Gentiles all the world over Rom. 9. 19 24. God that is infinitely â—ust and can be no otherwise is not bound to give an account of any of his matters Job 33. 13. Why therefore do ye strive against God while ye put forth this querulous demand Who hath resisted his will Will you cast all your sins and destruction too upon God's final rejection of you as reprobate silver Ier. 6. 30. God strives by his Spirit with men to bring them to himself Gen. 6. 3. to which Peter refers 1 Pet. 3. 19 20. Men strive and fight against God are disobedient and rebellious If God suffer men to prevail in a final resisting of his spirit that strives with them they are undone for ever If they be conquered they are saved If they lose their mutable Life they find it again in that which is unchangable If they keep it a while in opposition to the more excellent Life they lose it at last in eternal death These are the Gospel riddles which the very disciples scarcely understood while Christ was with them in the flesh nor we while we have but the like knowledge of Christ after the flesh as they then had Knowingly to resist and hate the new-creature Life and words thereof is to do despite to the spirit of grace to sin against the Holy Ghost He that hath an ear to hear let him bear 'T is in vain for man to quarrel God will be justified when he judges Ps. 51.4 He will at last bring forth the grounds of all his dispensations towardâ— man and proceedings with him in such a demonstrative and undeniable consonancy to the very reason of man that every mouth shall be stopped Yea there is enough said already in his written Oracles to stop every mouth 24. We may take notice from what hath been said who those poor mourning meek-spirited men those merciful pure peace-making yet persecuted Children of God are that Christ pronounces blessed Mat. 5. 3 11. We may also come thereby to know on the other hand what Christ meanes by that rich full laughing sort of people to whom he cries wo wo wo Luke 6. 24 25. The poor in spirit are they that are willing to be broken emptied of the activity life righteousness glory wisdom reasonings desires thoughts and wayes of their own mutable first-creation spirit in order to be filled with the spirit of Christ the wisdom and righteousness of God in the new creation Thus with Steven they come to be ful of faith and of the Holy Ghost Act. 6. 5. rich in God or rich towards God Luk. 12. 21. That righteousness that is imputed to or inherent and operative in the new creature is called the righteousness of God All the fruits of saving faith all the works that are performed in the operative principle of new-creature Life are the righteous works of God who by his indwelling spirit worketh all such works in us Esay 26. 12. On the other hand all the righteousness imputed to or inherent and operative in the first Covenant Saint is called the righteousness of man such righteousness as Christ had and wrought in his changeable fleshly manhood which he imputes to them that are sanctified through his blood into an experimental knowledge of him and conformity with him in the flesh This imputed comeliness or righteousness is called both God's and Man's in a breath Ezek. 16. 14 15. Men dome too often to trample the blood of this Covenant under their feet after they have been so sanctified Heb. 10.29 and to play the harlot with that sort of righteousness imputed to them after they have been so justified The first creation state of Life in man by being broken and crucified under the second comes into a peaceable everlasting harmony with God This makes a true son of peace as well as of righteousness answering his father Melchizedeck's constitution who is both king of righteousness and king of peace Such sons of peace are commonly reckoned men of contention though the only true peace-makers the world has in it that desire and labour to bring others also into the same state of peace harmony and everlasting union with God as one spirit with him the state of love charactered 1 Cor. 13. Is not God himself reckoned a God of contention for striving with men by his spirit in order to conquer them into a state of salvation deliver them out of their own hands take them out of their own dispose by bereaving them of their own liberty and power of sinning against him and wronging their own soules And is not Satan the God of this world reckoned the God of peace that speaks smooth and pleasing things to flesh and blood by all his various instruments from amongst men even by those whom he transformes into the very likeness of the Apostles of Christ 2 Cor. 11. Do not men generally approve of and like the doctrine of him and his ministers best as orthodox and sound that advises men not to gaze after or listen to those spiritual wanderers â—hat speak of an attainment beyond the righteousness and glory of our first-creation This doctrine of his runs through all forms of proâ—essing Christians at this day and the spiritual man is reckoned mad for contradicting it Is not Satan reckoned the God of order that is for one man's continued speaking onely in a Pulpit accounting it a breach of the peace punishable by the Magistrates sword for any other to speak there though all that his pulpit man does is but to shut up the kingdom of heaven and in effect to charge men that they look not after it that is not listen to those who after the way which they call Heresy are worshipping God in the spirit Is it not the business of those authorized deceivers to open their mouthes in blasphemy against God to 〈◊〉 his Name his tabeâ—nacle and them that dwell or have their conversation in heaven Rev. 13. 6. Phil. 3. 20. And is not God himself reckoned the author of disorder and confusion for saying If any thing be revealed to another that 〈◊〉 by â—â—t the first hold his peace for ye may prophesy all one by one that all may learn and be comforted 1 Cor. 14. 30 33. Thus Satan and men neâ—tâ—e warm together in the first creation and no right tidings or character of the second will be listened to That crafty Serpent has blinded their mindes and stop'd their ears least this light of the glorious gospel should shine unto them or find any entertainment amongst them The Things the Persons the Churches that this strong man thus fraudulently possesses are in peace till Christ the stronger than he cometh to force him out He is coming 25. Those rich full old foolish kings as to the righteousness of man 1 Cor. 4. 8. That will no more be admonished or warned by the wise child in the true regeneration Eccles. 4. 13. those flourishing legal-spirited Christians that laugh are warm and confident in their present
sinners of the Gentiles that never yet peeped out of the bondage of sensual Lusts. Men of this spirit in Religion stand every moment liable to be run a ground by Satan into the most dangerous and remediless posture of all a latter end worse than their beginning a state of sin and sorrow unchangedable This we are still to have in our eye Where ever two or more natures meet together in any creature 't is the true interest and concern of that creature to yield up the Scepter and Government over all other nature life and operation in it to that which is in it self superiour to all the rest and best able with safety to manage the whole person Divine nature that is the highest Principle of Life and operation communicable to man will upon on lower tearms enter as an ingredient into his constitution than to be king 'T will be Caesar or nothing 'T is man's interest priviledge security it should be so 'T is not in man that walketh at his best estate with stability certainty and continuance to direct his steps Jer. 10. 23. He is therefore in a sort under the curse of the Law even whilst he is working the righteousness of it because not in the continuing principle For 't is said Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the Law to do them Paul alledges this as a warning-piece to those that were of the works of the Law or that were working righteousness but in the single activity and ruling power of their own renewed enlightened cleansed spirit and humane principles Gal. 3. 10. The question is Whether God's Spirit or our own be best at working righteousness steering our course directing our steps whether Law or Grace Old or New-creature Life the Soveraignty of our own or God's Spirit in us be fitter to undertake the work keep off Satan from re-entry sin from returning into dominon Paul warrants us not safe from the most dangerous apostacy under the Law or ruling power of our own renewed mind but under grace onely the Law of the spirit of Life or ruling authority of participated divine Nature Men are ready to say here as Pilate to the Jewes in a different case concerning Christ's person What will ye crucifie our King Strike down the ruling authority of the Law or soveraignty of our own renewed mind for the directing of our steps Yes 'T is best for you to let this king this spirit be taken to task in you bruised sacrificed crucified triumphed over and brought into an everlasting captivity and most desirable subjection to a better king a better spirit that can wilde the scepter of righteousness in you with a more steady hand against all enemies Men should take heed indeed of yeilding up the Scepter out of their own hands to a worser spirit the devil who will not fail to use all his wiles engines and glittering flourishes as transformed into an angel of Light to impose himself upon us as our Baal or Moloch our Lord and King Such error may involve us in a more dangerous hardened fixed enmity to all farther visits or approaches of the Redeemer than ever and in a remediless deprivation of all further benefits of his sacrifice and death It was the refusal to surrender up the ruling power of their own renewed spirit to be bruised crucified and triumphed over by the fire-baptism of the spirit of Christ upon it that made the Princes of this world the Priests Scribes Pharisees and other professing Jewes 1 Cor. 2. 8. that were reigning as Kings as to the righteousness of the Law 1 Cor. 4.8 cry out so eagerly and prevailingly to Pilate that Christ himself might be crucified He that is not made willing by the second divine new creature-birth of Christ in him to have the first birth of a renewed humane life and Principle in him thus handled will be sure to prove a spiritual Idolater at last become a member of mystical Babylon trample under foot the Son of God count the blood of the Covenant wherewith he was sanctified in the first birth as it is offered in a farther and greater benefit thereof for the working this spiritual new-creature-form and more excellent spirit in him an unholy thing a diabolical figment doing thereby despight to the spirit of grace which is the sin against the holy Ghost Heb. 10. 29. Mat. 12. 31 32. 'T is better to be servants and subjects under God's spirit then Rulers in the soveraign authority and uncontrolled activity of our own God's service is that perfect freedom wherewith the son makes us free indeed our soveraignty leaves us liable to eternal bondage 'T is better in this sense also to obey God rather than men his spirit in us than our own yea to bring our own with all that before it was Ruler ofâ— into pure and everlasting subjection to God's we shall otherwise be sure to find our selves at last under the dominion of sin again Let as many natures as will be in man that nature or principle of Life and operation in him that rules denominates the person If sensual nature in its operations desires and delights bear sway in a man over the head of his own rational powers causing them to truckle under it and become serviceable in their witty pleadings and devisings to gratify and humour that over which they should be rulers that man is a beast If rational powers bear sway over sensual he is a man If spiritual a Saint The participated divine nature is the onely spring of the power of godliness in man and sure foundation of eternal Life The grace of God that bringeth salvation reaching effectually to deny all ungodliness open and mystical to Tit. 2. How apt are men to give up the scepter and soveraignty over themselves into the hands of the basest principle of Life in them sensual and how apt is that to catch at the scepter as the basest of men have been usually catching at visible Thrones and Soveraignty over others that are Princes in understanding a hundred times more men than themselves Such Princes are oft walking as servants upon the earth when servants are upon horses It is an evil an error which proceedeth from the Ruler to set folly in great dignity and let the rich sit in low place Eccles. 10. 5 7. Those men that are willingly subject to the basest lusts of sensual Life in their own persons are willing to set up the basest of men on outward visible Thrones over them Dan. 4. 17. that they know are in bondage to the same inferiour lusts with themselves and therefore such under whom the godly man ceaseth and the vilest men will be exalted Psal. 12. 1 8. What amounts all this to without us and within us but a most irrational yeelding up our selves into captivity under the soveraign authority of the bramble as in Iotham's Parable Iudg. 9. 7 15. In such case the bramble when once it finds it self
up of Life It will make them of the same mind that was in Christ willing so to suffer in the flesh under the power of his spirit as to cease from sin or from that state that can return back into sin again 1 Pet. 4. 1. This incorruptible form atteinable onely by the fire-baptism performed upon the natural man at his best by the single portion of the spirit of Christ is called spiritual and denominates the whole person a spiritual man though yet in the mortal body in distinction from those who have but only the renewal of their first-creation form by the influence and gifts of the same spirit All that these receive is but the goodliness of flesh renewed adorned nature which is decried and blown upon by a second vice a superior dispensation and ministry of the same spirit as a perishing vanity after the first voice has done its work made a straight path for God in the desert by rectifying the rational powers in bewildred man Esay 40. 3 8. Our corruptible tabernacle is to be taken down This mantle this filthy garment this vile body flesh and blood at its best is to be chaned into the likeness of Christs glorious body his heavenly man by the mighty power and transforming operation of that spirit whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself Phil. 3. 21. We must put off the old man at best and put on the new which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness Ephes. 4. 22 24. Col. 3. 9 10. That Image of God received by the first-creation and all the wisdom glory and righteousness thereof is but shadow to what is to be received by the new creation 'T is but self-glory self-wisdom self-righteousness and when these are opposed to the wisdom righteousness and glory of God in the new creation they are Idols shadows preferred to substance the Law or ruling Principles of our first creation Life to grace and truth in the second Some few Results or Corollaries of what hath been said in this matter take as followeth 1. The Spirit of God the holy Ghost the divine Nature which the Scriptures do evidently assert and declare to be communicable to men exceeds not in its reach and significancy the natural and spiritual creature capacity in the person of the Mediator whereby individual angels and men are brought into an everlasting union with him in one or both as he is one with the Father Iohn 17. 22. 2. Where-ever the Seed of eternal Life is sowne by Christ's causing himself to be received in the single or double portion of his Spirit it will mar the visage or wisdom of man it will take him off from his way of working righteousness and worshipping God in the oldness of the letter of the first creation and enable him to perform all in a more excellent and acceptable way in the newness of the spirit of the second Paul in his own person gives us notice of this distinction which he stood in from those youthful flourishing professors that were reigning as Kings at the righteousness of the Law performable in their own spirit 1 Cor. 4. 8. 10. With such he said he durst not compare himself 2 Cor. 10. 12. who pleasing themselves and applauding one another in a way of mutual self-deceivings and commendations are not those whom the Lord commendeth as he rather desired to be vers 18. They have but the inward heart-circumcision in the letter of the first not in the spirit of the second creation whose praise is not of men as is implied Rom. 2. 29. 'T is worth observation that even in the ancient Hieroglyphical divinity of Egypt no service or worship of God was accounted acceptable and well-pleasing but what was performed by some divine power of God himself in them 3. There are two distinct sorts of everlastingly saved men such as receive the single and such as receive the double portion of the spirit Both pass under the fire-baptisme The former are exalted into association with the elect angels and have for the immediate and adaequate object of their fruition and converse God as shining forth to them in the incorruptible form of Christs natural Manhood The latter and more exalted sort of Saints are taken into association with the spiritual manhood in Christs person and have for the immediate and adaequate object of their fruition and converse God as shining forth to them in that highest and most exalted creature form in Christ's person And by and through these who do properly constitute the general assembly and Church of the first-born the spirits of just men and the holy angels even those principalities and powers in heavenly places do as at second hand receive that manifold wisdom of God that shines forth more immediately upon the Church Ephes. 3. 10. 4. The highest sort of these Saints are not Christ or God much less the lower Christ is the head root and parent to both these sorts of glorified men in his twofold creature capacity or manhood natural or spiritual And Christ as he is the purely divine form or image of the invisible God is head to both these creature-headships in his own person and God is the head of Christ considered as in his purely divine form 1 Cor 11. 3. 5. Christ in his creature-capacity is the maker redeemer and heir of all things in both worlds as all things were created by him so for him Col. 1. 16. Heb. 1. 2. and Rom. 11. 36. Of him through him and to him are all things 6. Men that in their first creation were made little lower than the Angels Psal. 8. 5. are in the second or new creation made equal to the elect angels and all those of the double portion are advanced quite over the heads of all the angels into an immediate association with Christ in his most exalted creature-capacity on the Throne of his glory even in that more excellent creature name than the angels have Heb. 1. 4. Behold then the heavenly order in the whole family of God First God himself the head of Christ and that as Christ is the Image of the invisible God very God Secondly Christ himself as thus considered in his capacity purely divine head to his twofold creature-headship the natural and spiritual man in his own person Thirdly Christ in his twofold creatureship as the immediate head to all spiritual and natural men and angels in his heavenly family his members his body mystical Fourthly Behold these also in their two grand distinctions of superiority and subordination spiritual and natural Fifthly There may seem also to be intimated in the Scriptures a gradual difference of capacity in the individuals of either of these two ranks of everlastingly glorified men Dan. 12. 3. and 1 Cor. 15. 41. There is one glory of the Sun another of the Moon and another glory of the Stars and one Star differeth from another Star in glory Variety of intellectual light or discerning is resembled in Scripture
Israel Chap. 41. 8 9. Thou Israel my servant Iacob whom I have chosen the seed of Abraham my friend unto whom I have said thou art my servant I have chosen thee and not cast thee away Here the holy seed or divine birth of God's Image that makes the true Israelite by faith is described to be of a nature and quality that is incorruptible securing him in whom it is whether Iacob the chosen servant or the seed of Abraham the chosen friend as well as chosen servant from ever being a castaway Hereby is intimated what it is to be the chosen faithful servant and no more and what it is over and above to be the chosen and intimate friend that is called and admitted to see God face to face a friend speaks with friend Thus of Aaron it is said Exod. 4. 15 16. That Moses should speak to him and put words in his mouth and saies God I will be with thy mouth and with his mouth and will teach you what ye shall do And Aaron shall be thy spokesman unto the People he shall be to thee instead of a mouth and thou shalt be to him in stead of God Consider how interpretable this is of the son of man glorified the great Prophet of all in the person of the blessed Mediator set down on the right hand oâ— the Majesty on high who still reteins the form of a servant or perfection of his natural man in its incorruptible form with which as with a mouth typified by Aaron he comes forth as a head to the holy Angels and Iacob his chosen servant in a suitable way of converse and fruition to their capacity speaking therein to the body of the People whilst at the same time he is in his spiritual manhood exalted to an equality with the eternal WORD as the man God's fellow admitted to a communication with God face to face as fâ—iend speaks with friend In this glory he is more properly the very mouth of God typified by Moses in a capacity andâ— fitness for converse with the Bride the Lambs Wife as head to the general Assembly of the first-born who are a sort of saints of greater dignity and preheminence by whom the manifold Wisdom of God or secret Name his WORD shall be made known to principallities and powers Ephes. 3. 10. The lowest sort of all these heaven-born Saints that have but the single portion of the spirit have not onely by the external influence of Christs heavenly Nature such a change as the legal or first Covenant Saint has from the polluted to the cleansed and reformed state of the natural man which make but a member of the mystical earthly Ierusalem that may become the spiritual Sodom but by the very seed of Christ's heavenly nature sown in them they have an inward real partaking of the divine nature or that new principle of Life which baptizes the natural state into a conformity with and subjection thereunto advancing it thereby for ever into a sublimated incorruptible form It is in his Light onely with whom is the fountain of all Life and perfection that we can see Light Psal. 36.9 In the spiritual new-creature discerning onely of a divine communicated understanding and superinduced form can we see that objective light or unveiled glory of God that renders the true heir everlastingly blessed But even amongst the children of the heavenly kingdom the children of the Resurrection there are some of a first and others of a second Resurrection into a more exalted state of Life and glory Yet all the Vessels of glory great and small will be filled from the Ocean of those unutterable riches of divine Glory that are in Christ which no natural eye can see There will be no want or envying one another there Concerning ORDINANCES HAving already spoken joyntly concerning this Sufferers Principles and Doctrine I come now to mention his way of worshiping God and what his Judgement and Practice was as to Ordinances After that way which men call Heresie did he worship the God of his believing Fathers Abraham and the rest Acts 24. 14. He was for worshipping God in spirit and in Truth such the Father seeks to worship him Joh. 4. 23. He lived walked worshipped prayed spake in the spirit and so as the oracles of God 1 Pet. 4. 11. ministring as of the ability that God gave him that God in all things might be glorified This language and way of Worshipping God that is so despicable to man is that onely which hath the praise of God He kept the true mystical Sabbath not thinking his own thoughts c. Esay 58. 13. He was baptized with the holy Ghost and with fire He did in such sort eat the flesh and drink the blood of Christ that he was thereby brought into a conformity with Christ in his death and had eternâ—l Life abiding in him Iohn 6. 54. This is satisfactory to God in this point that that answers his well pleasing What further shall be said shall not be in order to please but instruct convince and stop the mouâ—hes of gainsaying men Tit. 1. 9. He that worships God in the power of the single or double portion of the spirit of Christ does undeniably worship him in spirit and truth The power of godliness comes in with this new creation Spirit All Worship Righteousness Ordinances or whatever performed but in the renâ—wed reformed enlightned gifted adorned state of our first-creation spirit amounts but to the form of godliness that faith that may be shipwrack'd that interest in Christ and that good conscience that may be lost 1 Tim. 1. 19. They that have not the divine nature in the sence above expressed 2 Pet. 1. 4. are blind and cannot see afar off vers 9. they discern not the land of distances the new Ierusalem They may have great illumination excellent gifts and in the confidence of these they say they see what get they by that Therefore their sin remaineth Iohn 9. 41. that is is unpardonable there remaineth no more benefit of Christ's sacrifice to them There remaineth onely at last upon final refusal and resistance of the new-creature life spirit and way of worship nothing but a certain fearful looking for of judgement and fiery inignation which shall devour the adversaries Heb. 10. 27. and Chap. 6. 4 8. Their light their seeing takes away all cloak for their sin Iohn 15. 22 and 24. The warning which the true spiritual watchman gives them if neglected and despised by them does dangerously set forward this work through their miscarriage under it and becomes a savour of death to them Act. 13. 40. 41. but even so a sweet savour to God as prospering in the thing whereto he sends it and accomplishing his pleasure 2 Cor. 2. 16. Esay 55. 11. These keen concisionists that cannot afford a good word for the true circumcision that worship God in the spirit and have no confidence in the flesh or in the knowledge of Christ after the flesh they
walk who were shewed represented or propounded before God in the Temple over against the Candlestick but without the Holy of Holies Those twelve Cakes laid on the Table fresh every week were therefore called the bread of proposition and shew-bread But the Spirit of Man or rather the spiritual mind is to be the most holy place for God himself to dwell in This is the new-creature principle of marvellous light and eternal Life by which the Lamp or Candle of single humane Understanding is put out swallowed up and transformed into a better and more excellent the Light of the Sun The Lamp of Man's Understanding till transformed has nothing to do within the Veil The New-Ierusalem state of Life is so far from needing Man's intellectual Candle-light that angelical-star-light yea the sun-light of Christ's own natural perfection is out-shined there by the light of his Spiritual form which is sevenfold brighter There 's no need there of man's Candle or of the Light of the Sun or Moon for the glory of God lightens it and the Lamb is the light thereof Rev. 21.23 and 22. 5. What are in general all the Sacrifices and Ceremonies in the Old Testament but significant Types or Expressions of what we are to be or do in the New The Sacrifices Beeves Sheep and Goats taught and declared primarily the Sacrifice Christ was to make in his own person and secondarily also the sacrifices that all his true followers are to make in their persons that holy and acceptable sacrifice of our rational Life and powers thereof at best under the fire-baptism of God's spirit required Rom. 12. 1 2. that so we may be transformed and grow up into the spiritual powers of eternal Life hid with Christ in God as our true interest and grand concern without which we cannot be saved For persons Adam Enoch Noah Sem Abraham Isaac Iacob Ioseph Moses Ioshua Sampson Samuel David Solomon and many others were they not Types Letters or significant Figures of Christ Cain and Abel Ishmael and Isaac Iacob and Esau were Letters and Types of two Seeds or Births of Christ in Men one after the flesh for the cleansing them from the corruption of Nature another after the spirit which delivers them by degrees from corruptibility as before from corruption till mortality be swallowed up of Life Do not the Typical signifiers of Spiritual things in Moses and the Prophets hold on all along to the very end of the Revelation What 's the New Ierusalem character'd by at the very last but by the twelve precious stones in the High Priests Pectoral which also signified the twelve Tribes of Israel Are any so bruitish as to imagine that those glittering trifles of the East the Iasper Saphire Emrald Chrysoprase and the rest are litterally and really to be found in the heavenly Ierusalem Rev. 21 Does not Paul Allegorize the history of Abraham Sara Hagar Ishmael and Isaac as representing Christ the true Father of the faithful and as a twofold Husband to a first and second Covenant-Spouse which bring forth two sorts of Children one after the flesh another after the spirit The former of these Children arriving onely at the practical and experimental knowledge of and conformity with Christ in the flesh or in his fleshly changable manifestation persecutes the other the true Isaac the spiritual circumcision that 's born of Christ after the Spirit and brought into a likeness and conformity with him in his unchangable creature state Gal. 4. 22 31. Rom. 8. 1. Christ is that twofold Husband mentioned Rom. 7. 1 2 3. married first to a first-Covenant-Spouse then dies Unless that first Spouse be content to pass with him under the fire-baptism drink of his cup taste of his death in order to be brought into conformity with him therein she never meets with him or sees him more to her comfort Her Husband is dead but alive again and lives for ever more Rev. 1. 18. The Wife also must die with him or she cannot come to live with him for evermore 2 Tim. 2. 11. How die or to what To the Law or in the Ruling power of our own natural first-creation Spirit activity and principles however renewed or adorned that so we may come to live under grace the law of the spirit or spiritual eternal Life in the ruling activity and principles of that more excellent spirit we receive from Christ as a transcript of his heavenly manhood in us by the new creation This is that onely under the Government whereof Paul dares warrant us safe from sins ever recovering dominion again Rom. 6. 14. This is that state of Life onely in which as married to him that is risen from the dead we may bring forth fruit unto God in the newness of the Spirit of our new creation not in the oldness of the Letter of our first-creation Spirit as is signified Rom. 7. 4 5 6. The cleansed state of our first-creation Spirit amounts but to the renewed old man not the new but to the circumcision of the heart in the letter of the first-creation not by the spirit of the second whose praise is of Man not of God Rom. 2. 29. This makes but the concision that are of a diminutive narrow dogged snarling nature towards the true spiritual circumcision or circumcision of the heart in the Spirit whose praise is not of men but of God Phil. 3. 2 3. There may be a little dark interval in the passage the first wife of Christ adventures to make through death and the grave in order and with full assurance of hope to meet with him again in the better Life of the Resurrection But she will soon find her own again with usury the quitted and resigned activity and ruling authority of her own corruptible spirit which brings her into the true mystical grave and conformity with Christ in his death in the raised and advanced condition of the same spirit into harmony with and subjection to Christ in her superinduced incorruptible new-creation form and Life This is the mystical Resurrection the spiritual believer has real fellowship with Christ in even while yet in the mortal Body Such fellowship of Christs sufferings conformity with him in his death and power of his resurrection Paul lived in the experience and longed for the full accomplishment of Phil. 3. 10 11. This passage out of the Life of our first-creation spirit and form into that of the second being gradual and leisurely and the tempter laying all his engines of battery against those that are attempting this way and Christ for a little moment hiding his face or withdrawing that kind of comfortable presence he had afforded the soul in his first-marriage-union with her that after a little while he may with everlasting mercies have compassion upon her in the second these things considered 't is no wonder she sits for a little season as a disconsolate fruitless Widow But God bids her be of good cheer for more shall be the Children of the
both the Children and Wife of Christ though back-slider Turn again O back-sliding Children saith the Lord for I am married to you The Children that are born but of that changeable seed of the first-creation in Christ hate and persecute them that are born after the spirit or of the incorruptible seed of Christ in spirit as he is head of the new-creation in which he becomes that word or image of God that lives and abides in them for ever and then they backslide and lose what they have in the first-covenant Mat. 13. 12. 1 Pet. 1. 23 25. Esay 40. 6 8. These two Seeds Births Children as they are typified by Ishmael and Isaac Gal. 4. so by Cain and Abel Esau and Iacob and other pairs of brothers Aaron and Moses rather typify the natural and spiritual Saint in the glory of the Resurrection in the new and everlasting Covenant as above described But Cain and Abel c. signifie the fleshly or first-Covenant worshipper of the one party and both the spiritual new-covenant worshippers whether of the single or double portion on the other Cain and Abel c. may be Allegorized into this spiritual significancy and reach as mystically indigitating and presenting to us the distinction of the fleshly and spiritual Worshipper the reformed natural and the transformed or spiritual man the first and second Covenant Saint The elder often turns malignant envies hates persecutes the younger he after the flesh him after the spirit They may with good warrant also be Allegorized into a narrower compass yet as typifying the natural and spiritual man flesh and spirit in the same individual Saint that is born of Christ after the spirit and yet not quite rid of flesh which will be lusting against the spirit in him that is his sin as the spirit also will be lusting against that flesh which is his duty Gal. 5. 17. Not onely corrupt nature filthy flesh but renewed nature holy Flesh goodliness of flesh that that was born of Christ after the flesh will be envying and lusting against striving and contesting with that in man that is born of the same Christ after the spirit Iohn 3. 6. What struggle they for what 's the matter that enlightened reason and the marvellous light of Faith the renewed old man and the new nature and grace can't agree They have the same Father Christ they tumble in the same womb the soul of man This is it they struggle like Iacob and Esau in the same womb in the same person for the dominion the Scepter The question in debate between them is who shall be king The renewed enlightened natural mind which yet is but flesh though holy flesh thinks it self fit to rule and give Law to the whole person would keep all under the dominion of the Law of the first creation The spirit of the new creation claims all this as its right though the latter and younger birth as reason also had been to sense yet the true heir of the crown and the elder must serve or become subject to this younger The renewed first-creation spirit and state of life glory and freedom in man finally refusing resisting and persecuting the more excellent new creature Life spirit and glorious liberty of the sons of God in the second amounts to no less than the sin unto death the sin against the Holy Ghost or Christ in Spirit This same mystery is typified and by no other way but Allegorizing is to be fetched out of the history of Hagar and Sarai Hagar has the start of Sarai at fruitfulness she is first with Child Sarai is yet barren But sing O barren saies Christ in this sense that didst not bear more shall be thy Children greater thy fruitfulnsss at last God swore to Abraham upon his offering up Isaac and not with-holding his onely Son that blessing he would bless him and multiply his seed as the stars of Heaven and as the sand on the Sea-shore and that in his seed should all the Nations of the earth be blessed Gen. 22. 16 18. and Gen. 15. 3 6. This promise relates to Isaac not Ishmael and to Sarai not Hagar and to Abraham not Abram Ab-ram signifies high Father This was all the name he had while he had but Ishmael onely Gen. 16. but when Isaac the promised Seed is coming the syllable Ha or letter H being the first syllable or letter of Hamon a multitude is added to Abram and Sarai so he is called Abraham Gen. 17. 5. she Sarah v. 15. Abraham by this addition signifies high Father of a multitude of nations and for Sarah as type of the New-Ierusalem Spouse of Christ see her numberless Children her Isaac's Rev. 7. 4 9. We find here first â— hundred forty four thousand sealed ones that are the peculiar Bride and spouse of Christ resembled by Sarah and then a numberless multitude of the lower rank of everlastingly glorified men that stand about the Throne Children of the Bride-chamber and friends of the Bridegroom and the Bride But le ts review that Allegory first in History then Mystery Sarai gives her maid Hagar to Abram to be his wife Gen. 16. 3. Hagar conceives and presently the fruitful servant despises her barren mistresse vers 4. Sarai complaines of her to Abram Abram bids her handle her as she pleased Sarai deales hardly with her and she flies for 't vers 5 6. The Angel of the Lord finds her and advises her to return and submit her self under her Mistresses hands v. 9 Here 's the History Deny Allegorizing and there will be no Mystery in it and then what an insignificant story may this seem Did not all these things happen for ensamples were they not written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the World are come 1 Cor. 10. 11. Is not all Scripture given by inspiration of God for doctrine reproof correction instruction in righteousness 2 Tim. 3. 16. What doctrine reproof or instruction can we receive to any purpose from this and abundance of like Scriptures if Allegorical interpretation be carped at and exploded and insipid litteral glosses owned and adhered unto as the onely sence reach and intendment thereof With your leave then let us try by the Allegorizing engine our spiritual discerning if we have it to give birth to the mystical sence and rich significancy which this history carries in the womb of it As soon as Hagar saw she had conceived the next news we hear is her Mistress is despised in her eyes Behold here the proper Character of the first-covenant wife of Christ. She is warm flourishing prosperous and fruitful in a way of outward Ordinances and also in working Righteousness in the goodliness of Flesh in a wisdom glory and comeliness that Christ himself hath wrought in her and put upon her She is wise strong and honourable in Christ and makes no scruple but this will alwayes hold thinks her mountain so strong that she shall never be moved On this account the true new-covenant
Deut. 32. 19 21. and Christ after him Mat. 9. 12 13. Cleansedness from the pollutions of the World corruption of Nature revival from their death in trespasses and sins hinders not but Satan may re-enter old sins recover dominion and so the members of that building on the sand that kingdom or heaven that may be shaken Heb. 12. 26 27. may come to be trees twice dead fit only to be plucked up by the roots cast into the fire and burned Iude 12. and Heb. 6. 8. 2 Pet. 2. 20 22. Mat. 7. 22 27. and Chap. 12. 43 45. Ezek. 16. 38. And as it is not the present freedom from natural pollution so neither is it the ornament of excellent gifts supernatural or infused humane learning much less natural parts and acquired humane learning the tongue of men and angels all dexterity of expressing â—heir conceptions either intuitively or by a sound of words incident to those two choicest ranks of treasures in their first-creation-capacity that can secure them from being but as sounding brass or tinckling cymbals 1 Cor. 12. 31. and 13. 1. Ezek. 16. 1 15. A great noise they may make a great repute they may have as the onely compleat interpreters of the Oracles of God yet all amounts but to an indistinct uncertain sound No man can tell thereby how to prepare himself to the battel 1 Cor. 14.7 8. and Ezek. 33. what weapons or what armour to provide They give no right character of those spiritual weapons mighty through God for the pulling down of strong holds in our selves and others 2. Cor. 10.4 or of that whole armour of God Ephes. 6. 11. wherein alone the true believer is able to wrestle it out not onely against flesh and blood but against Principalities Powers Rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in high places vers 12. The onely new-creature spirit in man that is greater than he that is in the world 1 Iohn 4. 4. is set at naught by those that warrant the first building secure is contradicted blasphemed called the devil The wisdom of God is by them tearmed the wisdom of the Serpent Did not matters go thus between Christ and the Master-builders in Religion amongst the Iews They reject the chief corner stone Psal. 118. 22. Mat. 21. 42. and how is their house like to stand it may indeed be emptied of filth swept cleansed garnished with excellent gifts and ornaments Mat. 12. 44. 2 Pet. 2. 20. 1 Cor. 12. 31. Ezek. 16. 9 13. Yet in all this flourish there may be a deep unsuspected ignorance or inadvertency of the more excellent way the way of love or state of divine Life wherein the stones of their building members of their Churches are capable to be brought forth by being broken and formed up anew into an unchangable harmony and indissoluble union of spirit with the Lord 1. Cor. 6. 17. If this be gain-said the onely spirit and spiritual harness that accommodates men for a successful contest with the devil and all the powers of darkness is wholly laid aside How then shall we fight the battels of the Lord when that very faith is decried as a diabolical fiction that is the onely principle of Life in men whereby to undertake resist conquer triumph over the devil and swallow up death it self into victory Let us no longer be flattered by our crafty over-reaching adversary into a security and satisfaction in such armour and weapons as he knowes he can strip us of at pleasure and re-enter The renewed spirit of man however accomplished and adorned with spiritual gifts the wisdom the righteousness of man are not the spirit the weapons the armour of God nor can secure any man from the most fatal and irrecoverable apostacy Many stars of the first magnitude as to all this glory and ornament have often been known to fall from this kind of Heaven or Kingdom of man's righteousness Besides all the sad instances in former ages for this have not the late years of Englands deliverance brought upon this stage of ours and exhibited to our view multitudes of teachers and professors who have notably shined forth in this glory wisdom and righteousness through the knowledge of Christ after the flesh accompanied with excellent gifts and yet through a spirit of enmity and contradiction a root of bitterness springing up in them Heb. 12. 15. against the more excellent way the Life of Faith the Cross of Christ the true Circumcision which worship God in the spirit Phil. 3. 3. have most evidently apostatized from and lost even that they had yea and have been the meanes of betraying the whole Nation afresh and rolling all back again into more insufferable bondage than ever We may say and hear this with weeping And moreover do we not yet daily experience an instability in such principles ornaments weapons armour Are not multitudes of professors at this pass still yea and nay off and on with God and so with sin and satan to And will it alwayes be so well Will these wavering Principles this unstable kind of life and righteousness if not quitted for a better be ever able to secure us from a final parting with God and entire closing with the devil as one spirit with him The unstable nature of man's first-creation at best must either ascend into a fixed union with Christ in spirit and so contract an everlasting disability to any thing which is evil 2 Cor. 13. 8. or else it will descend into a fixed union with the devil and thereby contract an everlasting inability to any thing that is good The first created freedom of man's will to good and evil the liberty of the sons of men however renewed again by Christ will be finally swallowed up either into a diabolical freedom to evil onely and not at all to good or into a divine freedom to good onely and not at all to evil which is the glorious liberty of the sons of God wherewith Christ makes those that receive him free indeed John 1. 12. and Chap 8. 36. Let us then put off the armour of man even of the renewed old man as David did Sauls and put on the whole armour of God the new man which after God is created in wisdom righteousness and true or everlasting holiness Ephes. 4. 24. Then the spiritual Goliah will certainly fall before us 'T is the divine new-creature-Life onely with spiritual weapons can over set all his power of darkness and detect all the crafty stratagems and methods of delusion to the last period of his mystery of iniquity Professors in the first-building flourishing in the wisdom glory and righteousness of the Law or of the ruling activity of renewed humane Nature and rectified rational Powers though received from Christ himself as no mean fruit or benefit of his death if they oppose contradict and blaspheme the true fighting conquering and reigning principle of divine Nature in the second they do thereby become worse than those foolish and contemptible
secure in the Throne will not fail to domineer over the other trees fig-tree vine olive or whatever else as if it were really the best of them all and no man must say to the contrary Yea to such unimaginable degrees of folly and presumption are the souls of men liable to be baffled by the devil and their own hearts as 't is not altogether improbable men of debauched consciences and bruitish conversations may think the superiority and dominion over men of Principles and Conscience was theirs of old and though now and then interrupted will be returned back into their hinds again as their right Man that is called a little World may receive instruction from what is observable to him in the greater for the giving of him aim how much he is concerned to be yeelding up all inferiour Life and operation in him to the sacrificing knife and transforming activity of the divine Nature or heavenly manhood of Christ in order to be reduced into an absolute harmony with subjection thereunto By this change he receives his own again with usury He loses the good holy but corruptible vanishing Life liberty and righteousness of the Sons of men and findes in the room thereof the more excellent most holy incorruptible marvellous light life wisdom righteousness and glorious liberty of the sons of God He findes himself enabled to do all things for the Truth in the power of God's spirit and disabled to do any thing against it in his own disabled to sin against God and wrong his own soul such weakness is his strength such captivity is his glorious liberty Thus Paul was made weak in Christ when others were strong and reigning as Kings in the single activity of their own renewed spirits which they also had from Christ 1 Cor. 4. 8. 10. But his weakness was better than their strength his seeming folly and despicableness better than all their wisdom and glory That the life righteousness glory and freedom of man at his best are but corruptible things all the World are my experimental witnesses say what they will to the contrary They are therefore to be accounted but as dung and loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ after the spirit for the wisdom righteousness and Life â—id with Christ in God the glory that excels Let us turn over and read the book of the visible creation and see what occurrs there conducible to this purpose The elements are content to loose their own single natures essences properties formes and qualities and run together into a quintessential compound distinct from them all The Earth parts with its vigor for the production of vegetables These again do readily surrender their life without resistance to feed the beasts of the field and thereby find their own life again with usury by way of resurrection in subjection to and association with the sensual life of the Beast The beast again looses its life becomes a sacrifice to man finding its own sensual life again with usury by way of resurrection in conjunction with and subjection to the rational life of man This rational life of man being yet but a corruptible first-creation-thing is by all this significant instruction from the very book of the Creature as also from Christ himself and his great Apostle Mat. 16.25 Rom. 12. 1 2. abundantly informed that it is its true interest to be given up in sacrifice to the divine life and find its own again with usury by way of resurrection in the life hid with Christ in God All the former sacrifices deaths and resurrections of inferiour creature-natures to one another and to man as also the subjection of vegetal and sensual powers in man to rational are but typical significations and teaching resemblances of this last and greatest of all beyond which there is no other Those that will not adventure to offer up this holy and reasonable sacrifice their rational Life Rom. 12. 1. in hope of the better resurrection Heb. 11. 35. but chuse to remain in the single glory and soveraign activity of renewed humane nature the great master of the family himself intimates to them that this is but the state of servants that abide not in the house for ever whereas those that are made willing to resign the life and soveraignty of their own nature and principles and become willingly subject to communicated divine life and God therein are the true sons that abide in the house for ever Iohn 8. 35. But between the natural first-creation Life of man and the spiritual or divine Life by the new-creation the great deceiver as transformed into angel of Light when he sees us gazing after this superiour dispensation is ready to present himself to us as Christ in spirit or the holy Ghost and obtrude upon us angelical Nature of the first-creation-frame onely to keep us yet short of the divine In this posture finding men dissatisfied in their natural and legal attainments he makes the same demands that Christ himself makes requires the intire resignation of their wills and understandings unto him so as not to think their own thoughts speak their own words do their own works or find their own pleasure but wait in a passive silence for his dictates and inspirations and speak onely such oracles as his beguiling serpentine wisdom teacheth The condition they are brought into by this imposture is so much the more dangerous by how much the more secure and confident they are under it as cherished and pleased with some delusive raptures of joy from this flourishing deceiver By this means he labours to gain more and more upon them till they resign themselves totally up to the conducting influence of angelical nature This is that voluntary humility and worshiping of Angels Col. 2. 18. The devil attempted to bring the humane nature of Christ himself to his lure in this main point of all even to worship him or become subject to his influence Mat. 4. Luke 4. This last and great deceit of the adversary together with the false mortification of things seen attending it where he prevails is notably charactered page 340 and so on to the 350th page of The Retired man's Meditations All first-creation Nature sensual humane or angelical comparatively with divine spiritual new-creature Life is but shaddow letter or significant figure and resemblance Any of these therefore terminated or rested in whatever it be from the lowest shrub of sensual to the tallest Cedar in the first-creation angelical nature so as that man resolves to sit down under the ruling influence and protection thereof as the highest principle of Life he will ever be induced to own this will appear in conclusion to be down-right idolatry All obedience also to the Commands of God in the Scriptures performed onely in the ruling activity of any first-creation nature in us humane or angelical is but serving of God in the oldness of the letter of the first-creation not in the newness of the Spirit of the second
or heaven that may be shaken Heb. 12. 26. Yea though they receive withall the baptism of gifts from this spirit of Christ and in that sence be made partakers of the holy Ghost yet they may prove at length to be but briars and thorns to this very spirit of Christ from whom they receive all and to those true believers in whom the very seed of this spirit is springing up as a well of living waters into everlasting life Ioh. 4. 14. The single Baptism of Gifts supernatural Ornaments and the tongue of Men and Angels all this amounts not to the Baptism with the holy Ghost and with fire Mat. 3. 11. The partaking of the holy Ghost in the single baptism of gifts without the very seed of spiritual eternal Life sown in the heart does not â—ar the visage of the natural man does not sacrifice and offer him up but more abundantly adorn beautifie and set him off Those that have the glory of their earthly man but thus higher advanced by supernatural gifts and accomplishments are liable to play the Idolaters against the glory that excels the Life hid with Christ in God and finally refusing the superior dispensation and those that own it return with the dog to the vomit upon the loss of what they have already received Ezek. 16. 1 15. 2 Pet. 2. 20 22. MORE in his MYSTERY holds that the Fall of the Angels came by their refusal of the divine Life and giving themselves wholly up to the animal and that satans kingdom of darkness extends to and comprehends all the inâ—â—rests and advantages of whatever Life excluding onely the Divine The same Author exhibits a new and unanswerable charge against Paganism that by whatever flights of wit the best of them all may seem to wipe off the imputations of Polytheism or Idolatry asserting themselves to be the adorers of one eternal Deity in his various manifestations yet they worshipped God in such appearances onely as related to and concerned but the animal Life 'T is to be feared this charge will reach a great way into Christianity abundance of the professors whereof are followers of Christ onely for loaves such cleansing gifts and ornaments as do but gratifie and advance their earthly first creation state Speak but a word of the cross and fire-baptism of the spirit that 's to come upon all this glory and goodliness of flesh in order to a more excellent birth and knowledge of Christ after the spirit in them you become an enemy presently if you tell them this truth Gal. 4. 16. If matters be well scann'd and weighed in the ballance of the sanctuary abundance of Religion and Professors will be found no currant and well tried Gold Rev. 3. 18. that will pass for the Kingdom of Heaven The Scripture latitude of the animal or natural man is comprehensive of all that is to be found in mans first-creation state and life in distinction from the spiritual new creation man The natural body or animal man is interpreted by the apostle to be of the same reach and significancy as the living soul of the first Adam at best as the spiritual body or man is comprehensive of that new-creature Life and perfection that 's recieved from the indwelling presence of the quickning spirit of the second Adam 1 Cor. 15. 44 46. Those Christians that are brought into communion with God but in the renewed activity of the natural body oâ— living soul of the first Adam taking the renewed old man for the new Restauration for Regeneration are apt to grow so conceited confident therein that they wil not lend an ear to the tydings of any superior dispensation and more excellent way Man in whatever possible refinement and glory of his first-creation state is yet but that natural man in whose mind there is so vast an asymmetry and incongruity to spiritual divine things the New Name the Life hid with Christ in God the Wisdom and Righteousness of God that shines forth in the New Creature that he knows not what to make of them 〈◊〉 are foolishness to him 1 Cor. 2. 14. Nothing less than the very seed of spiritual new-creature Life from Christ will find or make its way through all possible obstructions from within man or from without and prosper into that kingdome of grace and glory that cannot be shaken This will spring up in the soul and declare it self King take the Scepter and ruling power out of the hands of our first-creation spirit and principles and will safely steer our course direct our steps and enable us to work righteousness in the way everlasting Psal. 139. 24. Sensual Life generally rules at first in children When Reason springs up and begins to shew it self that takes or should take the Scepter curbes the insolencies and exorbitancies of the Sensual powers and governs the whole person If there be a seed of grace or spiritual Life sown in him when that springs up into exercise it will take the Scepter out of the hands of humane Reason and Wisdom and govern the whole person in the Divine Spiritual Reason and Wisdom of God The receivers of the spirit of Christ the seed of spiritual wisdom and divine Life are of two sorts either such as receive the single or such as receive the double portion thereof They that receive but the single will thereby be brought into the incorruptible form of the natural man which renders them fit associates for the elect angels to stand about the Throne as friends of the Bridegroom and the Bride They that receive the double portion of the spirit in the sense above expressed are the very Bride her self the Lambs wife that sits down upon the Throne with him in a more exalted state of Glory for ever The Mother of Zebedee's Children desired of Christ That her two sons might sit the one on his right hand and the other on his left in his Kingdom Mat. 20.21 There may seem to be a right and left hand scituation or state of glory for ever in the kingdom of Heaven The double portioned Saints are they that sit on the right hand the single on the left Christ tells her and her sons they know not what they ask if they would have either of these advancements on this side the Cross the grave the fire-baptism the strait gate that excludes flesh and blood all that is corruptible from the Kingdom of God Can ye saies he drink of the Cup I shall drink of and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with They answer We are able The single portion of the Spirit where it is received as a seed of new Life will not fail to perform that transforming fire-baptism in and upon the souls of men that will purifie them not onely from corruption the utmost extent of the inward water-baptisme and circumcision of the heart in the Letter but from corruptibility gradually fetching them up into the glory of the resurrection till their mortality be quite swallowed
desolate Widow than of the first married Wife Esay 54. 1. And Christ gives that long and most solemn exhortation to his Disciples in the 14 15 16 and 17 Chapters of Iohn to this very purpose to establish and support their hearts in this passage so dark and dismal to flesh and blood into the Life and glory of the Resurrection Upon his fleshly departure and disappearance as their Bridegroom in that first way he knew they would have a little mourning season of it Mat. 9. 15. and therefore sets himself to comfort them before hand with the expectation of what was to follow You shall have another Comforter saies he meaning himself in the spirit and glory of the Resurrection I will not leave you comfortless Orphans and Windows I will come to you after a little while Ioâ— 14. 16 18. To the very same purpose is that Esay 54.7 8. For a small moment have I forsaken thee or withdrawn my self from thee as to my fleshly and first kind of manifestation to thee which looks like wrath but with great mercies and everlasting kindness will I gather thee up to my self in my second and more excellent glory and become thy husband in the new and everlasting Covenant saith the Lord thy Redeemer Both these Dispensations are on foot still Christ yet communicates himself to the souls of men in his fleshly way of manifestation bringing them into conformity with that holy state of his earthly manhood which makes the legal Christian first-covenant professor and Wife of Christ on this side the cross the grave the crown His withdrawing from them as to this appearance and the fruits of it is of the same import as his withdrawing from his disciples when he was actually personally in the flesh He was then litterally in the flesh in his own person but he was even then but mystically in the flesh as to the persons of his disciples as God manifested in their flesh so he is in all that thus experimentally know him but after the flesh now Their so being in Christ Jesus knowing of him and walking in him but after the flesh does not free or secure them from apostacy 2 Pet. 2.20,22 or condemnation Rom. 8. 1. but the knowing of him walking in him after the spirit as he is the new Covenant Bridegroom and better Comforter In this state they are married to him that is risen in the other to him only that was made flesh with whom they in that fleshly glory even from him received must be crucified How else can they be brought into conformity with him in his death It was holy flesh the natural man in its greatest purity that was offered up and slain in him This at the best then renewed by himself in us is also to be slain and offered up under and by the fire-baptism of the new-creature spirit or spirit of Christ that performes the new-creation work in man It must be the holy reformed natural state that must be offered as the true Christian sacrifice Rom. 12. 1. 2 By this means as we come to be married to Christ in the Resurrection so we come to be children of the Resurrection begotten by the force influence and benefit of Christ's Resurrection into a meetness of spirit to be married to him that is risen from the dead Luke 20. 36. 1 Pet. 1. 3. Such marriage there is even in the Resurrection Such a state of the resurrection there is while we are yet in this mortal body The spiritual man who lives in the spirit knoweâ— Christ in spirit and walks after the spirit Gal. 5. 25. Rom. 8. 1. is really and actually though but gradually in this mystical and best kind of Resurrection while yet in the earthly body The new creature he that lives the life and in the spirit of the new creation lives in the Resurrection The Resurrection of our Bodies after the death of them at last is not to be put in the ballance with the priviledges of this spiritual Resurrection while we are yet in the earthly body The spiritual new-creation Life we are risen into is eternal Life But millions of men will find their bodily rising to be but a Resurrection into eternal death and shame everlasting punishment and contempt Dan. 12. 2. Mat. 25. 46. But let 's take a little further view of Christ's first-Covenant Wife and Children what they may do and what may become of them They may play the harlot with that very beauty and comeliness that very first-creation kind of glory and perfect righteousnes of the Law that Christ has put upon them called God's comeliness and yet their own beauty because it beautifies and adorns but that selfish state of the first-creation Ezek. 16. 14 15. What comes of them for playing the harlot with this and opposing thereby the more excellent dispensation and glory that comes from the same Redeemer in his new-creation work They must be judged by Christ as those that shed blood and break wedlock are judged as Murtherers and Adulteresses vers 38. This they come to Not unlike to this is that Esay 63. 8 and 10. He said surely they are my People Children that will not lie so he was their Saviour But they rebelled and vexed his holy spirit therefore he turned to be their enemy and fought against them There are a People a Wife Children Members of Christ after the flesh that stand liable to forfeit all their priviledges and interest in him by apostacy and then Christ becomes their enemy As he delighted before to deliver and save them rejoyced over them to do them good and multiply them so now he will rejoyce over them to destroy them bring them to nought and root them out of the land he gave them Deut. 28. 63. If the transgression the apostacy be general so will the Judgement be too That which he hath built he will break down that which he hath planted he will pluck up even this whole land Jer. 45.4 This was the case between God and those religious Iews that lived and walked but in the wavering principles of the first-covenant They would be ever and anon starting aside like a deceitful Bow They were not of the right or new-covenant heart Their spirit was not stedfast with God and when they failed of their duty he let loose one enemy or another still upon them Then they remembred that God was their Rock and the high God their Redeemer Nevertheless they did but flatter him with their mouth and lied unto him with their tongues for their heart was not right with him neither were they stedfast in his Covenant or they were not in that new stedfast Covenant with him that is established in all things and sure And God will not be mocked he knows how to handle them All this over and over and much more is to be seen Psal. 78. 8. 35. 36. 37. and 57. verses c. And Ier. 3. 14. The same People in the same breath are reckoned
spouse of Christ the right new-spirited Saint is despised and slighted as a weak foolish contemptible thing no body at Ordinances and righteousness in her way which she experiences to be the way of Christ finding the fruits of his presence in it Thus was it between Paul with others and some of the Corinthian Church Both were married to and interested in Christ but by different Covenants We are fooles saies he for Christ's sake ye are wise in Christ. We are weak ye strong Ye honourable we despised 1 Cor. 4. 10. and 2 Cor. 10. 12. We dare not make our selves of the number or compare our selves with such as commend and compare themselves with one another of the same principles and perswasions and so applaud themselves in one another by their mutual self-deceivings The true spiritual Elder Paul the aged he is in body with this flourishing youthful warm legal-spirited generation The main business he has to say for himself is a Life hid with Christ in God and worshipping God in spirit and truth This they reckon as nothing but discourse fiction foolishness But be it known those that with Paul are weak foolish and despised for Christ are better than such as he there implicitly reproves and taxes with folly that yet he acknowledges were wise strong and honourable in Christ. Such foolish weak despised ones of Christ as Paul was are they that will quite confound the wise the mighty the honourable The things that are not shall bring to nought the things that are and no flesh with all its ornament righteousness and wisdom shall enter into Christ's kingdom or glory in his presence 1 Cor. 1. 27 29. And as the spiritual saint is thus handled by the fleshly so is the spirit or spiritual part in the same saint dealt with by the fleshly Holy flesh the renewed natural mind will be despising the feeblness of the spiritual while weak and low and jusling it out of the Throne as to its interesting it self as the ruling Principle at working righteousness and worshiping God Having thus in Hagar taken notice of the malapert proud insulting carriage of the first-covenant Wife or Spirit in different saints or in the same against the right spirit of the second through confidence in the works of the Law or works performed in the ruling activity of their own renewed mind let us proceed to other branches and observables in the said Allegory before us Abram as a type of Christ delivers up Hagar into Sarai's hand Sarai dealt hardly with her so she should Hagar fled 't was her sin What signified Sarai's hard dealing with her Persecution No the Spirit of Christ the fire-baptism the strait gate that will not suffer flesh and blood to enter into the kingdom of God this it signified Hagar's flight then imports the declining and refusal of all these The legal spirited professor confident in the works of the Law will endure none of these things They are all a sad story a hard saying to him His usual way of waving them if urged and hard put to 't is to call them Blasphemy and the Witnesses thereof Blasphemers and on he goes very secure in his doatage But say or think man what he will this is Christ's way he gives up the fleshly worshipper and the fleshly part in the true spiritual worshipper to the spiritual to be humbled and abased broken and subdued hardly dealt with crucified slain and offered up in sacrifice under the power of the Cross of Christ or fire-baptism of his spirit typified by Sarai There 's no entring into the kingdom but we must pass thorow this fire this tribulation this bruising of the inmost part of the natural man his very spirit and rational powers whatever ever becomes of his outward as to persecution from the world Hagar despised Sarai Ishmael mocked Isaac Gen. 21. 9. this was persecution Usually those that are taken out of the world or worldly first-creation constitution and frame of spirit within them by the fire-baptism do so differ even from the professing part of the world in their very religion or union with God by another Covenant and in their more excellent way of worshipping God in spirit and truth not letter and form that they seldom or never scape the external branch of the cross and baptism of blood through the rage enmity of man against this new-creature marvellous light and life that is springing up in those whom God is transforming into another nature But let men take it how they will the cross the fire-baptism we must come to within us first or last or we cannot be saved The fleshly worshipper either yields to this fiery doctrine ministry and way or resists or flies If He get the magistrates sword on his side as if Hagar could have got Abram to side with her against Sarai then he 'l make the messenger of such tydings fly Sarai must fly or suffer under Hagar Men decry it for heresie blasphemy and persecute him that talkes at such a rate Thus Christ himself was served by the zealous legally religious Iew. 'T was the religious professing party of the Iewes that crucified Christ and would take no answer hear no reason or argument from Pilate the Heathen Magistrate to the contrary But if the sowre Legalist neither will yeild nor can bruiâ—ishsly resist this hard doctrine by outward force or persecution then he takes Hagars course flies it And what then He every where decries this spiritual doctrine of the cross and fire-baptism for heretical dangerous and seductive wishing all to beware how they meddle with such books converse with such persons or listen to such dangerous suggestions While toleration lasted I have experimented this to be the too general frame of spirit amongst professors in this nation who have evidently chosen rather to venture a persecution of their own doctrine and persons than endure this and the assertors thereof Here 's the mystery of Hagars flight The Angel of the Lord advises her to return and submit her self to her Mistris In her all these timerous fugitive envious legal-spirited Christians that are leavened with the leaven of the Pharisees are admonished to entertain better thoughts of the New-Ierusalem Spouse resembled by Sarai and submit themselves to her doctrine and more excellent way to the cross the fire-baptism the spirit of Christ the covenant of grace Sarai This is the doctrine the reproof the correction the instruction on in everlasting righteousness which that History that Allegory is pregnant with Christ with both his Covenant Spouses and Children are allegorically expressed by Husband and Wife Father and Children Head and Members with the like Such expressions are interpretable into mystery by a due considering the duties and offices of such Relations in the letter And as Christ himself so Paul and others are in way of Allegory called Fathers of such as by them are begotten to Christ through the Gospel 1 Cor. 4. 15. and vers 17. he calls Timothy his
beloved Son so 1 Tim. 1. 2. 2 Tim. 1. 2. and 2. 1. They are also called Pastors Mothers and Nurses to both the Seeds or Children of Christ in their kind 1 Thes. 2. 7 and 11. Gal. 4. 19. In another respect every true believer as he becomes the Child so is the Mother of Christ as with pangs and throw's towards the new birth to the loss and at last death of the single activity of his fleshly mind and heart Christ in spirit be formed and brought forth in him by him Then comes the Life of Faith the true reigning New-Ierusalem Principle in which reason has its resurrection the kingdom of heaven within him He ownes Christ in his heavenly headship as his Lord and King expressed Cant. 3. 11. by setting the Crown upon his head owning a willing subjection to the Law of the Spirit of Life in this day of espousal to him which is a day of gladness to Christ good men and angels Luk. 15. 10. The believer is the wise Virgin who becomes at same time the Mother and Spouse of Christ brings forth her own Lord and King in Spirit as the Virgin Mary brought him forth in Flesh. In the very day that Christ is thus brought forth in and by the believer they are espoused together by the new and everlasting Covenant The believer owns Christ as Head Husband and King Upon this Christ rejoyces Angels rejoyce the Believeâ— himself rejoyces with joy unspeakable and full of glory 'T is a solemn thanksgiving day a day of gladness of the heart unto them all Thus in a various sence is Christ Father and Son of the Spiritual believer and the believer the Mother and Child of Christ. Christ is Head Lord King Husband Brother Son Fellow-heir to believers They are Body Subjects Wife Children Members Fellow-heirs to him All these expressions are Allegorical borrowed from natural Relations to signify spiritual Mysteries of love union and converse between Christ and his Church One thing is said and a farther more excellent thing meant The Apostle having spoken of the duties of Husbands and Wives towards one another winds up all into this as his main intendment the spiritual marriage-union between Christ and his Church This saies he is a great mystery or mystically signifies a far greater thing concerning Christ and his Church Ephes. â— 22 23. The Revelation in a manner all along is a description of heavenly things by such earthly Mediums such Allegorical types and expressions as are borrowed out of Moses Pentateuch in the Tabernacle and Temple-worship And of Christ himself t is said that without a parable a similitude an allegory he spake not unto the people Mat. 13. 34. Mark 4. 34. Must not he then that truly expounds those parables allegorize them But how must he do it Parable in the Hebrew is a word that signifies sharpness as proceeding from a sharp wit and needing the like to interpret it That sharp wit must be no less than spiritual discerning and that strong and well exercised too or Scripture Riddles will be too hard for it One or two more of these let us take notice of Sampsons typical Riddle together with the Philistines exposition does yet want an exposition Out of Christ the strong Lion of the tribe of Iudah as the eater or sacrificer of the natural man in himself and us by the fire-baptism comes the choicest meat the sweetest hony-comb of all that that feeds and brings us into a conformity with him in his death and resurrection Christ ha's left his own interpretation of the parable of the Sower and Seed of the Tares and the like upon record in Scripture and yet who understands them how much do men yet need an exposition of those very expositions Paul tells us Hagar and Sarai are an Allegory two Covenants Gal. 4. 24. Then he mystically expounds Ishmael and Isaac into two 〈◊〉 of Christ the true antitypical Father of the faithful in both Covenants He declares moreover that he that 's born of this Father but after the flesh will persecute him that 's born of the same Father after the spirit Even so it is now vers 29. Notwithstanding this Allegorizing exposition given by Paul how little does the self-confident legal Christian hold himself concerned in the character of him that is born after the flesh How verily does he conceit himself to be the other that 's born after the Spirit Hereupon he justâ—es out the spiritual man indeed for a Fanatick wrangler a fool a mad man a blasphemer any thing that he lists to call him Hos. 9. 7. At last he comes to this downright willful resolution as Esau against Iacob and as the professing religious Iewes against Christ in the very same case Come this is the heir let 's kill him and the inheritance shall be ours They imagine this vain thing even to take the kingdom of Heaven by force from the right owner But if this eager-spirited generation would but give themselves leisure to consider thisâ— the like Scriptures they might see that they that are charactered here by him that 's born after the flesh are a holy seed of Christ that have Covenant interest in him and actual communion with him They are Children of Hagar or the first Covenant One would wonder how they should miss this But they shuffle it oft upon the Iews that were under the ceremonious dispensation of the Law and so rid their hands of it Is there no legal Christian then is there no danger of the leaven of the Pharisees under the outward dispensasation of the Gospel Yes say they but that lies onely at their door who depend upon their own personal operations for their acceptance and communion with God not on the imputed righteousness of the Redeemer I interrogate When Paul describes his Pharisaical state he tells us he was touching that righteousness which is in the Law blameless Could this be unless by the comeliness of God put upon him or perfect righteousness of that kind from Christ imputed to him Ezek. 16. 14. Was he a legal Iew was he any more than a moral Heathen else But if what is above said will not help to rectify this mistake I shall be somewhat hopeless of being instrumental to your relief in this point 'T is sad to see the self-pleasing interpretations of this and the like Scriptures all along the Bible so universal and unscrupled amongst all sorts of Professors an epidemical mistake How to lift them out of the mire of these their own self-bewildring imaginations who knowes but Christ Flesh and the carnal mind that 's enmity to God Rom. 8. 7. must never be of any larger compass or farther significancy with them than corrupt polluted debauched degenerate nature dead in trespasses and sins or at best but the moral heathen with some glimmering revivals and sparklings of rational Light and Life But as for their part they are in Christ they experience actual communion with God and once in Christ for ever
in Christ. A company of such false Maxim's I have too often heard in discourse with them gleaned up from mis-interpreted Scriptures in which they are so confident and secure that there 's no speaking to them to the contrary They have not a hearing ear to listen to the voice of any spiritual charmer charm he never so wisely The cunning old serpent rings another bell in their ear that deafs them to the voice of the true watchman whose business is to warn these legally righteous Christians as well as the prophane Heathen of the danger of their condition Ezek. 18. and Chap. 33. 13 c. Men that are righteous and that in Christ will not dream that this warning concerns them As they serve that Allegory Gal. 4. so other Scriptures of like import as Iohn 3. 6. That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the spirit is spirit Flesh here with them must be nothing but the corrupt nature the polluted natural condition by which shift renewed nature must pass for spirit and the spiritual man indeed must be excluded out of every Synagogue for an Apostate a spiritual wanderer from the plain Truths of the Gospel so they call the greatest Mysteries The Gospel and things of it spiritual things are utterly unintelligible and undiscernable to the natural understanding which of what extent it is hath bin described Yet I have oft heard men of very inferior natural capacities with great confidence assert That the main Truths of Gospel are familiar plain easie obvious things to common un-understanding I grant they must be so indeed if they understand them Does not Christ plainly signify that one sort of branches in him the true Vine may be cut off and cast into the fire Ioh. 15.6 and that after high illumination and partaking of the Holy Ghost in the gifts thereof Heb. 6. 4 8. Does not the great Apostle preach the same doctrine at large Rom. 11 We find there that the natural branches that had one sort of Beiâ—g and Life in the good olive tree Christ partaking of the root and fatness thereof were yet broken off among the Iewes and sinners from among the Gentiles renewed in the principles of natural perfection and put in their room These among the Gentiles that have but this kind of engrafture into this good Olive tree are warned of the same liableness to apostatize and be cut off as the Iewes were in vers 17,21 The natural branches among the Gentiles make but the mystical earthly Ierusalem which may come to be the spiritual Sodom and Egypt the very same kind of cross spirited generation as those were amongst whom as our Lord was crucified long since in his own person so will he again be crucified signally in his two Witnesses Revel 11. 8. at the close of the persecution day The main ground for that most false Maxime Once in Christ and for ever in Christ which must by the way needs argue that there is no such thing as apostacy so far as I could ever hear from the deluded assertors of it is 1 Cor. 5. 17. If any man be in Christ he is a new creature old things are passed away all things are become new The legalist so triumph in this Scripture that he can hardly tell what ground he stands on He stands on the sand and thinks he is on the rock Let the words be well eyed in our common English translation and you 'l find be and he is in different Characters which intimates them to be but the Translators superadditions and gloss Strip the Text of these Redundancies and the words run thus If any man in Christ a new creature old things are passed away or the old man flesh and blood at its best is put off the ruling activity of first-creation Principles however renewed ceases Some render it thus If any man be in Christ let him be a new creature let him be sure he has that second more excellent new-covenant birth and being in Christ that constitutes and makes him a new creature and not onely the renewed old creature the natural or first-creation man The words to me seem to carry this sence If any man in Christ be a new creature all things are become new This implies a being in Christ that does not amount to the constitution of the new-creature but only to an experimental knowing of him after the flesh not after the spirit as is also implied Rom. 8. 1. which secures not from apostacy or condemnation 2 Pet. 2.20,22 One Scripture Allegory more I will mention because 't is prophetical and more nearly concerns the present season than is commonly believed Cant. 3. 6. Who is this that commeth out of the Wilderness like pillars of Smoke perfumed with Myrrhe and Frankincense with or above all the powders of the Merchant In the Iewish Worship Myrrh typified death and resurrection Frankincense Mediation The Question is put by strangers enemies or else by some friends and well-wishers daughters of the heavenly Ierusalem though hitherto somewhat captivated to the formes and wayes of the earthly who seem to stand gazing and admiring at this new unthought of Church consisting of the risen Witnesses Revel 11. when they shake off their mourning guise put off their sackcloth and begin to stand upon their feet in the unresistible power and wisdom of Faith Pillars of smoke ascend from them through the fire-baptism whereby they are a sweet savour to God as perfumed with the Mediation of Christ and with conformity to him in his death and resurrection The earthly Ierusalem professors will be amazed at this their hearts failing them for fear of that which they never would before be induced to regard or own Then will those expressions in the book called The Wisdom of Solomon be suitable for the hitherto deluded inhabitants of the Earth of all sorts to take notice of Chap. 5. 1 9. Then shall the righteous man stand in great boldness before the face of such as have afflicted him and made no account of his labours When they see it they shall be troubled with terrible fear and amazed at the strangness of his Salvation so far beyond all that they looked for Then they shall repent and groan for anguish of spirit and say within themselves this was he whom we had sometimes in derision We fools counted his Life madness and his end to be without honour How is he numbred among the Children of God and has his lot among the Saints Therefore we have erred from the way of truth We have wearied our selves in a way of wickedness and destrâ—ction What hath pride profited us or riches which our vaunting brought us All these things are passed away as a shadow I cannot willingly let go this business of Allegories till I have told you that all mankind considered as in their first-creation make and constitution are an Allegory They and all they have at best estate are but type shadow figure of the spiritual
has none but that has the righteousness and glory of man really in and upon him and in the credit and flourish of this would personate and pass for that which he is not the true spiritual heir that has the glory and righteousness of God in and upon him and then the next news is he falls to persecuting of him that indeed is the true heir saying to his fellows in spirit and principle Come this is the heir le ts kill him and the inheritance shall be ours A hypocrite is one that personates and would passe for that which he is not If he be stark naught he would pass for that which is good If good and righteous in one kind he would pass for that that is better and more excellent in another Such an hypocritical spirit is a persecuting spirit He that 's born of Christ after the flesh and will go no farther will persecute him that is born of the same Christ after the spirit will hate his Brother slander his own Mothers Son Psal. 50. 20. To this effect did this Sufferer use to Allegorize the two Trees in Eden and other Scriptures in exact analogie and harmony therewith But come we now to consider the method of his sufferings how this meek dove-like harmless person has been handled by the injurious wolvish spirit of this world that has affronted contradicted and blasphemed his principles and doctrine and at length killed his body as a contentious wrangler and a malefactor Christ was so served He went about doing good and suffering ill to the last This eminent disciple and follower of his hath waded through all those injurious reproaches and mis-interpretations men have put upon his most innocent and useful words and actions in that thank-worthy and acceptable imitation of him which Peter represents to us under the similitude of good servants that can suffer patiently for well-doing commiting themselves to him that judgeth righteously 1 Pet. 2. 18 23. He considered him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself and did not faint in his mind but striving against sin and sinners of all sorts by his faithful witnes-bearing resisted unto blood Heb. 12. 3 4. But be it known that amidst the personal sufferings of Saints 't is not onely lawful but their duty to pray that God would awake to their judgement even to their CAUSE which is his CAUSE that all those may yet come to shout for joy that favour their righteous CAUSE and that the enemy may not rejoyce over them as if he had swallowed them up though they abuse and kill them all the day long 〈◊〉 sheep appointed for the slaughter Psal. 35. 23 27. Some of you saies Christ they shall put to death but not a hair of your head shall perish Luk. 21. 16 18. This worthy Patriot was freely chosen without any seeking of his to serve as Burgess for the Town of Kingston upon Hull in that Parliament which sate doâ—â— November 3. 1640. About thirteen years did he indefatigably labour therein for his Countries relief against manifest Oppressions and publick grievances that were upon it And well nigh ten years more he hath patiently suffered as either a useless or pernicious person because of his destructive constitution to the Peace and Interest of Tyranny During the long Parliament he was usually so engaged for the Publick in the HOUSE and several Committees from early in the morning to very late at night that he had scarce any leisure to eat his bread converse with his nearest Relations or at all to mind his Family affaires Were I indeed furnished with the tongue of the learned the pen of a ready writer I should think it adviseable to let the usefulness successe of his publick Actings all along that Parliament till forcibly dissolved speak for themselves That race of action being run not without much struggling contradiction and mis-reports all the while he comes to his suffering Scene He was for several years rejected persecuted imprisoned by his apostatized friends that had gone to the house of God in company with him who at length to compleat their persecuting work upon him delivered him up to be hunted to death by his professed foes enemies of all righteousness Gods and mans too First his false Friends that had sat in Council with him and who owed in great measure their very Lives and success to him under God they fasted for strife and debate kept a mock fast to draw such as durst give them faithful counsel and warning into a snare Upon their apostacy when brought into distress through forreign disappointments they somewhat Iezebel-like proclaimed a fast publickly declaring their willingness to receive information from any hand as to what was amiss in the Government that might be the ground of God's not going forth with their Armies as he was wont He laid hold on this published offer and as a faithful watchman and able Patriot exhibited his thoughts to them in a Healing Question on which he was shortly after sent for by the Council from the place of his residence at Belleaâ— in Lincolnshire proceeded against as seditious and imprisoned about four moneths at Caris-brough Castle in the Isle or Weight Thus the Iews served Ieremy Jer. 42. and 43. They desired him to enquire the mind of the Lord as to their intended journey for Egypt and solemnly engaged they would obey the message â—â—lling God to witness between them and him He seeks the Lord and after ten dayes receives and faithfully declares the word of the Lord which was That if they went to Egypt the sword they feared at home should meet with them there and if they tarried in their own land they should be preserved They proudly rebelled againâ—â— this word and not onely so but forced Ieremy along with them to Egypt to bear a share in their sufferings though not in their sin as the wise Servant was handled by his foolish Master in Aristophanes and as is frequently the case amongst mortals God the great disposer of all the kingdoms of men gave Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar and his Army as wages for their hard service in pulling down proud Tyre whose Merchants were Princes Esay 23. 8. where every head was made bald and every shoulder peeld with long and excessive labour in a thirteen years siege and filling up a channel of the sea in order to their approaches Ezek. 26. 9. and Chap. 29. 18 20. Thus Nebuchadnezzars sword that the Iews feared in their own Countrey upon the killing of his Deputy Governour Gedaliah meets with them amongst the rest in Egypt the character and ruine whereof we have Ezek. 29. 30. 31. and 32. Chapters as of Tyre Chap. 26. 27. and 28. Thus treacherously was this steddy Witness of the true Liberties of Christs Kingdom and his native Countrey handled by those that for many years had joyned with him in the profession of the same righteous CAUSE against sacrilegious and tyrannical domination in Church or State What was his
dunghil because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort Dan. 3. Yet it appears not that Nebuchadnezzar himself worshipped this true God or forsook his false A while after we find him boasting and vaunting as if there were no other God but he Dan. 4.30 What a fickle thing is that Religion that depends upon the Magistrates Decree Darius the Mede when he comes upon the Stage at Babylon he is flattered by his corrupt Courners to turn Pope take upon him to be the holy Father all must pray to him for thirty dayes and not ask a petition of any other God If they did they must to the Lions den Daniel is charged with slighting the King and his Decree The King set himself to deliver him but could not An Angel did by stopping the Lyons mouths Then his accusers with their wives and children were cast to the Lyons and were torn in pieces immediately before they came to the bottom of the Den Dan. 6. What looking-glasses are here for Kings to give them aim what persons to put most value on Idolatrous flattering Courtiers that counsel them to their dammage and disherison or true Prophets and faithful Subjects that advise them for the safety of their Crown and Dignity True they know not to give flattering titles to men for in so doing their maker would soon take them away Job 32. 22. They fear him more than men 'T is the true advantage of Kings to be plainly dealt with by them Flatterers ruine them They are the Traitors as has appeared in all ages Believe it O ye Rulers and Judges if you go on at the rate you have begun should all the Angels in heaven and Men on earth lay their understandings together to demonstrate the requisiteness yea absolute necessity of having made a Parliamentary and popular defence against such corrupt sticklers for prerogative and arbitrary domination when got into armes 1641. 'T is hard to imagine how they should mend that which your selves have given by your most injurious and oppressive practices since your return What should we mince the matter for The world is almost at an end The Devils rage is great because he knows he has but a short time It highly concerns us to deal plainly with one another lest that great deceiver of the Nations cozen us all If men do as wickedly as they can and make a law that no body must tell them of it must every body therefore hold their peace and let them go on What can the Devil desire more Must God and his Messengers have no hearing with you What do you imagine will become of you then Will ye change Religion and the Laws and must no body dare to say so But they will you see Will you put out the eyes of all the good People of England They have eyes and will use them too do what you can as long as their heads are on With these eyes they see clearer what you are about then it may be you are aware The Lord in the late War was a Rebuker of you all in many pitch'd Fields and a continued series of disappointments for many years together If you would but mend the matter as to what this Nation felt when it groaned under the Tyranny of your apostate Conqueror this yet were something Many of the same persons that he abused and oppressed you have slain and so finished his work upon them You should let the oppressed go free ease those heavy burdens that he put upon the People and you encrease them so that the Nation languishes under a general discouragement as to Trade and almost every thing else What work God will suffer to be made by any instruments of cruelty amongst us that are profound to make slaughter though unfit to fight he himself best knows But that God will send deliverance in the close and preserve a remnant in the scramble I am as confident as that there is a God that judgeth in the Earth who will make himself known by the Judgements which he will execute upon all wicked Opposers of him and his People Freely I have received and I freely give you such portion as the Scripture allots you Yet say not O Rulers there is no hope we will therefore fill up the measure of our wickedness and then let God strike Say not thus There is yet hope You may repent of the evil of your doings and quite lay aside all your mischievous and destructive intendments towards this peeled People and you and we together may be a flourishing Nation If the King say as the King of Nineveh Let every man cry mightily unto God let them turn every one from his evil way and from the violence that is in their hands who can tell but God may turn away from his fierce anger that we perish not Jonah 3. 8 9. FINIS Some Notes of Sir Henry Vane's Exhortation to his Children and Family brokenly and imperfectly taken Iune 13. 1662. being the day before his Execution Genesis 18. 17 18 19. And the Lord said Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty Nation and all the Nations of the Earth shall be blessed in him For I know him that he will command his children and his houshold after him and they shall keep the way of the Lord to do Iustice and Iudgement that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him VVE have here a description of God's reasoning within his own mind concerning the open-heartedness he would use towards Abraham who is called his Friend Isa. 41. 8. for the eminency of his Faith by which he was made one spirit and of one mind with the Lord so as he could instantly surrender and perform whatever God called for from him or required of him however hard or contrary to the desire eye and reasonings of flesh and blood The greatest tryal of his Faith and the most signal manifestation of it was the offering up his only begotten son the son of promise of whom it was said In Isaac shall thy seed be called This Typical Father of the Faithful behaved himself but as a pilgrim and stranger even in the earthly Land of Promise seeking yet a better Country a heavenly Heb. 11. 12. He came off readily with this greatest offering of flesh at its best in his Isaac the figure of Christs offering so as by the transforming Baptism of the Spirit to grow up into a perfect harmony with the will of God Rom. 12. 1 2. Hereupon he is termed the Father of the Faithful and hereby Isaac also became a Son of the Resurrection as he was also before in a figure Heb. 11. 12 19. as springing up from Abraham's body and Sarah's womb when both of them were as good as dead The present occasion admits â—o long insisting on this being together with the care he had of his Family but the introductory consideration with God
Christ their natural head refusing to adventure the exchange of their first-creation glory and Life through unbelief of the gain and usury thereby attainable even the fixedness and unchangableness of what they already had in the greater and more excellent glory of the resurrection By this not yeilding to the conditions of passing along with their head into the more excellent state and unchangable form of their very natural Beings they lost even that they had their first creation glory righteousness and the Life of communion with God in Christ manageable therein Iude tells us vers 6. what befel them hereupon The angels which kept not their first estate but left their own habitation or head Christ choosing their distinct opposite Luciferian head the devil and satan are with this their chieftaine reserved in everlasting chaines under darkness unto the judgement of the great day When Lucifer had drawn to himself and engaged a numerous party of angels with him in his apostacy by attempting to assert maintain and exalt the lesser natural glory of the first creation into a competition with yea a preference and opposition to the new-creature state of Life and glory in the second which excels his next business was to seduce our first Parents and in them all their posterity into the same opposition to new-creature Life and Glory the true mystical Sabbath state THE SAINTS EVERLASTING REST. This most desireable Rest is attainable only by our being made willing to enter into a conformity with Christ in his death through a surrender of the single and ruling activity of our first-creation principles at their best and giving up our selves wholly into a pure subjection to what we meet with that 's more excellent in the second Angels fell more knowingly than man who was lower than they in understanding and strength and therefore irrecoverably Man fell somewhat ignorantly as over-reached through the woman his weaker part by the beguiling insinuations of the Serpent so he and his are again set upon their feet in some degree or other by the mighty Redeemer to try them over again in their own persons how they will â—eâ—ean themselves in this great fundamental point about yeilding to the tearms of a transition out of the corruptible state of the life glory and righteousness of their first-creation the house upon the sand into the incorruptible and unchangable life glory and righteousness of the second the house founded upon the rock Christ in spirit So The soul that sinneth again after the similitude of Adams first transgression after all fair warning it shall die for its own personal transgression and not for the fathers having eaten sower grapes Ezek. 18. 1 4. In order to this new creation Christ in the single or double portion of his spirit is given forth received and owned by the sons of men either in the unchangable spiritualized state of his natural manhood or also in the more exalted capacity of his spiritual each of which gifts do baptize and transform the corruptible state of their natural man into an incorruptible life and unchangable union with the natural or spiritual man in Christ's person by the new and everlasting Covenant established in all thinâ—â— and sure The twofold creature-nature in Christ's person as the former and inferiour is transformed and brought forth by the latter and more excellent into an unchangable state of Life and union therewith is called the WORD of God that abides for ever in them that receive it the spirit of God Christ in spirit the Son of man in heaven Joh. 3. 13. that overshadowed the Virgin and formed for himself a fleshly tabernacle in her womb The clothing of himself herewith for the Redemption of man was a greater condescention than his actual coming forth in the Life and capacity of the first-born of every creature for the Creation of the World Redemption is a greater work than Creation and requires greater condescention in the undertaker As first-born of every creature he was in a superiority of headship to all the angels as the works of his hands therein the highest ranck of meer created Beings in the first world But when this WORD which was God and the twofold original spring of all creaturely life and perfection also was made flesh took on him the particular nature of man not angels he became little lower than the angels for a season Heb. 2. 7. and 16. and not onely so but was content also to suffer the visage of this flesh to be marred more than any man and to be humbled and abased therein even to the death upon the Cross Esay 52. 13 14. and Chap. 53. The creature-nature in Christ is so enfolded together and hypostatically united with his purely divine form that it receives the denomination from that supream form of all He is therefore called Michael Gods equal and the man his fellow Zech. 13. 7. The whole person of Christ as comprehending all fulness of perfection creaturely or divine is very God But the persons of men and angels that are brought into an everlasting union and association with Christ in one or both of his creature forms are not God nor Christ. For the highest denominating form in their personal constitution is but creaturely yet spiritual and divine in distinction from the natural corruptible form of men or angels received at their first creation The everlasting security of elect angels and men lies in their inseparable union with their head the Mediator in whom alone both creature capacities are in personal union with God The exalted creature nature in Christ is divine altogether lovely Cant. 5. 16. the true Vine Iohn 15. 1. that cheareth the heart of God and man as in Iotham's parable Iudg. 9. 13. It is the Spirit of God the immediate womb parent fountain-head of all new-creation life and principles in men or angels by the fire-baptisme An inferior work to this is also thereby performed upon and in the sons of men to wit all that gradual revival of rational light life in the moral heathen or legal Christian that is very obvious and familiar to observation all the world over The legal Christian experiences such an operative actuating influence from this spirit as revives enlightens cleanses renews restores him to some good measure of first-creation Life righteousness As for the flawes deficiencies yet incident to his personal operations God imputes to him or puts upon him that perfect righteousness of the Law called Gods comeliness Ezek. 16. 14. which Christ himself performed and had in his fleshly manhood rendring it applicable to men through the merit of his death therein This whole work of Christ in men inwardly washing sanctifying them by his blood as also justifying them by the imputation of the perfect righteousness of the law to them from his own person amounts but to their practical and experimental knowledge of him after the flesh 2 Cor. 5. 16. and a prospering onely into that Kingdom
are hot about the outward circumstances of worship time place and the like Christ reproves them in his answer to the woman of Samaria at Iacobs Well Neither in this Mountain nor at Ierusalem shall ye worship the Father but in spirit and truth Joh. 4. 23. Neither in this Form nor that but excluded out of all Synagogues has the true Church and Spouse of Christ been worshipping God this twelve hundred Years and upwards in her mourning persecuted wilderness-condition out of which she is shortly to appear and speak for her self By this Sufferers reckoning the time times and half a time or three years and a half are very near expired those forty two moneths and one thousand two hundred and sixty days prophetical for years all which do character and point out the same Epocha in Daniel and the Revelation for the Churches abode in the Wilderness from the time of her flight mentioned Rev. 12. 6. She will very shortly be called up out of the wilderness by the name of Shulamite which comes from the same word that Solomon and Salem do signifying Peace This true peaceable Pilgrim and Spouse of Christ that in her Life and Testimony hath been so disgustful to this world out of which she is chosen as to be reputed by all the Inhabitants of the earth a wrangling Heretick a Blasphemer and one that turns the World upside down will shortly come up out af her political grave or exclusion from all authority or allowance in Church and State into the exercise of true Christian Polity in both in association with the holy Angels who with the risen Witnesses will make up the two hosts before whom no opposite power of contradicting man wil be able to bear up See for this Cant. 6. 13. Return return O Shulamite return return that we may look upon thee What will ye see in the Shulamite as it were the company or dance of two Armies Mahanaim relating to Iacobs two hosts of Angels and Men when he was to meet Esau Gen. 32. 1 2. and importing the victory these two obtain over all their enemies as also their dance or triumphant rejoycing after the victory And all this yet amounts but to the preparatory work for the second coming of Christ by plucking up every thing that offends so as at last there may be nothing to hurt in all the holy mountain Mat. 13. 41. Esay 11. 9. But how shall the risen Witnesses handle their enemies when spirited and set upon their feet as a Nation born at once and in one day Esay 66. 8. Rev. 11. 11. 'T is answered fire shall proceed out of their mouth to devour any that would hurt them and in this manner must they be killed that is at the desire of the believing risen witnesses angels that are a flaming fire Psal. 104. 4. will destroy any men that oppose them Fire goes out of the saints mouth that is by prayer to God on which the angels are commissioned to do execution immediately and irresistibly without more ado Thus fire went out of Elias his mouth to devour the two Captains and their fifties Angels were the executioners 2 King 1. 9 12. Those acts of Elias were but Types and shadows of what will be done in the end of the world at the winding up of all dispensations towards the highest even the personal coming forth of Christ with all his New-Ierusalem Armies following him Rev. 19. 14. As to what will be performed by the risen Witnesses relation is had to Elias and to Moses Rev. 11. 6. Where 't is said They shall have power as Elias had to shut heaven that it rain not and to smite the earth with Plagues as often as they will as Moses did in Egypt It may appear what work one Angel can make with whole Armies of men a hundred fourescore and five thousand Assyrians were slain by an angel in one night in the Leagure before Ierusalem 2 King 19. 35. But to return from this Contemplaâ—ion of the true New-Ierusalem spirited Church and Spouse of Christ and what she will do when she comes out of the Wilderness consider we a little the general posture of all visible Churches even at this day as this Sufferer hath left it represented to us in writing There are many Churches in the World that make a profession of the Name of Christ under several Forms and Denominations according to the variety of Judgements and Interests of the Rulers Members thereof There is a Church called Catholick or Universal headed by the Pope who pretends to be Christs Vicar There are also National Churches heâ—ded either by a Civil Magistrate as the Church of England or by general Assemblies as the Church of Scotland hath been with other Reformed Churches There are also particular Independant Congregational Churches distinguishing themselves into variety of Sects and diversity of Judgements and Opinions as well about the way and order of the word of matters of worship and the service of God as in what they hold Fundamental in matters of Faith These all make up one Body as to the owning and upholding a Church in some outward visible Form who notwithstanding all their differences and protestings against one another do generally agree together in one mind as to the preferring of the Church in Name Shew and outward Order before what it is in Spirit and Truth as it is the real and living Body of Christ. Hence it is that the true Church indeed the very living real spiritual members of Christ's Body have been for many hundred years a dispersed captivated people under all worldly powers civil or Ecclesiastical and never been suffered to use or enjoy a freedom in their Communion together and the purity of God's Service and Worship but are upon one pretence or other restrained by Humane Lawes and suppressed as Hereticks Schismaticks Fanaticks and such as turn the World upside down while those that have the repute and credit to be the Church or Churches of Christ under some one of the Formes and outward Orders bâ—fore mentioned have the Powers of the World on their side and are contending one with another who shall be uppermost and give the Rule of Conformity in Doctrine Worship and Church Order to all the rest by Compulsion and Persecution But the dayes are now hâ—stening apace wherein the living Members of Christ's Body shall be made manifest in distinction from all those that have the Name to live but are dead Thus in brief you see his Judgement concerning the Church Concerning BAPTISM he writes thus THere are several Baptismes spoken of in the New Testament and the Doctrine concerning them hath been so dark and mysterious that there is little yet extant in the Writings of men concerning the same that carries with it satisfaction There are two general tearms under which all Baptismes mentioned in the New Testament seem to be comprehended that is to say Of Water and of the holy Ghost and Fire Water Baptism is twofold and
course of well-doing without any amazement Sufferings for well-doing patiently born are acceptable with God A quiet rejoycing deportment in sufferings will be to your adversaries an evident token of their Perdition but to you of Salvation and that of God To him that thus overcometh in the Faith and Spirit of Christ the true Abraham he will give to sit with him on his Throne and to inherit all things Let the like Spirit of Faith be in you that was in Abraham and you will never rest till you come into his bosom You will be but pilgrims and strangers here Your eye your heart and expectations will be upon that better Country Such a frame of mind and heart God is so well pleased with that he will not fail to make more rich and full discoveries of himself to you daily for the building and gathering of you up nearer and closer unto himself till he be the whole desire of your soul the only desirable who is altogether lovely Text. I know Abraham sayes God that he will command his Children and houshold c. Obs. 3. Observe hence That it is the duty of every believing Father not only to teach his Children and Family for the keeping them in a good conversation while he is present with them but to leave instructions with them and charge them after him that they may know how to deport themselves both in their inward and outward man when he is gone Thus it was with Abraham He instructed or catechized them as the Original imports laid the foundation for a future growth and progress in the same Faith with him whereby they also might be enabled to communicate it and so lay the like foundation in others and build up one another in the same most holy Faith which charge is also implyed and supposed to have been insisted on and with all earnestness pressed upon them as being unspeakably most carefull and concerned in the propâ—gating of his believing Seed to the worlds end Thus Abraham also as others in like case will have his great personal advantage by the bountiful communicating and instilling the spiritual and heavenly Doctrine of the Gospel into the hearts of as many as he can spreading abroad amongst others the precious savour of that grace of God that he had so plentifully been enriched with and tasted of in his own experiences all-along This heavenly Life and marvellous Light of the Faith of the Son of God is of that nature that the more it is diffused by way of communication unto others the more it encreases in the Dispenser thereof redounding to his advantage as well as theirs that receive it The fruit of his doings Ier. 17. 10. spring up from such foundations of Holiness as by his instruction were ministerially laid The works that naturally flow from that Doctrine follow them after they are gone hence Rev. 14.13 The Church in the Canticles chap. 7. 1. is described by him that best knew her temper to be of this noble princely communicative disposition Freely ye have received freely give sayes Christ and by giving they receive more abundance The fruit of such labours will be reckoned on their account This is a great encouragement for men to abound in the work of the Lord forasmuch as they know that their labour is not in vain in the Lord 1 Cor. 15. 58. Let it be your constant care then to multiply such fruits as may abound to both our accounts in pursuance and imitation of that Faith which by word and deed ye have heard and seen in me all the time that God hath pleased to continue me with you It will be both yours and my great gain if you be careful to glorifie your heavenly Father answerably to the many seasonable instructions directed to you in the Word of the Lord by my Ministry This was Abraham's faith way life and practice who being dead yet speaketh to the whole Family of Faith throughout the whole world unto this day While he was present with his Family he taught them in word and deed by what he said in his Ministry and by what he did in all other holy coversation and godliness First by the things he did as a pattern of Faith Holiness and Sobriety in his conversation and then by what he said in giving daily instructions to them to follow his steps walk honestly as in the day in the Spirit worthy of God by the same Rule they observed him to walk For they ought so to walk even as he walked abiding in his words 1 Joh. 2.6 Thus Abraham's Family had his pattern and instruction in the Faith of God's Elect for their direction while he was conversant amongst them Secondly He gave forth command and instructed them in the Name of the Lord that when he their believing Father should be gone from them into a more exalted state of life to them invisible and undiscernable â—â— to any further personal converse with him in his former way they should be as carefull still as ever to walk in the steps of his Faith bringing forth the fruits thereof unto holiness if not more than ever before while he was with them Christ himself the most true and absolute Father of the Faithful took this course a little before his death gave that large and most admirably significant Instruction to his Disciples recorded in the 13 15 16 and 17. Chapters of Iohn to strengthen and establish their hearts in the present Truth they had been taught and were possessed of whatever hatred persecution or cross blows they should meet with from the world as also to beget in them anâ— assured expectation of his Return to them in a more excellent way of converse than ever they yet experienced On this account he told them that how sad and troubled soever they may be through mistake of his departure and of the sharp and bitter way of it it was expedient even for them as well as for himself that he should go away forasmuch as he would then return to them in a more excellent estate a better Comforter a better Counsellor that would tell them more excellent things things they could not yet bear to the fulfilling of their joy Use. Let me then direct unto you a word of Exhortation by the example of Abraham and Christ himself in my present circumstances in the near approach of my dissolution and parting with you Be not disheartned in the way of the Lord be not discouraged in the way I have gone before you in and am yet going drawing near now to the finishing of my course with joy The God of Heaven hath set his seal to it in my heart that it is the very way of Truth the choicest and best way you can go the way that not only will have the most comfortable close by ending in everlasting joy but that hath also the most solid foundation of inward rejâ—ycing all-along attending it even in this world Though there be sorrow and death to the flesh
in this way there is life and joy in the Spirit The Believer the true spiritual Circumcision rejoyces in Christ Jesus having no confidence in the flâ—sh nor mastering much how iâ— goes with that So he may win Christ and know him in the power of his Resurrection he is willing also to know him in the fellowship of his Sufferings and in being made conformable unto his death There is no other way to the eternal Crown If we suffer with him who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good Confession 1 Tim. 6. 13. we shall also reign with him if we deny Him and his â—ause before men through fear of them that can but kill the body and have no more that they can do he that can destroy both body and soul in Hell will deâ—â— us before the Angels of God Whatever frightful appearance the present tribulations may have this remains sure Light â—â— sown for the Righteous and gladness for the upright in heart My harvest is at hand the season for me to reap the good fruit of the incorruptible seed of eternal life that hath been sown in me many years ago by the good hand of the Lord. I have so much already of that fruit as makes me set very light by the present tribulations that are but for a moment and are not to be compared with the glory that follows I have sown in tears and am now going to reap in joy where all tears shall be wiped away for ever There shall be no more sorrow crying or hearing the voice of the oppressor I charge you therefore be ye followers of me as I am a follower of Christ. Walk in that Faith ye have seen me to walk in and be not dismayed Observe what I now say to you and the Lord will bless you yea you shall be encouraged and commended by him as a choice pattern of obedience unto others like the sons of Ionadab the son of Rechab who were commended for performing the words of their father that he commanded them and were therein propounded as an imitable pattern to the men of Iudah and inhabitants of Ierusalem who did most perversly refuse to obey the Commands of God himself in the Messages he sent to them by the ministry of the Prophets Encline your ear therefore and hearken unto me now in this parâ—ing Instruction Listen to my command and obey the words I speak to you in the Name of the Lord. I charge you to walk in the Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ and that with all steadiness and constancy as not in the least discouraged by what you see now to befal me and other his servants and followers in this evil day The servant is not greater than the Lord. He went this way and hath warned us that through much persecution and tribulation we must strive to enter into the Kingdom of God Walk then in the Spirit and Faith of Abraham in that immutable frame of spirit that feeds upon that which is incorruptible whereby you will be nourished up into eternal life and carried on through all difficulties and oppositions to the compleat full and certain saving of your souls Be bold confident stedfast and undaunted herein though bryaâ—s and thorns be with you and you dwell among Scorpions Be not afraid of their big words or stout looks though they be a 〈◊〉 house Ezek. 2. not 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 of God before their eyes and therefore lifting up themselves 〈…〉 against the Lord of Heaven and practising to destroy the People of the Most High till the Antient of dayes come and set them upon their feet at which time Judgement shall be given to the Saints of the most High and they must possess the Kingdom Who are you then if you live and abide in the Faith of Abraham that you should be afraid of a man that shall die and be made as grâ—â—â— Isa. 51. 12. All the Nations of the World are less than nothing before Him in whom is your help Isa. 40. 17. Stay your selves then upon God in the greatest outward confusions or alterations of Government or Governours that possibly can befall though the Earth be removed and the Mountains be carried into the midst of the Sea Be of good courage take to you the whole Armour of God fight the Battels of the Lord the good fight of Faith and he will make you more than Conquerors Let these dying words of your Father never be forgotten Be strong in the Faith of Abraham He that now speakâ— to you hath for many years proved and tryed what this amounts unto he sees great cause to recommend it to you upon that Experience he hath had of the support and relief it carries with it in all occurrences as also how bold stedfast and comfortable it renders the possessors thereof against all possible affronts contradictions and oppositions of sinners When you can no longer enjoy the bodily or visible Presence of your Father with you live more in the Faith of your Father that he that is my heavenly Father may discover himself more and more to be yours also as you shew your selves more to be his Children which will highly concern you that through the more plentiful commâ—â—â—â— of his grace and spirit amongst you and in you you may be more strengthened with his might and glorious power in your inward man unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness and be able to stand it out in this evil day This is the last opportunity I am like to have of this kind The Lord set my words home upon your hearts Be glad and rejoyce thus to be minded of your duty and charged by meâ— And what greateâ— cause of rejoycing can your Father have than that his Children walk in the Truth See then that you alwayes keep your Consciences void of offence towards God and towards men Hate and decline every unrighteous way and whatever is contrary to the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ. Put one another in mind of these things that your Father thus minds you all of in this his last Charge and Instruction which he leaves with you Provoke one another unto love and good worke Exhort one another so much the more as you see the day approaching Shew forth your Faith in the workings of it by which you may glorifie your Father which is in Heaven Those that believe in God will be careful to maintain good works Tit. 3. 8. Consider what manner of persons it concerns you to be in all holy Conversation and godliness seeing that all these thingsâ— that now are and which ye see are very shortly to be dissolved sooner it may be than you can yet believe even the Heavens and Earth that now are the whole outward face of things in Church and State the world throughout 2 Pet. 3.7.11,12 Live then as those that wait for their masters coming for the new heaven and new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness Live in the pure Spirit of this tried Faith of