the effect of John's baptism and ministry Act. 19. 1 5. Paul baptized them in the name of the Lord Jesus that is into a true acknowledgment and experience of his new-creation-life and Spirit So in that other institution the laying on of Hands ver 6. was the Holy Ghost actually given them On this such new Gospel-Believers immediately spake with new Tongues and prophesied So that other ordinance or institution for anointing the sick was practised by them with like success at that time The Elders of the Gospel-Church anointed such with the new name of Christ as the soveraign cure for spiritual and bodily diseases Jam. 5. 14 15. Those spiritual teaching apostolical-elders who were the highest Order in the new Gospel-Church by their powerful prayer of Faith in the name or spirit of Christ did actually cure the sick strengthen the weak hands and feeble knees of faulty spiritual-saints Thus have we seen the power and spirituality of the gospel-ministration beyond that of the Law by the actual dispensing of that Spirit which was only witnessed by faith under the Law But brought into sight under the Gospel Gospel-Saints then are thankfully to receive the convincing discoveries hereof by spiritual light and to shew themselves willing and ready on any terms to enter into the promised yea shew'd and offered new-creation-Land or state of Life by personal union with Christ in his heavenly or glorified earthly spirit which will prove such a state of blessedness the gates of hell all the powers of darkness can never prevail against or disanul But on the contrary such as evilly entreat Christ's mystical Spies the spiritual discoveries sights and tasts of his Resurrection-life given in conviction suited to their natural spirit so as wilfully to reject them and discover and betray them to the enemy the Devil joining with him to mock at and do despite thereunto God will swear in his wrath they shall never enter into his rest that new-creation-land or state of life by them finally refused and contemned The spiritual light as a spirit of prophecy given to them received and exercised by them for a season Saul's case by which they see the great advantage of accepting God's offered spirit of Grace on his declared terms shall depart from them and in the room thereof an evil angelical Spirit with the highest deceitful light shall enter into them And thence-forward will they express implacable enmity against the spiritual David's Christ and his Saints Thus the Gospel-ministration and light received as a temporary blessing and the Gospel-Life or eternal blessing thereof wilfully rejected that temporary blessing is turned into an everlasting curse and judgment on them Bare spiritual light then which makes a spiritualized natural understanding is no ground of a firm rejoycing though for a season they be enabled thereby to cast out Devils or obtain a victory over the corrupt spirit of nature brought into and instigated in Men by the Devil This Christ signified to the seventy disciples Luk. 10. 17 20. All spiritual light may be withdrawn if the life thereby shew'd and offered be hated and rejected And then the evil Angel or Spirit enters with its counterfeit imitation of the true Spirit of prophesy as into Saul which did presently excite in him an enraged malice against David because he saw the Lord was with him 1 Sam. 18. 10 12. Till then we experience a change of principle and life from natural to spiritual by which infallibly to see and know our names written in Heaven Christ's new-creature book of Life we have no firm ground of spiritual joy The unspeakable gift of the Spirit of truth itself is the full accomplishment of the promise to Saints under the Law Jeremy and other Saints were shewed the means and season for this Gospel-gift as the new thing and wonder to be done in the Earth of our fleshly nature in Christ's person It is expressed by a Womans compassing a Man Jer. 31. 22. This was fulfilled in letter by the Virgin 's compassing or containing in her the holy Thing begotten and conceived by the Holy Ghost or new-creature Spirit of Christ the builder of its own visible house in our nature But the mystical and principal meaning was the natural Spirit of Man figured by the Woman in Christ did compass or contain in it a holy seed of his new-creature-spirit of truth and by the death thereof brought forth the new-creation man-child which received its first visibility in and through the earth of our glorified nature in him This new man-child-spirit or principle of life till thus manifested lay as a mystery hid in God not discerned by Angel or Man but through Faith And so had it remained for ever had not the Son of Man in Heaven from everlasting prepared this natural capacity in himself for partaking of our fleshly nature and by the death and glorification thereof become the declarer of his own invisible man-child-Life and Spirit The natural Man of Christ that was to pass through a mystical child-bearing and death was the Woman and so in Saints shewed John Rev. 12. who was with Child and travelling in pain cried out to be delivered This was effected by such a pure subjection of Christ's natural to his spiritual man that he was pained and straitned till the fire-baptism had accomplish'd the death of the former on which the new-creation-life of the latter might shine forth in and through it And this did he in a publick capacity as the means to obtain a birth of new-creation-life for the whole spiritual seed of his heavenly and glorified earthly Family On their behalf John heard a sound of joy in Heaven for the victory thus obtain'd for them by Christ in our nature as the only means for their obtaining the same victory and blessedness with him Now is come Salvation and Strength ver 10. to the whole new-creature seed-royal by the death of that state in Christ the old Serpent is a Prince and Ruler in Thus did Christ handle our nature in himself as his Followers are to do in themselves and by such Death overcame all enemies This Christ did in our nature as a declaratory repetition of the first battel in Heaven fought by Michael and his Angels against the Dragon and his ver 7. Christ as a Resurrection-Lamb and his good Angels that with him quitted and exchanged their changeable first-creation-life for his unchangeable second beat the Devil and his Angels who did rebelliously set up for themselves in the first against God Christ and his Angels that obediently followed their head into the life of the second Ezek. 1. 20. 10. 11. This twofold Victory obtain'd by Christ in the resurrection-state of his invisible angelical nature before the foundation of the World and since in our glorified humane nature makes up the glad tidings of the Gospel-state of Christ in his conquering man-child-spirit the leading witnesses whereof were extraordinarily qualified by the first shower of it to become more than
to bear the shock of such an universal opposition and contempt we find him through the wrangling distemper of his oppressed natural man that 's the disputer of this World in the Saint himself at a sore loss and ready to make very strange Conclusions I am in derision daily every one mocks and reproaches me for speaking the Word of the Lord. Then I said I 'le speak no more in his Name But his Word in my heart was as a fire and I could nor forbear or hold from declaring it Jer. 20. 7 9. When his particular denunciations of desolating Judgments on Jerusalem were accomplished the Jews dispers'd and confounded he was still at the same pass tossed up and down from post to pillar under a universal contradiction As for the word thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the Lord say the Jews we will not hearken unto thee but do whatsoever goes forth of our own mouth follow the words of our own wisdom Jer. 44. 16 17. This they conclude upon come what will Desperate resolutions When Johanan the Son of Kareah and all the Captains of the remaining Forces left by Nebuchadnezzar and all the Jews from the least even to the greatest had besought Jeremy to seek the Lord on their behalf as to what course they should steer after the murder of Gedaliah whom the King of Babilon left to be their Governour he told them the Lord's message that if they stay'd in their own Land they should be safe if they went to Egypt for which he saw their inclination the very Sword of Nebuchadnezzar they causelesly fear'd at home should be sure to meet with them there Johanan the Son of Kareah and all the proud Men tell him he speaks falsly and that the Lord had not sent him to say go not into Egypt to sojourn there So they not only go but force him and Baruch along with them in flat contradiction to their own message And when there we have seen how obstinately they demean themselves against him and all his words All this have we Jer 42. 43. and 44 chapters At this rate are true witnesses of God handled all along this World Christ himself had in a manner a universal contradiction to his whole Gospel-ministry of the second covenant from the professing Jews with their Teachers Priests Scribes Pharisees c. in the first He came to his own people in the first who received him not but blasphem'd and murder'd him for the doctrine of the second though exactly consonant to their own Law and Prophets rightly understood and so became they no people of God at all in first or second What they had was taken from them for rebelliously refusing the great and true Salvation by him farther discovered and offered to them Christ's meek and quiet bearing such universal contradiction of mystical Sinners to his whole Gospel-ministry is set before his followers therein lest they be quite tired out and faint in their minds on like occasion Heb. 12. 3. Concerning the KINGDOM of GOD to vvhich Christ hath had a Right from Everlasting Testified by Saints in all Ages unto the visible Possession vvhereof the signal slaying of the Tvvo Witnesses and the raising them again by the angelical Preachers of the everlasting Gospel into an Association vvith themselves vvill be an immediate fore-running and preparatory Dispensation THERE is not any Truth more frequently foretold or positively asserted in the whole Scripture than the Second Comming of Christ to set up his visible Kingdom on Earth On his joyful appearance for this blessed Angels and Saints hopes have from the beginning been fixed as the season for such an Opening the Temple of God in Heaven as will render the Divine Inhabitant thereof visible on Earth This by first cleerly stating and declaring the infinite and absolute Soveraignty of Gods divine Essence above all And next unto this divine unity the high and superlative Prerogative of the first divine and creature-composition in the Mediatour's person Thirdly the great and peculiar Priviledges of the most heavenly Saints And lastly the just and immutable Rights and Advantages of blessed Angels and other glorified Saints above whatever was to be found in the natural first-creation state of either Hence the whole new-creation seed of Christ from a subjection to chang and vanity in their first-creation life and clothing have been secretly groaning and panting after that deliverance and freedom that 's to be brought to them by this second visible spirituall coming of our Lord Jesus from heaven to Reign on the earth And this will they more impatiently then ever desire and long after toward the end of the encreasing unreasonable Bondage under Satan's reign and Man's day This that the whole Creation groanes after and expects is the peculiar hope the certain and wel-grounded perswasion of spiritual Saints whose Faith becoms an undoubted evidence to things not seen to the natural understanding Rom. 8. 22-25 Heb. 11. 1. They only have the first-fruits and earnest of this yet invisible Spiritual Life in which Christ will appear to all They have the tasts of the new Wine of his Spiritual Kingdom And hence do they greatly thirst after the full draughts thereof in his Kingdom They are therefore uncessant in Prayer to God and this in Obedience to and agreement with the command and will of Christ for the comming of this Kingdom as those Spiritual Watch-Men that in harmony with the Holy Angels cease not Day nor Night to cry unto God for the Personal comming of their Spiritual Lord to make his nevv Jerusalem a praise in the vvhole Earth Esay 62. 1 6 7. For this will compleat the adoption of Sons by the redemption of their body and manifestation of the Sons of God in a visibility of their spiritual life This will be a Jubile to the whole World How deeply then are Angels Saints and all Men concerned to be rightly informed and have their hope fixed in this Important thing the comming of their Spiritual King in his new-creation Glory to reign over them For therein will be comprehended all their distinct Interests and Advantages Peter by way of Prophecy speaking of this spiritual kingdom positively asserts it not to be of a Fabulous or controversible nature but grounded on clear Evidence and undoubted Demonstration For he had the honour of being an Eye-vvitness by faith of Christ as from the beginning living in his root clothed with Glory and Honour 2 Pet. 1. 16-18 And since his ascent in our nature have spiritual Saints been waiting for his descent therein God by setting him at his right hand therein has Endovved him vvith the Povver and Glory of his Fathers Throne to set up his visible kingdom on earth Jo. 5. 22 27. Act. 17. 31. All this seems implied in the voice Peter heard from the excellent glory saying This is my beloved Son in whom I am vvell pleased as having descended and finished the vvork given him to do in our earthly nature
nature at the appointed season for actual setting up of his visible Kingdom on Earth Thus may we with admiration behold the ascents and descents of the mediatours creature-building by which marvelously fitted for preserving the dignity of his own divinity and accomplishing the blessednes of his creatures The ascent or top of it is a fitly capacitated immediate habitation for the divinity And the descent of it in the branch is that wherein Christ becoms a two-fold Head to his Angels and Saints from whom they receive their immortal beings and also the heavenly life and clothing thereof by which fitted for their mansions in this his Fathers House This Son and Branch though but foot-stool to himself as creature-root and Father the Throne on which his divinity sits is in a headship and preheminency over all blessed Angels and Saints by the appointment of his divine and creature-lord This foot-stool or lowest part of the creature-Throne or House of God in the mediatour is the immediate object of Faith as that by which the divinity in the top of this creature-House or Throne invisible and inaccessible to his creatures is let down to them By this blessed medium are Angels and Saints admitted to the sight and injoyment of the divine glory for ever Christ when on Earth witnessed his spiritual life as Son of man in Heaven into which he returned with our nature and so into that enjoyment of the divine glory he had both as creature-root and branch before the foundation of the World according to his prayer Jo. 17. 4 5. He that descended and he that ascended is still but one and the same Son of man in the invisible angelical and visible humane Life of the branch Eph. 4. 10. This did he that he might fill all things In the transformed angelical state as spirit of the branch in his own creature-root the Son of Man in Heaven was he head and parent to the immortal spirits of Angels and Men by a first creation and of the spiritual being and state thereof by a second In this first capacity as spirit of the branch is Christ the heavenly place in which Angels and Saints have been blessed as chosen thereunto before the foundation of the World Eph. 1. 3. In the second as a visible head to them in our glorified nature iâ— he qualified actually to give them a life of everlasting blessednes with the never-perishing meat thereof the divine and new-creature glories together with the life in which alone they can see and enjoy them were both and all treasured up for them in him Our exalted nature in him iâ— the adapted conveyer of his divine and otherwise invisible creature-glories to us In our glorified nature he declares the Gospel or glad tydings of salvation to men By this are they made capable of receiving the joyfull news of mansions provided for them in his Fathers House and of entring into them No entring for us but by his entring first in our nature into the state of everlasting life Christ thus is the Key of the house of David Isaiah 22. 22. In his creature-root was treasured up from everlasting the divine glory This must be unlock'd and set open to blessed Angels and Saints by the creature-branch in the second or visible capacity of it even in our exalted nature This is the mystical Key that opens his heavenly creature-life and gives the vision of the divine glory to us By his coming in flesh and death and resurrection thereof has he entred into that state himself as our Head Spiritual saints under the Law safely shut up in the faith of Christ's so comming and doing for them rejoyced therein Christ in his first capacity of creature-branch as resurrection-lamb in his angelical spirit was the invisible Door to his own great creature-building as Root The very Door yet was invisible as well as House and divine Inhabitant At least that Door was not opened nor the divine and creature-glories of the House and Inhabitant revealed as now In our visible nature glorified the second capacity of the branch does he compleat the Door of entrance into the House and is the spiritual Key and Opener thereof so in both capacities of the Branch fitted to be the Authour and Finisher of our Faith And so was he presented at first to Angels and Men as the compleat Object of their Faith for the perfecting their Salvation Blessed Angels therefore desired to prie into the blessed consequents of the man Christ's ascending to give such openings of divine and spiritual mysteries and glories as never before were given to them or saints 1 Pet. 1. 11 12. John 7. 39. Rom. 16. 25 26. Ephes 3. 9 10. Thus have we the ground and reason why our spiritual Levi stood up from everlasting in the Loins of his great mystical Father and that in the two-fold spirit of the Branch invisible and visible as a twofold natural and spiritual Womb and Parent to blessed Angels and Saints As natural or spiritual Children then to him are they to pay the like Tithes due from them to him even the spoiles of all in their own nature by death and sacrifice that the mystical Levi in his person paid to his spiritual Aaron his Root He requires from his Children all the glory due from the descent of his great creature-building to the ascent or top thereof as also from both to the divinity of the Mediatour and through his conjunctive divine and creature being to God most high and absolute in his single or uncompounded divinity For vvithout controversie the less is blessed of the greater Heb. 7. 7. And in the due observation of this rule every part of the Mediatour's person is preserved in an absolute unity to the praise and glory of God most high and Head of all In the great and compleat mystery of Godliness then we find a threefold Headship The first Of God in the simple unity of his divine Essence soveraign Head to the Mediatour's whole divine and creature-being The second is The headship of the first and invisible conjunction of divine and creature-nature in the Mediatour to the twofold spirit of his humanity in which properly the Branch Thirdly This Branch also in his twofold humane capacity is found in an immortal natural and everlasting spiritual headship over blessed angels and saints having in all things a preheminence above them all next under his divine Lord and creature-root as exalted into personal union with both Next then consider the distinct testimonies given by every of these head-ships to the present truth the certain visibility of the Kingdom of Christ declaring all povver in Heaven and Earth given to and visibly to be exercised by the man Christ Jesus who as in our glorified nature shall be seen and acknowledged as by God and his Father made the only Potentate King of Kings and Lord of Lords 1 Tim. 6. 15. and Rev. 19. 16. Yet will not the man Christ take the honour of exercising this power
upon them are they brought into a living union with his new-creature-spirit and so safely returned into their prepared places to enjoy according to the fathers distinct choice of them their respective visions of the divine glory in the relation of Spouse Friends or Servants So have every of them their joy full and compleat But none of them exceed the nature or name of a pure new-creature spiritual man What ever their portion of his new-creature-spirit be single or double capacitating them to receive and enjoy a single or double portion in the vision of the divine glory yet are they all but new-creature spiritual men filled with the vision of God according to their distinct capacites This new creature-spirit of saintship through the personal union of it with God in Christ is called the spirit of God Hence is it an infallible mark of a true saint to have this spirit dvvelling in him This spirit of God Ro 8 9. is in the same verse called the spirit of Christ distinct from the divine spirit of Father or Son divine essence or form The Seed of this new creature-spirit in saints is called also the seed of God 1 Jo. 3. 9. Which preserves the saint from such wilful sin and enmity in his natural spirit or carnal mind as would be eternal death to him Rom. 8 6 7. The desires and appetites of the fleshly or carnal natural mind and spirit in the saint himself till subjected to his spiritual are after that natural state which is death But at same time the mind of the new-creature spirit though hid from his own heart in which sown God and Christ do see to be after that life which gives everlasting peace with God The spiritual seed quickened up in the saint is in all its life and motion purely obedient to Christ and by its powerful influences upon the natural spirit will not cease to teach and beget in that the like unchangable subjection to it self and so of the whole saint to Christ and God most high And as subjection and love to God is natural to the new-creation-spirit disobedience and enmity to God is grown natural to the old or first since the fall Hence is it impossible therein to please God Ro. 8. 8. Paul therefore rejoyced in that work of the Cross by which his natural mind was brought into a like subjection to his spiritual as that to Christ Through this subjection of the natural to the spiritual and so of the whole man to Christ have saints the certain witness of Christ's spirit dwelling in them His spirit beares vvitness not only in but to them that they are the Children of God Members of and Coheirs with Christ therein of God Ro. 8. 17. The new-creature-spirit from its universal obedience to God in head and members is called love 1 Cor. 13. It is that in which only God becomes the object of his creatures unchangable love and they of his The natural spirit is described by fear 1 John 4. 18. Perfect love casteth out fear The spiritual life of love perfected in the saint the life of his natural spirit with all its things thoughts lusts carnal reasonings doubtings and feares is extinguished abolished and cast out They that dwell live and walk in the spirit of Christ which in him is in personal union with the divine are said to dwell in God He that dvvelleth in love dvvelleth in God and God in him vers 16. God has declared the height of his love and greatnes of his condescention in this marveilous contriving a marriage union of divine and creature-nature by which to preserve his divinity from being touched or immediatly beheld by saints and to come forth in such a safe and sutable discovery thereof to his creatures through the man Christ as to be a food of everlasting blessedness to them The saint is made one vvith the new-creature spirit of Christ as that vvith God Jo. 17. 21. That spirit of Christ is the blessed shelter and fitted medium by which the divine vision is given to saints so as not to be a consuming fire to them Saints by partaking of this spirit become parts and Pillars of that nevv-creation sanctuary Gods place of meeting vvith the vvhole congregation of his true Israelites Angels and Saints amongst vvhom he vvill dvvell and vvalk for evermore In this spirit have they all an accesse unto and vision of the divine glory yet partake not of the divinity as an ingredient into the constitution of their persons But by partaking of that spirit that from personal union with the divine in Christ is called God Jo. 1. 1. they are said to partake of the divine nature 2 Pet. 1. 4. The creature-spirit of Christ is the holy unction in and upon saints by vvhich they knovv all things The holy Oil or Ointment of his heavenly and glorified earthly spirit runs dovvn from their high-priest to the lovvest Skirts of his new-creation Garments or meanest spiritual Members This spirit in Christ and saints is Truth and no Lie an infallible spirit in head and members distinct from the divine spirit in Christ and natural spirit of man or Angel at best The lowest capacity of creature-nature in the mediatour is above the highest saint The spousal saint one with Christ in his most heavenly and exalted creature-life sees not or enjoyes the divine glory as the lowest part of creature-nature in Christ does by personal union therewith The new-creature spirit in its highest and most heavenly or lowest earthly glorified life is inferiour to the divine but superiour to the first-creation spirit of nature at best because incorruptible and unchangable in the life and goodness thereof In the first being corruptible and changable man is in perpetual bondage and fear as impossible to be secured from death therein Heb. 2. 15. This therefore was never intended by God for an abiding state of rest and true blessednes to Angel or man not being a spirit of unchangable light and life or that can qualify them to receive the vision of the divine glory This shews the absolute necessity of the saints being clothed vvith a House from Heaven by the new-creating vvorkmanship of Christ for his everlasting blessedness From what has been said then it appeares to be the peculiar priviledg of the mediatour to be in every part of his creature-nature in personal union with the divine Consequently is it a crime equally unpardonable for any creature to deny to him or assume to himself his conjunctive divine and creature-name His comprehensive creature-spirit or nature is the living Book wherein the whole divine mind or Law is written in order to be declared to Angels and men If any man then or Angel from heaven shall dare on pretence of adding thereto to make Christ's person only and purely divine and so divide and take from him his creature-nature which is the supream Book and Table on which the divine mind is engraven and by which the divine glory shines forth to
his creatures or on the other hand derogate and take from the authority of this most authentick Book of the divine mind by denying Christ's divinity and owning him only as the most excellent creature-being this twofold fault of adding to or taking from this Book will be declared equal by the equal punishment of both eternal death Neither of them shall have any part in the life and blessings of the said Book but only in the plagues and wrath vvritten and treasured up in it for such offenders Rev. 22. 18 19. Deut. 32. 34. No lesse then so is the danger and guilt in denying the conjunction of divine and creature-spirit as the peculiar constitution of the mediatour the only means of creating Angels and men and of revealing the divine glory to them in their second and spiritual make To deny this is to deny the creation on at least any possibility for creatures beholding or enjoying God The foundation of their blessedness is layd in the union of two natures in the mediatour as the utmost result of Gods free love and contrivance of his divine wisdom The deep foundation of creatures blessednes was laid in the first invisible fellowship of divine and creature-nature in the mediatour The actual giving this blessedness to them is by the lowest part of his new-creature-spirit and communication thereof to them to qualify them for receiving the divine vision Having thus found out the spirit of true saintship let us consider the distinct testimony to the present truth the visible kingdom and universall reign of Christ given by saints in all ages Enoch the seventh from Adam prophesied this sabbatical rest and kingdom Jude 14 15. To enumerate every particular herein were endlesse when from the whole course of scripture it may be observed that the final result and utmost end of every dispensation has been to point out the invisible state of truth which by Christ's second appearance was alwayes by God designed to be made manifest For though Christ in that invisible Angelical life he had from everlasting in his root were to the Seed of faith before and under the Law a Land of distances very far off Esay 33. 17. Yet by faith savv they this spiritual King in the beauty of his new-creation glory as the resurrection-Lamb This sight of him through faith became the spiritual food on which they lived And in this faith they died with a steadfast hope to partake thereof This hope became to them the Waters that failed not and the bread by which they were nourished up unto eternal life The vision hereof by faith vvas the substance of those things after to be manifested And they rejoyced in the meanes they by faith discerned for the manifestation thereof Christ in the Angelical life of the spirit of the branch was from the beginning the object of faith to Angels and men And in that his invisible life and state was laid the sure foundation of his visible kingdom here spoken to As thus seen and understood he and his Kingdom have been witnessed by true saints from first to last In this Archangel did God from the beginning so put his divine name as thereby according to Moses his experience to give the view of his one divinity which otherwise had remained absolutely invisible to any meer creatures By this means did saints under the law-dispensation look into that spiritual Canaan into which they nor did nor could enter till their spiritual Joshua or Jesus went before them thereinto The holy Ghost vvas not given till Jesus vvas glorified Joh. 7. 39. The discerning this by faith before Christ's comming in flesh even his visible rule over Angels and men in our glorified nature appears 2 Sam. 23. 3 4. where 't is said He vvill be just because ruling in the true fear and perfect love of God over the whole earth And this man Christ that will so rule vvill be abiding place from the Wind and a covert from the storm as the comforting shade of that great and high Rock the mediatours first and invisible divine and creature-conjunction wherein unaccessible to the highest saint Through the branch as their blessed shade do they condescend to shine forth to the unspeakable comfort of all saints from the highest to the lowest They do all in the twofold spiritual resurrection-life of the branch receive those beams of the divine and most glorious Sun that without such an interposing shade Christ's exalted humanity in which he is the saints covert would be a consuming fire to them from the vast distance and infinite disproportion of the object and subject The glorified man Christ becomes the safe defence of saints as fitting them for Gods looking down with favour upon them and their looking up to and beholding him to their everlasting comfort As united with his glorified humanity they enjoy for ever his divinity The man Christ then in our glorified nature will in answer to the sight of faith in all ages and uncessant desires of his Angels and saints actually â—avv and rend the heavens so as to shew himself in his heavenly state and glory in which yet concealed and shut up as his far countrey till the restitution of all things at his second appearance in the visibility of his spiritual kingdom-state Then shall he be as the light of that morning which is to succeed the dismally dark Night of mans degenerate day under Satan's reign the Lightning out of the East that shall shine even unto the West over all in a moment 2 Sam. 23. 4. Mat. 24. 27. This vision David had with other saints by faith vvas made to speake by the comming death and resurrection of Christ in our nature in which were comprehended all that died in the faith thereof who then came actually to partake of that life and glory which by faith they knevv vvas to be revealed or set open in Christs person By faith did they see their blessed lot in the said spiritual state and divine vision is thus to be given in Christ's person by whose presence in flesh and performances therein the shadowy ceremonies and types of the Law fled avvay through which till then saints faith did feed on the invisible substance as the good things to come in which they rejoyced And their mystical House or individual persons were not to grow under the visible shadowy ministration thereof in their day on earth yet saw they themselves secured in the everlasting covenant compleated in their â—ead in whom they discerned all things ordered and made sure for them â— Sam. 23. 5. They saw the works of redemption finished in Christs invisible state as the Lamb slain before the foundation of the World the object of their faith And they knew all would be made visible in our nature by him In both these respects was he the object of all their desire and delight This was their bed of rest whether in or out of the body patiently waiting for and diligently enquiring vvhat manner of
time the spirit in them did signifie vvhen it testified before hand the suffering of Christ and glory that should follovv 1 Pet. 1. 11. And it vvas revealed to them that not unto themselves but us under the gospel-dispensation witnesses both of his comming in flesh and state of grace or resurrection-life which was to follow they did minister such things The Apostles and other Saints in the gospel-day received that spirit not before given Jo. 7. 39. by which the mystery of Godliness became opened even through Christs being manifested in flesh justified in spirit and in our nature exalted into heaven All this visibly accomplished in Christ's person is the sum and substance of the gospel-testimony The resurrection-state is now no longer a land of distances very far off but brought neer and set open in Christ's glorified humanity Hence is the gospel-dispensation much more spiritual then that of the Law the object of faith being now brought into sight though spiritual saints under both these dispensations found a like acceptation with God The elders and worthies under the Law vvere through their powerful faith pleasing to God Heb. 11. 39. as well as spiritual-saints under the gospel They obtained a good report by faith They willingly and cheerfully confessed themselves strangers on earth or as to their natural state and principle though not actually possessed of the spiritual and heavenly This better thing vvas kept in reserve as neither given to nor received by them in such manner as after Christs comming for the compleating of their blessedness and finishing of that faith he was authour of before But the whole seed of faith spiritual saints before and under Law and Gospel agree in their witness to Christ's resurrection-state as that new name and life vvherein alone any ever were or can be saved or receive the vision of the divine glory And though the gospel-ministration be more glorious then that of the Lavv as a ballance to this priviledg of saints under the gospel those under the Lavv vvere made the first-fruits unto Christ in his resurrection-state in our nature For to their imprisoned spirits shut up in the faith of what was to be revealed Christ appeared and in the first degree of his resurrection-life preached it to them or bestowed it on them rendring the state of those just spirits a paradise by entring among them in his resurrection-life and glory And after this he poured forth his glorified spirit on saints in the body which rendred them powerful experimental witnesses of his resurrection-life and new name Thus the whole generation of faith whether as prophetical messengers before Christs comming in flesh or declarers of him after come have all most harmoniously agreed in their testimony to the spiritual nature and visibility of Christ's kingdom here treated on And thus having seen the testimony of the divine nature itself and the infallible creature-testimony of Christ and his saints to this truth as a secondary general confirmation of it we may observe the various types and figures in Gods providential workings for strengthning his Peoples faith in this important truth Even before the fall every voice of God to man was to point out this spiritual State of Rest he was to look after But all this counsel of God was neglected by him Yet did God even after the fall and before the giving of the Law warn Noah of this his twofold great design to wit of taking down the old or first creation-World and setting up that new one in which to establish this visible kingdom of Christ As a token hereof vvas he commanded to build an Ark and by his obedience to God therein did he condemn that sinful World which wilfully neglected the voice of God therein But Noah by faith saw Christ in that resurrection or kingdom-state figured by the Ark as a spiritual Rock of safety to himself and whole spiritual seed from that destruction figured out by the floud which all Angels and men that obstinately fix themselves in the old World or first-creation state against God and the second bring upon themselves And this deluge or destruction of man-kind by water points out the far greater destruction by fire in that day of the Lord wherein he will destroy the very heavens and earth on purpose reserved for the exercise of Gods long-suffering For their abuse of all will ripen them for a final consumption by the fire of God's wrath 2 Pet. 3. 7. Then even amidst those flames will he most certainly set up that spiritual kingdom in which shall be a like visible protection and safty to his saints as Noahs litteral Ark was to him and his family The next remarkable type of this spiritual truth before the giving of the Law was Abrahams conquest of the four Kings as figuring out not only the corrupt but righteous principles of nature in men and Angels which as singly naturall are all in a combined interest against the spiritual seed of faith and Christ their head These are signified in Abrahams person and his followers And their victory was a type fthe compleat and final conquest our spiritual Lord Abraham with all his saints will obtain over all that come against them to oppose the setting up of his spiritual kingdom visibly in the world After this have we another signal figure hereof in Gods remarkable dealing with the Egyptians as his enemies on behalf of the Israelites his friends in his marvellous wayes of punishing the one and delivering the other by his own right hand and out-stretched arm Both were types of that irresistable power in which Christ in these last dayes of greatest bondage and oppression to his people will give them a more remarkable deliverance then ever In these last and worst of times will be a combination in religious and civil principles against them figured by the Egyptian powers and the Magicians by the latter counterfeiting and by the former persecuting the new-creation spirit and power they both hate which Christ is ready to break forth in and thereby to bestow on his spiritual Israelites an absolute deliverance out of all their litteral and mystical captivities And by the same power will he so judge and deal with his enemies of all sorts as never to suffer them to rise up more against him or his spiritual Israelites Moses his whole government with the sanctuary and other things in his ministration were speaking figures and significant voices of this universal kingdom of Christ No circumstance in the civil or religious constitution of that government but remarkably signified the present truth And by signal sounds of his providence under every dispensation has the Lord been declaring and setting this truth before the faith of his People The sanctuary or tabernacle was not to be fixed as in its resting-place till his People were possessed of their resting-place the typical Land of promise Next this was Solomon's Temple on various accounts a signal type of Christ and of what he was to do
altogether ignorant of the Spiritual nature of his visible Kingdom yet to come and of that Spirit and Life in which it will be managed According to appointment were they assembled on the day of Pentecost waiting for the Holy Ghost that Spirit in which Christ's Kingdom is to be managed That day under the Law was a commanded feast of first fruits reaped in the Typical Land of Promise This type significantly represents the mystical truth or substance the first fruits of the true Land of Promise or Christ's risen Spirit brought forth in and by Saints This Spirit came upon them as a sound from Heaven of a rushing mighty wind and sate upon each of them as cloven Tongues like Fire So they spake with other Tongues words which the Holy Ghost taught them as that Spirit gave them utterance These other Tongues were the new Tongues Christ promised them they should speak with Mar. 16. 17. The new-creature-Spirit of Christ partaken of by Saints becomes another or new Tongue in them distinct from and superiour to any Tongue thoughts or words found in their natural Spirit This new Tongue both from its own nature and operation of it on the natural Spirit of the Saint may fitly be typed out by a visible cloven or twofold fiery Tongue First From its own nature as consisting in Christ's person the true original thereof of a twofold Resurrection-state and building inseparably united though distinct from each other Secondly From its twofold secret invisible operation upon man transforming yet not burning or consuming him by its fire-baptism upon him It empties him of all his changeable life and wealth unmakes and builds him anew and fill's him with its newness of Life and true riches And as in Christ so in his peculiar spousal Saints capacitated by their double portion of Christ's twofold Resurrection-Life to receive the double vision of the divine Glory are the twofold spiritual Principles of Christ's new-creature-nature fitly represented by cloven Tongues as Fire The inferiour earthly glorified Saint of the single portion in spiritual resurrection-life as found in unchangeable harmony with those of the double may both and altogether be fitly signified by cloven Tongues of Fire as distinct from each other and yet inseparably join'd together The Holy Ghost that descended upon the Apostles is that new-creature-Spirit which in Christ lives in personal union with the Divinity in both parts thereof upper and lower or most heavenly and glorified earthly all spiritual and above the first-creation-building or natural state of Angel or Man at best as far as the material Heaven is above the Earth No wonder then if the effects of this Spirit poured down on the Apostles were amazing to all natural observers thereof For as a figure of this commanding Tongue or new-creature Spirit could they make themselves understood by all their hearers of whatever differing languages By this litteral miracle was given an undeniable demonstration of the comprehensive nature and universal knowledg of this new Tongue or Spirit including all spiritual both heavenly and earthly-glorified wisdom and knowledg and also comprehending all single natural knowledg in it self Hence fitly said to know see or judg all things 1 Cor. 2. 15. This new-creation-tongue that could make itself understood by all in that primitive Gospel-day was a type of the powerful ministration of the Gospel in the last days under the latter rain or pouring down of the same Spirit or new-creature Tongue in a visibility and discernableness to all so as to command its acknowledgment from all hearers thereof through its suitable sound or voice to every one's understanding and irresistible demonstration of its intrinsick excellency to all hearts The wonderful effects of its first showring down were that the receivers thereof did work miracles cast out Devils and healed all sorts of Diseases litteral and spiritual This precious mystical balm of Gilead became in them a powerful antidote against all inward and outward Poison Mar. 16. 17 18. They could thereby not only discern but cure all diseases of Spirit as well as Body Yea a union by Faith with this Spirit under the Law was of such power that Elisha at a great distance was able to discern and declare the secret designs of God's and his People's Enemies and to cure diseases spiritual as well as bodily as in Naaman the Syrian He not only by his counsel cleans'd him from his bodily Leprosy but as seems implied by bidding him go in peace and Christ's owning his coming to a spiritual Prophet as a reproof to the Jews for rejecting his spiritual ministry and gospel-doctrine Luk. 4. 27. of the enmity of his Spirit by an effectual faith in the new-creation name of the true Son of Peace He was able also to discern the inward disease of enmity in Gehazi to be mortal and incurable as was figured by the outward Leprosy which was cureable in Naaman but rendred unchangeable in him and his unbelieving Seed forever 2 King 5. 27. And by the like new-creature power of spiritual Faith did he raise the Widow's Son from bodily death typing forth the like power of raising the natural Spirit out of its state of enmity and death All this as fore-running types of what was fulfill'd on the natural spirit of Saints by the first Gospel-rain of Christ's risen Spirit upon them And this yet was but a type of the more abundant effects of the latter rain of the same Spirit in the last days Under that first rain were they impowred to find out and cure both bodily and spiritual diseases by forgiving all Sins that were of a pardonable nature Joh. 20. 23. But under the former or latter rain are Saints not to assume any thing to themselves but ascribe all to the new-creation power of their Lord and Head Act. 3. 12 16. To him must they ever own and pay their subjection though in marriage union with him by partaking of his Spirit Nor does the Saint by surrender of his will and life to Christ in order to live in his will and Spirit any more lose his distinct personality from Christ's than the distinction of sexes is lost in the litteral marriage-union of man and woman The Saint by union with Christ lives wholly in his will at last and so is possess'd of his power and riches Whatever he asks in that will new name or life of Christ is given him Joh. 16. 23. This Spirit qualified Saints above all the inticing words and thoughts of man's or Angel's natural wisdom that 's but vain Philosophy for their distinct respective Offices in the Gospel-Church as Apostles Prophets Evangelists Pastors Teachers c. By the diversity of the gifts and operations thereof was every of them fitted for their distinct Offices in the assemblies of Saints 1 Cor. 12. 4 11. They were thereby enabled rightly to discern and determine all things according to the mind of Christ And hereby did they gain Love from those that believed and fear from those that would
Ravens by whom Saints received that new-creation-food that sustained and nourished them unto eternal life By their angelical representations was Christ the head-head-Angel of God's covenant revealed to the Patriarks before and to Prophets and Saints after the giving of the Law They appeared on all occasions as employed by Christ in all the messages of God's will to them They opened Heaven to Ezekiel who through a powerful faith was enabled to see take in those wonderful visions of the very divine glory through the new-creature-nature of Christ his head so as to hear the voice of the almighty divinity They were the hand that oft lifted him and others up beyond and above the sight and motion of the natural spirit and body whilst yet in the same By the hand or power of their new-creature Lord did they carry him to them of the captivity by the river Chebar Ezek. 3. 14 15. And by the same hand was he led into the valley of dry bones declared by them to signify the whole spiritual Israel They likewise shewed him that new-creation spirit of prophecy by which the dry bones or slain twofold witnesses in the last and worst of times were to be quickned and made live again Ezek. 37. 1 14. The Scripture abounds with instances of this kind Christ the true Michael sent his ministring Angel or Messenger Gabriel to reveal to beloved Daniel those visions that were to remain a sealed book as to their full accomplishment till the time shewed him for the twofold witnesses to be slain as also how by the peculiar work of the good Angels in a preparitory ministration to Christ's second coming they should be raised into the same life and spirit which the Angel shewed Daniel his lot was fallen in so long before his actual possession of And as Angels were Christ's messengers in giving forth this resurrecton-life through a spirit of faith under the Law before Christ's first coming so were they the first actual dispensers and declarers of the said life and glory under the gospel They first preached the glad gospel tydings of Christ's resurrection in our nature This honourable service Christ employed them in as a just recompence of their being his first followers out of the changeable first-creation into that unchangeable resurrection-land or state of life without ever sinning against Law or Gospel Ezek. 1. 12 20. 10. 11. Hereby did they preserve to themselves in this first-resurrection-state that precedency in place and nature God gave them in their first creation And now as additional to that are they chosen by Christ to be his highest-Officers therein for giving the first report of the said resurrection-state of our nature in Christ's person He is not here but is risen Luk. 24. 6. And as in the two days under Law and Gospel Angels under Christ were the first preachers of the resurrection-state unto men so much more powerfully yet will they be in the third and last day By their powerful sounding the new-creation trumpet or preaching the everlasting gospel-life will the dead witnesses be raised and the elect gathered together from one end of Heaven to the other Mat. 24. 31. They will come forth in such power of the new-creation-spirit of prophecy as to cause it to enter into and build up every part of their crucified nature into the life thereof and compleat union with their angelical helpers and Christ himself therein Ezek. 37. 4 -10. And herein shall they be found the twofold united witnesses of Christ in his heavenly and earthly glorified spirit signified to Ezekiel by the two sticks he was to write upon for Judah and for Joseph with their companions Ezek. 37. 15 22. All this done by the holy Angels in the preparatory dispensation amounts not to the Saint's glorified body For that change will be the immediate fruit of Christ's personal coming and presence But these angelical reapers are to gather together the first-born Church written on the heavenly stick sharers in Christ's heavenly and most excellent new-creature-life mark'd with their Father's name on their foreheads and fitted for the marriage-bed of their heavenly Husband And then are they to gather all those whose names are written on the earthly glorified stick also even an innumerable multitude in the white robes of Christ's spiritual everlasting righteousness Rev. 7. 9. Both these are the Angels to gather by preaching the everlasting Gospel to them By their preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom to all the World in the third and last day before the full end come will be fulfilled Mat. 29. 14. They will powerfully waken up the spiritual seed of the Kingdom in all nations and all that are ripe in the life thereof shall be immediately joyned with them even with Christ's heavenly host of Angels for the work and service of that day And at the same time will they raise up other spiritual Saints into a land of light a spiritual Goshen and pour forth the full vials of Plagues on the hardned enemies of God and them God by his holy Angels will lead Saints out of all captivities as Moses Israel out of Egypt raising out of their great and last grave the whole mystical dead body of Christ Of this preparatory angelical ministration was Christ's transfiguration in his unchang'd body before his death a figure He caused the transforming power of his new-creature-life in which Son of man in Heaven to shine so strongly on his inward man or spirit that his very outward also was made to shine His face or spirit shined as the Sun and his raiment or outward man was white as the light So the crucified spirit dead body or natural man of the two witnesses shall by the Angels powerful preaching the everlasting Gospel be so raised into the powerful exercise of Spiritual life as to make their unchang'd fleshly bodies shine as a high degree of redemption from the bondage of their whole corruptible first-creation-life Such Saints with holy Angels shall shine as Stars through a more signal partaking of Christ's risen Spirit the bright morning Star from whom they all receive their distinct measures of new-creation-light and life In this season and dispensation will Christ make good to his Saints what he long before promised to Joshua as associated with Angels under him his joint powerful instruments for the great work of this preparatory day Of this priviledg was Moses also a signal type as through faith taken into such angelical converse and thereby admitted so near access to Christ the head of Angels as will qualify them to receive the lively oracles of Christ's own mind and become his mouth for declaring the same to others This honour will be put on Saints in the preparatory dispensation to Christ's second coming And thus have we seen by what means or hand the last generation of Saints are to be slain and by what to be raised again and their high priviledg and honour thereupon This by the angelical ministration for this very
given to a faithful witness-bearing in his spirit of true freedom for which they have suffered all along Satan's reign This shall in its place be more fully spoken to And then will be declared God's most wise and holy grounds why the injuries done to the Souls under the Altar slain for the testimony of Jesus have lain so long unaccounted for Under this preparatory dispensation shall the murderers of Jesus and his spiritual Martyrs be punished according to their works All these judgments and mercies are to be opened by the seven new-creation Trumpets sounded by seven Angels on the opening of the seventh and last Seal Rev. 8. 1 2. On the sounding of these Trumpets the judgments sealed up for foes amongst the treasures of mercy for friends Deut. 32. 34 35. will be executed by the pouring forth of the seven Vials All this as the performance of God's promise on behalf of the two slain witnesses Rev. 11. for raising them up into an association with spiritual Angels for the powerful preaching of Christ's everlasting Gospel-life For this will they have power to shut and open the blessings and judgments of Heaven in perfect harmony with the spirit and will of Christ distributing both in love or wrath to the inhabitants of the whole World This is implied in the command given them over that mystical Fire by which the wrath of that day is to be executed and in their power also to give or withhold the heavenly rain of Christ's risen-Spirit and likewise for turning the Waters of the cleansed natural state as turned into enmity against the same into blood from the just wrath and displeasure of God By all ways literal and mystical will the sealed-up judgments of God be opened to smite the accursed Earth in such a successive pouring forth of wrath upon it figured by the plagues on Pharaoh and Egypt by the hands of Saints and Angels in this fore-running dispensation on this side the glorified body of Saints as was figured in Eliah subject to like passions with other Saints in the unchang'd body Jam. 5. 17. Saints in this dispensation will not only have power over the material Heaven so as by the spirit of true faith and prayer to withhold or give the rain thereof but in a like command with Elias to cause the angelical fire to come down on their Enemies for their destruction as he did on the Captains with their Fifties that came in opposition to the new-creature spirit of prophecy by the powerful workings whereof in him he was seen to be a man of God Wilful enmity to this spirit God will come forth in signal displeasure against Now if this power literally and spiritually was thus manifested in Eliah by a union of Faith only with Christ in his new-creature-spirit before the former Gospel-rain thereof Act. 2. what will be impossible to the power of it in Saints on the latter rain thereof for the ripening of Angels and Saints therein to a full harvest fitting them to do all things needful to make way for their Lord's second coming And having thus considered what is meant by the opening of the Seals and pouring forth of the Vials in the preparatory day to Christ's second coming by Angels and Saints we are next to enquire how and in what manner and measure they are then to be poured forth and upon whom For this it is observable that every Vial hath and that from the beginning bin suited to the more or less criminal nature of the several wilful Offences which now shall be laid open however before hid and sealed up This is implied by the distinct places or parts of the accursed first-creation-Earth each Vial is to be poured upon John hears a voice out of Christ's new-creation Temple into which the good Angels were first brought as the first faithful obedient followers of their Head Lord and Master thereinto They are sent out of this Temple with the seven-fold new-creation Trumpet given them by the Lamb for his service as ministring spirits and first sounders forth of this his new-creation-voice to his Saints who thereby become qualified with them to preach the everlasting Gospel of the Kingdom or declare the glad tydings of their Lord 's coming in the seven-fold glory of his resurrection-state to the whole Earth And not only so but they are also fitted to be joined with the holy Angels for pouring forth the Vials of God's wrath on the fixed inhabitants of the Earth who are enemies to his spiritual heavenly appearance and Kingdom Thus we find the first Vial poured forth upon the Earth Rev. 16. 2. the second on the Sea the third on the Rivers and Fountains of Water the fourth on the Sun the fifth on the seat of the Beast the sixth on the great River Euphrates the seventh on the Air. In these distinct vials and places are held forth the particular assigned judgments according to the sealed up wrath of God for every part of the sinful first-creation-Earth The first Vial is poured out upon the Earth not the corrupt but restored Earth repaired by Christ as to their loss by the fall of Adam and so capacitated to answer Christ's heavenly call He hath therein afforded them clear convictions of his new-creation-life for their everlasting blessedness But through wilful refusal of this and despite thereunto are they sound guilty of worshipping the Beast and receiving his mark which is the peculiar Sin for which punished They voluntarily pay that homage to the wicked Angel that 's due to God who hath by his own act made himself the mystical Beast here meant in his self-chosen earthly sensual spirit by a fixed unchangeable enmity to God and his heavenly creature-spirit rendred devilish The same fixed in by Man with its wisdom and all its first-creation excellencies is devilish also Jam. 3. 15. This renders a Man a Devil Christ called Judas so One of you is a Devil Joh. 6. 70. The changeably evil spirit of Man baptiz'd and transform'd by the unchangeably evil spirit of the Devil into unchangeable union with him in enmity to God renders man a Devil If baptiz'd into the unchangeably righteous spirit of Christ man becomes with Abraham the unchangeable friend lover and beloved of God The cleansed mystical house or enlightned righteous natural man receiving the evil angelical spirit is thereby fixed in enmity to God In this case Christ found and asserted the professing righteous Jews with their teachers to be Ye are of your Father the Devil so far were they from being the true spiritual seed and Children of Abraham or of God as they flattered and asserted themselves to be This end or last state is worse than their first in the corrupt nature as born dead in Sin but not unchangeably so as now they are Mat. 12. 43 -45. Joh. 8. 38 -44. Such incorrigible wilful Sinners against the Holy Ghost and its convincing spiritual light set up in their consciences will fall under the sad effects of the
the whole comprehensive single earthly generation and party of evil Angels and Men who will have nothing to pretend as to God's omitting any ways or means for the doing of them good In Israel's case he gives an account of the method of his proceedings with all his Creatures Angels and Men in reference to their everlasting happiness Esay 5. 4. All that set up for themselves in the first-creation-spirit against the second instead of good kindly fruits bring forth wild Grapes from a root of bitterness and known enmity to him In this do they practise all sorts of mystical uncleanness idolatry and fornication And as we have seen the ruine of the old World or first-creation as exalted against the second gradually carried on as to the judgments of God on the several parts thereof and at length upon the whole to their total and irreparable ruin in this preparatory dispensation and close thereof So are we to consider what 's done therein and by towards the building the new Christ will send his Angels for this with the great sound of their seven-fold Trumpet to gather together his Elect from the four Winds from one end of Heaven to the other Mat. 24. 31. This by powerfully wakning up the seed of spiritual life in all Nations Then will the Earth bring forth in one day and a Nation of spiritual Saints shall be born at once Esay 66. 8. and this marvellous wonder-working hand of the Lord which will so be made known towards his Servants will be attended with and made serviceable to the discovery of his indignation towards his Enemies ver 14. All the power and strength of the first-creation shall then like the Walls of Jerico fall without hands before the clear shining forth of the resurrection-power of Christ in his Angels and Saints causing the destruction of the old World and passing away of all the old things thereof as an immediate introduction to the building of the new the new Heavens and Earth to be set up by Christ's new-creation-workmanship wherein he will delight and rejoyce for ever ver 22. Isa 65. 17 -19. Come we then particularly to consider the second general part of the preparatory work the laying the Foundations of the new World or preparing the spiritual materials for the new-creation-building and kingdom of Christ In this second as well as first part of the work of this preparatory day will Christ make remarkable use of his Angels and ripen'd Saints fitly qualified in his spirit for the same This second part of the preparatory work seems necessarily to accompany the former For if this old World for the fleshly and spiritual defilements thereof must be destroyed by Fire mystical and literal as altogether unfit for Christ's presence there must be such a new Heaven and Earth built up as may be found faultless before him fit for his divine and new-creature residence as answering God's mind for the exercising of a visible rule and dominion of love over his Saints and Angels and also of good will over all mankind on the Earth In order to this will these preparatory builders Angels and Saints powerfully assert Christ's right to the visible universal rule and monarchy of this World And then secondly will they declare the great advantage of his assuming the same to all the inhabitants thereof Both these particulars shall in this fore-running dispensation be so clearly stated and asserted with such demonstration as to prevail on the whole new Earth not only to own Christ's right of ruling over them but to express their impatient desires for the same as their unexpressible benefit as well as his unquestionable right For hereby shall they be totally redeemed from the unreasonable bondage under the oppressive governments of this World and brought under the peaceable and righteous rule of Christ so as to perform universal obedience to him in the new-creation-principles of true love and freedom In order to this has Christ reserved a greater effusion of his Spirit in the latter rain thereof to be showred down in this preparatory dispensation to his second coming than the former in the primitive day amounted to The gradual operations of this shall cause all the Kingdoms of this new World to become the Lord's and his Christ's And every member and subject thereof shall receive his summons his Lord 's actual coming being now at hand By the powerful angelical ministry accompanied with the rain of Christ's risen spirit shall the true seed of the Kingdom be universally awaken'd and quicken'd up as a beginning to that full restitution of all things to be accomplish'd by Christ's own personal spiritual coming in his new-creation-temple of our glorified nature And herein will he be beheld before his visible presence on Earth on the opening the doors of that his Temple in Heaven by the powerful preaching of his everlasting-Gospel in the preparatory ministration so as to make the divine inhabitant thereof to be seen through Christ's creature-nature as with open face And this sight shall also have its powerful and peculiar effect on all the mystical members of Christ so as to change or transform them into a likeness to him in his new-creature-spirit as members of his heavenly or earthly-glorified body This great charge is committed to the spiritual and powerful preachers of his everlasting Gospel as in figure was shewed Ezekiel chap. 43. to give his mystical Israelit's a more clear view than ever of the exact form and fashion of the new-creature House and Temple of their great Lord and Head and that in such a manner as to shew them all the ascents and descents and every coming in and going out thereof with all the distinct Laws and Ordinances belonging to the same And this will beget in them a like admiration to that of the Queen of Sheba that came from the utmost corner of her natural Earth to behold the divine and new-creature glory of her spiritual King Solomon in the figure thereof When Saints shall see the divine King and the glory of his creature-House and Temple with the subjected ranks of his attendants in blessed harmony amongst themselves and universal obedience to him they will jointly ascribe all the glory of that order and their blessedness therein to the wisdom of their divine Lord and spiritual King Solomon the maker of those spiritual Laws in observing of which they shall live for ever in perfect blessedness and freedom The sight of this divine King and creature-Lord and of the everlasting blessedness of his Servants and Subjects is to be given in this preparatory dispensation This was exactly figured out in the setting up of the tabernacle or worldly Sanctuary before Israel's entring Ganaan the type of this visible spiritual Kingdom of Christ For in this preparatory day must be proved and fitted all sorts of materials needful to the setting up of Christ's visible Kingdom as then for Moses his Tabernacle And the means as there must be the free-will-offerings of the
faithful in their service to Christ therein Thus through a union of love between Angels and heavenly Saints are the Angels under Christ instrumental to the bringing the whole Church of first-born David's into those places in Christ's Kingdom wherein to be for ever far superiour to themselves And till seated there do they exercise the utmost of their power to protect the said Davids from the malice of their invsible enemies Devils typed out by Jonathan's faithful informing David of all Saul's mischeivous and malicious intendments discovered towards him and protecting him from them While these Princes or most heavenly Seed of Saints are in their unchanged bodies walking on foot on the Earth or in the single earthly spirit and mind this foot or earthly principle is kept by them from any such wilful dashing against or stumbling at the mystical stone Christ's new-creature-spirit as excludes from the true rest therein only attainable In a like practice with Jonathan in letter they discover all the secret and subtile contrivances of mystical Saul's malice against these spiritual Davids that they may escape him They thus protect them from the evil Angel and on the other hand inform them of Christ's spiritual Kingdom by communicating their visions thereof In both these distinct works of love to Saints will they appear more visibly than ever in their dispensation immediately preparatory to Christ's second coming And herein as owned by Christ so ought they by Saints Rev. 22. 16. I Jesus have sent mine Angel to testify these things to the Churches the things of the new Jerusalem-Kingdom of Christ which will suddenly be made visible and not only so but to testify of me also that I am the bright morning-Star or in my exalted humanity head of these angelical Stars in that resurrection-glory wherein they shall shine forth in their preparatory morning-ministration so as to be signally owned by me in their faithful service to me This is implied ver 6. These sayings are faithful and true For the Lord God of his holy Prophets hath sent his Angel to give them the fore-running sights of things that as to publick and general manifestation are yet to come but now at hand and therefore no longer to be sealed up but open'd by Angels to them in Christ's preparatory day And so also are the sealed up judgments by them then to be opened and visibly poured forth upon the enemies of his approach and Kingdom This honour have the blessed Angels even of being chief instruments in setting up the Kingdom of Christ by communicating their sights thereof to Saints belonging to the upper or lower new Jerusalem or spiritual Kingdom in their distinct relations thereunto as the heavenly or but earthly glorified seed And this ought by them both and all to be thankfully acknowledged When the Angel shew'd John the Lamb and his Bride clothed with her wedding robe her Husband 's heavenly spirit he fell at the Angel's feet to worship him But the Angel said see thou do it not for though in this dispensation I am above thee yet am I but thy fellow-Servant under our great Master to minister to thee who wilt in conclusion be exalted far above me And then also must we both as holding of Jesus our head in the true new-creation spirit of prophecy worship God alone The heavenly seed of Saints that receive the first revelations or visions of the glory of Christ's Kingdom from Angels will be found to have an interest superiour to theirs therein when they take their places about the exalted Throne of Christ set up in the third Heaven Then will the Angels give up their guardianship over them as no longer needing it being exalted above them Yea then will the Angels of God rejoyce to receive instruction from them to whom they before gave it Then shall the marvellous and manifold wisdom of God appear in causing the Church of his first-born-Saints when exalted into their heavenly places to make a suitable return to the good Angels for all their faithful service of love to them in communicating their higher visions of God in such measure as they are capable of receiving than ever yet was attained by them They will under Christ reveal to them that manifold-grace of God that 's the blessed portion of second-resurrection-Saints received by them immediately from Christ and from him by them let down and revealed to Angels Thus makes he his blessed creatures Angels and Saints in the beauty and harmony of his dispensations towards them useful to one another and so to remain for ever in their higher and lower places and offices in Christ's body-mystical as is figuratively signified 1 Cor. 12. 21. Many who in their single unchang'd humanity Angels are the teachers of will be in a superiority to all Angels and in that sence said to judg even the holy Angels as in a higher sort of spiritual life and light judgment or discerning then they and so fit instructers of them 〈…〉 God to them as Christ's highest and chief Ministers These will make known to Christ's Angels and glorified earthly members the fellowship of that mystery which comparatively to the revelation as yet given thereof hath bin till then hid in God They shall fully reveal the whole mystery of divine and creature-fellowship in God the Mediatour from everlasting to everlasting and so the manifold divine and creature wisdom if God to their inferiour-fellow-creaturs which is in the compleat fulness thereof their continual vision and food But though when the first-born heavenly Church take their seats in glory Angels cease from the exercise of rule over them yet do they remain as door-keepers to the said heavenly City and Society They were placed from the beginning as Christ's spiritual Watchmen over this tree of Life or whole spiritual state And in the faithful discharge of that office have ever since with their flaming Swords or angelical weapons bin made use of by way of defence and service to the said state for directing the holy Seed to the right door of the blessed City and for the keeping any spiritually profane persons from entring thereat They are ready with their angelical flames to destroy all such And when the good seed even the first-born Church are all entred and have taken their places in a superiority to them will they still for ever hold the same place and station as door-keepers in the nearest relation to the said first-born Church To be such a door-keeper to the second-resurrection-state David saw was to be preferred above the highest glorified Saints in the first as nearest to the heavenly Citizens or first encompassers of the Throne Also under Christ and his heavenly Saints are the holy Angels Princes or chief Rulers in and over the first-resurrection-state the outward row of encompassers and therein to remain for ever And as now we have seen the good Angels business in the preparatory dispensation we may observe the approbation they will receive from their great Lord and