Glass Rev. 4. 6. does the infinite glory of the divine Sun shine forth for ever with safety in a modifying mixture and allay on blessed Saints and Angels which in its single infinite brightness would overset and consume them Heb. 12. 29. Only the original creature-sun or spirit that 's in personal union with the infinite divinity can behold and enjoy the divine Sun or Spirit in its immediate brightness This supream creature-vail on it is the absolutely necessary means of unvailing it or leting it down with safety to all meer-created beings Angels or Men in their highest spiritual capacities and understandings On this account and in this sense will Christ be a Mediator between God and them to all Eternity The litteral and mystical Sun of the first-creation will set and come to a final period Then will all the flowers of that field litteral or mystical wither fade away and come to nothing as to all the perishing beauty and goodliness thereof But the Word of God the new-creation Gospel-Sun of righteousness will abide for ever upon all the blessed Inhabitants of the true Mount Sion Isa. 40. 6-8 1 Pet. 1. 23-25 On the first sin of Man against God and his Creature-Sun of everlasting Righteousness did Christ with-draw the mysticall first-creation Sun causing it to go down set or disappear to all mankind taking from them what they had and so leaving them in darkness and death dead in trespasses and sins Then as Redeemer does Christ cause this Sun to rise upon them again for the fresh enlightning of every man that comes into the world more or less Joh. 1. 9. with rational first-covenant light against which if they sin it accuses if they obey it it excuses them Rom. 2. 15. This is the Light or Law of rational nature in all men By this Light are men shewed the way for a returning towards the righteous life they were at first created in which is called a making straight in the desert of their barren fallen state a high way for their God Isa. 40. 3. a setting their first-creation House or State in order again But this done and Man growing up into a fruitful flourishing posture herein the ruling intellectual powers and ruled sensual each performing their duty in rightly commanding and obeying still still this very mystical Sun or first-covenant-spirit under the quickning enlivening and fructifying influence whereof all this is done will according to its orderly appointed motions and revolutions with the litteral Sun be withdrawn again go down set and disappear from them Christ as a fleshly-Bridegroom or Husband to them will depart and leave them so as never to shine upon them more there All then that do not timely and obediently surrender and part with all the life fruitfulness and comforts they have found under his influence as the first-covenant Sun of Righteousness in order to receive from him that newness of life in which to be married to him as risen from the dead and bring forth fruits unto God Rom. 7. 1-4 under the influence of his new-covenant-spirit will be found on the setting of the former mystical Sun in a total darkness and death a Night-state in which no man can work righteousness more for ever Vers. VI. The Wind goeth towards the South and turneth about unto the North it whirleth about continually and the wind returneth again according to his circuits Here 's another teaching instructing similitude fetched from the litteral wind Christ in his first and second covenant spirits not unfitly represented by the North and South-wind does powerfully breath and blow upon the spirits of men in the actual distributions of the one and convincing discoveries of the other This mystical wind of Christs twofold creature-spirit is in the workings and motions thereof on men compared to and fitly figured out by litteral winds which manifest themselves in their powerfull effects however unseen in their true cause and nature Christ himself uses this similitude Joh. 3. 8. Vers. VII All the rivers run into the Sea yet the Sea is not full unto the place from whence the rivers come thither they return again The litteral Sea is a figure of mans immortal spirit the fathomless depths of which are such that it is impossible it should ever be filled with all the streames of comfort that can flow into it from all variety of visible or invisible things and excellencies in the whole first-creation World Satan's permitted dominion the sphere and bound of his activity and walk All these things highest lowest and intermediate from the tallest Cedar to the meanest Shrub in the whole lump of this worlds perishing transient vanities are resembled here by gliding rivers Satan has the most glittering excellencies of the first-creation sort in his angelical nature superiour to man's to offer communicate and lay before him to feed upon and delight in He is permitted by God to retain all these in unchangable enmity to him and all his divine Spiritual and Heavenly things in the second Yea also by his sinful transforming skill and power can he gild them over with the neerest resemblance and beautiful appearance of the second so as to deceive if possible the very Elect with his baits and catch them in his snares But the far greater part of mankind feed on husks as his Swine on the lowest part of the dust of this mortal world the gratifying satisfactions of the most brutish lusts of the lowest sort of life in their confounded fallen nature All these things of Man or Angel within the compasse of their first-creation state in distinction from the things of God Delights of the Sons of God in the second are the delights of the Sons of Men. Satan has a vast Herd of Swine amongst men And as for those that are not only enlightned but enlivened quick'ned out of their death in sin into the righteous life of their own nature again he is ready with all sorts of diet suted to the palate of that state And if the single excellencies and dainties suted to their palate in that state will not serve their turn he is ready with his superiour angelical first-creation vanities for them to feed on If these yet will not hold and satisfy them when by Christs spiritual enlightnings convincingly shewed and offered his more excellent new-creation life and things then will he gild over all humane and angelical excellencies and meats with the exactest counterfeit resemblance of the things of God the never perishing meats in the second If this yet will not do he is gone and the true Saint delivered from all his snares All the things of Man or Angel under all Satan's false glosses and glistering appearances of the things of God can never answer or satisfy the vast deep botomless 〈◊〉 of mans immortal spirit The most swelling rivers and full streams of all worldly vanities flowing into it can never fill it Nothing below the Ocean-fulnes of infinite divinity and the rivers of spiritual life flowing there-from and
fading nature vanity and vexation of spirit as follow 's Vers. XI Then I looked on all the workes that my hands had wrought and on the labour that I had laboured to do and behold all was vanity and vexation of spirit and there was no profit under the Sun Solomon in the infallible light and wisdom of the second looked upon all his works labours and enjoyments in the first-creation World and life and finds all vanity and vexation of spirit of no profit avail or conducibleness at all to true hapines but rather as mistaken and abused signal lets and hindrances thereunto All will come to nothing and therefore finally trusted in and relied upon will leave Man naked and destitute to eternity In all moyling and toyling in his own nature he is found in direct enmity to God and that spirit of grace in which alone he can be saved All life goodness things of this world are not only unprofitable but destructive to man if rested in His inevitable loss of all is legibly written out in the changable nature of all for his own reading The resolute chusing therefore his own fading creature-life and things before above and against the unchangable creature-life of the Creator and everlasting Righteousness and wisdom of God therein with all the ever-new fruits thereof things of God is an unpardonable crime the sin against the holy Ghost or spirit of God and Gospel-life of Christ the great the presumptuous sin unto death exclusive to all benefit of Christs sacrifice all intercession of Christ or true Saints Jo. 5. 16. Heb. 10. 26. So will man be left for ever in the most forlorn condition imaginable unutterable torment and vexation of spirit Vers. XII And I turned my self to behold wisdom and madness and folly for what can the man do that cometh after the King even that which hath been already done Solomon turned from his own fallible to the infallible wisdom of God or light of his spirit in which he saw the perpetual course of madness and folly he had been guilty of under the conduct of his own So saw he the wisdom of God in his new-covenant spirit of grace and folly of man throw-out in his old-covenant spirit of nature Partakers of that creature-holy ghost or spirit that 's in personal union with the divine are brought into unchangable union of mind with the divine When Solomon turned to the exercise of this he turned from his own as he advised others Prov. 3. 5 6. The spirit of God is the creature-wisdom the living Word of God that is God Jo. 1. 1. everlasting righteousness true holiness To keep up the life and way of Man's will wisdom and spirit against God's is destructive Madness and folly For what can he do that comes after the King Solomon King of litteral and also mystical earthly Jerusalem in all the glory wisdom and righteousness of man He reigned as a King there for a season over his sensual powers with the Corinthians in the but restored first-covenant spirit of the Law 1 Cor. 4. 8. He had the start and vantage-ground of all others in his day for finding true hapiness in worldly vanities if any such thing were ever to be found therein What litteral or mystical all visible or invisible Riches and Glories of that sort signified or amount unto he had so full an experience that for any to think or hope to find therein what he could not is madness The King here may also point back to the first or forward to the second Adam in our flesh made under the Law as the first Both first and second Adam in holy flesh life of the Law righteousness of Man were greater then Solomon in the first-creation Principle of life and action and free from enmity to the second The first could not secure his standing in that changable principle The second refused to attempt it but surrendred and let it fall for that principle of unchangable righteousness in which he could as the first ought to have done He would not be a Judg Ruler or King in the former as the professing Jews in that spirit would have had him who crucified him for owning himfelf a King in the latter wherein the Son of God Yet such a King will he shew himself to be to their sorrow whether they will or no. What can men hope for in but some gradual restorings of that life of nature they had in perfection untinctur'd also with filth of spirit or enmity to God and the power of godliness in his spirit of grace which lurk's under the highest restored Righteousness of Man or form of godliness in his spirit of nature Adam in innocency had not eternal life and God took away what he had his fading for his sinfull keeping it up against and refusing to surrender it in exchang for his everlasting life If what was Adam's sin to do be asserted the duty he ought to have done to Wit the keeping what he had and where he was what instructions are we like to have towards the avoiding a sinning after the similitude of his transgression And they that confine the Death of the second Adam to his body denying the surrender and Death of his spirit as to its first-covenant Life of the Law will teach the pittying sparing and keeping up of that as Satan by Peter counselled Christ himself to be the very way of salvation Thus runs the doctrine of Satan's and Man 's other Gospel in a flat contradiction to Christ's in every point Vers. XIII Then I saw that Wisdom excelleth Folly as far as Light excelleth Darkness Wisdom and Folly Light and Darkness character the first and second Covenant or Old and New creation Law and Gospel-principles of life desire thought and action in Men. The excellency of the second admits no comparison with the first The first has no Glory Wisdom Light Righteousness to the second that excell's and remain's for ever 2 Cor. 3. 10 11. The first is marvellous darkness as to all spiritual things of God and grand concerns of man The second marvellous light discovering all things divine spiritual and natural in their distinct goodnesses Ye were darkness in your own spirit of nature corrupt or enlightned now are ye light in the Lord's spirit of grace walk as Children of this light Eph. 5. 8. walk not as fools in your own spirit but as wise vers 15. in the Lord's Man's spirit since the fall in the highest renewals is of Satan's palate savours not sees or receives any things of the spirit of God Mat. 16. 23. 1 Cor. 2. 14. All that finally prefer their darkness to God's light will find everlasting darkness their portion The glorious advantages of the wisdom and light of God's spirit render it most desireable to man Prov. 3. 13 18. and 4. 5 13. True wisdom call's out to all in corrupt or enlightned nature as fools and simple in their main concern Prov. 1. 20-23 and 8. 5. The folly of Man in
corrupt nature is seen of all But enmity to God and the power of Godliness in that spirit of grace wherein alone any can be saved is seen of none in the highest wisdom of restored nature And this is the root of all spiritual Wickednesses Uncleanesses Idolatries and Murders These all lurk under fair shews in holy flesh form of Godliness and righteousness of Man in the restored Image of the earthy All natural excellencies in Man or Angel are but a fading flower All the mystical Gold Silver and Rubies thereof perishing nothings to the new-creation Wisdom and things of God And what then to the infinite divine Wisdom and things of God lesse then nothing Isa. 40. 17. Christ offers his durable Life Riches and Substance his Heavenly treasures for Man's fading Earthly shadows and is refused Mat. 19. 21 22. Wisdom of nature in corrupt or moral Heathen and in first covenant Saints excells the folly contrary thereunto as Light Darkness But this reaches not the intended mystery and truth of this scripture Vers. XIIII The wise Man's Eyes are in his head but the fool walketh in darkness and I my self perceived also that one event happeneth to them all The truly wise sees with the Eyes of Christ his spiritual Lord and Head in his light he sees light Psal. 36. 9. in the spiritual light of Christ the infinite divine Light and Glory Man and all he does in this light this spirit has the praise of God but not at all of men wise righteous Men. Paul was of high account with such when a persecuting first-covenant Saint in his holy flesh of no account with them when a suffering spiritual Saint in God's Holy Spirit 1 Cor. 4. 8-13 2 Cor. 10. 12. He was contented to be a no-body with men when such a one as the Lord commendeth passed not for Man's day or judgment of him The righteousness of Man kept up in enmity to God's is highly esteemed of men but abominable to God And the righteousness of God in the spiritual Saint is highly esteemed of God but abominable to man with all the words thereof Man's Soul established in his own Righteousness loath's God's soul or spirit and God's his Zec. 11. 8. Man's loathing God is the greatest wickedness God's loathing him and dealing with him accordingly the just punishment thereof In the spiritual Eyes of their Head do true Saints fix their eyes on Christ their Lord and Head receive his counsells and obey him amid'st all uncertainties darknesses and miscarriages of their natural Man They walk in his spirit of light fools in their own spirit of darkness Paul when wise in God seemed a fool to men men wise in Christ by his first-covenant communications Christ marred that visage wisdom and image of the earthy in his own person which they trust in for Salvation Paul cast away all they trust in as dung for the spirit and wisdom of God the life and image of the Heavenly No being wise in God without being fools to Men 1 Cor. 3. 18. and 4. 10. Man in the highest Light and Wisdom of his own nature is indeed the Fool tossed up and down by the various Winds of Satan's divers and strang doctrines walking in darkness not knowing whither he goes or what he does who or what he worship's He reckons he is making safe steps toward Salvation when making swift steps to destruction Man that finally trust's in his own Wisdom for directing his steps sides and hold's with the Devil as his Head true Saints with Christ for directing their Steps in his spirit But how does one event happen to them all Wise and Fools This one event is a twofold death incident to both in the twofold mortal Life of their Body and Spirit 'T is appointed to all men good and bad Once to Die Heb. 9. 27. as to both these lives in their natural state By such Death are all first or last cut off from and for ever deprived of all outward or inward litteral or mystical riches and comforts of this World The whole Life of the natural state in the love or wrath of God will be taken from every Man and Angel Mortality and Death is legibly written out upon all in the perishing nature of all they are possessed of however obstinately kept up and trusted in by most The event that happens or falls to the Lot of the obedient surrenderer of his natural Life under the Cross or rebellious refuser so to do which brings him under the same Cross or Gospel-sword in final wrath after the said one event that happens to both and all will be found exceedingly differing even a state of eternal Life or Death God rejects mens false confidences but approves of their distrust and despair in themselves or best things in their own Nature as vers 20. Vers. XV. Then said I in my heart as it happeneth to the fool so it happeneth even to me and why was I then more wise Then I said in my heart that this also is vanity Here is the bottom thought of Solomon's heart in this matter In the Wisdom of God he reflects upon and reviews himself in all his former glory and wisdom of a man and then compares himfelf and any other in like case made wise strong and honourable in Christ by his renewalls of their old natural state and fresh quickening them up into the life thereof out of their fallen state of death in trespasses and sins with the fool and finds one Chance or Lot happen to all that are but such wise men never proceeding farther and the fool even a state of eternal darkness and death The Fool in the lowest sense is what we call a meer Natural destitute in a manner of any use of his rational Powers through indisposition of Body Again a man weak and shallow in his natural Powers and uncultivated by Education Reading and Converse with better Understandings is a Fool to a man of deep Natural Judgement quickness of Mind of a soaring searching Capacity and great Reach advanced also by Learning and Converse This Fool and wise Man may both be found and oft are in the but heathenish spirit of nature and that in the corrupt rebellious state thereof walking contrary to such and to all light and wisdom natural and spiritual The moral righteous Heathen that endeavours to obey such light of nature as Christ a-fresh sets up in every man that comes into the world though of less light and speculative wisdom or capacity then the former is a wiser and better man The first-covenant Saint with his holy flesh wise strong and honourable in Christ though of less speculative wisdom then either is wiser and better then both and then the spiritual new-covenant Believer and Saint that seems a fool to them all as having quitted all Wisdom of man for God's is not only wiser then them all but the only truly wise and they all fools as to the whole of their eternal concerns In general all are fools
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 mortal first-creation Life with the operations thereof intellectual and intuitive with Angels sensual with beasts birds and fishes c. Vegetal with plants trees c. And then has he bodily parts made of elementary materials with all inanimate compounds Every individual man therefore is fitly call'd a Microcosm or little World an Epitome or Compound of all found in the greater without him And all these Lives in him are mortal All vanity The very righteous first-covenant Life of his immortal spirit whether in the intuitive inorganical or rational organical operations thereof is mortal too All men are witnesses of this by the death and loss of it in all for the first sin of all in and with the first Yet farther One sort of Life Man has that 's not found in the whole Macrocosm or greater World without him a Life of rational-sense exercised in and by his Body Neither Angel nor Beast have this no Creature above or below him The Result from God's uniting Man's Spirit and fitly organiz'd Body is called a living Soul Gen. 2. 7. 1 Cor. 15. 45. The Soul Souly or animalish Life sleep's or remain's dormant and unexercised in the Spirit when departed till a re-union with its Body at the Resurrection whether of Life or Damnation John 5. 29. The essentials of Man Body Soul and Spirit whatever suspension of exercise or temporary alteration be incident to any of them make up the discriminating form of Man from all other Creatures in both Worlds for ever in Earth Heaven or Hell Man's corruptible Body at first made of dust receiv'd an additional frailty by his sin in the degenerate state of his whole Nature The Spirit departed out of it it soon moulder's into dust Then does Man cease from the exercise of Bodily Life as well as the Beast when he dies In this therefore Man has no pre-heminence above a Beast For he is made of the same materials has the same Breath in his Nostrils and comes to the same end The Beast receives his animation by the quick'ning up of a meer sensual Life in his Body So his Spirit never has its Body again nor any Life above and without it but ceases for ever Brutified Atheists would fain perswade themselvs and others out of the immortality of their Spirits and that Man has no other kind of Life or Being than the Beast but only a superiority to the Beast therein as Angels have to Men in intellectual Life though man had the same kind of Life by Creation and that perfect too See the Apocryphal Wisdom of 〈◊〉 sor a Character of these Atheistical Reasoners Wisdom 2. 1-9 Plenty of these brutish disputants that labour to out themselvs and others of all the Prerogatives of man above the Beast find we at this day Having wickedly made themselves Brutes fain would they perswade themselvs God made them so And if others think themselvs better they set themselvs to prove their thought a whimsical Imagination and that we have no being or Life for ever after the dissolution of our Body What 's Eternal death Annihilation No. That 's the thing they plead for and seek after but will never find The incorrigibly vile will be most exquisitely sensible under everlasting Burnings in every particle of their beings The Righteous Life Man had before the fall he lost by his first Sin That was but mortal and a perishing Vanity as well as the Life of the Beast though of a more excellent sort But he has degraded his nature into a kind of Equality with the Beast He may know the insignificancy of his lost Life as to true Blessedness by its being lost But in stead of looking upwards for a better he chuses rather to sink down into a worse the meer Brutish Life of the Beast hating all Discourse Counsel or Instruction of the least tendency towards a Gospel-Life of immortality suited to the immortality of his being This appear's the case of most Men by the following Words Vers. XX. All go unto one place All are of the Dust and all turn to Dust again Here 's the condition of all Men as to the Mortal Life of Body and Soul the Mortal first-creation earthy righteous Life of their Spirit turn's also to dust again Their Spirit indeed as an Immortal being is distinct from and Superiour to the meer sensual Spirit of the Beast This appears Vers. XXI Who knoweth the Spirit of Man that goeth upward and the Spirit of the Beast that goeth downward to the Earth Or Who knoweth and rightly consider's the Spirit of Man in its distinguishing Prerogative from the Beast What is said v. 18-20 may seem to countenance the mistaking sensualist's foremention'd Atheistical Doctrin But this pulls him back to another Lesson Man in his bodily part Life and Breath was like the Beast even before the fall But his sinful doting on the same sensual delights with Beasts and so making his whole Man a Beast this was not his case by Creation God made him a Man He has made himself a Beast And the Beast has vastly the start of him herein Sin 's not in his delights has no principle of Life desire or palate in his nature to which any thing above meer sensual Objects is calculated Is not subject to the Judgment Man is nor has any Immortality of being to sufler the pains of eternal death in The Spirit of the Beast goes downward to the Earth as well as his Body There 's an end of him He never hear's of himself more Such death incorrigibly Wicked Angels and Men will vainly seek but never find It will ever flee from them They 'l find themselvs in a fix'd hatred to what is eternal Life And they 'l find themselvs dreadfully Tormented in eternal death What then can be their desire but insensibleness or annihilation They 'l never find either Being will stick closse to them and most exquisite sensibleness never depart one Moment in Eternity from them They must lie by 't for ever in Sorrow Tormented in every particle of their make Man by the Right use of his rational Powers in law or first-covenant-light ought to Perform active obedience to god's law and when call'd to it yield himself up in passive obedience to his Cross and so receive his Gospel spirit and principle of eternal and well-pleasing active Obedience Thus ought Man to live to the Lord and die to the Lord Ro. 14. 8. in his Law-Spirit of nature that he may live for ever to the Lord in his Gospel Spirit of Grace Thus is Man to obey God in a Law and Gospel-state successively one after another in the Life of his own Spirit and then of God's This is the Method and Doctrin of God's Wisdom for Man's Salvation tion Man's unbelieving contradicting Wisdom will if persisted in bring him to Weeping and of Gnashing of Teeth for ever the Just Portion of all his 〈◊〉 company Luk. 12. 46. the Just Punishment of all wilful Mistake Unbelief and
the fit Priest to perform all well-pleasing active obedience to God in Preference and Opposition to the Gospel-Spirit presented and offer'd to him in the Tree of Life wherein alone 't is possible to please God and do all things well without any possibility of failer or Miscarriage What came of this willful mistake and Heresy of Adam A Universal Leprosy and contagious Disease of Sin and Enmity to God and death in such Sin upon all mankind Rom. 5. 18. 1 Cor. 15. 22. The very sin by which Adam brought this sore Mystical Leprosy upon the spirit of humane nature in all mankind in the beginning of this World do many Professors in the ending of it reckon had bin his duty even to keep up the righteous life he was created in from death and loss This is directly contrary to God's Command to first and second Adam which the first Rebell'd against and second obey'd Jo. 10. 18. What was offer'd Adam in the Tree of Life Nothing All things the one thing necessary comprehending all things conducible to mans true blessedness Nor Man nor Angel had this Life in their first-Creation-make and State What they both and all had was not Eternal Life but a Mortal Perishing Vanity a fading Flower 'T is Eternal Life say's Satan ye shall not die at all Hold fast your own He had Rebelliously so done in his Angelical nature which turn'd that which was but changably good into unchangable evil a mutably good Angel the work of God's hand into an incorrigibly wicked Devil the work of Satan's own hand which he would also bring all Men and Angels to if possible in a fixed unchangable Enmity to their Maker The setting up ourselves in a righteous first-Covenant Life aganst God and the Spirit of the second is the highest sort of Rebellion as the Sin of Witch-craft such Stubbornes as is indeed the highest and most criminal Idolatry 1 Sam. 15. 23. Paul found the Corinthian and Galatian Professors of the Gospel in danger of this most criminal Witch-craft to wit of being beguiled by the Old Serpent as Eve 〈◊〉 2 Cor. 11. 2 3. and fetch'd back again from Christ's unchangably Holy Gospel-spirit of Life exhibited to convincingly shew'd and offered them in his Ministry to a confident taking up in their own changably Holy Flesh or natural Law-Spirit of Enmity and death for Salvation This after they had begun in the Spirit running well for a season in obedience to Gospel-Light Gal. 3. 1-3 and 5. 7 8. Who hinder'd you or did drive you back that ye should not obey Christ's Gospel-Spirit of Truth Who but the Devil We find in both Old and New Testament-Saul that the confident resting in a first-Covenant-Life for Salvation renders Men mortal haters of all the right words of the second and fierce Persecuters of all that bring such unwelcome Tydings to their Ears as the Doctrin of the Cross seem's to the Wisdom of righteous Man though indeed the only Words or Doctrin whereby any can be saved the Power of God unto Salvation 1 Cor. 1. 18. Saul in the Old Testament or First-Covenant Spirit Persecuted David singly and meerly as found in the new Name and Spirit of the second in which he saw the Lord to be with him 1 Sam. 18. 12. For this very thing was he afraid of him and resolv'd to kill him though his Son in Law So old Testament legal-spirited Saul in the New Testament till he became a Gospel-spirited Paul and preacher of the Gospel was the fiercest opposer of it breathing out threatings and slaughter against the Disciples of the Lord for it Act. 9. 1. Old Testament Saul's unpardonable presumptuous sin against the Holy Ghost his unchangable murdering mind of enmity against David for its sake was the great transgression David earnestly prayed to be delivered from in his own person Psal. 19. 13. God sets up first that that 's natural and afterward that that 's spiritual in the Saint All that stick fast in the natural state and life of man are against the spiritual state and life of God Those are figured by the Elder these by the younger brother in Cain and Abel 〈◊〉 and Isaac Jacob and Esau. He that 's born after the flesh by the knowledg of Christ after the flesh as a mystical parent and bridegroom to him in a restor'd fruitful first-covenant righteous life persecut's him that 's born of the same Christ after the spirit in the second and so brought forth in or raised up into that life into which Christ himself is risen from the dead Rom. 7. 1-4 Thus was it alway's And so is it now Gal. 4. 29. These two births in Christ the former making men wise strong and honorable in the first covenant the latter wise strong and honorable in the second we find Jo. 3. 6. 1 Cor. 48. 10. The rich full first-covenant Corinthians reigning as Kings there were the former to whom Paul in the latter seem'd a fool weak and despicable But Paul in the latter knew them to be fools weak and despicable in all the Wisdom strength and fading Glory of the former Paul himself had experienc'd both in an eminency had been eminent in holy flesh and therein the eminent'st Ring-leading Persecuter of them that were born of Christ's Holy Gospel-spirit And when Eminent in Christ's Gospel-spirit was he persecuted by those that were fix'd or unfix'd as himself before Gospel-conversion Act. 9. 1. In Holy flesh enemies of the Gospel and Cross of Christ. Even those that will prove true Saints while but in the first-covenant persecute the second and consider not or think they do evil but indeed good and acceptable Service to God Joh. 16. 2. Act. 26. 9. Solomon's advice to them here is that they be more ready to hear the voice of the Spirit of Christ in himself and Saints then to speak in their own to hear the words of the true publick new-creation manly Spirit of Grace in the second Adam and his Spiritual descendants or posterity then to speak in their own private changable womanish Spirit of nature or the first Adam We should be swift to hear the true spiritual shepherd's voice rather then forward or at all to speak in the highest Wisdom of our own Spirit that 's the stranger and indeed the very woman Christ prohibits any speaking at all in his true Gospel-Church Paul on Christ's manly astonishing voice from heaven to him turn'd from his own womanish understanding conferr'd not with flesh and blood nature at best in himself or others Gal. 1. 16. None more prejudic'd against or more unfit to hear Christ's Gospel-Doctrin in the Church on the Rock then the self-confident Speakers and Preachers of Satan's in the House upon the Sand. Satan's false Prophets and Ministers that see Vanity and divine Lies are most unfit of all Men to be so much as Members in the Gospel-Church of Christ the Assembly of his People Ezek. 13. 9. V. II. Be not rash with thy mouth and let
his spirit of unchangable enmity to God then by Christ's new-creation workmanship baptized into his Gospel-spirit of unchangable union with God What 's the meet recompence of such errour The same Tophet punishment lake of mystical fire and brimstone the litteral is but a Shadow of unquenchable wrath fiery indignation the vengeance of eternal fire In this and other variety of language does the Holy Ghost or Spirit of truth in the Scriptur's of truth clothe the joynt everlasting torment and vexation of both For such a covenant with the Devil is a covenant of oath a swearing everlasting allegiance to him and a taking also his oath of supreamacy owning him as the supream ruler and infallible dictatour in Church and State in the room of the holy ghost or Christ in Spirit and God most high himself 2 Thes. 2. 4. And so his bored Servants they are for ever whom they have sworn to obey for ever on all accounts and own for their Supream Paramount-Ruler and guide so as to place themselvs under his protection wing and conduct Rom. 6. 16. They agree to Obey Sin and the Man of Sin Satan the unchangably sinning Spirit of Eternal Darkness and Death Can this be lesse then the sin unto death eternal death They 'l be sure of the portion they have chosen They unchangably hate Christ's Gospel new-Creature Spirit of everlasting righteousness chuse and love a Spirit of unchangable enmity to it and death to themselvs Prov. 8. 36. Can they miss of what they love and have chosen Rebellious Children are they They take counsel not of me saith the Lord but of the Devil They cover with a covering not of my Spirit but the Devil 's for their clothing and protection They are willing to be dress'd up in his furniture and armour to fight against God All this for this very end that they may add sin to sin unchangable enmity to God the unpardonable sin to the pardonable changable state of enmity and death they were born in So come they to a latter end worse than their beginning by their own choice when offer'd a better end then ever nature in its beginning at best before the fall amounted to in the the changable spotless life thereof They are now in a known chosen confederacy with the Devil for ever against God Christ all Gospel-Saints and truths They have greedily drunk down the poyson'd wine of the very Spirit of the old Serpent Their wine is the poison of Dragons the cruel venom of Asps Deut. 32. 33. The poison of Asps is under their lips Rom. 3. 13. They spit venom breath out slaughter against the Saints of the most high They are establish'd by Satan made men fully after his own heart So unchangable irreconcileable implacable enemies of all after God's own heart as Saul to David In these two fixed states after God's or the Devil 's own heart will all men in conclusion be found in heaven or hell everlasting joy or sorrow under the final favour or unquenchable wrath of God Neither say before the Angel 't was an errour This Angel is Christ the supream Apostle or Messenger of God's Covenant the living Creature-word and book of God which is God Jo. 1. 1 So the Septuagint render it neither say before God it was an errour and therefore why should he be angry c. To what porpose is it for any to pretend ignorance as having done all this by a mistake and surprize before this Angel or word of God that 's of an all-penetrating sight so as infallibly to discern and discover the bottom-thoughts and intents of all hearts Heb. 4. 12 13. He will undeniably evidence all this wickedness to have bin wilfully and knowingly done against his cleer declarations of the mind of God to them and most faithfull warnings of them to the contrary and of the unspeakable danger thereof No good words fair speeches plausible pretences whereby they have deceiv'd their fellow-creatur's will signify any thing towards their defence or excuse before this infallible Angel's judgment-seat He will silence and stop every mouth of iniquity and fill all that have thus caused their flesh to sin thereby with everlasting shame and confusion of face Peter in the Holy Ghost or that Spirit of this Angel Christ wherein he will judg the world detected the falshood of Ananias and Saphira and executed God's sentence of death upon them as having suffer'd Satan to fill their hearts their undeniable guilt Act. 5. 1-10 Such Spots are not the Spots of God's Children They are never guilty of unpardonable Sins And then do those guilty of such errours think to get any thing by 〈◊〉 why should God be angry and destroy our works Or Solomon in the Spirit of God asks them why should God be angry at thy voice or mouth that hath agreed with Satan to cause thy flesh or whole man to sin 〈◊〉 and so destroy the Work of thine hands But let this Question be put by whom it will the Works which have been wrought in a Spirit of unchangable enmity to God will be 〈◊〉 If put by the Holy Ghost in Solomon 't is by way of counsel to 〈◊〉 such madness in Men whereby to receive such a Spirit of unchangable enmity into them for the principle of all their Desires Thoughts and Works as will most certainly expose them and all such Works to be burnt up and destroyed for ever They have done all such wicked Works and the leading wicked Work to all the rest in receiving the Devil's Spirit of unchangable enmity for their working Active Principle before the said Angel or under his convincing Spiritual Light and cleer discoveries of himself to them in his Spiritual Life of Truth wherein alone they can be Saved He will at last undeniably convince them that they were convinced and fairly warn'd of all these things before-hand in his gracious exhibitings and offers of himself to them doing all they could desire he should do for preventing such a self-ruining wilfull unpardonable errour All has been done by them against the known commands of his Spiritual law And will they say it was an errour a mistake of meer ignorance And so think to prevail with this Angel to plead for their Pardon Alas Alas He will make them see it most Just for him to intercede against them as his and his Father 's incorrigible wilfull Enemies and to say to his mighty Angels slay these mine Enemies before my face Luke 19. 27. that would not I should Reign over them but the Devil God or this Angel is most Justly angry at their Voice or Mouth by which they have chosen and declared their consent for unchangable union with the Devil rather then with him And he will destroy all the works of their Hands that in such union they have done against him in whatever nearest resemblance of his Gospel-Spirit and Truths by the transforming Arts and Skill of their Master-Workman purposely to express their utmost Malice against him
its utmost growth flourish and fruitfulness is but a fading flower the mystical natural tree of God's left-hand-planting distinguish'd from the incorruptible seed 1 Pet. 1. 23. of his right-hand-planting by a new-creation which springs up in spiritual Saints prospers into an everlasting Kingdom-state rendring them mystical Gospel-trees the fruits whereof are incorruptible and the very leaves such as never wither or 〈◊〉 away Psal. 1. 3. This spiritual tree of Life will be known by its fruits in distinction from the natural fleshly tree all the fruits whereof are as the root and tree they grow upon perishing Vanities The new Name or Life of the new-Creature Gospel-spirit or living Word of God set up in man can never be turn'd into a lie Man's old name and fading first-covenant Law-life at best when asserted to be a spiritual Gospel-state of everlasting Life and Salvation is turn'd into a flat lie and falshood and all the things births works fruits and products thereof and in though good in their kind when call'd spiritual and confidently rested in for Salvation are all lies and enmity to God and his Gospel-Spirit of Truth Renew'd nature call'd Grace the renew'd old or natural Man with his first Covenant righteous Life and Name call'd the new-creature the spiritual Saint with the new Covenant-Life and Gospel-Name all these are dangerous destructive lies In sum the good Name and precious Oyntment here are the differing characters of first and second-Covenant Life The former through the said mistake Paul found to be a body a law a state of sin and death Rom. 7. 24. 8. 2. which the new-covenant law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus freed him from by putting his nature therein to death The Spirit of life is the death of death when it puts the law-spirit of Enmity and Death to death in the Saint utterly abolishing all the Anointings or said precious Ointment receiv'd in the natural state and giving all again with usury in the unchangeable life and transcendently more precious anointing of the spiritual Man Man in restor'd first-Covenant Law-life is apt as Paul once to despise and reject all Gospel-Tydings or witness of the second The good Name imports a transcendently higher and better anointing then the precious Oyntment here can signify For then the spiritual there is no better kind of precious ointment receivable by or communicable to Man This true meaning of the Holy Ghost in Solomon as to this former will much conduce to and facilitate the opening of the latter clause of this verse And the day of Death then the day of one's Birth The stress of these words can't lie in the literal sence which cannot hold generally nor mostly true For the literal death of the vast number of wicked men is abundantly worse then the day of their litteral birth and life in this World Man though born dead in Sin is capable of a restauration-birth of a first-Covenant life in his Spirit which puts him under hopeful advantages and possibilities of a new-creation-birth of an everlasting righteous Life These hopes are utterly cut off from all that die in their Sins as all that die in a state of enmity to God and his Spirit of Grace and everlasting Life do This necessitates the allowing a mystical meaning to these Words which is this The death of Man's Spirit as to all natural first-creation life 〈◊〉 or first-Covenant righteous obediently submitted to with certain hope of a Resurrection into the life of Christ's Gospel-Spirit that slay's and offers it up in sacrifice to God as he serv'd our nature at best in his own person is transcendently better then the Birth and utmost flourish thereof in him For now is he much forwarder on his way in the right method and death-pass towards an everlasting righteous new-Covenant life Paul counted the former dung to the latter and suffer'd the loss of all therein for it Phil. 3. 7 8. If Man submit not to the terms and ways of arriving at this new birth for a newness of life he will come to a latter end worse then his beginning in either of his two former Births litteral or mystical of bodily or first-Covenant life eternal death By obediently losing and quitting the former natural or Law-life for a spiritual Gospel-one he comes to a latter end better then any of his beginnings in Adam before the fall or since in his own said twofold personal birth eternal life A rebellious pitying and sparing our own nature in the first-covenant life thereof loses all for ever An obedient giving it up to death and right losing it saves all Matth. 16. 25. The Spirit or inner natural Man when crucified and raised into Christ's spiritual life the death or dissolution of the body is not fear'd but desir'd as by Paul He earnestly long'd and groan'd after the shaking off and being perfectly rid of the dusty mortal perishing earthly life and state of his whole natural Man body and spirit 2 Cor. 5. 1 4. and so to be wholly at home with the Lord ver 6. in the intire single uninterrupted exercise of spiritual life amongst the best company the pure unchangeable Friends of that life blessed Angels and Saints departed In this World the Saint is surrounded with innumerable Enemies thereof very burdensome ill unpleasing company to him In the birth and utmost flourish of a first-covenant Law-life we are still under Satan's power and delusive influence He can deceive us into the same perdition with himself by that very righteous life By inducing Men to over-value and and rest in it and on it for Salvation he brings them into unchangeable Union with himself in Enmity to God When perfectly crucified as to the life of the Law raised into the life of the Gospel we are not under the Law but under Grace Then Sin and Satan have lost their dominion over us for ever We wholly cease and are freed from both and all all enemies and dangers whatsoever Rom. 6. 7 -14. 1 Pet. 4. 1. The birth of a first-Covenant life gives not full victory over Satan the right death of Nature and loss of it does Therefore better on all hands as the only way to free us from death and set us up in eternal life The right full death of Man's Law-spirit of bondage delivers him from all bondage and fear of death for ever which all their first-Covenant life-time Men are continually subject to Heb. 2. 15. Vers. 2. It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting for that is the end of all Men and the living will lay it to his heart The house of mourning or state of sorrow to the natural Man under the death-blows of the Gospel-Sword or spiritual cross of Christ is better for him to go into and be in then the house of feasting in the most joyful fruitful life and exercise thereof in a first-Covenant state For therein draws he nearer to a heavenly
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
under this tryal they make a right or a wrong choice find eternal life or death the better or worse end than their beginning All that make the right choice have the praise of God but lie under the utmost dispraise and malice of Man all along this World under Satan's reign and the day of Man's orthodox judgment or Wisdom This is the great and main controversy between God and his creatures 〈◊〉 and Men. 〈◊〉 the very turning point to 〈◊〉 life or death the obedient submitting to the death of nature or the rebellious keeping up the life thereof The Saint sinds the end that 's better than the beginning others an end that 's worse The Saint sinds that blessed end of the Lord that the Lord Christ himself and his Servant Job found to be the happy issue and result of all their sufferings in the flesh or natural Man Jam. 5. 11. The truly patient in spirit here meant that submits to the death of his own nature finds the life of God's new-creature spirit of Grace in the room thereof So is he transcendently better than the proud in spirit that contradicts blasphemes and does despite to the Spirit of Grace with all its words and followers to his own everlasting destruction By sparing saving and keeping up his own life in enmity to the Cross he loses all life and comfort for ever The over-value and love of his own freedom or free-will brings him into everlasting bondage The quitting it for God's Free-will to good only and that unchangeably is everlasting deliverance or Salvation from all captivities oppressions enemies dangers or deaths The Saints new-creation life of God swallow's up all death's and enemies into victory renders them more than conquerors over all for ever The proud lifters up of themselves against God will be made vessels of dishonour under everlasting contempt and lie down in sorrow for ever This will they have of his hand Ver. 9. Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry for anger resteth in the bosom of fools The spirit of Man rich full wise strong and honourable in the fruitful 〈◊〉 of a first-covenant life is apt to be hasty angry and offended at what comes to run down all this in him marre his 〈◊〉 and lay all this his fading glory and honour in the dust The wise spiritual Saint in Seed may be found in this hasty angry demeanour against the Cross or any words or Doctrine thereof ignorantly for a season with Paul but such anger resteth or abides for ever only in the bosom heart or spirit of fools that obstinately persist in such wilful madness and folly as to their grand concern and utterly perish in their own corruption Will Man justifie himself herein saying I do well to be angry at the Doctrine and work of the Cross He that contends with the Almighty reproves God's declar'd method and way of saving his own creatur's let him answer it Job 40. 2. Why what Says Man's wrangling disputing wisdom Shall I suffer my house to be set on fire the Gospel Fire-Baptism and death thereby to be brought on my righteous natural state Christ did on his more righteous Shall I suffer the comely visage beauty and glory the wisdom and righteousness of my own nature ' twice set up in and put upon me by God himself once at creation and again by redemption to be all spoil'd and marr'd Shall I suffer all my mystical riches herein to be seiz'd and like a tame fool make no resistance The Man-Christ himself did not He opened not his mouth against this dispensation He suffer'd that fleece to be shorn off all that riches to be taken away as the dumb Sheep her literal fleece yea that life and all as the Lamb brought to the slaughter without noise or struggle Isa. 53. 7. And Paul was forthwith obedient to the Heavenly Vision and discovery of the Lord's mind herein without struggle or dispute He gave not way to the fleshly disputer of this world in himself or others against the known Command of God and method of his Wisdom for Salvation He became a tame fool in this case as Man's wisdom reckon's an obedient wise spiritual Man as God's Wisdom reckon's 1 Cor. 4. 10. Here 's the clash of two distinct opposite Wisdoms They that reckon themselves wise are not wise in God's account 2 Cor. 10. 12. And those they reckon fools the Lord commendeth v. 18. Those that finally refuse to be offer'd up in the fire of the same Heavenly eternal priestly Gospel-spirit of Grace in which Christ offer'd up our nature at best in himself without spot unto God Heb. 9. 14. Joh. 10. 17 18. will offer up themselves in the false fire of Satan's spirit unto him will give their body or natural state to be burnt by him not in love but unchangeable enmity to God This is the state they chuse to pass into as set on fire of Hell Jam. 3. 6. They are back'd and encourag'd by Satan's lie to set up their own nature with him in unchangeable enmity to God So come these mystical proud in spirit by their false self-preserving reasonings to be guilty of remediless folly and madness to their own destruction All this proceeds from a 〈◊〉 up thought of the wisdom and glory of their own nature above what is written of it They take and assert it to be everlasting But no such thing was ever written of it in the Oracles of God's Wisdom but the contrary 'T is therein abundantly and frequently asserted to be but a fading flower a perishing vanity and Man at best therein altogether vanity lighter than vanity less than nothing It had bin better for him never to have bin at all than never to be better He will find himself worse then nothing Annihilation-death will be desireable a reduction to his primitive nothing rather than a being exquisitly sensible under eternal torment and vexation of spirit When thus gull'd by Satan do men carry his lie in their right hand teach it as the only way of Salvation to their own and deceived blind-followers eternal damnation To prevent this great danger Solomon advises not to be hasty in our spirit to be angry in this grand concern and case as knowing it a fault Saints themselves are too inclinable to through a readiness to listen to the voice of their own spirit the words of their own Wisdom which go forth out of their own mouth Jer. 44. 17. with Satan's strong delusions and reasonings at the back of their own humane arguings to beget in them a rash hasty angry temper against the Cross or spirit of Christ and all the words thereof A stiff-necked resisting the cross-work of the Holy Ghost Act. 7. 51. upon them is the unpardonable sin the great the presumptuous transgression the sin unto eternal death They that thus do reject so great Salvation as in God's way and Wisdom is offer'd to them and 〈◊〉 what proves damnation in their own will and way as the
Christ's new and heavenly his natural for Christ's spiritual creature-life and possessions A conclusive refusal to part with all we have is a final parting-blow between God and Man Paul found Corinthian Professors bewitch'd Galatians and belly-God Philippians dangerously engag'd towards a sixure in this most presumptuous Sin and Error 1 Cor. 4. 8. 2 Cor. 11. 2 3. Gal. 3. 1 -4. Phil. 3. 18 19. And Christ found a first-Covenant party in enmity to the second in most or all the seven Churches Rev. 2. 3. In Laodicea scarce any other and all this under the outward dispensation and ministry of the Gospel owning themselves as Gospel-Professors And what or who else in a manner at this day can we find but such anti-Gospel-Gospellers in all variety of opinion form and way All the highly pretending and conceited Children of the Kingdom in the most sublimated Church-forms or purest Churches in but restor'd first-covenant Law-principles without advance by exchange and Gospel-conversion will be found at a loss and cast or kept out of the Kingdom of Christ as not at all of his new-Covenant Gospel-spirit of Grace and Truth 'T is in the heavenly Wisdom of this only Men can attain the sight and inheritance of the most glorious divine Sun and of the new-creation Sun of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mal. 4. 2. in the Mediator's person which is the greatest gain the highest prosit and advantage Man or Angel can receive or enjoy to all eternity This 〈◊〉 proves ver 12. Vers. 12. For Wisdom is a defence Heb. shadow and mony is a desence but the excellency of knowledg is that Wisdom giveth life to them that have it Here 's a distinguishing character of the first and second covenant spirits Lives Wisdoms with or by the effects riches and priviledges of each The Wisdom and mystical mony or riches of the first are a defence against the rude assaults the unruly brutish motions of the corrupt state of nature and do make up to Man all he thinks he needs for eternal life 1 Cor. 4. 8. Rev. 3. 17. But through the fading nature of all that life and riches and evil use of it in preference and opposition to the durable life and true riches in the Gospel-spirit of God all 's spoil'd Man's inordinate love to the former is that love of mony that 's the root of all evil against God and to himself evil of sin and punishment It renders all the mammon of unrighteousness as preferr'd to the 〈◊〉 riches of Christ in his infinite divine and everlasting righteous new-creation Life First-creation Life with the riches thereof is to be allow'd its due as good in its kind and lawful use for suppressing the unruly desires thoughts and motions of the corrupt state of Nature Man so using it is faithful to the Light afforded him by Christ in the first Covenant as a fleshly Bridegroom But then farther is he to follow this Bridegroom in the death and loss of all this fading life and riches Wisdom and Mony for what in spiritual conviction-Light is shew'd and offer'd him by Christ as a better Bridegroom and Comforter in the second This second and principal thing done as the passive part of obedience requir'd in the right and lawful use of all in the first Covenant law-state God is well-pleased and Man saved But be Man never so faithful in the active obedience performable in his law-life if he refuse to perform or yield to the requir'd passive obedience all his active turns in conclusion to no account at all Himself is turn'd out of God's house for ever as but that servant in his own law-spirit of bondage that refus'd to become a Son of God in his Gospel-spirit of glorious liberty that makes free indeed Jo. 8. 35 36. The truth the Gospel-spirit of Truth makes Man truly free ver 32. Where or in whomsoever that Spirit is is liberty 2 Cor. 3. 17. The Gospel-law of the Spirit of life is the perfect law of liberty It renders Man free not to but from all sin and death at last Rom. 8. 2. Jam. 1. 25. Man's spirit of bondage chosen before and against God's spirit of true freedom becom's a house a prison a state of eternal death to him If Man use his law-life aright as to the first end for which restor'd and miss the appointed and declared second all comes to worse then nothing for ever He misses that true Wisdom that gives and is eternal life to them that have it This the Law-life and best Wisdom of Man can never give or be to him Gal. 3. 21. Vers. 13. Consider the work of God for who can make that straight which he hath made crooked Consider well the life and state of Men and Angels as the first-creation Workmanship of God's hand and you 'l find it crooked first comparatively To the second make of them by his new-creating Workmanship all the fading goodness Life Wisdom Glory and Righteousness of the first are as nothing no Glory 2 Cor. 3. 10. If the Glory and other things of Man in the first be not only presumptuously compared with but preferr'd and exalted into a jusling competition with and opposition to the Life Glory Wisdom Righteousness Works Fruits and things of God offer'd them by a new and second Creation this renders all such things worse then nothing Yea if this be finally wilfully and conclusively done the Glory Wisdom Light Life Righteousness all things of Man are turn'd into unspeakable shame utmost folly and highest wickedness to which belong utter Darkness and eternal Death The corruptible seed 1 Pet. 1. 23. of God's left-hand planting in Man's or Angel's natural first-creation-make and state at its utmost growth flourish and fruitfulness amounts but to a fading flower Man in all at best is altogether Vanity This fleshly state of Life was figur'd by the tree of good and evil before the fall Since the fall 't is always evil root and branch tree and fruit silth of 〈◊〉 or spirit are found in all its operations fruits products or performances root and branch When Paul was eminent in the restor'd righteous law-life of Man how fiercely did he persecute the Gospel or new-Creature life of Christ in himself and Saints That was filth of Spirit enmity and despite to the very Gospel spirit of Grace in which any can be saved 't was a sinning against the holy Ghost but ignorantly When done knowingly and so wilfully t is the presumptuous unpardonable Sin unto Death God made Man upright set up in him a first-Covenant-life perfect in its kind but fallible corruptible changeable loseable as all mankind have sadly experienc'd by the first error of humane nature at best in the first Man Now what is corruptible God calls corruption The natural seed of a first-Covenant life cast into Man in his natural first-creation make and fashion of being was sown in corruption dishonour weakness By the obedient death of Man therein 't is rais'd in Incorruption Glory Power a spiritual
〈◊〉 bad his highest all the Kingdoms of this World and Glory of them all first-creation excellencies humane and angelical and that as transform'd into the gilded likeness of the second to purchase the life of Truth out of Christ's own hands How Christ handled him we find Mat. 4. Luk. 4. But he prevails with a World of professors that have put their hand to the Gospel-Plough as brought by Gospel conviction-Light to see their concern in running down Nature at best to look back Luk. 9. 62. to his first-creation offers withdraw their hands from and turn their backs upon Christ and his Kingdom-Spirit with the bewitch'd Galatians Gal. 3. 1 3. 5. 7 8. which alone could secure them from the destruction the over-much righteous or wicked come to That dungy-life Paul quitted which many hold fast unto damnation are we to withdraw our hand from and let go our hold of in order to lay hold on that unchangeably good thing that is eternal Salvation Those that having begun in the Gospel-spirit withdraw their hand from that Gospel-plough or cross upon their cleans'd enlightn'd natural Spirit and return to the love of and self-deceiving 〈◊〉 in their holy flesh or righteous Law-life of their restor'd Nature are in a dangerous way towards final Apostacy and Damnation Paul found the bewitch'd Galatians not so absolutely gone as to 〈◊〉 no room for his Gospel-endeavours and intercessions towards their recovery Gal. 4. 19. But many 〈◊〉 Gospel-convictions owning and following Gospel-Truths for a 〈◊〉 play false and turn final Apostates sell Christ's Gospel-spirit for their holy 〈◊〉 take off their hand and let go their hold 〈◊〉 Christ's Spirit of Truth for Satan's Spirit of lies on his engaging to advance them in their own nature will and way after their own heart Such oft become his most pregnant eminently accomplish'd Instruments to oppose those very Gospel-Truths that for a season they profess'd and own'd They knowingly part with or sell Christ his Gospel Spirit of Truth and his great Salvation therein offer'd them for themselves or their holy flesh restor'd Nature the Devil and Damnation They part with Christ's great Spiritual Gospel-Pearl for their lesser natural after they had agreed to and vow'd the parting with all for that one thing necessary They 'l not stand to their new-covenant bargain not go through as to the cost for a new building the utter demolition of their old They 'l not part with all their old things for Christ's new They like them not so well So hold fast what they have and lose all whereas they that obediently lose all they have find all again with usury in what the others refuse Mat. 16. 25. After all fair warning of this thus they do What help To begin in the Spirit and finally apostatize to a false confidence for Salvation in the flesh fits Men for the hottest Hell the greatest portion of Wrath for evermore This exposes such bidders at the new-building to everlasting derision and contempt Luk. 14. 28 30. When Men have yielded a little to cross-work suffer'd something of the old building to be pull'd down Gal. 3. 4. Stood the shock of some reproach from scorners for it and then are offer'd by Satan not only to be repair'd and made whole again as ever but also to have their old natural first-creation building rais'd higher and made larger and wider by the super-additions of superiour angelical excellencies and brightnesses of the same first-creation sort with their humane they are willing to take this for the right new-building for the Kingdom of God the true Gospel-state When Satan has them at this lock in this snare he lays his confirming paws upon them fixing them in unchangeable enmity to the very Gospel-Life and Spirit in which any can be saved or ever could They are then fully engaged in the sin against the holy Ghost or Gospel-Spirit of Truth beyond retreat leaving no place for repentance Heb. 6. 4 -- 6. 10. 26 27. This get all such Esau's by greedily catching at Satan's first-creation morsel in preference to Christ's offer'd new-creation birth-right Heb. 12. 16 17. They let go Christ's new-creation all things for Satan's glittering gilded first-creation nothings perishing vanities Christ's heavenly for his earthly things dust the old Serpent's diet Gen. 3. 14. This trade many thousands have driven and do drive in this World to their eternal ruine in the next There 's no helping them that will not be help'd Finally to refuse the things of God for the things of Man and Devil deliberately on a fair view of both is unpardonable folly They see how matters go on all hands see what they refuse and for what so their sin remains upon them for ever as Christ told the Pharisees Joh. 9. 40 41. They that refuse to part with their earthly life as dung Phil. 3. 8. for Christ's heavenly will perish as their own dung for ever Job 20. 7. All fading first-creation Vanities are dung to Chrst's heavenly spiritual things things of God offer'd by a new-Creation The best services in their own life on this fatal miscarriage will he spread as dung upon their faces Mal. 2. 3. To withdraw their hand from Christ's offers to comply with and accept Satan's is a drawing back to perdition Heb. 10. 39. This Solomon warns against farther declaring he that fears God shall come forth of them all shall escape out of all sin all evil company and ways every evil path that mystical Sodomites are in ver 16. or literal ver 17. He shall be delivered from the presumptuous unpardonable sin of both and all a sixture in their differing evil ways of death and be finally deliver'd and acquitted as to all his other sins on the death of the guilty sinner the evil-doer in him He shall surmount all sins and sinners come out of all literal or mystical Sodomies and Sodomites in corrupt or righteous Nature and so partake of none of their plagues under final Wrath Rev. 18. 4. 2 Cor. 6. 17. The Saint is highly concern'd to watch and fight against the Belial-party in him flesh or nature corrupt or righteous with the affections and lusts that war against his own Soul Gal. 5. 24. 1 Pet. 2. 11. What Satan backs and 〈◊〉 to gratify support and cherish in Saints are they constantly to fight against oppose cross impoverish and run down to death If they not only live but walk in Christ's Gospel Spirit wherein he will judg the World and they with him thus will they do They 'l judg the World within them their worldly natural Spirit now pass sentence of death upon it in harmony of their spiritual mind with Christ and as workers with him joyn in the speedy carrying on the 〈◊〉 of it lest Satan set or fix their heart in them to do evil Eccl. 8. 11. in unchangeable union with him All that by Christ's Spirit in them mortify the lusts and deeds of their body or natural state will live for ever with
him in his spiritual Rom. 8. 13. The right death of what 's expos'd to all snares deaths and enemies attacks delivers out of and from them all from all snares of Satan on the right and left hand calculated to the self-interest palate and desire of Nature in the corrupt or righteous life and principles thereof in order to lodg all he can in unchangeable enmity to God with himself God warns all sorts of Sinners as to Satan's various snares if therefore caught therein 't is at their own peril Their destruction is singly of themselves by their own choice Ezek. 3. 17 21. Prov. 8. 36. Vers. 19. Wisdom strength'neth the wise more then ten mighty Men which are in the City The Wisdom or living Word of God the Gospel-Spirit of Christ makes all the truly wise partakers thereof Spiritual Saints stronger and wiser too then all that 's found in the first-creation-state of Men and Angels 1 Joh. 4. 4. This new-creature-wisdom of God by which the Worlds were made Gen. 1. 1. Jo. 1. 1 3. Col. 1. 15 -- 19. Heb. 1. 2. Wheresoever it is or in whomsoever admits no comparison of any first-Creation Power Glory or Excellencies with it Prov. 3. 13 19. 2 Cor. 3. 10. The evil Angels with their Luciferian head as the supream invisible Principalities Powers and Rulers of this dark World may fitly be represented by the ten mighty Men in the universal City Province or Dominion thereof The truly wise Saint in the Life Light Strength Power and Armour of God can discover all the devices and vanquish all the power the mystical Goliah and his Philistine Army can come forth against him with True Spiritual Davids in the new name and power of the Lord will be too hard for them all will be more then conquerours over the whole incorporated first-creation City of evil Angels and Men. Their weapons are spiritual and mighty through God to beat down the City and strongest forts thereof about the ears of the rebellious defendants that have fortified themselves against the new Jerusalem City of God The enemy has none but carnal weapons fleshly Wisdom Power Strength and Arms perishing Vanities Saints with spiritual will tumble down all their strong holds and every high thing that exalts it self against God and them They have in a readiness Power to revenge all such disobedience of Man and Angel when their own Gospel-life and obedience is compleated 2 Cor. 10. 4 6. Vers. 20. For there is not a just man upon earth that doth good and sinneth not This confirm's what is said v. 19. There 's not one man amongst all men in their earthy first-creation life and wisdom at best without sin in God's sight Yea their highest righteousness and wisdom oppos'd to God's are the most criminal wickedness and folly There 's none truly righteous among them all no not one None in their earthly spirit or natural state corrupt or righteous understands or seeks after God in his spiritual new-creation life So are they all unprofitable to themselves as to true blessedness because not one of them does that good in God's sight that 's of any conducibleness or tendency thereunto They rebel against swell with indignation and despite to his offer'd Spirit of Grace wherein alone any can ever please him or be saved Their throat is an open Sepulcher to belch out blasphemies threatnings and slaughter against it or any that own or talk of it in its own words and wisdom 〈◊〉 tongues are deceitful the poison of Asps is under their lips their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness against it their feet are swift to shed the blood of any that declare it From Cain downwards to the end of this World Satan's reign and man's day all 's of a piece one uniform spirit of contradiction to and rebellion against the Spirit of God and all its words Destruction and misery are in their way 's and the way of peace have they not known They have no fear of God before their eyes Yet flatter they themselves as true fearers of God at peace with him and in the very way to Salvation If good words fair speeches and most 〈◊〉 self-pleasing imaginations will do 't they are in a fair way to blessedness while they are serving their own belly gratifying their own lust and desire in direct enmity to God Christ all Gospel-Saints and Truths Rom. 16. 18. They 〈◊〉 peace peace to themselves and others where there 's no peace and say the Lord saith when 't is Satan and their own lying spirit of divination saith so Ezek. 13. 6 -- 10. They have not known or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 foot in the way of peace with God but Satan's way of enmity to him And in all this with their leader are they bold confident and fearless behave themselves as Satans Children of pride without fear Rom. 3. 9 -- 18. Job 41. 33 34. There 's not a just man upon Earth in the restor'd righteous life and image of the earthy that sinneth not There 's not a man perfectly free from filth of flesh the vile affections of the corrupt spirit of nature and filth of spirit or enmity to God and his Spirit of Grace is inseparable from the most restor'd righteous life of Nature since the Fall Only by the perfect death of the spirit of Nature under the Cross can this enmity be slain and utterly abolish'd out of any man So there 's a very great mixture of sin in any possible fading good found in or performable by man in his highest renewal Enmity to God lurks under all their fair shews in holy flesh form of Godliness righteousness of man This spoil's all The perpetually sinning life of Nature utterly abolish'd by death and the never-sinning-life of God's Spirit of Grace set up in the room thereof can render any man truly and fully just in God's sight He that 's so dead ceases or is freed from all sin justified before God for ever in a newness of life that 's above all death 1 Pet. 4. 1. Rom. 6. 7. Vers. 21. Also take no heed unto all words that are spoken lest thou hear thy Servant curse thee In letter here 's a prudent walking requir'd by not troubling ones self with regarding or harbouring any revengeful thoughts against others for their injurious words But as the chief intendment is advice here given to the spiritual wise Man as to his deportment towards the natural in his own person made clean wise aud righteous in first-creation principles The spiritual is to take heed to any words or doctrine proceeding from this natural so as to follow the direction or counsel of its fallible wisdom and judgment about things pertaining to God and his own Salvation lest he hear this natural Servant that would fain be dictating and ruling as a Master curse the spiritual Heaven-born Son in him Paul on his Gospel-conversion immediately conferr'd not with flesh and blood Gal. 1. 16. lean'd not to but turn'd from his own understanding
incident to Men under the wonder-working Power and Grace of God in the King of Saints Hos. 1. 6 10. God requir'd Israel to own him King submit to the Government of his Spirit in Samuel the same Spirit in which Christ is universal King All in that Spirit are his true obedient Subjects Any Person or any People that will not have this spiritual heavenly King reign over them and in them though his earthly Jerusalem Citizens or first-covenant People see how they 'l be handled by him Luk. 19. 14 27. This great universal King lately offer'd to set up his Theocratical Fifth-Monarchy amongst us His earthly-Jerusalem-Citizens in a first-covenant spirit pretended to it as the Corinthian 〈◊〉 in Paul's Gospel-time in a spirit nor Christ nor he could own for a reigning principle 1 Cor. 4. 8. and a huge noise they made of owning the King Jesus in but a knowledg of him after the flesh in a restor'd Law-life the very principle and state the Jews would have 〈◊〉 him King in Joh. 6. 15. Such first-Covenant first-Monarchists Kings or Princes of this World crucified the true King Jesus 1 Cor. 2. 8. They blasphem'd and crucified him for owning a Kingship and Kingdom not of this World in his Gospel-spirit of Grace and Truth that would have made him a King in that Law-life and spirit they were of and in They cry up their Heathen Cesar for their King rather then such a King Jesus Shall I crucify your King says Pilate We have no King but Cesar say they Joh. 18. 36 37. 19. 12 15. A plain case and our's just He that was for the right King Jesus in his true reigning Spirit must be shuffled out of the World with his great Master as an Enemy both 〈◊〉 Cesar and them 〈◊〉 and a first-covenant People are joyntly for the rooting Christ and his true spiritual Anointed Ones out of the World as not sit to live in it Psal. 2. 1 -- 3. Act. 22. 22. And what got Israel by refusing the King Jesus or Government of God in the said Spirit of true Prophecy grievances enow What help none to remove them God would not as he fore-threatned them when busie about their new choice of Government Ye shall cry because of your King ye have chosen but the Lord will not hear you says Samuel Fair warning See all this 1 Sam. 8. 6 18. The law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus comes to strike down the ruling Power of that spirit in Man that 's but a Law of Sin and of Death and so by setting up his own kingly Rule and Power in him frees him from all evil and bondage Those that willingly submit to this death-blow of Christ on their ruling Law-spirit cast down their Crowns or ruling Power at his Feet and set the Crown on his Head in the day of their new-covenant Espousals to him owning his true Kingly-Spirit for their Ruler Cant. 3. 11. Christ struck down the earthy Law-king in Paul to the Earth and instantly set up his Gospel-spirit King and Ruler in and over him Act. 9. 3 4. The Law-spirit at best in fallen man is but the Amalekite-Ruler the Agag which tho' Saul spared in favour to it in himself as was implied in his unpardonable sin Samuel in the true Kingly Spirit of Jesus hewed in pieces when he said or thought as Man when the corrupt spirit of Nature is subdued and a Righteous Law-spirit set up in ruling authority in him surely the bitterness of Death is past here 's no Cross or Death-work by a Spiritual Gospel-Sword behind to be brought upon this Righteous Law-life 1 Sam 15. 32 33. Spiritual Friends of Christ have the whole counsel and mind of God made known by him to them First-covenant Servants in their Law-spirit of bondage holy flesh form of Godliness Righteousness of Man tho' as busy as may be in reading hearing preaching and obeying the letter of their Lord's Command in the Scripture are wholly strangers to the spiritual design sense or meaning of their Lord in all They know not what he does Joh. 15. 15. or has now done himself with our nature at best in his own Person nor will consider their duty in following him therein by giving it up at best in whatever state in their persons as God's requir'd Sacrifice He that keeps the spiritual Command of Christ believes or obediently submits to the Law of his Cross shall feel hear see or know no evil thing or word against him from Christ at last day when on his Judgment-Seat But he that believeth not quits not his Law-spirit or principle of life and action under the Gospel-Cross or spiritual Sword of Christ for the Gospel-Life of that very Sword or living Word of God will be damn'd Mark 16. 16. t. And a wise man's heart discerneth both time and judgment The spiritual wise man discerns an appointed time for the right use of a changeable first-Covenant Law-life and then as an antiquated Law-ceremony with the fading things and glory of it to be done away by a holy death as the Judgment and Command of God in Sacrifice to himself This Gospel-Sacrifice of Man at best was figured by the Law-Sacrifices of clean Beasts and Birds Spiritual Saints under the Law obediently gave up this Gospel-Sacrifice to God And all save a spiritual Seed refuse to give it under the Gospel When restor'd Law-life has serv'd its turn in man by his faithful performing Law-service to God therein suppressing the vile affections of the corrupt spirit of Nature 't is to give way to a better guide Christ's Gospel-Spirit or quicken'd up life thereof A Sentence or Judgment of Death upon the restor'd righteous Law-life of man must be submitted to by him with Paul 2 Cor. 1. 9. Law-life and the things thereof the Wisdom Righteousness Beauty Glory Fruits Works Duties Desires Thoughts Words Actions and all manner of performances therein kept up and finally preferr'd to Christ's Gospel-Life and things of God therein is the highest and most criminal Adultery and Murder Ezek. 16. 15 38. There 's an appointed time for Man and Angel too to die Heb. 9. 27. or lose that first-Covenant Law-life which was set up in them by creation The obedient loss of it under the Cross frees man from all guilt contracted by Sins past and all power of sinning any more for ever He thereby ceases from Sin and comes to be justified before God in a newness of life wherein he can never sin 1 Pet. 4. 1. Rom. 6. 7. 1 Joh. 3. 9. A change by the death of Nature of Law-life for Gospel under the working power of the Grace of God brings Men's matters to that blessed pass that no enemies will find any iniquity in them to charge them with nor will God himself Rom. 8. 33 34. Jer. 50. 20. The guilty sinner in the Saint that has committed innumerable 〈◊〉 is dead and gone and a spirit of everlasting Righteousness is become the single and sole principle
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
thereby even the promis'd gift of an everlasting righteous Life and so all their own fading good again with usury The Law or law-life in Man or Angel us'd unlawfully as kept up for Weapons of War in rebellion against Christ's Gospel-life is destroy'd by the said Sinner in evil Angels and Men. They thus destroy and frustrate all the good intended in and by their first-creation State and for ever exclude themselves from the immutable good of the second So destroy they much good even the whole good of the first and second Creation By the lawful use of the first they might have had all the good of both By the unlawful use thereof they spoil and lose all all the good given them in the former and offer'd them in the latter Then as six'd in unchangeable enmity to God they must fall and lie down for ever under the unchangeable Wrath of God as their undeniably just portion CHAP. X. V. 1. Dead Flies Heb. flies of death cause the Ointment of the Apothecary to send forth a stinking savour so doth a little Folly him that is in reputation for Wisdom and Honour THe dead flies or flies of death found in Men since the fall that cause the first-covenant precious Ointment of Christ the great mystical Apothecary or perfumer of Man's filthy loathsome corrupt polluted nature dead in trespasses and sins are a character of the 〈◊〉 to God's divine and creature-spirit which is filth of spirit in Man This enmity as the single product of the first sin is call'd the little folly in eminently restor'd righteous Man that with Job is there in great reputation for Wisdom and Honour Job 29. 7 -10 This little folly a changeable pardonable curable enmity to God in all comparatively with the great folly the incurable unpardonable great transgression or presumptuous sin unto death as thro' Man's wilful madness this changeable is turn'd into a fix'd unchangeable enmity to God in many this little folly what a noise it made in Job against the dispensation of the Cross when under it as we find at large by the reproofs Elihu and Christ himself came upon him with Job 32 to almost the end of that Book Man in the honour he was created in not understanding or duly considering the changeable nature of that honour and slipperiness of his standing in it soon fell and became as the Beasts that perish Psal. 49. 12 20. a brutified meer sensual creature as 't were having forfeited the righteous life of a Man And when restor'd by the redeemer out of that polluted bloody condition into the same kind of changeable first-covenant righteous life of a Man again Ezek. 16. 6. so as to remove and take off the punishment of the first sin the first sin it self is not hereby cured but through this very fresh coming of the command or Christ's setting up his first-covenant Law-life in him again does this sin of Enmity revive also which with and in dead nature lay as dead into an active bold confident daring presumptuous resisting of God and his Gospel-spirit as Paul experienc'd Rom. 7. 9 -11. And had he obstinately persisted in that course when convinced of his duty it had slain him for ever But he yielded to the death of that restor'd 〈◊〉 covenant law-life as the known means of abolishing that 〈◊〉 which reviv'd sprang up with it and is inseparable from it No way then to be rid of that enmity but by being rid of that life under the Cross. And no other way or on no other or lower and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 can God's Gospel-life of 〈◊〉 Righteousness be 〈◊〉 by or set up in us He therefore gloried in nothing save the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that by its twofold death and life-operation runs down the 〈◊〉 covenant life and 〈◊〉 up the second crucified all 〈◊〉 life and desire in his spirit to all this World's desirables and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it Gal. 6. 14. and set up a life in him the Palate Belly or 〈◊〉 and Desire whereof wholly and only savour'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 desir'd and 〈◊〉 after the things of God things eternal delights of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God He so became alive only to the World to come and that to him a meer Pilgrim and Stranger in and to this to the delights of the Sons of Men things seen temporal 1 Pet. 2. 11. 2 Cor. 4. 18. The dead Fly or little solly here is the same with the little leaven that leavens the whole lump Gal. 5. 9 of mankind which can be purg'd out of any no otherwise then by the death and Sacrifice of Nature at best from which inseparable And then with our sacrific'd spotless Nature in Christ our Pass-over shall we find that the destroying Angel even Christ with the same spiritual-Sword or Gospel-Cross will pass over us as to that use he will make of it in Wrath upon all fix'd incorrigible enemies Angels or Men. This fix'd leaven or Doctrine of the Pharisees in a sowr'd leaven'd spirit of unchangeable enmity in a 〈◊〉 Covenant righteous life against the second Law against Gospel is that Christ warn'd his Disciples to beware of Mat. 16. 6 11 12. For this cause did Christ sanctify our nature by the death thereof in himself that by the like death-sanctification the same fire-Baptism of his heavenly Spirit of Truth on our earthy-spirit of enmity and falshood he might sanctify it in us Joh. 17. 17 19. The enmity or Fly of death becoming unchangeable in Men renders them a most stinking abomination to God for ever Their Soul unchangeably loaths God's Soul or Spirit of Grace and his them Then Christ's fresh first-Covenant Gift that was for a season as salt to dry up the fleshly filth of their polluted nature loses its savour and the whole person becomes a stinking loathsome thing as all-over polluted with a spreading incurable Leprosy or most noisom Disease Vers. 2. A wise Man's heart is at his right hand but a fool's heart at his left Here 's a description of the truly wise and of the greatest fool The heart of the former is at his right hand fix'd and set to follow those right counsels of God in the life activity desire and thought of the incorruptible Seed of God's right-hand-planting in him by a new-creation which will set him at Christ's right hand when fools or lustful Goats in the activity life and desire of the corruptible seed of his left-hand-planting in them by a first-creation in which wholly set upon this worlds vanities will be found at his left-hand and doom'd to eternal punishment Mat. 25. 33 46. Saints give up their fleshly Tree with the fruits or works thereof their left-hand first-Covenant life to the death of the Cross that they may receive that right-hand second Covenant Gospel-life wherein to be wise unto Salvation Others of a perfectly contrary mind fool themselves into eternal damnation Vers. 3. Yea also when he that is a fool walketh by the way his Wisdom Heb. heart faileth him and
in a scripture sense God's judgment that make the visible or invisible glories and excellencies of this world 's perishing vanities the only objects of all their desire delight labour and love All inward mystical riches heaped up in the fruitful exercise of a restored first-covenant life under the fructifying influencings of Christ as a sleshly Bride-groom are passant vanities as mortal and perishable as the life and outward concerns of the body that all men know to be so and will make themselves Wings and slee away or depart from all the possessours thereof This then leaves the title wise only to the spritual saint that 's counted the veriest fool of all by all but such as himself that is by all fools as not fit to live any longer upon the Earth amongst them Thus thought and said Holy Wise Righteous first-covenant professours concerning Paul Act. 22. 22. And of Christ himself they said he hath a Devil and is mad why hear ye him Jo. 10. 20. All below the truly wise Spiritual Man both wise and fools within the compass of their natural state in all the fore-mentioned senses will be alike brought to the greatest loss disappointment and misery imaginable as to any thing of hapines in eternal Darkness Torment and Vexation of spirit under unquenchable Wrath. They 'l all lie down in Sorrow for ever This being so Solomon sayes Why was I then more Wise to wit in my renewed Life Wisdom and Righteousness of Man To what purpose do I labour in this that 's but folly and darkness it self as to all Divine Spiritual Heavenly most concerning things and Truths Moreover from the changableness and Mortality of it alway's exposed to death and loss All therefore that trust therein must needs meet with eternall vexation of spirit This is yet more fully witnessed Vers. XVI For there is no remembrance of the wise more then of the fool for ever seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten and how dieth the Wise Man as the Fool. Man in the corrupt and man in the Righteous Life of nature are brought to an equality in the grave of both Death level's their spirits as well as bodies All the fading inward or outward riches and glory of the Princes of this World litteral or mystical such professing first-covenant Saints as crucified Christ for the life and doctrine of the second that come to nought 1 Cor. 2. 8. will vanish and come to nothing However good in their kind and for a season the highest excellencies beauties and glories of humane or angelical nature be all that is now so in the dayes to come shall be forgotten It has the praise of man but 's of small or no account with God while it last's Spiritual Seer's God's watchmen warn both the righteous and wicked of this Scribe and Pharisee as well as Publican and Harlot that in the life of nature corrupt or righteous they will all likewise perish and the established 〈◊〉 found the highest and most criminal sinners Ezek. 3. 16-21 and ch 18. 20. 28. ch 33. 11-19 The same Cross or slaming Gospel-Sword they refuse to submit to in love will be upon them in sinal wrath Js. 1. 19 20. The mouth of the Lord hath spoken it What need of farther testimony Let the righteous turn from his righteousness to his old sins in corrupt nature or turn it into the highest wickedness by seting it up against the righteousness of God let him turn from his righteousness either of these two wayes he lies down in sorrow with the fool or fixed common sinner of the Gentiles for ever Ezek. 33. 13. This dismal end come both to Such righteous men exalted to Heaven in the restored Life of the first and light of the second instead of admission into the kingdom will be layd under greater final wrath then litteral Sodom as their most dreadful doom and amazing disappointment They have rejected confidence in God and he their confidences in themselvs Jer. 2. 37. By establishing their own righteousness in the first against God's in the second-covenant they become of a Changable People of God an unchangable Synagogue of Satan in unchangable enmity to God and union with the Devil All fixed in nature corrupt or righteous fools or wise therein will go to the same Tophet prepared for both under unquenchable wrath and the said righteous have the worst on 't there for ever Vers. XVII Therefore I hated life because the Work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me for all is vanity and vexation of spirit Solomon in the wisdom of God sees all he had bin long doing in his own vanity and vexation of spirit all his 〈◊〉 and labour therein grievous to him Rightly considering and reviewing all in the infallible light of true wisdom he argues himself into a most concerning duty without which Christ sayes none can be his disciples the hating his own life with all the desires designs thoughts wayes righteousness wisdom and best things thereof as vanishing shadows for the durable Riches Wisdom Life Righteousness and things of God All pleasures and delusive joy in the former all love of this World the delights of the Sons of Men he finds in the spirit of the next enmity to God Jam. 4. 4. and so destructive to man In nature corrupt or righteous since the fall are men found hating and hatefull to God and one another as scrambling for a hapines to them all out of things that can never make any one of them happy but leave every one in the eternall losse of their own Souls 'T is a just Judgment of God on all obstinate seekers for hapines where God has abundantly convinced and warned them 't is never to be found it should be so Solomon's reason for hating this life and man's whole course and race therein is because it and all done in it under the sun is grievous unto him not only unprofitable to the worker towards hapines but directly destructive to his whole being When this is discover'd by the spirit of God in and to men all the former delusive Mirth Joy and Laughter is spoiled Then nature growes sullen and angry at the discoverer fighting continually against it in the very Saint Flesh is offended at offend's and grieves opposes and fights against the said spirit as Paul found even holy flesh righteous nature in all its workings desires and thoughts to do Rom. 7. Vers. XVIII Yea I hated all my labour which I had taken under the Sun because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me In the former Verse he hated his own vain Life in this all his vain labour therein as both and all vanity and vexation of spirit not only unprofitable but grievous to him Life and Works Principles and Operations Here he gives another reason for hating them because he should leave the Product and Result of all such his labours to the man that shall be after him
For he can deceive all Men short of the Spirit of Grace and Truth to Worship him as so above and against God himself 2 Thes. 2. 4. Vers. 2. A time to be Born and a time to Die A time to Plant and a time to pluck up that which is Planted Vers. 3. A time to Kill and a time to Heal a time to break down and a time to Build up Vers. 4. A time to Weep and a time to Laugh A time to Mourn and a time to Dance There 's an appointed time for every Man to be Born in a Fleshly Body which is his personal appearance or Manifestation The Body is an Essential Ingredient into the compleat Constitution of every Man which under all Temporary Vicissitudes Alterations and Changes by Decay's Death and Resurrection remain's for ever the distinguishing part of Man from other Created beings in Heaven and Hell Angels are compleated in their personal Constitution without any such thing as Man's Earthly Body or Life The Spirit of Man before it enters the Body or after departed out of it is not the Compleat Person of a Man For Man consists of Spirit Soul and Body as distinct Essential parts of his being which Paul distinctly Pray's may in Saints be Preserved blameless unto the comming of our Lord Jesus Christ 1 Thes. 5. 23. The whole Spirit of Man Comprehends in its make a Dormant Souly Animalish Life So has a Natural tendency of desire to a Union with its fitly Organized Body in order to bring its Latent Soul or Souly Life into actual Exercise and Operation At the death of the Body this Soul or Souly Life ceases as to exercise lies dormant again in the Spirit as before it's entrance thereinto So till the Resurrection of the whole Man the Spirits even of Just Men made perfect in Spiritual New-Creation Life Act and Converse as pure Intellectual Powers Intuitively after the manner of Angels only Now as there 's a time for the Birth of Man's Body so from the frail materials and constituting Ingredients of it is there an appointed time for its dissolution and so for the Death of the Man by a Seperation of his essential parts This is a truth universally experienc'd and known by all And the like Vicissitudes and Seasons are appointed for other parts of this greater Visible World without Man as well as lesser World the Sum and Abridgment of all within him From the Moment of his Bodily Birth may be Dated the Building Planting Laughing Dancing Rejoycing and Embracing season during the growth and Flourishing State of his Bodily Life When this is at its height Approaches God's appointed Season from the perishing Materials thereof for plucking it up breaking it down and Slaying it This Season is attended with Man's Weeping and Mourning as the Consequents thereof These litteral truths are Experienc'd by Man in the Decay's Gray Hairs Old Age and Death inevitably incident to his body In the declining state thereof is he reduced to a kind of equality with Childhood as debilitated in the exercise of his rational Powers in and by bodily Organs or Instruments Brain Animal spirits c. So if he come to 70 or 80 years his decayed strength affords him little but labour and sorrow Psal. 90. 10. as finding himself to have out-lived the brisk and vigorous exercise of that Reason by which distinguished from brute Beasts In this case 't is man's duty and wisest course to fall in and comply with God's twofold dispensation upon his fleshly body by willingly owning and submitting to the decay's thereof in God's latter demolishing work upon it for pulling it down as well as to be found rejoycing and delighting in his former planting and building up of the same 'T is man's gross folly to struggle and contend for an impossibillity even the keeping up of that which he sees by an inevitable Law of necessity must be laid down He is as sure to die as he was born yea to go strip'd and naked out of the World as he came into it Job 1. 21. God has determined the time for both Death comes as an armed man on man's Body and on all that sort of understanding that 's exercised in and by it There 's no discharg in this War The decay's of it all along from the turning declining point preach the death of it and of that organical Understanding exercised in and by it Come we now to the Mystery of all this All the methods of God's wisdom in his dealings with man's body or bodily life the outward part of his natural man are typical to the like methods and dispensations to his immortal spirit considered in the but mortal first-covenant natural righteous Life thereof planted in it by the first creation A birth life death and buriall are incident to this also as God's appointments to it At the birth of the Body the Spirit or inner natural man is dead as to the mortal first-covenant life of the Law of Works it was at first created in But a fresh birth of or quickning up into this shadowy Life and Image of the Earthy wherein the first Adam was created is offered to all and may be actually received and experienced by all as the common or general salvation if they will The far greater part of mankind refuse to part with the corrupt life of their nature for the righteous And many that receive the righteous as the common salvation Jude 3. from the general Saviour of all men 1 Tim. 4. 10. refuse the special or eternal Salvation receivable only by and in a spiritual Faith This cannot be received without the obedient surrender and death of all received twice from Christ's own hand by his first-creation and general-redemption-workmanship Such death according to the declared methods of God's wisdom must undispensably be yielded to and we become as fools and little Children as to all the restored wisdom life and glory of our own Nature as the undispensable way to our receiving the Life Wisdom and Righteousness of God in his Gospel-spirit of Grace and Image of the Heavenly which alone is Eternal The former is but Reformation-Life in restor'd enliven'd naturals This latter a true Regeneration into spirituals by the Birth of such a new Life in us springing up from the quickned incorruptible seed thereof as plants us together in the likeness of Christ's resurrection on our obedient likness to his death Rom. 6. 5. Nor Angel nor Man had any thing of this Life in the Innocency of both by creation but only as objctivetly presented to their understanding in the Mediator As God at first gave Man that that 's natural and call'd his own offering him that which is spiritual God's own So he first restores something of the first-covenant-Light or also Life that 's natural and after that that 's spiritual Paul when eminent in restored naturals holy flesh by knowledg of or conformity to Christ in the flesh or righteous life of the Law quitted such
their Eye and Heart upon him with Paul in that Spiritual Life into which 〈◊〉 out of the Death of the former and be Married to him there as their Everlasting Spiritual Lord and Bride-groom Ro. 7. 1-4 While Christ Pipes to Men in First-Covenant Communications as he did by John Baptist's Ministery they are to Dance and Rejoyce When he with-draw's and call's them into the death of that State they are to Mourn else are they Immorigerous and Undutiful Mat. 11. 17. Their Natural Hearts will be filled with Sorrow as the Disciples when as a Fleshly Bride-groom and Comforter he departed from them Mat. 9. 15. Jo. 16. 20-22 Right Obedient Mourners in this case are Blessed and sure to hear of Christ as a better Comforter and Bridegroom in his Spiritual Life The Death of Man as to a Mortal First-Covenant Life is as sure as the Birth of it as the case is with the Birth and Death of the Body And indeed the House of Mourning and Death is better to Man in the tendency of it then the Birth and utmost Flourish of a First-Covenant Life in him For though after Rebuilt in the Restor'd Righteous Life of his own Nature and then pull'd down again he be seemingly in a worse condition and more hopeless then before ever Christ medled with him at all 〈◊〉 yet is this the only way to Christ's House of Everlasting Feasting and Rejoycing Those that refuse this way and Laugh now their 〈◊〉 Joy will end in Everlasting Mourning and Saints Transient Sorrow in everlasting Joy Mat. 5. 4. Luk. 6. 25. Jo. 16. 20. Christ came not to speak Peace but War and Death by his Spiritual Fire and Sword to the earthly Life of Nature at best in himself and followers Luk. 12. 49-51 We must follow the Suffering-Steps of this great Captain of our Salvation or never come where he is True Saints with Paul Glory in the Cross of Christ Conformity to his death and in bearing about them the marks of the dying of the Lord Jesus So the Spiritual Life of risen Jesus comes to be more and more manifested in their Mortal flesh 2 Cor. 4. 10 11. Vers. 6. A time to Get and a time to Lose A time to Keep and a time to cast Away A time to seek after and recover the exercise of our nature in the first-covenant righteous life thereof and to heap up Riches by a fruitfulness therein And then comes a time to lose and cast all away again as dung and loss with Paul for the more excellent Life Christ's unspeakable gift Phil. 3. 6-9 And so is there a time to keep up the exercise of our nature in the restor'd first-covenant righteous Life thereof so long as Christ own 's that to be his Dispensation to us by continuing as a fleshly Bride-groom with us and a time to part with and cast it away again for the second in the same sense with what is meant in the former clause of this Verse Vers. 7. A time to Rent and a time to Sew A time to keep Silence and a time to Speak That which has been Sew'd Heal'd and made up again after the sore breach by the first Sin and so fitted or fitting us in its kind to speak to and instruct the dark ignorant corrupt Spirit of nature in others as a Teacher and Guide of such blind ones all this healed speaking State in the Wisdom of Man made Wise in Christ must in its season be rent broken down and torn in pieces again silenc'd and wholly laid aside to make way for another better Dictatour Ruler and Guide the Infallible Spirit of Truth The final refusal to submit to this chang of Ruler and Guide lodges up first-covenant Saints in unchangable Enmity to God and the spirit of the second under the guilt of the most Criminal Adultery Theft and Sacriledg Ro. 2. 17-22 God speak's once and he speak's twice yet Man perceiveth it not Job 33. 14. God call's Man out of his Death in Sin into the righteous Life of a Man or of the first-covenant Law again Then by the voice of his second-Covenant spirit into the death of the first as his only pass into the Life and Righteousness of God in the second Under pretence of continuing in obedience to his first voice does man Rebell against his second and is found an Enemy to the Spiritual Cross of Christ. He prefer's the oldness of Letter in his Living Soul to Gods newness of Life in his quickning Spirit Man's Laughing Dancing Speaking time is over in his own Wisdom and Righteousness when shew'd the unprofitableness as to true Blessedness of all done or said by him therein The right understanding and obedient Submitting to Christs Various Voices and observing the several seasons of Speaking and Silence is Mans safety and he therein wel-pleasing to God 'T is a high point of true Wisdom for Man to be more ready to hear the voice of the Spirit of Christ in himself or Saints then to speak and so Offer the Sacrifice of Fools in his own Ec. 5. 1. Man in his highest Wisdom is a Fool as to all spiritual things his greatest concerns the unreasonable Man Paul desir'd to be delivered from the Impertinent Trouble and Babbling Loquacity of about Gospel things that he has no discerning in The restor'd Law-principle of Life and Action in Man is but a ceremony to be abolish'd and becomes an antiquated thing with all the Fading Glory of it when to be done away to give room for a spiritual Principle of everlasting Righteonsness as a new Root and Spring of his Desire Thought and Action This refused all Duties perform'd in the Law-spirit are thenceforth but Sacrifices of Fools that do evil What in its appointed Season and day was Obedience in that Law-State becomes then direct Rebellion As Man has Lived therein to God so the Season come is he to die therein to him that both living and dying he may be the Lords Rom. 14. 8. Passive Obedience is the utmost requir'd of Man in his own nature to make way for the true spiritual principle of active Obedience to God's wel-pleasing Vers. VIII A time to Love and a time to Hate a time of War and a time of Peace There 's a time of Love and Peace such as it is to be found in a first-covenant Union with Christ and such obedience as is performable therein But at length Christ speaks War and Death to this state comes to break down demolish and cast away all the stones of this old 〈◊〉 creation building And thus have we seen in these eight Verses God's twofold dispensation to Man's Body and fleshly or natural Spirit in all the fading first-creation Life and Glory thereof The Birth and Death of the Body and so of the natural Understanding as exercised there in and by all this is Typical to the like twofold dispensation of mystical Life and Death to his Spirit as to its first-covenant righteous state under the temporary wrath
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.
the Strength and Power thereof will Curse him to his Face that is utterly quit and seperate from him for ever Job 2. 4 5. Thus as the Father of Lies and a Murderer on all hands from the Beginning to the end of this World in a Murdering Mind of Enmity towards God Christ and Saints and an actual Murderer of all he fixes with himself against them does he act his part towards God and Men belying Saints to God and God to Men. If true Saints be guilty of lesser Slipps he 'l Aggravate and Aggrandize them If they can't be caught tripping he 'l forge down-right lies against them See all this in the Practice of his Inspired Instruments against Jeremy All tends in their design to the Invalidating his true Spiritual Testimony that no heed may be given to any of his words Jer. 18. 18. and 20. 10. Who were these that Watch'd for the haltings and lay at catch for advantages against true Prophets Christ himself and Apostles all along Familiars Brethren a first-covenant righteous party of Professors and their Teachers So David found it also Psal. 41. 9. The Spiritual Saint that 's a Lively Stone in the House on the Rock sets Fire on their House upon the Sand he once was in and of Will this be born No. Away with such a Fellow from the Earth say they Act. 22. 22. Then they betake themselvs to the use of such Fire and Sword as they are furnish'd with against him Their Tongue is set on fire of Hell They forge 〈◊〉 against him to prove him a Traitour against Cesar and so make the Heathen Magistrate their Executioner Christ himself was thus handled by the Professing Jews Thus Solomon beheld the Tears of the natural Man of the Saint under the Cross as on all hands Oppress'd and Suppress'd by God or Christ himself and by evil Angels and Men. Enemies are all for destroying and Christ makes all they do exactly serviceable to his design of saving them for ever He sits at the head of the work as the Master-Contriver and Over-ruler of all He designs the destruction of their flesh or fading natural State Enemies can reach and touch that they may be saved in his Spirit which they can never touch though all their spite and aim be at that He uses wicked Angels and Men as his Sword and hand on Saints Ps. 17. 13. This Sword is in his hand He manages all Keeps all on the right Wheel All works for good to his Saints All mischievous intents of Enemies for utterly destroying them are frustrated They can't go one step out of the ready Rode to his designed favour for them They can hit nothing but their Friend the natural Man of his Saints which he would give Death-touches to were there no such Enemies in being They do his work then remove that that lets or hinders the springing up of that Life in which the Saint is sure to break all their Heads and tread them all under his Feet This is all they get by bruising their Heel or destroying their natural Man that 's to die Saints ought to Comfort one another with such words and rejoyce with Joy unspeakable and glorious a-midst the utmost Tribulations can befall them not reckoning the present Sufferings in their Flesh worthy to be compared with the Glory that shall be revealed to and upon them in Christ's Spirit Ro. 8. 18. For this Joy set before them and made known to them well may they with Christ endure his Cross and despise the Shame Heb. 12. 2. Here are the richest Cordials in and Glorious allay's to their sharpest Tryals in the fiery Furnace of the Cross. The Son of God is among them as Nebuchadnezzar saw and said of the 3 Children Dan. 3. 25. He has a fellow-feeling with them as their Compassionate High_Priest Heb. 2. 18. All 's but to hasten away the Old Man with all his old things that all may become new Would not Oppressors let them alone if they knew the good they did them by their Injuries But the natural Man even in Saints themselvs knows not what to think on 't when storm'd on all hands finding God Christ good and evil Angels and Men all against him on differing accounts and with 〈◊〉 contrary designs He finds no Comforter among them all after his own heart or in his own wil and way All runs Cross. Paul earnestly groan'd after the compleat dissolution of his Earthly Tabernacle 2 Cor. 5. 1-8 natural body or whole State which kept him short of a compleatness in Christ's Resurrection-Life Phil. 3. 11-14 The Jews false Accusations of him for Treason and Nero's Sword did his work The compleat Death of the Saint's natural Man sets him free from and above all Enemies and Deaths 'T is the death of death in them of their Spirit of Enmity and Death and so frees them from him that has the Power of Death or over all that 's subject to Death the Devil Hereby enter they into Peace lie down in a Bed of perfect Rest for ever Is. 57. 1 2. Would Enemies hurry such out of the World if they knew all this But what care they so they 'r rid of such Tormentors at present Rev. 11. 10. They Rejoyce and make Merry for being shut of them till they see them upon their Feet again an exceeding great and Invincible Army then their high rejoycing is turn'd into great fear and amazement v. 11 12. and Ezek. 37. 10. And then appears a Judgment-Seat and Righteous Judg all of them must stand before 2 Cor. 5. 10. and give an account of all done against him and his Saints What care they Let them rule in this World take the next that will Awaken'd spiritual Saints does Satan look upon as unalterably principled to be Fix'd Enemies and Traitours to his Crown and Dignity the Peace of his most Oppressive Tyrannical Domination in his Universal Province of this World the only Dangerous Mischievous spies that discover all his wiles and secrets in his whole Mystery of Iniquity as Elisha in Figure serv'd the King of Syria But as bad as Legal-spirited Professors reckon them so as falsly to accuse and charge them with Treason against Heathen Cesars they are their quietest and best subjects Their Principle is absolutely against Tumultuous Insurrections Christ himself paid Tribute to the then Heathen Cesar. And Pilate acknowledg'd his owning himself a King no clash with his Master Cesar. Indeed had he own'd himself a King of the Jews in that worldly first-Covenant spirit they 'd have had him Jo. 6. 15. he and they had bin Enemies to Cesar as outing his Government That 's the Pseudo-Fist-Monarchy-spirit Judg who are Traitor's against Cesar first-Covenant Professors that struggle with him for worldly Soveraignty as their right or spiritual saints that with Christ pretend to no such matter Would worldly Cesars Heathen Magistrat's be Lictors and Executioners of Traiterous Heady High-minded Professors Rage in the form of Godliness denying the power 2 Tim.
3. 4 5. on their most Peaceable Subjects spiritual saints if they knew what they did 〈◊〉 not lawful for us to put any Man to Death said the Fanatick Jewish Professors Such are not usually possess'd of the Civil Sword or Power have no way but to get the Magistrate to do their Bloody work upon the spiritual saint The whole Earth all the World is against the true saint and he with Jeremy a Man of Contention with them all Heathen and a first-Covenant people These belie him make him a Traitour and the other Execute him Every Man's every Devil's hand is a natural Enemy to saints All against them The better they see the worse they like the more they hate them as in an 〈◊〉 contrary way to them Their help is in God in that new name and Life of the Lord that 's a Rock and strong Tower Enough enough Infinite Almighty and Irresistibly Mighty Divine and new-Creation Power is on their side But Enemies seeing them destitute of all worldly Power say also there 's no help for them in God Ps. 3. 2. and 42. 3. Were this true they were gone indeed quite gone The like was Reproachfully said by Men under the Devil s Influence to Christ himself as to David his Type Psal. 22. 6-8 Mat. 27. 39-43 And so find we it in the Apocryphal Wisdom of Solomon Ch. 2. 10-22 concerning Christ and all his true followers The natural Man in the saint himself is in a union of mind and Judgment with Enemies without also against his spiritual mind the fleshly Warrier in every desire thought lust and motion against it alway's for War no Peace to be had with it Psal. 120. 7. Gal. 5. 17. Rom. 7. Psal. 73. 1-20 Jer. 12. 1. Till saints have recourse to Sanctuary-light the exercise of their spiritual mind all appears dismal but then all 's Right and Comfortable again Psal. 73. 17. Jer. 20. 7-13 Not fully Crucified and Transform'd Humane Reason and Wisdom in Saints is the most dangerous home-bred Traitour to them within Doors of the same mind and party against God and himself with all Enemies without Doors Devils and Men. This Foe these Foes of the Saint's own House a Multitude of evil lusts and thoughts peopling his own soul and making up a Tumult of those in him that rise up against God and himself Encreasing and Ascending continually to provoke and cry for Vengeance upon him must be run down by him This through his powerful stirring up of the unspeakable Gift of God in him watching constantly all their motions and skilfully managing all Spiritual Weapons put into his Hands to Crucify that fleshly mind and life in him that in all its Affections and Lusts Fights against God and his own Soul Steddy walking as well as Living in God's Spirit and continual earnest Prayer to God therein will do the work Gal. 5. 16. and v. 24 25. When these Enemies within are storm'd on all hands from Christ without in answer to their Prayer and by themselvs within in answer to their Duty and grand concern they 'l certainly fall under their Feet Paul found himself when looking on any Body any thing within without or round about him of this World cleer gone there as by his Marred Visage and Image of the Earthy in Holy Flesh rendred a Spectacle of Scorn and Derision to the whole World wicked Angels and Men stripp'd of all Power or Defence they can take any right notice of So in their sight was he most despicable as the off-scouring of all things And this seemingly deplorable condition will be more the lot of Saints in the last Age of this World then ever before Ezekiel's natural Man could not see the possibility of spiritual Israel's recovery out of the desolate State of dry Bones in a Valley then or now but said in answer to the Lord's Question thou knowest Ezek. 37. 3. With him what seems Impossible to Man is Possible This can God do And he reserves the Exercise and Demonstration of his Power herein for such a desperate season to fetch up Saints out of all their Visible and Invisible Enemies Hands and put their Enemies Necks under their Feet as in Type Josua the Kings of Canaan under his Captains Feet Jos. 10. 24. The natural Man's thoughts even in Saints are not as God's thoughts in this matter The Powerful breath of his quicknnig Spirit Ezek. 37. 5. 10. recovers all as Abraham in Type Lot c. out of the four Kings hands who were Types of the four worldly Oppressing Monarchies Assyrian or Babylonish Persian Greek and Romane Solomon in the same prospect of things by spiritual Faith with Ezekiel would secure Saints from being dismayed at the universal oppression they are under from all worldly powers These meek poor oppressed ones shall have their day to inherit even the earth at Christ's coming to Reign over all Mat. 5. 5. Mean while all their Oppressours are perfectly seen and noted by God Christ and holy Angels that are all higher than the highest Powers of this World with a black Character to the unspeakable Comfort and relief of the Oppressed Their helpers will be unspeakably above all their Enemies And they over-rule all Oppressors do for their good even now In the close of the bloody red-Dragon's day they 'l be found the manifested visible declared Heirs of Salvation in the view of all Friends and Foes This will matters come to after all scrambling Controversies between Zion-Saints and their unreasonable Adversaries hypocritical Sinners in Zion-dress In this world Enemies find no sure way of silencing them but by violence The professing Jews not able to resist the wisdom in which Steven spoke ston'd him This is their way Now from the certain sight of what follow 's Solomon and Christ himself would have Saints possess their souls in faith and patience under all worldly Oppressors God exactly marks and regards all their demeanour under Oppressors as well as Enemies demeanour towards him and them Comfort enough come what will They are Co-heirs with Christ of God Rom. 8. 17. What would or can they have more They that laugh now will have time enough to weep and weepers now to laugh Eternity Eternally blessed are the latter Everlastingly cursed the former Mat. 5. 3 -- 12. Luk. 6. 21 -- 25. Oppressors will be paid home at last with everlasting sorrow the Oppressed with everlasting Joy For shame leave off Complaints O Saints of the Most High For shame leave off exulting and rejoycing O mad enemies of God and them Saints see ground for this advice to them Enemies not seeing all at winding up will on and rejoyce in their oppressing-work They oppress them who alone in greatest love shew them the way of Salvation But this disturbs them in their large and swift steps towards damnation They desire to hope well and so march on quietly to their everlasting torment Hell here torment here and hereafter too they reckon too hard Let them please themselves
with false hopes and confidences here and come what will think they hereafter At length they must leave their false present rest and lie down in everlasting sorrow Who can help Satan's twofold party corrupt and righteous men fixed in nature with him will on in their fools Paradise in their various pathes under Satan's counsel and steerage to the same Tophet Saints ought to do their best in all meekness to recover any out of the snares of the Devil till evidently fix'd in Enmity God's method with men is that none should usually have two Heavens or two Hells All Good is the Saints all Evil the incorrigible sinners in the world to come All Saints tears are put into God's bottle of remembrance to requite all hereafter as Enemies oppressive madnesses shall also be paid off with such recompence of their Errors as is meet the vengeance of Eternal Fire Jude 7. All will come to their rights at last Friends and Foes This very Argument does Paul comfort oppressed Saints with 2 Thes. 1. 4 -- 10. At Christ's second coming will Saints ride in their Triumphal Chariots as more then final Conquerors over the Heads of their Oppressors Devils and Men who have had their turn to ride over their heads Ps. 66. 12. The Lord regards every sigh and groan of his Prisoners appointed to death under worldly Powers Psal. 12. 5. and 69. 33. and 79. 11. 146. 7. He will make his despised oppressed ones a praise in the Earth in the sight of all that have scorn'd and trampled on them Psal. 102. 13. 16. 19. 20. The true Saint pants after final deliverance from all Enemies within him Rom. 7. 24. as well as without All will be 〈◊〉 at last in Answer to their Prayer Psal. 74. 10. and ver 〈◊〉 Saints groan after deliverance from their mortal righteous earthly life of Enmity as well as from that of the Body 2 Cor. 5. 1 2. All in nature within and without them is in a universal confederacy against them What matter If God be for them who can be against them Or who can hurt them Rom. 8. 31. Here 's enough The whole first-creation world lies in wickedness litteral and mystical filth of flesh or spirit 1 Joh. 5. 19. and so in a universal daring affront and contradiction to all words and things of God in the next Jer. 44. 16 17. But God will hear or deliver Saints from the horns of the Unicorns Psal. 22. 21. That is from all oppressive Powers of this World visible and invisible without and within So have we in some small measure the meaning of these words Vers. II. Wherefore I praised the Dead which are already Dead more than the living which are yet alive The weight of these words lies not in the Litteral Sense For no miseries or oppressions incident to bodily Life in this world are comparable to the sad condition of the wicked after death under final wrath The spiritual truth here relates to Saints Saints departed are in a far better condition than those left behind them in the Body that have not fully passed through the twofold inward and outward oppression or suffering-work that 's to be undergon by them Saints departed out of the Body or while in the Body out of the Law-life of their own spirit are those A voyce from Heaven command's John to write as a most certain Truth blessed Blessed are the dead in the Lord Rev. 14. 13. All so dead with Christ will live with him for ever in his Immortal Gospel-life All others will perish in their own corruption or corruptible Law-life and state which they have rebelliously chosen and trusted in for blessedness against the Lord's known commands and warnings to the contrary By keeping up what Paul cast away as dung for Christ's spiritual Life will they perish as their own dung for ever Job 20. 7. A perfect death of the natural Spirit and Principle of Life and Action in man an everlasting cessation and rest from all the desire thought and unprofitable labour thereof and so the honourable burial of it in the mystical grave of Christ is true conformity to his death Christ came not to do his own Will nor speak his own words the Dictat's of his own understanding though spotlessly perfect in our fleshly nature but Crucified and ceas'd from all We must follow his suffering steps through the same fire of his eternal Spirit Heb. 9. 14. kindled by him on us as on himself Luk. 12. 49. Spiritual Circumcision and fire-Baptism put nature corrupt or righteous to death cut off and burn up all flesh even Holy Flesh Col. 2. 11 12. Man in the restor'd righteous Life of his own nature has nothing but a Body of Sin and Death about him which Paul pray'd for deliverance from Ro. 7. 24. Phil. 3. 6-8 Since the fall filth of Spirit Enmity to God is inseperable from the Life of nature corrupt or righteous Nature in whatever condition and Enmity to God Live or Die breath or expire together Paul when eminent in Holy Flesh breath'd out Enmity Threatnings and Slaughter against God's Holy Gospel-Spirit Saints and Truths Act. 9. 1. From the time this Spirit of Enmity was Death-struck by Christ in his way to Damascus he lived and brought forth Fruits unto God in a newness of Life In the restor'd Life of nature the great Sin of Enmity revives gather's Strength Credit and Authority By the death of it under the Cross that and all other Sins are pluck'd up by the Roots He that is so Slain and dead is freed from all Sin for ever Ro. 6. 7. When Planted together in the likeness of Christ's Death and Resurrection the Old Man is Crucisied the Body of Sin destroy'd v. 5 6. Man's natural Body or whole natural Man at best as a Righteous Living Soul 1 Cor. 15. 44 45. is by the twofold death and Life-work of Christ's quickning Spirit Transformable into the likeness of his Glorious Body or the glorified Body Soul and Spirit of our nature in his person Phil. 3. 21. On such death of nature Man ceases from sin for ever 1 Pet. 4. 1. If Obedient to the Slaughter-work of Christ's Gospel-Spirit on our Lawless or Law-Spirit in corrupt or righteous nature shall we by the second operation of it be quick'ned up into the Life of his Gospel-Spirit All dead with Christ shall after their season of dwelling in Dust arise with his dead Body into a newness of Life and Sing for ever Isai. 26. 19. Paul's argument in this case looks both way's If the Dead rise not Christ is not Risen 1 Cor. 15. 12-19 implying if Christ be Risen the Dead with him shall be Rais'd into that 〈◊〉 of Life our Crucisied nature in him Lives in for evermore Rev. 1. 18. Our nature in Christ is rais'd also into and possess'd of the very Divine Life So the fulness of the very Godhead dwells in him bodily in personal Union with his Manhood This is his peculiar Prerogative
about him long after his Gospel-Conversion and true Spiritual Saint-ship Ro. 7. 15-23 On this he Cries out O Wretched Man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death v. 24. This Enemy within the Saint till fully run down into Death exposes him to frequent Slipps and sore Miscarriages as in David Solomon and other Saints has bin evident But that that 's Born of God in them and never Sin 's recovers their falling Miscarrying natural Man or Spirit by a gradual and at length total death-work thereof upon it into Harmony with it self Christ and God most high in a newness of Life for evermore This War of Spirit against Flesh Gal. 5. 17. is not finish'd but by the total death of the fleshly Mind Flesh will not leave fighting till dead and therefore ought not Spirit or the Spiritual Man in the Saint leave off Fighting while any thing of Life is left in it The continually sinning natural Spirit till fully Crucified will in the course of its own will need dayly forgiveness as well as an offending Brother even to Seventy-times seven Mat. 18. 21 22. Through the Propitiatory covering-Mercy-Seat which Spiritual Life brings the Saint under God so looks on his Obedient Spiritual Man as not to Impute to him the daily Sins of his natural Ro. 4. 7 8. Thus is the Spiritual Man also under Christ as a covering Shadow to the natural in the same person and qualified to help up or recover it out of all its failings and Back-sliding-Steps The Spiritual Man under the Holy Anointing is to the Decay'd Old Gray-headed Crucified natural the fresh Oyl David Pray'd for Psal. 71. 9. 18. that gives a new Verdure and fresh Lustre to the whole person of the Saint a Glory that excells and remains for ever Thus on all accounts to wit the Sins of the guilty natural Spirit or the Mystical Gray Hairs decay's Old Age and Death brought upon it by the demolishing Crucifying-work of Christ and the Spiritual as its only cure the spiritual is ready at hand to help it up out of all falls in his life-time and out of that grave or death that extinguishes all power of sinning or falling in him Christ and the spiritual man fetch him up into an everlasting harmony with them in their newness of Life T. But wo to him that is alone when he falleth for he hath not another to help him up Here 's the deplorable condition of all fixed in the life of nature and so in unchangable enmity to the spirit of grace that 's the only meet helper and lifter up of the natural spirit out of all its falls Submitting to the death of the natural Man is the only way by which the Saint receives that spiritual Life that can help it at all dead lifts out of its falls and out of that death that 's the only Cure of all evil in it into its never-sinning Life When Man chooses his fading creature-life before God's and God in judgement on him gives him his choice or chuses his delusions Isa. 66. 4. Who can help him up If God be against him who can be for him Himself he cannot help He is gone then on all hands All that finally refuse the terms of receiving the spirit of Grace reject it And all that wilfully reject it God will reject with all their false confidences in their own He will swear in wrath they shall never enter into his rest What then can they say or do or any other for them who will or can help them up when fallen under the final wrath of God Vers. XI Again if two lie together then they have heat but how can one be warm alone The natural man of the Saint receives light and warmth from the spiritual as fast as baptiz'd transform'd and rais'd into a marriage-union with it in its Life and so made an equal yoke-fellow to it under Christ's most easy and delightful yoke or government over both As fast as the natural and spiritual man of the Saint come to a right conjugal union as of twain made one new man the whole Saint and Christ do lye in the intimate imbraces of conjugal love with mutual delight and satisfaction in one another for ever A most comfortable spiritual warmth and cherishing influence from Christ does the Saint find in this mystical marriage-union with him figured by the litteral Eph. 5. 22-32 Christ and the Saint are one spirit as man and wife one flesh 1 Cor. 6. 16 17. Christ is head to all saints and every saint They members of his mystical body slesh and 〈◊〉 So is Christ's spiritual state of life and headship and saints relation to him therein expressed in the very words of the figurative litteral headship and relation of the man to the woman The marriage-union of the saint with Christ and their mutual love therein is indissoluble and everlasting because founded in a spirit of everlasting righteousness and love Saints are everlastingly subject and most delightfully obedient to him and he most delightfully kind to them beyond all words for ever God having from Everlasting set up his Creature-Son the Spiritual or second Adam Creator of the first the natural state was first in Creatures Angels and Men afterward that which is spiritual in the Life of the Creator he judg'd meet he should have a Wife as is figured in what he saw meet for the first Adam who had a litteral Woman taken and form'd out of his own Body Gen. 2. 20 -- 24. This Wife taken out of Christ Spirit of his Spirit is from the borrowed Language of the Litteral said to be Bone of his bone and slesh of his slesh The insinite divine King that set up his Creature-Son from Everlasting did from the said everlasting appoint a Marriage for him and a Wedding-feast to which all Men and Angels have been invited But abundance of both refuse to come For through their willful folly are they found unchangable haters of the Bridegroom Bride and Feast all the diet the never perishing meats at the heavenly Table and Marriage Supper of the Lamb in the Kingdom of his Father All the proud huffing self-exalting party of Angels and Men drive another Trade are at their worldly Farming and Merchandise labouring for feeding on and wholly delighting themselvs in a Life a Belly and Meats desires and desirables that will all perish and be destroy'd in God's final wrath upon such wicked wilfull abusers of all given them in the first-creation against God and all his things in the second But all such Men and Angels as submit to the death of the first for the Life of God in the second will be admitted in their true Wedding Garment the everclean Linnen the everlasting Righteousness of true Saint-ship to the Marriage-Supper Rev. 19. 7-9 Those Men that gladly answer the Lord 's Heavenly Call of them to the said marriage Supper out of the Life of their own nature the Mystical Land of their Nativity and
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
afraid all along in the flourish and fruitfulness of his own nature in first-Covenant attainments of losing all again Job 3. 25. That sort of Life carries in its very fading nature something of a convincing self-evidencing Demonstration to the richest Possessour thereof that it may be all lost again come to nothing and so stand him in no stead as to Salvation or any safety in a day of greatest necessity The thing I greatly fear'd is come upon me What thing Mystical Wrinckles and Leannes brought upon his smooth fat flourishing rich and full natural spirit or Man And these did bear Witness to his Face against him Job 16. 8. For What For his Foolish self-flattering thought that the wisdom and glory of his own restor'd nature amounted to any thing of true happiness By the Blasts of God's Temporary Wrath or dispensation of the Cross upon it and him therein he found all withering and dying away All that in all that have it is subject to Mystical Rust Moth-eating corrupting and becomming a Prey to Thieves as Christ himself warns with advice to all to look after that Heavenly Treasure and Life that 's liable to none of these things Mat. 6. 19 20. Such first-Covenant 〈◊〉 Riches wisdom and glory in the Possession and Enjoyment whereof Men are apt to think they need nothing as to true blessedness is but a state in which they are Wretched Miserable Poor Blind and Naked wanting every thing that 's durably everlastingly and unchangably good Rev. 3. 17. The Mystical Riches and Garments Gold and Silver of Laodicean first-Covenant Saints finally trusted in will by the Corrupted Moth-eaten Cankered Rusty state thereof be sound at last day witnessing against them in them to their faces as Fools and Madmen for having wilfully trusted therein against Gods plentiful warning them the experience of all Mankind and their certain knowledg that they trusted in a lie a meer Vanity for Salvation God by his Prophet calls all the righteousnesses of Man in a first-Covenant Life of Enmity to him and the second a fading Leaf an unclean Thing a menstruous Cloth or silthy Raggs Isal. 64. 6. Enmity to God that 's filth of spirit is found in them and all their righteous works Trusting in this fading slower their own enlightned and enliven'd nature with all possible Ornaments and Embellishments thereof that God by Christ and all his Holy Prophets and Apostles since the World began has warn'd them of the 〈◊〉 of for true hapiness will render all that finally so do undeniably guilty of inexcusable folly True Saints rejoyce and Glory with Paul under the death-work of the Cross upon all that which such wilful Mistakers trust in for Salvation Gal. 6. 14. That which Crucifies the World to Man and him to the World all worldly Life or desire in Man to all or any worldly desirables and those to him is far from giving any true ground to the natural Man of the Saint to complain of or murmure with Zipporah in letter against Moses at Christ as a hard Master a Bloody Husband unto them by reason of the spiritual Circumcision For this cuts off Holy Flesh kills and offer 's up righteous nature in Sacrifice to God as that which cannot enter 1 Cor. 15. 50. but lets and hinders Man's entrance into the Kingdom of God or God's Kingdom 's entring into him by his receiving Christs Kingdom-spirit into him so as to have the Kingdom of Heaven within him 〈◊〉 Life abiding in him Christ tells us therefore his Yoke is easy and Burden light His Cross or death-work on nature corrupt or righteous in Publican or Pharisee is so far if rightly consider'd and understood from being a frightful and unsupportably Burdensome and Embondaging a thing that it is the only undispensable means and way of taking away from Man the unsupportable Burden of Sin and Punishment which otherwise nature at best will bring upon its own head in a state of everlasting Bondage and Death 'T is the only Curer of all Diseases in the remover of all Evils of Sin and Punishment from Man by the death of the continually guilty Sinner the natural Man or Spirit corrupt or righteous and so the bringer of the whole person of the Saint into a Life and State of Everlasting Rest and true Blessedness All this have we from Christ's own Mouth Mat. 11. 28-30 Christ himself Marr'd the form of Godliness the Image of the earthy his first-Covenant Law-Life his fading Glory Beauty and Visage when he had taken it in our nature even spotles Holy flesh He had more of it to Marre and so was it more Marr'd in him then it can be Marr'd in any other Man And he Marr'd it to some other ends and purposes then it is Marr'd in his Saints and followers He answer'd for the Sins of Mankind aton'd or appeas'd the Wrath of God thereby c. None of these things are done by any obedient followers of his suffering-Steps But 't is their duty to submit to the renting of the Vail of their but in part Holy flesh as he did of his perfect Holy flesh as the undispensable way of entring within the Vail into the true Holy of Holies and so of ever comming where he now is Will such death and loss expose to Contradiction Shame and Contempt from Men from Wise Holy first-Covenant Saints Such despised and rejected contradicted and Blasphem'd all Christ's Gospel new-Covenant Doctrin and Crucified his Person Isai. 52. 14. 53. 3. Heb. 12. 2 〈◊〉 The new and living way yea and the old and only way by which any ever could enter within the Vail into the true Holy of Holies is that which Christ Consecrated for us by 〈◊〉 his fleshly Vail or Holy flesh his righteous natural state that was a Vail a Wall of Partition between even our fleshly nature in his own person and the Holy of Holies He therefore did not the Will spoke not the Words of that understanding in our fleshly nature though pure spotless and perfect in its kind but suffer'd yea in and by his Holy Spirit put it to death The changably righteous Law-spirit in Christ himself was not the infallible Gospel-Preacher but his everlasting righteous Gospel-spirit that Preach'd death to the natural Law-spirit in himself all others He herein spoke the words did the works Joh. 14. 10. and will of the Father that sent him Joh. 4. 34. even in preaching death to and kindling the mystical fire of his heavenly spirit upon his own earthly and crucifying his own natural fleshly understanding and will though perfect in its kind This is the work his Father sent him to do which when finished he pray'd for his return out of the death of our crucified nature into the Life and Glory of his Father Joh. 17. 4 5. The words of Christ's Gospel-spirit are Spirit and Life Joh. 6. 63. they all recommend unto Men and tend to the perswading and counselling them to submit to the terms of having his
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
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
have worse on 't then the Litteral Sodomite in filth of flesh His greater advance and 〈◊〉 advantages toward Salvation neglected and abused do highly aggravate his evil of Sin and accordingly will be his evil of punishment for ever After all Exaltation with Capernaum in first-Covenant-Life and second Covenant or Gospel-Light even up to Heaven so as 〈◊〉 to see and then obstinately refuse God's only appointed way of entrance the death of their earthly spirit of nature for the life of his Heavenly Spirit of Grace will all such Mystical Sodomit's be tumbled or thrust down to Hell where it shall be more tolerable for Litteral Sodom then for them Mat. 11. 20-24 Luk. 10. 12-15 Christ himself gives the reasons for this difference in Punishment v. 21. 23. and Luk. 12. 47 48. He that cleerly know's his Master's will and does it not shall be beaten with many Stripes He that does not so cleerly know it shall be beaten with fewer For to whom much is given of him shall be much requir'd as the case is with Men to whom they have committed much of him they will ask or expect the more Man in the dark State of his corrupted nature know's not his Master's will at that rate as the old foolish King in the restor'd Life of the first and light of the second Covenant does By abusing the Life of the first in Rebelliously keeping it up and himself therein against the second when discover'd by its own light to him to be that which cannot be receiv'd by him but on his obedient surrender of the Life of the first does he deserve a sorer Punishment then the common Sinner against the Law Heb. 10. 28 29. For he Sinn 's more immediately and knowingly against the Holy Ghost or Gospel Life of the Son of God in Heaven even the Man Christ as risen from the dead into that Life wherein he lives for evermore The other against the Son of Man on Earth or that Law-Life of nature the highest Edition of the Law which Christ took and was found in as made Flesh and which he Crucified and abolish'd out of our nature in his own person in order to bring it forth again in the new Gospel-Edition of it by a new-Creation in unchangable Harmony with his Originally everlasting righteous spiritual new-Creation Gospel-Life So only can or ever could first-Covenant Law-Life come in him or in us to dwell for ever with new-Covenant Gospel-Life as Brethren in Unity This unchangable Union of the natural and spiritual Man in Christ and true Zion-Saints is pleasant in God's sight and of everlasting advantage to Man Psal. 133. 1. For so and so only by the death of the natural and Resurrection of it into the Life of the Spiritual Man in the Saint and the Spiritual Man in Christ's person come the poor but truly wise Crucified dead Children to live for ever in unchangable Union and Harmony of Mind with the infinite Divine Spirit of God most high Christ enlighten's every Man that cometh into the World Jo. 1. 9. None then are absolutely in the dark stark blind wholly ignorant of his will Even the Gentil's all Heathens have the light or Law of nature within them accusing or excusing their thoughts Words and Actions as found compliant with or contrary thereunto Ro. 2. 15. God's rule given in the Scriptur's of truth in reference to all Men is this If any be unfaithful in and to their little Dimme rational Candle-Light in some degree set up a fresh by the Redeemer in all men If they do allow themselvs in a constant course of Rebelling against the same without any remorse or chang of mind they 'd not be true to higher natural Light in the actual Priviledges of a first-Covenant Life and less yet to the higher Spiritual new-Covenant Gospel-Light if not only offer'd but actually receiv'd by them Luk. 16. 10 11. He that 's unjust in the least is or will be unjust also in much Those that are not faithful in the unrighteous Mammon the fading Light or also Life and inward Riches of their own restor'd Nature which yet is but a Spirit or State of Bondage to them and Enmity to God at best as in Paul before Gospel-Conversion who will commit to their Trust the true Riches Those that do not rightly use any fading Light Wisdom Life Riches in their own Spirit of Nature by such active Obedience as is performable therein and with while that is God's Dispensation to them and then by such passive Obedience in despising surrendring and giving all up as Dung with Paul when God requires it in order to receive his more excellent spiritual heavenly Gospel-Life in a Resurrection-state Phil. 3. 6-10 how should they ever come at or be possessed of the true durable Riches and everlasting Life The only possible undispensable way and means for this in the declar'd Methods of God's Wisdom is the obediently surrend'red natural State as to all the fading Life Glory Wisdom Righteousness and Riches thereof even the Death and Loss of all in Sacrifice to God as Christ himself did when he had taken our fleshly nature in the full Glory and unspotted Purity thereof Eternal Gospel-Life is by the Wisdom of God or Gospel-spirit of Christ freely proclaim'd and offer'd to all men Prov. 1. 20-23 and 8. 1-9 The old foolish Kings the highest and most criminal provoking Sinners that receive and abuse the Life of the first and Light of the second Covenant will fare worst under final Wrath. All others fix'd common Sinners of the Gentil's litteral Sodom will have bad enough on 't under their fewer wrathful Stripes or lesser Torments in Eternal Death But the hottest fiery Indignation and Mystical Flames of Wrath in the lowest Hell will be for ever upon the old foolish Kings Sore amazing Tydings for such self-confident presumptuous Sinners as reckon their Plea good for entrance into the Kingdom of God Yet thus it will be For the mouth of the Lord himself hath spoken it Mat. 7. 21-23 and 11. 23 24. Mar. 6. 11. Luk. 10. 12. All first-Covenant Saints in Holy Flesh that finally refuse the whole new-Covenant Gospel-Testimony the Words of God's Holy Spirit and Life thereof this will most certainly be theircase Easier will it be for Litteral 〈◊〉 Profane Brutisied Sinners in the corrupt Spirit of nature then for them It had bin better for them never to have known the way of everlasting truth and righteousness then after they have known the truth or Gospel-Life of Christ in its own Light and Beamings forth upon them to turn from the Holy 〈◊〉 of God therein and wilfully Rebel against it 2 Pet. 2. 21. Heb. 10. 26 27. Isai. 1. 20. Much sorer Punishment belongs to fix'd Sinners against the Holy Ghost than 〈◊〉 sinners against the Son of Man for ever v. 29. Such recompence of both their errours as is meet will they all receive both Litteral and Mystical Sodom even the Vengeance of Eternal Fire Ro. 1. 27.
themselves 〈◊〉 or Unbelievers as to every tittle of Christ's Gospel No first-coven 〈◊〉 Saints ought to trust in themselves that selfish fleshly life or natural state however righteous but in God that raises men from the Dead or out of the obedient Death of that into his life and righteousness in the second 2 Cor. 1. 9. They ought with Paul gladly to receive God's Sentence of Death in themselves or on their Spirit in the first that they may be raised into his life in the second And as none are to trust in themselves in the first so are no men there sit to be trusted by Christ or 〈◊〉 Saints being yet but in an unsteddy starting Principle Joh. 2. 23-25 For they know in the alsearching Spiritual light of God what is in man all men in their highest restored Life Light 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The best of them is as a brier the most upright 〈◊〉 than a thorn hedge Mic. 7. 4. As found in enmity to God and all his Saints and Truths Paul himself while but there though eminent breathed out slaughter against the disciples of the Lord. What such temporary first-covenant believers came to under Christ's own personal ministry when he came closs upon them with the cross doctrin of the second upon all that we find Joh. 6. 66. A way they go walk no more with him regard not him or his doctrine Let not the true followers of the Lamb whither soever he goes not onely into the Law-life of the first-covenant but through the death of that into the Gospel-life of the second in which he lives for evermore Rev. 1. 18. expect other doings from such false hollow-hearted apostatizing professors who are presently upon the turning point to Satan and drawing back to Perdition when clossly plied and follow'd with the true full doctrin of the Gospel-Cross on the Law-Life of nature at best which they are willingly and therefore easily perswaded by the words of Man's Wisdom is a true Gospel-state of Salvation and Eternal Life Such drawers back and those that go on to the saving of the Soul grow dayly farther and farther asunder more and more strang and contrary to each other in Thoughts Words and Deeds One is Marching on with a swift Foot towards the Chambers of Eternal Death The other 〈◊〉 towards the Kingdom of God Their Bodies meet and touch Elbows still in these dayly encreasing Distances and Elongations of their minds hearts or spirits till they find one another at Length in fixed irreconcileable distances and contrarieties of Mind Will whole course and way towards eternal life or death Apostat's from Gospel Light turn from the hot fiery Doctrin of the Cross when they find it touch nature at best to the quick at the very root bringing a flaming sword upon the very principle into the cool shade of a worldly Church-doctrin where Satan's pleasing-Gospel is preach'd nature specially righteous restor'd nature tickled and gratified with words after its own heart 'T is the language or thought and Desire of all natural Hearts Prophesy to us smooth things Prophesy Deceits Isai. 30. 10. We have heard enough and too much of the right things of God's Seers and true Prophets Their Doctrin is too hot for us We like it not Let them that bring such strang and sad Tydings to our Ears sit and speak to themselvs or stools if they will which indeed may be to neer as much purpose as to any good such regardless hearers of Gospel-words have gotten 'T is a dreadful Season in which 't is rare to find any that are in earnest about Salvation or at all inquisitive after it Who with the noble Bereans search the Scriptures about their eternal concerns Who regard any more then Pagans that Command of Christ for seeking first or chiefly the Kingdom and Righteousness of God Mat. 6. 33. or to lay up Treasure for themselvs in Heaven v. 20. Even the but Shadowy Mystical Laodicean Treasur's heap'd up in an earthly first-Covenant Life are now as 't were under God's Blasting and Professors negligence therein almost in the Dust as Conclamated Wither'd Unregarded things Profanes and a regard of and inquisitiveness after meer bodily concerns and Ornaments steal away the Heart and in a manner all the time of Professors How too generally are they laying about them wholly to fetch in Provisions for the lowest and basest fleshly Life and Lusts of confounded fallen nature common with Brute Beasts But if any yet are conscientious Walkers in first-Covenant Principles and reckon they have whereof to trust in the flesh Holy flesh restor'd righteous cleansed nature Paul more Phil. 3. 4. Christ most But Christ Crucified it in himself and Paul rejoyc'd or gloried to find him Crucifying it in him also Gal. 6. 14. as the only way of delivering him from that Body of Sin and Death he before took to be a state of Eternal Life Rom. 7. 24. 8. 2. The kindly death of nature under the Cross brought upon it in love from God and submitted to by Man in Obedience to God is the only means and way of his deliverance from all evil by the death of the guilty Sinner and of being furnish'd with and Possessed of all good in God's Gospel-spirit of everlasting righteousness that never sin's 1 Jo. 3. 9. All Sabbath-keeping and other Litteral Performances in Man's Spirit of Enmity to God and his true Sabbath-Spirit Sanctuary and place of his rest that he delights in when known so to be are with their Persons an Abomination to God and so their Solemn Meeting on his Sabbath that was his own Appointment what 's ours Isai. 1. 13 14. All their Incense and Sacrifices all our Praying Preaching c. in a known Spirit of Enmity to God are Mystical Murder Idolatry Sacriledg the highest and most criminal wickednesses in God's sight Why Hands full of Blood a bloody mind of Persecuting Enmity against his Gospel Saints and Truth 's spoil's all I 'le therefore hide mine Eyes from you and not hear your Prayers Ye are a Mystical most Criminal Sodom and Gomorrha to me v. 10-15 and Isai. 66. 3. Ye do all in your own self-chosen way after your own Heart in your own spirit not mine but in perfect contrariety thereunto None of you hear's and answer's 〈◊〉 Heavenly Call in true Wisdom's Words or Preachings I 'le therefore not hear or answer your Prayers and pretended Callings upon me v. 4. If you 'l not hear my cry to you 〈◊〉 not hear your's to me saith the Lord of Hosts Zec. 7. 13. Is man in Enmity to the whole Mind Counsel true Sabbath and Sanctuary of God like to be a faithful and able Minister of his Gospel-Truths Yet who else is heard or regarded Who but the Woman or private natural spirit that 's Enmity to God and all his right Words of Counsel and Instruction for Eternal Life Be more ready to hear then to give the sacrifice of fools Man in the best wisdom the most righteous life and activity of
his own Spirit offer 's but the sacrifice of fools in God's judgment however highly he esteem the sacrifice or himself for it He does not rightly know what he does what he is whither he goes whom he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ospel things and truths the whole Counsel of God the 〈◊〉 and only way of salvation the methods of God's wisdom in order thereunto all the law's ordinances statut's and judgments of his new creation-sanctuary describ'd in the nine last chapters of Ezekiel all these things lie quite out of his sight How can Man in his own best Wisdom that 's foolishness to God's in his own Spirit that at best is enmity to God's perform do any thing or offer up any sacrifice acceptable to God any but the sacrifice of fools These fools consider not will not consider that they do evil Stiff-necked are they in their own self-confident understandings which are not only blear-ey'd and dimm-sighted but stark blind and wholly ignorant of all Gospel-things and truths yet on they will turning their deaf ear to or setting their mouth against the heavens Ps. 73. 9. all heavenly Gospel-doctrin and instruction They 'l listen to nothing that may induce them to consider the great mischief they are doing to themselvs and others by preaching promising and warranting peace with God in a spirit of direct enmity to him Ezek. 13. 6. 10. and decrying might and main that which is the only way of salvation and the only spirit in which any can be saved with all the words thereof This desperate work are these blind leaders with their self-confident followers at all reck'ning they are doing very pleasing and acceptable service to God Act. 26. 9. Having nothing of Christ's very Gospel-Spirit or doctrin in their Church do they with great indignation and scorn cast all that are wholly for the very Christ and his very Gospel out of their church Isai. 66. 5. Ps. 50. 20 yes and out of the world too when they can as not fit to live any longer in it Act. 22. 22. All this do these Gospel-Wolvs in Sheep's Clothing reckon to be a doing God service Jo. 16. 2. in a blind zeal for him and his law against every word of his Gospel Rom. 10. 2 3 for the first-covenant life of the law in their own restor'd spirit of nature against the second-covenant life of the Gospel in his own spirit of grace So think they do God service when they joyn with the Devil to do despite to the spirit of grace Heb. 10. 29 casting all the words thereof behind their backs and all contempt they can on all such words and all the speakers and right hearers of them as the worst of blasphemies and blasphemers What was Saul's Sin in letter and mystery too is their's in mystery They must be brought to acknowledg with Saul that what the wisdom of God and the words or commands thereof require to be destroy'd their foolish wisdom in the words thereof preaches keeps up and warrants currant for salvation The Spirit of nature in Man recovered and restored by Christ out of the fall into the life wisdom and ruling power thereof over all inferiour sensual brutish power of life and operation in him amounts to no more in mystery and truth then the Amalekite King Agag and best of the cattel The refuse of the cattel the vile affections the disorderly unruly lusts of the corrupt state of nature they have subdued yet not fully but the King and best of the Cattel the rational and sensual powers reduced to good order in the ruling authority of the former and due subjection of the latter these they judg fit to be spared And what are these both king and subjects All but still the Amalekite spirit of nature and Man therein the direct enemy of God and all his Gospel-Saints and truths Was not Paul in and with all these fighting against God when he thought his had bin fighting for him With Saul will all such self-confident justifiers of themselvs be condemn'd out of their own mouth even amid'st their self-justifying plea against the Lord's and his true spiritual Prophet's charge drawn up against them as Samuel's against Saul They 'l be found partial in God's Law The refuse things the vile affections of their polluted nature they are content should be subdued in obedience to it But the choicer things thereof nature at best in the Glory Wisdom and righteousness thereof that all this must go up in sacrifice by a just and holy death to God being an unholy life or state of enmity to God however in a sense holy as cleansed from filth of flesh though convinc'd God's Wisdom requir's this also do they with Saul under a self-condemning light refuse to obey c. and yet stoutly assert with him that they have obeyed the voice of the Lord. All this find we 1 Sam. 15. 18-23 This get men by setting up their own Wisdom and Spirit as judg or interpreter of the Oracles dictat's or words of God's in a known contrariety to the spiritual meaning and intendment of all In their restor'd righteous inlight'ned nature that 's God's required Gospel-sacrifice sigured out by all clean law-sacrifices in the old Testament do they presumptuously with Saul and King 〈◊〉 intrude or thrust themselvs into the priests office 1 Sam. 13. 8-14 2 Chron. 26. 16-21 In their own Foolish Wisdom and Spirit of Enmity to God and all the Words of his Wisdom do they pretend to the Office of Christ's Priestly Gospel-spirit of Infallible Truth and Everlasting Righteousness as the only true declarers of the Will and Words of God that rightly take not his meaning in any of his Words nor ever can understand them This Presumptuous course persisted and fix'd in will render the contagious over-spreading Leprosy the Sin of Enmity to God filth of Spirit that 's no otherwise curable then by the compleat and full death of nature absolutely incurable and mortal as the case was with the Litteral Leprosy on Uzzia's Body to his dying day though said for a season to have done that which was right in the sight of the Lord in his long Reign of two and fifty Yeers 2 King 15. 2 3. The true Priestly Gospel-Spirit of Christ offer'd up our nature in himself at best in Sacrifice to God When Samuel Reprov'd Saul for Sacrificing his answer was The Philistins were ready to come upon me to Gilgal and I had not made Supplication to the Lord so I forc'd my self and Offer'd a Burnt-Offring These 〈◊〉 Pleas and Apologies of nature go for nothing when thorowly search'd by the Spirit of Christ in his seers Thou hast done foolishly say's Samuel and shalt lose thy Kingdom Life and all for 't by those Philistin's through the fear of whom thou did'st Offer this Sacrifice of Fools And what befel Adam and all his Posterity with King Uzziah for Presumptuously setting or keeping up his Law-State or changable first-Covenant righteous Life of his own nature as therein
in preference to and exclusion of God's heavenly Spiritual Eternal creature-things as not worthy his regard or minding They deny they decry them They call them blasphemous 〈◊〉 and therein do they blaspheme devised fables only to 〈◊〉 diminish and disparage their conceited natural things perishing vanities which they reckon the only creature-things that are in a perfect contrariety to the 〈◊〉 of God By those very Spiritual Saints and things man's Wisdom count's Fools and foolishness will God confound all their foolish-Wisdom and self-exalting power By these foolish Persons and despised things Man looks on as worse then nothing will God bring to nought things that in man's Judgment are in God's not 1 Cor. 1. 9. and v. 27 28. who 'l be Judg at last God and wise holy first-covenant Saints are of a directly contrary Judgment in this great case Those that with Paul have Praise with God are such as the Lord commendeth go for no body worse than nothing with them They that are meer dreamers and please themselvs with their dream Jer. 23. 25-32 or dreamish hapiness call all Gospel-truths a dream 〈◊〉 a delusion of the Devil and say to Gospel-Saints as Joseph's brethren to him behold these dreamish-heirs that pretend to the everlasting inheritance in a Spirit and doctrine we hate let 's kill them all and see what will become of them and their dream's Gen. 37. 18-20 They reckon their doctrin Wheat and Christ's Chaff But he will say what 's your Chaff to my Wheat The true Spiritual circumcision-Saint seem's a fool a mad Man in the house of God or to and amongst first-covenant brethren Hos. 9. 7 8 yea the filth of the world the off-scouring of all things 1 Cor. 4. 10. 13. 2 Cor. 10. 12. Those that rejoyce in Christ Jesus or in his Gospel-Spirit the Holy Ghost with joy unspeakable and Glorious are despised and trampled on by their first-covenant brethren whose confidence is wholly in their holy slesh or restor'd naturals The first and second-covenant Saint are properly the natural and Spiritual man The enlightned moral heathen obedient to the restor'd rational first-covenant light or law of nature may be comprehended under the title natural man But the corrupt heathen living and walking wholly in the brutish lusts of his degenerate fallen nature is a beast He has not what is properly in a Scripture-sense the life of a man or any part of it That Death in Sin threatned and accomplish'd upon Adam and all his posterity they delight in rather then accept of deliverance out of it But the enlightn'd restor'd natural man in the light or also life of the first-covenant is of a distinct contrary palate desire appetite and thought or judgment from and to the Spiritual All his regard desire love and delight is for after and in worldly perishing vanities passant shadows dreams that come from a multitude of busines that he vainly makes to himself about such empty perishing nothings So will they themselvs even these first-covenant kings the mystical Princes of this world such as 〈◊〉 Christ come to nought yea worse then nothing with all their trusted in nothings They 'l be at a total loss for ever pining and starving in everlasting poverty and nakedness under the positive Inflictions and Burnings of unchangable and unquenchable Wrath. T. And a Fool 's voice is known by a multitude of words good words fair speeches as the only Ministers of Christ's Gospel deceiving the hearts of the simple or undiscerning that can't discern or at least 〈◊〉 own the difference between Christ's and Satan's Gospel All the while are they gratifying or serving their own palate appetite desire or belly of their natural Spirit in the perishing Life and with the perishing Meats of a first-Covenant State as the true Salvation and blessedness of any These Wise-Fools are the fiercest enemies of the very Christ the very Gospel of all men A multitude of Words and Books do they come forth in And nothing must pass for Orthodox right or true Gospel-Doctrin but what the wisdom of Man that 's a flat enemy to all Christ's Gospel sitting in its Magisterial Chair of Infallibility gives its ratifying nod or Imprimatur to Be such what they will they do and will yet pass for the only signal owners and Trumpeters of Christ's everlasting Gospel whereas indeed they are the most careful shutters up of the Kingdom of Heaven the most industrious decriers of the very Christ the very Gospel or Spiritual sense of all Scripture in the World This was the Pharisees case in Christ's own time Mat. 23. 13. The first-covenant law-spirit or principle fixed in enmity to the second is the 〈◊〉 same leaven with that of the Pharisees under the outward dispensation of the Gospel as well as under the Law They for a pretence made long Prayers compassed Sea and Land left no means unattempted no stone unturn'd to proselyte or fetch back any from Christ's Gospel-truth to Satan's lie and falshood his accursed other Gospel and so to make them two-fold more the Children of Hell then themselvs as sinning against cleerer discerning greater Light and Conviction then they ever had as to Gospel-truths And this done they Triumph as having done God Service in converting them from Christ's to their 〈◊〉 which Man's wisdom styles Orthodox So all run's smooth and fine 〈◊〉 keep 's silence and they please themselvs to imagine he is of their mind and judgment such a one as 〈◊〉 Psal. 50. 20 21. But he warn's them before-hand he will find a time to 〈◊〉 them in pieces so as none shall be able to deliver them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And as he 〈◊〉 them he comforts Saints abused by 〈◊〉 with this 〈◊〉 Pl. appear 〈◊〉 your Joy and they shall be ashamed These threat's 〈◊〉 the one and promises to the other will be accomplish'd at one and the same time Christ's second comming 〈◊〉 66. 5. If such 〈◊〉 were used to keep off people from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 himself what may the true Ministers of his 〈◊〉 now 〈◊〉 from the like legal-spirited Generation of 〈◊〉 and Professors The Pharisees said among themselvs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nothing To wit as to the gaining and keeping off the people from listning to his Ministry 〈◊〉 the World is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jo. 12. 19. Indeed the World goes after 〈◊〉 1 Jo. 4. 5. hear's and own 's them and their Doctrin People a 〈◊〉 People 〈◊〉 after the Beast admire his Apostles praise reward and follow them The deadly Wound given mankind by the first Sin being 〈◊〉 in these Teachers and 〈◊〉 by which they are recovered out of that Death in Trespasses and Sins they were born in they reckon all 's their own And who but they Rev. 13. 3. With what a wry Mouth and scornful Indignation did the Pharisees take up theirs and the Chief Priest's Officers who were sent to Apprehend Christ but did not Never Man spake like this Man said the Officers Are ye also deceiv'd said the Pharisees Have any
latter If they 'l not follow his suffering steps they never come where he is They prefer the earthy life and Countrey of the Creature to the heavenly life of the Creatour Blessed for ever The issue of and for this disobedience matters come to is this God will strip them of and take from them all the fading good they are possess'd of in the mystical earthly Countrey or land of their own restor'd enlighten'd nature as wilfully retain'd in a known rebellion against him The very same Mystical Sword or new-Creation Spirit of Christ and God will be drawn against them in final wrath to destroy them for ever which they so fear'd startl'd at and turn'd from when offer'd to be brought upon them in love to give them a kindly and right death-pass into the true land of promise Had they willingly obey'd it they had enter'd and eaten the good of the true land of promise But having absolutely and conclusively refused it and rebell'd against it they 'l be devour'd by the same sword or Spiritual cross upon them for ever The mouth of the Lord the living word of God Christ himself hath spoken it Isa. 1. 19 20. Obediently lose the fading life of nature and enter Rebelliously save pitty spare your own life and ye lose all for ever in eternal death under final wrath This is Christ's doctrin Mat. 16. 25. And this Christ presently deliver'd on Satan's contrary doctrin by an Apostle with the perswasive and seeming friendly words of his wisdom When he had spoken of his sufferings Peter rebuk'd him and preach'd the self-same doctrin to him the Old Serpent preach'd to Eve and by her to Adam Be it far from thee Lord this shall not be unto thee that is thou shalt not suffer or die at all This Spotless righteous law-life in holy flesh is eternal life no danger of death The Gospel-Riddle uninterpretable by Man's Wisdom is this die must nature or all 's lost nature and grace too all good in first or second covenant changable or unchangable And what succeeds unchangable evil of sin and punishment The obedient death of nature under the cross the full sevenfold purifying of it in the fiery furnace thereof from all dross tin and reprobate silver all filth of flesh and Spirit too renders man clean every whit Jo. 13. 10. This delivers him for ever from all captivities bondages enemies dangers and death's litteral and mystical Sodom Egypt and Babylon the life of nature corrupt or righteous both of which are a state of enmity to God and death to man if fix'd in Thou shalt never wash my feet said Peter No say's Christ then thou wilt have no part in me Oh then not my feet only but hands and head said Peter If feet be wash'd 't is enough say's Christ there need 's no more to make perfectly clean every whit whole and spiritually sound If the feet the will and understanding the two mystical feet on which man walks in his esteem judgment thought of and desire after things if these be Spiritual Heavenly Gospel-feet the discerning and desiring powers of the Gospel-Spirit and principle all will go right Heavenly things never-perishing meats will be wholly and only esteem'd desir'd and fed upon in this bottom-principle All will be right a-top in all Holy Gospel-Conversation when all 's right at bottom A Spirit greater then he that 's in the World the Devil in which 't is impossible to displease God Sin erre miscarry deceive or be deceived must needs ever do all things well and man be truly blessed in the deeds thereof The extream folly then of man in not only deferring but finally refusing to pay his engaged commanded vow for giving up his whole nature or Spirit the devoted thing in sacrifice by death unto God is unpardonable And then God will be extream and that most justly in marking all done amiss by him in his self-chosen nature and life He will call him to an account for every thing done therein from first to last This great transgression the presumptuous unpardonable sin unto eternal death will bring all other sin 's at its heels to be answer'd for as creditors come upon a man for lesser debts when clapt up in prison for a great one And then will every Spiritual conviction offered men in the day of their trial and God's patience towards them be reviv'd in them and stare them in the face to witness against them judg and condemn them in harmony with God himself When man's trial is over and sentence of death irrevocably past upon him God will not repent or change from his dispensation of wrath and man cannot repent or change from his rebellious mind of enmity against God Repentance will be hid from God's eyes and man's on all hands Unchangable enmity to God lay's man under the unchangable wrath of God thrust's him out of all distance as to any favour for ever or benefit by Christ's sacrifice or intercession Christ died not nor will intercede for the pardon of unchangable enmity to God and him And God will revive his formerly given Spiritual light to testify for him against them in their own consciences the evidence whereof can never be silenc'd extinguish'd or denied by them The irresistible testimony of it will be a perpetual condemner of them and justifier of God in his most wrathfull proceedings against them This is the worm never dies witnessing the fire of that wrath to be undeniably just which can never be quench'd Mark 9. 44. 46. 48. Vers. 6. Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to Sin neither say thou before the Angel 70. before God that it was an errour wherefore should God be angry at thy voice and destroy the work of thine hands The Spirit of man at best in its own life is but flesh The life mind will desire thought wisdom righteousness glory all the things thereof are but sleshly earthly perishing vanities Man in all altogether vanity is possess'd of no goodness but what 's a fading flower no beauty no glory but what will be consumed and done away Ps. 39. 5. and 49. 14. Isa. 40. 6. Man in all this is the slesh his mouth should not cause to sin Mouth as said signifies all manner of expression of this slesh 〈◊〉 mind or natural Spirit inward or outward in desire thought word or action If the inmost mouth bottom desire and thought of man be found approving of and consenting unto the entering into a firm unchangable union with the Devil the striking up an everlasting covenant with him then does it cause his flesh or natural Spirit to sin unpardonably against the Spirit of Grace the Gospel-Spirit or Holy Ghost in which convincingly shew'd he ought to enter into or strike a new and everlasting covenant with God His knowing wilful choice is rather to comply with the Devil in a fond self-destroying love to himself or his own life and nature to be by his most destructive workmanship Baptized into
making his Gospel-vanities passe for Christ's durable Gospel-riches everlasting life and never-perishing meats Thus does Satan sport himself with those that sport themselvs with his and their own deceivings By such makes he his utmost batteries against the very elect to deceive their souls or if that won't be to destroy their bodies All that have resolutely taken up with him to feed on dust the perishing meats of the first_creation does he perfectly deafen to the voice of all true Spiritual Charmers Charm they never so Wisely Not a word of Christ's Gospel or any of his never-perishing meats will they any more listen to regard or look after for ever then stones They are fix'd absolute infidels as to all his things truths or doctrins They are the hottest fiercest zealous decriers of all such things or words in the whole World Paul was so for a season when a righteous first-covenant Saint they for ever But to prevent man's self-destroying choice of his own selfish earthly first-creation life or righteous natural-State with the perishing food ragged clothing and fading riches thereof in preference to Christ's durable riches never-perishing meats and pure garments clean linnen or everlasting 〈◊〉 in the second Solomon farther declares Vers. X. He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver nor he that loveth abundance with encrease this is also vanity The mystical silver here that with all possible encrease thereof is vanity as well as the litteral figure import's the heap'd up Laodicean treasur's in the fruitful exercise of a first-covenant righteous life of vanity Man at best therein is lighter then vanity weigh's less is worse then nothing in the balance of Christ's new-creation sanctuary Psal. 39. 5 6. and 62. 9. Isa. 40. 17. He is a flat enemy to God and it to all the heavenly life and treasure thereof Man's inordinate preferring love to and delight in his own righteous nature and riches thereof is an evil concupiscence an evil covetousness destructive to his own mystical house whole nature or person Hab. 2. 9 10 the highest and most criminal idolatry that love of money in the highest sense that 's the root of all evil keeping up a murdering mind of enmity against all doctrine or persons that come to seize and take it away as their unspeakable advantage if obedient to the Cross of Christ therein Man wearies himself tires and sin's himself into eternal death for very vanity v. 13. and Psal. 39. 6. All men seek and contend for in their own nature will and way Paul found in Gospel-light dung and loss Job dust and ashes who both once thought themselvs truly happy there in Gods sight as well as in their own He that loves this mystical silver or fading inward riches of his own nature shall not be satisfied with such silver in the most abundant encreases thereof There 's nothing in it can truly answer the wants of his immortal being or give the least degree of true happiness to him Nothing but new-creature life does this Gal. 6. 15 neither corrupt or righteous Old-Creation life signified by uncircumcision and circumcision which avail not any thing in this case as to eternal life Verse XI When goods encrease they are increas'd that eat them and what good is there to the owners thereof saving the beholding of them with their eyes Here 's the vanity of all perishing treasur's The utmost encrease of Laodicean riches in the most fruitful exercise of a first-creation life or first-covenant principle makes but a heap of perishing vanities when all 's done The right parting with all as dung for Ghrist's heavenly treasure durable riches acquirable only in his Gospel-Spirit or new-covenant-principle of everlasting righteousness is the best and only true improvement of all In this Exchange does Man receive all the fading goodness and riches of his law-life with usury and great gain even in Christ's Gospel-life or Spirit Thus 't is with all thorow-followers of Christ's Counsel Christ receives in this right improvement of his first-creation gifts his own again with usury and man his own also with transcendent advantage in God's own Life Wisdom Righteousness Glory all the everlasting things of God's Spirit of grace for the fading vanities perishing next to nothings in his own Spirit of nature the Life of the Creator or new-creature Spirit of Christ the living WORD and Wisdom of God by which the Worlds were made The final refusal of this chang is man's changing selling or parting with God's Gospel-Spirit of Truth for Satan's and his own 〈◊〉 his perishing vanity his law-Spirit of nature And this is 〈◊〉 serving worshipping and loving the Creature even himself rather or more yea above and against the Creator who is blessed for ever Can such ill-chusers expect lesse then to be Cursed for ever and perish as their own dung that they prefer before the very Life Righteousness Wisdom and Glory of God that 's never to be done away Paul threw away this mystical dung for the unsearchable divine and spiritual riches of Christ's Glorious person which when he came to be a happy possessour of he became also the most Powerful Gospel-Preacher of Eph. 3. 8. He that loves his own life and the riches or Mammon thereof litteral or mystical in preference to God's hates God's Christ therefore requires the hating our own very life at best in love to God's or declar's we cannot be his disciples Luk. 14. 26. For thus did he Not my will but thine be done Not my words but thine be spoken The word 's of thy Spirit the Holy Ghost that 's in unchangable union of mind with thy infinite divine Spirit and not the dictats of my natural wisdom or understanding the words of my Spirit Job said though righteous he would not know or own his own soul but despise or destroy crucify his very righteous natural self or life as dust and ashes to God's dung and losse Phil. 3. 7 8 for God's with Paul All true Saints think say and do thus first or last What amount all fading riches treasur'd up by man in the activity of faulty or defective first-covenant principle's unto by the most fruitfull exercise of the restor'd righteous life of his own nature therein when not rich towards God in his Spirit of grace the second Covenant Gospel-Principle of life desire thought and action Christ himself does thus resolve his own most pertinent and concerning question by way of instruction and warning to men Thou fool that hast heap'd up vast perishing treasures in thy own enlightned righteous nature and art merry confident and at hearts-ease therein as if happy for many years even for ever as possessed of what will never faile thee this night shall thy soul be taken from thee even this righteous life of thy living soul and then if thou have not the everlasting life of my quickning Spirit and my durable riches therein where art thou and whose shall all those things be which thou hast provided none of
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
comes to worse than nothing unspeakable misery and confusion without the least relief for ever under unquenchable wrath Man is born in a naked condition of Body and dead in Sin as to his Soul When reviv'd and Cloath'd again by Christ as to some measure of his restor'd lost Life and Righteousness in the first-covenant by keeping up that in enmity to an everlasting Life and Righteousness offer'd him by Christ in the second and so sinning after the similitude of Adam's first transgression he is worse than ever his latter end worse than his beginning a state of unchangable incurable evil sorrow nakedness poverty and death His whole man after all possible revival comsort flourish or fruitfulness in the mortal first-covenant Life of his Spirit or sensual Life of his Body goes destitute of all good or comfort naked out of the World as he came into 't He takes nothing of the fading Glory of his reviv'd Spirit any more than outward riches and comforts relating to his Body away with him at the death of the Body All goes In all points on all accounts he goes as he came stark naked strip'd of all comfort or goodness All fruits and labours of his Spirit and Body go together all vanish They that obediently part with all such fading Life and but things of man in their Spirit before the death of their Body find their own again with usury for ever in the everlasting Life Wisdom Righteousness and things of God in the Gospel-Spirit or Principle of the new and everlasting Covenant This is the unspeakable Gift of God offer'd all on obedient surrender of their fading Life and things in the first-covenant for his everlasting in the second They that refuse this surrender as most do lose all good in both Covenants for ever and fall under the positive inflictions of wrath for ever This for the evill use of all their things and labours in the first against God and the second When charg'd for all before the Judgment-seat of Christ they 'l be found in a silencing self-condemning consciousness as to all charg'd with will have nothing to say When their evil consciences are open'd all their mouths of iniquity will be stopp'd No disputing pleading apologizing but e'ne take their charge and sentence and so lie down for ever in sorrow shame and confusion under the wrath of their most righteous all-seeing Judg. Then will they find nothing of all their evil travel left in their hand The wrath of God will be upon them and the awak'ned spiritual convictions afforded them in mercy on earth will be set up in them for ever in hel as a never-dying ever-gnawing worm Mark 9. 44. 46. 48 to torment them within by the perpetually forc'd sight of their madness and folly on earth against the universal experience of all mankind and all faithfull warnings from God All their fading beauty will be consum'd in that Grave from their dwelling Psal. 49. 14. or that earthly state of their whole persons which they have chosen for their final habitation They have rendred themselvs fit fewel for the wrath of God eternally to flame forth upon When Christ awak's or comes forth in his heavenly he will despise or destroy their earthly Image Psal. 73. 20. or state burn up all the fading Glory perishing Life Riches Fruits and meats thereof or works therein 2 Pet. 3. 10. Their fleshly principle or root with the branch tree with the fruit as Grass at best a fading flower will wither and perish for ever Isai. 40. 6. These things and life then chosen by them when known to be so and Christ's everlasting Life and Things as knowingly and wilfully rejected when convincingly shew'd and fairly offer'd them will cause their unutterable confusion for ever in eternal darkness and death They 'l have nothing but wrath to feed on for ever in a resurrection of damnation Much sorrow and wrath will they have in and with their sickness unexpressible wrath rage and madness within them as the Septuagint render in their languishing incurable sickness or unchangable enmity to God under the final wrath of God This will befall them after all patience of God and favourable offers while 't was called to day with them in this world all which they abus'd and refus'd to their sorer condemnation and punishment So become they most desolate for ever O Jerusalem Jerusalem c. Mat. 23. 37 38. As vessels of dishonour will they be forc'd to eat the fruit of their own way 〈◊〉 be filled with the fruit of their own devices the wrath of God Prov. 1. 31. 'T will be sorely ill with them when that just reward of their hands shall be given them Isai. 3. 11. Had they 〈◊〉 to his Counsel they might have dwelt safely for ever and have been quiet from fear of evil Prov. 1. 33. Their simple turning from his offers and their prosperous flourish in their own nature will and way destroy'd these incorrigible Fools V. 32. Vers. XVIII Behold that which I have seen it is good and comly for one to eat and to drink and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh vnder the Sun all the days of his Life which God giveth him for it is his portion Having in some former Verses finish'd the Character of the incorrigibly wicked as to their dreadfull condition Solomon proceed's here to declare the blessed condition of all that are of a perfectly contrary temper of Spirit to that of unchangable enmity above-said of another Spirit with Caleb and Joshuah who wholly followed the Lord Numb 32. 12. 'T is the Spirit of Faith only the law of the Spirit of Life and true Liberty the Gospel-Spirit of Truth in which the Lord can be rightly own'd fully follow'd and acceptably worship'd in Spirit and Truth Sure none of these things can ever be done in man's own spirit will and way that at best is enmity to God True Saints bring forth all the fruits of their labours unto God the Father in this Spirit of the Son which makes them free indeed in this newness of Life and Law of true Liberty the glorious Liberty of the Sons of God And they reap the benefit or fruit of all their such labours in the Lord which never are in vain 1 Cor. 15. 58. All labours in our own Spirit of nature uncircumcis'd or circumcis'd that is corrupt or righteous are in vain as to eternal Life Gal. 6. 15. Nothing but the new creature and its actions are conducible or of any tendency towards that There God work 's all our works for us and we all our works in him as co-workers with God in his own Spirit Isai. 26. 12. Joh. 3. 21. Without me or my Gospel-Spirit 〈◊〉 can do nothing in the way towards true Life say's Christ to all Joh. 15. 5. These Gospel-works of the Spirit of Faith in Abraham justified him Jam. 22. 21 not law-works in his own Spirit of nature or principle of the covenant of
such blind followers neither of whom know what they are doing whither a going or whom they worship all in a manner doing they know not what The Objections here made have I oft heard from the unanimous defenders of the Doctrine of Devils who with hearts believe or obey and with their mouths make confession of Satan's Gospel calling it Christ's unto damnation Holy Men a first-Covenant People of God blasphem'd said of Christ he had a Devil and was mad why hear ye him Joh. 1. 11. 10. 20. Do any wise knowing righteous Men believe on him Joh. 7. 48. But to return from this requisit digression A Man restor'd and made by Christ rich 〈◊〉 wise strong honourable fat fruitful and 〈◊〉 in his own nature again in the same kind of life Adam was at first set up in has with the literal rich Man in his case no power to eat thereof so as to receive the comfort that 's to be found in the right use of his fading mystical riches The right using and eating them to true advantage is in the zeal of God's House Psal. 69. 9. the mystical fire of his Sanctuary-Spirit to eat consume devour and burn all up in Sacrifice to God as Christ handled our spotless nature in himself If not eaten thus in and by the true Priestly Spirit of God in an obedient friendly union of mind with the Cross or Spirit of Christ the same Spirit or Gospel-sword will come as a stranger yea a downright enemy and devour eat all up and destroy the Rebel for ever Isa. 1. 19 20. Ps. 69. 9. Joh. 2. 17. The single Spirit of 〈◊〉 in its highest renewals and most righteous restor'd life since the fall is a continual sinner and an enemy of God The Gospel-Spirit of Grace that 's on its death to succeed and become the sole and single principle of life and operation in the Saint never sins The true Saint therein joyns with Christ to destroy the former that he may live for ever with him in the latter Such suffering and dying is God's appointed method for living and reigning with him for evermore 2 Tim. 2. 11 12. A right death of Nature is a ceasing and a being freed from Sin for ever 1 Pet. 4. 1. Rom. 6. 7. They that feed on perishing lying vanities and gratify that fleshly belly or desire and life that 's to be destroy'd will be destroy'd for such rebellious feeding in a forbidden life and way on such forbidden fruits 1 Cor. 6. 13. They gratify but that carnal earthly mind that minds only earthly things first-creation vanities So sin they after the similitude of Adam's first transgression This great Sin Solomon observes to be a vanity and an evil disease common among men Multitudes of first-covenant Professors call themselves what they will will be found guilty of this unpardonable Sin unchangeable enmity to God and his Gospel-spirit at the final determination of Zion-controversies They are strangers and enemies to the Cross of Christ Phil. 3. 18 19 and that as a stranger and enemy to them will eat up or consume and destroy their fading life and goodness in final Wrath. It also eats up all the same kind of fading life riches beauty or glory in Saints themselves in a way of everlasting kindness love and faithfulness for their eternal good Away then will all first-creation life riches and glory go for ever as to any goodness comliness or comfort therein from all Saints or Sinners in love or wrath In wrath will he come upon incorrigible enemies that by chusing their own first-Covenant-life before his second have forfeited the benefit of all his dispensations of Love and Mercy towards them as well as all their large great mystical earthly riches and possessions for ever Vers. 3. If a Man beget an hundred Children and live many years so that the days of his years be many and his soul be not filled with good and also that he have no burial I say that an untimely birth is better than he In Mystery Man in the top-excellency and most abundant fruitfulness of his restor'd Nature though he live long and be fill'd with the utmost joy and comfort all riches fruits and honours there amount unto he is but an old doting sinner against God and his Spirit of Grace all along throughout his whole race or course in this mortal world and state He is an old rich accursed Sinner as to any durable life or riches dead miserable wretched poor blind and naked Rev. 3. 17. He is such a covetous Sinner that however he has blessed himself in his own way or reckoned himself blessed of God as giving him more than heart can wish there though he be an hundred years old live never so long in this fools Paradise he will find himself accursed for ever under the wrath to come after all Isa. 65. 20. The reasons hereof are here given his soul is not filled with good and he hath no 〈◊〉 The truly satisfying new-creation goodness that 's only to be attain'd by an honourable burial in Christ's mystical Grave or through-conformity to his death of Nature is not found with or in him He has nothing of that about him Satan has 〈◊〉 ' d his heart with unchangeable enmity to God and all his durable riches Diotrephes-like loving to have the preeminence do such prate against true Gospel-Saints with malicious words and all the durable Gospel-Riches yea the unsearchable Riches of Christ's Wonderful Divine and Creature-person that they preach Eph. 3. 8. as a meer blasphemous fiction a nullity 'T is but a lump of corruptible vanities they at best are fill'd with They and all this earthly trumpery will be found but the Earth and works thereof that are the 〈◊〉 fewel by the fire of Christ's day to be burnt up 2. Pet. 3. 10. Man's immortal Spirit can never be fill'd with true good but in an immortal Gospel-Life never in a mortal fading Law-Life He must be emptied of the former to be fill'd with the latter This is done by the twofold Death and Life-work of the Gospel-Spirit of the Cross on his Law-Spirit of Nature slaying his Nature and raising him if passively obedient to the death of that into the life of the sacrificing Gospel High-Priest of our Profession Heb. 3. 1. the active Gospel-Principle of everlasting Obedience to God most high Without this an abortive or untimely birth is better than the said rich and flourishing long-liv'd first-creation sinner This abortive is either a literal that has not known any thing or received any sort of good 〈◊〉 God and so is free from the guilt of neglecting or abusing it or mystical abortive that has never receiv'd the actual birth and life of a First-Covenant State from Christ nor experienc'd a fruitfulness of his own Nature therein and so has not been possess'd of such choicer First-Creation riches to abuse in enmity to the second Vers. 4. For he cometh in with Vanity and departeth in darkness
and his name shall be covered with darkness Man comes into the World with nothing but vanity Sin and darkness about him And if he never attain any other life or riches literal or mystical but what 's Vanity he has a dismal exit or departure out of it into a state of everlasting darkness and death He has no true happiness or satisfaction from first to last All worldly life or possessions relating to his Body Soul or Spirit are Vanity Restor'd righteous first-Covenant life Law-principle and operation Tree and Fruit Root and Branch all 's Vanity In his best and most flourishing day's therein full of and surrounded with nothing but Vanity All will come to nothing as to any good or comfort to him therein for ever And as the second thing here must he then having nothing else to trust to needs depart in darkness and his Name or whole Person come at last to be covered with eternal darkness in a resurrection of Damnation under the irresistible power of the Cross or two-edged flaming Gospel-Sword of Christ coming upon him in final Wrath to devour him for ever Isa. 1. 20. Who-ever Angel or Man submit not to God's Sentence of Death pronounced from the beginning on their first-creation natural state will fall under it in final wrath for rebelling against it This as the just punishment of their inexcusable wilful madness and folly So their Mystical Land earthly Name Life and Possessions they have rebelliously set themselves to keep up rather than exchange all by an obedient Death for God's Heavenly Life new Name and true Land of promise are cover'd and so their whole persons with darkness for ever The condition of an untimely birth is better than any of these abusers of God's first-creation gifts against him and his offer'd second to their eternal ruine The reason of this Assertion is given Vers. 5. Moreover he hath not seen the Sun nor known any thing this hath more rest than the other He that is the untimely Birth v. 3. not the He that comes in with Vanity and departs in darkness v. 4. This latter is the He God has given riches honour and all his Soul could wish v. 2. in its own life will and way and also long life therein v. 3. with abundant fruitfulness figur'd by his hundred Children An abortive or untimely birth is better than he The literal abortive comes not into the exercise of any bodily life in this world He has not seen the literal Sun nor known any thing in or by bodily Organ's and Senses This abortive is a Figure of the Mystical never brought forth in the exercise of a living Soul in a restor'd first-Covenant Rightcous-life under the Law-Spirit of Nature the Mystical first-Creation Sun and less yet under the shining-Light of the new-Creation Sun of everlasting Righteousness The abortive in this chiefly intended Mystical Sence is better than he that receives is for a season possess'd of and abuses all first-Covenant Life and Riches and that under second-Covenant Light against God and the life of the second to his sorer Condemnation and Punishment under the Wrath to come than if he had never receiv'd or known any such things 2 Pet. 2. 21. Spiritual Gospel-Light clearly positively and undeniably shew's man the vanity of all he is possess'd of in his Law-life and God's Command to him for surrender of all by Death in sacrifice to him as the true payment of all mystical Tithes and Offerings In the methods of God's Wisdom this is the undispensable way and pass for any Man or Angel into his new-Creature Gospel-life of immortality 2 Tim. 1. 10. and everlasting Righteousness First-Covenant-Light that springs up with attends and accompanies Law-life in Man discover's the negative towards this viz. that all which Man has there is but a fading flower altogether vanity The very intrinsick nature of all such fading life and things preaches this in every such Man 's own breast Hence have the stoutest and most peremptory self-confidents a secret bondage all their life-time in that State through fear of death Heb. 2. 15. And further even their first-Covenant Law-light points towards Christ for spiritual eternal Life who will not fail to give it to all that rightly come to him for it and submit to his terms of receiving it even the death and loss of all they are possess'd of in the first-Covenant as loss and dung Phil. 3. 6 10. for the everlasting life and durable riches of the second Joh. 5. 40. 6. 54. 10. 28. 17. 2 3. knowingly then to chuse the former hold fast their own in the first in unchangeable enmity to God's own in the second-Covenant is unpardonable madness and folly It provokes God to swear in his Wrath they shall never enter into his Rest. Then must their name their whole persons be covered with everlasting darkness The abortive is free'd from such their guilt of neglecting or abusing all such things receiv'd and possess'd by them He never had them never saw or experienc'd any thing under the literal or mystical Sun of this World or next He is free from condemnation as to any of these accounts If therefore liable to Judgment 't is only according to God's infinite all-searching understanding and infallible sight of the inward mind of his Spirit without the aggravating and additional weight of his own wilful evil thoughts or ouvert actions by which any enmity to God in his Spirit could be manifested So has this untimely birth more rest than the other For having never had the other's advantages he is free from the guilt of abusing them yet not free from all evil or guilt in his sight to whom belong and are certainly known all secret things Deut. 29. 29. in the spirits of Men not brought to veiw by action or so much as imagin'd by them not so much as imagin'd Treason against the King of Saints He saw Jacob and Esau so as to love the one and hate the other before either of them was born or had done good or evil Rom. 9. 11 -- 13. All 's naked and open to him with whom we have to do Heb. 4. 12 13. He sees all Men's thoughts long before they think them or are in being Psal. 139. 1 2. He knew all they 'l do towards him and all he will do with them for ever from eternity All futurities have bin manifest to his Infinite Divine understanding from Eternity and to his all-searching new-Creature understanding from everlasting But they that are never brought into the exercise of bodily or if that not into the exercise of a first-Covenant life such have not had the opportunity of a trial how they 'd demean themselves therein As less guilty then they 'l have more rest or at least less Torment and Wrath for their portion than the other though or in case they also perish for ever For as there are differences in Salvation Glory Joy and Enjoyments so in Damnation -- Shame Sorrow
and Torment Else how comes self-exalting Capernaum any first-Covenant People exalted or lifted up to Heaven in second-Covenant Light so as to taste and see how good the Lord is in his new-Covenant life 1 Pet. 2. 3. and Heb 6. 4 -- 6. to be tumbled down to the lowest hottest Hell under the most fierce and fiery indignation of God for ever Their greater punishment carries with and in it a character that 's clap'd upon their backs as greater sinners by the abuse of such utmost advantages for their good then those of literal Sodom and Gomorrha Mat. 11. 23. figuring the general rout of all common Sinners of the Gentiles in the corrupt spirit of Nature under what ever outward nominal distinction by the title Mahumetan Pagan or Christian. Names vary not the case one jot where there 's nothing of Christianity in a first or second Covenant a Law or Gospel-life righteousness of Man or God They are enemies of all righteousness with Elymas the Sorcerer Act. 13. 8 -10. Vers. 6. Yea though he live a thousand years twice told yet hath he seen no good do not all go to one place Nothing but Vanity in the largest measures highest degrees and most fruitful exercise of a single first-Covenant or natural first-Creation life with the longest continuance therein is to be found by Man Let him live a thousand years twice told in the largest possessions thereof he sees not or enjoys any true unchangeable good therein from first to last All the goodness thereof comes to the same end and pass with his bodily life and the concerns or good things of that The death of both and all is the same end of all to the longest liv'd Methuselah and to an Infant that dies at an hour old The same period is put to the mortal first-Covenant life of the Spirit as to that of the body If therefore a Man have no other life to trust to beyond both these he will be cover'd with unchangeable darkness in eternal Death the mystical Tophet state or place of Torment for ever prepar'd for all self-confident first-Covenant Kings Princes of this World in the but fading glory of a first-Covenant life Such Princes crucified Christ for his Doctrine of the second They despise and wonder at it and so perish or come to nought with all they chuse and please themselves with 1 Cor. 2. 6. 8. Acts 13. 41. Do not all go to one place All these eminent long-liv'd vanity-mongers go to the same place or state of unchangeable enmity to God and darkness to themselves with those that had shorter continuance in and smaller enjoyments of the said righteous life of vanity in holy flesh or with them that never had any thing at all of it polluted Heathen's fix'd in the vile affections and lusts of literal Sodom All comes to one at last wise first-Covenant Saints and foolish common sinners of the Gentiles Yea their greater and higher advantages wilfully abus'd gain them only a deeper cup or measure of Wrath for ever than those of less attainments and standing therein or of none at all After all their enjoyment of and flourish in a but changable good rejecting God's everlasting as recompence of their most foolish choice to walk in the light of their own fire the warmth light zeal of and for their own enliven'd enlighten'd nature and compassing themselves about with sparks of their own kindling duties fruits works producible or performable therein must they lie down in sorrow darkness and death for ever This will they have from God's hand Isa. 50. 11. Vers. 7. All the labour of Man is for his mouth and yet the appetite Heb. Soul is not fill'd No satisfying answer to all the needs of Man's Immortal spirit in all first-Creation Vanities is ever to be found No literal or mystical riches that are all but perishing Vanities can do 't Let Man lay about him while he will do what he can in the activity of bodily or but first-Covenant righteous life he never finds or gets any such thing as will stop the craving mouth or fill the appetite of either so as to give any thing of true rest or satisfaction to him All Man 's trading in a vain life where Belly and Meats desires and desirables are perishing vanities and to be destroy'd 1 Cor. 6. 13. is with himself altogether vanity Psal. 39. 5. fleshly tree and fruit root and branch mouth appetite and meat Unprofitable is all man's labour then for fetching in Provisions for his flesh even holy flesh righteous cleans'd nature to gratify or fulfill the lusts thereof Rom. 13. 14. The very meats of Christ's first-Covenant earthly Table afforded man for a season in that state will with that renew'd holy life and appetite come to nought A Plea therefrom will stand Man in no stead at the last day as having eaten and drunk thereat for entrance into his Kingdom Luk. 13. 24 -- 30. Mat. 7. 21 -- 23. He will not know or own them but hid them depart from him as incorrigible workers of mystical iniquity the highest and most criminal rank of unpardonable sinners Out of Heathen Countries from East West North and South the four winds of Heaven shall an Elect Seed be wakened up signally by the preparatory dispensation of Angels in association with the risen Witnesses from among Men to preach the 〈◊〉 Gospel into the spiritual Kingdom-life of the 〈◊〉 and sit down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob and all the Prophets in the Kingdom of God and such high but hypocritical pretenders to it be thrust out Luke 13. 28 29. Mat. 24. 14 31. All this will be preparatory to Christ's second coming Abundance of Christ's Spouses and Children in the 〈◊〉 Covenant become incorrigible Rebels against him and his Spirit of the second and consequently the siercest Persecutors and haters of all his Gospel-Saints and Truths Then he most justly turns from being a Saviour to them as for a season he was in the 〈◊〉 to be their unchangeable enemy and 〈◊〉 against them Isa. 63. 8 10. or pour upon them his unchangeable wrath in and by that very spirit of the second they 〈◊〉 with a perfect 〈◊〉 and it them Zec. 11. 8. Sure the unchangeable wrath of God must needs light and rest for ever on the guilty heads of the unchangeable enemies of God The stated Case for Salvation from the beginning is the surrender of and passing out of all first-creation life and vanities into the second The rebellious keeping up the first against the second loses all and excludes from the second that 's God's and the Saint's true Rest for 〈◊〉 Solomon lamenting the folly of Man in his own vain self-chosen life will and way puts these two following Questions to him Ver. 8. For what hath the Wise more than the Fool What hath the Poor that knoweth to walk before the Living What or who is the Wise the Fool the Poor and his knowledg to walk before the Living what Living who
with a whiff 'T is deceitful above all things and desperatly wicked who can know or discover it The wisdom of God in himself and Saints this only can search it out and cause it to know it self teach it or bring it to the true 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jer. 17. 9 10. Nothing in Nature nothing below the all-searching Gospel-Spirit in Christ and Saints can discover all its Meanders and Wiles anatomize and unriddle it to the full The holy Ghost in and by Peter found out the falshood of Ananias and Saphira and slew them Act. 5. 1 -- 10. The first-Covenant wise Jew or Christian Gentile boasts himself as a fit Teacher and Guide to the common sinner in corrupt Nature little dreaming that himself in 〈◊〉 Nature is guilty of a more criminal sort of mystical 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 against God and his Spirit of Grace Rom. 2. 17 -27. He sits in his majesterial Chair as an instructor of fools insulting over the gross sinner with a touch me not stand by keep off for I am 〈◊〉 than thou This renders the proud Pharisee an abomination to God Isa. 65. 5. To such self-confidents Paul puts divers searching questions which discover him more deeply guilty of mystical sins against the Gospel bearing the same title with the literal Adulteries Thefts Idolatries and Sacriledg he justly reproves in the common sinner against the Law The death and loss of all such boast in is absolutely necessary in the methods of God's Wisdom to Salvation the receiving that Gospel-Spirit of life in which any can be saved Miss this and miss all Come short of the Grace and ye fall short of the Glory of God never enjoy the beatisical vision thereof An exact observer of the letter of the Law may be a most criminal breaker of its spiritual mind or meaning as Paul once The Law-Saint or legal-spirited Christian Believer finds the corrupt Heathen a no-body to him and he is a no-body to the true Gospel-Saint a meer blind Ignoramus as to all-Gospel-truths yea worse a mortal hater of and enemy to all Gospel-Saints as no-bodies to him the worst of Men the 〈◊〉 of the World The circumcis'd cleans'd first-covenant wise Man by opposing the second becomes a greater sinner and worse Man than the uncircumcis'd polluted Heathen If he and the Heathen fix themselves in righteous and corrupt Nature the 〈◊〉 righteous Man will have the worst on 't for ever T will be easier for the literal than mystical Sodomite in Hell Mat. 11. 23 24. But what then hath the wise Man or first-Covenant holy Man more than the fool in corrupt Nature What advantage has he Much every way says Paul in answer to his own question Rom. 3. 1 2. The Law or restor'd life of it rightly us'd is of great benefit to Man in suppressing and keeping under the vile affections of corrupt Nature but if abused against spiritual conviction in a 〈◊〉 enmity to the Gospel 't is render'd by Man worse than nothing and he is thereby rendered worse than the fool or common sinner 〈◊〉 in polluted Nature For he is absolutely excluded God's Rest on his wilfully contracted incurable Leprosy or disease of unchangeable enmity to God the other not so But leaving both their cases what hath the poor that knoweth to walk before the living What has the poor broken-spirited Saint beyond both and all the the said wise and fools that are levell'd at the death of the body and come all to the same sad end a being cover'd with darkness for ever This truly poor in spirit is a blessed Heir of the Kingdom of God The natural Man of the true Saint impoverish'd and run down by the cross as to that wisdom life riches and fading glory the self-exalting first-Covenant Princes of this World keep up in rebellion against God and enmity to the cross is the poor and needy the Scripture so ring's of specially the Psalms And occasionally has this mystical poor bin plentifully spoken of and charactered in this and the like discourses on Job Timothy c. Christ pronounces such poor blessed Mat. 5. 3. the opposit rich or wise cursed Wo to the rich Luk 6. 24. Such mystical rich go merrily without regarding this wo they are under with their whole Soul or unbroken natural spirit to Hell while the true Saint in the broken crucified impoverish'd mourning state thereof is following the slain Lamb to Heaven Blessed are such mourners Mat. 5. 4. Both the wise and fool in the restor'd or corrupt spirit of nature set by and laid aside Solomon ask's in reference to this third Man distinct from both What hath or is the poor c. What has he got in the room of all the lost life wisdom and riches of his own Nature spiritual everlasting Gospel-life and riches This is the case of such as with Paul are content to become fools weak and despicable as to all the first-Covenant rich and wise boast and glory in What this mystical fool and poor has is plain durable riches and life in God What has the opposit wise then no more to speak on than the fool in polluted nature All are fools one and 'tother as to their eternal concerns mind no such things Spiritual and Heavenly These go for nothing with them but are all in all The Spirit of God asks and resolv's his own question negatively and 〈◊〉 Isa. 66. 1 2. God delights not in any thing of the first creation where all is corruptible and altogether vanity even all the life goodness and top-excellencies thereof in Man and Angel But in the second where all the goodness materials and ingredients are incorruptible and unperishable Hence delights he in one poor broken-spirited man in the first in order to his being quicken'd up into the second incomparably beyond all the unbroken glory and excellency of all natural Men or Angels though not found in enmity changeable or unchangeable to that Gospel-Spirit or cross that will break down all fading good in all Angels and Men in Love or 〈◊〉 Wrath. What God delights not in he requires our obedient submitting to his destroying in order to be brought forth in what he does delight in and will delight in for evermore So of the work of his hands by a first-creation come we to be the Sheep of his Pasture in and by a second All first-creation or Covenant-Life Wisdom Righteousness c. are but Law-Ceremonies not Grace or Gospel-Truths meer transient vanities perishing next to nothings When they have serv'd their season away they are to go as dung for Gospel-life Phil. 3. 8. The Poor here as to all Law-life and riches are the only true wise Men that know how to walk before the living even before the living God unto all-pleasing in the living Word Wisdom New-creature Gospel-Spirit of the Son of God They are taught principled or spirited so as infallibly to know the whole mind and do the whole will of the Father They have obediently quitted and
on his murdering work on the Prince of Life and Author of Salvation and at same time procur'd by them a pardon for a convicted murderer Act. 3. 14 15. That Men get by such fighting against the only spirit wherein and by they can be saved is their own everlasting destruction by the same hand they oppose executed upon them And what get they in their own way amongst a heap of delusive vanities nothing save an encrease of vanity and of their sin and guilt for their wilful rebellion therein against all the faithful warnings advice and commands of God's spiritual Law to the contrary for their good So will they find at length that by encreasing their heap of vanities they have bin heaping or treasuring up wrath to themselves against the last day They will be in such sense fill'd with their own devices and reap the sad fruits of their many inventions Prov. 1. 31. Eccles. 7. 29. under wrath and a total disappointment of all their vain opinions and labours about and for rest and happiness Abundantly the worse will they be for all they have bin done or had Vers. 12. For who knoweth what is good for Man in this life all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow For who can tell a Man what shall be after him under the Sun There 's great cause for these two pertinent queries concerning Man For in his natural state at best is he wholly ignorant of both these things viz. What 's best for him to do in this World or what will be after him under the Sun when he is departed out of it What 's truly good for him in order to true Blessedness here or hereafter he knows not But when convincingly shew'd all wherein from what hand on what terms or by what way and means 't is attainable if he refuse so great Salvation as is offer'd in God's Spirit and chuse the life of his own before and against it he spends all his days and labours in and about a shadow and so chuses his own damnation He is possess'd of no good but what will vanish and leave him for ever Psal. 39. 5. 49. 12. when he is stripp'd of all his fading good and finds himself unchangeably evil under unchangeable Wrath he will too late be forc'd to see the Truth here declar'd by way of question that he spent all his days in and all his hours about a shadow But To the second Query These are the sad things that will be after a Man has spent his days here in a shadowy state of Vanity as amus'd and diverted all along his vain life with variety of perishing Vanities under the influence of the God of this World Amidst a flush and confluence of these delusive entertainments he seems little concern'd what shall be after him or what will become of him for ever He obstinately deafens himself to all counsels and instructions about what indeed is eternal life or the way towards it the death of a fading natural one as meer aery notion fiction and enthusiastical delusion He strikes in with the God of this World as willing to be blinded by him against all Gospel-Light and things He desires not to be troubled with such matters but to live in 〈◊〉 perfect inadvertency and unconcernedness as to such good things as can't be lost and as in no danger of losing what he has which most certainly will be lost for ever Man's days in this World are but as a hand-breadth nothing to his endless sorrowful State hereafter Yet all his sollicitude is about his concerns here scarce a thought about his eternal concerns hereafter All duties and performances in a life of vanity do but add to and encrease vanity and what 's he the better as to true happiness or any thing towards it In every respect worse in none better For what he sinfully heaps up against conviction he more and more sinfully delights in As the heap of vanities encreases his evil love to and delight therein encreases So in all his labour he adds iniquity to iniquity on all hands His heap of vanities and his vain love to it encreases all in a known rebellion against God Here 's Man's destructive trade in vanities wilfully neglecting all God's Counsel and durable riches He neither lay's to heart the desperate consequents of his evil choice and dotage on his own perishing life and riches or the unspeakable happiness that would have come after and befallen him had he obediently exchang'd and parted with all for God's everlasting Solomon bewail's this twofold ignorance of unhappy Man as to the everlasting good things that would have fallen to his lot after this life above all conception or thought of his natural heart on a right choice or sorrows and torment for ever on a wrong in a state of everlasting darkness and death This is the unknown or unconsider'd state that will come after all his jollity and deceitful pleasure in his vain life under the Sun CHAP. VII V. 1. A good Name is better then precious Ointment and the day of death then the day of one's birth NOthing is properly good in God's sight but what 's unchangably so Christ would not suffer our nature in the changeable first-covenant life of the Law to be call'd good in his 〈◊〉 person Mat. 19. 17. The good name then here is the new name Rev. 2. 17. which imports and belongs to that newness of life in which only 't is possible to bring forth fruit unto God or be saved Rom. 6. 4. 7. 4. This is here asserted to be better then all the precious Ointment in its kind of first covenant Life Light Wisdom with all variety of Gifts and Abilities therein as also all spiritual enlightning Gifts receiv'd upon that foot or in that Law-state short of the very Gospel-life and more excellent way 1 Cor. 12. 31. call'd Love 1 Cor. 13. To this only belongs the new or unchangeably good name here This is the unspeakably more excellent Gift then the said precious Ointment All first-creation-Life and Goodness being corruptible God that sees all futurities and possibilities knowing it will change or be chang'd and lost calls it Corruption in or with which no man or Angel can enter into or inherit Incorruption the incorruptible Inheritance 1 Pet. 1. 4. the Kingdom of God 1 Cor. 15. 50. That incorruptible new-creation Life is convincingly shew'd and offer'd Men in lieu of their obediently surrendred natural and corruptible in which alone any can enter into and inherit it And this is imported in the new or good name here All old or first-creation life at best in Angel or Man is character'd by 〈◊〉 grass flower of grass Vanity a Dream and they therein said to be altogether Vanity Isa. 40. 6 -8. 1 Pet. 1. 24. Psal. 39. 5. Thus is the corruptible seed of a first-covenant life set up in both by the first-creation or restor'd in Man since lost by the fall which in
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
Devil and his Angels at first did But 't is the distinguishing mark brand and character of fools to suffer this anger to rest in them or themselves to be fix'd in enmity against the Gospel-spirit and Cross of Christ. The very Elect Satan would thus deceive but tho' they be for a season ignorantly engag'd in the same folly such anger against God's declar'd way of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rest or abide for ever in them Paul was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Act. 26. 11. In letter anger long rests in fools for any injury real or supposed done them whereas a wise Man will pass by a transgression and not harbour in his bosom long troublesome revengeful meditations of an injury to his own and 〈◊〉 hurt But the said mystical fool is the greatest fool of all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in his greatest concern His lifted up Soul in first 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and ornaments against God and the second is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 4. indeed a downright hater of and hateful to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in spirit waits for new spiritual light or revelation the proud in spirit scorns and scoffs at this new light and rejects what ever his conceited wisdom can't receive or discern that is all Gospel-Truths and Mysteries of the Kingdom of God Vers. 10. Say not thou what is the cause that the former days were better then these for thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this Solomon here prevents and rebukes Man's quarrel and complaint that the latter day 's of this World since the fall are worse then the former before the fall which brought a desolating change upon mankind into a dark dead ignorant corrupt state of nature Man does not judg nor inquire a right as wisely considering and discerning this thing Fallen Angels indeed were gone without remedy on their first sin But 't is not so with Man For God has over-rul'd his fault and punishment to the farther magnifying of his Free-Grace by which he is offer'd better things and greater advantages than were given him in his first creation God has found a way for restoring him to some measure of his lost righteous life And the universal experience of mankind as to the fading nature of that life by the first sin and fall from it and by a world of faithful warnings from God and multiplied instances of Apostates after renewed therein do make up an advantage to them beyond what Adam had before his fall For he through somthing of inadvertency was surpriz'd and catch'd alive 2 Tim. 2. 26. in that snare of the Devil the very righteous life he was 〈◊〉 of as if all that God intended for his final and absolute blessedness All men now find that Suggestion of the Devil Adam thro' the weakness of his flesh or fleshly state entertain'd as a truth to be a lie If his saying Ye shall not die at all be not sufficiently refuted by the death of all Men as to that righteous life set up in the first-creation make of Adam when will it or what will undeceive men Man then restor'd into something of the same changeable righteous life Adam was created in the perfection of may seem to have the advantage-ground of Adam in order to the second personal trial of every one against the like fallacious arguings of Satan 2 Cor. 11. 3. And as men's advantages are greater for preventing a sinning after the similitude of Adam's transgression so will their punishment for it be greater even an irrecoverable destruction the latter end worse than the begining as higher and greater sinners against the Holy Ghost then Adam was or they in and with him The same sin willfully repeated in any man is absolutely unpardonable If that of Adam and all men in him had bin so who could have bin saved What Christ the second Adam has done for all Men leaves no Men capable of defending or excusing themselves by that worn Proverb a fleshly first Covenant Israel or people of God had got in their mouth 's that our first Parents ate sowr Grapes and their Childrens Teeth are thereby set on edge Ezek. 18. 2. All Men may be recover'd out of their polluted fallen nature if they will by Christ's General Redemption-work as the common Salvation 1. Tim. 4. 10. Jude 3. Rom. 5. 18. All are capable of such life and justification therein as Adam had before his fall And all are capable of a new trial for the obedient exchange of that life for a better an everlasting which Adam at first fail'd in Man's latter condition then since the fall is circumstanc'd with valuable advantages both for escaping Damnation and obtaining Salvation beyond his former before the fall All the evil consequents of the first Adam's sin are remov'd by the obedient death of the second and Gospel-instructions are afforded to caution against the like beyond what Adam in innocency had So in the said respects God has made the latter day 's of Man better than the former tho' man had made them worse And if man make the right use of his advantages therein as he ought God will make his latter end better than his beginning by setting up in him an everlasting Gospel-life that never can be lost in the room of his fading Law-life that has bin and will be lost for ever by every man and Angel that do what they can to keep and save it in a known rebellion against the only Saviour and all his words of counsel and instruction Mat. 16. 25. Vers. 11. Wisdom is good with an inheritance and by it there is profit to them that see the Sun The new-creature Wisdom of God in man qualifies him for the inheriting of God himself renders him a joynt-heir with Christ of God Rom. 8. 17. The corruptible old or first-Creation life and wisdom of Man gives no title to this incorruptible 〈◊〉 1 Pet. 1. 4. It belongs not to flesh and blood 1 Cor. 15. 50. Man or Angel in their natural make and state which at best is in both and they in it altogether Vanity No entring into the second Covenant and Kingdom-spirit of God but by the sacrifice of all we receiv'd from his own hand in the first to him Psal. 50. 5. All our own in our natural first-creation-make and life must go for all God's own in the second If Man yeild to his suffering parting part in order to his entring the new Covenant the surrender loss and perfect resignation of all his own without any reserve if he come roundly and cleerly 〈◊〉 herein not keeping back any part of his earthly life or possessions with Ananias and Saphira Heaven is his own God himself his inheritance for ever Christ will not fail to perform his part and undertake in the second Covenant as to the unspeakable gift the promise of the Father Luk. 24. 49. Act. 1. 4. which he calls his own The young Man refus'd Christ's terms herein Mat. 19. 22. The old Man in him was not willing to part with his old earthly things for
God and the true Spiritual New-creation Man or Heavenly creature-Life and Image of God in Christ blessed Angels and Saints The ring-leading Head of all thus fix'd is the Devil This Head as representative of the whole party of incorrigible wicked Angels and Men and comprehending them all is the Woman here the mystical Babylonish-strumpet guilty of unpardonable Adulteries and spiritual wickednesses against Christ the true Spiritual Lord and Husband of Angels and Men whom they ought all to obey and be eternally subject to in every thing The very person of the Devil as possess'd of the highest natural glories and excellencies by the first creation was therein the supream first-Covenant Spouse of Christ. But this Spouse soon apostatiz'd and became the grand mystical strange Woman and Adulteress that did from the date of her first sin and fall set herself to draw as many Angels and Men as she could into the same adulterous and murderous mind of enmity against Christ that spiritual Lord and Husband they all ought to submit to his terms of being married to for ever in the new and everlasting Covenant All that rebelliously keep up their own life and beauty in the first against him and the second will be judg'd as mystical Wedlock-breakers Murderers and most criminal Idolaters Ezek. 16. 15 38. The Devil by this practice in the top-excellency of first-creation life has render'd himself a bottomless pit of deceits and all sorts of spiritual wickedness endeavouring and abundantly prevailing through God's permission and Men's wilful folly to corrupt their spirits and fill their hearts with the same unchangeable enmity to Christ and God with himself By the Workmanship of this mystical Woman are Men rendered temples of her unchangeable evil Spirit The mouth of this strange woman is a deep pit he that is abhorred of the Lord shall fall therein This have we from Solomon also Prov. 22. 14. But whoso pleases God shall escape her Thus gives he a true account of the said bottomless pit with the sad condition of all that fall therein and the blessed priviledges of them that escape her All blind leaders with their followers in the first-creation-state excluding Christ and the second tumble together into this deep ditch or bottomless pit of unchangeable wickedness Mat. 15. 14. Luk. 6. 39. The very spirit of the Devil is this ditch or bottomless pit the mother of all mystical Whoredoms and spiritual abominations of the Earth Rev. 17. 5. Or in the earthly natural state lying in wait as a robber for a prey and encreasing the transgressors among Men Prov. 23. 27 28. All that in their renew'd spirit of Nature righteousness of Man or Form of Godliness in the first-Covenant finally deny and reject the Power of Godliness the New-creature-life Wisdom and Righteousness of God in the second are fallen into this bottomless pit of deceits All fix'd first-creation builders on the Sand absolutely reject exclude and deny that Spirit of Grace that 's the corner-stone and rocky foundation of the true Church The Woman here is indeed that strong powerful Man of Sin or Son of Perdition that by his superiour angelical strength and subtilty when faln was too hard for Man at best in innocency By the obedient death only of Man's spirit at best can he receive the life of that new-creation spirit of Christ that 's greater stronger and wiser then he 1 Joh. 4. 4. Then he is an over-match for the Devil able to fight and run down all evil angelical principalities and powers those wicked spirits with all their spiritual wickednesses in high places or counterfeit heavenly appearances Ephes. 6. 10 -13. When strong in the Lord and in the power of his might in the life armour or clothing of God's Spirit of Grace set up in and put upon him then is man able to still the said enemy and avenger Psal. 8. 2. This spirit in man is stronger then the strong man of sin who therefore cannot enter that House or Person it possesses nor spoil his house or goods Mat. 12. 29. Man wise strong and honourable in Christ but by first-covenant communications 1 Cor. 4. 10. Satan is too strong for and can spoil all he has or is All that is in his power Job 1. 12. So let Man want the Spirit stronger than Satan he 'l fall under him and be led captive at his will in and by that very first-covenant life he reckons to be saved in 2 Tim. 2. 26. The wisdom of it cannot discover his snares nor the strength of it withstand his power All 's but as straw and rotten wood to his superiour Angelical Wisdom Strength and Armour Job 41. 27. Flesh and Blood Man at best is so far from being fit to wrestle against evil Angels that they can make all that in Man serviceable to their designs for destroying him as on their side their friend in him In Christ's Spirit of life are Saints only fit to fight down both both Flesh and Blood the natural spirit at best and evil Angels at the back of it to strengthen that Foe of their own house that with them in all its affections and lusts fights and warrs against God and the true interest of their own souls The compleat death of this home-bred Foe but pretending Womanish Friend and Counseller in the Saint's own bosom Mic. 7. 5. is his full deliverance from all Satan's nets and snares For then he finds no part in him that he can tempt or touch please or hurt John 14. 30. When the Saint is crucified as to all worldly desires in him to all worldly desirables without him the God of this World finds nothing in him his Belial-party the enemy of God is extinguish'd and abolish'd The literal Woman by her snares and alluring Arts makes literal the mystical by her's spiritual and more criminal Sodomites T will be easier in the day of Judgment for the former then for the latter Mat. 11. 23 24. The light of Reason in all men may fence against the literal but the best Wisdom and Strength of first-Covenant holy Men is no defence against this mystical Woman's practices upon them Yea she turn's that very Wisdom and Strength with the perishing meats they feed on therein at Christ's earthly table and fruits they bring forth under Christ's Husbandly influence as a fleshly Bridegroom into so many Snares by which she catches them While she keeps them confident in holy flesh or knowledg of Christ after the flesh she renders them wholly regardless of his holy Gospel-spirit and words thereof save to oppose contradict and blaspheme all When Men give up themselves with Christ's first-Covenant gift of life and second-Covenant enlightning gifts and thereby a taste-of his new-Wine Hos. 2. 8. Heb. 6. 4 5. of the the Kingdom to Baal the Devil they become his most Gigantick opposers and strenuous fighters against all Gospel Kingdom-Truths and all that bring such things to their ears When men wilfully deafen themselves to the voice of
of deceits full of snares and nets as the very Kingdom of God and Salvation to men And they 〈◊〉 others to hope that they will confirm or make good their word Ezek. 13. 6. In a 〈◊〉 spirit of Divination do Devil and Man joyntly declare this and boldly affirm 't is in the Lord's Spirit of Truth they say so They say the Lord saith They see nothing but vanity and preach up nothing but perishing vanities the natural excellencies or fading things of Man or Angel in the first-creation for eternal Life They speak only of the world this world's vanities and the world hears them all the world wonder 's after them 1 Joh. 4. 5. Rev. 13. 3. All in the but earthly spirit of nature corrupt or righteous are for such Preaching or none at all Satan's Apostles or Ministers come forth in great variety of form language and way all making but a universal Babel of confusion running their hearers into the very bosom of the Devil the bottomless-pit of all deceits and falshoods as their only security for Salvation Men are deeply concern'd to take heed who they hear not such strangers to and enemies of Christ's Gospel Jo. 10. 4 5. and then what and how they they hear Mark 4. 24. Luk. 8. 18. that they rightly take the voice or words of the true Shepherd and his Spiritual Apostles or Messengers and obey them Many may hear right Gospel-words and not understand them Mark 4. 12. And then they 'l not follow or obey them but run still after Satan's Law-Gospel Those that distinguish not the Words of God's from those of the Serpent's Man's Wisdom how should they scape the snares of this grand mystical Adulteress If they suffer themselves willingly to be beguil'd into a perswasion that Satan's Gospel and that which true Saints call Christ's are all one they are caught in the snares of the Devil Satan's Apostles say those that pretend to be Christ's differ from them only in an affected singularity and disguise of words not matter While this shuffle will serve the turn Satan's Gospellers find it not needful or convenient to enter the lists for a debating the case with Sion-Saints about a true Gospel-state But if Christ's Gospel come forth in such sharp discriminating language as to evidence its distinction in the whole matter of it from Satan's and Man's then to prevent yet any farther trouble about it they sit in their Majesterial Chair and in general without meddling with any particular in it decry it for the most dangerous destructive blasphemy and falshood that ever was invented or impos'd upon Men worse then Popery or Mahumetanism then the grossest Idolatries or most brutish practices of any Heathens This general vilifying Christ's whole Gospel-doctrine and assertors of it as the vilest of doctrines and men they 〈◊〉 a far easier and safer way then to meddle with any particulars of it Thus far and at this rate only seems the shock of opposition to be given to it and manag'd against it at this day But if matters once grow to that pass that some valuable number of awaken'd Saints and spiritually convinced Men should be the Assertors Followers and Owners of the very Christ the very Gospel so as to give occasion to Satan's Gospel-ministers to say in the same levened sowr spirit of enmity to God with the Pharisees Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing behold the World is gone after them when this comes to pass enemies will go another way to work The Jews when they could not resist or bear up against the wisdom and spirit by which Stephen spake they could and did through the permission of God and instigation of the Devil silence him as they reckon'd with stones But he being dead yet speaketh as Abel and all other such witnessing Saints most injuriously slain for the Testimony of Jesus in the Spirit of true Prophecy The regenerating transforming assimilating touch of the Gospel-spirit of Christ sixes Man 's versatile changeable Law-spirit in eternal obedience to and harmony with God The degenerating transforming assimilating touch of the spirit of the Devil on Man's fixes it with himself in unchangeable enmity to God as the very principle of his life desire thought word and action By one or other of these unchangeable good or evil spirits comes man to be lodg'd up in a state of eternal life or death a bed of true rest and unspeakable joy Isa. 57. 1 2. or of everlasting sorrow Isa. 50. 11. torment and vexation of Spirit He that 's born of God's unchangeably good Spirit is secure from the transforming touch of the unchangeable evil-one 1 Joh. 5. 18. The touch of spirits is a qualifying alterative touch baptizes Man's changeable spirit into the unchangeable toucher the Spirit of God or of the Devil By the death of their own spirit that Satan can touch and 〈◊〉 into the life of God's Spirit he can 〈◊〉 touch by this way and means and this only are Saints 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 from all the nets and snares of this grand Adulteress the Devil The whole World all that take up in their worldly earthly life of nature run into them A babe a suckling in Christ's Spirit is too hard for 〈◊〉 Psal. 8. 2. Man in the highest restor'd perfections of his own is no body in his hands Job 41. The incorrigible first-creation sinner is taken by her the new-creation Saint who alone pleases God shall escape all her nets snares hands or bands for ever Vers. 27. Behold this have I found saith the Preacher counting one by one to find out the account Solomon in the Sanctuary-balance the al-searching new-Creation Spirit of true prophecy weigh'd one thing after another so as to give a clear and full account of what he was so inquisitive after an everlasting state of Truth and Righteousness He weigh'd and tried all parts of the first Creation the utmost goodness and excellencies found in Man and Angels before their fall or restor'd in Men since and in the total sum of all found the one thing necessary for the true blessedness of any wanting 'T is not in the whole first-Creation Land of the living Job 28. 21. or state of Life No such thing found he in the whole heap of this World's Vanities So arriv'd he at this negative satisfaction that there 's no hope of ever finding true happiness there He resolv'd therefore no longer to squander away his time with others in seeking for the living amongst the dead or true Life and Happiness in a Region of Darkness and of the shadow of Death No such life as will swallow up Death into Victory is to be found there nothing but what Death will swallow up into Victory and triumph over for ever This he declares Vers. 28. Which yet my Soul seeketh but I find not one Man among a thousand have I found but a Woman among all those have I not found No unchangeably good thing could he find in the first-creation What then found he One
no Redemption Psal. 49. 8. The first-covenant holy Place wilfully kept up against the second and most holy turns it into a most unholy Place a state of unchangeable enmity to God and death to Man 2 Pet. 2. 20 22. Heb. 10. 26 27. On this complicated twofold wilful sin against God and the distinct lights of his twofold Covenant as an enemy of all Righteousness does God bury and cover him with a spirit of unchangeable darkness So comes he to 〈◊〉 wholly forgotten in the City place or state where he hath so done The very name and memory of the whole earthly 〈◊〉 City or party of Men fix'd in the first-covenant holiness as turn'd into unchangeable enmity to God and the second will 〈◊〉 for ever They 'l be blotted out of all favourable regard or remembrance with God for ever The very state by them rebelliously chosen will 〈◊〉 made 〈◊〉 final prison and burying-place in which to 〈◊〉 for ever This get they by trusting in lying vanities Ver. 11. Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil Here 's a sad Account of the 〈◊〉 of all hearts as ready to abuse all the goodness and patience of God in deferring the execution of his sentence against their evil works God is of purer eyes than to behold with approbation any iniquity One time and way or other all sinners must be punish'd for all sorts of sins pardonable or unpardonable God punishes every evil work in Saints and puts the evil-worker in them their natural spirit to death at long-run under the fatherly chastisements of his Cross as we find it in Solomon's own case and all the posterity of our spiritual Lord David Psal. 89. 26 -36. Then he quickens and sets up the life of his Spirit of Grace in them that never can sin 1 Joh. 3. 9. In this can they fully please God and overcome the Devil This get they by the Gospel exchange-traffick God's infallible Gospel-Spirit and Wisdom for their fallible Law-spirit All that fix in their Law-spirit become unchangeable enemies of God and his Gospel And all God's patience towards them herein do they abuse to a farther hardning and waxing confident in their folly setting their hearts to do evil because his declar'd Sentence against them is not speedily executed upon them v. 11. and Rom. 2. 4 5. God 〈◊〉 them line and opportunities of manifesting the utmost of their wicked thoughts and intents against him and so do they ripen themselves for the Sicle of his just Vengeance Rev. 14. 19 20. God will be abundantly clear'd and justified in all his ways and dealings towards them his long patience with them and then final severity upon them after all No Men without the Law or in the Law no Heathens in the rational light of Nature no Jews or Christians in the first-Covenant life of the Law will be found destitute of such conviction of the insufficiency of their natural state for Salvation as will expose them to judgment for their secret enmity to God in staying there by his infallible Gospel-Spirit Rom. 2. 12 -16. 'T will then be undeniably evident that neither from the fashion of being or changeable life given them by a first-creation nor from want of sutable helps for directing them towards eternal blessedness in the second the miscarriage of any to their eternal ruin has bin necessitated Their evil mind growing worse and worse under all a Sentence of unchangeable Death comes at length to be most justly executed upon them Under all the favour of a first-Covenant life a-fresh restor'd in them and the life of the second in its own light shew'd and offer'd them in such a Land or State of Uprightness do they deal wickedly in enmity to God and the second Isa. 26. 10. Pharaoh under all the wonders in Egypt hardned himself more and more against the messages of God presumptuously calling them vain or lying Words Exod. 5. 9. The Priests Scribes Pharisees and professing Jews in the view of all Christ's Miracles grew more wilfully hard'ned against his Gospel-doctrin and murther'd his Person Thus did they in a Land of Uprightness the holy Place or first-covenant State of their enlightned righteous natural Spirit Man's just demeaning himself therein is an obedient submitting to God's doing Judgment on it out of love to his mercy or unspeakable Gospel gift of eternal Life Mic. 6. 8. By humbling himself with Christ Phil. 2. 8. to the Death of the former comes Man to walk for ever with God as Enoch Gen. 5. 24. in the latter A surrender of all our own in the first-creation for God's own in the second is a doing righteously in and with our Land or State of Uprightness This answers the very end for which God restores unto Man or brings him again into his first-creation 〈◊〉 or Land of Uprightness If Man will not then honour God with his substance Prov. 3. 9. by giving it all up in sacrifice to his Will but rebelliously keep it up in a known enmity to him his destruction is undeniably of himself as fully setting his heart to do evil Ver. 12. Tho' a sinner do evil an hundred times and his days be prolonged yet surely I know that it shall be well with them thatf ear God which fear before him In this and the next 〈◊〉 Solomon positively asserts a twofold truth concerning the obedient Saint and the incorrigible Sinner The Saint who alone truly sears God it shall be well with And as certain is it it shall not be well with the wicked because he does not fear before 〈◊〉 This fear of God that carries such great and certain good in it to the Saint and the want whereof causes great unchangeable misery to the incorrigible Sinner can import no less than an universal obedience to God and compliance with every of his 〈◊〉 Such obedience is seen by God in the incorruptible Seed of spiritual life and true Holmess before quickned into life or motion in the Saint This holy Seed secretly disposes men to obey the Lord according to their various degrees of natural and legal light as honest moral Heathens or first-covenant Believers Cornelius an Heathen Captain was own'd as such a fearer of God with all his Family under his conduct and example Act. 10. 2 22. and as so accepted with him v. 35. This Fear consisted in a faithfulness to his present light against the workings of corrupt nature and a readiness to receive and obey a greater light when offer'd as by Peter's Ministry So 〈◊〉 before his Gospel-conversion was faithful to his Law-light under that higher dispensation of God then Cornelius was before his Gospel conversion and forthwith obedient to Christ's Gospel-light as soon as shining upon him and made God's new dispensation to him Gal. 1. 16. Act. 9. 6. 26. 19. Both Cornelius and Paul walk'd according to their light yet not so resolutely confident or
Spirit are after a peculiar manner in the hand of God or under his peculiar regard care and approbation as obedient to him in all things Yet by any outward dispensations his Love to them or Hatred to his and their implacable Enemies can't be known For the natural Man or State is gratified in Enemies with more then heart can wish and in Saints or Friends under continual Chastisements Crosses and Disappointments In this cryptick Method or mysterious Course of God's dealing with Friends as Foes and Foes as Friends in all discernable appearances to Man's Wisdom will Man judg enemies the only Favorites of God and Friends rejected cast-aways hated by him for ever as Job's enlighten'd Friends did seem to reckon him when under the Cross Job 4. 7 -9. Psal. 73. 7 -14. Heb. 12. 6 -8. Solomon in the Wisdom of God and true Spirit of Prophecy farther declares Vers. 2. All things come alike to all there is one Event to the righteous and to the wicked to the good and to the clean and to the unclean to him that sacrificeth and to him that sacrificeth not as is the good so is the sinner and he that sweareth as he that feareth an Oath In God's dispensations to the outward Man of Saints and Sinners all things come alike to all righteous and wicked good and bad clean and unclean So God's Love or Hatred cannot thereby be known God causes his Sun to shine and Rain to fall on the evil and good just and unjust Mat. 5. 45. From the afflicting or gratifying dispensations of God to the whole natural Man is the Wisdom of Man apt to take the measures of God's Anger or Love God affords invisible as well as visible good things of this World to the inner as well as outer natural Man the Spirit as well as Body of the rebellious as also of those who will prove obedient Saints This as one fruit of Christ's Redemption-work Psal. 68. 18. As to a first-covenant Benefit ' of Christ's death the common or general Salvation all Men are capable of may they be made wise strong and honourable in Christ yea by new or second-Covenant Light also shew'd offer'd and brought to tast and see how good and gracious the Lord is in his new-Covenant-life and after all irrecoverably apostatize and perish for ever 1 Cor. 4. 10. Heb. 6. 4 -6. If man finally keep up his restor'd first-creation changeable righteous Life in enmity to God and his second he perishes for ever If he prefer the Knowledg of Christ after the flesh in the restor'd righteous Life of the Law or conformity to him as born of a Woman under the Law to Christ after the Spirit or in his spiritual resurrection-Life he perishes for ever In this evil self-chosen life and way does God in Judgment gratify Men with invisible fading or natural good things beyond all they can wish Psal. 73. 7. The literal wicked in the corrupt and mystically wicked in the resin'd spirit of Nature may be gratified with all worldly desirables outward or inward to their bodies or spirits and perish for ever after all under the Wrath to come All this Solomon understood and declar'd The natural Understanding even in the spiritual Saint can't reach these mysteries of Providence in the promiscuous dispensations of God to good and bad as to all worldly desirables visible or invisible Psal. 73. The truly righteous good and clean 〈◊〉 his natural Life to God as fearing an Oath or the swearing an everlasting Covenant with the Devil in the first-creation state against God and the second So comes his heart in a newness of life to be set in him to do good in God's sight for ever He that swears that Covenant with the Devil is fully set to do Evil for ever Eccl. 8. 11. However undiscern'd the Saint's condition be to his Enemies under the love of God in this life God will at last manifest the difference between them that serve him and those that serve him not but swear everlasting Allegiance to the Devil Mal. 3. 18. whose Servants they are Rom. 6. 16. Vers. 3. This is an evil among all things that are done under the Sun ' that there is one Event unto all yea also the heart of the Sons of Men is full of evil and madness is in their Heart while they live and after that they go to the dead The death of Nature as to the mortal life of Body and Soul is the one Event to all Men. This fatal Period comes nature to in the wise and fool righteous and wicked The spiritual wise Man only is an unspeakeable gainer by all such losses as befals his nature with his fellows Out of the darkness and death brought on his natural state is he raised into the spiritual light and life of God The same darkness and death brought upon others in Wrath for refusing it in Love becomes their dreadful condition and portion for ever under Wrath. This exceedingly differing Event of the said same event the Death of nature in all Men is not consider'd or discern'd by Man's Wisdom Hence Solomon says how dies the wise Man As the Fool there 's no remembrance of the one more then of the other for ever Eccles 2. 16. in Man's day or Judgment The differing event of the Cross in Love or Wrath turning all first-creation Wisdom Light and Life into foolishness darkness and death Man's Wisdom sees not All wisdom beauty or desirableness in nature will perish and be forgotten in all Men for ever On this account as to any thing in nature the truely wise dies as the Fool. For both by death lose all the changeable Life and fading Glory of their own nature But the said wise 〈◊〉 obedient surrender of all receive a more excellent Life and Glory for ever and those that rebelliously keep it lose all for ever under Wrath in everlasting darkness So though the same Event happen to all as to the death of nature the event of that event is exceedingly different eternal life or death Those that do not obediently part with their own first-creation Life and Wisdom for God's in the second seem charact'red here by a heart full of evil and madness while they live and after that they go to the dead Yea they are dead while they live as 〈◊〉 in enmity to God which must needs be eternal death to them The best Works of righteous Nature fix'd in enmity to the Righteousness of God in his Spirit of Grace are but dead Works perform'd in a spirit of Enmity and Death True Repentance from dead Works Heb. 6. 1. imports Law-Conversion from nature dead in Trespasses and Sins Eph. 2. 1. to the righteous life of a Man But this second death of righteous nature by a fixure in enmity is worse then the former and exposes to the second death as the due punishment thereof the vengeance of eternal fire Rev. 20. 14. This is the latter end worse then any beginning which many self-confident
practices of Men and Devils in opposition thereunto Vers. 11. I returned and saw under the Sun that the Race is not to the swift nor the Battel to the strong neither yet Bread to the wise nor yet Riches to Men of understanding nor yet favour to Men of skill but time and chance happeneth to them all God reserves to himself the Prerogative of giving success or disappointment as to outward things and events where when and to whom he pleases as the supream and 〈◊〉 cause over-ruling all second By time and chance happening to all is meant such events as Providence oft gives in a direct contrariety and disappointment to Man's thoughts and expectations from second causes In mystery here is signified that Man in the utmost Power Skill or Wisdom of his restor'd natural state can't win the Race or Battel can't get true Riches Food or Clothing He can't so run and fight in his corruptible natural mortal Life and State as to vanquish all Enemies and obtain the incorruptible Crown Neither is the favour of God or his unchangeable love to Men or Angels in the highest Skill and Wisdom of that state The death and loss of all there is undispensably necessary to the finding a Life Spirit Wisdom Strength and Power to do gain and win all things more then conquer World and Devil be universally obedient and pleasing to God in every thing and wear the incorruptible Crown They that run and fight in but their own renew'd naturals are uncertain unsteddy runners and fighters run at an all-adventures and if they confidently fix there in a direct contrariety to the Command and Will of God Levit. 26. 21. Such Runners are certain of nothing but missing the great Prize So will prove cast-aways as Paul had if he had not brought under his body or that holy natural state wherein he was fighting against God's holy Gospel-spirit and Life 1 Cor. 9. 24 27. Solomon with Paul returning from the Light and Wisdom of his own Spirit to Christ's declares the Crown of Life durable Riches Food and Clothing victory over all Enemies and the peculiar favour of God for ever not attainable under the Sun or in the power and under the conduct of the natural spirit in the most heightned sublime Wisdom and Skill thereof Time and 〈◊〉 happens to all that strive in that spirit for the said great things All the fading good and comfort therein will pass away and so will they find uncertainty and chance to have bin inseparable from the nature thereof as they had bin abundantly warn'd in their mortal day on Earth Vers. 12. For Man also knoweth not his time as the Fishes that are taken in an evil net and as the Birds that are caught in a snare so are the Sons of Men snared in an evil time when it falleth suddenly upon them Here are the sad and certain consequents of Man's standing running or fighting in unsteady wavering first-Covenant Principles The Sons of Men at best in that life and state are but like Fishes and Birds sure to be caught in Satan's evil nets and snares Eccles. 7. 26. And God in his just Wrath will spread his net upon them as on King Zedekiah Ezek. 12. 13. 17. 20. They chuse that very life and state for their Portion that is the very snare thro' their fond wilful dotage upon and overvalue of it in and by which Satan catches them at his will and leads them into the same everlasting destruction with himself True Saints by Gospel-labours endeavour to waken Men out of this dreamish life and vain-shew in and by which Satan is drawing them into eternal Death as 〈◊〉 willing Captives and obedient Servants and so strongly deluding them as to make them verily believe they are making safe steps toward eternal Life in the very way of Salvation Saints labour to waken them out of this mistaking Dream that 's the very snare the Devil catches and holds them in as therein taken alive by him 2 Tim. 2. 24 -26. Man know's not the time God will deliver him up to Satan for ever yea send him strong delusion for being so wilfully deluded by the Devil and believing his lie rather then God's Truth that he may be damn'd 2 Thess. 2. 11 12. Under Satan's spirit of unchangeable darkness is Man kept ignorant of these dreadful consequents of his evil choice till there 's no remedy 2 Chro. 36. 16. till all the threatned evils come upon him suddenly in an 〈◊〉 time that he is no more aware of then Birds and Fishes of the evil net and snare they are caught in and made a Prey of The final Wrath of God will be upon them and the state by them chosen from which no escape for ever They shall not know how it comes what it is till upon them nor ever be able to put it off Isa. 47. 11. Vers. 13. This Wisdom have I seen also under the Sun and it seem'd great unto me Vers. 14. There was a little City and few Men within it and there came a great King against it and besieg'd it and built great Bulwarks against it Vers. 15. Now there was found in it a poor wise Man and he by his Wisdom deliver'd the City yet no Man remembred that same poor Man Christ is the poor wise Man in a spirit that 's in personal Union with his divine His little City are his little 〈◊〉 of true Saints deliver'd by his Wisdom from the great King the Devil that comes with all his power to besiege and build great Bulwarks against them He frustrates all the designs polices and practices of evil Angels and Men against them All this by taking our nature and impoverishing it even to a total abolition of all that Wisdom Glory Power and Excellency in which the great evil King and his Forces come against the little City he undertakes the defence of against them all By the death of that nature in himself and little City or flock which the Enemy can touch deceive and destroy Men by as the very snare they are caught in and raising himself and them into a life above their reach and power does he deliver them All his true Souldiers must follow this great Captain 's suffering steps for this conquest Heb. 2. 10 14. A being made fools weak and 〈◊〉 as to all worldly first-Covenant life strength and wisdom yea as nothing or no-body things that are not this is the only way to overcome all these wise strong and honorable therein the strong Bulls of Bashan Psal 22. 12. all enemies whatsoever 1 Cor. 1. 25 28. When Saints by obedience to the Cross on their nature are so totally impoverish'd and run down as to become spectacles of scorn to the whole world all evil Angels and Men 1 Cor. 4. 9. fix'd in their own worldly natural state even then and thereby are they fitted to trample them all under their feet in a life wisdom and power they dream not of the Power of
God This is the strange method of God's Wisdom for his despis'd little ones to be found more than Conquerers of all their proud self-exalting despisers and enemies The abolishing the worldly life of Nature out of Christ and his Army is the way to their being all found in that life and power of the World to come in which they overcome all that obstinatly set up in this This way the Man Christ triumph'd over all evil angelical and humane Principalities and Powers the Princes of this World Col. 2. 14 15. 1 Cor. 2. 6. All Men that finally take up in the first-creation are Satan's Subjects all that pass out of that by death into the life of the second are God's The poor wise Man that does all these wonderful things for his little City has infinite divine and infallible creature-wisdom and power in him And what can all the visible and invisible Powers of this World with all their Strength Devices and Bulwarks be before him He was made a poor Man by the death of our nature that he might make many rich in his spirit of Grace on the like obedient death of nature in them 2 Cor. 6. 10. 8. 9. Phil. 2. 6 8. Yet no Man remembers this poor wise Man No man in his own Wisdom receives his Gospel-Testimony Joh. 3. 32. takes his Counsel follows his Example Under the sinking weight of this charge will evil Men and Angels lie for ever They 'l not remember hearken to or follow this poor Man under his Cross into the like poverty and death of nature in them the only way into his everlasting Rest. Vers. 16. Then said I Wisdom is better than strength nevertheless the poor Man's wisdom is despis'd and his words are not heard The everlasting Wisdom of God's New-creation Gospel-Spirit is better then all the fading strength wisdom and power of Man and Angel in the first or old But the voice and words of this Wisdom from the impoverish'd natural man in Christ and his followers is not heard heeded or regarded by those that resolve to set up in that state of Nature for happiness which they preach death to as the only 〈◊〉 way and means for their being truly happy All such reproofs of death on the spirit of Nature and instructions of life in God's Spirit of Grace are despis'd and rejected by the wisdom of Man in first-Covenant Righteousness Even such are found all along this world a disobedient gain-saying People Isa. 65. 2. Rom. 10. 21. See the dismal and blessed consequents of not hearkning or hearkning to this poor wise Man's Counsels reproofs and instructions Prov. 1. 20 -33. Somethere are amongst the vast multitude of self-confident righteous men and also profane who at last are brought to regard this poor wise man's voice and his only the voice of his Spirit in himself and Saints 〈◊〉 still God has a little flock that are content to be made his little ones in Nature that he may make them his great ones and worthies too big and too many for all his and their enemies in his Wisdom and Spirit of Grace All do not finally provoke him Heb. 3. 16. Rom. 11. 1 -5. Christ then and his followers are not without all hearing from Men. For Vers. 17. The words of wise Men are heard in quiet more then the cry of him that ruleth among fools The words of Christ and his awaken'd Spiritual Saints the words of God's Wisdom which the Holy Ghost teaches and utters in both and all will be heard or obey'd by a spiritual Seed of Christ in meek broken-spirited quiet peaceable men Sons of Peace Their meek broken silenc'd natural spirit is of great price with God 1 Pet. 3. 4. as quitting its own vain corruptible life for that which is not corruptible but everlasting They instruct those that oppose them in meekness of Wisdom not returning railing for railing in the wrathful wrangling spirit and earthly wisdom of Nature that 's from beneath waiting with patience if God peradventure will give them Repentance or change of mind from Satan's lie to his Gospel-Truth 2 Tim. 2. 24 -26. See the different demeanour conversation and fruits of Saints in God's Heavenly Spiritual wisdom communicated to them and of incorrigible sinners in Man's and Satan's earthly devilish wisdom from beneath Jam. 3. 13 -18. Men in their wisdom render'd devilish by fixure in enmity to God's are the loud clamorous boasting self-exalting undertakers at teaching the way of Salvation who by their great cry and confused noise of their 〈◊〉 Cymbals their uncertain-sounding false Trumpet gain a ruling power amongst fools to the final destruction of blind foolish rulers and ruled leaders and followers All fall into the ditch or bottomless pit of deceits and destruction nets snares and death together Eccle. 7. 26. Mat. 15. 14. Such Rulers or Teachers and Leaders as a demonstration of their utmost folly and madness despise are offended at and absolutely reject all the words of God's Wisdom as folly and madness ver 12. Hos. 9. 7 8. 1 Cor. 1. 23. Joh. 10. 20. 7. 45 49. The quiet-spirited Saint in whom this self-confident spirit of enmity to God and all his Words of Counsel is broken down and silenc'd by the Cross listen to the Words of the true Shepherd or Teacher in himself and messengers and follow not but flee from the Stranger 's voice Joh. 10. 4 5. The spiritual Feet or Principles on which Christ's true Messengers or Apostles come to them are beautiful and all their right Words of reproof and instruction most welcome and desireable They esteem hear and obey the words of the truly wise as incomparably beyond all the cry and noise of Rulers among fools that presumptuously undertake an absolute impossibility even to declare the Mysteries of God's Wisdom in that wisdom of Man that 's foolishness to God's and all the words of God's to it Yet is their voice and cry readily heard and follow'd by Fools to the everlasting destruction of both and all Vers. 18. Wisdom is better then Weapons of War but one sinner destroyeth much good True Wisdom or the Spirit of Christ in Man is better then all the Wisdom Srength Power and Armour of Man or Angel in the first creation and yet more when all these are turn'd into and used in enmity to God For so became they the one sinner that from first to last 〈◊〉 against God Christ and Saints who must needs be unspeakably too hard for them All wicked Angels and Men in the finally abused first-creation state or spirit and life of nature make up and are the one sinner or uniform fighter against God in and with their first-creation Strength Armour and weapons of War And thus does this one comprehensive Sinner or perverted first-creation Spirit in all evil Angels and Men destroy much good even all the changeable goodness in that state which had they obediently return'd it back in sacrifice to God they might have receiv'd much good
needy natural man of the Saint causes him as a poor man in vile raiment to be bidden by man to sit here under his footstool importing the very height of contempt towards him while there 's a huge bussle for the giving the other a high place in honour and respect to him or rather to his mystical gay clothing kept on in enmity to the Cross but put off by the Spiritual Saint and refus'd ever to be put on again let men take it how they will Jam. 2. 1 -3. Cant. 5. 3. God requir's the putting off those first-Covenant Ornaments Devils and Men put such a preferring value upon that he may know what to do with us by setting up the life and clothing us with the everlasting Righteousness Beauty Glory and ornaments of the second Exod. 33. 5. Wise Holy first-Covenant righteous Men and God are of a directly contrary judgment in this case Rom. 2. 29. Those God highly esteems and loves they scorn and hate as the filth of the World the off-scouring of all things 1 Cor. 4. 13. Thus are they found in harmony with the invisible Principalities and Powers of this world the evil Angels They both and all center in this point a resolution in the earthly principle or natural spirit to despise and contend against the impoverish'd natural man of the truly wise rich strong and honourable spiritual Saint They shoot all their malicious revengeful arrows at him So are true Saints by their true Gospel-life Conversation words and way rendred with Jeremy Men of contention with the whole earth or whole earthy party of evil Angels and Men. This evil Solomon saw practis'd under the first-creation Sun or in the first-Covenant spirit the Law-principle of life and action as an errour both visible and invisible Rulers of this world are ioyntly guilty of in using their utmost power for discouraging persecuting and suppressing the truly wise and rich spiritual Saint the only sort of men in this world that God highly esteem's and loves On all these accounts as to the errours of the visible and invisible Rulers of this World he farther says Vers. 7. I have seen Servants upon Horses and Princes walking as Servants upon the Earth The chief sense of these words is that evil Angels are permitted the exercise of a ruling power over this World fulfilling their pleasure both in the corrupt and refin'd spirit and principles of Nature in men Both evil Angels and Men in the said spirit of Bondage are but servants and slaves in God's sight objects of his everlasting contempt and wrath When Christ whose Right it is takes to himself his great Power and reign 's he will take away all their power and tread them under his and his Saints feet for ever But all along this World are these evil Angelical Principalities and Powers in with and by evil visible ones jointly riding over Saints heads Psal. 66. 12. under Christ's overtopping spiritual Power ordering all for the carrying on his designed work of the Cross on the natural spirit of the Saint that 's a spirit of Bondage in them For this reason are the true Princes or spiritual heaven born Sons walking on the Earth in an inferiority and subjection to these slavish servile-spirited Rulers that in their true Princely life they may come to ride over all those Servants heads that have bin their Masters All along this World the said Servants are on Horseback and true Princes a-foot At entrance of the Reign of Christ or beginning of the next such Princes will tread all such Servants for ever under their feet and ride in triumph with their Lord and Master the great Captain of their Salvation over all their heads Col. 2. 15. Heb. 2. 10 14. The very Prince of Life when he had taken our slesh suffer'd death therein under the visible and invisible Princes of this world Act. 3. 15. True Saints following his suffering steps will be found on their mystical white Horses with their Lord at last Rev. 19. 11 -14. Christ refused any ruling Power as a Judge or King in that earthly life of the Law wherein he was to suffer and did in obedience to his Father under the hors'd Princes of this World in the said earthly life and worldly power He walk'd as a Servant on the earth under them and so must Saints in obedience to the will of God and conformity to his example Joh. 10. 17 18. They must lay down their natural wherein they are Servants that they may take up his spiritual life wherein Sons of God and to be Princes on 〈◊〉 Saints are spiritual chast Doves that know not where to set their foot or sind any visible relief or support in this World Gen. 8. 8 9. As kept for their Heavenly Country are they not suffer'd to find any rest short of it They are hunted out of all false rests by their evil Rulers who intend their utter destruction But they find the new Name of the Lord a strong Tower and Ark of safety both from enemies and the flood of God's final Wrath that will overflow the whole first-creation Land of the living all fix'd in their earthly life of enmity to his Heavenly Vers. 8. He that diggeth a Pit shall fall into it and whoso breaketh an Hedg a Serpent shall bite him The pit here is the same blind Leaders with their followers fall into Mat. 15. 14. Psal. 7. 15. Many that are reckon'd to dig deep in Scripture all their interpreting thereof amounts to no more then the digging this dangerous and destructive pit an opening the very bottomless pit of the Devil and asserting it to be the Kingdom of God a teaching unchangeable union with the evil one as God sitting in the Temple of God and shewing himself that he is God And in all their Ministry to this purpose seeing nothing but vanity and lying 〈◊〉 they say The Lord saith and make others hope they 'l confirm the word that they have true peace with God when indeed in unchangable union with the Devil Thus do evil Men giving heed to seducing Spirits and Doctrines of Devils cry up a fixure and establishment in the first-creation state of enlighten'd Righteous Nature in unchangeable opposition to God and his new-creation Spirit of Grace They prefer their Law-Spirit to his Gospel-Spirit which renders it the very bottomless pit they fall into under the final Wrath of God a deep ditch of stinking mire and silth for evermore Out of it there is no redemption 'T is very Hell Evil Angels Man's conclusive choice of that state makes it a pit of their own digging David found his own nature a deep mire where there 's no standing crying for deliverance out of it by a lifting him up out of his earthy spirit of nature into God's heavenly Spirit of Grace Psal. 69. 1 -- 3. The death of Nature under the Cross is our only way out of this miry pit of corruption into the life Christ will reign in t. And
who so breaketh an hedg a Serpent shall bite him First-Covenant Life and second-Covenant Light are a twofold hedg of defence to secure Man from all dangers on his right hand and left The restor'd life of the Law is a hedg of defence for a season against the vile affections and lusts of corrupt nature dangers on the left hand Spiritual Light by which Christ in his spiritual Life is shew'd aud offer'd Men as their absolute Salvation is a hedg of defence to secure Men from the most dangerous sinning against that Supream Right-hand Mercy and gracious offer of it from God The first mystical hedg or fence against the workings of corrupt nature kept up in opposition to the second so as finally to turn from and reject the second which would secure from all sin in corrupt or righteous nature filth of flesh or spirit for ever this is Man's wilful breaking down the chief hedg for his security And then Satan the old poysonous Serpent breaks in upon him and bites or mortally wounds him to eternal death This by perswading Men to set up nature with him in an eternal opposition to God and his Grace Vers. 9. Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt therewith and he that cleaveth Wood shall be endangered thereby Stones here are the same with the hedg in the former Verse figuring the new-Creation Spirit and Light thereof This rocky-spirit of Christ in Saints renders them Rocks or living Stones in his spiritual house Mat. 16. 18. 1 Pet. 2. 5. Man's wilful refusing hating and turning from this rocky life shew'd and offer'd him is a removing these stones decrying and what in him lies pulling down this spiritual Temple and persecuting or scattering Christ and spiritual Saints the living Stone and lively Stones thereof This will bring the greatest hurt upon himself For this Stone or Spirit in Christ and Saints will fall upon him in wrath and grind him to powder Mat. 21. 44. t. And he that cleaveth wood shall be endanger'd thereby By cleaving wood is meant a separating the first benefit of the Cross or death of Christ a restor'd first-Covenant life from the second and consequently a setting up the first in unchangeable opposition to the second a Gospel-life of everlasting Righteousness and true Holiness God's Wisdom has found a way by the death of the former to join these two together in the new life of the latter By the obedient death of Nature corrupt or righteous is the changeableness and enmity of the former done away and so is it brought into unchangeable union with the latter and harmony of mind and will with God most high These that God requires a yeilding to his way of putting together as 〈◊〉 in Unity Psal. 133. 1. let no man presume to keep or put asunder as first-covenant Brethren do when they sit and speak against the second in despite to them and that spirit of Grace they are of and in Psal. 50. 20. Ezek. 33. 30 -- 32. Heb. 10. 29. Such cleavers or dividers of Wood the first benefit of the Cross from the second after a clear discovery of the whole design of the Cross to them will not only be endanger'd thereby but bring final destruction upon their own heads Vers. 10. If the Iron be blunt and he do not whet the edg then must he put to more Strength but Wisdom is profitable to direct Man's natural spirit fallen into sin and enmity whether in the corrupt or restor'd righteous Life thereof is the mystical blunt Iron here heavy and dull as to any right understanding of or obedience to the commands of God's spiritual Law 'T is more difficult to yield any obedience thereto then before the fall For now there 's positive enmity in it then not It therefore greatly needs the sharpning work of Christ's spiritual convictions to bring the blunted dull nature thereof so much as to see its unspeakeable concern in listning and submitting to the hard sayings and sharp discipline of his spiritual Law Those that finding themselves weary and heavy laden or overset as to such important concerns come to Christ for his spiritual life and senses for which willing to take up or submit to the death of their natural under his Cross will find all easie and plain both to understand and do Mat. 11. 28 30. His yoke is easie and burthen light Yea such yoke and burthen amounting only to our unchangeable subjection to his will that 's unchangeably subject to the divine is the very glorious liberty of the Sons of God And so also their sufferings in submitting to the yoke and burthen of his Cross on their natural will and spirit will in the prospect and certain sight of such glorious advantages not be reckon'd upon in any comparison therewith Rom. 8. 18. Scripture is a Parable or sharp saying and requires a sharp Wit that is spiritual understanding to discover the mysterious Things Truths or meaning of God's Spirit therein 'T is too painful yea impossible for Man's natural understanding to interpret and rightly understand so much as the providential dispensations of God to friends as foes and foes as friends Psal. 73. 3 -16. Spiritual understanding or Sanctuary-light discover's all v. 17. the voice of all Providences and the dark sayings or parables of all Scripture It can interpret oraculous dreams shew hard sentences dissolve doubts Dan. 5. 12. Take the total sum of its objects It discern's or judges all things 1 Cor. 2. 15. divine and twofold creaturely natural and spiritual the deep things of God's Infinite Divinity v. 10. his whole Counsel about the Salvation of his Creatures Act. 20. 27. and the whole counsel of the Devil for their Damnation the whole mystery of Godliness the whole mystery of Iniquity the mysteries of Christ's Spiritual Kingdom of marvelous light in his Gospel-Spirit the mysteries of Satan's accursed kingdom of marvelous darkness in his Law-Spirit 2 Cor. 2. 11. As God gradually more and more runs down the wisdom or understanding of the natural Man in the Saint into darkness by the demolishing operation of the Spirit of the Cross he raises it up more and more into the new all-discovering light or discerning of his spiritual which James calls his giving more Grace Jam. 4. 6. So the natural man or spiritual Prophets Servant in the Saint comes to see what the Prophet sees as in type 2 King 6. 17. Thus is man's understanding or spirit as more brought by way of Death and Resurrection into union of mind with the spiritual more and more whetted sharpn'd and enabled more clearly to discern the whole mind and do the whole will of God Paul found even Gospel-profelling Jews so dull of hearing or understanding so defective as to the right hearing ear reception or capacity for spiritual mysteries that he 〈◊〉 to have forborn the declaration of many things he otherwise would have said to them Heb. 5. 11. He clearly saw their darkness and incapacity as to spiritual Gospel-matters The most
corrupt or enlighten'd nature is but a fool and as the Beasts that perish as to all his eternal Concerns Gospel Things or Truths Psal. 49. 12 20. Jer. 10. 23. 1 Cor. 2. 14. All such things are or seem foolishness to him because he is a fool All words or fruits utter'd or brought forth in his own nature at best which he trusts and advises others to trust in are lying vanities perishing transient shadows He walks in a vain shew sees teaches is nothing but vanity altogether vanity Psal. 39. 5 6. Ezek. 13. 6. He neither consider's the fading nature of all he 's possess'd of nor the everlasting Life Righteousness and things of God he wants He hugg's himself as rich and happy when in truth miserable poor blind and naked Such fools were the Laodiceans Rev. 3. 17. and the Corinthians 1 Cor. 4. 8 10. Both these mistake's in embracing and waxing confident in false and in rejecting true riches Christ found the young Man in Mat. 19. 20 -22. Men reckon they want nothing for true blessedness when they want every thing Thus foolish Men's words swallow up themselves or expose themselves and others to be swallow'd up in a spirit of unchangeable darkness and death God will take all such wise fools in their own craftiness as knowing all their thoughts vain 1 Cor. 3. 19 20. They think of trust in relie upon and teach nothing but vanity and this in unchangeable enmity to God and all the reproofs and instructions of true Wisdom Prov. 1. 20 32. They craftily and subtily defend themselves and secure nature's head from his spiritual Cross Gospel-fire and Sword and so swallow up sink and drown themselves and all that follow their words of Counsel into everlasting destruction and perdition Vers. 13. The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness and the end of his talk is mischievous madness From first to last he sets up and pleads for a life that 's changeable in it self and enmity to God as true happiness He begins sets out and 〈◊〉 in this folly till fix'd in enmity and so guilty of mischievous madness 〈◊〉 might and main to render others Children of 〈◊〉 with himself Mat. 23. 15. Vers. 14. A Fool also is full of words a Man cannot tell what shall be and what shall be after him who can tell him Abounding in words is a 〈◊〉 of both literal and mystical Fools as highly 〈◊〉 in 〈◊〉 false 〈◊〉 measures of 〈◊〉 The mystical or wise Fool is in total darkness as to his 〈◊〉 concerns is wholly ignorant of the obedient Saints true 〈◊〉 or life and state 〈◊〉 to be for ever blessed And as ignorant is he as to the 〈◊〉 most deplorable state of himself and followers incorrigible haters of God in eternal Death This unutterable distress confusion and 〈◊〉 that comes after all the mirth and jollity in his self-pleasing thought and foolish way will be an absolute amazing surprize and disappointment to him Who can tell 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall come to 〈◊〉 after his life and race in this world The truly wise spiritual Saint can But he 'l not hear believe or regard his words Vers. 15. The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them because he knoweth not how to go to the City All the labour of 〈◊〉 wise-Fool in the restor'd righteous life and wisdom of man for Salvation is term'd in Scripture but bodily exercise that profiteth little or but for a little time in suppressing the vile affections of corrupt nature but when once knowingly kept up in wilful unchangeable 〈◊〉 to God most highly displeasing to God and not only unprofitable but utterly destructive to man After or by all such 〈◊〉 he 'l find it impossible for him to go or get into the City New 〈◊〉 All such will be found those mystical Dogs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Murderers and Idolaters that have loved and made or 〈◊〉 on Satan's lie from first to last against God's truth Rev. 22. 15. So will they be shut out of the said City for ever and 〈◊〉 their portion in the lake of fire Rev. 21. 8. among damned Angels and Men 2 Thess. 2. 11 12. Mat. 25. 41. Ver. 16. Wo to thee O Land when thy King is a Child and thy Princes eat in the morning In letter a sore punishment to a Nation is a childish Ruler or King unfit for Government as given up to all sorts of evil and misgovernment in his own Person implied by eating in the morning as voluptuous in gratifying his evil sensual appetites or lusts This is Wo to him and the Land under his Government For instead of being a praise and encouragement to good works and workers and a terrour to evil as he ought Rom. 13. 3. he will be found in a directly contrary practice But the mystical and principal sense here is this When the mystical Land or natural State of Man is cleans'd or swept from 〈◊〉 of flesh and Satan rather receiv'd into this cleans'd house Mat. 12. 43 45. then Christ as Ruler and King very great will be the Wo to the said Land For then is Man a slave to the Prince of darkness to do his will in all things This ruling Child or birth of the spirit of the Devil in Man will be found eating in the morning or gratifying his sinful love lust and desire with 〈◊〉 perishing meats and so will be establish'd with him in unchangeable enmity to God which brings him under the unchangeable wrath of God Vers. 17. Blessed art thou O Land when thy King is the Son of Nobles and thy Princes eat in due season for strength and not for drunkenness In 〈◊〉 where Governours are of a noble meetly qualified temper for Rule in a spirit of Justice and Wisdom the Land or people are happy The mystery or spiritual sense is this Those that are born of the spirit of Christ are of the Heavenly extraction and Pedigree Sons of Nobles as begotten by his Gospel-Ministers Apostles or messengers in which sense Paul calls Timothy his Son in the Gospel-life of Faith 1 Tim. 1. 2. and indeed Sons of the great King himself the only Potentate to whom of right all Rule belongs His one Spirit of everlasting Righteousness and true Wisdom sits them to be steddy doers of the divine Will in all things So under Christ's and their peaceable righteous Government will the whole Land Earth or World be blessed Isa. 32. 1. And the mystical Land Spirit and whole person of every Saint will be blessed under the Government of this Spirit of Christ in himself and themselves Vers. 18. By much slothfulness the building decayeth and thro' idleness of the hands the house droppeth thorow Here 's a reproof of Man's negligence or sloth under spiritual convictions of his interest in having the new-building of him carried on a-main and a discovery of the great danger thereof All favouring or keeping up the old hinders the new and so any happy proficiency progress or advance towards
invisible creature-womb of himself the parent of Spirits in pursuance of the free thought and purpose of the divine mind The actual quickning up this Seed or giving them eternal Life is what Christ purchas'd for them by the obedient death and sacrifice of his own assumed perfect spotless but changeable first-creation state and is the builder of them up in So in all things hath 〈◊〉 an everlasting pre-eminence over them In reference to both these Creations or Worlds first and second natural and spiritual Heb. 1. 2. Solomon says remember Christ as both thy natural and spiritual Creatour bringing thee forth according to the methods of God's Wisdom first in a natural state by a first-creation and afterwards in a spiritual by a second 1 Cor. 15. 46. This twofold Creation David acknowledg'd too wonderful and oversetting to his understanding as to the taking any right measures thereof or putting any meet value upon When he consider'd the thoughts of God in reference to the single first-creation of all and then his twofold-creation of Saints he concludes the sum of them to be too great to take or give a distinct and full account of They are moe in number then the sand Psal. 139. 14 -18. Man's due remembring his Creatour that has done such wonderful things for him imports an obedient submitting to his dispensations for the accomplishing his designs and rendring him truly blessed in a state of unchangeable union with him and wel-pleasing obedience to him Since the fall has Christ as Redeemer laid a yet farther and greater Weight of obligation upon Men to remember him as their Creatour so as to yield a ready universal obedience to his spiritual Law which always was the undispensable duty of Angel and Man before the fall as well as since By that Law is the life of Nature at best or in whatever condition to be given up in sacrifice to God by his priestly hand that has from all the said rights and obligations a title thereunto Since our fall we receive our lost righteous natural Life or State afresh by his Redemption-Work as a first benefit of his death So are we bound to use our whole beings bodies and spirits in such restor'd Life and then death and loss of it for a better in obedience to his command and conformity to his example We must not live in or do our own will but his that died for us by the death of ours 1 Cor. 6. 19 20. 2 Cor. 5. 14 15. Christ now is to be remembred as Redeemer as well as Creatour 2 Tim. 2. 8. By the death of nature in himself he has purchas'd the lost righteous life of it for us Hereby are we a-new put on the trial for obedient surrender thereof for his spiritual Resurrection-life as the full benefit and principal design of his death Man then is so to remember his Creatour and Redeemer as to make the right use of his restor'd natural State by yeilding up his old for Christ's newness of Life This is the only way of putting away all evil from his flesh or rooting out all enmity to God's Spirit that 's now inseparable from the life of nature at best t. While the evil day's come not c. That is before God in Wrath blast the most fruitful youthful vigorous joyful state of thy natural spirit bringing mystical decays gray hairs and old age upon it so as to make thee find or take no longer any pleasure therein All the beauty and desirableness thereof shall fade away and be consumed as all the goodliness or desirableness of the body in the literal grave See both as one is the figure of the other Psal. 49. 14. And then also as fix'd in enmity will men find themselves not only strip'd and depriv'd of all good or comfort but under the positive inflictions of unchangeable wrath Of this most sad condition and God's most 〈◊〉 proceedings towards them therein have we a full account in the following-words Vers. 2. While the Sun or the Light or the Moon or the Stars be not darkned nor the Clouds return after the Rain Ver. 3. In the day when the Keepers of the House shall tremble and the strong Men shall bow themselves and the Grinders cease because they are few and those that look out of the windows be darkned Ver. 4. And the Doors shall be shut in the Streets when the sound of the grinding is low and he shall rise up at the voice of the Bird and all the Daughters of ' Musick shall be brought low These expressions do represent the weak decay'd state of Man in old age which brings sorrow and darkness upon him and at length a period to his bodily life and all sensual delights And this figuratively points at the like mystical decay gray hairs old age and death brought as God's displeasure on the most righteous fruitful life of Man's spirit under the Cross. But all these marks of God's displeasure on our natural body and spirit as found in enmity to him are the effects of his everlasting kindness to obedient Saints as the very means and way of translating them into his everlasting righteous spiritual creature life For a season Saints rejoyce in their enlighten'd nature as Law-servants finding delight in the literal and mystical Sun Moon and Stars of this World But they are made obedient to God's dispensation of turning the light of this mystical Sun Moon and Stars as well as literal into darkness to their spirits as well as bodies in both which there 's a time appointed for all Men once to die Heb. 9. 27. The mystical death of the spirit and all decays of a tendency thereunto does Solomon figure out here by the decays of the body in the declining age thereof The keepers of the House that will tremble and the strong Men that shall bow themselves outward limbs and parts of the Body sigure out the inward Senses and intellectual Powers of the natural spirit as operating by the Organs of the Body The decays of bodily life in all the parts and powers thereof are felt and experienc'd also by the inward faculties and powers of the Spirit that are exercis'd by them Hence old Men grow weak feeble and imperfect in the operations thereof and so are brought back again into the condition of Children Inward and outward Powers and Senses of body and spirit tremble and bow themselves in the literal and mystical old age of both The Grinders will cease and those that look out of the Windows be darkn'd The outward and inward senses and instruments by which man has taken in the supplies of Light and Comfort from the sutable objects of both in the visible and invible parts of this World will fail and become altogether unfit for such use and service Then the Doors shall be shut in the Streets c. ver 4. And all the Daughters of Musick shall be brought low All the joy and delight of Man's youthful flourish in mind and body