New-creation The Righteousness and Wisdom of Man are the best sort of things in Nature's First-creation spiritual enlightning Gifts are the best Gifts towards a New-creation receivable by the natural Understanding and yet Man in all these Advantages short of the very Gospel-life of God or a living spiritual Faith therein is nothing has nothing that will give him Entrance into the Kingdom of God 1 Cor. 12. 31. 13. 1 2. The best things in Nature are corruptible and if corrupted become the worst of all things The highest Light Wisdom and Righteousness therein establisht in preference to the marvelous Light Wisdom and Righteousness of God offer'd by a New-creation is the greatest Darkness Wickedness and Folly of all Mat. 6.23 Mystical Babylon and Sodom is worse than literal Mat. 11.23,24 The prevailing Power and Danger of Self-love did most signally appear in the first Sin of evil Angels Under the clearest Knowledg of the Will and Command of God that was possible to be given to their supream natural intuitive Understandings for the right use of their natural Beings and Life given them in their First-creation in order to the Second they turn'd away from God's Offer of the latter in Love to themselves in the former This did they in a known Rebellion against God and a known Contrariety to their own unspeakable Concern for finding eternal Life or scaping eternal Death They preferr'd the Life of the Creature in themselves to the Life of the Creator in himself in an unchast adulterous murdering Mind of unchangeable Enmity to their Creator as offer'd to become their Lord Bridegroom and Husband in the Life of that all-powerful Spirit that gave them their own Beings and Life by a First-creation They added to this first unpardonable Sin the drawing all Mankind in Adam to make the same evil Choice for themselves And all along this World when any are restor'd into the Life of the First-creation and brought under high spiritual enlightning Gifts convincing Discoveries and Offers of the heavenly Creature-life of God by a Second evil Angels do attempt and prevail with many under such Advantages to fetch them back again from Christ's offer'd eternal Gospel-life of the Creator in his holy Spirit and set up for themselves in their own holy Flesh or earthly Life and Righteousness of Man Gal. 3. 1 3. 5. 7 8. Balaam and Saul with many others are signal Instances of such Apostacy from Christ under the prevailing Influence of evil Angels The Spirit of the Lord came upon Saul so that he was among the Prophets of God under the enlightning Gifts thereof by which God turn'd him into another Man gave him another Heart to see know and seek after him But he turn'd from God and the Spirit of God departed from him and when his Life was in danger he ask'd Counsel of the Devil in a known Witch what would become of him 1 Sam. 10. 6 9 11. 16. 14. 28. 7. Balaam taken by the Lord for a time out of the Hands of the Devil was forc'd contrary to his own and the Devil 's and Balak's Mind to bless instead of cursing Israel He declares that he heard the Words of God and knew the Most High saw the Visions of the Almighty Numb 24. 16. He pray'd that he might die the Death of the Righteous and that his last End might be like his Numb 23. 10. He tells Balak if he would give him his House full of Silver and Gold he will speak what the Lord says Chap. 24. 13. After all this the Holy Ghost in Peter charges him with loving the Wages of Vnrighteousness 2 Pet. 2. 15. When he found himself disabled to curse Israel he counsell'd the Midianitish Women to go amongst them to allure them to Whoredom and so to cause the Lord to appear against them Numb 31. 16. And listing himself in the Midianites Army was slain with the five Kings of Midian by the Israelites Sword v. 8. None in the restor'd Life of Man and under the enlightning Discoveries and Offers of the Gospel-life of God are out of Satan's reach till born of God Then have they a Life in them which the evil one cannot touch 1 John 5. 18. All restor'd Life and Righteousness of Man renders Men but natural Branches in Christ Servants in the House of God liable to be turn'd out again and cast into unquenchable Fire John 15. 1-6 8. 35. In all restor'd Law-life and Freedom of their own Wills Men are under the Law and under the Curse Gal. 3. 10. in danger of the final condemning Power thereof while destitute of that Gospel-life that 's the only continuing Principle of infallible everlasting well-pleasing Obedience to God This brings with it into Man the glorious Liberty of the Sons of God wherewith Christ makes Men free indeed in a free Will to Good only under an Impossibility of ever doing Evil therein The Will of Man in New-creation-life is in unchageable Harmony with the very Divine Will In this he never sins But in his own Will till fully crucified the Saint continually sins opposing and fighting against his spiritual Will that never sins 1 Iohn 3. 9. 1. 8. Rom. 7. 15 19. Gal. 5. 17. In the First-creation at best Man was but a mystical Tree of good and evil but changeably good and liable by his own choice to become unchangeably unpardonably and unrepentably evil In the second he becomes a particular Tree of Life under and with Christ amongst the innumerable Multitude of blessed Angels and Saints unchangeably Good and under an Impossibility of ever becoming unchangeably evil The uncontroll'd Soveraignty of our own Will at best and the highest Light of our own Understanding fix'd in is the greatest Darkness and Bondage The unchangeable Subjection and Captivity of our Will to the Will of God is the glorious Liberty of the Sons of God 2 Cor. 10. 5. Man in all the Light Life Wisdom and Righteousness of the First-creation restor'd by Christ as the Common-Salvation-Benefit of his Death in the Fountain-purity thereof is still within the Compass of Satan's universal Monarchy or Kingdom of this World in Opposition to the marvellous Light and glorious Liberty of the Sons of God in Christ's reigning Gospel-spirit of the World to come The Old Serpent was too hard for humane Nature and so for all Mankind in Adam at best in the primitive Purity and personal Perfection of all First-creation-life and Things We must quit all kindred with the first Adam yea with Christ himself as a Husband and Head to us in but the restor'd fleshly Life and Righteousness of Man to be married to him as our spiritual Lord and Bridegroom in that quickning Spirit of the Second Adam his Gospel-spirit of true Holiness 2 Cor. 5. 16. 1 Cor. 15. 45-47 Ephes. 4. 24. Christ crucified the living Soul of our Nature in himself by which he purchas'd the restoring of that in Mankind and therein also became an unerrable Pattern to
Cor. 12. 31. 13. 1 2. Rom. 13. 8 10. The natural Understanding with all such enlightning spiritual Gifts receiv'd thereon is to be given up in Sacrifice to God with the Life wherein exercis'd for the new spiritual eternal Gospel-life of God and true infallible Understanding therein Man under all spiritual Enlightning discovering to him the more excellent Gospel-life of the Creator offer'd by a New Creation is yet liable by Satan's Witchcrafts with his own Consent to be fetch'd back again from looking after or owning Christ's Gospel-life though known to be his unspeakable Concern to submit to God's Terms and appointed Way of receiving it as the only way to find the Salvation of Heaven or scape the Damnation of Hell Gal. 3. 1 3. 5. 7 8. Thus prevalent was Self-love at first in evil Angels under the clearest Conviction of their unspeakable Concern as well as Duty and they prevail to bring Men under the like Knowledg of their eternal Concerns to make the same wrong destructive Choice to their known eternal Ruine They are perswaded by Satan to receive his self-pleasing Lie that by a being made perfect in their Flesh the fleshly Life of the Creature Righteousness of Man they will find Peace with God and Entrance into his Kingdom This yielded to and absolutely concluded is the unpardonable and unrepentable Sin against the Holy Ghost Heb. 6. 4-6 10. 26 27. This Sin excludes any for ever from any Benefit of Christ's meritorious Sacrifice leaving them nothing but a certain fearful looking for of Wrath and fiery Indignation which will devour all such wilful incorrigible Adversaries forcing them to dwell with and under everlasting Burnings as in unchangeable Union of Mind with the Devil All spiritual enlightning Gifts and thereby understanding all Mysteries and having all Knowledg of the Will of God and their own eternal Concerns and speaking with the Tongues of Men and Angels in the utmost Dexterity of organical or intuitive Expression all still without Love or a partaking of the very Life of the Son of God is nothing of no avail at all for their ever entring into his Kingdom In Man's Day of judging such are the only true super-eminent spiritual Saints in God's unchangeable Enemies and the highest sort of Adversaries to him and his Saints In the ever-new Life of God given by a New Creation Saints come to experience a new infallible spiritual Understanding and an incorruptible Will in Harmony with the very infinite Divine Mind and Will In this Life and Principle of Desire Thought and Action can they answer that Command for loving the Lord their God with all their Heart Soul Strength and Mind and the true mystical Neighbour Christ in his gospel-Gospel-life and spiritual Saints born of God therein No fix'd Law-spirited however righteous Man loves but hates the Lord his God and the true Scripture-Neighbour Christ and true Saints the new eternal gospel-Gospel-life in him and them Head and Members one mystical Body 1 Cor. 12.27 the true Neighbour with a perfect unchangeable hatred This may seem the dangerous Case of the self-confident Lawyer that tempted Christ saying Master what shall I do to inherit eternal Life Christ asks him what 's written in the Law how readest thou These are two distinct Questions The Lawyer agreed with Christ in answer to the first as to what was written in the Law But was to seek for answering the second as to the right reading or understanding in what Spirit and Principle of Life 't was ever possible to perform what was written Luk. 10 25-28 The implacable Haters of the true spiritual Neighbours Christ and his Brethren will go away into everlasting Punishment and the true Lovers of them into Life eternal Mat. 25 31-46 Christ takes all hating and persecuting his Gospel-Saints as done to himself Act. 9.4 Spiritually enlighten'd Men finally refusing to submit to the Terms of receiving Christ's offer'd spiritual Gospel-life though a while among Gospel-Saints as Members of the true Church owning Gospel-Truths will at length depart from them and become their most signal Antichristian Enemies 1 John 2. 18 19. Such prove grievous Wolves to Christ's true Sheep Act. 20. 29 30. Mat. 10. 16. Satan's choicest Instruments to disswade and draw away Disciples after them from looking after or owning any such thing as Christ's Gospel-life or Doctrine thereof Hereby become they the most criminal Sinners of all Mankind This after they had run well among true Saints owning Gospel-Truths Who did hinder or call them back that they should not finally obey the Truth Gal. 5.7 The Devil He prevailingly call'd them back from what Christ fairly offer'd and invited them to ver 8. Such become Satan's chief Apostles Ministers of his other Gospel fitted for his Work in calling others back from all Gospel-Truths as diabolical Illusions So do they shut up the Kingdom of God and set open Satan's exclude explode and deny all Christ's Gospel-Truths and preach up Satan's Lie the Life of the Creature given in the First-creation transform'd into the Appearance of and deck'd with all Scripture-Titles belonging to the Gospel-life of the Creator offer'd by a second as a State of true Salvation In this Posture and at this Work did Christ find the most enlightned teaching Jews Matth. 23. 13 33. Teachers of Satan's other Gospel furnish'd with all Wisdom Subtlety Eloquence and Dexterity of Expression may thus be dressing up Satan's Lie with all Scripture-Language of Christ's Gospel-Truth so as with their Hearers to grow irrefragably confident under Satan's strong Delusion and God's giving them up thereto as verily to think they are in a State of true Salvation Thus the renew'd Old Man passes for the new Creature restor'd Nature for a State of Grace Reformation of Naturals for Regeneration into Spirituals Satan's and Man's Nothings for God's All-things the restor'd mortal Life and Things of the Creature for the immortal Gospel-life and Things of the Creator So the Devil God of this World passes for the true God his Kingdom for God's his Lie for God's Truth Where such are like to be at last see 2 Thess. 2. 10-12 At this rate all along this World Satan's permitted Reign and Man's Day of judging under him in Matters of Religion and remarkably in this long Anti-christian Day of twelve hundred and sixty Years now near expiring have things gone God's only things that are and will ever be his eternal Gospel-life and Things pass for chimerical Nothings in Man's Day and Man 's confidently reputed All-things will be found nothing in God's Day of Judging Man's highest Wisdom calls nothing in his pretended Divinity by the right Name but the contrary in all Extremity Satan's Gospel passes currant for Salvation and Christ's for a Blasphemous Fiction of the Devil and Madness If it was reckon'd so by eminent First-covenant righteous teaching and professing Jews in Christ himself what can his true Followers expect Iohn 10. 20. 15. 18-20 16. 1 2. All worldly Honours Applauses and
ver 22. All in but their own worldly Spirit or Principle at best in the restor'd Light or Life of the First-creation and conclusively setting up there with Confidence for Salvation as a State of eternal Life and Peace with God will be found at last unpardonable Hereticks Sinners against the Holy Ghost in unchangeable Enmity to the Gospel-spirit of Grace and Truth offer'd by a New-creation in which alone any can ever enter into his Kingdom or scape the Damnation of Hell Evil Angels were the supream Hereticks in their first sinful Choice of their own earthly mortal First-covenant-life given them in their First-creation They soon prevail'd with all Mankind in Adam to make the same Choice In Mankind when by Christ restor'd into the Light and Life of the First-creation and therein but the Understanding and Wisdom of Man whoever do conclusively set up for themselves therein as a State of true Blessedness do become with evil Angels unpardonable Hereticks Sinners against the Holy Ghost rejecting the whole Counsel of God and denying his Gospel-life in which only any can be sav'd Man in his highest fallible Understanding for judging and corruptible Will for chusing in Matters of Religion and Worship of God is under the Power of Satan to deceive and impose upon him Hence are all the Doctrines and Words of Man's Wisdom about eternal Life and Peace with God Heresy In all the various Conceptions and Language of Man's Wisdom we find a World of contrary Opinions and Disputes amounting to a mystical Babel They will all in one Mind reject and disown the Gospel-life and Truths thereof as the grand universal Heresy of all Scribes Pharisees Essen's Herodians c. among the enlighten'd righteous professing First-covenant Jews were all as one Man against Christ himself for his Gospel-Truth They said he had a Devil and was mad that he was a Blasphemer a Sabbath-breaker a Wine-bibber a Friend of Publicans and Sinners an Enemy of righteous Men most uncharitably sentencing them to the Damnation of Hell Mat. 23.33 and taking up Mary Magdalen's and Zacheus's Publicans and Sinners into the Salvation of Heaven These were the strange wonderful Appearances Christ and his Doctrine and way for eternal Life had in the Sight and Understanding of wise righteous First-Covenant Saint-like People What wonder None in that Principle of Understanding can see know own or receive the Gospel Life and Things of God 1 Cor. 2. 9. the New-Covenant Principle of true Salvation which therefore is universally denied by them all as a Diabolical Illusion Many that come to be true Saints at last may be found for a time with Paul deeply engag'd in a murdering Mind of Enmity to true Saints for their Gospel-Principle and Doctrine in the words of God's Wisdom But all that fix there become unchangeable Enemies to God and them All final Builders on the sandy Foundation the mortal earthly perishing Life of the first Creation will deny contradict and blaspheme all that are built on the firm sure rocky Gospel-Life of God in which alone any can ever enter into his Kingdom What these differing Builders will come to in Conclusion Christ declares Mat. 7. 24-27 The Righteousness of Man in Scribes and Pharisees is not that in which any can ever enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Mat. 5. 20. The Righteousness of God in his new and everlasting Gospel-Life which Christ requires Men to seek after Mat. 6. 33. this only will give all the happy Partakers thereof an Entrance into his Kingdom The imputed Righteousness of God to the compleating the imperfect Personal Righteousness of Man for a First-Covenant Communion with and worshipping of God in that Principle is still but the fading Beauty and Righteousness of Man in and with which he is liable to play the Harlot with the Devil in Enmity to Christ as offer'd to be a spiritual Head Lord Bridegroom and Husband to them in his Heavenly Eternal gospel-Gospel-Life by a new Creation of them So come they to be judg'd as mystical and most criminal Adulterers and Murderers Ezek. 16. 14 15. v. 38. Imputed Righteousness or Comeliness of God to Man in the First-Covenant on Man's abuse of all in him in Union with the Devil is withdrawn again and he for ever depriv'd of all or any Benefit of Christ's Sacrifice in our Nature Heb. 10. 26. In the second Covenant Gospel-Life of God Man comes to have the Righteousness of God in him under and with Christ. This is a Life a Wisdom a Righteousness and a Glory never to be done away In this only can any enter into the Kingdom of Heaven This is as much above the Righteousness of Man as the Heavens are higher than the Earth Thus are God's Thoughts and Ways for Salvation as far above Man's Thoughts and Words of his own Wisdom as the literal Heavens are higher than the Earth Isa. 55.8,9 God requires the plucking out our right Eye cutting off our right Hand and Foot when finding our selves therein offended at his way of saying us and so offensive to God and to our selves as to our own truest Interest and greatest Concern for finding eternal Life or scaping eternal Death Mat. 5. 29 30. and 18. 8 9. Mark 9. 43-48 This with other like Requirings of God are not to be understood in a literal Sense nor if so perform'd would answer the Counsel or Command of God We may give our whole Body to be burn'd and yet be destitute of that Spirit of God call'd Love rendering all the happy Partakers thereof true Lovers and Beloveds of God and so of no Value with God or true Advantage to our selves 1 Cor. 13. 3. So the selling all that we have and give to the poor Mat. 19.21 Mark 10.21 Luke 18.22 the mystical Truth of such Commands relates to the mystical Riches of Man's Law-spirit of Works and Fruitfulness of his own Nature therein all which are to be given up in Sacrifice to God for the durable Life and Heavenly Treasures of his Gospel-Spirit of Grace in them The right Eye Hand and Foot to be pluck'd out cut off and cast away from us are in Mystery and Truth the most enlighten'd natural Understanding signified by the right Eye the best Practice in our own Will and Way and most righteous walking in our own Law-spirit of Works all such seeing working and walking are to be given up and parted with in Passive Obedience to the Will of God in order to find all again with unspeakable Gain by seeing working walking and doing all things in the Gospel-Life of God the only Principle of everlasting well-pleasing active Obedience to him and Blessedness to us In the infallible Understanding of his Spirit can we know all things and in the incorruptible Will thereof can we do all that God requires of us God himself therein works all our Works for us Isa. 26. 12. and we work all our Works in him These are the only Works that will not be burnt up at the last Day Iohn
against God's holy Gospel-Spirit refusing to submit to the Death of their own Spirit at best for the Life of his This do they tho they know Christ himself crucified that Law-Spirit of Works in the Fountain-purity of it in his own Person Gal. 3. 1 3. the preserving of which was Satan's Attempt and Design upon him by himself the Jews and Peter to have set up his Kingdom in Luke 4. 5-7 Iohn 6. 15. Matth. 16. 22 23. All 's nothing as to our ever entring into the Kingdom of God till we have that Gospel-Life of God or a living spiritual Faith working by Love to God therein 1 Cor. 12. 31. 13. 1 2. Such a Faith only renders any true Lovers and Beloveds of God right Performers of all Duties to God and their Fellow-Creatures Such as look back after all convincing Discoveries and Offers of Christ's Gospel-Life for Justification with God in their Law-Righteousness of Man are fallen from Grace Gal. 5. 4. Who hinders Men or calls them back from Christ's offer'd Gospel-Truth ver 7. The Devil and his human Instruments that shut up the Kingdom of Heaven excluding and denying all such Gospel-Truths by which any can ever enter thereinto Satan takes Men alive at his and their own Will in the restor'd Life and Righteousness of Man as the highest Snare by which to keep them from ever looking after the Gospel-Life and Righteousness of God therein 2 Tim. 2.26 The Greek Original runs thus That they may awake out of the Snare of the Devil who are taken alive by him at his Will Christ requires all to look after God for his Heavenly Kingdom-Life and everlasting Righteousness Mat. 6. 33. and complains that no Man while confident in his own Understanding will answer this Advice or seek after God Rom. 3. 11. for his Heavenly Creature-life and things which lie quite out of the reach of all single natural Understanding 1 Cor. 2. 9. Neither Morally righteous Heathens nor First-Covenant Jews or Christians regard or look after God for his new or second Covenant-Life in which any can be finally sav'd But where God wakens up any out of their delusive Dream for true Happiness in their own Righteousness whether Jew or Gentile and gives them a living spiritual Faith working by Love to him in his Gospel-Life all such will find the Salvation of Heaven Satan deceiv'd Mankind at best in the Primitive Purity of their Nature in Adam assuring them that holding fast the righteous Life they were first created in and walking in the uncontroll'd Soveraignty of their own Will and Wisdom therein they should be as Gods 'T is the peculiar Prerogative of God so to live and be and the unpardonable Presumption of any Angels or Men to conclude and set up for themselves in their own Wills so as never to be subject and obedient to his Obedient Subjects of God will be eternally blessed and all proud presumptuous Self-exalters to be as Gods will fall under the everlasting Curse and Wrath of God He that prevail'd with the first Adam in the Primitive Purity of our Nature when he found the second Adam in the Fountain-Purity of our Nature a little lower than his Angelical Nature Heb. 2. 9. he most presumptuosly tempted him to fall down and worship him as God What Work is he like to make with Men in but the restor'd Life Wisdom and Righteousness of Man with Filth of Spirit Enmity to God and his Spirit of Grace under all In awaken'd Gospel-Saints while any thing of the Carnal Mind and Life of their own Spirit remains uncrucified he will be continually kindling the sinful Lusts and Desires of that his own Party yet in them as Paul found Rom. 7.15 19. and 2 Cor. 12. 7. Hereby does he endeavour to quench and extinguish the Mind and Life of Christ's Gospel-Spirit in them keeping up the War of their Fleshly Mind his Party in them against their Spiritual Mind Christ's Party so that they cannot do the things they would Gal. 5.17 fully and constantly till this War within them be finish'd by a full extinguishing of the Life of their own Spirit and Mindings thereof Then are they freed from all Filth of Flesh and Spirit too for ever Till then tho they live in God's Spirit they do not continually and constantly walk think and speak therein as is their Duty and Concern ver 25. In all this Combat and Danger Saints in a living Faith know their Salvation sure by a final Victory over all Enemies without and within them No Devils or Men shall ever be able to pluck them out of Christ's All-powerful Hand John 10. 28 29. When the God of this World with his Party of Men find they cannot prevail with Christ or his Followers by any Worldly Bribes or flattering self-pleasing Offers to turn from and disown any such thing as indeed is God's eternal Gospel-Life and Truth then go they to work another way When all Allurements fail they will in the Exercise of their implacable Malice try to fright them out of their Gospel-Profession and if permitted as oft they are to murder their Bodies Christ himself was so dealt with by them and warns his Followers to expect the like Iohn 15. 20. 16. 1 2. Evil Angels and Men have a kind of short self-pleasing Heaven in this World and Saints a short and to their natural Spirit unpleasing Purgatory-Hell by which cleans'd from all Filth of Flesh and Spirit The former are ripening and fitting themselves for the eternal Hell and God is ripening and fitting the latter for the eternal Heaven in the World to come God's temporary Wrath upon them bringing them into the lowest Hell in this World is his way for delivering them from the Wrath and Hell to come that 's eternal Psal. 86. 13. 116. 3. 2 Sam. 22.6 Nature in Saints is sorely put to 't in this Hell-work of God upon them in this World but know God will not leave their Soul there for ever Psal. 16. 10. Tho chiefly spoken of Christ will these words at last be found true in Saints All that God does to them and all he suffers evil Angels and Men to do them in their implacable Malice does God over-rule to their greatest good When Satan appear'd or stood before the Lord before whom he knew it was to no purpose because impossible to conceal his way of deceiving in Ahab's case he down-right acknowledg'd it that he would be a lying Spirit in the Mouth of all his Prophets And God said Go and do so Thou shalt perswade him and prevail also 1 Kings 22. 22. Thus did he prevail as God's permissive Hand to the Destruction of Ahab His four hundred false Prophets pleas'd Ahab to his Ruin and were highly esteem'd and God's one true Prophet that counsell'd him for his good was cast by him into a Prison and fed with Bread of Affliction and Water of Affliction v. 26. 27. He hated Micaijah the Lord 's true Prophet as not prophesying what
he reckon'd good concerning him but loved and rewarded Satan's false Prophets as pleasing to his own Will and after his own Heart's Desire So Ieremy who counsell'd King and People for the preserving their Lives was cast into a Dungeon where he sunk in the Mire while Satan's false Prophets pleas'd them to their Destruction Ier. 38. 5 6. God's one true Prophet among the then only visible People of God a fleshly First-Covenant Israel found King Princes Priests and People all as one Man against him while Satan's false self-pleasing Prophets were listen'd to and rewarded Satan that acknowledg'd to God he would be a lying Spirit in Ahab's Prophets is so far from being discover'd by the highest Wisdom or Understanding of Man in but First-Covenant or First-Creation natural Principles that he will pass with them there for Christ and God most high when indeed the worst of all Creatures 2 Thess. 2,3,4 Where God permits this and not only so but in Judgment gives them up to Satan's Man-pleasing strong Delusions for believing his Lie rather than God's Truth the Issue will be eternal Death to their whole Beings Spirit Soul and Body in a Resurrection of Damnation ver 10 12. Men are either brought by Satan in love to their own righteous earthly mortal Life given them in their first Creation to hate God's Heavenly Creature Gospel-Life offer'd by a second or by the electing Love of God to hate their own Life at best so as to give it up in Sacrifice to God in love to and as the only way for attaining and experiencing his New-Covenant everlasting Gospel-Life by a second or new Creation ver 13. This latter is Christ's Counsel Luke 14. 26. in the Mystery of Godliness the former Satan's in his Mystery of Iniquity Satan's Counsel is for sparing saving and keeping the Life of the Creature given in the first Creation Christ's Counsel is for the Surrender and Loss of that and all the things thereof for the Life of the Creator offer'd by a second and things of God therein The keeping the former in Preserence and Opposition to the latter Christ declares will be the loss of all Life and Righteousness God's and Man's too on which their whole Beings Spirit Soul and Body will be laid down for ever in the Nakedness of their own unpardonable Guilt under the unquenchable Wrath of God for evermore Mat. 10. 39. 16. 25. Mark 8. 35. Luke 17. 33. Iohn 12. 25. Man not only eminent in the First-Covenant Life Wisdom and Righteousness of Man but under highest spiritual enlightning Gifts on his natural Understanding short of the very Gospel-Life of Christ or a living spiritual Faith working by Love to him therein is yet within Satan's reach to beguile bewitch and fetch back into an unchangeable Union with him in the first Creation and unchangeable Enmity to God and his Heavenly Life offer'd by a second 1 Cor. 12. 31. 13. 1 2. Gal. 3. 1 3. 5. 7. Satan would keep all Mankind in the dead corrupt State of Nature wallowing in Mire as his Swine spending and ending their Days in this World in the brutish Lusts of literal Sodom But when cast out as to this kind of Work in them as fast as any are brought by Christ out of such Filth of Flesh into the Righteousness of Man he attempts and frequently prevails to get into such mystical cleans'd Houses and fix them with himself in Filth of Spirit unchangeable Enmity to God and his everlasting righteous Creature-Spirit of Grace and Truth and then he has a sevenfold surer hold of them than ever Mat. 12. 43-45 Luke 11. 24-26 So comes the last State of that Man to be worse than the first in his corrupt Nature Mary Magdalen's and Zacheus's in the Filth of corrupt Nature were capable of Christ's true Salvation Gospel-Life and such righteous Scribes and Pharisees utterly uncapable thereof or therefore of scaping the Damnation of Hell Mat. 23. 33. 21. 31. Publicans are brought to justify God and be eternally justified before him while righteous Pharisees and Scripture-Lawyers in restor'd Law-life and Righteousness of Man reject the Counsel of God for receiving his Gospel-life to their everlasting Destruction Luk. 7. 29 30. 15. 1 2. 19. 2-9 Fixure in Law-life and Righteousness of Man in unchangeable Enmity to Gospel-life and Righteousness of God renders Men mystical Sodomites in Filth of Spirit worse and more criminal Sinners than literal Sodom in Filth of Flesh Mat. 11. 23 24. But corrupt Nature or Filth of Flesh fix'd in with literal Sodom is unpardonable also And therein do the greater part of Mankind run their Race in this World from their Cradles to their Graves Take and put together all of both the said Sorts of Mankind in the broad Way to everlasting Destruction under Satan's prevailing Influence and they 'l be found wonderfully to out-number Christ's few in the narrow Way to Heaven Mat. 7. 13 14. Yet will they be a numberless Multitude also out of all Generations Revel 7. 9. Many of Satan's two Parties fix'd in the corrupt or righteous Spirit of Nature against God and his Gospel-spirit of Grace oft die without any Remorse or Fear as to any By-standers Observation without any right Knowledg of the true God or false God of this World Heaven or Hell till in the latter beyond all Remedy for ever Yet farther Satan will not only exercise his permitted ruling and tempting-Power over Mankind all along this World but after his Imprisonment at beginning of Christ's thousand Years Reign on Earth and his loosening out of it at the ending thereof will he as his last and most transcendently presumptuous Attempt rally up his Gog and Magog his innumerable Multitude of evil Angels and Men and in the transform'd Appearance and counterfeit Guise of Angels of Light and true Saints besiege the New Ierusalem-City of true Saints in the very Glory of the Resurrection Revel 20. 1-3 v. 7-9 This last Attempt of Satan and his Party of Angels and Men will have no Success at all Immediate will be the Decision of this intended Battel by Fire from God out of Heaven to devour them all casting them with the Devil that deceiv'd them into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone where to be tormented for ever and ever ver 10. Then Creation ceases and all Angels and Men good and bad finally concluded in their eternal Conditions of Joy or Sorrow unspeakable in Heaven or Hell CHAP. XVIII Concerning Heresies and Hereticks THE Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies Option or Choice all variety of humane Opinions in which Men chuse to set up for themselves with Confidence for Salvation contrary to the sound fundamental Principles of Religion and right Worship of God in his Gospel-Spirit of Grace and Truth in which alone any can be sav'd Iohn 4. 23 24. All short or destitute of this Spirit or a living spiritual Faith therein working by Love to God worship they know not what or whom