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
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
shall never enter into his rest in the second And for their unpardonable Sin he will take from them all the fading beauty or goodness he had bestow'd on them in the 〈◊〉 So all 's gone God's first-Covenant-gift set up in unchangable enmity to his convincingly shew'd and graciously offer'd second is the unpardonable Sin against the Holy Ghost comprehending all the most criminal Sins or Abominations Man can be guilty of mystical spiritual Adultery idolatry Murder c. Ezek. 16. 15. 38. Ro. 2. 21 22. 1 Cor. 6. 9 10. Gal. 5. 19-21 The proud reigning 〈◊〉 old first Covenant Kings despise all these words to their own destruction But the poor of the Flock Christ's little ones content to be impoverish'd and run down into the barreness and death of their own however 〈◊〉 and enlight'ned nature understand own and obey all such words of the Lord 〈◊〉 11. 11. They are willing to be made Fools weak and despicable with Paul in the 〈◊〉 visage of a first-covenant State Image of the earthy that they may be all glorious within in the Image of the heavenly such as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rich strong and honourable in God in the spiritual Gospel-Life 〈◊〉 with Christ in God All that finally 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are the greatest Fools as to their greatest eternal concerns All that 〈◊〉 boggle and fly off at the Gospel-Tydings of the Cross and Death thereby to be brought upon nature resolving to maintain the sandy Foundation and untemper'd Walls of their earthly worldly first-Covenant Church-building for Salvation are be witch'd by Satan with their glittering Holy Flesh and things of Man and Devil into unchangable enmity to God's Holy Spirit and all the things of Christ and God This work Satan is at with first-covenant Professors in holy 〈◊〉 the self-same as with Eve 2 Cor. 11. 3. And through God's most wise permission has he wonderfully prevailed in all Ages and Generations and not less sure in this last and worst of times to keep men short of the Grace of God yea to fix them with himself in enmity to it and so deprive them of all advantages or benefits of both God's Covenants Many that begin well engage and set their hand to God's Spiritual mystical-Plow the Cross of Christ for running down nature in them toward the commanded Death suffering many things that way their foot in the same Gospel race of suffering with the thorow-pac'd resolv'd Gospel-Saint that follow 's the Lamb slain whithersoever he goes even to the mystical Death and Grave of nature many of these engaged Racers does Satan fetch back again to himself and sixes them with himself in first creation-Life and so in unchangable enmity to God and the second Gal 5. 7 8. and 3. 1-4 When come to the borders of the heavenly Canaan as Israel of the litteral they hate it and turn back to mystical if not also litteral Egypt sixing in the righteous or rolling back to the corrupt Spirit of nature and that as their professed Judgment for Salvation with Ranters After all high Spiritual enlightning partaking of the Light of the holy Ghost and offer'd the Life thereof and so tasting of that heavenly gift the good living word and wisdom of God and Powers of the World to come they Apostatize or fall away beyond all possibility of recovery or renewal of them again unto repentance Heb. 6. 4-6 The high Priest's among the Jews offer'd litteral Sacrifices Christ the true high Priest comes to Preach Death to nature in their very Persons as the true Gospel Sacrifice they ought obediently to give him to offer up in the fire of his Eternal Spirit as he offer'd our nature at best in himself to God most high For this they blasphem'd and crucified him The fix'd Shadowy Law-Priest's and their blind followers abhor the true Gospel-Priest with all his Spiritual Seers and Doctrine Many shuffling devices and inventions Devils Suggest and men find to shift off the Cross of Christ wave all the unpleasing words or doctrine thereof which indeed is the only way to and Door of entrance for any into the Kingdom of God Through a fellowship with their Lord in sorrows sufferings and manifold tribulations of and to their natural man inward and outward do true Saints enter with him into his everlasting joy All others must lie down in everlasting Sorrow eating the fruit of their own way be filled with their own devices under final wrath Had they own'd God's reproofs given by the mouth of true Wisdom his living word to them even the reproofs of Death to their nature and followed his instructions for Life they might have dwelt safely for ever and have been quiet from all fear of evil Prov. 1. 20-33 The Pisgah-Prospect into the new-creation Life or true Land of promise given to their natural understandings by Spiritual irradiations or Light should have invited moved and drawn their wills with cogent arguments to the most delightful embraces thereof on any terms Man convinc'd of the more excellent Gospel-Life and way and setting hand and foot to work in prosecution of it and towards attaining it is actually under the vow of surrendring nature to Death And this is upon record in that living corner-stone the fountain Gospel-Spirit or living creature-Word Wisdom or Book of God in Christ's person This was figur'd by the Stone Josua set up under an Oak by the sanctuary of the Lord that in figure heard the Spiritually enlightne'd Israelâ—â—s vow promise and engagement over and over for the true serving the Lord in his Spirit of truth the principle of the new and everlasting covenant accordingly will witness for or against them as they firmly hold or perfidiously fly off from the said engagement As for me and my house say's Josua we will serve the Lord. So will we answer'd the people again again again and again Jos. 24. 15. 18. 21. 24 yet after all these good words fair promises and engagements a world of them flew off and came to worse then nothing Christ the living Stone sigur'd by that Joshua set up will witness against and deal with all such according to their works and dealings toward him v. 26 27. Man must not dispute or deferr the performance of the said vow but with Paul should be forthwith obedient to the heavenly vision of the mind of God come roundly and readily off with his holocaust or whole burnt-offring of his natural State His eye must not pity nor hand spare any thing in it that God requires to be destroy'd as Saul spar'd Agag and best of the Cattel in letter and mystery whereas Abram spar'd not his very Son Isaac Nature at best Our true father Abraham though tempted to it by Satan and his own apostle Peter spared not the true Isaac our spotless nature in his own person but offer'd it up in the mystical fire of his eternal Spirit of grace unto God accounting with litteral Abram that God was able to raise him or it up again from the
〈◊〉 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
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.
evil Angels or Men in strength Psal. 103. 20. And Christ and God most high with their Infinite Almighty and irresistibly mighty divine and new-creation power all these are on the Saints side Power more then enough Yea Saints themselvs have that Life and Power of Godliness in them that will render them more than Conquerours Rom. 8. 37. Yea when but Babes and Sucklings Low and Weak in the Life of God or of his Spirit of Grace are they able to still quell or subdue the Enemy and the Avenger Ps. 8. 2. Here 's Power upon Power and so Comfort upon Comfort strong rich consolation to the spiritual in the greatest tribulation that can befall the natural man of the saint But still while visible and invisible enemies are permitted to oppresse them for their good during Christ's and their suffering season on the side of their oppressours is power but they have no comforter This is the case all along this world under Satan's reign till the holy angels be commission'd to come forth about their preparatory work to Christ's second comming for preaching the Everlasting Gospel for the wakening up and gathering Saints out of all Nations to Christ and for the giving of signal dashes on all their Worldly Enemies by the gradual pourings forth of the Vials of Gods Wrath upon them Till this are Saints Men wondred at in Scorn Zec. 3. 8. Men of contention with the whole Earth Jer. 15. 10. All in the but single worldly spirit of nature corrupt or righteous are against them to a Man to a Devil And as depriv'd of all worldly Power within or without are they in the Judgment and sight of their own reason as well as of their Enemies naked and exposed to the insulting Fury of all their said Adversaries to all their Proud Rhetorical Mockings and Insolencies without Relief But since Flesh and Blood are set aside as far Inferiour to a higher and more dangerous subtle and more Powerful sort of Enemies evil Angelical Principalities let us more particularly take notice of their more unperceived Practices and methods of proceeding against the true Saint They Accused God to Adam and Eve as envying the happy Life and State he had set them up in by Creation And so engag'd them in a Union of Mind with themselvs as far as they could to Envy Hate and 〈◊〉 themselvs above and against both the Divine and Creature-Life of God Isai. 14. 14. 2 Thes. 2. 4. And as Satan their Luciferian head falsly Accuses God to Man so Man to God Job 1. 9-11 and 2. 4 5. Satan is the Accuser of the Spiritual Brethren before God Day and Night Rev. 12. 10. that is continually This though abundantly convicted of Perjury and Falshood in all such Witness-bearing as in Job's case What reception can he hope for in his Testimony against true Saints at the Bar of their Infallible Friend and Judg What most gall's this Insolent Adversary To see Christ approach in the garb of an Enemy to the Saint with his two-edged Flaming Gospel Sword This may seem yet more strang to Man's Wisdom Why should this Sworn Mortal Enemy of Saints be troubled at Christ's comming as an Enemy upon them too He know's why Christ comes to kill and offer up his party the natural Man Life and Will in them in Sacrifice to God And he know's a Gospel-Spirit and Principle of Life and Action will be set up in them in the room thereof that 's Wiser and Stronger then he which he can never reach or touch Jo. 4. 4. and 5. 18. This is the Thing the Life he unchangably hates and dread's 'T is the Friend of the World and Devil and Enemy of God in the Saint that Christ cast's into the fiery Furnace of his Cross to destroy And this Destruction of Man's Flesh or fleshly natural Life and State makes way for his Salvation in God's Spirit This Devil Enmity to God is not cast out but by Fasting and Prayer Mat. 17. 21. the Impoverishing of nature the Mourning-State and Death thereof at best an abstinence from all the Serpents Diet all worldly desireables and earnest Prayer for and labour of the Spiritual Mind after the never-perishing Meats at Christ's Heavenly Table When Satan observ's Man in a long course of Faithful Obedience to Law-Light and can't fix him there but find's in him a dangerous Inclination to obey God's farther Gospel-Light as giving notice of a better State yet in the new-Creation Life or Land of Promise and so also fair warning of Christ's Approach with his Cross on that Law-Life he long own'd him in he bestirr's himself and labours might and Main to cause him to resist the work and so prevent the effects of this Cross. Job was sore put to 't for a season under the demolishing death-work thereof And Satan was in a wonderful toss through fear of what matters might come to with him That which Job fear'd did come upon him Job 3. 25. the Death of his Law-State at best And that which Satan chiefly fear'd came upon him too the Life of Christ's Gospel-Spirit that 's greater then he One First-Covenant Saint fix'd in Holy Flesh and the Law-Life thereof against God's Holy Spirit and the Gospel-Life and words thereof becomes a more Useful Creditable Instrument for his Service against the Gospel then a thousand Profane Persons in the corrupt nature that have no colour of Religion about them Till then his matters are sure with Man by a fix'd Enmity or the business is determin'd beyond all hopes of recovering him into a fix'd Enmity to the Cross he plies it in accusing God to such a Man and him to God Thus turn's he every Stone leaves no Means unattempted for the carrying on of his Oppressive and Destructive Designs upon Saints For shame says he to them be not baffled out of all Sense and Reason so as tamely to deliver up your selvs in a Life by Christ himself twice set up in you to a Murderer So Represents he Christ himself in the Shakings and Brandishings of his Spiritual Flaming Sword over their Heads as no other or better then a Murderer a Devil and Mad Jo. 10. 20. He offer'd at perswading Christ himself by an Apostle to spare his own Innocent Spotless Righteous Earthly nature Life or self Mat. 16. 22 23. But Christ kindled his Spiritual Gospel-fire on that Earth or earthly Law-Life in himself spoke no Peace but War and Death to 't Luk. 12. 49. 51. But when the subtil Enemy hath seemingly prevail'd with any hopefully secured and steel'd them with his Serpentine Armour and Doctrin against the harsh Accents and sharp Disciplin of the Cross as a most Absurd Unreasonable and Destructive thing he frisk's about turns his Dragon's-Tail upon them and Accuses them to God as those whom if he touch them to the quick in the Mystical Skin and Life of their righteous natural Spirit break the Mystical Bones cut asunder the Nervs thereof Enervate Abolish and take away all
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
Heir This. Man's whole Immortal being in a Resurrection of Damnation Jo. 5. 29. will have nothing of good to Inherit This second Child that shall stand up for ever in his stead v. 15. in an Immortality of being which in the true Saint will have everlasting Life Joy and Blessedness even God himself for his Inheritance will for ever be laid down in Sorrow under the Positive Inflictions of Wrath in unutterable Torment and Vexation of Spirit Inheriting Everlasting Darkness and Death So will this Covetous worldling doting wholly upon Vain False Deceitful Worldly Riches Litteral or Mystical and as wholly Neglecting Hating and Rejecting the true find no Heir to Inherit no Child Brother or Second that will have any of that fading good to Relieve or Comfort him for ever Whoever has no second no younger Spiritual Brother in his person no true Heir of Salvation that will help and fetch up his natural elder first-Covenant Law-Brother into his newness of Life Gospel-Life will find himself undone to all Intents and Purposes for ever The Old Man or Elder-Brother left alone by his own choice and Gods Righteous Judgment to shift for himself will find himself in a Resurrection of Damnation and Immortality of his whole being Body Soul and Spirit an Heir only of God's final Wrath a Dismal Inheritance But in the true Saint Holy as God is Holy Pure as Christ is Pure that is unchangably as Partaker of Christ's of God's Everlasting Righteousness and true Holiness is found a younger Spiritual Brother that will fetch up the Elder into the same Everlasting Righteous Life with it self And so will Crown all the Righteous Labours of the natural Elder Brother or Old Man in his Law-Life and nature with a Glory never to be done away in an Immortal Gospel-Life with Christ in God a Life suted to his Immortal being He that spares and saves his Old Law-Life of Enmity to God from the Death of the Cross will lose it in Eternal Death He that obediently delivers it up to a Temporal Death will find it again with Usury in Eternal Life These are of the true and faithful Sayings of Christ's Spiritual Law of Liberty Mat. 16. 25. This is the one thing necessary for the rendring Man truly acceptable to God or profitable to himself a true and right Heir of the Kingdom even the true Second Child or Brother Son and Heir The Old Man or Man in his old natural Spirit Life and State in whatever Variety of Condition found is under an absolute impossibility of ever finding true Rest Food or Satisfaction after which he has bin all along his day in this World Coveting and Labouring In a wilfull blindness Inadvertency and Stupidity he will not allow his own Heart or Understanding any fair Play by reflecting upon himself and considering his own Folly He does not so much as say in his Heart for whom do I Labour and to what end do I bereave my Soul of good And all this under a self-Condemning Light which tell 's me all I am Treasuring up and Labouring about is but a heap of Perishing Vanities From inordinate love to and evil Concupiscence after this shall I turn from hate and so bereave my Soul of that blessed new-Creation-Life convincingly shew'd and offered me by God that would render me everlastingly blessed Unexpressible Madness Shall I chuse and Steal my own Eternal Death Torment Vexation Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth by Stealing from and Robbing God of his Mystical Tith's and Offrings withholding my nature from Sacrifice and Death Shall I with Esau greedily chuse and dote upon my own first-Creation Morsel and lose the new-Creation Birth-right while the true Spiritual Jacob's get and go away with all It highly concerns Man thus to commune with his own Heart and alter his vain Course for so great Salvation as is offer'd him Vers. IX Two are better then one because they have a good reward for their Labour The Birth of new-Creature Life in the true Saint makes with his natural Man the two that are better then one or then the natural Man single and alone however Perfect Wise Strong Honourable and Glorious The natural Man of the Saint is by his Spiritual under and with the Fountain-Spirit of Life in Christ fetch'd up by way of Death and Resurrection into the everlasting Life of the Spiritual in lieu of its fading natural This compleated the whole person is Spiritual I live yet not I but Christ in me say's Paul Gal. 2. 20. He had the two better then one He and the spirit of Christ. By the death of nature as to its own Law-Life and quickning of it up into Christ's Gospel-Life the Spirit of Christ lives in the whole Saint and he in it as his Ruler Lord and King But Man alone in his own nature however Wise and Righteous will find himself at length not only destitute of but in unchangable Enmity to that spirit of Christ in which alone any can be saved The natural Man in his own Uncrucified Will and self-chosen course therein remain's single and alone to his final ruine The reason why the said two are better then one is because they have a good Reward for their Labour Man fixed in his own Life and way and so in Enmity to God what reward can he expect but final Wrath as the meet Recompence of his Errour On the Obedient death of nature in which 't is impossible to please God in any thing is man rais'd into that Life of Grace in which 't is as impossible not to please him in every thing The Reward of this will be the full enjoyment and cleer Vision of God for ever Vers. X. For if they fall the one will lift up his Fellow but Wo to him that is alone when he falleth For he hath not another to help him up The Gospel-Spirit of Christ in the Saint takes his whole natural Man partly Crucified and partly not into its care and Protection And so the Fountain Gospel-Spirit in Christ himself takes the whole Man of the Saint into its Protection under the covering Shadow and Cherishing Influence of its twofold Cherubin-Wings as also under the joynt regard and care of his Infinite and Almighty Divinity The Saint is deeply concern'd in this case when Christ has committed to him set up in him and intrusted him with his unspeakable Spiritual Gift or Life that unchangable good thing to recommit that and himself back again to Christ for the Nourishing Strengthning and Encouraging it against all the Counterworkings of his Rebellious and in part uncrucified natural Mind or Man which will to its last Gasp without any Interruption fight against God and his Spiritual Till all the Mystical Nervs and Bones thereof be cut asunder and broken all the Life and Strength thereof utterly Extinguish'd and Abolish'd is it a perpetual Warrier against the Spirit of Christ in himself and Saints Paul found this fleshly Foe of his own House this Carnal Mind of Enmity
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
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
body or man His whole Body Soul and Spirit is fill'd and clothed with a Spiritual Life Glory and everlasting Righteousness Flesh and blood the comprehensive character of all Man or Angel were possess'd of by the first creation cannot inherit the Kingdom of God neither doth Corruption inherit Incorruption or attain the incorruptible Inheritance 1 Pet. 1. 4. Nor Man nor Angel in innocency had any such thing as eternal Life or everlasting Righteousness actually about them or in them that qualifies any for entrance into the Kingdom of God Man and Angel then set up by God's left-hand as we may say in a first-Creation-state if they knowingly and wilfully set up for themselves there in enmity to God and the second they will be found those lustful Goats that through inordinate love to evil covetousness and lust after their own fading life and things thereof so as to hate and reject God's by a new and second Creation at Christ's left hand sever'd from his obedient spiritual Sheep on his right and forc'd to receive the meet recompence of their error the vengeance of eternal fire Mat. 25. 33 -46. Jude 7. By chusing their corruption or natural state before God's Incorruption or incorruptible spiritual Life will they utterly perish in their own Corruption 2 Pet. 2. 12. The question here then amounts unto this Who can make the natural or first-Creation state of Man straight or unsubjected to change and miscarriage that God in the above-said sence has made crooked liable or subject to both This question imports an utter impossibility of making it straight Eccle. 1. 15. T is therefore peerless folly and madness in Man or Angel to attempt it or to establish themselves in it for happiness There 's no way possible for either to be happy but by the death and loss of all their own there for God's own which they can only arrive at and attain by the death of their spirit of nature and so a resurrection into the life of his spirit of Grace God positively requires both and all of them to part with their crooked changeable first-creation thing or things for his unchangeably straight and incorruptibly perfect new-creation life and things However straight the former appear in Mans day or discerning in the Light and Judgment of his Wisdom in God's t is crooked and so declar'd for Man to take notice of Man ought to consider the whole work of God from first to last beginning to the end his beginning with him in a first creation and ending or finishing Workmanship upon him in and by a second Men ought also to listen to his whole counsel and instruction to his convincing discoveries and revelations of the second and more excellent state they are offer'd by a new Creation and the way of attaining it The death of their crooked state is the undispensable means and way of being exalted into God's straight Their crooked set up in unchangeable enmity to his straight is certain damnation to them They ought to believe God's own report and declaration of their crooked natural state and look after his straight spiritual Life and State in a Spirit that can never sin 1 Joh. 3. 9. They ought not to stick at any cost or loss they can be at for Truth Prov. 23. 23. Luk. 14. 28. or for the life of God's new-creature-spirit of Truth and everlasting Righteousness Vers. 14. In the day of Prosperity be joyful but in the day of Adversity consider God also hath set the one over against the other to the end that Man should find nothing after him The good and evil day in the original are here translated the day of Prosperity and Adversity Here 's a two-fold day for Man in God's wise method and appointment set one over against the other which 't is man's duty and concern to take notice of and comply with recoycing in the former and duly considering the yet greater advantages to him in the latter To follow the Lord's counsel in both is his best course The spiritual mystery of these Words is the principal intendment But first in the litteral sence the greatest content joy and satisfaction man can find in the greatest outward Prosperity when surrounded with a confluence of all visible desireables in this World he must come to experience the loss of all first or last which he ought to consider In the perishable nature of all such enjoyments is discernably writ out a day of adversity over against his utmost prosperity therein The perishing nature also of that life and desire in him that 's gratified by such things the belly that 's for such meats does farther preach the same doctrine to him cautioning against the placing his happiness in such slippery uncertain things Death puts a full period to all such desires as are answer'd by such desireables Vanity on all hands proclaims a day of Adversity and darkness set over against the day of such Prosperity Unwarrantable over-value for love to and delight in such worldly things will cause a destructive worldly sorrow to man if he out-live them When run down into a despicable state of misery and want he knows not how to bear it or what to do with himself Life grows a burden Sometimes he makes away himself as weary of it But now as to the mystical principal sense of these words Here 's a most concerning caution to man in the utmost flourish fruitfulness and inward mystical riches of his nature in a first-covenant righteous life where belly and meats desires and desireables root and branch tree and fruits principles and operations are all but a higher sort of perishing vanities sigur'd out by the former All this yet is but a vain shew a dream a fools Paradise a shadow an image only of true durable life and substantial riches in the heavenly creature-image of the second Adam Man at best in all this fading glory and honour of his own nature is altogether vanity Ps. 39. 5 6. The first Adam was made in but the earthly shadowy Image of God the heavenly substantial creature-image of the infinite Divinity is found only in the second Adam and his spiritual descendents by a new birth or second creation A day of adversity then is written out in the perishing nature of all such inward as well as outward prosperity over against the highest prosperity therein All such mystical soul-riches life food clothing glory honour wisdom righteousness all will be gone again most certainly make themselves wings and flee away Prov. 23. 5. While then Man sets his eye or heart on such things which God says are not he is sure to meet with an amazing disappointment By new-creature things things of God which God's Wisdom reckon's the only creature-things that are man's wisdom things that are not will God bring to nought all those things of man which his foolish wisdom reckon's the only creature-things that are 1 Cor. 1. 28. In the day of man's prosperity in the restor'd first-Covenant
righteous life of his own nature under the cherishing impregnating influencings of Christ as a fleshly Bridegroom or Husband rendring him fruitful in such births fruits works of righteousness and duties to God and Man as are producible and performable therein should he be joyful and thankful to God for mercifully restoring to him the proper life food and clothing of his dead desolate nature lost by the fall Ezek. 16. 3 -14. This is the common Salvation or general deliverance all men may receive from Christ's General-Redemption-Purchase This by his putting our nature at best in himself to death as to this very life he offer 's thereby to restore in all men And thereby has he shew'd them the right use of such life when restor'd even to give it up in Sacrifice to God as he did in order to receive from him that spiritual new-creation life in the image of the Heavenly into which he has exalted our nature in his own Person in which he lives and in which we may on like obedience as thorow-followers of his suffering-steps live with him for evermore Rev. 1. 18. A twofold day of adversity and house of mourning then will infallibly succeed a twofold day of prosperity and feasting in all possible outward or inward Riches of this World In the day of the said utmost twofold Prosperity then is it man's important concern to have in his eye thought and due consideration the approaching twofold day of Adversity Such a consideration may keep him from a sinful over-value of and over-rejoycing or trusting in his fading enjoyments and uncertain 〈◊〉 1 Tim. 6. 17. The day of adversity as to all such riches under the Cross and in the house of mourning and death to Nature is the method of God's Wisdom for the bringing him into his house of everlasting feasting and 〈◊〉 with Joy unspeakable and full of Glory So is the day of adversity and mourning a greater Mercy then the restoring him into the utmost prosperity of his nature outward and inward as bringing him nearer to absolute life and special Salvation 1 Tim. 4. 10. then when he first believed Rom. 13. 11. in Christ so as to receive the fresh gift of a first-covenant life from his hand On obedient submitting to the appointed death-pass into the Glory that follows excels and remains for ever does Christ stand ready to perform the promise of the Father Act. 1. 4. in giving Men durable Life Riches never-perishing food and clothing So follows a day of everlasting Prosperity and feasting to them They must suffer and die with Christ as to the fading first-covenant law-life of Nature that they may live and reign with him for ever in the Gospel-life of his Spirit of Grace and Truth 2 Tim. 2. 11 12. God sets all this before Man declares his whole counsel to him with the advantages of his compliance with and disadvantages of his rebellion against him as to absolute Salvation on the one hand or final damnation on the other Isa. 1. 19 20. All this fairly declar'd man may run and read what 's like to become of him for ever as wilfully running after Satan's lie or obediently complying with God's Spirit of Truth God has so clearly stated his true interest and duty in reference to his eternal 〈◊〉 that he will make him consess at last he kept nothing from him that 't was his true advantage to see or know This to the end Man should find nothing after him no concerning Truth that has not bin 〈◊〉 and plainly set before him and so no cause to complain of God as the Septuagint render it For the joy of an everlasting day of Prosperity spiritual feasting and rejoycing set before them ought Men with Christ to despise the shame and sorrow brought upon their natural state by his Cross. Heb. 12. 2. Former Saints and followers of Christ are a great cloud of witnesses for this ver 1. that the sufferings of the natural man in the present time are not to be compared with the Glory that shall be reveal'd to and in the spiritual state of the whole man Body Soul and Spirit Rom. 8. 18. Unchangeable enemies of the Cross from a most foolish unwarrantable love to their own nature will find all their day of Prosperity therein inevitably swallow'd up into an eternal night of darkness and death under the fiery Indignation of God Vers. 15. All things have I seen in the days of my Vanity there is a just Man that perisheth in his Righteousness and there is a wicked Man that prolongeth his life in his wickedness Here 's Solomon's large experience of all things in this first-creation World of Vanities He has seen the end all corruptible perfections and excellencies therein will come to Psal. 119. 96. The just man here may be the moral Heathen that depends on his own personal Righteousness as also the first-covenant Jew or Christian that depends on the perfect Righteousness or Comliness of that sort imputed to or put upon him Ezek. 16. 14. Both these are bidding with some confidence and hopefulness at Salvation in the natural corruptible first-creation or first-covenant Principles of Light Life and Action their own Wills Understandings and Wisdoms under the Law of works that requires such obedience as is performable in the active working power of their enlightned Nature These two sorts of just Men in Heathen-morality or legal-Christianity have nothing brought afloat in or about them but what 's perishable which therefore fix'd in is unchangeable enmity to God This enmity to God's Spirit which is the unpardonable filth of Man's renders all such righteous opposers of the vile affections or filth of Flesh in the corrupt spirit of Nature guilty of the most criminal sort of uncleanness and wickedness So do all such just men perish in and by their Righteousness as abused and set up against the Gospel-Life and everlasting Righteousness of God in his Spirit of Grace The gross profane wicked man in the unbridled unconscionable exercise of the corrupt spirit of Nature contrary to both the said righteous Men oft prolongs his life in a prosperous flourishing outward condition in this World Job 21. 7. And the literally-righteous spiritually-wicked Man typed hereby may prolong his days also in this World Both these fortunate fools are through the mistake of the natural man in the spiritual Saint envied as 〈◊〉 in their differing ways more then heart can wish while his nature is plagu'd and chasten'd daily under the Cross Psal. 73. 2 14. But when his spiritual man recovers and comes to work he sinds himself passing according to the fixed methods of God's Wisdom through a house of mourning and death into eternal life and the other through their desired Prosperity and house of feasting into 〈◊〉 sorrow darkness and death ver 17 20. He owns his natural man to be foolish and ignorant as a Beast as to the making any right judgment in this case ver 22. That brutish fool understands not
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
he saith to every one that he is a fool Man 's own Wisdom is Folly not able to direct his steps in or so much as into the way everlasting Jer. 10. 23. Trusting therein and to renders him an enemy to true spiritual Wisdom that can do all And this manifests him to every one to be fool God will set up that Light in all that they and all others shall see them Fools as having wilfully chosen that Life and Wisdom they knew would fail them and consequently excluded themselves for ever from that which would have done their Work Thus become they everlasting monuments of their own madness and folly in eternal darkness and death under Wrath. Vers. 4 If the spirit of the Ruler rise up against thee leave not thy place for yielding pacifieth great offences The acknowledg'd literal gives aim at the mystical sence In letter Man ought not to leave his place of subjection to worldly Rulers but acknowledg the ruling Power by God's Providence permitted any to exercise over him however ill us'd This may and ought to be without any sinful compliance with such abused Power Even Saints must suffer as a passive owning that power so ill manag'd they can't actively obey All ought to keep their place of subjection to it so as not to rise up against dispute or deny the Rulers place and office however abus'd Such demeanour is the only safe way to pacify the Ruler's unjust wrath against them t. For yielding pacifieth great offences Yea Devils are not to be denied their invisible evil Angelical Principality and Power permissively given them in and over this World Luk. 4. 5 6. The Devil 's evil place of Rule and Power is not to be denied Even Michael the Arch-Angel Christ himself contending or disputing with the Devil about the body of Moses durst not bring against him a railing Accusation but said the Lord rebuke thee Jud. 9. So Zec. 3. 2. About Joshua another Type of himself The Devil contends or disputes by himself and Apostles for the body of Moses or life of the Law as eternal Life and Salvation according to his first short comprehensive lying Sermon to Eve ye shall not die This is eternal Life ye are already possess'd of by the first Creation A due demeanour towards the very evil Angels is an owning our place of inferiority to them in the life of but humane nature or our natural state at best 'T is acknowledg'd so in Christ himself Heb. 2. 7. The leaving our place of Subjection or Inferiority to evil visible or invisible Powers of this World is a leaving our place of right subjection and obedience to God and a giving advantage to the Devil to make us pay it him And so come we to the mystery here Christ of right is always the chief Magistrate and Supream Ruler over all in his very passive season and Satan's active Reign If his Spirit rise up against the guilty natural spirit of Man if he come with his spiritual Sword and Gospel-fire to slay and sacrifice it to God Obedience ought to be given to him herein by yielding subjection to this Supream Ruler over all as our true interest and safety This is the way to pacify God's provoked Wrath against us even the delivering up that spirit to death that 's found guilty of all sorts of offences against him and this undeniably evidenc'd by the all-discovering light of the two-edged flaming Sword that slays us Heb. 4. 12 13. No absolute reconciliation but by the death of the guilty Sinner in us the foe of our own house We ought to agree with this true Ruler in the way of his Cross the only way to Salvation when his Spirit rises against and he comes in the posture of an Adversary upon his and our enemy in us Mat. 5. 25. Such yielding up the perpetual Offender to death in order to be brought to live under the peaceable Rule of that Spirit of Life and Love that slays our spirit of Enmity and Death pacifies the Wrath of our most righteous Judg and brings this wonder to pass that we who in our own spirits have bin guilty of innumerable and unutterably aggravated follies and madnesses shall have no Iniquity found in us by Friends or Foes The guilty Sinner our natural spirit that always rebell'd in its life has obediently suffer'd death and there 's an end of all Iniquity By this means come we to be fill'd with a spirit of Life that 's in eternal union of mind will desire thought love and hatred with the infinite divine spirit Then let enemies that love nothing but such Iniquities they would charge us with search and accuse us while they will yea and let God that infinitely hates all Iniquity search us to the bottom by the joynt beamings forth of his infinite divine and all-searching infallible new-Creation Sun-lights still still no Iniquity will be found in us when fill'd with his own Spirit of everlasting Righteousness and Truth Vers. 5. There is an evil which I have seen under the Sun as an errour which proceedeth from the ruler Vers. 6. Folly is set in great dignity and the rich sit in low place Here 's just matter of complaint relating to the invisible or visible Magistrates of this World evil Angels or Men. Nothing more familiar to observation in the visible then their encouraging and advancing folly it self or grossly wicked and unworthy persons and thrusting down the rich in true wisdom the truly worthy into low place or no place out of all place yea and out of the World as not fit or worthy to live by reason of his unalterably contrary principle temper and spirit to such wicked Gamsters as resolve to make a prey of the People All discouragements injuries and oppressions imaginable are on this ground exercis'd on the most worthy Patriots whose Consciences permit them not to gratify and serve their corrupt wills interests and unruly lusts These are the things practis'd by wicked visible Rulers in a flat contrariety to their duty Rom. 13. 3 4. The invisible Rulers of this World evil Angels prefer the rich wise-fools in a first-Covenant righteous life as their choicest and most useful subjects before above and against the mystical poor or impoverish'd there in order to become wise rich strong and honourable in God or in a spiritual new-Covenant life hid with Christ in God Christ pronounceth Wo to the former and says Blessed are the latter Luke 6. 20 24. That that 's highly esteemed of Men in the first Covenant is abominable to God Luk. 16. 15. as set up in a fixed enmity to him and the second And the broken contrite impoverish'd natural Spirit of the Saint as to all others trust and glory in seems abominable and contemptible to them the fat full rich wise strong and honourable in the first 1 Cor. 4. 8 10. The rich in the first-Covenant are sigur'd by the Man with a gold Ring and goodly apparel whereas the poor and
life the true Shepherd call's for the surrender of by death in Sacrifice he and all that so do will find no harvest of true joy and comfort to be reap'd by them at last Vers. 5. As thou knowest not what is the way of the Spirit nor how the bones do grow in the Womb of her that is with Child even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all In explaining his former words Solomon here uses the hidden ways of God in forming the fleshly body of Man and uniting his immortal Spirit with it in the Womb. These common things in the first creation over-setting Man's understanding as to the discerning or giving any certain account of are but typical to the yet far more mysterious and hidden things of Christ's new-creation-workmanship in Saints None know by the utmost improvement and skill of their own understanding how the Body is form'd in the Womb of the literal Mother or how the Spirit that had its radical creation and existence from the beginning in the mystical Womb of the Parent of Spirits comes in its appointed time to be united with its Body in the Womb. And how much shorter must Men come of discerning the yet more undiscernable mysterious works of God who maketh all things in both Creations or Worlds Heb. 1. 2. as forming and setting up his Spiritual Heavenly Eternal things in Man by his new-creation-workmanship The effects of the literal Wind are seen tho' not known whence it comes or whither it goes so are the effects of the new-creating Spirit of Christ in and upon all born of it Joh. 3. 8. As an irresistible Whirlwind it tear's down the earthly building and blow's up by the roots the fleshly tree of a perishing life in Saints andthen by the second new-building-operation of it does it make them new Vessels fill them with new-Wine even it s own Spiritual Kingdom-Life of everlasting Righteousness thro' which they become meet habitations of God Ephes. 2. 22. Now if Man be ignorant of his natural make or how the distinct parts of his being are brought together into a personal union in him by a first-creation much more is he of the abundantly more mysterious way and things of his new-creation birth Vers. 6. In the morning sowe thy Seed and in the evening withhold not thine hand for thou knowest not whether shall prosper either this or that or whether they both shall be a like good Here 's a confirmation of the said spiritual Truth In the morning or under Christ's first and earliest spiritual Convictions and Revelations or Discoveries of himself to thee in his spiritual Life sow thy Seed or readily use all diligence to make way for Christ's speedy influencing and quickning up his own Incorruptible Seed of Spiritual Life in thee Let not thy earthy natural carnal mind be hard'ned against Christ but break and kindly melt away under him that what hinders being removed his spiritual Seed may spring up in thee This done by us is call'd our sowing that spiritual Seed as the works wrought in the quickned up life thereof are called our works in God and God's in us Isa. 26. 12. Joh. 3. 31. works of Grace in the second-Covenant life not of Nature in the first And in the evening withhold not thine hand or natural spirit from sacrifice For this is it hinders the spiritual Seed from springing up towards an hopeful Harvest And so will the evening state of darkness and death to Nature be turn'd into an everlasting morning-light and life in the spirit of Grace For thou knowest not c. Man's receiving spiritual Light by which Christ in his spiritual life is shew'd and offer'd him is call'd a beginning in the Spirit a partaking of the Holy Ghost and tasting of the good living Word of God Gal. 3. 3. Heb. 6. 4 5. Then is he upon his trial for Eternal Life or Death as obedient or disobedient to the said spiritual Light And accordingly will he be evil or good barren or fruitful to God Delivering up the natural spirit to death is the only way to its becoming fruitful to God in a newness of life Rom. 6. 4. 7. 4. So as rais'd into the life of the spiritual Man do both the natural and spiritual become a like good in a life of everlasting Righteousness While Man is doubtful under the darkning demolishing death-work of the Spirit or Cross of Christ on his Nature what will be the issue as Job for some time was whether everlasting blessedness or misery the Light or Voice of the Spirit listen'd to will inform that both will prosper and be a like good both natural and spiritual Man thro' the death and resurrection of the former into the quicken'd up life of the latter So there will be a joynt birth of life springing up in the whole person of the Saint from the quickned spiritual Seed and both crucified and quicken'd earthly But spiritual Light resisted and life rejected Man's earthly state however righteous becomes that cursed mystical Earth whose end is to be burn'd Heb. 6. 7 8. Vers. 7. Truly the Light is sweet and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the Sun The light of the literal Sun is pleasant to the bodily eye But the days of darkness will be many after Man is cut off by the death of the body from such sight and pleasure The certain foresight of this can't but much allay his present delight In mystery Christ is the Sun or original of all 〈◊〉 creation intellectual light and life By his shining into Man does he render him wise strong and honourable in his own restor'd nature So becomes Man joyful and fruitful therein Yet all this light life and joy therein will pass away also as well as that of the bodily state And the succeeding days of darkness will be many even to all eternity as to those that never submit to the way of coming to experience Christ in an higher and better light and life shew'd and offer'd them The cross of Christ in love or wrath seizes and takes away all fading first-creation light or goodness from every Angel and Man good or bad This Solomon farther declares Vers. 8. But if a Man live many years and rejoyce in them all yet let him remember the days of darkness for they shall be many All that cometh is vanity Let a Man live never so long in the light and joy of a first-Covenant state under the mystical first-creation Sun or first-Covenant spirit and communications from Christ or shinings forth upon his Tabernacle there Job 29. 2 -4. he must consider and remember that all this will be gone and everlasting darkness succeed if Christ be not receiv'd in that spiritual life which will scituate him under his beamings forth as a Divine and spiritual new-creation Sun of infinite eternal and everlasting Righteousness Light Brightness and Glory Vers. 9. Rejoyce O young Man in thy youth and let thy heart cheer
Sand on the Sea-shore 1 Kings 4. 29. The mystical inward riches of his restored adorned nature rendred him as much above others therein as in outward worldly greatness and visible pompe And he resolved to make the best of all these advantages offered him try what they all amounted to not without a secret hopeful-thought of finding absolute blessedness therein Vers. XVII And I gave my heart to know Wisdom and to know Madness and Folly I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit Here 's that he find's all to amount unto Wisdom Righteousness Wickedness Madness Folly all within the compass of Man's natural state corrupt or righteous vanity and if finally trusted in for blessedness will leave Man to his sore and amazing disappointment in eternal darkness and death unutterable torment and everlasting vexation of spirit as his due portion the meet recompence of his errour from God Solomon found the search after all Earthly vanities all things under Heaven or below what is heavenly a sore travel vers 13. a grievous labour man little the better when he has found them For setting himself to experience what the utmost pleasures to be had in all amounted to as gratifying to all variety of life and desire in him sensuall or intellectual he found all such knowledg and folly in corrupt or righteous nature and all such practice and experience vanity and vexation of spirit He was qualified and furnished to take the largest and deepest draughts as to all delights of the Sons of Men and take them he did and this he found all to be Though he found wisdom acquired or infused nature cultivated advanced and adorned by humane learning in Heathens or made wise strong and honourable in Christ by his restoring the lost righteous first-covenant life thereof better then the folly of dark ignorant uncultivated and unrenewed nature yet he found that all these varieties in nature fall under the same general title vanity and vexation of spirit This is the conclusion he arrives at in the preaching all-searching spirit of infallible truth All Wisdom Folly Light Darkness Righteousness Wickedness in man's natural state which he had taken the liberty to experience as well as know all is vanity This is King Solomon's Proclamation and warning to his fellow-mortals and the true King Solomon's faithfull and timely warning to all man-kind in all generations Prov. 1. 20 c. 8. 1 c. Final disappointment torment and vexation will befall all that finally fall short of true substantial divine and spiritual things in which alone true blessedness can ever befound Vers. XVIII For in much wisdom is much grief and he that encreaseth knowledg increaseth sorrow All increasings with the encreases of man in the fading Life Wisdom Riches Righteousness and Glory of his own nature not of God in the everlasting Life Wisdom Glory and righteousnes things of God are but additions to and multiplications of his sorrow in getting keeping and then loosing all again For all must go first or last by the dispensation of the Cross in love or final wrath upon every Man and Angel Men cannot but have misgiving thoughts from the self-evidencing nature of the perishableness of all they can be there possess'd of that all will be gone again So are all their life time therein subject to bondage in the highest glory and flourish thereof through a fear by death of losing all Heb. 2. 15. Job declares that as safe as he was apt to 〈◊〉 himself to be in the highest righteousness wisdom and glory of his own nature in afirst-covenant-life he had a secret bottom-fear all would fail him The thing I greatly fear'd is come upon me Job 3. 25 26. I find I had nothing of that true safety rest or quiet in the utmost wisdom and glory of my own restored nature that I fondly flatter'd my self into the false perswasion of He found all death-struck by the Cross the very righteous life and mystical riches of his spirit as well as outward concerns of his body His secret fear was the truest thought and faithful 〈◊〉 of him as to what he was to expect at winding up Man's encrease in the wisdom and knowledg of his own nature amounts but to the cleerer sight of the miseries and defects of himself and others therein and all such wisdom shews it self insufficient to correct his own or others errours Young sciolists are apt presently to think they know all but when they have travelled farther in their inquiries come with Socrates to see and confess they know only this that they know nothing with certainty infallibly and so find no rest or satisfaction in all they find Yea and are still more and more vexed and press'd thereby with the foresight of future evils incident to them The wisest man will more and more find himself in the exercise of his own wisdom as to things past present or to come but in a self-tormenting labyrinth and 〈◊〉 maze of vaine self-bewildring imaginations All knowledg and thoughts depending on the temper and fitness of bodily Organs are enfeebled in the old age and at length quite extinguished at the death of the body Then that all that sort of thoughts perish all see Again the higher man's light and knowledg if uncompliant therewith in practice the heavier he knows will the wrath of God be upon him for ever Thus the sad and inevitable result af all Man's encrease in his own wisdom and knowledg is the encrease and aggravation of his sin and sorrow at every turn Lastly the higher man is advanc'd in the life riches wisdom and righteousness of his own spirit the more apt with Paul to be a fierce zelot for that law-life and forwardest opposer of the everlasting Gospel-life of Christ and all the words thereof The Cross seemes a harder dispensation to the righteous Scribe and Phaisee that have much to lose then to Publicans Harlots in the corrupt life of nature who therefore as more easily induced to submit to and own the doctrine thereof enter into the Kingdom of God before them The mysticall rich young man went away very sorrowful when he heard of parting with all he had for eternal life Zaccheus and Mary-Magdalen did not so Final trusting in the corruptible life riches wisdom and righteousness of man render's entering into the kingdom of God absolutely impossible Mar. 10. 24 25. The very Disciples acquainted yet only with first-covenant riches were astonished out of measure at this word saying among themselves who then can be saved vers 26. Encrease in outward riches also and in that wisdom and subtlety by which gotten and for a season kept all such riches pomp and glory therein as figures and shadows of inward are usually found to be but the amusing snares of Satan by which he keep 's men in a total mindlesness of truelife with all the words thereof and leads them blindfold to the chambers of Death in Mirth and Jollity Job 21. 7-13 Thus are
all worldly riches wisdom and glory litteral and mystical by man's wilful madnes made an occasion of his everlasting grief sorrow torment and vexation of spirit Who can utter it what life treasure meats food clothing man should not seek and what he should Christ declar's and commandes nothing that 's liable to moth-eating rust corruption loss or death but heavenly unsubjected to any of these things above all dangers decayes deaths enemies or fears Mat. 6. 19 20. Joh. 6. 27. And by James he shew's what all that take not this counsel will come to at last as found possessed of no other riches litteral or mystical Gold and silver but what will be cankered and the rust thereof witness against them as guilty of inexcusable folly in neglecting all the faithful warnings of Christ against their trusting in such self-evidencing vanities for true hapines Jam. 5. 1-3 What they reckon a heaping up treasure for themselves for the last dayes they 'l find to have bin a treasuring up unto themselves wrath against the day of wrath Man's passive obedience to the death and loss of all his life wisdom and riches is the highest point of obedience God requires or he can perform in the right use thereof This makes way for the quickning and springing up of the incorruptible seed principle of a new and everlasting righteous life in which alone t is possible for man to bring forth 〈◊〉 unto God or perform such active obedience as shall be ever pleasing to God and 〈◊〉 to himself This is the counsel and method of Gods wisdom about man's salvation which all that 〈◊〉 reject will inevitably perish If they will follow the words of man's wisdom in perfect contradiction thereunto This will they have of God's hand they must lie down in sorrow CHAP. II. Vers. I. I said in my heart go to now I will prove thee with mirth therefore enjoy pleasure and behold this also is Vanity SOLOMON set his Heart to try what all Mirth Joy and Pleasure in all sorts of first-creation things amounts unto After the utmost Proof thereof he finds and declares this also to be vanity all worldly delight and desire of the same complexion with the desirables delighted in whether visible or invisible delights of bodily life and the corrupt spirit of nature therein or of the rectified intellectual rational powers more properly the delights of the Sons of Men. The other are for beasts brutified men drown'd in the lusts of literal Sodom where sensual Powers usurp dominion over rational using what should be their Masters and Rulers as Slaves to fetch in provisions for them by right or wrong Some are recovered out of this disorder and confusion towards a rectitude of their natural powers where the rational command and sensual obey But to shew the unstable slippery standing of Man here Solomon not onely restored into the right exercise of his naturals but under strong spiritual convictions of true wisdom was caught and miserably entangled in this lowest sort of worldly snares His suppressed sensual powers struggled for and recovered their formerly usurped dominion over his rational and intellectual The signal aggravation of this 〈◊〉 was that he was eminent in the restor'd first-covenant wisdom of his own spirit of nature and spiritual light of the second the self-discoveries and revelations of Gods wisdom in his own spirit of grace as his pleasing request to God and the gratious answer thereunto do evince 1 King 3. 5-14 And again ch 9. 1-9 where the Lord also threaten's him and his people in case of apostacy or turning from following him v. 6. After all this his sensual lusts after strange Women run him a-ground They turn his heart after strang Gods also from the true He not onely tolerated but himself went after the Gods of the Idolatrous borderers Zidon Moab Ammon c. whence he fetched his Wives 1 King 11. 4-8 The Lord takes notice of the aggravation of this folly and madness as after his remarkable appearing to him twice and solemnly commanding the contrary v. 9. 10. On this threaten's to rend the greatest part of his Kingdom from his Son 11-13 T is like his expences about Idols and his Idolatrous Wives occasioned such unreasonable taxes and oppressions as moved the people to capitulate with his Son for redresse of greivances which he refusing they refused him for their King Chap. 12. 'T was an amazing thing a double-portion'd saint and kingly Preacher when old and neer his exit out of this world should be found guilty of such gross enormities as many meer heathens in a long life avoid to their dying day To encrease the wonder under all the violent impetuous hurries of his own disordred spirit the wisdom of God's still remained with him Without this his foolish hurtfull lusts had drowned him in destruction and perdition A seed and principle of true wisdom was his powerful preservative from final apostacy And the want of this will be found no excuse to final apostate's from and haters of it when convincingly shewed and offered it Solomon exercised his brutish lusts for a season not onely in a flat contrariety to this but to the very light of his own reason also The unsubdued natural spirit or mystical Woman in himself carried him forth in lust after the literal who involved him in their gross Idolatries He allowed himself the full experience of all worldly desirables from the higher to the lower parts of the dust of this mortal first-creation worldly vanities He sent forth his heart on this errand to try what satisfaction the whole lump of this world's vanities from the Cedar to the Shrub intellectual delights to Husks among Swine would afford him and set's down at the foot of his account All is vanity In a union of mind with Christ by spiritual light he acknowledges all his ransacking the whole bulk of this world's desireables and roving up and down as thinking to pick up a satisfying food for his immortal Spirit amongst them direct madness So comes he from dear-bought experience to say as follow 's Vers. II. I said of Laughter it is mad and of Mirth what doth it Laughter and Mirth here signify the highest delight and satisfaction can be had in the fullest possession and enjoyment of all worldly desireables relating to the corrupt or righteous life of man in his own nature Solomon therefore in the al-discovering light of the spirit of God reflects upon his former foolish design therein judging his whole course and race there evil because his force or principle was not right but indeed a spirit of enmity to God All his delusive and destructive Joy he found Madness a making large and swift steps under the bewitching influence of the God of this world towards the chambers of death His words pleasing suggestions and gratifying offers to men are smoother then oil yet are drawn swords his method of wounding men to eternal death The spirit of man since the fall is a