The taking it down by the Babylonian power and the rebuilding it in Cyrus and Darius his dayes by the command of God were figures of the first and second comming of Christ He took down himself in his first and fleshly building in our nature by a holy death and raised himself up therein into a spiritual everlasting righteous life in which he will set up his visible kingdom on earth The second litteral Temple in reference to this spiritual new building of our nature in Christ's person in which visibly to rule and reign over all is said greatly to have exceeded the beauty or glory of the first however singly in the letter so inferiour thereunto that the Old men that had seen the glory of the former Wept Ezra 3. 12. Haggai 2. 3 7 9. By all these significant types and figures did God feed the faith of true saints under the Law who saw to the end of that ministration which was suitable to that non-age of the world their lot was fallen in as also to the changable nature of first-covenant-life in the highest dispensation thereof Thus seeing the end of all that vvas to be abolished were they in the right use thereof pointed unto Christ both in his invisible Angelical state of resurrection-lamb living in his root and also as to descend out of that into a visibility and so to come forth in our glorified nature By the shadowes of the Law and signal voices of providence did the spiritual seed under the Law by faith behold this twofold day of Christ invisible and visible and rejoyced therein Q. But if the visible kingdom of Christ be thus certain as evidenced by the testimonies of God Christ blessed Angels and Saints and signified to us by law-types and by the providences of God in all ages Why does Christ suffer himself to be kept so long out of the possession thereof or suffer his title thereunto to be denied him by the profane and most injuriously questioned even by the religious party among men Men at highest in holy flesh righteousnes of man with evil Angels in their natural excellencies are the worst sort of scoffers that will be found in the last dayes against this visible kingdom of Christ on earth and that in a self-condemning light 2 Pet. 3. 3 4. And saints in whom the first-covenant Temple-building is taken down by the crosse in order to the rebuilding them in the spiritual glory of the second in which to reign with Christ are with all their doctrine spectacles of scorn and wonder to natural Angel and Man who have set up themselves in the glory of the first against the second 1 Cor. 4. 9. A. For a satisfactory answer to this question it will be needfull to look back to Gods method from the beginning as to all the rule and power given to Christ in his invisible creature-day before either the actual transgression of angel and man or creation of them As to manifestation that which is natural was first in Christ's person Christ the branch in his invisible state was the first-born natural-Spirit before the first begotten from the dead the Resurrection Lamb in a spiritual new-creation life The originally unchangable creature-spirit of Christ was the High-Priest that sacrificed the said first-born and so raised it into its own twofold new-creation life the original nevv heaven and nevv earth And thus by the death of his invisible natural state as a purâ— and spotless sacrifice did he lay the sure foundation of his visibility 〈◊〉 the said spiritual life to be brought to light in our glorified nature Iâ— that first death of nature in Christ was exhibited the necessary tryal of aâ—â— mens and angels obedience to the will of God by the like sacrifice and death of the natural state in them This was shewed them both and all in innocency by spiritual light that by a faithful following of theâ— Lord 's own suffering steps they might have been translated into thaâ— spiritual state which alwayes according to God's wise method was to follow Christ through such sacrifice of his invisible natural state did inseparably unite in his own person the natural and spiritual or first and second-creation spirits which are still distinct though united And hereby has he a right of dominion over all the works of God's hands in both worlds or creations natural and spiritual as Maker and Heirâ— of all things in both Heb. 1. 2. But though Christ thus laid a sure Foundation of blessedness for those vvhose names vvere vvritten in his resurrection book of Life inasmuch as their persons comprehended in his death would yield up nature to death in like obedience with him yet many angels and men do finally refuse through inordinate love to the life of nature to exchange their natural for his spiritual State So do they keep up their natural state as a wall of partition between them and God's spiritual in which alone true blessednes can be found Since the fall all mankind have an inherent seed of enmity in them to God Christ and his spiritual Life This enmity in the evil angels by whom sown in men is unchangable and incurable In man barely as a consequent of the first sin not so But this disease in man till cured by such obedience to the Cross as was at first refused is an infectious leprosie in him and becoms as mortal and incurable in him as in the evil angels when found guilty on the like personal account with our first parents By the purifying fire of the Cross alone can the enmity contracted by the fall be melted down or that obedience performed which alwayes was the duty of the first-creation spirit in man or angel before their fall in order to their establishment in a spiritual state of everlasting blessedness The disobedience of man and angel has made no change in God's proceedings as to the death of the natural in order to a spiritual life but has rendred man's suffering part under the Cross much more hard and difficult through an actual enmity and struggling contrary mind thereunto set up in him by the Devil But in this hard work the over-ruling providence of God makes the utmost malice of visible and invisible enemies serviceable to the bruising the saints heel or crucifying his natural man which is absolutely necessary for his receiving that spiritual life in which to break the enemies head The allotted time for the compleating this work of patience on the whole spiritual body of Christ is the saints suffering Season on the finishing whereof they are all to enter into a state of everlasting rest and blessedness And this is the ground of Gods patience towards all sorts of wilful enemies of himself and saints during the time the Prince and Power of the Air is permitted in answer to his own desire to have the active ruling power in and over the natural state and principle which in greatest love God has absolutly denied to Christ and his saints So
has long bin their hearts desire even all along their Sack-cloth prophecy in which they have bin contending with and troubling all that dweâ—â— upon the Earth or in earthly first-creation-principles Rev. 11. 10 On this honourable account as contending on God's behalf are they at length to be slain mystically if not also litterally But nor their mystical nor litteral death should have been permitted as Christ said in Lazarus his case but that the power of God may be the more clearly manifested in raising them up again out of their sleep And then and so will they be fitted to execute the wrath of God on his and their implacable enemies as a just recompence for that death of theirs which has bin precious in his sight Rev. 11. 11. Ezek. 37. 10. Such honour shall all his Saints have as the Lord's army to execute vengeance on the Kings of North and South with their heathen and first-covenant people who joined in a combination to destroy them Psal 2. 1 2. 149. 6 -9. They shall then receive the Crown reserved for this last generation of Saints that bring up the rear of all those spiritual worthies and witnesses that have bin from the beginning The true witnesses of Christ have all along found but slender and cool reception for their testimony yea they have always found opposition more or less And how much greater may be expected in this last and utmost assault by visible and invisible powers when the great thing all along witnessed the second personal coming of Christ is at the door The extraordinary voice of God's outward providences shall then also give an undoubted demonstration to all natural hearts that some strange and wonderful change is hastning upon the World And the fear and conviction hereby wrought in Enemies will produce the utmost expressions of rage and fury on the sack-cloth prophets as witnessing this unwelcome truth to them Christ's second comming to be at hand Great reason then to expect not only a more then ever violent breaking in pieces of the earthen vessel in which the precious witnessing treasure is but also a more enraged spirit discovering itself against the very spiritual treasure On this account will it come forth in its spiritual wickedness in heavenly places and so with their angelical weapons gilded with a likeness to Christ's truly spiritual ones war against the inward mind as well as by material weapons against the outward body of the two witnesses But by neither shall they be able to suppress or hinder their witnessing-work For God will make them a defenced City iron Pillars and brazen Walls for an unshaken steddy enduduring the utmost malice of all enemies visible and invisible They shall conquer them even while slaying them by surviving all bodily deaths and spiritual assaults in an unchanged mind and Spirit And having thus considered the time and means in and by which the witnesses are to be slain next are we to enquire by what hand or means they will be raised out of the said death For it is no more possible for the members than head to be held by the bands of death Act. 2. 24. But redemption out of the mystical death of the natural Spirit and out of all death can only be by a new-creation-power And this was that power and glory of the Father by which Christ in our nature was raised out of the both mystical and litteral death thereof This done in a publick capacity and relation to his members ascertain's the like to be done for their crucified natural Spirits and dead Bodies and that by the same means All that are planted together in the likeness of his death shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection Rom. 6. 5. or be sure to partake of his new-creature-new-creature-life The putting this life into them is the means by which the witnesses are to be raised after slain and lying in the Streets of spiritual Sodom and Egypt Rev. 11. 8. The new-creation spirit of Life from God enters into them quickens and calls up their natural man into an everlasting union with and subjection to their spiritual as that to Christ and God and so sets it upon its right Gospel-Feet The new-creation-spirit of true prophecy will raise the whole slain natural man of the Saint out of its mystical and litteral grave death of spirit and body as to all the mortal first-creation life of either causing the dry bones of the two witnesses to live Ezek. 37. 12 -14. This Spirit of Christ was always the prepared means for loosing and breaking the bands of death from Saints and raising their whole crucified natural man into the glorious life and liberty of their spiritual But this will be done in a more signal manner than ever at the raising the two witnesses in the third and last day mentioned Hos 6. 2. as their slaying will be more signal then then in any former persecutions The new-creature-spirit of Christ then put into their crucified natural man or dead body will be the efficient cause of their resurrection The instrumental hand or cause thereof under Christ will be the holy Angels as honoured with the first powerful sounding forth the new-creation-trumpet voice or everlasting Gospel-life of their risen Lord by which the new-creation breath or spirit of the head will enter into the dead bodies of his crucified Saints The said Angels will be found the highest and chief ministers of Christ till that seed of Abraham laid hold on from everlasting as Christ's first born Church come to take their place in Christ's second resurrection-life over the heads of all Angels and glorified earthly Saints Our nature in Christ is raised into both these lives heavenly and glorified earthly the twofold spiritual and everlasting new-creation-life The man Christ has also a third resurrection-state as advanced into and filled with the very divine life in an infinite superiority to all Angels and Saints In him dwells the fulness of the God-head bodily and personally He is thus anointed above all his fellows or brethren as also with the original and fountain of twofold spiritual-creature-life which none of them are but with derived portions thereof In the days of the highest Saints non-age and minority are the holy Angels teaching and nursing guardians to them Heb. 1. 14. They are the highest and fittest instruments to convey Christ's mind to Saints under Law or Gospel From them have choice Saints and Prophets under both received their manifold visions and communications of the mind of God The Law was ordained to be dispensed by Angels in the hand of a Mediator or under the conduct of Christ their head Gal. 3. 19. Act. 7. 53. In these angelical flames Christ as head of them descended on mount Sinai and by their voice or ministry promulged the Law Exod. 20. Psal 68. 17. By them was Moses shewed through faith his and their new-creation-head by which fed and maintained forty days together without any visible food They were the mystical
Ravens by whom Saints received that new-creation-food that sustained and nourished them unto eternal life By their angelical representations was Christ the head-Angel of God's covenant revealed to the Patriarks before and to Prophets and Saints after the giving of the Law They appeared on all occasions as employed by Christ in all the messages of God's will to them They opened Heaven to Ezekiel who through a powerful faith was enabled to see take in those wonderful visions of the very divine glory through the new-creature-nature of Christ his head so as to hear the voice of the almighty divinity They were the hand that oft lifted him and others up beyond and above the sight and motion of the natural spirit and body whilst yet in the same By the hand or power of their new-creature Lord did they carry him to them of the captivity by the river Chebar Ezek. 3. 14 15. And by the same hand was he led into the valley of dry bones declared by them to signify the whole spiritual Israel They likewise shewed him that new-creation spirit of prophecy by which the dry bones or slain twofold witnesses in the last and worst of times were to be quickned and made live again Ezek. 37. 1 14. The Scripture abounds with instances of this kind Christ the true Michael sent his ministring Angel or Messenger Gabriel to reveal to beloved Daniel those visions that were to remain a sealed book as to their full accomplishment till the time shewed him for the twofold witnesses to be slain as also how by the peculiar work of the good Angels in a preparitory ministration to Christ's second coming they should be raised into the same life and spirit which the Angel shewed Daniel his lot was fallen in so long before his actual possession of And as Angels were Christ's messengers in giving forth this resurrecton-life through a spirit of faith under the Law before Christ's first coming so were they the first actual dispensers and declarers of the said life and glory under the gospel They first preached the glad gospel tydings of Christ's resurrection in our nature This honourable service Christ employed them in as a just recompence of their being his first followers out of the changeable first-creation into that unchangeable resurrection-land or state of life without ever sinning against Law or Gospel Ezek. 1. 12 20. 10. 11. Hereby did they preserve to themselves in this first-resurrection-state that precedency in place and nature God gave them in their first creation And now as additional to that are they chosen by Christ to be his highest-Officers therein for giving the first report of the said resurrection-state of our nature in Christ's person He is not here but is risen Luk. 24. 6. And as in the two days under Law and Gospel Angels under Christ were the first preachers of the resurrection-state unto men so much more powerfully yet will they be in the third and last day By their powerful sounding the new-creation trumpet or preaching the everlasting gospel-life will the dead witnesses be raised and the elect gathered together from one end of Heaven to the other Mat. 24. 31. They will come forth in such power of the new-creation-spirit of prophecy as to cause it to enter into and build up every part of their crucified nature into the life thereof and compleat union with their angelical helpers and Christ himself therein Ezek. 37. 4 -10. And herein shall they be found the twofold united witnesses of Christ in his heavenly and earthly glorified spirit signified to Ezekiel by the two sticks he was to write upon for Judah and for Joseph with their companions Ezek. 37. 15 22. All this done by the holy Angels in the preparatory dispensation amounts not to the Saint's glorified body For that change will be the immediate fruit of Christ's personal coming and presence But these angelical reapers are to gather together the first-born Church written on the heavenly stick sharers in Christ's heavenly and most excellent new-creature-life mark'd with their Father's name on their foreheads and fitted for the marriage-bed of their heavenly Husband And then are they to gather all those whose names are written on the earthly glorified stick also even an innumerable multitude in the white robes of Christ's spiritual everlasting righteousness Rev. 7. 9. Both these are the Angels to gather by preaching the everlasting Gospel to them By their preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom to all the World in the third and last day before the full end come will be fulfilled Mat. 29. 14. They will powerfully waken up the spiritual seed of the Kingdom in all nations and all that are ripe in the life thereof shall be immediately joyned with them even with Christ's heavenly host of Angels for the work and service of that day And at the same time will they raise up other spiritual Saints into a land of light a spiritual Goshen and pour forth the full vials of Plagues on the hardned enemies of God and them God by his holy Angels will lead Saints out of all captivities as Moses Israel out of Egypt raising out of their great and last grave the whole mystical dead body of Christ Of this preparatory angelical ministration was Christ's transfiguration in his unchang'd body before his death a figure He caused the transforming power of his new-creature-new-creature-life in which Son of man in Heaven to shine so strongly on his inward man or spirit that his very outward also was made to shine His face or spirit shined as the Sun and his raiment or outward man was white as the light So the crucified spirit dead body or natural man of the two witnesses shall by the Angels powerful preaching the everlasting Gospel be so raised into the powerful exercise of Spiritual life as to make their unchang'd fleshly bodies shine as a high degree of redemption from the bondage of their whole corruptible first-creation-life Such Saints with holy Angels shall shine as Stars through a more signal partaking of Christ's risen Spirit the bright morning Star from whom they all receive their distinct measures of new-creation-light and life In this season and dispensation will Christ make good to his Saints what he long before promised to Joshua as associated with Angels under him his joint powerful instruments for the great work of this preparatory day Of this priviledg was Moses also a signal type as through faith taken into such angelical converse and thereby admitted so near access to Christ the head of Angels as will qualify them to receive the lively oracles of Christ's own mind and become his mouth for declaring the same to others This honour will be put on Saints in the preparatory dispensation to Christ's second coming And thus have we seen by what means or hand the last generation of Saints are to be slain and by what to be raised again and their high priviledg and honour thereupon This by the angelical ministration for this very
altogether ignorant of the Spiritual nature of his visible Kingdom yet to come and of that Spirit and Life in which it will be managed According to appointment were they assembled on the day of Pentecost waiting for the Holy Ghost that Spirit in which Christ's Kingdom is to be managed That day under the Law was a commanded feast of first fruits reaped in the Typical Land of Promise This type significantly represents the mystical truth or substance the first fruits of the true Land of Promise or Christ's risen Spirit brought forth in and by Saints This Spirit came upon them as a sound from Heaven of a rushing mighty wind and sate upon each of them as cloven Tongues like Fire So they spake with other Tongues words which the Holy Ghost taught them as that Spirit gave them utterance These other Tongues were the new Tongues Christ promised them they should speak with Mar. 16. 17. The new-creature-Spirit of Christ partaken of by Saints becomes another or new Tongue in them distinct from and superiour to any Tongue thoughts or words found in their natural Spirit This new Tongue both from its own nature and operation of it on the natural Spirit of the Saint may fitly be typed out by a visible cloven or twofold fiery Tongue First From its own nature as consisting in Christ's person the true original thereof of a twofold Resurrection-state and building inseparably united though distinct from each other Secondly From its twofold secret invisible operation upon man transforming yet not burning or consuming him by its fire-baptism upon him It empties him of all his changeable life and wealth unmakes and builds him anew and fill's him with its newness of Life and true riches And as in Christ so in his peculiar spousal Saints capacitated by their double portion of Christ's twofold Resurrection-Life to receive the double vision of the divine Glory are the twofold spiritual Principles of Christ's new-creature-nature fitly represented by cloven Tongues as Fire The inferiour earthly glorified Saint of the single portion in spiritual resurrection-life as found in unchangeable harmony with those of the double may both and altogether be fitly signified by cloven Tongues of Fire as distinct from each other and yet inseparably join'd together The Holy Ghost that descended upon the Apostles is that new-creature-Spirit which in Christ lives in personal union with the Divinity in both parts thereof upper and lower or most heavenly and glorified earthly all spiritual and above the first-creation-building or natural state of Angel or Man at best as far as the material Heaven is above the Earth No wonder then if the effects of this Spirit poured down on the Apostles were amazing to all natural observers thereof For as a figure of this commanding Tongue or new-creature Spirit could they make themselves understood by all their hearers of whatever differing languages By this litteral miracle was given an undeniable demonstration of the comprehensive nature and universal knowledg of this new Tongue or Spirit including all spiritual both heavenly and earthly-glorified wisdom and knowledg and also comprehending all single natural knowledg in it self Hence fitly said to know see or judg all things 1 Cor. 2. 15. This new-creation-tongue that could make itself understood by all in that primitive Gospel-day was a type of the powerful ministration of the Gospel in the last days under the latter rain or pouring down of the same Spirit or new-creature Tongue in a visibility and discernableness to all so as to command its acknowledgment from all hearers thereof through its suitable sound or voice to every one's understanding and irresistible demonstration of its intrinsick excellency to all hearts The wonderful effects of its first showring down were that the receivers thereof did work miracles cast out Devils and healed all sorts of Diseases litteral and spiritual This precious mystical balm of Gilead became in them a powerful antidote against all inward and outward Poison Mar. 16. 17 18. They could thereby not only discern but cure all diseases of Spirit as well as Body Yea a union by Faith with this Spirit under the Law was of such power that Elisha at a great distance was able to discern and declare the secret designs of God's and his People's Enemies and to cure diseases spiritual as well as bodily as in Naaman the Syrian He not only by his counsel cleans'd him from his bodily Leprosy but as seems implied by bidding him go in peace and Christ's owning his coming to a spiritual Prophet as a reproof to the Jews for rejecting his spiritual ministry and gospel-doctrine Luk. 4. 27. of the enmity of his Spirit by an effectual faith in the new-creation name of the true Son of Peace He was able also to discern the inward disease of enmity in Gehazi to be mortal and incurable as was figured by the outward Leprosy which was cureable in Naaman but rendred unchangeable in him and his unbelieving Seed forever 2 King 5. 27. And by the like new-creature power of spiritual Faith did he raise the Widow's Son from bodily death typing forth the like power of raising the natural Spirit out of its state of enmity and death All this as fore-running types of what was fulfill'd on the natural spirit of Saints by the first Gospel-rain of Christ's risen Spirit upon them And this yet was but a type of the more abundant effects of the latter rain of the same Spirit in the last days Under that first rain were they impowred to find out and cure both bodily and spiritual diseases by forgiving all Sins that were of a pardonable nature Joh. 20. 23. But under the former or latter rain are Saints not to assume any thing to themselves but ascribe all to the new-creation power of their Lord and Head Act. 3. 12 16. To him must they ever own and pay their subjection though in marriage union with him by partaking of his Spirit Nor does the Saint by surrender of his will and life to Christ in order to live in his will and Spirit any more lose his distinct personality from Christ's than the distinction of sexes is lost in the litteral marriage-union of man and woman The Saint by union with Christ lives wholly in his will at last and so is possess'd of his power and riches Whatever he asks in that will new name or life of Christ is given him Joh. 16. 23. This Spirit qualified Saints above all the inticing words and thoughts of man's or Angel's natural wisdom that 's but vain Philosophy for their distinct respective Offices in the Gospel-Church as Apostles Prophets Evangelists Pastors Teachers c. By the diversity of the gifts and operations thereof was every of them fitted for their distinct Offices in the assemblies of Saints 1 Cor. 12. 4 11. They were thereby enabled rightly to discern and determine all things according to the mind of Christ And hereby did they gain Love from those that believed and fear from those that would
Conquerors The way of their Conquest was by suffering This is the mystical Weapon by which the Lord and Servant were both to fight this spiritual battel By steddily enduring all sorts of oppositions and sufferings they became triumphant overcomers All the persecutions primitive Gospel-Saints met with in and for their witnessing service tended only to the working out those marks of the dying of the Lord Jesus in their mortal Flesh that were matter of rejoycing to their immortal Spirits All the sorrow of their natural man outward or inward was soon forgotten for joy the spiritual Man-Child was born in them This man-child-spirit was the mystical Reed like a Rod given John to distinguish the inner from the outer Court and accordingly to measure the Temple of God the Altar and them that worship therein This work could be done by no other Reed save the glorified Spirit of Jesus fitted for discerning or judging in harmony with the divine and new-creature mind of Christ between the first and second creation-spirit as also between the twofold distinct branches of the new-creature-spirit or building in Christ and of the differing ranks and orders of Saints belonging thereunto who will find their respective places and portions in the vision and enjoyment of the divine Glory This high priviledg through the spiritual mind and judgment of the Lord thus set up in the Saint Paul esteemed of so inestimable a value as in comparison thereof to make no account of his own or others natural judgment in the highest and most accurate exercise of it 1 Cor. 4. 3. The new-creature-building or spiritual life in Christ's person and glorified manhood consists of two parts or principles heavenly and earthly glorified The full asserting these renders any one Saint or more Christ's twofold or two witnesses as declaring the comprehensive fulness of his new-creature-Spirit Though Abraham as a figure of Christ was the Parent of a twofold seed or first and second covenant Jew he was also in a farther sense a figure of him as Parent of a twofold spiritual new-creature seed his heavenly and earthly glorified members experimental witnesses of the twofold principles of his new-creature building This mystery was frequently represented by types and shadows to the faith of spiritual Saints under the Law but the distinction and inseparable union of these two parts of Christ's comprehensive creature-nature received their first visibility in Christ's glorified humanity By this the before invisible temple of God was opened and the first shower of his risen Spirit sent down on Gospel-Believers which qualified them by a single or double portion in the twofold parts of the new-creation-building to be his two witnesses Such are assigned their distinct witnessing-work according to John's vision Rev. 11. as members of his heavenly or earthly glorified body These two sorts of witnesses of Christ's spiritual life as all joined together declare and make up the fulness of his creature-building as members of his mystical spiritual body This twofold new-creature principle in Christ and Saints was lively figured out in the request for the two Sons of Zebedee by their Mother who was a figure of Christ our spiritual Parent in his desire to his Father to wit that his two sorts of witnessing Sons or Saints may sit on his right and left hand in an everlasting fruition of his divine glory And these are the two spiritual anointed ones Olive-trees or Sons of Oil placed on each side of Christ the Lord of the whole Earth Zech. 4. 3. 14. Rev. 11. 4. John also saw a Sack-cloath-state these two witnesses would be brought into notwithstanding their first eminent visibility in the power and under the strong and clear Sunshine of the spiritual presence of Christ amongst them And this dark season of their Sack-cloath prophecy must in faith and patience be passed thorow by them and the visibility of their spiritual state be taken or withdrawn from them All this seems figured out to John by that Woman clothed with the Sun having the Moon under her Feet Rev. 12. 1. Hereby is represented First the birth of the conquering man-child spirit in Christ's person Secondly the powerful witness of it in and by his spiritual members Then John saw this man-child caught up from the Woman or Church to God and to his Throne And on the withdrawing this man-child-spirit from the Woman or crucified members of Christ is she commanded into the Wilderness as the prepared place for her where to remain by God's appointment 1260 days or years the allotted time for their sack-cloth prophecy During this sack-cloth state of his Church on Earth Christ takes care for the nourishing their inward Man by invisibly feeding that from his own Spirit with his hidden spiritual Manna through such angelical visits as their own natural understanding may be little sensible of This Wilderness-state and Sack-cloth prophecy therein is a peculiar dispensation of the Cross suited to the time of the man-child-spirits absence as to any visibility thereof During this season the Woman spiritual Saints in their crucified natural man is shut up as in a secret Chamber or Wilderness in which secured from any dangerous or hurtful assaults by World or Devil and is therein by Faith chastly and quietly to wait for the return of her spiritual Lord and Husband in the visible glory of his man-child spiritual life and state Then John saw also the means by which this mystical Woman or Spouse of Christ was to be carried into the Wilderness as her prepared place or state of safety Two wings of a great Eagle were given her by which to flee into the said Wilderness-state out of the reach of any hurt by the utmost expressions of her inward or outward enemies malice which would certainly be sent after her as a flood ver 14 15. The great Eagle by whose wings she is carried into this place of security is the person of Christ as head to his new-creature Saints by making his own natural spirit or state under the cross that dead carkass to which they are gathered Mat. 24. 24. in a conformity to him by the like death of nature in them in order to receive his invisible spiritual new-creation-life This by a fixed faith in the two distinct principles of his new-creature-Spirit the two wings of that spiritual Eagle by which they are safely carried and guided into the wilderness-state of their crucified natural man under the Cross By these wings is the inward man of Christ's mystical dead body protected kept in perfect safety and invisibly nourish'd for a time times and half a time from the hurtful fury of the Serpent The sack-cloth prophecy then is dated from the Woman 's actual flight into the Wilderness which was at the withdrawing and absence of the man-child Spirit from her as to such visibility thereof in true signs and wonders as was afforded and for a season continued in and to the primitive Gospel-Church So her proper cloathing became sack-cloth in which