Angels and Men by a first Creation of them This Creature-Son and Branch is call'd by the Name of its peculiar divine Causer in the Creature-part of the Mediator's Person the Word This Word as the Lamb slain from the Foundation of the World Revel 13. 8. and exalted by and out of that Death into the originally unchangeable Life of his Creature-root and Father became the living Word of God and immediate Creator of all Angels and Men by a first Creation and of an innumerable Multitude of both by a second He will also be the immediate Performer of the whole Divine Will on all Angels and Men good and bad in the final Love or Wrath of God in Heaven or Hell to all Eternity 3. In order to all this did the third of the Divine Three call'd Holy Ghost cause the said Creature-root and Father as the supream mystical Abraham to perform a sacrificing Death-work on his Creature-Son and caus'd the said Creature-Son as the supream mystical Isaac not only to submit thereto in a compleat Passive Obedience to the Divine Will but in the supreamly partaken of heavenly Creature-life of his Root and Love thereto to join therewith in Active Obedience to the Divine Will for carrying on the said Death-work on himself The like did he in our mortal Nature when in the Fulness of God's appointed time taken by him in the Fountain-purity thereof above and beyond what it was in the first Adam before his Fall He was therein also full of Grace and Truth John 1. 14. full of the Holy Ghost Luke 4.1 He was Son of Man in Heaven in full Possession of the eternal Life of his Creature-root without any mortal Life about him at same time that he was Son of Man on Earth in our mortal Nature Iohn 3. 13. and long before All in Christ's Person below his infinite Divinity and Creature-root is call'd Man His whole Creature-nature Root and Branch in personal Union is the heavenly Creature-spirit or Holy Ghost render'd communicable to Angels and Men by the exalted Creature-Son and Branch This Creature-Son was one of the three Men that did eat of Abram's Meat else would not have own'd his worshipping him in Prayer for Sodom when the other two created Angels were gone towards it to destroy it and deliver Lot c. The two good Angels are also call'd Men Gen. 18. 1-8 and v. 22-33 Satan also with his evil Angels are Men of Sin 2 Thess. 2. 3. Christ was active in carrying on the Death-work upon himself as First-born of every Creature and so was he in his second Sacrifice by carrying on the Death of our whole mortal Nature in him Spirit Soul and Body By the Holy Ghost or heavenly creature-Creature-spirit in him did he crucify the Spirit of our Nature in himself Luke 12. 49 50. He was also a voluntary Giver up of his Body into the Hands of Men under Devils to put a full Period to all that was mortal about him Iohn 10. 17 18. He laid down the Life of our whole mortal Nature and took it up again in the originally incorruptible immortal eternal Creature-life of his Root above all Deaths or Enemies And by his communicated heavenly creature-Creature-spirit or Holy Ghost in Saints will he enable them to be active in carrying on the like Death-work on the Spirit of Nature at best in themselves and freely also to give up their bodily Life into the Hands of evil Angels and Men God's and their Enemies where God so permits and orders for the witnessing his Gospel-Truths The Record Witness or Products of the first and second of the Divine Three Father and Word in the Creature-part of the Mediator's Person as brought into inseparable Union by the Third bears the Name of the peculiar Divine Causer Holy Ghost All these things were transacted and done by and within God himself before any meer Creatures Angels or Men were brought forth The Three in the Divine Nature with their Record in Heaven the Divine Form are one and the same Three as bearing Witness in Earth the Creature-part of the Mediator agree in one The one Divine Mind is declar'd and done in and by both and all 1 Iohn 5.7,8 By what was done of the Divine Three by their distinct Products and Operations in the Creature-part of the Mediator will they let down themselves to the Sight and Enjoyment of blessed Angels and Saints for evermore The Divine is not the Creature-nature in Christ nor in his whole Creature-nature is the Creature-root the exalted Branch And his whole Divine and Creature-Person is most intimately one with the Divine Essence or Father the Head of all in him 1 Cor. 11. 3. All are one incomprehensible God Iohn 10. 30. The exalted Branch in Christ is the immediate Head of his true Gospel-Church The Creature-root in him Head of that his Divine Form Head of his whole Creature-nature Root and Branch the Divine Essence or Father Head to his whole Divine and Creature-person yet remains uncompounded with Creature-nature as the Divine Form or Son is Gal. 3. 20. 1 Tim. 2. 5. After all this account of Superiorities and Inferiorities in all that 's truly call'd God the lowest Creature-part in the Mediator the exalted Branch or living Word of God thinks or infallibly knows that 't is no Robbery or unwarrantable Presumption in him to reckon himself equal with God as in personal Union with his Creature-root and infinite Divine Nature Phil. 2.6 These are strange seeming Contradictions to Man's Wisdom which is Foolishness to God's and to be destroy'd Isa. 29. 14. in all self-confident Disputers of this World 1 Cor. 1. 19 20. CHAP. IV. The infallible Consequents of the said preparatory Condescensions of God within himself in pursuance and for the accomplishing of his abovesaid twofold Purposes in the twofold Creation of Angels and Men. 1. THUS were the Works determin'd of God to be set up in Angels and Men by a first Creation of them finish'd Heb. 4. 3. to his well-pleasing by the right Use of the mortal earthly First-Covenant Law-life of the Creature in order to receive the Heavenly-Creature New-Covenant Gospel-Life of the Creator Finish'd they were by the Mediator himself as the Lamb slain in the Fountain-purity of the first and ascended into the originally unchangeable Gospel-life of the second Rev. 13.8 All this was done within God himself by the Mediator as the Lamb slain from or in the Foundation of both Worlds natural and spiritual this World and the World to come laid in himself the Creator of both All receiv'd by Angels or Men in their first Creation or restor'd in Men by the Redeemer since their Fall in Adam is with the fallible Understanding and corruptible Will thereof their discerning and desiring Powers their own Righteousness Wisdom Glories natural Excellencies and Perfections therein to be given up in Sacrifice to the Will of God by Passive Obedience This is the only possible Means and Way for their being transform'd and exalted into
2. The Three in the Divine Essence or Father singly and abstractedly consider'd will be absolutely invisible to Saints and Angels in Heaven to all Eternity And the Divine Form Son or Glory thereof in Christ's Person will never be the immediate Object of their Sight but be let down to them in the first Conjunction thereof with his Creature-root through the exalted Creature-Son and Branch in him the immediate Creator of all This is the Branch God made strong for himself Psal. 80. 15. to perform his whole Divine Mind in both Creations in this World and the eternal World to come This is the Branch that shall reign on Earth execute Iudgment and Iustice therein as the Lord our Righteousness Jer. 23. 5 6. 33. 15 16. By and through this exalted Branch the immediate Do-all in both Creations will the same Three in the Divine Essence that shin'd forth in the Divine Form from Eternity let down themselves to blessed Angels and Saints to Eternity All the Three in the Divine Essence and heavenly Creature-Glories are one Trinity and that Trinity one individual God Iohn 10. 20. The Three that are One in the Divine Nature are the immediate Object to the Sight and Enjoyment of the whole Creature-nature in Christ Root and exalted Branch that 's in personal Union therewith but never so to any meer Creatures blessed Saints or Angels 1 Tim. 6. 15 16. Iohn 1. 18. Mat. 11. 27. They are personally united with the exalted Branch in him as Members of his mystical spiritual Body to which he is Head But never so to his Creature-root and much less yet to his Divine Nature The Three in the Divine Nature shining forth to meer spiritual Creatures by and through the exalted Branch are no where in Scripture call'd a Trinity nor said to be three Persons If they be three Persons as three distinct individual Angels or Men in Angelical or humane Nature are would they not be three distinct individual Gods would not this be the asserting a Tritheism the lesser sort of Polytheism If they be call'd three Persons it must be as acknowledg'd in a Unity transcendently above meer Creatures who are so in one specifical humane or angelical Nature The three in God are three in one individual Divine Nature shining forth to Saints and Angels in the Mediator's one individual Creature-nature which in and with his Divine Nature is with his Divine Father or Essence one individual God In this Sense if any may they be call'd three Persons But the acknowledging three distinct Powers in God may justly secure any from the Imputation of Antitrinitarianism They are so three that the first is not the second nor second the third The Divine Form in Christ is not the Divine Essence nor his Creature-nature his Divine nor his Creature-root the Branch in him but all one individual incomprehensible God Iohn 10. 30. He that says knows and owns God the Father and his Divine and Creature-Son says all that God is or is God Man in the fallible Understanding and corruptible Will of his First-creation Life can never truly see rightly know and do the one Will of both All therefore that trust to their own Understanding deny both the Divine Father and the divine and heavenly Creature-Son Whosoever denies the Divine and Creature Son hath not the Father But he that rightly acknowledges the Son hath the Father also 1 John 2.22 23. Antichristian Deniers of both pass in reputed Orthodox Man's Day of Judging under Satan God of this World as the only true Christians excommunicating or casting out of their worldly Churches the true Owners of both as the arrantest Hereticks and Blasphemers in the World God the Son or Mediator in the Divine and Creature-glories of the Divine Essence or Father is call'd a Person 2 Cor. 2. 10. In his Creature-part he is call'd the Brightness of the Divine Glory in himself and therein the express Creature Image of God's whole Divine Person Essence and Form Heb. 1. 3. The Creature-root in the Mediator is God's Soul not immediately discernable to the highest spiritual Understanding of meer Creatures but in its first Conjunction with Divine Nature is let down to their Sight and Enjoyment in and by the exalted Creature-Son and Branch as God's Body or Visibility of all to them Of the Creature-root God's Soul himself says in reference to the unpardonably sinning Shepherds or pretending Teachers of the Way to Heaven and Peace with God in but the restor'd Life and Righteousness of Man my Soul loath'd them and their Soul also abhorred me Zech. 11. 8. Every individual Man in the three essential Ingredients into his personal Constitution Spirit Soul and Body 1 Thess. 5. 23. is a shadowy Image of the three in one God and of the Divine Spirit Creature-root or Soul and Creature-body or Branch in Christ's wonderful compounded Person Man in another Sense was in the primitive Purity of his whole Being a shadowy Image of God's Righteousness This was lost to all Mankind by their first Sin in and with Adam The Reason therefore of the threaten'd Death on Murderers that whosoever sheds Man's Blood by Man shall his Blood be shed for in the Image of God made he Man Gen. 9. 6. relates to Man's being the Image of God in the former Sense Gen. 1. 26 27. The Image of him in the latter being wholly lost the Murderers of him in reference to that might seem unaccountable The Spirit of Man singly and abstractedly consider'd may seem a dark Shadow of the very Divine Essence as comprehending in it a threefold distinct Life rational sensual and vegetable but all three invisible and unexercis'd till brought into hypostatical or personal Union with its fitly organiz'd Body And all the said three Lives when brought into Exercise are called a living Soul in distinction from the Spirit separately consider'd and from the Body that 's the personal Appearance or Visibility of the whole Man And in both and all the Man is but one Person CHAP. VII The Mystery of God in general of all that is truly called God and to be worship'd and in particular of God the Father or Divine Essence and of Christ the Divine and Creature-Son Col. 2. 2. both and all one incomprehensible God John 10. 30. IN general all are one individual God In particular the Divine Form or Son though most intimately one with the Divine Essence or Father in the one infinite Divine Nature became personally united with the Creature-form of God the Divine Essence or Father remaining ever single and uncompounded therewith Gal. 3. 20. A Mediator is not of one Nature but God in his Divine Essence is one God the Mediator as consisting of two Natures Divine and Creaturely in personal Union is fitted to mediate between infinite Divinity and finite Creaturality in blessed Angels and Saints for ever 1 Tim. 2. 5. The Divine and Creature-Son will remain a Mediator for ever in Heaven between infinite Divinity and elect Angels and
Counsel of God by him declar'd to them therein On this account he tells them they with their Fathers in the like Cainish Spirit of Enmity were guilty of the Blood of all God's true Prophets shed from the Foundation of the World from the Blood of Abel to that day Luke 11 49-51 And so will it be to the end of this World under Satan's permitted Reign and Man's Day under him of judging in Matters of Religion and Worship of God so as nothing must pass for Gospel but what Man pleases to give his Approbation to The Jews built the Sepulchres of the Prophets under pretence of paying Honour to them and owning their Counsel when with their Fathers Murderers of all such and in unchangeable Enmity to all their Words rightly understood If they had been in the days of their Fathers they say they would not have been Partakers with them in the Blood of the Prophets Mat. 23. 29-31 Under all these Pretences and self-deceiving Imaginations Christ declares them fix'd in the self-same murdering Mind of Enmity with their Fathers against all true Prophets and himself also as soon appear'd and therefore ask'd them how they could think to escape the Damnation of Hell ver 33. Since all such dealings of the Jews with their own true Prophets and Christ himself with his Apostles in the foretold long Antichristian Day now near ending how have unchangeable idolatrous Haters of Christ and his Gospel-Truths and Saints been found under the Name Christian building stately Churches or Temples to the Honour of Paul Peter Iohn c. who would as certainly murder them for their Gospel-Doctrine were they now here as others did even in the Primitive Apostolical Gospel-day Let Men under Satan interpret their Gospel-Writings in a Sutableness to their own Wills and so in a universal Contrariety to the Words of God's VVisdom in them and all 's well and they with the Apostles in the way to eternal Life and true Salvation All void of a true living spiritual Faith in Christ's Gospel-life working by Love to him therein are the unreasonable and incorrigible Adversaries of true Gospel-Saints Paul shews the like Figurative Significancy in Iacob and Esau Rom. 9 10-13 Esau mortally hated Iacob and God hated Esau. Esau's murdering Mind of Enmity to Iacob is express'd by himself Gen. 27. 41 42. The like is notified in all his murdering-minded Followers against God Christ and his true spiritual Iacobs Obad. v. 8-10 Amos 1. 11. CHAP. XVI Concerning meer Creaturality in Angels and Men in their first and also in their highest spiritual second New-Creation Capacities with some account of all possible to be done by any in their first and the differing Ends of all at last HAving already spoken of the ready prepar'd Hand the exalted Creature-Son and Branch in the Mediator's Person the living Word of God as qualified and fitted for a first and second creating of Angels and Men come we now to consider what they both and all amount unto for ever as but meer Creatures not only in their natural Beings and Life of the Creature given them by a first but also spiritual Beings and Life of the Creator given by a second Creation of them Angels were all created at first in their compleat Personalities invisible immortal Beings without any innate Capacity of or connatural Tendency to the exercise of a threefold Souly or Animalish Life rational sensual and vegetable in and by a fitly Organiz'd Body As for Mankind they do gradually descend from one another in a continued Succession Generation after Generation for a compleating their Personal Beings from the beginning to the ending of this mortal World What became of Angels good and bad by the first well-pleasing Passive Obedience of the former and first unpardonable Sin of the latter has been above-spoken to Chap. 4. of this Treatise Man inferiour to Angels in their single intuitive natural Understandings tho in the same kind of Mortal Earthly First-Covenant Life is in his compleated Personality a much more comprehensive Being than an Angel He is the most compleat shadowy Image of God on all accounts in the whole Natural Mortal First-Creation World visible or invisible This is signified concerning him in distinction from Angels and all other Creatures therein created before him in a readiness for his Entertainment Of none thereof is it said by God as of him Let us make Man in our Image after our Likeness Gen. 1.26 as the Compend or Epitome of all other Creatures and something more peculiar to himself the rational Exercise of his Mind in and by a Body found in no Creatures above or below him So find we a peculiar Consultation of the three that are one to draw an earthly shadowy Image and Representation of themselves in every individual Man This Enlargement of Man's Personal Being beyond Angels expos'd and rendred him liable to vain sinful Desires and Thoughts so as to wallow in Mire among Satan's Swine feeding on Husks the lowest Dust of this World below any Palate in any evil Angels to savour any Belly Desire or Appetite in them to lust after delight in or feed upon being never link'd with mortal Bodies or sensual Life Pleasures in common with brute Beasts So the Enlargement of Man's Being beyond Angels was a Diminution to his intuitive Understanding in common with them and to the Exercise of his Natural Will as exposing him to a running out in his Desires after the lower sort of Desirables in the vast heap of vanishing Shadows in the visible Parts of this First-creation World And evil Angels tho they care not for such things themselves have Power through God's most wise Permission to shoot their fiery Darts into Mens Spirits and kindle in them evil Lustings after such visible things in which they keep the far greater part of Mankind wallowing in Mire as their Swine far from any looking after God at all The Soul or threefold animalish souly-Life of Man distinct from his Spirit ceases as to exercise at the Death of his Body The Spirit then retreats to the full Experience and Exercise of its supream intuitive Way of discerning and converse with Angels good or bad in a spiritual Intuitiveness with the good Gospel-Angels or natural with the evil Law-Angels Lawyers from the beginning on their First Sin and Fall setting up the Law-life of the Creature given in the First-creation against the Gospel-life of their Creator offer'd by a Second and so their Lie against God's Truth The Devil was a Murderer from the Beginning John 8. 44. and his fix'd Law-party of Mankind in the restor'd Law-life-Wisdom and Righteousness of Man have been under him the irreconcileable Haters and Murderers of Christ himself and his Gospel-Saints all along this World At the Death of the Body Man good or evil is dead His Spirit is for a time strip'd of the threefold Souly-life as to exercise that are essential Ingredients into his personal Constitution At last Saints will recover their Bodies in a
Resurrection of Life and therein the right Exercise of their whole Beings Body Soul and Spirit in the incorruptible New-creation Order of all to Eternity Incorrigible Sinners also will receive their Bodies in a Resurrection of Damnation Iohn 5. 28 29. Saints in their glorified Bodies and whole personal Beings will be everlastingly blessed in the Enjoyment of God and incorrigible Sinners in their whole Beings most exquisitely sensible under God's everlasting Curse and unquenchable Wrath without any Hope or Possibility of mitigation or end of their Torments to an endless Eternity 'T is a most fearful thing thus to fall into the Hands of the living God to be dealt with in final Wrath and infinite revenging Justice Heb. 10. 31. without any Day's-man or Mediator to stand between them and such Wrath but instead thereof will he be their Accuser Witness and Pleader against them Judg and Condemner of them and the infallible irresistible Executor of his infinite and everlasting Wrath upon them All this will he do so easily as by the Word of his Mouth by which he made them With the Breath of his Lips will he slay the incorrigibly Wicked Isa. 11. 4. Satan with his Gog and Magog his innumerable Multitude of evil Angels and serpentine Seed of Men. His Breath like a stream of Brimstone will kindle his unquenchable Wrath upon them both and all as having rendred themselves fitted perpetual Fuel for it in the Tophet ordain'd of old the Lake of Fire and Brimstone prepar'd for the Devil and his Angels with their innumerable serpentine Seed of Men Isa. 30. 33. Rev. 20. 10. This will be the everlasting Condition of all Inhabitants of the Earth and of the Sea in distinction from the Dwellers in Heaven who will have eternal Joy and Blessedness in the Sight and Enjoyment of God for evermore All that in this World take up their Rest and Dwelling in but the earthly Law-life and Righteousness of Man as needing nothing therein for true Blessedness Rev. 3.17 these Inhabitants of the Earth will with the Inhabitants of the Sea all that Party of Mankind that wallow in the miry Filths of literal Sodom foaming out their own Shame find their Portion in the same Lake of Fire and Brimstone in the Hell-part of the eternal World to come Rev. 12.12 Isa. 57. 20. Iude 13. Dwellers in Heaven that have their Conversation in Heaven Phil. 3. 20. Minds fix'd on things above the peculiar Delights of the Sons of God these only have true Joy in this World and continual Advantage by all God permits Devils and Men to do to them in their implacable Malice So they rejoice under all Trials and Injuries from evil Angels and Men Matth. 5. 11 12. Act. 5. 41. and Wo is denounc'd to all sorts of incorrigible Enemies of God and them to eternity after all their laughing and delusive Merriment in this short-liv'd World They 'l mourn and weep eternally Luk. 6. 24-26 Under Satan's Reign by his false Prophets and Apostles true New Ierusalem-Saints are counted the Filth of the World and Off-scouring of all things 1 Cor. 4. 13. Under Christ's Reign they 'l be a Praise in the Earth for which therefore Gospel-Angels and Saints continually pray and never keep silence Isa. 62. 6,7 This will Saints come to after a little time spent in this confounded mortal World under and amongst a Throng of innumerable Enemies evil Angels and Men. Come we now to consider what was ever possible to be done by Angels or Men in their First-creation earthly Life at best with reference to their finding eternal Life or scaping eternal Death The Death and Loss of all therein Life Wisdom Righteousness Works Fruits by Passive Obedience in Sacrifice to the Divine Will is undispensably necessary to the finding eternal Life the heavenly Creature-life of the Creator In the Methods of God's unquestionable Wisdom and Appointments of his declar'd undisputable Will this is the Way to eternal Life When any ask'd Christ what they must do to inherit or find eternal Life and confidently asserted all these things they had done in the restor'd righteous Life and Wisdom of their own Spirit in their own Will and Way his reply upon them and Counsel to them was Part with all this and follow me in the true Regeneration by Death and Resurrection out of the Death of the Creature into the Life of the Creator To this effect was Christ's constant Answer to such Enquirers And their constant rejecting such Counsel and departing from him sorrowful and amaz'd thereat we find in these Scriptures Matth. 19. 16-22 Mark 10. 17-22 Luk. 18. 18 -23. None can do the Divine Will of the Father but in the partaken of heavenly Creature-life and Will of the Son nor therefore enter into his Kingdom Mat. 7. 21. None but new Creatures can ever come there Gal. 5.6 6.15 2 Cor. 5. 16 17. In the restor'd Light of the First-creation by him that lighteth every Man that comes into this World Iohn 1. 9. ought all Heathens to walk and keep that kind of good Conscience that consists in a moral Obedience thereto as their Principle In the restor'd First-covenant Law-life ought Men to walk in such Obedience to that higher Knowledg of God as amounts to the legal good Conscience withstanding all brutish Lusts and sinful Desires of their sensual Life But all this done till the partaking of and experiencing the Life of the quickning Spirit of the Second Adam or a living spiritual Faith therein working by Love to God and walking therein so as to have the evangelical good Conscience we have nothing of that eternal Life in which only any can ever enter into the Kingdom of God Paul could truly declare to the Jewish Council that he had liv'd in all these three sorts of good Conscience before God successively one after another in Obedience to the Light of Nature Law and Gospel Act. 23.1 And he found his evangelical good Conscience by living and walking in Christ's Gospel-spirit Gal. 5. 25. to comprehend and unspeakably out-do all performable by any in the two former This indeed is the only right Performer of all Duty to God and our Fellow-creatures in God's Sight All First-covenant Life receiv'd by Angel or Man in their First-creation is figuratively character'd in Scripture by Flesh Grass a fading Flower call'd a vain Shew or vanishing Shadow all their natural Excellencies and Perfections therein all but a Glory to be done away in order to receive the heavenly Creature-life and Image of God in Christ with the eternal things of God therein the Wisdom and Righteousness of God Isa. 40. 6-8 1 Pet. 1. 24 25. 2 Cor. 3. 10 11. Satan with all his humane Disputers of this World in the Words of his and Man's Wisdom against God's and for their way of Salvation quite contrary to his Isa. 55. 8 9. God challenges in a holy Contempt of their vain Thoughts to produce their Cause bring forth their strong Reasons for self-defence
the originally unchangeable never-sinning Creature-life of God in the Mediator the only Life or Principle of everlasting Active Obedience to God and Blessedness to Man All true thorow-Followers of the Lamb slain in the narrow unpleasing Way to Nature at best will find all their own Life and Things with unspeakable Gain in an infallible all-discerning spiritual Understanding and incorruptible Will by personal Union with Christ in his heavenly Creature-spirit of true Holiness and eternal Life And so will they find themselves in unchangeable Harmony with and Obedience to the infinite Divine Will This is the glorious Liberty of the Sons of God in which they that are born of God by the new-creating Workmanship of Christ passing upon them to the Death of their natural Spirit and Resurrection into his spiritual Life come to be Heirs and Coheirs under and with Christ of God Rom. 8. 17. 2. Thus became the exalted Creature-Son and Branch in the Mediator of the First-born of every Creature in the Fountain-purity of a mortal earthly Life the First-born from the Dead Col. 1. 15 18. in the originally immortal Creature-life of his Root and Father So became he the living Word of God the Book of Life of the Lamb slain and exalted in which were written by the super-wonderful mysterious Way of Divine Writing or Engraving the Names of all God's Elect predestinated to be conform'd to Christ their Head in a like Passive Obedience to the Divine Will by the Death of their natural Spirit or living Soul of the First Adam and Resurrection into the quickning Spirit of the Second the Life of their Creator Rom. 8. 29. 6. 3-6 Whoever do finally refuse to die with him and lose all their own mortal earthly Life and Things receiv'd in their first Creation or restor'd since with all Works or Fruits done or brought forth by them therein will never attain that heavenly eternal Creature-life of their Creator in which to live and reign with him 2 Tim. 2. 11 12. True Followers of the slain Lamb of God will be enabled to say with him I was dead in my own mortal earthly Law-spirit of Works and am alive in his Gospel-spirit of Grace and Truth for evermore Rev. 1. 18. All that establish themselves in their own Law-spirit of Works and Righteousness of Man will be found unchangeable Enemies of God's Righteousness in his heavenly Gospel-spirit and so in unchangeable Union with the God of this World the Devil Such mystical Sodomites in Filth of Spirit Enmity to God and his Gospel-spirit of Grace will have worse of it for ever under the Wrath of God than common Sinners in Filth of Flesh wallowing in the miry Filths and Brutalities of literal Sodom Mat. 11. 23 24. 3. Thus became the exalted Branch in the Mediator the ready prepar'd immediate Hand and living Word of God for performing his whole Divine Mind and twofold Purposes thereof in the twofold Creation of Angels and Men and for the dealing with them both and all as hating their own Life given them in their first Creation in love to his own offer'd them by a Second or as from love to their own in the first unchangeably hating his own offer'd by a second in Union with the Devil The said exalted Son and Branch did bring forth Angels and Men out of their radical Existencies in himself into their personal Subsistencies and Individuations in themselves This was their first Creation in the same kind of mortal earthly First-Covenant Law-life himself had first taken in the supream Fountain-purity thereof as First-born of every Creature therein and rightly us'd in order to the second in which he became the First-born from the Dead in a Life above all Deaths temporal or eternal Thus was it true in the immediate Creator as well as in meer Creatures Angels and Men First that which is natural and afterward that which is spiritual 1 Cor. 15. 46. Unchangeable Love to our selves in our own Life receiv'd in our first Creation is the unpardonable Sin against the Holy Ghost or heavenly Creature-spirit of Christ and Life thereof offer'd by a second 4. The exalted Creature-Son or living Word of God his prepar'd and fitted immediate Hand for the twofold Creation of Angels and Men was also his ready prepar'd infallible Mouth Wisdom and Word to declare to them as soon as made his whole Counsel Will and Command for the right Use of their natural Beings and Life given them in their first Creation in order to a second and that as their unspeakable Concern as well as Duty for finding the Salvation of Heaven or scaping the Damnation of Hell Final refusing the Loss of all their own in the first for his own by a second will be everlasting Destruction to all that so do 5. Christ as exalted Creature-Son and Branch became the ready prepar'd immediate sacrificing High-Priest of God after the Order and in the Power of the Original Melchisedec Heb. 5.6,10 6.20 7. 17. his Creature-root and Father who first perform'd the sacrificing Death-work upon himself when in the Fountain-purity of all mortal First-creation Life Thus is the immediate Creator of Angels and Men by a first Creation the immediate High-Priest of God to perform the like sacrificing Death-work on them therein as his Creature-Father had before perform'd upon himself This exalted Son and Branch was the Melchisedec Priest of the most high God that met Abram returning from the Slaughter of the four Kings and bless'd him Gen. 14. 18 19. Heb. 7. 1. He was also one of the three Men Abram pray'd to and worshipp'd as God Gen. 18. which no good Angels would ever own Rev. 19.10 22.9 The Devil and his proud self-exalting evil Angels own themselves as Gods in the uncontroll'd Soveraignty of their own Wills above and against all that is truly called God and to be worshipp'd requiring Divine Worship to be paid them Isa. 14 12-14 2 Thess. 2. 3 4. Yea Satan most presumptuously attempted to bring the Lord himself to own fall down and worship him as the true God whom he knew to be the true Lord and God Mark 1. 24. he and all Angels and Men ought to worship Mat. 4. 8-10 Christ own'd the wise Mens worshipping him when born in our Nature Mat. 2. 1 11. and after others worshipping him Mat. 8.2 9.18 with eight other Scriptures in the four Evangelists 6. And lastly Christ as exalted Branch was in the fully partaken of Life of his Creature-root the ready prepar'd infallible Example and unerrable Pattern for Angels and Men to follow by the like Death of Nature in them at best in order to a happy Resurrection into the spiritual everlasting righteous Life of their Creator All that finally refuse a Submission in Passive Obedience to this Change will perish for ever For this Change as their Duty and unspeakable Concern did he represent himself in such Transactions as had pass'd in the Creature-part of his Person to all the Angels
single and higher intuitive natural Understanding than Man's though in but the same First-Covenant Law-life of the Creature as Man He appear'd to the Angels immediately as four living Creatures that had the Likeness of a Man Ezek. 1.5 the comprehensive Sum of all changeable First-Creation-Being and Life The word Man comprehends all Every individual Man is a Microcosm or lesser World having all found in the Macrocosm or greater without him and something more peculiar to himself He has Being an earthy Body with Elements and all inanimate Simples or Compounds a threefold Life or Spirit of Lives Gen. 2. 7. Vegetable with Grass Herbs Trees c. a Life of Sense with Birds Beasts Fishes and creeping things an intellectual Exercise of the Life of his natural Spirit above and without the Body while in it with Angels but inferiour to them therein Then besides all this has he the rational Exercise of his natural Understanding by bodily Organs not found in any Parts of the greater World Angels or Beasts The four living Creatures by which Christ represented himself to the Angels had the Face or Likeness of a Man And they are call'd again and again the or one living Creature Ezek. 1.20,21 10. 15 17 20. The good Angels figur'd by Wheels or Chariots Psal. 68. 17. follow'd this Head fully Whithersoever his Spirit was to go they went and turned not or looked back as they went Ezek. 1. 17 20. The Reason hereof was the Spirit of the living Creature was in the Wheels v. 20 21. a Seed of his spiritual Life was in them Hence when the four living Creatures with the Face of a Man did let down their Wings the said Angelical Wheels did let down their Wings v. 24. In Passive Obedience to the Divine Will and Conformity to Christ's Death of the first Creation they ceas'd from the mortal Life of their own Spirits given them in their first Creation and from the Exercise of their own fallible Understandings and corruptible Wills therein which are the mystical Wings by which natural Angels and Men flie abroad in this perishing World to view and place their Thoughts and Affections on what seems desirable to them in order to pick up a true Happiness to themselves where it never is to be found While Man thus rambles and flies abroad for a self-pleasing delusive Happiness amongst the Delights of the Sons of Men he never looks or seeks after God and his heavenly Creature-life and Things the peculiar Delights of the Sons of God These heavenly Creature-things offer'd by a new Creation are out of the Reach of all single natural Understanding of Man 1 Cor. 2. 9. and the only way for attaining them is most contrary to his natural Will The Death and Loss of both and all is the appointed way in God's Wisdom whose Thoughts and Ways are not as Man 's but quite contrary about their true Salvation Isa. 55. 8 9. When the good Angels had let down their Wings importing a perfect Rest and Cessation from the Labours or Exercise of their own Spirits Wills and Understandings a Voice from the Firmament over their Heads calls them out of the said Death of Nature into a living spiritual Faith working by love to Christ as seen by them the Man upon a Throne as exalted Son and Branch in his heavenly Creature-life Hereby were they actually possess'd of eternal Life and infallibly sure of being compleated therein in God's time They patiently waited with a holy kind of Impatience well-pleasing to God also in longing Desires and Pantings after the actual Gift of the Holy Ghost or Gospel-Spirit of the Man they saw upon his Throne therein They with Old-Testament-Saints waited four thousand Years for this promis'd unspeakable Gift which was not given to either or any of them till Christ was ascended in our Nature Iohn 7.39 But as inseparably united therewith by a living spiritual Faith working by Love thereto they all had a good Report with God as well-pleasing and acceptable to him though they had not receiv'd his promis'd Holy Ghost Heb. 11. 39. All along the said four thousand Years the good Angels with Old-Testament-Prophets and other Saints desir'd to pry look into and consider what time the Spirit of Christ in them as enjoy'd by a spiritual Faith therein did signify when it testified before-hand the Sufferings of Christ and the Glory that should follow with the Holy Ghost sent down from Heaven and clear Gospel-preaching experienc'd therein 1 Pet. 1. 10-12 On this account the good Angels had Cause of Rejoicing at the Birth of Christ in our Nature as their own concern as well as Man 's though not in reference to Sin For they never sinn'd at all nor were in danger of ever sinning after their first change from Nature to Grace They rejoic'd also on behalf of Mankind who are all born Sinners The high Joy of the good Angels on these Accounts at Christ's Birth is recorded Luke 2. 8-14 By the first Demeanour of the good Angels is implied the contrary Behaviour of the evil ones The good follow'd Christ their Head the evil ones turn'd from their true Head as they went or were going a while with the good under the same Light Satan made himself a contrary opposite Head to Christ and with his Tail drew a third part of the Angels Revel 12. 4. signified by Stars Iob 38. 7. into the same Condition with himself under him as their Head in the self-chosen earthly Life of the first Creation in unchangeable Enmity to God and his heavenly Life offer'd them by a second As thus it was with the evil Angels so too oft with Men. Under high spiritual enlightning Gifts many that have gone a while with Gospel-Saints after Christ as their Head finding his Cross or the Death-work of his heavenly on their earthy Spirit to be pass'd under in order to be married to him as risen from the Dead they turn away from him under Satan's Witch-crafts Gal. 3. 1 3. to set up for themselves in their holy Flesh or righteous Life given them in their first Creation in unchangeable Enmity to God and his holy Gospel-Spirit offer'd by a second So Satan as God and Prince of this World brings them under his Influence by which he renders them the most enrag'd Antichristian Enemies of Gospel-Saints and Truths 1 Iohn 2. 19. A third part of the Angels will perish for ever Of Mankind the many in the broad easy self-pleasing Way to Hell out-number Christ's few in the narrow Way to Heaven though they also out of all Generations will be a numberless Multitude Revel 7. 9. CHAP. V. A short Review of the four preceding Chapters by way of Recapitulation CHAP. 1. God infinitely blessed from all Eternity Chap. 2. Determin'd to create Angels and Men to give them immortal Spirits and to put into them a mortal Life in their first-creation to be call'd their own with all the things thereof their own Righteousness Wisdom Works Fruits c. but
Men in their compleated spiritual Beings and New-creation Capacities not in reference to Sin or any Danger or Possibility of Sinning ever incident to them But First For letting down the Visions of the Divine Glory or Form in himself with Safety to their spiritual Understanding and Enjoyment through the transparent Vail or heavenly Creature-Image of the Divine Nature in him No Man or Angel hath seen God immediately at any time in his purely Divine Nature nor ever will or can to all Eternity in Heaven The only begotten Son will in and by his Creature-spirit as the prepar'd Means for it let down the Visions thereof to them at second hand Iohn 1. 18. Mat. 11. 27. Should the Divine Glory of the Father in the Son shine forth immediately in the infinite Brightness thereof on Gospel-Angels or Saints in Heaven it would be a consuming Fire to their very Beings Deut. 4. 24. 9. 3. Heb. 12. 29. The Request therefore of Moses ran too high when he said Lord I beseech thee shew me thy Glory Exod. 33. 18. That he meant the immediate Sight of the very Divine Glory Form or Face of God in the Mediator appears by God's favourable Answer to his mistaking Thought saying no Man or Angel can ever so see me and live But there 's a heavenly Creature place by me in personal Union with my Divine Glory through which as my back-parts thou mayest see me but my Divine Face or Glory shall never be immediately seen by thee or any meer Creature to all Eternity in Heaven v. 20-23 By and through the Creature-form or Face of God in Christ did he speak to Moses Face to Face v. 11. Mouth to Mouth as his living Word Numb 12. 8. 'T is the peculiar Prerogative and transcendent Privilege of the Man Christ Jesus only to see the Divine Glory immediately in himself as the supream Ingredient into his personal Constitution He is that King of Kings and Lord of Lords in the Creature-part of his wonderful Person dwelling with and in that Divine Light or Glory which no Man or Angel can ever so near approach unto as immediately to see 1 Tim. 6. 15 16. Thus will the Dignity and Prerogative of the infinite Divinity and the peculiar Privilege of Creature-nature in the Mediator be preserv'd in the transcendent Superiority of both and all above all meer Creatures Saints and Angels for evermore And so will they be secur'd in their unspeakable Privileges and utmost Blessedness by the wonderful compounded Divine and Creature-person of the Mediator Secondly A second Office of the Mediator to all Eternity in Heaven will be the presenting the blessed Persons of Angels and Saints with their spiritual Sacrifices of Praise and Thanksgiving to the absolute well-pleasing Acceptation of his Father and their Father John 20. 17. his God and their God in with and through him for evermore 1 Pet. 2. 5. The Multitude of Saints which no Man can number Revel 7.9 and the innumerable Company of Gospel-Angels Heb. 12. 22. will in their eternal Praises to God most high acknowledg and ascribe their eternal Blessedness in the Sight and Enjoyment of him to his electing Love in the Free-Grace-Purposes and Counsels of his Divine Mind from Eternity as the single and only supream distinguishing Cause of their everlasting Blessedness from those that perish for ever under his everlasting Curse and unquenchable Wrath. Creature-nature of immediate Divine Begetting qualifies him to mediate between two vastly distinct Natures Divine and meer creaturely in Angels and Men so as to answer all that can rightly be desir'd by them and to enable them to answer all that God requires of them By his right Performances therein on both and all Accounts Divine Nature can't suffer the least Diminution nor meer Creatures Angels or Men be swallow'd up or consum'd in their highest Exaltation The infinite Dignity of the one and unspeakable Privileges of the other will ever be preserv'd by the Mediator He is the wonderful Counsellor the mighty God the everlasting Father of Saints and Angels the Prince of Peace the only Procurer of their everlasting Peace with God Isa. 9. 6. He transforms and translates us out of the earthly Life of the Creature and fallible Understandings and Freedom of our own corruptible Wills receiv'd in our first Creation into the heavenly eternal Gospel-life of himself our Creator and infallible spiritual Understanding of all things and incorruptible Will therein for the right doing all things God requires of us which is the glorious Liberty of the Sons of God in unchangeable Harmony with his infinite Divine Will The Head of every Man is Christ the Head of the Woman is the Man and the Head of Christ is God 1 Cor. 11. 3. The Woman or natural Man in the changeable Womanish Life of the First-creation is by Death and Resurrection into the unchangeable manly Life of the second brought into the glorious Liberty of the Sons of God into unchangeable Harmony with the infinite Divine Will In this Transformation the manly Spirit of Christ becomes the Head of the transform'd womanish Spirit of Man and the Head of every such spiritual Man is Christ and the Head of Christ's whole compounded Person is God the single uncompounded Divine Essence or Father of all But all these Superiorities and Inferiorities in God the Father and his Divine and Creature-Son are swallow'd up in Christ's wonderful compounded Person into an equality as with his Divine Father one incomprehensible God Iohn 10. 30. All that 's in personal Union with the infinite Divinity is God CHAP. VIII The Mystery of Godliness and Mystery of Iniquity TO awaken'd spiritual Saints it is given to know the Mystery of the Kingdom of God the Mystery and Power of Godliness but to them that are without such spiritual Life and Knowledg all the spiritual heavenly Creature-things of God prepar'd for them that love him are done and spoken in Parables earthly Figures and Similitudes So hearing they hear but do not understand seeing they see yet not perceive or rightly take the mystical Truths therein and by signified Mat. 13. 13 14. and Mark 4. 11 12. They desire not to understand them they are so contrary to their own Wills and self-Interests They rather like chuse and approve of Satan's Mystery of Iniquity and embrace the Doctrine that carries on that which gratifies their own Wills both as to self-Interests in this World and a delusive Hope therein for true Blessedness in the World to come also In Conclusion he that hath not the Life God has prepar'd and offer'd by a New Creation which alone is eternal from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have or thinks to be eternal Life Luke 8. 18. And so will he find eternal Death in a most exquisite Sensibleness of his whole Being Spirit Soul and Body under the unquenchable Wrath of God This will Men get by following Satan's delusive Gospel in his Mystery of Iniquity Those that shall be
cause them to be so accounted also against Heathen Cesars and others of his Party under him Christ himself was condemn'd and murder'd on this Pretence Iohn 19. 12 15. Saints can discover him when sitting in the Temple of God shewing himself that he is God 2 Thess. 2. 4. to be the worst of all Creatures the Man of Sin and Son of Perdition ver 3. Will he quietly bear this Discovery will he not by his humane Instruments shew his utmost Rage against them and God permits But be it as it will the Sum of all true Gospel-teaching is a declaring the Mystery of Godliness for the Salvation of Men and preventing their Damnation and a discovering Satan's Mystery of Iniquity for the Damnation of Men and preventing their Salvation So only can Saints with Paul become free from the Blood of all Men Acts 20. 26. Ezek. 33. 7-9 as having no Share in that Guilt by which they bring that Blood upon their own Heads which will be found to amount unto no less than eternal Death to their whole Beings Spirit Soul and Body in a Resurrection of Damnation The experimental Knowers of the Mystery and Power of Godliness and faithful Discoverers of the Mystery of Iniquity will have a Resurrection of Life John 5. 29. above all Deaths temporal or eternal CHAP. IX The first Sin Fall and Punishment of many evil Angels and of all Mankind in Adam EVIL Mankind in Adam joyn'd with evil Angel-kind in Satan through a mutual Union of Love to themselves and one another electing or chusing for themselves their own earthly mortal First covenant Law-life of the Creature given by a First-creation in preference and opposition to the heavenly immortal Second-covenant Gospel-life of the Creator offer'd them by a second or new Creation The evil Angels herein did at first commit the unpardonable Sin against the Holy Ghost under the immediate Beamings forth of Christ's heavenly Creature-Gospel spirit the Son of everlasting Righteousness upon their highest single intuitive natural Understandings Secondly They had no superiour Rank of Creatures in the First-creation already fallen above them in Subtlety and Power to tempt them Thirdly They were all actually created and set up in their compleated personal Beings and Life at first Mankind receive their personal Beings successively Generation after Generation Fourthly Mankind's first Sin in Adam was not against such clear Knowledg of their own unspeakable Concern as well as Duty to God though in the same kind of First-covenant Law-life with Angels The inferiour Ingredients into Man's personal Constitution bodily Sensual-life tho created pure and incorrupt rendred his intuitive Discerning inferiour to that of Angels where 't was single and alone Hence what was immediately and more convincingly made known to Angels was represented to Adam by a figurative Tree of Life and himself in distinction from that by the Tree of Good and Evil. The former represented Christ to him in that heavenly Creature-life offer'd by a new Creation the latter represented himself to himself as but a mystical Tree of Good and Evil in his own Life given in his first Creation corruptible and changeable mortal and perishable with all the earthly things therein Will Understanding Righteousness Wisdom c. with all Works or Fruits ever possible to be done or brought forth therein By and under the superiour Subtlety and Power of the Devil the mystical Old Serpent was Adam in the primitive Purity of his whole Being and Mankind in him as their Head and Representative induc'd perswaded and deceiv'd so as to prefer Satan's self-pleasing Lie to God's Spirit of Grace and Truth So under and with the Serpent he chose his own earthly Life of the Creature in preference to God's own heavenly Creature-life of the Creator Many of Mankind when restor'd out of the Darkness and Death of their own Spirits into the Light Life and Righteousness of Man do sin again in their own Persons after the Similitude of Adam's first Transgression who at best in Innocency was but a Figure of the Second Adam who was to come in the Fountain-purity of our Nature and also full of the Holy Ghost Luke 4. 1. Iohn 1. 14. his heavenly Creature-spirit of Grace and Truth Rom. 5. 14. This Sin again in their own Persons after all sad Experience of fallen Mankind thereby in Adam and all Warnings and Counsels of God since is unrepentable by them Heb. 6. 4 6. and unpardonable by God Heb. 10. 26 27. This is the Case of any that conclusively and absolutely prefer their own restor'd earthly Life of the Creature and Righteousness of Man to the heavenly Creature-life of the Creator and everlasting Righteousness of God therein All that will not receive and have the heavenly Creature-life of God by submitting to the Death of restor'd Nature at best the Loss of all their own Life and things therein God will take away the said Life from them again and lay them down for ever under his unquenchable Wrath in eternal Death Luke 8. 18. This is that Christ says Mat. 16.25 Whosoever will save his Life shall lose it and whosoever will hate and lose his own Life for my Sake from Love to my heavenly Creature-life shall find it with unspeakable Gain as chang'd by Death and Resurrection into an eternal Life Satan was at it with Christ himself Matth. 4. 8 9. to stay and set up with and under him as a State of true Happiness in the mortal Life of our Nature and by his Apostle Peter was at the same Point to pity and spare himself there saying be the Death thereof far from thee this shall not be unto thee Christ discover'd and declar'd this Word of Peter to be Satan's Counsel in and by him Mat. 16. 21-23 As the first Sin of Angels was differing from Man's first Sin so was the Punishment The Punishment of evil Angels was the giving them their own evil Choice their own self-chosen earthly Life receiv'd in their First-creation with all the things thereof their own Wisdom Righteousness Subtlety and Power all natural Excellencies and Perfections therein as by them abus'd turn'd into and us'd in unchangeable Enmity to God and his heavenly Creature spirit of eternal Life God also permitted to them the Exercise of a ruling Power over sallen Mankind all along this World by which Satan carries on the same delusive Work as on Adam at first that the Life given in the First-creation is eternal no need of a second nor therefore of the Death of the first Ye shall not die Gen. 3. 3. This is Satan's uniform Lie all along this World that the Life given in the First-creation is eternal You must die or never live and reign with me in my heavenly Creature-life which is eternal This is Christ's Truth his faithful Saying 2 Tim. 2. 11 12. There 's nothing more pleasing to Man's Will in the restor'd earthly Life of the First Adam than Satan's Lie and nothing so universally contrary to it as God's Truth that
the Death and Loss thereof with all the things therein is indispensably neceessary to any Man 's receiving that Life which is eternal by a new Creation Man in the restor'd Life of the First Adam's living Soul and highest spiritual enlightning Gifts convincing him of the Life offer'd by a Second and of the Necessity of parting again with the restor'd earthly Life and things of the First Adam 's living Soul for the heavenly Life and Things of the Second Adam 's quickning Spirit under all this Mercy is Man liable through his own unspeakable Folly to be bewitch'd back from looking after Christ's heavenly Gospel-life shew'd and offer'd him and to set up for himself under and with Satan in his own earthly Law-life and Righteousness signified by Holy Flesh Gal. 3. 1 3. This may be call'd a Sinning after the Similitude of the evil Angels first Transgression under the clearest Discovery of the Life offer'd by a new Creation with the Terms of receiving it and their unspeakable Concern for submitting thereto as the only possible Means to find eternal Life or scape eternal Death That the Punishment of evil Angels for their first Sin by God's giving them up to their own self-chosen Life and their own Will and Way therein all along this World that this was a greater Punishment than Man 's for his first Sin which was the Death and Loss of his abus'd First-covenant Life and Things receiv'd by a First-creation may seem strange to Man's Wisdom who reckons Adam should have kept what he had in the primitive Purity of his First-creation the keeping of which in preference to the Life of the Creator offer'd by a Second was his Sin the Loss of it by God's taking it from him his Punishment At Man's rate of Judging the evil Angels were in the Right as keeping what they receiv'd in their First-creation all the Glories and Excellencies Wisdom and Power therein Quest. Could Mankind or human Nature at best in Adam chuse the heavenly Creature-life of God shewn and offer'd them by a New Creation Answ. No. Neither Man nor Angel had Power in their own earthly Life and Wills to choose the heavenly Creature-life of God offer'd by a New Creation for then they would have elected themselves The receiving from Christ as a Fruit of his meritorious Sufferings and Death in our Nature the renew'd Life and Righteousness of the First-creation is of him that willeth All may receive that if they will But the attaining and receiving of the Life God offers by a Second-creation this is not of him that willeth or runneth in his own Spirit and Will at best but of God who will shew this Mercy to whom he will only Rom. 9. 15 16. All that finally elect or chase for themselves their own earthly Life of the Creature reject the heavenly Creature-life of the Creator All that God has elected will be brought to hate and lose their own earthly Life at best from love to his heavenly as the only Way to receive it A third Part of Angels fell irrecoverably by their first Sin Revel 12. 4. The far greater part of Mankind the many in the broad Way will be found irrecoverably fallen for ever Yet will Christ's few in the narrow Way be an innumerable Multitude Revel 7. 9. CHAP. X. The second Sacrifice of Christ in our whole human Nature Spirit Soul and Body IN and by his first Sacrifice he became the immediately fitted Hand of God the living Word of God which is God Iohn 1. 1-3 for performing the whole Divine Will in both Creations of Angels and Men and in dealing with them all for ever in final Love or Wrath. This first Sacrifice related not to the Pardon of Sin in Angels or Men. They were none of them then extant in their own personal Beings A Preparation for preventing Sin in both and all was thereby made notwithstanding which many Angels sinn'd and fell irrecoverably All Mankind sinn'd and fell in and with Adam but recoverably both as to their Sin and Punishment and also to a being render'd capable of that true Salvation-life they at first refus'd This second Sacrifice of Christ therefore in our Nature related only to the Sins of Mankind The good Angels never sinn'd at all The evil were absolutely unpardonable In reference to Sin therefore Christ took on him the Nature of Man not of Angels Heb. 2. 16. and therein became a little lower than Angels even than evil Angels in the Glory of their First-creation chosen by them and granted them by God in his just Judgment on them with a ruling Power over Mankind therein all along this short-liv'd World and then to be stripp'd of all their worldly Power and Glory and laid down for ever in everlasting Burnings under his unquenchable Wrath in the lowest Hell-part of the eternal World to come In reference to this second Sacrifice of Christ we are to consider his Entrance into this World in our Nature The Virgin Mary was found with Child of the Holy Ghost Mat. 1. 18. An Angel appears to Joseph in a Dream telling him that what was conceiv'd in her was of the Holy Ghost and warn'd him that when born he should call his Name Iesus that would save his People from their Sins and Immanuel also was he to be call'd that is God with us ver 20-23 Isa. 7. 14. The like Account as to his wonderful Formation in the Womb of the Virgin we find Luke 1. 26-35 and his Birth Luke 2. 7. The good Angels rejoic'd thereat Luk. 2. 13 14. not in reference to a procuring their Pardon for Sin having never sinn'd but as knowing thereby the time drawing near for them with Old-Testament-Saints to receive the Holy Ghost which they waited for all along four thousand Years by a living spiritual Faith working by Love to God therein and amounting to an indissoluble Union with Christ therein But the Holy Ghost was not given to Angels or Saints till our Nature in Christ was ascended and glorified Iohn 7. 39. Both the said Angels and Saints obtain'd a good Report with God as well-pleasing to him by a living spiritual Faith therein though they had not receiv'd the promis'd Holy Ghost Heb. 11. 39. From the good Angels Concern herein did they with Old-Testament-Prophets desire to pry look into and diligently to search out what manner of time the Spirit of Christ in them did signify when it testified beforehand the Sufferings of Christ and the Glory that should follow 1 Pet. 1. 10-12 to our ascended glorified Nature in him and to them by the Holy Ghost's being sent down from Heaven into Angels with the Spirits of Old-Testament-Saints departed and New-Testament-Gospel Saints in the mortal Body Act. 2 1-4 This is the other better Comforter Christ told his Disciples the Father in pursuance and for accomplishing of his Free-Grace-Mercy to them would send than he had yet been to them as a fleshly Bridegroom in the but restor'd First-covenant Life and Righteousness of
Good Christ says to them my Yoke is easy and Burden light Mat. 11. 30. There are none of the said terrifying Ingredients into the Death of Nature in Saints peculiar to the Death of it in Christ himself Nor were they in his first Sacrifice of Nature in general above-spoken to To Saints therefore the Sufferings of the present time are not reckon'd worthy to be compar'd with the Glory which shall be reveal'd in them Rom. 8. 18. which they have the infallible forehand-Sight of by such Beginnings thereof as they already experience in them with Ioy unspeakable and full of Glory 1. Pet. 1. 8. CHAP. XII Regeneration BY true Regeneration Man that was made of God by a First-creation in the mortal earthly Law-life of the Creature is born of God in the immortal heavenly Gospel-life of the Creator the living Creature-word of God which is God Iohn 1. 1-3 As for the Life and Things given Angels and Men in their First-creation those are things which have been but shall not be for ever temporary transient things to be laid aside in order to their receiving God's own heavenly Creature-life by a New-creation To the blessed Submitters to the Terms of receiving this does God look with Regard and Delight as Objects of his everlasting Love Isa. 66. 2. The poor broken contrite Spirit of Man under the Cross or Death-work of the heavenly Creature-spirit of Christ on his earthly in order to be born of his heavenly is of more Value in God's Sight than all the unbroken Excellencies and Perfections of Men and Angels in their First-creation-Make and Life All that by a delusive Confidence in their own earthly Life given them in their First-creation finally despise God's heavenly offer'd by a second do chuse Satan's Lie in Union with him in the first in unchangeable Enmity to God's Truth offer'd by a second They prefer the Form of Godliness in the Life of the Creature to the Power of Godliness in the Life of the Creator 2 Tim. 3.5 2 Thess. 2. 10-12 True Saints are Followers of Christ in the Regeneration Mat. 19. 28. by the Death of their own Spirits at best into his everlasting true Salvation-life above all Deaths So come they to be chang'd from a visible First-covenant People of God in their own holy Flesh Righteousness of Man into an invisible People of God in his Holy Ghost or heavenly Creature-Gospel-spirit and therein have a Life hid with Christ in God Col. 3. 1-4 Their Peace with God therein passes or surmounts all natural Vnderstanding of Man with all the Things of God wherein it consists Man's highest natural Understanding in the First-covenant understands not the Saints spiritual Understanding in the Second nor any of the divine and heavenly Creature-things of God he thereby sees understands or speaks of He therefore reckons all Foolishness 1 Cor. 2. 9 14 15. The Seed of Life put into Angels and Men in their First-creation was corruptible in the second incorruptible This latter is the Life which by the Gospel is preach'd and made known 1 Pet. 1. 23-25 This Saints come to be the happy Experiencers of as the Root Spring and Principle of their Desire Thought and Action By Death of the First-creation and Resurrection into the Second was Christ himself as First-born from the dead qualified to be the immediate Creator of Angels and Men by a First and the giver to them of eternal Life by a Second-creation of them So only can any be Subjects to him in his heavenly Kingdom None that finally refuse to suffer and die with him in the First can ever live and reign with him in the Second 2 Tim. 2. 10 11. By true Regeneration the corruptible Life with the fallible Understanding and corruptible Will of the Creature is chang'd and transform'd into the incorruptible and infallible Life Will and Understanding of the Creator the marvellous Light and glorious Liberty of the Sons of God Awaken'd Saints in the all-discovering Light of the quickning Spirit of the Second Adam see an end all natural Life Wisdom Glories Excellencies and Perfections in the living Soul of the First will come to Psal. 119. 96. No such changeable Life or temporary good Things will be found in the Heaven or Hell-part of the eternal World to come Rev. 18 14-19 There will be nothing then but eternal Life or Death eternal good or evil Things The changeable fallible womanish Spirit of the First Adam at best is the mystical Iezebel or false Prophetess as to Mens eternal Concerns exactly serviceable to Satan's Designs in such Interpretation of the Scriptures of Truth as to preach up with all Confidence his Lie for Salvation to them and their finally deceived Hearers everlasting Destruction All this Iezebel's Children her Thoughts Doctrines Works or Fruits will be kill'd with eternal Death burnt up and destroy'd for ever Rev. 2. 20-23 By the wrong Use of their own Free-will did evil Angels at first set up for themselves in a Shadow of Divine Soveraignty to be as Gods in the uncontroulable Exercise of their own Wills as God is in his infinite Divine Will And they soon drew Mankind in Adam to make the same Choice with them to be as Gods telling them that God knows they shall be so and will own them therein as having made a right Choice for their everlasting Blessedness Gen. 3.5 In pursuance of this first destructive Lie as soon as any of Mankind are restor'd into the Life and Righteousness of Man by the Redeemer Satan is at the same Point with them as at first in Adam and prevails with many such redeem'd ones to strike up an everlasting Covenant with him in the First-creation-life of the Creature in unchangeable Enmity to God and the everlasting Life of their Creator To all such God says what have you to do to take the Words of my new and everlasting Covenant in your Mouth Psal. 50. 16. as pretending to preach my Gospel when Ministers of Satan's other no Gospel in a direct Contrariety to mine Gal. 1.6,7 Saints by true Regeneration as born of God do experience his working all their Works in them by his heavenly Spirit Isa. 26. 12. What a surprizing amazing Answer will all others find at last Day from Christ we find Mat. 7. 21-23 Depart from me ye that work Iniquity CHAP. XIII The Difference of the spiritualiz'd Natural from the spiritual Understanding MAN in the former is said to be a Partaker of the Holy Ghost or heavenly Creature-Gospel-spirit of Christ the living Word of God under highest spiritual enlightning Gifts These are the best Gifts to be coveted or desir'd receivable by and upon Man's natural Understanding but short yet of the more excellent Way or the very spiritual Life and Gospel-Principle of all right Desire Thought and Action Without this call'd Love as rendring any true Lovers and Beloveds of God Fulfillers of the whole Law Mind and Will of God after his own Heart all 's nothing as to eternal Life 1
Purgatory cleansing them from all Filth of Flesh and Spirit and God's way of bringing them into the never-sinning Life and everlasting Righteousness of his Spirit of Grace and Truth Man in his own Spirit Will and Way at best has no right Knowledg of the true God or God of this World the Devil or what the Heaven or Hell-part of the eternal World to come amount unto so on he goes in the delusive Pleasures of this Mortal World and Things thereof literal or mystical within the reach of his natural Understanding without any looking after God for his Spiritual Heavenly Eternal New-Covenant Life and Things without which 't is impossible to find the Salvation of Heaven or scape the Damnation of Hell The Death of Man's Spirit at best in but the restor'd first-Covenant Life of the Creature is the only way to find the Life of the Creator in the second The living Soul of the first Adam has nothing but what Death will swallow up into Victory The Life of the quickning Spirit of the second Adam will swallow up all Deaths into Victory 1. Cor. 15. 53 54. The deepest Reason and highest Wisdom of Man in a first-Covenant righteous Life is by Death and total loss thereof the only way to find all again by way of Resurrection the very Reason Wisdom and Righteousness of God in the quickning Spirit of the second Adam Paul obediently parted with all the former for the latter Phil. 3. 6-11 God challenges the Disputers of this World standing up with Confidence in defence of their own Reason and Wisdom to produce their strong Reasons against him and see what all will amount unto Isa. 41. 21. 'T is Man's true Interest and greatest Reason to give up his own Reason and Wisdom for God's Iob was a while at this disputing Trade of Man against God as Elihu charges him Iob 34. 35-37 At this work we find him under the Cross challenging the Almighty to answer his strong Reasons in Self-defence and for his Justification in the Life wherein he had been eminently righteous Iob 19. 6-11 30. 1-10 31.35 When Christ told any that enquir'd after eternal Life the parting with all they have or can do in their own Spirit was necessary to the finding Eternal Life in his away they went and walk'd no more with him Mat. 19. 16-22 Mark 10. 17-22 Luke 10. 25. 18. 18-23 Iohn 6. 66. All Words of Man's Wisdom are without any true Knowledg a darkening the Counsels of God's Wisdom as to Man 's eternal Concerns Iob that had been confident in the former acknowledg'd what God charg'd him with Iob 38. 1 2. when in the latter Iob 42.3 I utter'd that I understood not things too wonderful for me which I knew not so darken'd the Counsel of God by Words without Knowledg He that contends with and reproves the Almighty can he answer it Job 40. 2. CHAP. XV. The Mystery of Cain and Abel Ishmael and Isaac Esau and Jacob. CAin Ishmael and Esau were sad Types of all those that with them follow Satan's whole Counsel in his Mystery of Iniquity preferring the Law-life of the Creature in the first Creation to the Gospel-life of the Creator offer'd by a second Abel Isaac and Iacob were the joyful happy Types and Patterns in their Persons and Principles of those that follow obey and declare the whole Counsel of God in the Mystery and Power of Godliness for the Salvation of Men and preventing their Damnation All fix'd in the former under Satan unchangably hate and persecute the latter In their holy Flesh Righteousness of Man they fight against God's holy Gospel-spirit and Righteousness of God in true spiritual Saints There 's for a time something of the Cain Ishmael and Esau even in Saints not only fighting and warring against the true Abels Isaacs and Iacobs Paul's Case before his Gospel-Conversion Acts 26. 9-11 but also against the Gospel-Spirit and Principle of Life Desire Thought and Action in themselves after This also Paul experienc'd after an eminent Apostolical Gospel-Saint Rom. 7. 15 19. And he warns other Saints to expect the like Civil War and Contests within them between their fleshly and Christ's spiritual Mind in them till Nature in the thinking and desiring Powers thereof their own fallible Understandings and corruptible Wills therein be fully crucified and silenc'd in order to their living and walking in the undisturb'd infallible Understanding and incorruptible Will of Christ's Gospel-Spirit of Grace and Truth Gal. 5. 17. Till this War be over and Victory over the Carnal Mind of Nature at best compleated are Saints to be continually fighting the Battels of the Lord against the Foes of their own House or Hearts the most dangerous Enemies within them tho not more subtle and potent than Enemies without evil Angels and Men till they come to live and walk wholly in the Spirit of God their Gospel-Principle and mean while to strive continually more and more so to walk ver 25. As to Enemies without the highest Rank of Professors in but First-Covenant Principles fix'd there in the restor'd Law-Life and Righteousness of Man with Confidence therein for entring into the Kingdom of God these Cains Ishmaels and Esaus are the fiercest Persecutors of true Gospel-Saints in the partaken of Life of Christ's Heavenly Creature-Spirit of Grace and Truth and verily think they do God Service therein Isa. 66. 5. Iohn 16. 2. So thought Paul once Acts 26. 9-11 Paul singles out the particular History of Isaac and Ishmael in this Point Gal. 4. 22-31 Self-confident First-Covenant Ishmaels mock and scoff at true Spiritual Isaacs all along this World Gen. 21. 9. And even Abraham Father of the Faithful was griev'd and loth to part with his Ishmael ver 11. when Sarah as Figure of the New-Covenant Spirit requir'd it and God in Confirmation of her most just Desire and Advice requir'd the same v. 12. Iohn declares the same thing figur'd in Cain and Abel and in them the murdering Mind of Enmity in a fix'd self-confident first-Covenant visible People of God in holy Flesh Law-Righteousness of Man against an invisible People of God in their Gospel-Life and Righteousness hid with Christ in God Col. 3. 3. Cain slew his Brother because his own Works were evil and his Brother 's righteous 1 John 3. 12. He was of that wicked one born of and in unchangeable Union with the Devil in the first Creation and with him in unchangeable Enmity to God and true Saints in the second Cain's Works in the Law-life of the first in his own Law-Spirit of Works are in Man's Day of Judgment the only good and righteous Works and his Words of Man's Wisdom the only right Words for Salvation and all true Abel's Works and their Words of God's Wisdom in his New-Covenant Gospel-Spirit contemptible and blasphemous Christ himself found this murdering Mind of Cain in the most enlighten'd righteous professing first-Covenant teaching and professing Jews unchangeable Enmity to his Gospel-Spirit and whole
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
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-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
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-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