till they come to see how matters go Yet this sorrowful state is better in it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 take it then all his former laughter and 〈◊〉 in the house of feasting by him 〈◊〉 Christ withdraw's the lesser glory of the first-Covenant-Sun in order to shine upon him in that of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that excell's and remains for ever The very Apostles were at the same loss and sad pass with Job on Christ's withdrawing from them as a fleshly Bridegroom and Comforter Their hearts were sill'd with sorrow But the joy that follow'd in the visits of the better Comforter over-answer'd all When Paul had by the Gospel-Doctrine of the Cross made the Corinthians sorry dashing all their vain hopes and false considences in the fading glory of a first-Covenant life he repented not but rejoyc'd 〈◊〉 as that right godly sorrow wrought a Gospel-repentance in them to Salvation not to be repented of or that can never be sinally turn'd again from 2 Cor. 7. 8 -10. A Law-repentance or change of mind from the corrupt to the righteous life of Nature they had experienc'd before as himself also when he persecuted the Gospel But now came they to the happy experience of a Gospel-repentance conversion or turn of mind from Law to Gospel from the life and 〈◊〉 of Man to God's The letter that made them sorry seem's to be his first Epistle to them wherein he shew's the vanity of their false joy and confident reigning as Kings without him or Christ yea against both 1 Cor. 4. 8. Nor he nor they would ever have cause to repent of such right sorrow as was follow'd with repentance unto life For no damage but great advantage receiv'd they thereby But say's he worldly sorrow worketh death Unwarrantable joy in this world's vanities disposes to unwarrantable worldly sorrow about the loss of them which works death A crucified mind to all worldly perishing vanities upper or lower mystical or literal with the sorrow of the natural Man and pangs of death upon him in order thereunto work life or a repentance unto life Such short sorrow of the natural Man in the Saint tends to his everlasting joy in spiritual life By obedient losing his own life he find's God's From all these reasons or grounds sorrow is better than laughter and this farther reason hereof does Solomon give for by the sadness of the Countenance the heart is made better The Visage of the natural Man marr'd defac'd and made black by the Cross in Man's sight the more comly is the Saint therein to God Cant. 1. 5 6. When Paul was a fool weak and despicable in the judgment even of those that were yet wise strong and honorable in Christ as to a fruitful flourish in first-Covenant life was he truly wise and honourable in God's sight such a one as the Lord commended 1 Cor. 4. 10. 2 Cor. 10. 18. The whole-spirited Man in the fading glory of the first-Covenant has the praise of Man
The broken-spirited Saint as to all that has the praise of God Luk. 16. 15. Rom. 2. 29. One such contrite-spirited Man God value's more than all Angels and Men in the unbroken excellencies of the whole first-creation Isa. 66. 2. How vastly distant are God's thoughts and Man's in this matter Again the more sad and marr'd the Countenance or visage of the natural or old Man in the Saint under the dispensation and discipline of the Cross the better is his heart the more thriving prosperous and fruitful in spiritual life The Spiritual Man rises as the natural decays and falls The decay and sorrow of the old Man is abundantly over-answer'd by the encreasing joy of the new To the full death of the old does immediatly succeed a compleatness of spiritual life in the new As the outer or natural Man perishes the inner or spiritual is renew'd day by day 2 Cor. 4. 16 -18. The light and short affliction of the former work 's for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory in the latter and Rom. 8. 18. Hereby comes Man to be rid of all bondage and regard of ensnaring vanities things temporal delights of the Sons of Men and to be advanc'd into the glorious liberty of the Sons of God so as to look at and set his affections upon things eternal only ver 21. Lo then the plentiful harvest-sheaves they that sow in the Tear's of their natural Man shall reap in the Joy of their spiritual Psal. 126. 6. The decay of the life and glory of Man in the first-Covenant attended with an encrease of the never-fading creature-life glory wisdom and righteousness of God in the second render's his heart less after Man's but more after God's own heart with David and so better The unchangeable good new-creature life only with all the things and never-perishing meats thereof in the Man-Christ or his Saints and followers have God's approbation-Seal as is implied John 6. 27. Vers. 4. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth Here are the contrary places or states in which the mystical wise and fools are found as the certain evidence of their wisdom or folly The latter take up for happiness in the flourishing fruitful life of their own restor'd nature This in a known wilful contrariety to the spiritual Law and Example of Christ himself In such place or state by them chosen will they be chain'd up as a Prison of everlasting darkness and death under wrath So will their house of feasting be turned into a house of everlasting mourning torment and vexation of spirit And this will they as a signal aggravation thereof be forc'd by God's awakn'd convictions in them to own as the fruit of their own device invention and wilful choice against all fair warning In a perfect contrariety to these merry travellers to the Chambers of death and their own everlasting confusion are the truly wise in the house of mourning under the cross as their secret Chamber of safety shutting their doors Isa. 26. 20. window's or natural senses outward and inward from all first-creation desireables visible or invisible Satan's perishing meats the dust himself feeds on By this means are they not exposed as all not under the Cross are to be catch'd in and with the ensnaring vanities of this world At winding up out come the reputed fools under the cross into an everlasting house of feasting and down sink their scoffing blasphemous enemies heathen or people Psal. 2. 1. fix'd in nature corrupt or righteous and so in unchangeable enmity to God and them into a house or state of eternal mourning Saints are content to pass thro' all sorts of reproach shame and much tribulation without and within knowing whither they are going even to the Kingdom of God Act. 14. 22. Joh. 16. 33. In the world ye shall have tribulation The world is full of enemies round about them corrupt and righteous Men are all enemies to the Life and Righteousness of God in the spiritual Saint Thus does Solomon distinguish and character by the marks of wisdom and folly the contarry-minded inhabitants of the two houses on the Sand and on the Rock Vers. 5. It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise than for a Man to hear the song of fools Here 's the cause and ground whence the said wisdom and folly come to be practis'd The wise obediently hearken to the voice and rebuk's of Wisdom Christ his death-reproofs upon their spirit of nature that they may receive his Spirit of Grace Prov. 1. 20 -23. They receive and submit to the chastning Discipline of the Cross according to the reveal'd and known methods of God's Wisdom for Salvation On the other hand fools listen to the pleasing voice and charming song of folly it-self in Devils and Men their accursed other Gospel for Salvation in the restor'd life of nature Man's quiet submitting to wisdom's sentence of death within him upon that life they preach up and warrant for Salvation is unspeakably better for him then to regard the delusive destructive song and flattering voice of fools that set up the first-covenant law-life and righteousness of Man most falsely calling it a Gospel-state and righteousness of God This Gospel or glad Tydings if true Satan preached to Eve Ye shall not die at all Ye have eternal life in this first-creation state or life of your own nature The righteous life of nature in Man or Angel is Eternal This is Man's and Satan's other Gospel in perfect contradiction to Christ's and the only way of Salvation He that hear's the reproof of the spirit of life on his spirit of enmity and death get's true understanding and abideth among the wise Prov. 15. 31 32. He that refuses it destroy's his own Soul Here are the infallible characters of Wisdom and Folly The only way to get true Wisdom and Life is to quit and lose our shadowy under the Cross. To be fools with Paul as to all Men do have delight in or feed upon in the first-Covenant that we may find the Life and Wisdom of God in the second 1 Cor. 3. 18. 4. 10. God declares that all who refuse the chastisments of his Cross to the death of their continually sinning spirit of Nature are Bastards and not Sons in his never-sinning spirit of Grace Heb. 12. 8. 1 Joh. 3. 9. So shall not be provided for in his house In short the rebuke of the wise leads to eternal life the song of fools to eternal death Vers. 6. For as the crackling Voice or Sound of thorns under a pa so is the laughter of the Fool this also is Vanity Here 's a true character of the short-liv'd joy song and laughter 〈◊〉 fools All mirth in first-creation life is but as the crackling of thorns under a pot a short blaze and away This is all the delights of the Sons 〈◊〉 Men amount unto All the fine song or
by her Nothing but what 's unchangeably good is properly and truly good before God No man then that has not some unchangeable good thing or goodness in him can please God Without a spiritual Faith or new-creature principle of life and action something of the life of the Faith of the Son of God Gal. 2. 20. distinct from and superiour to the most righteous life of the Sons of Men 't is impossible to please God Heb. 11. 6. Man wise strong and honorable in Christ as a fleshly Bridegroom that has restor'd the old first-creation righteous life of Nature in him and rendered him fruitful there 1 Cor. 4. 10. This is not yet the He that singly as so pleaseth or can please God For then what was Paul that had quitted all the advantages or priviledges that such knowledg of Christ himself after the flesh brings along with it and includes in it 2 Cor. 5. 16. He became a fool weak and despicable there having parted with all that as dung for the knowledg of Christ after the Spirit in his Gospel-life into which risen from the dead Phil. 3. 6 10. Rom. 7. 1 4. Christ requires his Law or first-Covenant Spouses to quit him there as he them die with him there in order to meet him in the life of the second First-Covenant Spouses or Children of Christ live in him but he comes properly to live in them in the second Gal. 2. 20. T is but the Life Wisdom and Righteousness of Man Christ restores and afresh sets up in Men in order to render them his first-Covenant Children and Spouses The Life Wisdom and Righteousness of God a spiritual immortal Gospel-life he sets up in the second in the room of their surrender'd fading mortal Law-life in the first Christ abolish'd death or crucified that Law-life in himself that was subject to death and so brought a Gospel-life and Immortality to light 2 Tim. 1. 10. This is true life in an absolute sence th' other but a shadow In the infallible Light or spiritual Understanding that accompanies and is found in Gospel-life are true Saints enabled to discover all the wiles of the mystical Woman here All the subtile practices and falshoods of evil Angels coming as false Christs and their false Apostles and Prophets Mat. 24. 24. 2 Cor. 11. 13 -- 15. in the dress language and neerest resemblance of the true Christ and his Prophets or Apostles lie open and naked before that understanding in spiritual Saints that judgeth or discerneth all things 1 Cor. 2. 15. That Spirit in which they can discern the deep things of God ver 10. the utmost depths and heigths of Satan can't lie hid from All his nets and snares are seen and all his power of darkness overset and master'd by this Gospel-spirit and marvelous light thereof When the mysterious methods of God's wisdom for Salvation are seen all the depths and methods of delusion Satan can use in the utmost stretch of his Serpentine Wisdom to destroy Men flie open All Satan's Apostles Ministers of his Gospel in whatever variety of doctrine form language or way in the same sandy fallible first-Creation Principles do all center in this point whatever their thought or intent be to run their hearers into the very arms of the Devil as their only security for Salvation If the Devil can impose himself upon them as Christ and God as he can 2 Thes. 2. 4. This must needs be the issue and result of all their teaching 2 Cor. 11. 13 15. Their end will be according to their works All 's earthly and so fewel for the fire of that Wrath that will be kindled on them and all their earthy doctrin life and works at the day of the Lord 's appearing in that Gospel-spirit and life they 'l be found in unchangeable enmity to 2 Pet. 3. 10. No wisdom of Man secures from this Woman here Adam in his unspotted naturals clear from all silth of flesh and spirit too was not fence-proof against the wiles of this Woman The womanish fading changeable first-Creation life in the evil Angel when fallen was too subtile and powerful for man in his inferiour womanish-life of the same kind to deal with before his fall Satan's first lie to Eve passes currant all along this World with multitudes of professors and high pretenders to the Gospel of Christ and Kingdom of God for the very Gospel of Christ to wit that the establish'd righteous life of the first Creation-state of Man is eternal life that man need not will not die at all Literal Sodom Egypt and Babylon are made up of Men sixed in corrupt Nature given up by themselves and therefore also by God to the vile affections enormous lusts and madnesses of that Ro. 1. 26. Mystical Sodom Egypt and Babylon are made up of Evil Angels and enlight'ned first-Covenant Brethren or Professors establish'd or six'd in the 〈◊〉 righteousness of Man and so in unchangeable enmity to the Gospel-righteousness of God These two sorts of Babylonians and Sodomites in these last and worst of times do or will so fill the scene with their super-abounding iniquities literal and mystical as to leave no room for any hearing of Christ's Gospel at all The spiritual Saint by his Gospel-life of that faith that overcomes the World 1 Joh. 5. 4. remains secure amidst this vast heap this innumerable multitude of Babylonians visible and invisible evil Men and Angels under the protecting shadow and comforting influence of Christ's new name that 's the strong Tower into which he runs and is safe Prov. 18. 10. Heb. is set a-loft to wit on that Rock that 's higher then he Psal. 61. 2. But all incorrigible wilful haters and refusers of Christ and his Gospel-truths will every one of them be taken in the snares of the said Woman So it follows Text. But the sinner shall be taken by her He that 's abhorred of the Lord falls into the mouth of this strange Woman whose heart is a deep pit full of snares and nets and her hands bands Who is this sinner the Lord abhors The fixed incorrigible hater and loather of God and his Spirit of Grace call'd God's Soul or Spirit as the spirit of nature Man's Soul Zec. 11. 8. All blind leaders with their followers tumble into this deep ditch or pit Prov. 23. 27. Luk. 6. 39. All whose minds are willingly blinded by the God of this World the Devil lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ who is the supream creature-image of God should shine into or upon them all such embrace Satan's accursed other contrary 〈◊〉 and his spirit of unchangeable enmity to Christ and his They are engaged what in them 〈◊〉 to shut up the Kingdom of Heaven 〈◊〉 off the 〈◊〉 of that Kingdom out of all hearing or reception and to 〈◊〉 open the Kingdom of the Devil asserting that to be the Kingdom of God and his Gospel Christ's So are they with their admirers engaged in 〈◊〉 of the bottomless pit
first-covenant righteous wise strong and honourable in Christ come to for refusing to part with all that for Christ in the spirit of the second as risen out of the death of the first Rom. 7. 1 -4. These Sons of Men whose heart is full of evil and madness in this World while they live go after this life to the dead remain for ever in the Congregation of the dead Prov. 21. 16. in eternal darkness and never see Light This come they to with their Predecessours in the same obstinate madness and folly whose false doctrine or sayings they have prais'd own'd and follow'd against God and his Spirit of Truth Psal. 49. 13 19. Vers. 4. For to him that is joyned to all the living there is hope for a living Dog is better then a dead Lion The living Dog that being joyn'd to all the living has hope is the natural man of the spiritual Saint under the Cross rendered a fool weak and despicable as to all first-creation Wisdom Power and Glory with Paul 1 Cor. 4. 10. but is in an unchangeable union with all living for ever in the Spirit of Grace and so rich wise strong and honourable in God Tho' the Saint then in his broken impoverish'd natural man the barren disconsolate state of his desolate crucified 〈◊〉 be counted a Dog the filth of the world the off-scouring of all things by the Rich Full Wise Strong and Honourable in Christ 1 Cor. 4. 8 10 13. as to first-covenant attainments in and from him thro' a new and better life springing up in him however hid from them is he in a better condition then the dead Lion Who is this Man in all the riches wisdom and glory of a restor'd first-Covenant life figur'd by Dives as the crucified Saint's natural man by Lazarus All this Lion-like strength and power of nature fix'd in enmity renders Man but a dead Lion Fix'd enmity to God is everlasting death to Man This will all Lions in the boistrous blustering spirit and unbroken strength of nature find to be their condition as highly as they think of themselves Nothing of true spiritual everlasting life or strength have they about them This dead Lion scorns the living Dog as not seeing him in another spirit joyned to all the truly living Christ and all spiritual Saints and Angels The natural Man as a fleshly mystical Tree in the fruitful exercise of a restor'd first-Covenant righteous life when cut down spoil d and marr'd by the spiritual-Sword or Gospel-Cross Tree and Fruit Leaf Root and Branch yet is there hope thro' the scent of water even of Christ's Spiritual Water of Life that it will sprout up again in another life bud and bring forth boughs like a plant Job 14. 7 8. of God's right-hand planting by a new-creation the fruits and leaves whereof shall never wither or fade Psal. 1. 3. And so is the living Dog living with Christ in God better in himself and therefore in God's infallible sight then the said dead Lion ruffling in all the unbroken life and power of that restor'd natural state that 's crucified in the true Saint Such Lions have but a name to live They are dead Rev. 3. 1. as being the very mystical Law-Widows left by Christ in the first-Covenant and waxing wanton against him in the second chusing rather to be married again in the first to that other Man 1 Tim. 5. 6 11 12. Rom. 7. 3. the Man of Sin and Son of Perdition the Devil This brings Damnation or unchangeable Death upon them Ver. 5. For the Living know that they shall die but the Dead know not any thing neither have they any more a reward for the memory of them is forgotten Living spiritual Saints know their whole natural Man must die in conformity to Christ and the Will of God But the said dead Lion knows nothing has no right knowledge of the mind of God in obedience to his Will as to the appointed Death-pass out of his crucified nature into God's Spirit of Grace He sees not or knows this spiritual life in which risen Angels and Saints are everlastingly blessed The dead Lion in all his flourish being in a state of unchangeable Death will have no more any reward to his comfort only the meet recompence of his error madness and folly eternal darkness and death under which his memory will for ever be forgotten He knows nothing that 's truly good or desireable unchangeably good and he shall have nothing that 's changably or unchangeably good or desireable but only unchangeable evil for his everlasting portion Thro' the impassable Gulf 〈◊〉 between them and blessed Angels and Saints will such see those they unchangeably hate to be the objects of God's unchangeable Love and themselves of his unchangable Wrath. They 'l know nothing but what will aggravate their boundless misery and unexpressible torment for ever On the contrary the truly living know every thing 1 Cor. 2. 15. to the encrease of their unspeakable Joy They know that by the obedient death of nature they shall live for ever in God's spirit of Grace as the method of God's Wisdom whose whole Counsel about Salvation they fully comply with They glory with Paul in the Cross of Christ by which all worldly life and desire in them is crucified to all worldly vanities or desirables without them Gal. 6. 14. And so are they made alive to the World to come and have a new spiritual belly desire or appetite and palate springing up in their newness of life to savour relish desire and feed on things divine spiritual heavenly and eternal things of God only the peculiar delights of the Sons of God The said dead know none of these things in their dead state of unchangeable Union with the Prince of death the Devil wherein they are cast out of God's favourable Remembrance or regard for ever into outer darkness where will be weeping and gnashing of Teeth Vers. 6. Also their Love and their Hatred and their Envy is now perish'd neither have they any more a Portion for ever in any thing that is done under the Sun Here 's a lively description of the deplorable state of the mystical dead whose Love Hatred and Envy perish All delight and satisfaction in the restor'd fading life and good things of their own nature evilly chosen and rested in by them for happiness shall perish Belly and meats desires and desirables all will be gone And then the Wrath of God will be upon them for ever All the goodly dainties they lusted after will depart from them and never be found more Rev. 18. 8 14. For chusing their perishing things of Man not only in a preference but unchangeable enmity to the things of God in his new-Creation Life fall they under his unchangeable Wrath. So all their false evil destructive Love of any the best things in this World the Righteousness Wisdom and Glory of their own restor'd nature with the Fruits or Works thereof in enmity to
will both come to in Eternal Life or Death Vers. XIV For out of Prison he cometh to Reign Heb. Out of the House of Bond-Men or Bondage he goes forth to Reign Whereas also he that is Born in his Kingdom becometh Poor The true Saint finding the Land of his Nativity a narrow strait'ned place the Life of his own nature in the Image of the earthy at best to be but a State of Enmity Bondage and death come's out of this his own Mystical Countrey and Father Adam's House or natural State by a Holy death to reign in another Spiritual more excellent Life He find's his own Spirit of nature in whatever variety of condition a State of Bondage or House of Bond-Men a Prison a deep dark Dungeon a miery Pit of filth and corruption filth of flesh or spirit litteral or Mystical Sodomy or both out of which by the death thereof he find's it his unspeakable advantage to Ascend come or be brought forth into a larg place in a Life above all death to Reign whereas the old foolish King who will no more be admonish'd hear of the Cross or death-Doctrin of Christ's Gospel-Spirit on the restor'd Law-Life of his own wherein he sets up his Kingdom becometh Poor He is even now in this World by Christ and awak'ned Saints seen to be Miserable Poor Blind and Naked as Happy Rich Cleer-sighted and Well-cloathed as he think 's himself He will find this too true at last in eternal Poverty Darkness Nakedness and Death Here are the exceeding different Conclusions they come to even the old foolish King in the birth of a first-Covenant Life fixing himself there in unchangable Enmity to God and the second the incorrigible first-Creation sinner and the poor wise Child broken and undone as to all the fading Life Riches Wisdom and Glory of his own nature and so becoming a truly reigning new-Creation Saint in the spirit of Grace the reigning Gospel-Principle That restor'd natural State which the old foolish King sets up in as his Palace the House of his Kingdom to reign in the poor wise child find's to be a Prison and hasten's out of it as a Spirit of Bondage and Enmity into the true Palace-Light and Glorious Liberty of the Sons of God whom the Son mak's free indeed Where the Spirit of the Lord becom's the principle of Life and action there is true liberty Man's freedom or freewill at best is but a Liberty in Word Figure Letter Shadow not in deed and in truth No true freedom sure in a Spirit of Bondage and Enmity to God a Spirit that 's in Union with World and Devil as the spirit of nature is in all mankind corrupt or righteous Yea so far as uncrucifi'd even in the awak'ned Spiritual Saint himself Ro. 7. and Gal. 5. 17. That renew'd natural State the old foolish King make's his Palace will prove his everlasting prison and dungeon of darkness and death in which he will be shut up for ever as the evil Angels in their narrow Angelical nature All of them shall be dealt with as unchangable Enemies of God and that Heavenly Sanctuary-Spirit that 's his true resting place and the everlasting habitation of blessed Angels and Saints in Chains of everlasting darkness in which reserv'd to the Judgment of the great day The unpardonable sin of Men and Angels is the self-same even a fix'd Enmity against the Holy Ghost God's Gospel-spirit or Heavenly Sanctuary convincingly shewed and offered to them all They were all Created perfect in their own natures Humane and Angelical Ezek. 28. 15. and in Obedient Subjection to the Gospel-Spirit in the Light of it But they soon hated that Life turned from the Light that shew'd it them and this was their Apostasy All this from an evil self-love to the fading Life Wisdom and Glory of their own nature which they chose to set up in in a known contrariety to the reveal'd mind of God and unchangable Enmity to his Spirit of Grace the very Gospel-High-Priest of God the true Melchisedec by whose hand they ought all to have given up that selfish life in Sacrifice to God So become they all Mystical Sodomit's guilty of all the highest and most Criminal Mystical Spiritual Wickednesses Uncleanesses and abominable Idolatries God in Faithfulness Favour and Love to his Saints Plagu's and Chasten's this Rebellious Spirit of nature this Carnal mind of Enmity in them while he gives more then Heart can wish to it in-Enemies to their final ruin Heb. 12. 5-8 Psal. 73. 7. 14. God's giving the old doting Kings their Hearts desire and more is a sore and heavy Judgment on them though they take it for a great favour and Token of his Love to them Desolation and an utter consuming of them with Terrors the true Saint certainly foresees to be the eternal issue of all their Temporal flourish and Prosperity v. 18 19. All the old foolish King dotes on the poor wise Child cast's away as Dung So foolish are the old Mystical Kings and also litteral Heathen Kings of this World as to bandy together against the Lord and his anointed as if hopeful to prevail against the infinite Divine Lord and his Anointed King Jesus with his Saints and Followers Their design is to break their Bands a sunder and cast away from them all their Cords of restraint upon them He that sits in Heaven laugh's at all these foolish Kings He will speak to them in his Wrath and vex them in his sore displeasure Ps. 2. 1-5 Have they an arm like God Can they thunder with a Voice like him What madness to think of prevailing in this Rebellious Insurrection and Contest against the Almighty Divine and Irresistibly Mighty New-Creation Power of Christ These old foolish Humane Kings will all fare as their evil Angelical King the King of all such Kings or Rebellious Children of Pride Job 41. 34. They 'l all 〈◊〉 into the same Condemnation with him will all have their Portion in the same Lake of Fire and Brimstone the Tophet prepar'd of old for them all They 'l be all finally stripp'd of all Power of resisting the Will of God and forc'd to suffer the same to be done upon them in 〈◊〉 Wrath. Then with their everlasting Poverty will they have unutterable Shame and Confusion of Face All they refus'd obediently to part with will be forcibly torn from them in final Wrath. All their fading goodness or beauty 〈◊〉 Consume in their eternal Grave from their dwelling their whole Mystical Houses earthly Habitations or persons all the goodness of that natural State they chose for their dwelling Ps. 49. 14. There 's no middle State for ever between the poor wise Child that will be eternally rich in Heaven and the old rich foolish King that will be eternally poor in Hell The poor wise Child believ's and follow 's the Faithful Sayings of Christ's Spiritual Law or Gospel-spirit the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus He is content willing yea glad