16. T. Also he hath set the World in their Heart c. When Men 〈◊〉 six or set up for themselves in their worldly nature and Life of the Law and so set up the World in their Hearts as the only Object of their desire and delight then does God Judicially harden and six them there or set the World in their Hearts And then is their highest Wisdom a Black Darkning Vail upon their Hearts disabling them for ever finding out the Work of God from the beginning of it in the first-creation to the Blessed end of it in the second The God of this World fixing Mens hearts in the love of this World that 's Enmity to God blind's their minds that the light of the Glorious Gospel may not shine into them They see not to the end of that which is abolish'd 2 Cor. 3. 13. So set up for Salvation in that Law-Life that 's to be abolish'd that Glory that 's to be done away v. 7. Fleshly 〈◊〉 t s were not able to behold the spiritual Glory of Moses his true face of Spiritual Saint-ship He therefore put a Vail on it that is came forth in the appearance of the Righteousness of Man or the Law to them They that set up in the Light and Life of the Law for Salvation set up in the Vail Such never see to their comfort the true Face inward Beauty and Spiritual Glory of Moses or other Saints nor the true inward Face or spiritual meaning of any Scripture All Spiritual things or truths in Scripture all spiritual Light Life Wisdom Understanding all things of God in his Saints lie quite out of their sight as meer nothings in their day their Judgment They no more skill or ken them than a Beast the Rational Powers and things of a Man 1 Cor. 2. 11. So they absolutely deny all Gospel things and Truths and positively assert there 's no more excellent Creature-Life or things Man is capable of then what were set up in the first-creation-state of Angel and Man What work will such make at Gospel specially if fixed here and so hardned in unchangable Enmity thereto Thus Christ found the Righteous Scribes Pharisees c. in a Murdering Enmity to the truth that is the Gospel-Spirit and so of their Father the Devil who abode not in that truth or Obedience to the said Gospel-Light in which Created but quitted that his Habitation or first Estate Jo. 8. 44. Jude 6. They that Rebelliously set up this Shadowy World in their Hearts can't receive the Spirit of truth nor words thereof Jo. 14. 17. 1 Cor. 2. 14. They provoke God to give them their desire in Wrath to set up the World in them or them in their worldly Law-spirit of Enmity and Death to chuse their Delusions Isai. 66. 4. send them strong delusion that they should believe Stan's Lie and be damn'd because they chose rather to beleeve that than his Spirit of truth 2 Thes. 2. 10-12 So God Christ Themselves and the Devil all concur and center in one point the setting the World in their heart or fixing them in their own worldly spirit but upon very differing accounts Then is their case as desperate as that of the Evil Angels Heb. 10. 26 27. Though yet highly Esteemed of Men as owners yea Ministers of the Gospel are they most abominable to God Mystical Sodomit's the most Criminal Sinners in the whole World By being set or fixed in their worldly Spirit they become wholly Strangers and Enemies to the spirit of the World to come which will be upon them at last in Irresistible Wrath. Vers. XII I know that there is no good in them but for a Man to rejoyce and to do good in his life Solomon at a dear rate had experienc'd that there 's no durable unchangable good to be found in all first-creation Life and most Righteous Actions or things thereof No true Joy or Happiness to be had in this World but by doing what is truly good in God's sight in the Life and Spirit of the next True Godliness or power of 〈◊〉 exerciseable only in the Gospel-spirit of Christ is profitable to all things having the promises of this and the Life to come 1 Tim. 4. 8. that is it comprehend's the promised Spiritual Life of Christ and Comforts thereof in this and the World to come the daily encreasing first Fruits of it here and fulness there Yea also the promises even of this life or worldly things thereof such as 〈◊〉 seek belong to true seekers of the Righteousness of God in 〈◊〉 Kingdom spirit All these shall be added to you say's Christ himself Mat. 6. 31-33 The only right rejoycing in and doing good in its kind with such things of this Life is as receiv'd on the said account and manag'd in the Kingdom-spirit of the World to come Vers. 13. And also that every Man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his Labour it is the gift of God 'T is in the unspeakable gift of God only the spirit of Christ the inmost man of the Saint in the Life hid with Christ in God can feed upon the hidden Manna the divine Glory as vailed by that Spirit of Christ and thereby also unvailed or rendred visible in a sutableness only to 〈◊〉 not natural understanding in Man or Angel The never-perishing Meats and Drinks the Bread and Wine of the Kingdom the divine and creature-glories of God in the Mediator are the things true Saints eat drink feed and live upon enjoy rejoyce and delight in even in the peculiar delights of the Sons of God divine spiritual heavenly substantial things things eternal All this is the comfortable fruit of all their right labours in that Spirit that 's the peculiar gift of God distinct from the natural spirit or state of Life with all the Fruits brought forth by Man's utmost and best labours therein Vers. XIV I know that whatsoever God doth it shall be for ever Nothing can be put to it nor any thing taken from it And God doth it that Men should fear before him Whatever is the immediate Divine Workmanship shall be for ever that is the new-creature Spirit set up by the Divine from everlasting Prov. 8. 23. in personal union with it and also called God that made the worlds Jo. 1. 1-3 Heb. 1. 2. Both Worlds Natural and Spiritual and all in both were comprehended in it and brought forth by it This Fountain creature-Spirit in Christ and Streamings forth of the Living Waters thereof into Saints is of an unchangable nature The Gift thereof to Men or heavenly call of them into The Life thereof is without Repentance Variableness or chang The natural first-covenant principle of life and action set up in Man and Angel by the first-Creation is a Starting Variable Wavering thing Ps. 78. 57. Man breaks that Covenant with God and then God his Promise therein with him Numb 14. 34. Though Men be Children and Spouses to Christ therein Jer. 3. 14.
Levit's and a Plague on some others of the People Exod. 32. They said v. 4. and Jeroboam said after them in the like case behold thy Gods O Israel which brought thee up out of the Land of Egypt O Madness To the Egyptian God's that could not deliver their own People from them do they ascribe their deliverance from their Egyptian Bondage and Task-Masters So Ahaz Sacrificed to the God's of Damascus which were the ruine of him and all Israel 2 Chron. 28. 22 23. and 2 King 16. 10-13 So also Amaziah set up the Edomit's Gods to be his Gods and sought after them which could not deliver their own People out of his hands 2 Chro. 26. 14 15. and was destroy'd for his pains as threat'ned by the Prophet for not hearkning to his Counsell though against and contrary to the King 's Wicked Idolatrous Council v. 16. 27. And what became of Jeroboam for his Calf-worship erected on a self Interested Reason of State See 1 King 14. 10 11. I le cut of Jeroboam and take away the Remnant of his House as a Man takes away Dung till it be all gone Him that dieth of him in the City shall Dogs Eat and him that dies in the Field shall the Fowls of the Air Eat For the Lord hath spoken it Is not here enough When Christ shall take possession of and actually reign over all the Earth his right always Psal. 2. 8. all Visible and Invisible Principalities and Powers of this World Evil Men and Angels will be laid in the Dust. Nothing but Righteousness of one sort or other Man's or God's in Man will be found in the whole World his Holy Mountain or Kingdom by his Executing that Judgment and Justice in the Earth Jer. 23. 5. always all along his peaceable Righteous Reign that they allway's perverted Saints also that he will bring with him to Reign will do the like in Harmony with their Universal Fift Monarch Dan. 7. 18 -- 27. Jude 14 15. Rev. 5. 10. Solomon in Spiritual Light sees and mean's not only nor chiefly the oppression of the Body in the concerns thereof by Heathen Governments violating the Common Law or Light of rational nature in mankind but the Oppression and Violence exercis'd by first-Covenant Brethren against the second the only true Heirs and Saints of the most high The new Light and Life they are found in under the fructifying Influence and Beamings forth of the Mystical New-Creation Sun of everlasting Righteousness Christ as a Spiritual Bride-groom is Scorn'd Hated contradicted Blasphem'd and they Persecuted and kill'd for 't by none so much as by their envious Brethren in Holy Flesh restor'd Law-Life under the Mystical first-Creation Sun or First-Covenant Spirit wherein Christ has bin a sleshly Law-Bride-groom to them Thus are true Saints the Oppressed peculiarly and most properly here and Chap. 5. 8. meant by Solomon And then shall we find the vast number of Dead Heathens in the corrupt Life or Spirit of nature dead in Trespasses and Sins and the far smaller number of enliven'd first-Covenant Brethren professing Saints in Holy Flesh in all variety of Judgment Form or way in one kind or other Oppressours of the smallest number of all Christ's little Flock the few that are saved true Saints of the most High in God's Holy New-Creature-Spirit stripp'd and destitute of all Worldly Power or help All in this World against them No thing No body for them They are Men Wonder'd at Scorn'd Hated by all Men of Contention with the whole Earth The whole Earth or wordly party of Angels and Men fix'd in their earthy natural first-Creation-make and State despiteful Enemies to the Spirit of Grace and all in the second are their Implacable Adversaries in every thing The but first-Covenant Righteous Professour call himself what he will sometimes gets a considerable Share in the Civil Sword or Power and uses it with greatest fierceness against the new-Covenant professing Spiritual Saint who with Christ look's not after the Kingdom of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heavenly managable only in the Spirit of 〈◊〉 not the most enlight'ned righteous Principles or State of nature and not actually commencing till Man's and Satan's be at a Period Such a Kingdom such a King or Kings as Christ and his true Disciples lay claim to or own themselvs of right to be as Sons of God even Heathen Pilate was able to see and Judg carries no clash in it at all with Worldly Ceasars or Magistracies John 18. 36-38 True Saints are not for throwing down all Heathen Magistracies in the corrupt Spirit of nature that they may rule over all in the renew'd worldly spirit thereof They that design and drive at this are the Pseudo-Fift-Monarchists who in all their Zeal and high Pretences for the King Jesus are the highest and fiercest Enemies and Opposers of the very Jesus the very Christ in his very Gospel-reigning Spirit of Grace and Truth They are themselvs the most signal part and Branch at least of that little Horn with the Mouth speaking very great things Dan. 7 8. 11. 20 21. 24 25. Rev. 13. 3. 5 -- 8. 11 -- 17 which they would wholly fix upon and appropriate unto a corrupt and grosly Idolatrous Heathen party in the Fourth Roman Monarchy under the name Christian. These are they with the deadly Wound Healed given by the first Sin that laid all Mankind dead in Trespasses and Sins who with a great mouth speak great things blasphemous words against God and his new-name or Gospel-Spirit the Holy Ghost God's Heavenly Sanctuary or Tabernacle and them that dwell in it even the Saints of the most high that dwell or have their conversation in Heaven Christ's Heavenly Gospel-Spirit of Grace By the false Fift-Monarchist is to be understood not only a party peculiarly and apart from their Fellows at Munster or lately amongst us or in any former Generations and other Countries pretending this way by throwing down all corrupt Worldly Monarchies or Governments to set up themselvs but the whole fixed first Covenant-Spirited Generation and Party of Professours in all times and places found in the same uniform Spirit of unchangable Enmity to the true Spiritual Saint on the one hand and a self-confident Disturbing Traiterous Opposition to corrupt worldly Cesars on the other This troublesome Spirit is charactred by the Apostle in the Jewish Professours that both kill'd the Lord Jesus and their own Prophets and Christ's Apostles And therein please not but indeed highly displease and Provoke God and are contrary to all Men on their right and left hand Spiritual Saints and polluted Heathens For this Wrath came upon those Jews to the uttermost and will upon all in like case 1 Thes. 2. 15 16. These are they that speak great swelling Words of Vanity with their self-exalting Luciferian Master Satan the old great Bloody-minded Red Dragon against the most high himself and all his true Spiritual Saints These are they that said of Christ himself the Supream Preacher and
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
God and the true Spiritual New-creation Man or Heavenly creature-Life and Image of God in Christ blessed Angels and Saints The ring-leading Head of all thus fix'd is the Devil This Head as representative of the whole party of incorrigible wicked Angels and Men and comprehending them all is the Woman here the mystical Babylonish-strumpet guilty of unpardonable Adulteries and spiritual wickednesses against Christ the true Spiritual Lord and Husband of Angels and Men whom they ought all to obey and be eternally subject to in every thing The very person of the Devil as possess'd of the highest natural glories and excellencies by the first creation was therein the supream first-Covenant Spouse of Christ. But this Spouse soon apostatiz'd and became the grand mystical strange Woman and Adulteress that did from the date of her first sin and fall set herself to draw as many Angels and Men as she could into the same adulterous and murderous mind of enmity against Christ that spiritual Lord and Husband they all ought to submit to his terms of being married to for ever in the new and everlasting Covenant All that rebelliously keep up their own life and beauty in the first against him and the second will be judg'd as mystical Wedlock-breakers Murderers and most criminal Idolaters Ezek. 16. 15 38. The Devil by this practice in the top-excellency of first-creation life has render'd himself a bottomless pit of deceits and all sorts of spiritual wickedness endeavouring and abundantly prevailing through God's permission and Men's wilful folly to corrupt their spirits and fill their hearts with the same unchangeable enmity to Christ and God with himself By the Workmanship of this mystical Woman are Men rendered temples of her unchangeable evil Spirit The mouth of this strange woman is a deep pit he that is abhorred of the Lord shall fall therein This have we from Solomon also Prov. 22. 14. But whoso pleases God shall escape her Thus gives he a true account of the said bottomless pit with the sad condition of all that fall therein and the blessed priviledges of them that escape her All blind leaders with their followers in the first-creation-state excluding Christ and the second tumble together into this deep ditch or bottomless pit of unchangeable wickedness Mat. 15. 14. Luk. 6. 39. The very spirit of the Devil is this ditch or bottomless pit the mother of all mystical Whoredoms and spiritual abominations of the Earth Rev. 17. 5. Or in the earthly natural state lying in wait as a robber for a prey and encreasing the transgressors among Men Prov. 23. 27 28. All that in their renew'd spirit of Nature righteousness of Man or Form of Godliness in the first-Covenant finally deny and reject the Power of Godliness the New-creature-life Wisdom and Righteousness of God in the second are fallen into this bottomless pit of deceits All fix'd first-creation builders on the Sand absolutely reject exclude and deny that Spirit of Grace that 's the corner-stone and rocky foundation of the true Church The Woman here is indeed that strong powerful Man of Sin or Son of Perdition that by his superiour angelical strength and subtilty when faln was too hard for Man at best in innocency By the obedient death only of Man's spirit at best can he receive the life of that new-creation spirit of Christ that 's greater stronger and wiser then he 1 Joh. 4. 4. Then he is an over-match for the Devil able to fight and run down all evil angelical principalities and powers those wicked spirits with all their spiritual wickednesses in high places or counterfeit heavenly appearances Ephes. 6. 10 -13. When strong in the Lord and in the power of his might in the life armour or clothing of God's Spirit of Grace set up in and put upon him then is man able to still the said enemy and avenger Psal. 8. 2. This spirit in man is stronger then the strong man of sin who therefore cannot enter that House or Person it possesses nor spoil his house or goods Mat. 12. 29. Man wise strong and honourable in Christ but by first-covenant communications 1 Cor. 4. 10. Satan is too strong for and can spoil all he has or is All that is in his power Job 1. 12. So let Man want the Spirit stronger than Satan he 'l fall under him and be led captive at his will in and by that very first-covenant life he reckons to be saved in 2 Tim. 2. 26. The wisdom of it cannot discover his snares nor the strength of it withstand his power All 's but as straw and rotten wood to his superiour Angelical Wisdom Strength and Armour Job 41. 27. Flesh and Blood Man at best is so far from being fit to wrestle against evil Angels that they can make all that in Man serviceable to their designs for destroying him as on their side their friend in him In Christ's Spirit of life are Saints only fit to fight down both both Flesh and Blood the natural spirit at best and evil Angels at the back of it to strengthen that Foe of their own house that with them in all its affections and lusts fights and warrs against God and the true interest of their own souls The compleat death of this home-bred Foe but pretending Womanish Friend and Counseller in the Saint's own bosom Mic. 7. 5. is his full deliverance from all Satan's nets and snares For then he finds no part in him that he can tempt or touch please or hurt John 14. 30. When the Saint is crucified as to all worldly desires in him to all worldly desirables without him the God of this World finds nothing in him his Belial-party the enemy of God is extinguish'd and abolish'd The literal Woman by her snares and alluring Arts makes literal the mystical by her's spiritual and more criminal Sodomites T will be easier in the day of Judgment for the former then for the latter Mat. 11. 23 24. The light of Reason in all men may fence against the literal but the best Wisdom and Strength of first-Covenant holy Men is no defence against this mystical Woman's practices upon them Yea she turn's that very Wisdom and Strength with the perishing meats they feed on therein at Christ's earthly table and fruits they bring forth under Christ's Husbandly influence as a fleshly Bridegroom into so many Snares by which she catches them While she keeps them confident in holy flesh or knowledg of Christ after the flesh she renders them wholly regardless of his holy Gospel-spirit and words thereof save to oppose contradict and blaspheme all When Men give up themselves with Christ's first-Covenant gift of life and second-Covenant enlightning gifts and thereby a taste-of his new-Wine Hos. 2. 8. Heb. 6. 4 5. of the the Kingdom to Baal the Devil they become his most Gigantick opposers and strenuous fighters against all Gospel Kingdom-Truths and all that bring such things to their ears When men wilfully deafen themselves to the voice of
of his own nature life and all from Christ's Gospel-sword or Cross and spiritual Circumcision-Knife and so from being an obedient sacrifice or holocaust to God in all There is also a great evil even direct enmity to God found in all man's first-creation life of vanity the most restored Image of the Earthy and best fruits producible therein This filth of spirit cleaves fast unto all and is inseperable from Man's nature since the first sin of it Christs communicating to and setting up his spiritual life in Saints makes them Lilies that neither toil nor Spin yet grow into a flourishing fruitfulnes No labour or toil of the natural spirit in the case but a rest from all that labour God works all our works in us and we all our works in him Jo. 3. 21. Solomon in all his glory was not Arayed like one of these Mat. 6. 28 29. In all his fading natural excellencies and perfections he had no glory to these beautiful new-creation Lilies that excel Men yield up all their fading natural life and fruits to Christ as the man the spirit of everlasting righteousness or to the Devil the Man of sin and everlasting wickedness If to Christ he offers all up in sacrifice to God If to Satan he sets up and uses all in unchangable enmity to God When the Son of God had this life of vanity about him the life of the Law God spared it not in him nor did he pitty or spare it in himself as the Devil by Peter advised him to do Some that have a mind to be bidding at Salvation and the new-building in the way of the Cross and won't bid up are willing to part with the corrupt life of nature and palpably evil fruits and lusts thereof the refuse and worst of their Cattel but as Saul in letter and mystery spare the choice things the King and best of the Cattel in this Amalekite-spirit of nature keep back part of their earthly possessions with Ananias and Saphira the righteous Earthly life and fruits thereof will come off or fare as they did lose their own self-chosen kingdom life and all 1 Sam. 15. 8 9. and v. 18-23 Acts. 5. 1-10 Vers. XXII For what hath a Man of all his labour and of the vexation of his heart wherein he hath laboured under the Sun Without a surrender of all for that newness of life in which alone he can bring forth fruit unto God and be saved all turns to his eternal loss and disadvantage This question is resolved Vers. XXIII For all his dayes are sorrows and his Travel grief yea his heart taketh not rest in the night This is also vanity If first-covenant life be not first or last surrendred for the second that has bin no active principle or labourer in the way and Wisdom of the first all 's lost For 't is in the new life of the second only can any bring forth fruit unto God or be saved This exchange of first for second finally refused Man will have nothing to reap of all his labours and travels in the first but unexpressible sorrows grief shame and everlasting contempt as having wilfully rendered himself a Vessel of dishonour for ever under wrath He has changed all his goodness the wrong way into unchangable evil and enmity to God for which the unchangable wrath of God will be upon him And this will make that mystical Night of Darkness and Death his heart can take no rest in This come all men's vain labours for rest in the life and activity of their own nature to against all the faithful counsels and timely warnings of God So will all the dayes belonging to their immortal beings even to all eternity be spent in torment and vexation of spirit They have rebelliously walked in the light of their own Fire and Sparks of their own kindling the fruits and births of their own light and wisdom in the life and activity of their own nature and must lie down in Sorrow for their pains All first-creation life of the Law thus unlawfully used in rebellion against God will be found not only vanity but a great and sore evil to them for ever Vers. XXIIII There is nothing better for a man then that he should Eat and Drink and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour This also I saw that it was from the hand of God This eating and drinking as a taking pleasure and joy in man's labour Solomon recommend's as savory advice and a peculiar gift from God cannot be any thing bordering upon brutish sensuality nor yet Men's feeding and gratifying themselves with the best fruits of their labours in a first-covenant Law-life for in both these men lie under the Curse of God Gal. 3. 10. No feeding on perishing meats in a perishing life can be the meaning of the spirit Solomon gave this counsel in but a feeding on never-perishing Meats suited to a never-perishing life as Christ the true Solomon advises with a negative dash on all other life and meats Jo. 6. 27. This only is a true blessing from God puts man under his approbation-seal a Belly and Meats he will not destroy All other he will All other life finally kept up and fed in tends to man's final destruction Right eating and drinking of Christ's living Bread and the kingdom-Wine of his spirit strengthens man in his newness of life to bring forth fruit unto God daily more and more from thirty to sixty sixty to a hundred-fold and from that to a thousand c. endlesly David Solomon and other Saints have seen and proclaimed the vanity of all other Life and Meats with all Man 's delusive destructive joy mistaken pleasures and confidences therein They have recanted and declared the wrong measures they took in their own fallible wisdoms both of themselves and Gods various dealings with them and others in this world Enemies are gratified with more than heart can wish litteral or mystical riches in their own nature will and way after their own hearts while true saints are plagued all their day long in this World and chastned every morning Psal. 73. 4. 14. The natural man of the saint envies frets and is vexed at this worldly prosperity of the wicked but their spiritual in God's Sanctuary-light sees what all will come to and so quiets their wrangling envious natural as an injurious quarreller at Gods dispensations and the methods of his wisdom v. 16-19 Spiritual light extricates them out of that labyrinth and consused maze their own wisdom and thoughts run them into and sets all to rights The blessed end of Saints troubles and dreadful conclusion of wicked Mens prosperity payes for and answers all This seen quiets the Saint and fills him with Joy unspeakable and glorious This we find over and over Psal. 37. 73. 〈◊〉 21. and in plenty of other scriptures Envy not their fools-paradice here that ha's Hell at end on 't All their laughter and merriment is but as the crackling
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.
they break with him and then he departs Jer. 31 32. In this sense God Repents Gen. 6. 6. that is changes his dispensation towards Back-sliding Man If Man turn his changable Righteous Life in the first into unchangable Enmity to God and his second-Covenant Life Christ will turn from a changable Husband and Saviour to them in the first into an unchangable Enemy to them in the second Isai. 63. 8. 10. If a Back-sliding people return to him he returns to them and repents of the Evil threat'ned them Exod. 32. 14. Jer. 26. 19. Jonah 3. 10. But he overthrew Sodom c And Repented not of the evil of Punishment Threat'ned because they Repented not of the evil of Sin by them Committed Jer. 20 16. On Man's obedient chang of his sickle Life and freedom of the Sons of Men for the unchangable Life and Glorious Liberty of the Sons of God all this Starting Repenting doings is past on all hands What God does for and in Man by his New-Creation-Workmanship will continue for ever and they in an everlasting Covenant Union with him Establish'd in all things and sure They 'l never depart from him nor he from them to do them good Jer. 32. 40. No breach incident to the new-covenant Jer. 31. 33 34. because manag'd in a Spirit on God's part and Man's too that can never err Sin or miscarry T is infallible Truth and Ever-lasting Righteousness in Christ and his Saints Whatever God yea or Man doth in this Spirit shall be for ever All the Fruits Labours Works produced or done therein are Incorruptible Everlasting will be for ever As the new Root and Tree so are the Fruits and very 〈◊〉 The Incorruptible Gospel-Tree will be known by its fruits in distinction from the Mystical Fleshly Law-Tree and Corruptible Fruits thereof T. Nothing can be put to it nor any thing taken from it God's offring and setting up his new-creature Life with the glory Wisdom and Righteousness thereof in the room of Man's obediently surrendred old is the main design and scope of all Scripture This 〈◊〉 where are Men with all the words of their Foolish Wisdom Setting up Law-Life for Salvation and Calling it a Gospel-State is directly Satan's Gospel-Work his Mystery of Iniquity with its hidden Works of darkness under the Form of Godliness and Righteousness of Man All the Mystical Spiritual sense of Scripture is by such excluded out of all their Teaching Those that thus take away or deny a spiritual Creature-Life in Christ the Whole Living Book and Word of God and so the Character Doctrin and declaration thereof in the Scriptures or Written Oracles of God do take not only some but all the principal intended things Engraven by God himself in the former or by his Holy Inspired Pen-men in the latter And then will God take from them any part of the truly good things in either and Inflict on them all the Plagu's Written in both Rev. 22. 18 19. Sure 't is no small retail-heresy that exclud's all Gospel Truth and the whole Doctrine of Salvation This does Man's Wisdom that 's Foolishness to God's and reckon's all the Word 's of God's and whole Gospel-Doctrin of his Cross upon nature at best Foolishness 1 Cor. 1. 18-25 It shuts up the Kingdom of Heaven excludes all Kingdom-Life and sense of Scripture But though Gospel-undertakers herein not only derogate from and diminish but what in them lies utterly Deny Despise and Destroy all true Gospel-Life and Doctrin in Christ Scriptures and Saints 't is not by all their or Satan's 〈◊〉 Wiles and Skill that any thing can be taken from it or added to it All the Opprobrious Titles of Hereticks Enthusiasts or Phanaticks Blasphemers Mad-men that they bestow on Christ Jo. 10. 20. and true Saints Hos. 9. 7. belong intirely to themselvs This will be undeniably Evidenc'd at Christ's second appearing and final Decision of all Controversies between true Spiritual Zion-Saints and these Hypocritical 〈◊〉 in Zion Isai. 66. 5. and 34. 8. that in the worded-dress of Spiritual Saint-ship and New-Covenant Principles are but a Law-spirited Generation that only personate and would pass for the true Heirs and so labour to 〈◊〉 them out of their right and take their Inheritance from them These are the Ravenous Wolves in the Spiritual Sheeps Clothing that bestow no other Titles on them but Devil and Mad as Inquisitors on Lutherans and so Kill them as not fit to live upon the Earth Act. 22. 22. The determining this Controversy will give an amazing Consternation and Disappointment to Hypocritical Sinners in Zion and unspeakable Joy to the all along this World under Satan's Reign and in Man's day oppressed Sion-Saints Is. 33. 14. This will be when Christ arises or comes forth to Judg Enemies and have Mercy upon Zion Psal. 102. 13. In his new-Creature-Spirit and Life God does whatsoever he will and Enables Saints to do so too even whatsoever he will's as universally Obedient to him in every thing No Man or Angel in single First-Creation-Light or Understanding can discern this Spirit of Life or any of the things thereof and therefore would make nothing of them all Proud Man and Angel will needs have any thing they can't see to be nothing But God hath so order'd his matters as to the final Salvation of Man that Men should fear before him yield to his term's of saving them and not Proudly and Presumptuously exalt themselvs against him in that Life and Wisdom the Death and utter abolition of which according to the declared Methods of his Wisdom is absolutely necessary to their being saved So only can any receive that Life in which infallibly to know and declare the whole Counsel and to do the whole Will of God after his own Heart Solomon having declared this Incorruptibly perfect New-Creature-Life that admits to Chang Addition or Diminution for ever when compleated being above all Death Dangers Enemies or Fears proceed's to shew the Weakness Insufficiency and unprofitableness of all other Life or things First-Creation Vanities compared therewith saying Vers. XV. That which hath been is now and that which is to be hath already been and God requireth that which is past Somewhat like what is said Ch. 1. 9. That which hath bin in former Generations is now a gradually Restor'd First-Covenant Righteous Life And that which is to be set up again in full perfection at Christ's second Comming for the Restitution of all things Act. 3. 21. hath already bin in Primitive Innocency But still still what is this that has been at first and shall be at last in full Perfection and in the gradual Renewals of it all along between A Starting Labile Versatile thing a fading flower altogether Vanity liable not only to such a fall as happen'd to Man at first into changable but also into unchangable Enmity to God and Eternal Death to Man This is a latter end worse then the beginning in Innocency or as Born dead in Trespasses and Sins This Life
then at best is of no 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or everlasting advantage to Man however conceitedly confident he be that it is True happiness is to be found only in New-Creation Life the one and only thing necessary still wanting to man till the Obedient Surrender of all his old things for God's new T. And God requireth that which is past Heb. that which is driven away Chal. and Syr. will seek out him that suffers Persecution God will call all those Men and Angels to an account who have finally chosen a known changeable Life of Vanity for their Rest and Habitation in wilful Rebellion against all his manifold Warnings and convincingly shewed and offered Spiritual Life of everlasting Righteousness They ought to have come trembling before him and lay down all their heap of Vanities with their vain Hopes and false 〈◊〉 therein with themselves as Old Bottles to be made new ones and filled with the Mystical Wine of his Spirit in which there can be no excess nor they ever too confident or bold to appear before him therein Those that in stead of fearing and trembling before him Exalt themselves against him must prepare as well as they can to meet him that can declare all their thoughts Amos 4. 12 13. and find out all their hidden works of Dishonesty and Rebellion So in his method and way of dealing with them will he require an exact account of all done in their natural Body or State of Life He will make a strict Inquisition as to all that 's past in that First-creation State of Vanity in it self and Enmity to himself They 'l be call'd to give an account of every Idle word Mat. 12. 36. Thought and Action therein as all Words Thoughts and Actions in that Life of Vanity turn'd into Enmity will be found All Preachings up of that Life for Eternal Salvation will be found the Idle Vain and Lying Words of Man's Wisdom in direct contradiction to God's To Preach up a Fixure there is to Preach up a State of unchangable Enmity to God for Salvation Let them palliate their Doctrin of Devils with what good Words and fair Speeches they will 't is but their own Righteousness they warrant Salvation in This last Clause in the Hebrew Chalde and Syriac reading God requireth that which is driven away and will seek out him that suffers or has suffer'd Persecution may import the Inquisition God will make for the Innocent Blood of his Saints shed by this confounded World of Enemies and Rebells from Cain downwards Then will there be a sad reckoning for all the strong Bulls of Bashan Ps. 22. 12. Rich Flourishing First-Covenant Cattel that have thrust with Side Shoulder and Horns all the Diseased Lean Impoverish'd little ones of Christ when Christ comes to Judg between the fat Cattel and the lean He will search out his Meek Suffering Sheep in his day that have bin scatter'd in Man's day as Weak Fools and despicable with Paul and the off-scouring of all things by the Fat Rich Wise Strong and Honourable First-Covenant Cattel 1 Cor. 4. 8-13 who have made havock of them in the cloudy and dark day of this World under Satan He will Strengthen and Establish his Sick broken-spirited scatter'd Sheep and destroy the fat and the strong feed them with Judgment but his delivered Sheep in a fat and good Pasture upon the Mystical high Mountains of his Spiritual Israel So shall they be no more a Prey to their Enemies for ever All this we find Ezek. 34. 11-24 This will Christ do for his Saints when the set time to favour Zion is come When the day of the Lord's Vengeance the Year of Recompences for the Controversy of Zion is come wo to all wilfully blind Incorrigible Enemies that have all along this World molested Push'd at and scatt'red them Vers. XVI And moreover I saw under the Sun the place of Judgment that Wickedness was there and the place of Righteousness that Iniquity was there The litteral Sun all along this Book does figuratively signify the utmost light and perfection of Man's day or judgment in his own Wisdom distinct from God's day of Judgment in the infallible Light and Wisdom of his yet sevenfold brighter mystical new-creation Sun his Gospel Spirit of Grace Solomon's seeing in the infallible light of the new-creation Sun the true spirit of Prophecy what he tell 's us of here may take us off from wondring at his observation He saw wickedness and iniquity in the highest evil angelical and humane I 〈◊〉 Dominions Principalities and Powers of this World In the highest respective natural wisdom of such 〈◊〉 Men and Angels are they both found in a direct contrariety to the divine and infallible creature-wisdom and judgment of God contesting with and fighting against both Paul in holy 〈◊〉 an eminency of first-covenant light and life was at the same dangerous work for a season ignorantly He imprison'd Gospel-saints for the life and words of God's Wisdom punish'd them 〈◊〉 in every Synagogue compelled them to blaspheme gave his voice to put them to death and was exceedingly mad against them But Christ on a sudden converts this outragious Persecutour into a signal Preacher of the very Gospel he persecuted Act. 26. 9-19 Gal. 1. 23. One would think such a patern should convince the stoutest self-confident in the utmost flourish of a first-covenant law-life though not convert his obstinate will into obedience to the like Heavenly vision or discovery But in stead of convincing and appeasing the professing Jews with this true narrative of his Gospel-conversion in his speech from the Castle-stairs to them at Jerusalem they grew more exceedingly mad against him cast off their clothes and threw dust into the Air saying away with such a fellow from the earth for 't is not 〈◊〉 he should Live Act. 21. 40. and 22. 1-23 Thus say all of the like sowre legal-spirited leavened temper with the Pharisees concerning all or any true Gospel-Saints and their testimony 〈◊〉 is not fit they should live Who even those God reckon's not the World worthy of Heb. 11. 38. See you the differing contrary Judgment of God and wise righteous men Who will be judg at last God himself The earth man in his earthly wisdom denies but the heavens will declare his righteousness Psal. 50. 6. The sowre legalist character 's Gospel-Saints as the worst of malefactors Christ himself was so handled by them worse then Papists or Mahumetans the filth of the World the off-scouring of all things 1 Cor. 4. 13. But think ye this will alwayes be so If Satan's reign and Man's day or Judgment may take place for ever it will But run and read the contrary Psal. 50. 20-22 Isai. 66. 5. Mat. 7. 21 23. with abundance of other most harmonious scripturetestmonies in this point Search the scriptures Resign up your selvs to the teachings of that spirit that dictated them Be in earnest about your salvation Let your principal enquiry be after the kingdom-spirit and righteousness
the Strength and Power thereof will Curse him to his Face that is utterly quit and seperate from him for ever Job 2. 4 5. Thus as the Father of Lies and a Murderer on all hands from the Beginning to the end of this World in a Murdering Mind of Enmity towards God Christ and Saints and an actual Murderer of all he fixes with himself against them does he act his part towards God and Men belying Saints to God and God to Men. If true Saints be guilty of lesser Slipps he 'l Aggravate and Aggrandize them If they can't be caught tripping he 'l forge down-right lies against them See all this in the Practice of his Inspired Instruments against Jeremy All tends in their design to the Invalidating his true Spiritual Testimony that no heed may be given to any of his words Jer. 18. 18. and 20. 10. Who were these that Watch'd for the haltings and lay at catch for advantages against true Prophets Christ himself and Apostles all along Familiars Brethren a first-covenant righteous party of Professors and their Teachers So David found it also Psal. 41. 9. The Spiritual Saint that 's a Lively Stone in the House on the Rock sets Fire on their House upon the Sand he once was in and of Will this be born No. Away with such a Fellow from the Earth say they Act. 22. 22. Then they betake themselvs to the use of such Fire and Sword as they are furnish'd with against him Their Tongue is set on fire of Hell They forge 〈◊〉 against him to prove him a Traitour against Cesar and so make the Heathen Magistrate their Executioner Christ himself was thus handled by the Professing Jews Thus Solomon beheld the Tears of the natural Man of the Saint under the Cross as on all hands Oppress'd and Suppress'd by God or Christ himself and by evil Angels and Men. Enemies are all for destroying and Christ makes all they do exactly serviceable to his design of saving them for ever He sits at the head of the work as the Master-Contriver and Over-ruler of all He designs the destruction of their flesh or fading natural State Enemies can reach and touch that they may be saved in his Spirit which they can never touch though all their spite and aim be at that He uses wicked Angels and Men as his Sword and hand on Saints Ps. 17. 13. This Sword is in his hand He manages all Keeps all on the right Wheel All works for good to his Saints All mischievous intents of Enemies for utterly destroying them are frustrated They can't go one step out of the ready Rode to his designed favour for them They can hit nothing but their Friend the natural Man of his Saints which he would give Death-touches to were there no such Enemies in being They do his work then remove that that lets or hinders the springing up of that Life in which the Saint is sure to break all their Heads and tread them all under his Feet This is all they get by bruising their Heel or destroying their natural Man that 's to die Saints ought to Comfort one another with such words and rejoyce with Joy unspeakable and glorious a-midst the utmost Tribulations can befall them not reckoning the present Sufferings in their Flesh worthy to be compared with the Glory that shall be revealed to and upon them in Christ's Spirit Ro. 8. 18. For this Joy set before them and made known to them well may they with Christ endure his Cross and despise the Shame Heb. 12. 2. Here are the richest Cordials in and Glorious allay's to their sharpest Tryals in the fiery Furnace of the Cross. The Son of God is among them as Nebuchadnezzar saw and said of the 3 Children Dan. 3. 25. He has a fellow-feeling with them as their Compassionate High_Priest Heb. 2. 18. All 's but to hasten away the Old Man with all his old things that all may become new Would not Oppressors let them alone if they knew the good they did them by their Injuries But the natural Man even in Saints themselvs knows not what to think on 't when storm'd on all hands finding God Christ good and evil Angels and Men all against him on differing accounts and with 〈◊〉 contrary designs He finds no Comforter among them all after his own heart or in his own wil and way All runs Cross. Paul earnestly groan'd after the compleat dissolution of his Earthly Tabernacle 2 Cor. 5. 1-8 natural body or whole State which kept him short of a compleatness in Christ's Resurrection-Life Phil. 3. 11-14 The Jews false Accusations of him for Treason and Nero's Sword did his work The compleat Death of the Saint's natural Man sets him free from and above all Enemies and Deaths 'T is the death of death in them of their Spirit of Enmity and Death and so frees them from him that has the Power of Death or over all that 's subject to Death the Devil Hereby enter they into Peace lie down in a Bed of perfect Rest for ever Is. 57. 1 2. Would Enemies hurry such out of the World if they knew all this But what care they so they 'r rid of such Tormentors at present Rev. 11. 10. They Rejoyce and make Merry for being shut of them till they see them upon their Feet again an exceeding great and Invincible Army then their high rejoycing is turn'd into great fear and amazement v. 11 12. and Ezek. 37. 10. And then appears a Judgment-Seat and Righteous Judg all of them must stand before 2 Cor. 5. 10. and give an account of all done against him and his Saints What care they Let them rule in this World take the next that will Awaken'd spiritual Saints does Satan look upon as unalterably principled to be Fix'd Enemies and Traitours to his Crown and Dignity the Peace of his most Oppressive Tyrannical Domination in his Universal Province of this World the only Dangerous Mischievous spies that discover all his wiles and secrets in his whole Mystery of Iniquity as Elisha in Figure serv'd the King of Syria But as bad as Legal-spirited Professors reckon them so as falsly to accuse and charge them with Treason against Heathen Cesars they are their quietest and best subjects Their Principle is absolutely against Tumultuous Insurrections Christ himself paid Tribute to the then Heathen Cesar. And Pilate acknowledg'd his owning himself a King no clash with his Master Cesar. Indeed had he own'd himself a King of the Jews in that worldly first-Covenant spirit they 'd have had him Jo. 6. 15. he and they had bin Enemies to Cesar as outing his Government That 's the Pseudo-Fist-Monarchy-spirit Judg who are Traitor's against Cesar first-Covenant Professors that struggle with him for worldly Soveraignty as their right or spiritual saints that with Christ pretend to no such matter Would worldly Cesars Heathen Magistrat's be Lictors and Executioners of Traiterous Heady High-minded Professors Rage in the form of Godliness denying the power 2 Tim.
3. 4 5. on their most Peaceable Subjects spiritual saints if they knew what they did 〈◊〉 not lawful for us to put any Man to Death said the Fanatick Jewish Professors Such are not usually possess'd of the Civil Sword or Power have no way but to get the Magistrate to do their Bloody work upon the spiritual saint The whole Earth all the World is against the true saint and he with Jeremy a Man of Contention with them all Heathen and a first-Covenant people These belie him make him a Traitour and the other Execute him Every Man's every Devil's hand is a natural Enemy to saints All against them The better they see the worse they like the more they hate them as in an 〈◊〉 contrary way to them Their help is in God in that new name and Life of the Lord that 's a Rock and strong Tower Enough enough Infinite Almighty and Irresistibly Mighty Divine and new-Creation Power is on their side But Enemies seeing them destitute of all worldly Power say also there 's no help for them in God Ps. 3. 2. and 42. 3. Were this true they were gone indeed quite gone The like was Reproachfully said by Men under the Devil s Influence to Christ himself as to David his Type Psal. 22. 6-8 Mat. 27. 39-43 And so find we it in the Apocryphal Wisdom of Solomon Ch. 2. 10-22 concerning Christ and all his true followers The natural Man in the saint himself is in a union of mind and Judgment with Enemies without also against his spiritual mind the fleshly Warrier in every desire thought lust and motion against it alway's for War no Peace to be had with it Psal. 120. 7. Gal. 5. 17. Rom. 7. Psal. 73. 1-20 Jer. 12. 1. Till saints have recourse to Sanctuary-light the exercise of their spiritual mind all appears dismal but then all 's Right and Comfortable again Psal. 73. 17. Jer. 20. 7-13 Not fully Crucified and Transform'd Humane Reason and Wisdom in Saints is the most dangerous home-bred Traitour to them within Doors of the same mind and party against God and himself with all Enemies without Doors Devils and Men. This Foe these Foes of the Saint's own House a Multitude of evil lusts and thoughts peopling his own soul and making up a Tumult of those in him that rise up against God and himself Encreasing and Ascending continually to provoke and cry for Vengeance upon him must be run down by him This through his powerful stirring up of the unspeakable Gift of God in him watching constantly all their motions and skilfully managing all Spiritual Weapons put into his Hands to Crucify that fleshly mind and life in him that in all its Affections and Lusts Fights against God and his own Soul Steddy walking as well as Living in God's Spirit and continual earnest Prayer to God therein will do the work Gal. 5. 16. and v. 24 25. When these Enemies within are storm'd on all hands from Christ without in answer to their Prayer and by themselvs within in answer to their Duty and grand concern they 'l certainly fall under their Feet Paul found himself when looking on any Body any thing within without or round about him of this World cleer gone there as by his Marred Visage and Image of the Earthy in Holy Flesh rendred a Spectacle of Scorn and Derision to the whole World wicked Angels and Men stripp'd of all Power or Defence they can take any right notice of So in their sight was he most despicable as the off-scouring of all things And this seemingly deplorable condition will be more the lot of Saints in the last Age of this World then ever before Ezekiel's natural Man could not see the possibility of spiritual Israel's recovery out of the desolate State of dry Bones in a Valley then or now but said in answer to the Lord's Question thou knowest Ezek. 37. 3. With him what seems Impossible to Man is Possible This can God do And he reserves the Exercise and Demonstration of his Power herein for such a desperate season to fetch up Saints out of all their Visible and Invisible Enemies Hands and put their Enemies Necks under their Feet as in Type Josua the Kings of Canaan under his Captains Feet Jos. 10. 24. The natural Man's thoughts even in Saints are not as God's thoughts in this matter The Powerful breath of his quicknnig Spirit Ezek. 37. 5. 10. recovers all as Abraham in Type Lot c. out of the four Kings hands who were Types of the four worldly Oppressing Monarchies Assyrian or Babylonish Persian Greek and Romane Solomon in the same prospect of things by spiritual Faith with Ezekiel would secure Saints from being dismayed at the universal oppression they are under from all worldly powers These meek poor oppressed ones shall have their day to inherit even the earth at Christ's coming to Reign over all Mat. 5. 5. Mean while all their Oppressours are perfectly seen and noted by God Christ and holy Angels that are all higher than the highest Powers of this World with a black Character to the unspeakable Comfort and relief of the Oppressed Their helpers will be unspeakably above all their Enemies And they over-rule all Oppressors do for their good even now In the close of the bloody red-Dragon's day they 'l be found the manifested visible declared Heirs of Salvation in the view of all Friends and Foes This will matters come to after all scrambling Controversies between Zion-Saints and their unreasonable Adversaries hypocritical Sinners in Zion-dress In this world Enemies find no sure way of silencing them but by violence The professing Jews not able to resist the wisdom in which Steven spoke ston'd him This is their way Now from the certain sight of what follow 's Solomon and Christ himself would have Saints possess their souls in faith and patience under all worldly Oppressors God exactly marks and regards all their demeanour under Oppressors as well as Enemies demeanour towards him and them Comfort enough come what will They are Co-heirs with Christ of God Rom. 8. 17. What would or can they have more They that laugh now will have time enough to weep and weepers now to laugh Eternity Eternally blessed are the latter Everlastingly cursed the former Mat. 5. 3 -- 12. Luk. 6. 21 -- 25. Oppressors will be paid home at last with everlasting sorrow the Oppressed with everlasting Joy For shame leave off Complaints O Saints of the Most High For shame leave off exulting and rejoycing O mad enemies of God and them Saints see ground for this advice to them Enemies not seeing all at winding up will on and rejoyce in their oppressing-work They oppress them who alone in greatest love shew them the way of Salvation But this disturbs them in their large and swift steps towards damnation They desire to hope well and so march on quietly to their everlasting torment Hell here torment here and hereafter too they reckon too hard Let them please themselves
with false hopes and confidences here and come what will think they hereafter At length they must leave their false present rest and lie down in everlasting sorrow Who can help Satan's twofold party corrupt and righteous men fixed in nature with him will on in their fools Paradise in their various pathes under Satan's counsel and steerage to the same Tophet Saints ought to do their best in all meekness to recover any out of the snares of the Devil till evidently fix'd in Enmity God's method with men is that none should usually have two Heavens or two Hells All Good is the Saints all Evil the incorrigible sinners in the world to come All Saints tears are put into God's bottle of remembrance to requite all hereafter as Enemies oppressive madnesses shall also be paid off with such recompence of their Errors as is meet the vengeance of Eternal Fire Jude 7. All will come to their rights at last Friends and Foes This very Argument does Paul comfort oppressed Saints with 2 Thes. 1. 4 -- 10. At Christ's second coming will Saints ride in their Triumphal Chariots as more then final Conquerors over the Heads of their Oppressors Devils and Men who have had their turn to ride over their heads Ps. 66. 12. The Lord regards every sigh and groan of his Prisoners appointed to death under worldly Powers Psal. 12. 5. and 69. 33. and 79. 11. 146. 7. He will make his despised oppressed ones a praise in the Earth in the sight of all that have scorn'd and trampled on them Psal. 102. 13. 16. 19. 20. The true Saint pants after final deliverance from all Enemies within him Rom. 7. 24. as well as without All will be 〈◊〉 at last in Answer to their Prayer Psal. 74. 10. and ver 〈◊〉 Saints groan after deliverance from their mortal righteous earthly life of Enmity as well as from that of the Body 2 Cor. 5. 1 2. All in nature within and without them is in a universal confederacy against them What matter If God be for them who can be against them Or who can hurt them Rom. 8. 31. Here 's enough The whole first-creation world lies in wickedness litteral and mystical filth of flesh or spirit 1 Joh. 5. 19. and so in a universal daring affront and contradiction to all words and things of God in the next Jer. 44. 16 17. But God will hear or deliver Saints from the horns of the Unicorns Psal. 22. 21. That is from all oppressive Powers of this World visible and invisible without and within So have we in some small measure the meaning of these words Vers. II. Wherefore I praised the Dead which are already Dead more than the living which are yet alive The weight of these words lies not in the Litteral Sense For no miseries or oppressions incident to bodily Life in this world are comparable to the sad condition of the wicked after death under final wrath The spiritual truth here relates to Saints Saints departed are in a far better condition than those left behind them in the Body that have not fully passed through the twofold inward and outward oppression or suffering-work that 's to be undergon by them Saints departed out of the Body or while in the Body out of the Law-life of their own spirit are those A voyce from Heaven command's John to write as a most certain Truth blessed Blessed are the dead in the Lord Rev. 14. 13. All so dead with Christ will live with him for ever in his Immortal Gospel-life All others will perish in their own corruption or corruptible Law-life and state which they have rebelliously chosen and trusted in for blessedness against the Lord's known commands and warnings to the contrary By keeping up what Paul cast away as dung for Christ's spiritual Life will they perish as their own dung for ever Job 20. 7. A perfect death of the natural Spirit and Principle of Life and Action in man an everlasting cessation and rest from all the desire thought and unprofitable labour thereof and so the honourable burial of it in the mystical grave of Christ is true conformity to his death Christ came not to do his own Will nor speak his own words the Dictat's of his own understanding though spotlessly perfect in our fleshly nature but Crucified and ceas'd from all We must follow his suffering steps through the same fire of his eternal Spirit Heb. 9. 14. kindled by him on us as on himself Luk. 12. 49. Spiritual Circumcision and fire-Baptism put nature corrupt or righteous to death cut off and burn up all flesh even Holy Flesh Col. 2. 11 12. Man in the restor'd righteous Life of his own nature has nothing but a Body of Sin and Death about him which Paul pray'd for deliverance from Ro. 7. 24. Phil. 3. 6-8 Since the fall filth of Spirit Enmity to God is inseperable from the Life of nature corrupt or righteous Nature in whatever condition and Enmity to God Live or Die breath or expire together Paul when eminent in Holy Flesh breath'd out Enmity Threatnings and Slaughter against God's Holy Gospel-Spirit Saints and Truths Act. 9. 1. From the time this Spirit of Enmity was Death-struck by Christ in his way to Damascus he lived and brought forth Fruits unto God in a newness of Life In the restor'd Life of nature the great Sin of Enmity revives gather's Strength Credit and Authority By the death of it under the Cross that and all other Sins are pluck'd up by the Roots He that is so Slain and dead is freed from all Sin for ever Ro. 6. 7. When Planted together in the likeness of Christ's Death and Resurrection the Old Man is Crucisied the Body of Sin destroy'd v. 5 6. Man's natural Body or whole natural Man at best as a Righteous Living Soul 1 Cor. 15. 44 45. is by the twofold death and Life-work of Christ's quickning Spirit Transformable into the likeness of his Glorious Body or the glorified Body Soul and Spirit of our nature in his person Phil. 3. 21. On such death of nature Man ceases from sin for ever 1 Pet. 4. 1. If Obedient to the Slaughter-work of Christ's Gospel-Spirit on our Lawless or Law-Spirit in corrupt or righteous nature shall we by the second operation of it be quick'ned up into the Life of his Gospel-Spirit All dead with Christ shall after their season of dwelling in Dust arise with his dead Body into a newness of Life and Sing for ever Isai. 26. 19. Paul's argument in this case looks both way's If the Dead rise not Christ is not Risen 1 Cor. 15. 12-19 implying if Christ be Risen the Dead with him shall be Rais'd into that 〈◊〉 of Life our Crucisied nature in him Lives in for evermore Rev. 1. 18. Our nature in Christ is rais'd also into and possess'd of the very Divine Life So the fulness of the very Godhead dwells in him bodily in personal Union with his Manhood This is his peculiar Prerogative
or constant steddy spirit of everlasting Truth and Righteousness and Works thereof David pray'd for Psal. 51. 10. All fix'd in the but starting righteous natural spirit or principle of Life and Action hate with a perfect hatred as they them Psal. 139. 21 22. Righteous first-covenant Brethren are the most fierce persecutors of the second can't afford them a good word sit and speak evil against them Psal. 50. 20 21. Such Crucified Christ. Profane persons hate all such right works as are performable in renew'd naturals But all of both sorts Profane and Professors are against all spiritual Saints Works Things and Truths Many lesser Ruffles may the fix'd first-covenant righteons have with the Profane party but they mortally envy and hate the spiritual Saint with all his right works and words as seventy times seven fold more abominable to them than the profane party with all their brutish vilenesses Away with them 't is not fit they should live say they Masqu'd Papists worse than bare-fac'd or Mahumetans Spiritual Saints with their truly right works are a thousand-fold more envied by sowre leavened Legalists then common sinners of the Gentiles and their generally discernable wrong works This has bin found in all times and places towards all true prophets Christ himself and Saints before and under Law and Gospel Christ came to his own in the first-covenant and they blasphemed and Crucified him for the Gospel-doctrin of the second Never more will the whole World be in an uproar against Christ and his Saints then when he is just at the Door ready to come forth with them to reign over all such enemies What a universal surprize and amazement will this be to them all one and 'tother Heathen and first-covenant people As wondering at both their madnesses against Christ in his first and second coming the Psalmist ask's Psal. 2. 1. Why do the Heathen rage and the People imagine a vain thing What vain thing do they imagine and tumultuously assemble in a Union of their otherwise 〈◊〉 minds to do to cast down Christ God's supreamly anointed one and Saints Christ's anointed ones vers 2 3. A likely Project to thrive in Do either or any of them know what they do The Mystical Kings do in some measure the greater their madness the litterai less the less their folly though they also Rage and Tumultuously Assemble in this case Both are guilty enough to find a conclusion bad enough to them all Let the two earthen Pot-Sherds corrupt and righteous tugg and fight it out with one another That 's a lower trade of Sinning in either But if they peece up and joyntly fight against their maker they are at the highest point of Folly and Madness And then highest wo to both and all Isai. 45. 9. They contend against Almighty and Irresistibly mighty Divine and new-Creation Power Is all this Hubbub and Tumultuous Assembling of Mankind with all their combined Counsels and Forces against the insinite Divine Father and his Divine and Creature-Son like to Prosper They 'd break their Bands and cast away their cords srom them This is the Rebellious Design and Plot. They 'l not be subject to limited or bound up by their Laws or words of command This is their desperate case and Resolution This Universal Conspiracy to be remarkably the case in the last beyond all former times is on the very account here declar'd their incorrigible envy at or Enmity to God's Divine and new creature-Spirit of Grace with all the right words works or fruits thereof in true Saints which offer to lay Bands on all their unruly Wills This they 'l not endure but labour might and main to shake them off and cast them away from them This is that which corrupt and righteous humane with Evil Angelical nature make head against God Christ and Saints about The two-edged Spiritual Sword in all these hands speaks death to nature in them all Therefore they all fight against it But this will in Love or Wrath perform the whole Will and Counsel of God as to the death of nature on every Angel and Man good and bad Isai. 1. 19 20. and 55. 11. 2 Cor. 2. 15 16. Christ in that Spirit wherein any can or ever could be saved is the stumbling-Stone and rock of Offence the only Rock of Defence to Saints to the numerous Troops of innumerable evil Angels and Men that Build on the Sandy fallible Principles of nature for Salvation They utterly defy all the words of the Builders on the Rock that speak nothing but War and Death to them attempting to set Fire on their House Guess who of the Earthy party are like to take this most heavily at Christ's and his Saints hands as offring to take down a beautiful Church-building with pretence to set up a better unchangably glorious That Mystical Temple of his Body or whole natural State that Christ said was to be pull'd down So as not to have one stone of it left upon another and in which he Refus'd at the Jews desire to be their King saying he 'd build it up into another more glorious Temple-State in which he would be a King this was the very ground of the Professing Jews proceeding against him to the death He has built up our nature in himself by way of Resurrection into a new-Creation Temple of the Living God for evermore His Doctrin of the Cross upon them and Practice of it upon our nature in himself did the Professing Jews and their Teachers Priests Scribs Pharises c. call Blasphemy or evil-speaking against the first-Creation Temple and Life of the Law as no State of true Salvation This they reckon'd an Evil Hurtful or false speaking that is Blasphemy And in saying so they Blasphem'd or spoke and did evil and hurtful things Maliciously of and against him and all his Gospel-Truths First-Covenant Brethren hate the very Gospel-Principle and all the Right Works and Words of Christ and Saints therein For which of my good works do ye stone me Said Christ. Not for any good work but for Blasphemy replied the Jews Jo. 10. 32 33. What must Steven or any Servant expect if the Lord were thus handled See Act. 7. 51-60 with the ground Act. 6. 9-14 A first-Covenant People among the Gentiles under Gospel do the same things to their Spiritual Brethren as the Jews under the dispensation of the Law in the self-same Law-Principle and Life the very leaven of the Pharisees But these disturbers of Gods true Israel in both will be cut off Gal. 5. 12. They labour to keep off all true Gospel-Doctrin from all hearing as the most abominable Heresy and Preachers of it not fit to live Act. 22. 22. and 24. 14. Law-circumcision for cutting off Filth of Flesh they prefer to the true Spiritual Gospel-circumcision that cutts of Holy Flesh restor'd righteous nature from which filth of Spirit or Enmity to God's Gospel-Spirit is inseperable For this Murdering-minded Cain's Envy Mortally Hate and kill Spiritual Abels from
and the Prophets and all 's 〈◊〉 The Jewish Teachers and Professors wilfully miss'd and rejected all the spiritual counsel and sense of their own Prophets whom they highly pretended to obey and follow When Christ the great Master Prophet came to work with them they were found in direct Enmity and contradiction to them and him He finds and unanswerably proves them to be Insidels or Unbelievers as to all the Spiritual Gospel-meaning of Moses and the Prophets Is ye believe not Moses's Writings say's he How shall ye believe my words Joh. 5. 45-47 Both Christ and they appealed to the Law and to the Testimony The whole Controversy lay and still lies in the right understanding it So found he and proved them 〈◊〉 enemies to Moses and himself the true Accomplisher of all the significant Types Shadows Ceremonies Sacrifices Commands Ordinances Statutes Judgments and Institutions that Moses under his Conduct taught and writ Such self-confident Professors when the Visor is taken off are found Infidels as to the Gospel-sense of all Scripture Christ ask'd the Lawyer enquiring after Eternal Life What 's written in the Law How readest thou These are two Questions As to the first about the Letter of the Law this they were presently agreed on But How readest or understandest thou this Law In the first-covenant wisdom of Man or new-covenant wisdom of God Here arises all the Dispute and difference about the reading As to the first Query about the Letter Christ granted he answered right Do this and thou shalt live said he that is have Eternal Life the thing queried Both the Lawyer Luke 10. 25-29 and the young Man in like case Mat. 19. 16-20 willing and ready to justify themselvs reckon'd all this already done by them But indeed nothing For 't is not in the first-Covenant Spirit of the Law but new Covenant Spirit of the Gospel any can answer the true meaning of the Law as Austin said Both Lawyer and Young Man loved themselvs in the fading Law-Life of their own nature not the Lord their God at all in the everlasting Gospel-Life of his spirit of Grace This is Charact'red in its own Oracles by the word or title Love 1 Cor. 13. as unchangably loving and beloved of God So is positively asserted to be the fulfiller of the whole Law Rom. 13. 9 10. on all accounts to all intents and purposes to God's well-pleasing and Man's Salvation in the comprehensive litteral and mystical meaning sense and requirings thereof towards God or Man The terms on which 't is possible according to the methods and appointments of God's Wisdom for any to receive and be possess'd of this Gospel-spirit or principle of Life Desire Thought Word and Action being rejected and the Law-spirit of Nature kept up alive in which 't is impossible to do any of the things required for eternal Life what must such self-confident vain boasters come to In their own Law-spirit at best from which enmity to God is inseparable since the fall in stead of loving the Lord their God with all their heart soul strength and mind and their Neighbour as themselves they 'l be found to hate both God and his new-creature Gospel-spirit the supream mystical Neighbour and Friend of God and Man in personal union with God and offering personal Union with its self unto Man And if unchangably fix'd in their Law-spirit they 'l with the fallen Angels Hate the Lord their God and their said Neighbour with all their heart soul strength and mind All their good words and fair speeches by which they deceive themselvs and simple undiscerning hearers Rom. 16. 18. all their plausible pretences of love to God Christ and his Gospel-Truths by which they palliate their evil matters will not serve their turn This great Mystical Neighbour Christ's Gospel-Spirit called LOVE is the Fountain Creature-Vine-Tree that brings forth right Fruit true Wine cheering to the Hearts of God and Man as in Jothams Parable Judg. 9. 13. Christ in our fleshly nature and fading first-Covenant Law-Life thereof would not leave this right and true steddy constant Gospel-Spirit Ps. 51. 10. of Everlasting Rightcousness in which alone he is to Reign to go to be Promoted over the Law-Trees Inferiour to that pure and spotlesly perfect Law-Life in himself to wit Scribs Pharises and Professing Jews the Mystical Princes of this World that Crucified their true King for owning himself in his Reigning Gospel-Spirit of Life and because he would not be their false King in his Law-Spirit and Life as they desired yet would have forc'd him to be Jo. 6. 15. This had spoil'd all For had he so done he had quitted the true reigning spirit for a 〈◊〉 the Gospel for a Law-spirit as they did and Devils have done in unchangable Rebellion against the true King Jesus and God most High He would not thus quit the true Vine-Tree his Gospel-Spirit the Wine or Fruits whereof are cheering or delightful to God and Man Spiritual Men to be promoted over Men as Mystical first-Covenant Trees in Holy Flesh Trees of good and evil in Enmity and Rebellion against both God and Cesar the Jew's then worldly Soveraign at Rome Yet even they that would have made him such a King Crucified him because he would not be such a King as had bin an Enemy to Cesar and told Pilate himself to his Face if he let him go he was not Cesar's Friend Jo. 19. 12. They Mortally hated him for making or owning himself a King in the Spirit of the World to come that Pilate saw and declared to their Faces was no fault at all against Cesar and for not owning himself a King in that Law-Spirit of this World in which he had bin an Enemy to God and Cesar too Yet in a Tumultuous Vociferation and most Brutish Irrational Out-cry admitting of no distinction the general Word King serv'd their turn to Proclaim him an Enemy to Cesar and to get Cesar's Romane 〈◊〉 Pilate to Crucify him as King of the Jews Whosoever makes himself a King in any sense tell not us of Niceties and Distinctions a King is a King and there 's an end on 't speaks against Cesar. And we have no King but Cesar say these very Jews that would have set up Christ a King against Cesar. 〈◊〉 ye how matters go between Heathen Magistrat's and first-Covenant Brethren against Christ and the second A plain case What unutterable Confusion Blindness and Madness on all hands Pilat's Conscience and his Wive's Dream are against 〈◊〉 with Christ. Yet the Jews Out-cry Crucify him Crucify him carries it without any reason given and Crucified he was And the Spiritual Servant must not look to fare better then his Lord. What evil hath he done Said Pilate Not a word to that question But they cried out the more saying let him be Crucified Mat. 27. 22 23. Stark Madness But To the second Query What 's meant by the said Frivolous Vain Carking Sharking Covetous Unreasonable Unprofitable Labourer's being destitute of an
Fathers House the Image of the earthy or first Adam in order to receive the impress'd Image and Indeleble Character of the Heavenly 1 Cor. 15. 49. are the Mystical Poor Maim'd Halt and Blind Luk. 14. 21. that have bin content to have the right Eye or best understanding and light of their own nature pluck'd out cut off and cast away from them and so their right Hand and Foot or best Power of working and walking in a sutableness to that Light or dictat's and ruling Power of that understanding cut off Their Obediently Sacrific'd Slain Crucified earthly nature is rais'd into the Everlasting righteous Heavenly Life of Christ God's and their Sacrificing High-Priest in which they are fitted to enter into the Kingdom of God and drink Wine with Christ for ever therein All whose Palate and Appetites are tuned only for Perishing Meats first-Creation diet Satan's and 〈◊〉 's Morsel do slight the true Manna as Light contemptible Bread Typed by the Rebellious Israelit's slighting and loathing the Litteral Num. 21. 5. They are directly of Satan's temper and palate savour only the first-creation things of Man or Angel not new-Creation things of Christ and God Mat. 16. 23. Neither did the infinite Divine Father need a Creature-Son nor that Son a Wife as properly any gain or advantage to either To be sure pure Divinity is infinitely blessed in it self above all possibility of Addition or Diminution by any thing that ever Angels or Men can be do or say to Eternity And as for the advantages of the Spiritual Marriage-Union with his Creature-Son they do all redound to his Mystical Spouses Elect Angels and Men. For the accomplishing of God's designs of love to his Creatures his infinito Wisdom saw it meet his Son should have a certain number of them though comparatively with them that Perish in the broad way few yet an Innumerable Multitude Rev. 7. 9. as an Aggregate Body or one Mystical Woman and Spouse in general who lies warm in the 〈◊〉 of the Heavenly Creature-Son as he in the bosome of the infinite Divine Father But besides this General has Christ a Select number out of the Elect which make up the peculiar Spouse and Bride the Lamb's Wife Rev. 21. 9. But natural Man and Angel chusing to abide single and alone in their own nature not only vastly distant from but in unchangable Enmity to both Divine-Father and Creature-Son will find themselvs in a cold starvling condition for ever in Eternal Death destitute of all comforting warmth under the Tormenting Scorching heat of God's fiery Indignation upon them for ever On the other hand Saints have the heat and Comforting warmth of their Divine Lord and Creature-Husband as Scituated under the direct strong and cleer Beamings forth of the Divine and new-Creature Suns of infinite and Everlasting Righteousness upon them as the highest Satisfaction imaginable to them for evermore By personal Union with the Creature-Son that 's in personal Union with the Divine Father come they fully to enjoy the unsearchable Riches of their Husband 's Glorious person his conjunctive Divine and Creature-Glories with everlasting safety and Comfort Joy unspeakable and full of Glory Through the Transcendent cherishing influence and warmth of the Divine and everlasting Creature-Sun in Christ's person will they bring forth the fruits of his spirit offer up the Spiritual Sacrifices of Praise and Thanks-giving acceptable to God by Jesus Christ for evermore There 's no durable warmth or Comfort from Christ to be had in a first-Covenant Marriage-Union with him He will die or depart from them as to that fading warmth as known by them only after the Flesh and rendring them for a season beautiful and fruitful in their own nature will and way So if not Married to him in spirit or in that Spiritual Life into which rais'd out of the death of our nature we shall find cold comfort at last yea none yea and unutterably Tormenting heat or flaming Vengeance upon us for ever Vers. XII And if one prevail against him two shall withstand him and a three-fold Cord is not quickly broken The Saint is in personal in Marriage-Union with Christ in his irresistibly Mighty Invincible Creature-spirit that 's in like Union with Infinite Almighty Divinity This threefold Cord who can break Who is sufficient for these things So much as to declare the Transcendent Security and Priviledges of Saints They are above all language yea wonder If Christ if God be on their side who can be against them and prosper How can they be less then more then Conquerors Rom. 8. 31. 37. Saints the third and lowest Link of this Chain or 〈◊〉 are in effect in the same security with the higher and highest Christ and God Who shall seperate them from the Love of Christ v. 35 Or from the Love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord 35. 39. They are secured from all Enemies without or within in Christs Gospel-Spirit that 's greater then he that 's in the World the Devil 1 Jo. 4. 4. The Gates of Hell all the secret Counsels and Strength of Enemies the Powers of darkness with all their Mystery of Iniquity shall not prevail against them They can discover all their secret Counsels and Projects against God's Spiritual Israel as Elisha the King of Syria's against Litteral And they can trample all their Power under their feet being by God delivered up into their hands as the Syrian Army into Elisha's to lead them blindfold whither he pleas'd and to do what he listed with them Mad are the evil Angelical Principalities and Powers of darkness at those who can discover all their Devices Wiles Designs and Projects for destroying Men as also are their Apostles and Ministers when they find the Falsities of their whole accursed other Gospel detected 'T is the self-same case with both and all of them They are all of a knot The small number of Christ's awak'ned Spiritual Gospellers must look to be Charactred by them all as the most Proud Presumptuous Insolent Censorious Contradicters and Blasphemers of all good Men all Goodness and saving truth in the whole World This is Man's Wise enlight'ned first-Covenant Man's Censure in Harmony with Satan's concerning the truly Meek and Humble Poor Needy broken-Spirited Seed Sheep and Flock of Christ contented with Paul to become Fools Weak and Despicable as to all their Enemies put value upon 1 Cor. 3. 18. and 4. 10. Enemies not being able to deal with them at Spiritual Weapons or to Resist and bear up against the Spirit and Wisdom by which they speak Act. 6. 10. have recourse and betake themselvs to other Weapons Humane Laws and outward Belluine Force to silence suppress and destroy them as the 〈◊〉 Jews serv'd Steven Act. 7. 57-60 and as the King of Syria would have serv'd Elisha if he could True Saints as on the strongest and surest side though the tide seem to run so strong against them that there 's no stemming it all visible and invisible
Powers of this World comming with a swift and full Torrent upon them to run them down have this to say by what the Spiritual Man or true Prophet and Seer in them sees their Rock is not as our Rock even our Enemies themselvs being Judges Deut. 32. 51. Be the present awak'ned Spiritual 〈◊〉 of Christ in any Generation never so few yea if there be but one single Jeremy amongst the only professing people of God in the whole world and all against him even there King Princes Priests and People he 'l be too hard for them all Moe and greater still are they that are with and for him then against him They shall 〈◊〉 but not prevail against thee for I am with thee saith the Lord to deliver thee Sure he or they that have God on their side will have the best on 't though all the World be against them as indeed they always are All Inhabitants of the Earth and Sea 〈◊〉 in their own earthly Life of nature corrupt or 〈◊〉 Inhabitants of the Mystical foaming Sea and Land All worldly force by Sea and Land is full against the Saints of the most High dwellers in Heaven that have their affections and Hearts set on things above their Conversation in Heaven while Bodies still on Earth The Saints Rock is the new-Creature Gospel-Spirit the new name or Life of Christ into which they run and are safe from all that pusse at them and swell in an implacable mind of enmity against them What Spirit then is the Enemies Rock The Devil's He has made choice of and set up for himself and followers in all the sading Glory Wisdom Strength and excellency of the first-Creation all the Life and Power of Humane and Angelical nature as six'd in unchangable Enmity and used in a perpetual War against God Christ Blessed Angels and Saints so long as they can by God's Permission for most Wise and Holy ends known to himself hold it and make a Vain Tumultuous 〈◊〉 against them The Saints Rock will be found at winding up of all to be too hard for all their Inhumane Enemies Rocks viz. all evil Angelical Principalities and Powers Their Rock will dash 〈◊〉 these Rocks to 〈◊〉 Their Mountain or Kingdom with Christ will be establish'd in the top of their Mystical Angelical Mountains and exalted above all their Humane Hills or visible worldly Principalities and Powers When wicked Men shall flee to their Angelical Confederates and Masters higher Subtler and Stronger then they in their first-Creation make and nature and so the Supream first-creation Mystical Rocks and Mountains to shelter hide or Protect them from the Wrath of the Lamb the Saints Rock all won't do They 'l not be able to bear up stand or keep upon their Feet before the Lamb when the great day of his great Wrath is come Rev. 6. 15-17 All such Rocks and Mountains with all runners to them for safety all will to wrack under the irresistible Power and Wrath of the Saints Rock upon them all Mountains and Hills or Angels and Men. Then all Proud evil Angelical helpers with all their Proud helped self-exalting Subjects amongst Men must all stoop bow and lie down under his and his Saints Feet for ever Christ will not withdraw his anger but cause it to rest on them all for ever as a Fire never to be quench'd and therefore thus it will be with them look as big and be as confident as they will now Job 9. 13. Kings of the Earth both Humane and Angelical in their earthly first-Creation make and life again humane or visible Kings of the said Earth and that of two sorts in corrupt and Righteous earthly nature and life Heathens and a professing first-Covenant People who are all ready to lay their Heads together and joyn Heart and Hand against true Saints all these Litteral and Mystical Kings can agree and consult at one Table how they may both and all rid their hands of and weare out the Saints of the most high by changing times and laws perverting good or establishing evil ones and so mischief by a Law Dan. 11. 27. and 7. 25. These Crafty Consulters shall all be at a loss when Christ comes to set up his and his Saints Kingdom in the World or upon the earth His and his Saints Mountain or Kingdom set up on the top or over the heads of all their Mountainous worldly Rocks and Powers will crush them all to pieces yea grind them to Powder When he takes to himself his great Power and Reign 's will this most certainly be And then will he have the Universal Praises Hosannah's Hallelujah's and most joyful Acclamations of all that dwell in Heaven all his Saints whom he 'l bring and cause to Reign 〈◊〉 him Jude 14. as we find Rev. 11. 17. But even now during Christ's and his Saints suffering season under Man's and Satan's domineering Reign he suffer's neither of these visible or invisible Powers without to do any thing to his Saints but what 's exactly conducible to their true good the destruction of their Flesh or slaying all Enemies within them the Foes of their own House the desires thoughts affections and lusts of their natural Man Life and all at best which Fight and War against God and the true interest of their own Souls These combin'd Enemies Devils and Men are the wicked Christ uses as his Hand and Sword Psal. 17. 13 14. against the natural Man of his Saints in a pure serviceableness to their everlasting advantage in all their most malicious designings and practicings against them with intent to destroy them for ever The Prince of this World strik's at Gospel-Life and Spirit in Saints nor he nor his Instruments can ever hit or touch They hit only their own party in them flesh and Blood or their natural Man in the full comprehensiveness thereof corrupt or righteous on the perfect destruction whereof under the Cross by their own obedient consent and submitting thereto are they filled with his Spirit and Life in the irresistible Power whereof they will break all their Heads and trample them under their Feet This is the pass they bring their matters to in all their despite to Saints and the Spirit of Grace they are of A most comfortable consideration in all their Sufferings This is abundantly evident in Job's case All he had in the righteous Life and Wisdom of his own nature was by the Lord put into Satan's Hand or Power Job 1. 12. And to 't he goes bestirring himself with all his Malice and Power to destroy him What was the Result Job's Arriving by way of Death and Resurrection to his spirit at that all-powerful spiritual Life in which to break the Serpent's Head the latter end better then his beginning Flesh or the natural Man at best till Crucified and subdued Hurries even true Saints with an Impetuous Violent Torrent of Desire or Lust after Satan's Perishing Meats and so into many Rebellious Practices against God Christ and
their own spiritual Mind Ro. 7. 15. 23. Solomon had a larger sad experience of this then Paul But though this one even the natural Spirit of the Saint in its own Life lust will and way oft prevail against him even against his spiritual mind or man two shall withstand him even this rebellious flesh or natural man What two Who are these The Fountain Spirit of Christ in himself and the quick'ned up Seed thereof or Spiritual Man in the Saint The Rebellious natural Spirit Satan's Party in the Saint and he at the back of it to encourage and strengthen it with all variety of Arguments Motives Reasons and Uses against its own Saviour and Salvation shall both fall down together under the prevailing Power of the Spiritual Man Christ's Party in the Saint and he at the back of it making up the blessed two here These will weaken Satan's Party in the Saint and at length quite extinguish all the Life and abolish all the Power thereof laying it in the Dust. Then the whole Man shall be fill'd with and actuated by his Spirit of Life there 's no dealing or medling for Satan with Perfect Conformity to Christ's Death and Resurrection is all compleat's the Saints work and deliverance from all Enemies without and within He that 's thus dead is freed from Sin Ro. 6. 7. Sin or the guilty Sinner the natural Spirit is dead and gone as to its own sinning life of enmity So comes a ceasing from Sin for ever 1 Pet. 4. 1. The same mind in the Saint with Christ for a compleat full suffring in the flesh extinguishes all Sinning self-destroying Power for ever in him And this bring 's the Saint's matters to the self-same passe with Christ's when he said Now come's the Prince of this World and hath nothing in me Jo. 14. 30. Satan would have perswaded Christ himself and that by an Apostle to pity and spare his first-Covenant Law-Life or righteous natural self But he utterly rejected these flattering Judas-Kisses and Smooth words of the Enemy which are drawn Swords to Wound and Kill Men eternally He took not the Enemie's Counsel but clean contrary brought his own Spiritual Sword and Fire upon it Crucified offered it up by a Holy Obedient death in Sacrifice to his Fathers Will. Saints must do likewise They must hate that Life in themselvs he Crucified in himself or cannot be his Disciples But under all plausible appearances of kindness for Self-Preservation and Salvation does Satan animate his Party in Man the Disputer of this World to Dispute and Contend for his own everlasting Destruction against all Christs Gospel-things and truths By Man himself does he carry on his work smoothly and fair for the destroying him for ever Men are generally in their fallen State of nature Children of Wrath dead in Trespasses and Sins hatefull to and hating God and one another So are they half Devils ready as 't were made to Satan's hand by his own hand or first blow upon humane nature in our first Parents They are Enemies of God Lovers and Friends of World and Devil in corrupt or in part righteous nature They are Litteral or Mystical Adulterers and 〈◊〉 Jam. 4. 4. Thus we see Men want no more of being compleat Deuils as Christ asserted Judas to be Jo. 6. 70. then of being fixed and rendred unchangable in Enmity They are born and live as thus forward in the ready Rode and broad way towards their everlasting Destruction And to forward and encourage the restor'd righteous Party in this way there want not for a World of false Christ's and false Apostles in the Counterfeit guise apparel and dress of the true fitted to deceive if possible the very Elect. These evil Angelical Roaring Lions in Christ's Clothing and 〈◊〉 in the Clothing and appearance of Christ's true Apostles and 〈◊〉 will in their Lying Spirit of Divination and false Prophecy warrant this their very way to Salvation Ezek. 13. 6. Here 's Man 's dangerous condition on all hands as to his grand concern In this deplorable State these almost desperate Circumstances all Men are in does Christ the true WISDOM of God publickly warn and cry out aloud to them all to take heed of being taken with this deceitful Doctrin of Men and Devils their false accursed other Gospel and that they listen to his contrary Counsel and Instructions of Life submit to his Reproofs of Death on that Spirit of nature that 's 〈◊〉 and so receive his Spirit of 〈◊〉 that can never Sin or be deceived err or miscarry but 〈◊〉 discern and own all his words of truth Prov. 1. 20-23 See then and consider Oye Sons of Men the different posture ye are in towards your Blessed Saviour and the Abaddon Apollyon Red Dragon and Destroyer Christ comes to Cross and run down fallen nature as to the corrupt Lusts and vile affections of Litteral Sodom This done and nature recovered and set afresh upon its 〈◊〉 in a rectified first-Creation orderly state or mystical house he comes again with Fire and Sword upon this to pull it down and destroy it in order to the new spiritual Building and Life of the Rock Here 's all this unpleasing Cross-work to nature corrupt or righteous which must be submitted to and obediently complied with or no Salvation On the other hand Satan that comes to destroy Men finds them in a ready posture gladly to receive and entertain him and all his words his flattering Kisses and smooth Sayings in his accursed other Gospel all after their own Hearts desire and Palate And if he can but fix them in Enmity they are his own for ever direct Devils Now whom think you like to be most welcome to Man the destroying Saviour or the saving destroyer Christ or the Devil the Angel or Messenger of Gods everlasting Covenant or the Angel of the Bottomless Pit The whole World or earthly party of mankind corrupt or righteous lieth in Wickedness 1 Jo. 5. 19. or in the wicked one the Devil liable to be used by him against God Christ all awak'ned Spiritual Saints and Gospel-Truths as Paul when eminent in the Law-Righteousness of Man was Ready are all save actually awak'n'd Spiritual Saints to embrace his smooth words of Counsell which are drawn Swords to kill them saw they all and to be at his service greedily receiving teaching and Hearing the very doctrin of Devils without the least scruple for Salvation All the World wonder and run after the Beast Rev. 13. 3. His Ministers and Apostles are of the World or worldly earthy nature and Life in the Image of the earthy the Wisdom and Righteousness of Man so teach only such worldly things for Salvation speak of the World and the World all of the like earthy-temper and Spirit hear follow and Embrace their Doctrin Down it goes without any chewing pause doubt or suspition If this Doctrin wear thred-bare and lose its colour he will clothe it with the appearance of Christ's Spiritual true Gospel-Doctrin In
14. 1 Joh. 4. 4. and 5. 18. Satan's Battels against and seeming Conquests over Saints the few that are saved Christs little flock are performed with a confused noise and Garments rolled in Blood Christ's and Saints victory over them is with burning and fewel of Fire by which the 〈◊〉 of and by the Lord will be the many that perish Isai. 9. 5. and 66. 16. Enemies kill Saint's Body's but they 'l kill their Spirits Souls and Bodies for ever in that Spirit they aimed at to kill but could never touch It will touch them to purpose at last But Who are the Oppressours here What the Oppression Who the Oppressed in the Province of this World Satan's universal Monarchy through a violent perverting of Judgment and Justice Much has been said 〈◊〉 these queries on Vers. 1. of Chap. 4. Evil Angels and Men are the invisible and visible Principalities and Powers that set themselvs to oppress the Saints of the most High the Poor and Needy as to the Treasures of their inward natural Man their Spirit and oft outward also as the Signal Tormenters of such Dwellers upon the Earth or fixed Inhabitants of the Earthy first-Creation State of Nature evill Angels and Men disturbers of the Peace of their Joynt worldly Dominion and tyranical Domination therein For they declare all that worldly Life and Strength they trust in for Happiness to be but a Bubble a Dream a fading Flower insignificant as to true happiness a fix'd confidence therein unchangable enmity to God and certain Damnation to themselvs Can the Rulers of this World visible or invisible bear such Doctrine concerning that State they set up in for Salvation Though Devils more fully know the Truth thereof will men under their strong delusions pleasing themselvs to think their sandy Foundation'd Church-building good and their matters right with God as therein doing him service let the true Saint's contrary spiritual true Gospel-Doctrine passe uncontrol'd or the Preachers and Owners of such Doctrine unpunished Never look for 't And least of all in these last and worst of Times in which the Scripture proclaim 's and warn's this Oppression will rise to a higher pitch than in all former Ages of this World under Satan the Prince and God the Moloch and Baal or King and Lord thereof King of Kings and of all the Children of Pride all proud self-exalters in this World as Christ King of all Spiritual Kings and meek subjected Children of his Kingdom in the next Satan the permitted God and Prince of this when he know's he hath but a short time to Reign his Kingdom drawing near a Period will more outragiously and Subtly then ever lay about him to hinder and prevent the Dawnings and commencing of Christ's Rev. 12. 12. He will then enrage his visible Powers in this World against Saints to the causing such a time of Trouble to them as never was or shall be Mat. 24. 21. As certain Tokens of Satan's expiring Reign and so of the approaching of Christ's the Love and Practice of all sorts of Iniquity litteral and mystical will abound and of all sorts of goodness decline and decay By both these will the Devil most dext'rously serve his designs as to all sorts of Oppression by the violent perverting of Judgment and Justice towards the Poor of Christ's Flock stripp'd of all natural Power or Relief visible or invisible He will use a prophane Party to destroy the common Rights and Properties of men on civil accounts And he will use first-Covenant Law-Brethren as by him turn'd into gospel-wolv's and yet dress'dup by him in Sheeps-cloathing Spiritual appearances to worry and hunt true Spiritual Gospel-Breth'ren in the second to Death But Saints are fore-warn'd of all this as to what they are to expect in the worst of times Mat. 24. 25. Joh. 16. 4. All 's by God's permission and under his over-ruling Power They ought not therefore to marvel or be dismay'd at the matter or will and purpose of God herein which is wholly for their Good Be not dismay'd for he or they that is or that are higher than the highest the Holy Angels do regard see and take notice of all as Standers by and Lookers on til fully impowr'd and comission'd to come forth in the effectual Preaching of the everlasting Gospel to Saints and pouring forth the Vials of Wrath on their Enemies And Christ and God yet unspeakably infinitely higher than the Holy Angels sit as 't were silent but exactly regarding and observing the injurious demeanour of Enemies towards his Saints together with Saints dutiful and quiet demeanour under such Injuries and worst Occurrents The spiritual Gospel-life of Christ in Elect Angels yea and in Saints too render's them as much higher then all evil first-creation Powers Angels or Men as the Heavens then the Earth And though the Good Angels come not forth in their immediately preparatory dispensation to Christ's second comming till peculiarly commission'd for such blessed work in the last and worst of times when enemies are grown most rampant and confident yet mean while even all along this World are they and have they bin sent by Christ as ministring spirits keepers and guardians to blessed Saints on earth heirs of salvation surrounded with enemies on all hands in this scrambling confounded world of cunning Devils and ignorant men ignorant as to all Gospel saving truths abundance of them not knowing or very little thinking what they are doing as even Paul once Act. 26. 9. Luk. 23. 34. Act. 13. 27. They protected Eliah from the king's 3 Captains and their fifties Elisha in Dothan from the Syrian Army and Hezekiah c. from the Assyrian Army before Jerusalem as Isaiah prophesied 2 Kings 19. 20. 35. By the decrees of Christ's spiritual Angelical Watchers over and observers of all men good and bad as Hesiod say's will the great Tree of all oppressing Worldly Monarchies be cut down when ripe for the Sicle Dan. 4. 17. Mat. 13. 39-42 Rev. 14. 19 20. That Devils are not ignorant of Holy Angels Guardianship over Saints appears by Satan's quoting Psal. 91. 11 12 to Christ himself Mat. 4. 6. They keep Saints also as the natural man of Christ himself in flesh from being induced by tempting Devils by the contrary workings of flesh and Blood in themselvs or persecuting-work of enemies without doores to stumble or be finally and unpardonably Offended at and so found offenders of Christ the corner-stone and foundation of the new-creation building on the Rock as coming on flesh and blood or their natural man with mystical fire and a flaming two-edged sword to kill slay and offer it up in sacrifice to God In the close of this world will they poure down the wrath of God gradually on the several parts or branches of Satan's universal Empire or worldly dominion till all be laid in the Dust under Christ's theirs and his Saints feet Rev. 16. Saints waiting in a lively hope for this ought to possess their Souls in faith and
with a whiff 'T is deceitful above all things and desperatly wicked who can know or discover it The wisdom of God in himself and Saints this only can search it out and cause it to know it self teach it or bring it to the true 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jer. 17. 9 10. Nothing in Nature nothing below the all-searching Gospel-Spirit in Christ and Saints can discover all its Meanders and Wiles anatomize and unriddle it to the full The holy Ghost in and by Peter found out the falshood of Ananias and Saphira and slew them Act. 5. 1 -- 10. The first-Covenant wise Jew or Christian Gentile boasts himself as a fit Teacher and Guide to the common sinner in corrupt Nature little dreaming that himself in 〈◊〉 Nature is guilty of a more criminal sort of mystical 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 against God and his Spirit of Grace Rom. 2. 17 -27. He sits in his majesterial Chair as an instructor of fools insulting over the gross sinner with a touch me not stand by keep off for I am 〈◊〉 than thou This renders the proud Pharisee an abomination to God Isa. 65. 5. To such self-confidents Paul puts divers searching questions which discover him more deeply guilty of mystical sins against the Gospel bearing the same title with the literal Adulteries Thefts Idolatries and Sacriledg he justly reproves in the common sinner against the Law The death and loss of all such boast in is absolutely necessary in the methods of God's Wisdom to Salvation the receiving that Gospel-Spirit of life in which any can be saved Miss this and miss all Come short of the Grace and ye fall short of the Glory of God never enjoy the beatisical vision thereof An exact observer of the letter of the Law may be a most criminal breaker of its spiritual mind or meaning as Paul once The Law-Saint or legal-spirited Christian Believer finds the corrupt Heathen a no-body to him and he is a no-body to the true Gospel-Saint a meer blind Ignoramus as to all-Gospel-truths yea worse a mortal hater of and enemy to all Gospel-Saints as no-bodies to him the worst of Men the 〈◊〉 of the World The circumcis'd cleans'd first-covenant wise Man by opposing the second becomes a greater sinner and worse Man than the uncircumcis'd polluted Heathen If he and the Heathen fix themselves in righteous and corrupt Nature the 〈◊〉 righteous Man will have the worst on 't for ever T will be easier for the literal than mystical Sodomite in Hell Mat. 11. 23 24. But what then hath the wise Man or first-Covenant holy Man more than the fool in corrupt Nature What advantage has he Much every way says Paul in answer to his own question Rom. 3. 1 2. The Law or restor'd life of it rightly us'd is of great benefit to Man in suppressing and keeping under the vile affections of corrupt Nature but if abused against spiritual conviction in a 〈◊〉 enmity to the Gospel 't is render'd by Man worse than nothing and he is thereby rendered worse than the fool or common sinner 〈◊〉 in polluted Nature For he is absolutely excluded God's Rest on his wilfully contracted incurable Leprosy or disease of unchangeable enmity to God the other not so But leaving both their cases what hath the poor that knoweth to walk before the living What has the poor broken-spirited Saint beyond both and all the the said wise and fools that are levell'd at the death of the body and come all to the same sad end a being cover'd with darkness for ever This truly poor in spirit is a blessed Heir of the Kingdom of God The natural Man of the true Saint impoverish'd and run down by the cross as to that wisdom life riches and fading glory the self-exalting first-Covenant Princes of this World keep up in rebellion against God and enmity to the cross is the poor and needy the Scripture so ring's of specially the Psalms And occasionally has this mystical poor bin plentifully spoken of and charactered in this and the like discourses on Job Timothy c. Christ pronounces such poor blessed Mat. 5. 3. the opposit rich or wise cursed Wo to the rich Luk 6. 24. Such mystical rich go merrily without regarding this wo they are under with their whole Soul or unbroken natural spirit to Hell while the true Saint in the broken crucified impoverish'd mourning state thereof is following the slain Lamb to Heaven Blessed are such mourners Mat. 5. 4. Both the wise and fool in the restor'd or corrupt spirit of nature set by and laid aside Solomon ask's in reference to this third Man distinct from both What hath or is the poor c. What has he got in the room of all the lost life wisdom and riches of his own Nature spiritual everlasting Gospel-life and riches This is the case of such as with Paul are content to become fools weak and despicable as to all the first-Covenant rich and wise boast and glory in What this mystical fool and poor has is plain durable riches and life in God What has the opposit wise then no more to speak on than the fool in polluted nature All are fools one and 'tother as to their eternal concerns mind no such things Spiritual and Heavenly These go for nothing with them but are all in all The Spirit of God asks and resolv's his own question negatively and 〈◊〉 Isa. 66. 1 2. God delights not in any thing of the first creation where all is corruptible and altogether vanity even all the life goodness and top-excellencies thereof in Man and Angel But in the second where all the goodness materials and ingredients are incorruptible and unperishable Hence delights he in one poor broken-spirited man in the first in order to his being quicken'd up into the second incomparably beyond all the unbroken glory and excellency of all natural Men or Angels though not found in enmity changeable or unchangeable to that Gospel-Spirit or cross that will break down all fading good in all Angels and Men in Love or 〈◊〉 Wrath. What God delights not in he requires our obedient submitting to his destroying in order to be brought forth in what he does delight in and will delight in for evermore So of the work of his hands by a first-creation come we to be the Sheep of his Pasture in and by a second All first-creation or Covenant-Life Wisdom Righteousness c. are but Law-Ceremonies not Grace or Gospel-Truths meer transient vanities perishing next to nothings When they have serv'd their season away they are to go as dung for Gospel-life Phil. 3. 8. The Poor here as to all Law-life and riches are the only true wise Men that know how to walk before the living even before the living God unto all-pleasing in the living Word Wisdom New-creature Gospel-Spirit of the Son of God They are taught principled or spirited so as infallibly to know the whole mind and do the whole will of the Father They have obediently quitted and
its utmost growth flourish and fruitfulness is but a fading flower the mystical natural tree of God's left-hand-planting distinguish'd from the incorruptible seed 1 Pet. 1. 23. of his right-hand-planting by a new-creation which springs up in spiritual Saints prospers into an everlasting Kingdom-state rendring them mystical Gospel-trees the fruits whereof are incorruptible and the very leaves such as never wither or 〈◊〉 away Psal. 1. 3. This spiritual tree of Life will be known by its fruits in distinction from the natural fleshly tree all the fruits whereof are as the root and tree they grow upon perishing Vanities The new Name or Life of the new-Creature Gospel-spirit or living Word of God set up in man can never be turn'd into a lie Man's old name and fading first-covenant Law-life at best when asserted to be a spiritual Gospel-state of everlasting Life and Salvation is turn'd into a flat lie and falshood and all the things births works fruits and products thereof and in though good in their kind when call'd spiritual and confidently rested in for Salvation are all lies and enmity to God and his Gospel-Spirit of Truth Renew'd nature call'd Grace the renew'd old or natural Man with his first Covenant righteous Life and Name call'd the new-creature the spiritual Saint with the new Covenant-Life and Gospel-Name all these are dangerous destructive lies In sum the good Name and precious Oyntment here are the differing characters of first and second-Covenant Life The former through the said mistake Paul found to be a body a law a state of sin and death Rom. 7. 24. 8. 2. which the new-covenant law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus freed him from by putting his nature therein to death The Spirit of life is the death of death when it puts the law-spirit of Enmity and Death to death in the Saint utterly abolishing all the Anointings or said precious Ointment receiv'd in the natural state and giving all again with usury in the unchangeable life and transcendently more precious anointing of the spiritual Man Man in restor'd first-Covenant Law-life is apt as Paul once to despise and reject all Gospel-Tydings or witness of the second The good Name imports a transcendently higher and better anointing then the precious Oyntment here can signify For then the spiritual there is no better kind of precious ointment receivable by or communicable to Man This true meaning of the Holy Ghost in Solomon as to this former will much conduce to and facilitate the opening of the latter clause of this verse And the day of Death then the day of one's Birth The stress of these words can't lie in the literal sence which cannot hold generally nor mostly true For the literal death of the vast number of wicked men is abundantly worse then the day of their litteral birth and life in this World Man though born dead in Sin is capable of a restauration-birth of a first-Covenant life in his Spirit which puts him under hopeful advantages and possibilities of a new-creation-birth of an everlasting righteous Life These hopes are utterly cut off from all that die in their Sins as all that die in a state of enmity to God and his Spirit of Grace and everlasting Life do This necessitates the allowing a mystical meaning to these Words which is this The death of Man's Spirit as to all natural first-creation life 〈◊〉 or first-Covenant righteous obediently submitted to with certain hope of a Resurrection into the life of Christ's Gospel-Spirit that slay's and offers it up in sacrifice to God as he serv'd our nature at best in his own person is transcendently better then the Birth and utmost flourish thereof in him For now is he much forwarder on his way in the right method and death-pass towards an everlasting righteous new-Covenant life Paul counted the former dung to the latter and suffer'd the loss of all therein for it Phil. 3. 7 8. If Man submit not to the terms and ways of arriving at this new birth for a newness of life he will come to a latter end worse then his beginning in either of his two former Births litteral or mystical of bodily or first-Covenant life eternal death By obediently losing and quitting the former natural or Law-life for a spiritual Gospel-one he comes to a latter end better then any of his beginnings in Adam before the fall or since in his own said twofold personal birth eternal life A rebellious pitying and sparing our own nature in the first-covenant life thereof loses all for ever An obedient giving it up to death and right losing it saves all Matth. 16. 25. The Spirit or inner natural Man when crucified and raised into Christ's spiritual life the death or dissolution of the body is not fear'd but desir'd as by Paul He earnestly long'd and groan'd after the shaking off and being perfectly rid of the dusty mortal perishing earthly life and state of his whole natural Man body and spirit 2 Cor. 5. 1 4. and so to be wholly at home with the Lord ver 6. in the intire single uninterrupted exercise of spiritual life amongst the best company the pure unchangeable Friends of that life blessed Angels and Saints departed In this World the Saint is surrounded with innumerable Enemies thereof very burdensome ill unpleasing company to him In the birth and utmost flourish of a first-covenant Law-life we are still under Satan's power and delusive influence He can deceive us into the same perdition with himself by that very righteous life By inducing Men to over-value and and rest in it and on it for Salvation he brings them into unchangeable Union with himself in Enmity to God When perfectly crucified as to the life of the Law raised into the life of the Gospel we are not under the Law but under Grace Then Sin and Satan have lost their dominion over us for ever We wholly cease and are freed from both and all all enemies and dangers whatsoever Rom. 6. 7 -14. 1 Pet. 4. 1. The birth of a first-Covenant life gives not full victory over Satan the right death of Nature and loss of it does Therefore better on all hands as the only way to free us from death and set us up in eternal life The right full death of Man's Law-spirit of bondage delivers him from all bondage and fear of death for ever which all their first-Covenant life-time Men are continually subject to Heb. 2. 15. Vers. 2. It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting for that is the end of all Men and the living will lay it to his heart The house of mourning or state of sorrow to the natural Man under the death-blows of the Gospel-Sword or spiritual cross of Christ is better for him to go into and be in then the house of feasting in the most joyful fruitful life and exercise thereof in a first-Covenant state For therein draws he nearer to a heavenly
The broken-spirited Saint as to all that has the praise of God Luk. 16. 15. Rom. 2. 29. One such contrite-spirited Man God value's more than all Angels and Men in the unbroken excellencies of the whole first-creation Isa. 66. 2. How vastly distant are God's thoughts and Man's in this matter Again the more sad and marr'd the Countenance or visage of the natural or old Man in the Saint under the dispensation and discipline of the Cross the better is his heart the more thriving prosperous and fruitful in spiritual life The Spiritual Man rises as the natural decays and falls The decay and sorrow of the old Man is abundantly over-answer'd by the encreasing joy of the new To the full death of the old does immediatly succeed a compleatness of spiritual life in the new As the outer or natural Man perishes the inner or spiritual is renew'd day by day 2 Cor. 4. 16 -18. The light and short affliction of the former work 's for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory in the latter and Rom. 8. 18. Hereby comes Man to be rid of all bondage and regard of ensnaring vanities things temporal delights of the Sons of Men and to be advanc'd into the glorious liberty of the Sons of God so as to look at and set his affections upon things eternal only ver 21. Lo then the plentiful harvest-sheaves they that sow in the Tear's of their natural Man shall reap in the Joy of their spiritual Psal. 126. 6. The decay of the life and glory of Man in the first-Covenant attended with an encrease of the never-fading creature-life glory wisdom and righteousness of God in the second render's his heart less after Man's but more after God's own heart with David and so better The unchangeable good new-creature life only with all the things and never-perishing meats thereof in the Man-Christ or his Saints and followers have God's approbation-Seal as is implied John 6. 27. Vers. 4. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth Here are the contrary places or states in which the mystical wise and fools are found as the certain evidence of their wisdom or folly The latter take up for happiness in the flourishing fruitful life of their own restor'd nature This in a known wilful contrariety to the spiritual Law and Example of Christ himself In such place or state by them chosen will they be chain'd up as a Prison of everlasting darkness and death under wrath So will their house of feasting be turned into a house of everlasting mourning torment and vexation of spirit And this will they as a signal aggravation thereof be forc'd by God's awakn'd convictions in them to own as the fruit of their own device invention and wilful choice against all fair warning In a perfect contrariety to these merry travellers to the Chambers of death and their own everlasting confusion are the truly wise in the house of mourning under the cross as their secret Chamber of safety shutting their doors Isa. 26. 20. window's or natural senses outward and inward from all first-creation desireables visible or invisible Satan's perishing meats the dust himself feeds on By this means are they not exposed as all not under the Cross are to be catch'd in and with the ensnaring vanities of this world At winding up out come the reputed fools under the cross into an everlasting house of feasting and down sink their scoffing blasphemous enemies heathen or people Psal. 2. 1. fix'd in nature corrupt or righteous and so in unchangeable enmity to God and them into a house or state of eternal mourning Saints are content to pass thro' all sorts of reproach shame and much tribulation without and within knowing whither they are going even to the Kingdom of God Act. 14. 22. Joh. 16. 33. In the world ye shall have tribulation The world is full of enemies round about them corrupt and righteous Men are all enemies to the Life and Righteousness of God in the spiritual Saint Thus does Solomon distinguish and character by the marks of wisdom and folly the contarry-minded inhabitants of the two houses on the Sand and on the Rock Vers. 5. It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise than for a Man to hear the song of fools Here 's the cause and ground whence the said wisdom and folly come to be practis'd The wise obediently hearken to the voice and rebuk's of Wisdom Christ his death-reproofs upon their spirit of nature that they may receive his Spirit of Grace Prov. 1. 20 -23. They receive and submit to the chastning Discipline of the Cross according to the reveal'd and known methods of God's Wisdom for Salvation On the other hand fools listen to the pleasing voice and charming song of folly it-self in Devils and Men their accursed other Gospel for Salvation in the restor'd life of nature Man's quiet submitting to wisdom's sentence of death within him upon that life they preach up and warrant for Salvation is unspeakably better for him then to regard the delusive destructive song and flattering voice of fools that set up the first-covenant law-life and righteousness of Man most falsely calling it a Gospel-state and righteousness of God This Gospel or glad Tydings if true Satan preached to Eve Ye shall not die at all Ye have eternal life in this first-creation state or life of your own nature The righteous life of nature in Man or Angel is Eternal This is Man's and Satan's other Gospel in perfect contradiction to Christ's and the only way of Salvation He that hear's the reproof of the spirit of life on his spirit of enmity and death get's true understanding and abideth among the wise Prov. 15. 31 32. He that refuses it destroy's his own Soul Here are the infallible characters of Wisdom and Folly The only way to get true Wisdom and Life is to quit and lose our shadowy under the Cross. To be fools with Paul as to all Men do have delight in or feed upon in the first-Covenant that we may find the Life and Wisdom of God in the second 1 Cor. 3. 18. 4. 10. God declares that all who refuse the chastisments of his Cross to the death of their continually sinning spirit of Nature are Bastards and not Sons in his never-sinning spirit of Grace Heb. 12. 8. 1 Joh. 3. 9. So shall not be provided for in his house In short the rebuke of the wise leads to eternal life the song of fools to eternal death Vers. 6. For as the crackling Voice or Sound of thorns under a pa so is the laughter of the Fool this also is Vanity Here 's a true character of the short-liv'd joy song and laughter 〈◊〉 fools All mirth in first-creation life is but as the crackling of thorns under a pot a short blaze and away This is all the delights of the Sons 〈◊〉 Men amount unto All the fine song or
of deceits full of snares and nets as the very Kingdom of God and Salvation to men And they 〈◊〉 others to hope that they will confirm or make good their word Ezek. 13. 6. In a 〈◊〉 spirit of Divination do Devil and Man joyntly declare this and boldly affirm 't is in the Lord's Spirit of Truth they say so They say the Lord saith They see nothing but vanity and preach up nothing but perishing vanities the natural excellencies or fading things of Man or Angel in the first-creation for eternal Life They speak only of the world this world's vanities and the world hears them all the world wonder 's after them 1 Joh. 4. 5. Rev. 13. 3. All in the but earthly spirit of nature corrupt or righteous are for such Preaching or none at all Satan's Apostles or Ministers come forth in great variety of form language and way all making but a universal Babel of confusion running their hearers into the very bosom of the Devil the bottomless-pit of all deceits and falshoods as their only security for Salvation Men are deeply concern'd to take heed who they hear not such strangers to and enemies of Christ's Gospel Jo. 10. 4 5. and then what and how they they hear Mark 4. 24. Luk. 8. 18. that they rightly take the voice or words of the true Shepherd and his Spiritual Apostles or Messengers and obey them Many may hear right Gospel-words and not understand them Mark 4. 12. And then they 'l not follow or obey them but run still after Satan's Law-Gospel Those that distinguish not the Words of God's from those of the Serpent's Man's Wisdom how should they scape the snares of this grand mystical Adulteress If they suffer themselves willingly to be beguil'd into a perswasion that Satan's Gospel and that which true Saints call Christ's are all one they are caught in the snares of the Devil Satan's Apostles say those that pretend to be Christ's differ from them only in an affected singularity and disguise of words not matter While this shuffle will serve the turn Satan's Gospellers find it not needful or convenient to enter the lists for a debating the case with Sion-Saints about a true Gospel-state But if Christ's Gospel come forth in such sharp discriminating language as to evidence its distinction in the whole matter of it from Satan's and Man's then to prevent yet any farther trouble about it they sit in their Majesterial Chair and in general without meddling with any particular in it decry it for the most dangerous destructive blasphemy and falshood that ever was invented or impos'd upon Men worse then Popery or Mahumetanism then the grossest Idolatries or most brutish practices of any Heathens This general vilifying Christ's whole Gospel-doctrine and assertors of it as the vilest of doctrines and men they 〈◊〉 a far easier and safer way then to meddle with any particulars of it Thus far and at this rate only seems the shock of opposition to be given to it and manag'd against it at this day But if matters once grow to that pass that some valuable number of awaken'd Saints and spiritually convinced Men should be the Assertors Followers and Owners of the very Christ the very Gospel so as to give occasion to Satan's Gospel-ministers to say in the same levened sowr spirit of enmity to God with the Pharisees Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing behold the World is gone after them when this comes to pass enemies will go another way to work The Jews when they could not resist or bear up against the wisdom and spirit by which Stephen spake they could and did through the permission of God and instigation of the Devil silence him as they reckon'd with stones But he being dead yet speaketh as Abel and all other such witnessing Saints most injuriously slain for the Testimony of Jesus in the Spirit of true Prophecy The regenerating transforming assimilating touch of the Gospel-spirit of Christ sixes Man 's versatile changeable Law-spirit in eternal obedience to and harmony with God The degenerating transforming assimilating touch of the spirit of the Devil on Man's fixes it with himself in unchangeable enmity to God as the very principle of his life desire thought word and action By one or other of these unchangeable good or evil spirits comes man to be lodg'd up in a state of eternal life or death a bed of true rest and unspeakable joy Isa. 57. 1 2. or of everlasting sorrow Isa. 50. 11. torment and vexation of Spirit He that 's born of God's unchangeably good Spirit is secure from the transforming touch of the unchangeable evil-one 1 Joh. 5. 18. The touch of spirits is a qualifying alterative touch baptizes Man's changeable spirit into the unchangeable toucher the Spirit of God or of the Devil By the death of their own spirit that Satan can touch and 〈◊〉 into the life of God's Spirit he can 〈◊〉 touch by this way and means and this only are Saints 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 from all the nets and snares of this grand Adulteress the Devil The whole World all that take up in their worldly earthly life of nature run into them A babe a suckling in Christ's Spirit is too hard for 〈◊〉 Psal. 8. 2. Man in the highest restor'd perfections of his own is no body in his hands Job 41. The incorrigible first-creation sinner is taken by her the new-creation Saint who alone pleases God shall escape all her nets snares hands or bands for ever Vers. 27. Behold this have I found saith the Preacher counting one by one to find out the account Solomon in the Sanctuary-balance the al-searching new-Creation Spirit of true prophecy weigh'd one thing after another so as to give a clear and full account of what he was so inquisitive after an everlasting state of Truth and Righteousness He weigh'd and tried all parts of the first Creation the utmost goodness and excellencies found in Man and Angels before their fall or restor'd in Men since and in the total sum of all found the one thing necessary for the true blessedness of any wanting 'T is not in the whole first-Creation Land of the living Job 28. 21. or state of Life No such thing found he in the whole heap of this World's Vanities So arriv'd he at this negative satisfaction that there 's no hope of ever finding true happiness there He resolv'd therefore no longer to squander away his time with others in seeking for the living amongst the dead or true Life and Happiness in a Region of Darkness and of the shadow of Death No such life as will swallow up Death into Victory is to be found there nothing but what Death will swallow up into Victory and triumph over for ever This he declares Vers. 28. Which yet my Soul seeketh but I find not one Man among a thousand have I found but a Woman among all those have I not found No unchangeably good thing could he find in the first-creation What then found he One
incident to Men under the wonder-working Power and Grace of God in the King of Saints Hos. 1. 6 10. God requir'd Israel to own him King submit to the Government of his Spirit in Samuel the same Spirit in which Christ is universal King All in that Spirit are his true obedient Subjects Any Person or any People that will not have this spiritual heavenly King reign over them and in them though his earthly Jerusalem Citizens or first-covenant People see how they 'l be handled by him Luk. 19. 14 27. This great universal King lately offer'd to set up his Theocratical Fifth-Monarchy amongst us His earthly-Jerusalem-Citizens in a first-covenant spirit pretended to it as the Corinthian 〈◊〉 in Paul's Gospel-time in a spirit nor Christ nor he could own for a reigning principle 1 Cor. 4. 8. and a huge noise they made of owning the King Jesus in but a knowledg of him after the flesh in a restor'd Law-life the very principle and state the Jews would have 〈◊〉 him King in Joh. 6. 15. Such first-Covenant first-Monarchists Kings or Princes of this World crucified the true King Jesus 1 Cor. 2. 8. They blasphem'd and crucified him for owning a Kingship and Kingdom not of this World in his Gospel-spirit of Grace and Truth that would have made him a King in that Law-life and spirit they were of and in They cry up their Heathen Cesar for their King rather then such a King Jesus Shall I crucify your King says Pilate We have no King but Cesar say they Joh. 18. 36 37. 19. 12 15. A plain case and our's just He that was for the right King Jesus in his true reigning Spirit must be shuffled out of the World with his great Master as an Enemy both 〈◊〉 Cesar and them 〈◊〉 and a first-covenant People are joyntly for the rooting Christ and his true spiritual Anointed Ones out of the World as not sit to live in it Psal. 2. 1 -- 3. Act. 22. 22. And what got Israel by refusing the King Jesus or Government of God in the said Spirit of true Prophecy grievances enow What help none to remove them God would not as he fore-threatned them when busie about their new choice of Government Ye shall cry because of your King ye have chosen but the Lord will not hear you says Samuel Fair warning See all this 1 Sam. 8. 6 18. The law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus comes to strike down the ruling Power of that spirit in Man that 's but a Law of Sin and of Death and so by setting up his own kingly Rule and Power in him frees him from all evil and bondage Those that willingly submit to this death-blow of Christ on their ruling Law-spirit cast down their Crowns or ruling Power at his Feet and set the Crown on his Head in the day of their new-covenant Espousals to him owning his true Kingly-Spirit for their Ruler Cant. 3. 11. Christ struck down the earthy Law-king in Paul to the Earth and instantly set up his Gospel-spirit King and Ruler in and over him Act. 9. 3 4. The Law-spirit at best in fallen man is but the Amalekite-Ruler the Agag which tho' Saul spared in favour to it in himself as was implied in his unpardonable sin Samuel in the true Kingly Spirit of Jesus hewed in pieces when he said or thought as Man when the corrupt spirit of Nature is subdued and a Righteous Law-spirit set up in ruling authority in him surely the bitterness of Death is past here 's no Cross or Death-work by a Spiritual Gospel-Sword behind to be brought upon this Righteous Law-life 1 Sam 15. 32 33. Spiritual Friends of Christ have the whole counsel and mind of God made known by him to them First-covenant Servants in their Law-spirit of bondage holy flesh form of Godliness Righteousness of Man tho' as busy as may be in reading hearing preaching and obeying the letter of their Lord's Command in the Scripture are wholly strangers to the spiritual design sense or meaning of their Lord in all They know not what he does Joh. 15. 15. or has now done himself with our nature at best in his own Person nor will consider their duty in following him therein by giving it up at best in whatever state in their persons as God's requir'd Sacrifice He that keeps the spiritual Command of Christ believes or obediently submits to the Law of his Cross shall feel hear see or know no evil thing or word against him from Christ at last day when on his Judgment-Seat But he that believeth not quits not his Law-spirit or principle of life and action under the Gospel-Cross or spiritual Sword of Christ for the Gospel-Life of that very Sword or living Word of God will be damn'd Mark 16. 16. t. And a wise man's heart discerneth both time and judgment The spiritual wise man discerns an appointed time for the right use of a changeable first-Covenant Law-life and then as an antiquated Law-ceremony with the fading things and glory of it to be done away by a holy death as the Judgment and Command of God in Sacrifice to himself This Gospel-Sacrifice of Man at best was figured by the Law-Sacrifices of clean Beasts and Birds Spiritual Saints under the Law obediently gave up this Gospel-Sacrifice to God And all save a spiritual Seed refuse to give it under the Gospel When restor'd Law-life has serv'd its turn in man by his faithful performing Law-service to God therein suppressing the vile affections of the corrupt spirit of Nature 't is to give way to a better guide Christ's Gospel-Spirit or quicken'd up life thereof A Sentence or Judgment of Death upon the restor'd righteous Law-life of man must be submitted to by him with Paul 2 Cor. 1. 9. Law-life and the things thereof the Wisdom Righteousness Beauty Glory Fruits Works Duties Desires Thoughts Words Actions and all manner of performances therein kept up and finally preferr'd to Christ's Gospel-Life and things of God therein is the highest and most criminal Adultery and Murder Ezek. 16. 15 38. There 's an appointed time for Man and Angel too to die Heb. 9. 27. or lose that first-Covenant Law-life which was set up in them by creation The obedient loss of it under the Cross frees man from all guilt contracted by Sins past and all power of sinning any more for ever He thereby ceases from Sin and comes to be justified before God in a newness of life wherein he can never sin 1 Pet. 4. 1. Rom. 6. 7. 1 Joh. 3. 9. A change by the death of Nature of Law-life for Gospel under the working power of the Grace of God brings Men's matters to that blessed pass that no enemies will find any iniquity in them to charge them with nor will God himself Rom. 8. 33 34. Jer. 50. 20. The guilty sinner in the Saint that has committed innumerable 〈◊〉 is dead and gone and a spirit of everlasting Righteousness is become the single and sole principle
practices of Men and Devils in opposition thereunto Vers. 11. I returned and saw under the Sun that the Race is not to the swift nor the Battel to the strong neither yet Bread to the wise nor yet Riches to Men of understanding nor yet favour to Men of skill but time and chance happeneth to them all God reserves to himself the Prerogative of giving success or disappointment as to outward things and events where when and to whom he pleases as the supream and 〈◊〉 cause over-ruling all second By time and chance happening to all is meant such events as Providence oft gives in a direct contrariety and disappointment to Man's thoughts and expectations from second causes In mystery here is signified that Man in the utmost Power Skill or Wisdom of his restor'd natural state can't win the Race or Battel can't get true Riches Food or Clothing He can't so run and fight in his corruptible natural mortal Life and State as to vanquish all Enemies and obtain the incorruptible Crown Neither is the favour of God or his unchangeable love to Men or Angels in the highest Skill and Wisdom of that state The death and loss of all there is undispensably necessary to the finding a Life Spirit Wisdom Strength and Power to do gain and win all things more then conquer World and Devil be universally obedient and pleasing to God in every thing and wear the incorruptible Crown They that run and fight in but their own renew'd naturals are uncertain unsteddy runners and fighters run at an all-adventures and if they confidently fix there in a direct contrariety to the Command and Will of God Levit. 26. 21. Such Runners are certain of nothing but missing the great Prize So will prove cast-aways as Paul had if he had not brought under his body or that holy natural state wherein he was fighting against God's holy Gospel-spirit and Life 1 Cor. 9. 24 27. Solomon with Paul returning from the Light and Wisdom of his own Spirit to Christ's declares the Crown of Life durable Riches Food and Clothing victory over all Enemies and the peculiar favour of God for ever not attainable under the Sun or in the power and under the conduct of the natural spirit in the most heightned sublime Wisdom and Skill thereof Time and 〈◊〉 happens to all that strive in that spirit for the said great things All the fading good and comfort therein will pass away and so will they find uncertainty and chance to have bin inseparable from the nature thereof as they had bin abundantly warn'd in their mortal day on Earth Vers. 12. For Man also knoweth not his time as the Fishes that are taken in an evil net and as the Birds that are caught in a snare so are the Sons of Men snared in an evil time when it falleth suddenly upon them Here are the sad and certain consequents of Man's standing running or fighting in unsteady wavering first-Covenant Principles The Sons of Men at best in that life and state are but like Fishes and Birds sure to be caught in Satan's evil nets and snares Eccles. 7. 26. And God in his just Wrath will spread his net upon them as on King Zedekiah Ezek. 12. 13. 17. 20. They chuse that very life and state for their Portion that is the very snare thro' their fond wilful dotage upon and overvalue of it in and by which Satan catches them at his will and leads them into the same everlasting destruction with himself True Saints by Gospel-labours endeavour to waken Men out of this dreamish life and vain-shew in and by which Satan is drawing them into eternal Death as 〈◊〉 willing Captives and obedient Servants and so strongly deluding them as to make them verily believe they are making safe steps toward eternal Life in the very way of Salvation Saints labour to waken them out of this mistaking Dream that 's the very snare the Devil catches and holds them in as therein taken alive by him 2 Tim. 2. 24 -26. Man know's not the time God will deliver him up to Satan for ever yea send him strong delusion for being so wilfully deluded by the Devil and believing his lie rather then God's Truth that he may be damn'd 2 Thess. 2. 11 12. Under Satan's spirit of unchangeable darkness is Man kept ignorant of these dreadful consequents of his evil choice till there 's no remedy 2 Chro. 36. 16. till all the threatned evils come upon him suddenly in an 〈◊〉 time that he is no more aware of then Birds and Fishes of the evil net and snare they are caught in and made a Prey of The final Wrath of God will be upon them and the state by them chosen from which no escape for ever They shall not know how it comes what it is till upon them nor ever be able to put it off Isa. 47. 11. Vers. 13. This Wisdom have I seen also under the Sun and it seem'd great unto me Vers. 14. There was a little City and few Men within it and there came a great King against it and besieg'd it and built great Bulwarks against it Vers. 15. Now there was found in it a poor wise Man and he by his Wisdom deliver'd the City yet no Man remembred that same poor Man Christ is the poor wise Man in a spirit that 's in personal Union with his divine His little City are his little 〈◊〉 of true Saints deliver'd by his Wisdom from the great King the Devil that comes with all his power to besiege and build great Bulwarks against them He frustrates all the designs polices and practices of evil Angels and Men against them All this by taking our nature and impoverishing it even to a total abolition of all that Wisdom Glory Power and Excellency in which the great evil King and his Forces come against the little City he undertakes the defence of against them all By the death of that nature in himself and little City or flock which the Enemy can touch deceive and destroy Men by as the very snare they are caught in and raising himself and them into a life above their reach and power does he deliver them All his true Souldiers must follow this great Captain 's suffering steps for this conquest Heb. 2. 10 14. A being made fools weak and 〈◊〉 as to all worldly first-Covenant life strength and wisdom yea as nothing or no-body things that are not this is the only way to overcome all these wise strong and honorable therein the strong Bulls of Bashan Psal 22. 12. all enemies whatsoever 1 Cor. 1. 25 28. When Saints by obedience to the Cross on their nature are so totally impoverish'd and run down as to become spectacles of scorn to the whole world all evil Angels and Men 1 Cor. 4. 9. fix'd in their own worldly natural state even then and thereby are they fitted to trample them all under their feet in a life wisdom and power they dream not of the Power of
God This is the strange method of God's Wisdom for his despis'd little ones to be found more than Conquerers of all their proud self-exalting despisers and enemies The abolishing the worldly life of Nature out of Christ and his Army is the way to their being all found in that life and power of the World to come in which they overcome all that obstinatly set up in this This way the Man Christ triumph'd over all evil angelical and humane Principalities and Powers the Princes of this World Col. 2. 14 15. 1 Cor. 2. 6. All Men that finally take up in the first-creation are Satan's Subjects all that pass out of that by death into the life of the second are God's The poor wise Man that does all these wonderful things for his little City has infinite divine and infallible creature-wisdom and power in him And what can all the visible and invisible Powers of this World with all their Strength Devices and Bulwarks be before him He was made a poor Man by the death of our nature that he might make many rich in his spirit of Grace on the like obedient death of nature in them 2 Cor. 6. 10. 8. 9. Phil. 2. 6 8. Yet no Man remembers this poor wise Man No man in his own Wisdom receives his Gospel-Testimony Joh. 3. 32. takes his Counsel follows his Example Under the sinking weight of this charge will evil Men and Angels lie for ever They 'l not remember hearken to or follow this poor Man under his Cross into the like poverty and death of nature in them the only way into his everlasting Rest. Vers. 16. Then said I Wisdom is better than strength nevertheless the poor Man's wisdom is despis'd and his words are not heard The everlasting Wisdom of God's New-creation Gospel-Spirit is better then all the fading strength wisdom and power of Man and Angel in the first or old But the voice and words of this Wisdom from the impoverish'd natural man in Christ and his followers is not heard heeded or regarded by those that resolve to set up in that state of Nature for happiness which they preach death to as the only 〈◊〉 way and means for their being truly happy All such reproofs of death on the spirit of Nature and instructions of life in God's Spirit of Grace are despis'd and rejected by the wisdom of Man in first-Covenant Righteousness Even such are found all along this world a disobedient gain-saying People Isa. 65. 2. Rom. 10. 21. See the dismal and blessed consequents of not hearkning or hearkning to this poor wise Man's Counsels reproofs and instructions Prov. 1. 20 -33. Somethere are amongst the vast multitude of self-confident righteous men and also profane who at last are brought to regard this poor wise man's voice and his only the voice of his Spirit in himself and Saints 〈◊〉 still God has a little flock that are content to be made his little ones in Nature that he may make them his great ones and worthies too big and too many for all his and their enemies in his Wisdom and Spirit of Grace All do not finally provoke him Heb. 3. 16. Rom. 11. 1 -5. Christ then and his followers are not without all hearing from Men. For Vers. 17. The words of wise Men are heard in quiet more then the cry of him that ruleth among fools The words of Christ and his awaken'd Spiritual Saints the words of God's Wisdom which the Holy Ghost teaches and utters in both and all will be heard or obey'd by a spiritual Seed of Christ in meek broken-spirited quiet peaceable men Sons of Peace Their meek broken silenc'd natural spirit is of great price with God 1 Pet. 3. 4. as quitting its own vain corruptible life for that which is not corruptible but everlasting They instruct those that oppose them in meekness of Wisdom not returning railing for railing in the wrathful wrangling spirit and earthly wisdom of Nature that 's from beneath waiting with patience if God peradventure will give them Repentance or change of mind from Satan's lie to his Gospel-Truth 2 Tim. 2. 24 -26. See the different demeanour conversation and fruits of Saints in God's Heavenly Spiritual wisdom communicated to them and of incorrigible sinners in Man's and Satan's earthly devilish wisdom from beneath Jam. 3. 13 -18. Men in their wisdom render'd devilish by fixure in enmity to God's are the loud clamorous boasting self-exalting undertakers at teaching the way of Salvation who by their great cry and confused noise of their 〈◊〉 Cymbals their uncertain-sounding false Trumpet gain a ruling power amongst fools to the final destruction of blind foolish rulers and ruled leaders and followers All fall into the ditch or bottomless pit of deceits and destruction nets snares and death together Eccle. 7. 26. Mat. 15. 14. Such Rulers or Teachers and Leaders as a demonstration of their utmost folly and madness despise are offended at and absolutely reject all the words of God's Wisdom as folly and madness ver 12. Hos. 9. 7 8. 1 Cor. 1. 23. Joh. 10. 20. 7. 45 49. The quiet-spirited Saint in whom this self-confident spirit of enmity to God and all his Words of Counsel is broken down and silenc'd by the Cross listen to the Words of the true Shepherd or Teacher in himself and messengers and follow not but flee from the Stranger 's voice Joh. 10. 4 5. The spiritual Feet or Principles on which Christ's true Messengers or Apostles come to them are beautiful and all their right Words of reproof and instruction most welcome and desireable They esteem hear and obey the words of the truly wise as incomparably beyond all the cry and noise of Rulers among fools that presumptuously undertake an absolute impossibility even to declare the Mysteries of God's Wisdom in that wisdom of Man that 's foolishness to God's and all the words of God's to it Yet is their voice and cry readily heard and follow'd by Fools to the everlasting destruction of both and all Vers. 18. Wisdom is better then Weapons of War but one sinner destroyeth much good True Wisdom or the Spirit of Christ in Man is better then all the Wisdom Srength Power and Armour of Man or Angel in the first creation and yet more when all these are turn'd into and used in enmity to God For so became they the one sinner that from first to last 〈◊〉 against God Christ and Saints who must needs be unspeakably too hard for them All wicked Angels and Men in the finally abused first-creation state or spirit and life of nature make up and are the one sinner or uniform fighter against God in and with their first-creation Strength Armour and weapons of War And thus does this one comprehensive Sinner or perverted first-creation Spirit in all evil Angels and Men destroy much good even all the changeable goodness in that state which had they obediently return'd it back in sacrifice to God they might have receiv'd much good