man that is of the new-creation frame Their glory wisdom righteousness are but shadows of his and to be done away Their goodness is but a morning cloud and as the early dew it goeth away Hos. 6.4 Their wisdom is comparatively but foolishness and their lesser shadowy glory of the Law or ruling powers of their first-creation state is to be done away as no glory by reason of the glory that excelleth in the spiritual man 2 Cor. 3. 10. Every man at his best estate renewed enlightened gifted man is altogether vanity He was so in his first-creation he is so in his greatest renewal Nothing below the new-creature the spiritual man is exempted from this title in Scripture Vanity is of larger extent than sin Any thing that will vanish that is corruptible and perishable is vanity The whole first-creation is vanity and was sowne in corruption that is was a corruptible not a corrupt thing Angels and Men the choicest flowers in it have withered and corrupted their way before God and so lost that life of communion with God wherein they were created The natural body that 's interpreted to be the first Adam at best with his living soul 1 Cor. 15. 44 45. is but the vile body or inferiour first-creation state of man that is to be transformed into the likeness of Christ's glorious body in the new-creation Phil. 3. 21. How too generally and universally are professors in all variety of form judgement and way lodg'd in a kind of invincible conceitedness that the revival of first-creation principles and life in them towards a conformity with Adam in innocency or Christ in the flesh is the only attainment beyond which they are not concerned to look All this is but the natural or vile body Yet how strangly are men captivated to this day under this embondaging and incorrigible dotage Every thing that they are have see or desire while in this case can be no other than vanity Their wisdom glory righteousness all are vanity vanishing things Men that are vanity love vanity ouâ—ward visible vanities that gratify sense inward vanities that gratify reason Man's reason is vanity How oft have we heard and seen mens reason to vanish before their bodies All the inmost thoughts of mans heart all the more overly imaginations of his fancy all the reasonings and desires springing from both are vanity There is nothing man is or does till he come within the sphere of the spiritual world the new creation but it 's vanity Outward visible Thrones Crownes Scepters great Revenews and all possible flourishing accommodations of bodily life amounts but to the more glittering splendid sort of bruitish vanities and often fall to the share of beasts the vilest most bruitish men Rational parts together with their advance and ornament by acquired and infused humane Learning Arts Sciences excellent Gifts the tongue of Men and Angels these are far choicer and more eligible things than the above mentioned Lordly circumstances of bodily or bruitish Life and yet these all fall within the compass and sphere of vanities vanishing things as sounding brass and tinckling Cymbals Nothing below the very seed of spiritual new-creation Life gets out of the sphere of vanity Those that have all possible outward and inward gallantry too of the natural man or vile body are exhibited to us as to their duration and continuance under the allegory or parable of a green bay tree They may be in great power spreading themselves like a green bay tree but they soon pass away and are not we may seek them while we will their place can no more be â—ound What a stage of the choicer sort of vanities glory righteousness wisdom of man excellent gifts high illuminations dexterity of expression tongues of men and angels has England been these twenty years We have seen a praying Ministry Parliament Army going forth in a way of Righteousness in Covenant with God and no weapon that was formed against them could prosper No Army no Counsel could stand before them All opposition proved a feeble infatuated thing What is all come to They were not stedfast in the Covenant they started aside like a deceitful Bow Their righteousness vanished â—â— a morning cloud an early dew and the bodies of the chief Leaders in that Ministry Parliament and Army are in their graves All is vanished save a few faithful chast-spirited men who for being true to their trust stedfast in their Covenant and undertake have been and are daily delivered up â—s Lambs for the slaughter by their apostatized friends What a Scene of vanities and shadows is this earth at best how little worth minding Things seen things temporal are the things that are not Things eternal things not seen are the onely things that are Man thinks quite otherwise That matters not Did we truly know our selves we might the more easily be perswaded in another sence not to know our selves If we knew but the vanity of our whole first-creation state the goodliness thereof comparatively with what we are capable to be made in the second we would not know our own souls no though we were perfect yet would we despise our life Iob 9.21 All the wisdom righteousness thoughts reasonings imaginations and desires thereof are vanity Did we thorowly know this we would be content to resign all not think our own thoughts speak our own words do our own works find our own pleasures and so enter into the true mystical Sabbath and rest of God in the new creation If we lose the temporary life and righteousness of our first-creation we shall find it again with usury in the eternal Life and everlasting righteousness of the second If not we shall lose it for ever in the eternal or second death If we lose our litteral shadowy Life and Image of God received in the first creation we shall find it again with usury in the mystical substance spirit and truth of the second Then let the letter and figure of Scripture be interpreted into spirit and truth we shall know what to make of it not before Could man be content to be baffled out of himself allegorized out of his first-creation shadow into spirit and truth he would be content Scripture should be so allegorized too out of its letter and shadow into spirit and truth The true allegorizing interpreter of the Scriptures does and must expound them into things not seen things eternal into a sence quite out of the reach and discerning of all the sense and reason in mankind Spiritual things things eternal are discernable onely to the eye of faith the spiritual discerning the hearing ear He only that hath this ear will hear what the spirit saith unto the Churches Heb. 11. 1. Rev. 2. 29. 1 Cor. 2. 14. Men then do seem concerned in this point for the allegorical sence of Scripture leaves them quite at a loss If they will not therefore be content to lose their sense and reason with a full assurance and stedfast perswasion
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
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
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
mention some obscure proposition in the Mathematicks to an unlearned man or at least unversed in his Art He demands a demonstration How do you prove this saies he the other gives an exact demonstration but he through ignorance of the very rudiments and principles of Mathematick learning receives not the demonstration as any satisfactory account of the proposition to him at all He is as far to seek as ever What then where lies the fault In the pretended demonstration he will say He will by no means suspect his capacity The defect lies wholly in his understanding and he laies it all upon the demonstration saies nothing is proved Let a skilful Artist hear the matter he presently grants the demonstration to be as clear as the Sun This may be the case where the subject matter of the discourse is properly within ken to meer natural reason as the suitable and intelligible object thereof How much more difficult is the case with the true spiritual Believer and his Gospel doctrine in case he discourse with one that is confident he wants not for discerning and yet sees nothing at all as he ought to see has no discerning at all of spiritual things or of the spiritual sence reach and significancy of the Scriptures He has no eye at all suited to such matters yet none more confident The true spiritual watchman were as good meet a Bear robb'd of her whelps as talk with such a man about spiritual things He is absolutely unreasonable as to such things that faith only sees Paul prayed to be delivered from such cattel and desired others to pray for him on that account as the most irksome thing in the world Finally brethren pray for us saith he that the word of the Lord may have free course and that we may be delivered from unreasonable men for all men have not Faith 2 Thes. 3. 1 2. He that has not faith or the spiritual discerning is perfectly unreasonable as to spiritual things You were better talk to a tree if he be confident for that will make no noise to trouble you he will Men are still for How do you prove it They never question but they can understand and receive it if rightly evidenced Did not Christ himself speak with evidence as one having authority beyond all the teaching of the Scribes Mat. 7. 29. Yet how was he and his doctrine rejected by the Scribes and generallity of the religious party amongst the Iewes and received only by some poor fishermen and common sinners where was the fault that Christ's doctrine was not received Did not he give the demonstration right how often is it said in Scripture He that has an ear to hear let him hear The grand obstruction to the propagating of the Gospel is the want of the hearing ear Till there be this we speak to deaf men The old serpent has deaf'd and stop'd up their ears that they will not listen to the spiritual charmer charme he never so wisely And what then why then they fall to disputing and cavilling with him How do you prove this and how do you prove that You assert many things but what ground do you shew for all The disputer of this world is set at naught by the Holy Ghost Where is the wise where is the disputer of this World hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world 1 Cor. 1. 20. These disputers are not to be gratified in their way If there be a spiritual discerning spiritual things which carry their own evidence in them need onely to be asserted and prove while you will discourse a whole year together with one in whom is no such discerning he never will own that any thing is proved but holds fast his own conclusions still The way of Christ himself was not to dispute but assert and he that hath an ear to hear saies he let him hear if you will receive it receive it The true believer is to wave those unprofitable janglings by which contentious self-confident men would labour to confound all 1 Tim. 1. The Iewish teachers put this question to Christ himself Art thou the Christ tell us He said unto them if I tell you you will not believe Luk. 22.67 When Christ preach'd how many contradicted and blasphemed was the fault in him Speak who will Paul an Angel from heaven or Christ himself and let the hearing ear be wanting what can be done The very disciples when they were coming down from the Mount where Christ was transfigured before them he lets fall a word about the Resurrection and they are all in a puzzle to think what rising from the dead should mean Why say the Scribes that Elias must first come say they Elias is come saies he and they have done to him what they listed Mark 9.9 13. and Mat. 11.14 speaking of Iohn Baptist. If ye will receive it this is Elias which was for to come The last word of prophesy in the Old Testament pointed at Iohn the immediate preparatory Minister to the publick and general dispensation of the Gospel upon Christ's coming in the flesh Mal. 4. 5 6. If ye will receive it receive it He that hath an ear to hear let him hear that is he that has a spiritual understanding and discerning will take it They did so But what would the disputer of this world have said to him Sir you assert that Iohn Baptist was that Elias but how do you prove it So when the Apostle Iohn saies of false or short-sighted teachers They are of the world therefore the world hears them They They have populous Congregations all the world goes after them and admires this man and the other man But we saies he are of God He that knoweth God heareth us Hereby know we the spirit of truth and the spirit of error 1 Joh. 4. 5 6. Would not the disputer of this world be out of all patience to hear a man assert at this rate and as he reckons prove nothing Let him be what he will this we see is the way of Christ and his Apostles If there be a spiritual ear this doctrine is received if not will any elaborate discourses or demonstrations ever bring to pass that the natural man shall receive the things of God What will become of that Scripture then 1 Cor. 2.14 Demonstrate while you will if there be not the â—ight reception the hearing ear all 's a case you are where you began The vainâ— jangling disputative way of foolish man is not at all to be gratified in the declaration of the mysteries of the kingdom of God Will you yet cavil and dispute O professors will you yet contradict and blaspheme Lo then I turn to the Gentiles My second Word is to you O Gentiles Be wise O Kings be instructed O ye Iudges of the earth Serve the Lord with fear Psal. 2. 10 11. The Signs and Wonders of God are coming thick upon you While it is yet called to day harden not your hearts against
who revealeth his secrets to his servants the Prophets Amos 3. 7. and them that fear him Psal. 25. 14. for the discovering unto Abraham that exemplary vengeance he then resolved to pour out upon Sodom and the neighbouring Cities for their wickedness Abraham by the offering up of Isaac did certainly perform the choicest highest and most acceptable Sacrifice and Service that is required of God or performable by the Faith of Gods Elect. Nothing was so dear to him as the Will of God and God thought nothing too much to give him He must become a great and mighty Nation yea all the Nations of the Earth must be blessed in him Moreover he will not withhold his secret counsels and resolutions from his friend Abraham If he intend to execute his Judgements in the Earth he will unbosom himself to Abraham before-hand and so afford him the opportunity of trying the utmost that may be done by his intercession on behalf of the Generation amongst whom his lot was cast The servant knows not what his Lord is about to do but the Friend the Son all must be discovered to him The Friend will readily do whatsoever the Lord commands Ioh. 15. 14 15. will follow the Lamb whithersoever he goes Rev. 14. 4. therefore is the Lord willing to disclose to him whatsoever he is going about to do The Son that abideth in the house for ever is open-handed free and universal in his love and resignation of all he is or hath unto God and God is as free and open-hearted unto him knowing that he will make a right construction and improvement of his discoveries Observe first then That the life of Faith is the most excellent life and that those therefore that live by Faith in the highest operation of it are of highest esteem with God This is apparant in Abraham's case here before us He was a Believer of the highest rank and therefore the choice Friend of God the Father of the Faithful in whom all Nations are to be blessed He is thought â—it for most intimate bosom familiarity and converse with God 'T was a more excellent operation of the Faith that saves and is Eternal life in the Believer which Abraham did experience and walk in in distinction from â—nd-superiority to the elect Angels and an inferiour â—ort of everlastingly â—aved Men that shall stand about the Throne on which Abraham with others of his more sublimated spirit and higher participations of Christ shall sit as the Bride the Lamb's Wife From the singular notice God here takes of Abraham and the peculiar friendliness â—he shews in revealing to him alone of all mankind his present intendment towards Sodom Observe secondly That â—â— it is the 〈◊〉 so is it the great Priviledge and advantage of Believers highly to value and carefully to improve Divine Discoveries Why did God shew this secret to Abraham more than to 〈◊〉 living but because of the singular good use he knew Abraham woâ—â—â— make of it He knew he would instruct and command his Children and Family after him to keep the way of the Lord and to worship him in Spirit and in Truth though a way by men called Heresie God thinks he can never be open enough to a tryed Believer a known Friend Vse 1. How should this encourage us to give up all our Isaacs to him to do with us and all we are or have whatsoever pleases him How willing should this render us to have our Sacrifices fast bound to the horns of the Altar with the threefold cord of God's love to us man's enmity to us and our love to God Whatever we surrender and part with in obedience to the Will of God we are sure to receive again with Usury to die is gain To lose life is the way to find it eternally A Believer draws forth the choicest communicable Excelleâ—cies and bosom-secrets of Christ. God puts a great value upon every motion of his believing Friends Much tribulation they meâ—e with in this Vale of tears many affronts and cruel mockings from contradictious men yea bonds imprisonments and cruel deathâ— But the Lord stands by them to assist and give them peace in the midst of all to make them stedfast and unmovable in the work of the Lord and in their sufferings for such work He raises in them such ravishments of joy through the manifestation of the glory that follows that they chuse rather to be tortured and flain than to accept of deliverance in order to obtain a better resurrection than their deliverance from prisons and death would amount unto They abide stedfastly with God unto a temporary death and he then sets upon their heads the Crown of eternal life Consider was not Christ the great Captain of our Salvation made perfect through sufferings did not he pass this way to the Crown and must not he that will live godly suffeâ— persecution and through much tribulation enter into the Kingdom of God The Apostle bids us consider Christ who quietly endured such contradiction of sinners against himself lest we be wearied and faint in our minds I am now going through the grace of God to resist man unto blood as knowing that I ought to obey God rather than meâ— I am ready to follow the Lord whithersoever he goes and calls me after him Rest assured of this However dismal and sad the Believers work and condition appears to men God will give besides a holy triumph of rejoycing in the way an expected end an end that will answer and over-answer all the desires and expectations of his soul. Whoever is able throughout to mark the perfect man and to behold â—â—e upright in heart will find that the end of that man is peace such peace and so given not as the world giveth but so as no man can take it from him Objection But what peace is this Believers have Is it not their usual lot here to be delivered into the hands of sinners doth not God permit the men of this world the inhabitants of the earth to trample upon and insult over them yea even to ride over their heads Psal. 66. 12. so that they are forced to lay their bodies as the ground and â—â— the sheet to their oppressors that go over them Isa. 51. 23. Doth he not suffer the Devil by wicked men to proceed further against them for the tryal of their Faith than he had commission to proceed against Job for the tryal of his patience even to the touching and taking away their very lives and that with all manner of lying aggravations contring in this to fix the black and infamous character of the greatest malefactors upon them and then cry Crucifie them crucifie them away with such people from the earth it is not fit they should live any longer Act. 22. 22. Answ. To this I answer Thus Christ himself was served and therefore all this notwithstanding they may have peace Yea they have the only true peace which passeth understanding In the midst of all
THE LIFE AND DEATH OF Sir Henry Vane K t. OR A short Narrative of the main Passages of his Earthly Pilgrimage Together with a true Account of his purely Christian Peaceable Spiritual GOSPEL-PRINCIPLES DOCTRINE LIFE and WAY of WORSHIPPING GOD for which he Suffered Contradiction and Reproach from all sorts of Sinners and at last a violent Death Iune 14. Anno 1662. To which is added His last EXHORTATION to his Children the day before his Death Printed in the Year 1662. The LIFE and DEATH of Sir HENRY VANE Knight Christian Readers PRepare your Faith The ensuing Narrative concerns a person who for his unweariedness in doing well and suffering ill together with the ground and spring of his deportment in both doth in very truth exceed the single reception of humane understanding He was partaker of the Divine Nature 2 Pet. 1. 4. 't is past the skill of humane nature to interpret him His attainments were too big for the tongue of Men and Angels Divine Life must have divine words words which the holy Ghost teacheth to give its own Character All other will be swallowed up of matter He had the New Name which no man knowes but he that hath it A Riddle therefore he was to man in his New Birth Nature Life Principles Ways Actions He was full of Faith and of the holy Ghost Who can expound Sampsons typical Riddle unless he plow with his Heifer The things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God and he that hath it 1 Cor. 2. Can any give a true account of things he hath neither heard nor seen Can any see or hear Spiritual things without Spiritual Senses or have such Senses without Spiritual Life the New Name He was but affected not to be Mystical He sighed after he longed for the manifestation of the Sons of God He desired godliness might put off its mystical dress lay aside its sackcloth that they that are all glorious within Psal. 45. might be so without too they who are the Sons of God might appear to be so 1 Iohn 3. 2. When the seventh Angel begins to sound Time shall be no longer to wit for godliness to be a mystery The mystery of God shall be finished Revel 10. 7. This Angel is ready to come forth Then Godliness will be manifest and triumphant While that is a Mystery Iniquity is so to during which he that will live godly must suffer Persecution 2 Tim. 3. 12. He that departs from evil maketh himself a prey and there is no Iudgement Isa. 59. 15. Men hear of the Divine Life in a disgustful sound of words that lie cross to their designs and hate it It disparages it discountenances the whole Scene of things seen speaking of them as of things that are not What can they think of this that see no other It judges condemns the World the God the Spirit the Religion of this World It spares not the very goodliness of flesh the wisdom the glory the righteousness of Man It declares all to be vanity that man puts value on yea man himself and that at his best estate altogether vanity a goodly flourishing but a corruptible vanishing thing The day Adam sinned he died Lost the life glory wisdom and righteousness he was created in and so his communion with God in such shadowie manifestations and resemblances of divine glory as were suited to the discerning and made up the happiness of that condition 'T is sad tydings to all those whose Life is but of the first-creation-strein lies in things seen to hear that all they have are or aime at is less than nothing and vanity Isa. 40. 17. Who can bear it Yet the design is honest and full of kindness 'T is to rid our hearts of things seen which are temporal and make room in them for things not seen eternal 2 Cor. 4. 18. While the Believers Life is hid with Christ in God and he speaks at this rate of all the visible glory and righteousness of man and much more yet against the shameful apostate and unrighteous state of Man what entertainment is he like to find There are two sorts of Princes in this World that are on horseback by turns he is against them both and goes on foot till his great master come upon his white Horse with his heavenly Armies on the like Rev. 19. 11 14. There are inward and outward Princes of this World Princes over themselves and Princes over others The former have their rational Powers restored into Dominion over their sensual whereby they become workers of righteousness in the renewed Spirit of a man Such Princes reigning as Kings 1 Cor. 4. 8. were some of the Priests Scribes Pharisees and professing Iewes who yea knew not and therefore crucified the Lord of glory 1 Cor. 2. 8. because both in his example and doctrine he gave forth the proper character and discovery of a more excellent way The latter sort of this Worlds Princes are such as do sit upon visible Thrones of Judicature furnished with Crowns Scepters and other pompous Badges of Soveraignty and Dominion over others These are often such as have no Dominion over themselves at all the basest of men Nebuchadnezzar himself the golden head of the four worldly Monarchies Dan. 2. 38. was so and accordingly handled followed not the light of his reason and therefore was turned to graze among the very beasts of the field Dan. 4. 32. The true spiritual watchman of God is to warn both these sorts of Princes and all others the righteous and the wicked the one that he turn not from his righteousness or rather that he seek the righteousness of God in the true regeneration which cannot be turned from The other that he turn from his wickedness and work righteousness Ezek. 18. and Chap. 33. Will men bear this Can he that is a man of a marred visage one in whom the glory wisdom and righteousness of man is daily passing away spoil'd and triumphed over by the cross and spirit of Christ give this twofold witness against these two sorts of Princes and their Nations called Revel 13. two Beasts in all their flourish and ornament of things seen and will they not stone him will they not be ready to tear him in pieces Divine Life together with the Wisdom and Words of it seems such foolishness and is so distastful to man that let the person of the true spiritual watchman be cloathed as David with the outward Pompe of Thrones and visible Scepters this shall not secure him from the ill word of the Judges or from appearing so contemptible as to become the song of drunkards Psal. 69. 12. 'T is the divine Life men chiefly hate and strike at all along from Cain downwards but can hit onely the humane the Woman that brings it forth The natural man of the Saint is persecuted into a desolate wilderness condition but his spiritual part the Man-child is caught up to God and secured from the persecuting Dragon Rev. 12. 5
Synagogues Away with him away with such a fellow from the earth say they it is not fit that he should live Act. 22. .22 We find the Iewish religious party that served Paul thus striking hands with a proâ—ane Interest Act. 17. 5 7. Through envy at the spiritual believers Faith and Testimony they call to their assistance certain Iowa fellows of the baser sort set all the City in an uproar assault the house of Jason dragging him and other brethren before the Rulers of the City and crying These that have turned the World upside down are come hither also and do contrary to the Decrees of Caesar saying there is another King one Iesus This is the charge at all adventures they matter not much for proofes while they can find stones as they served Steven Act. 7. The World is turned upside down indeed But understand how O ye bruitish among the People ye fools when will ye be wise The honest Heathen is soberer than you the legal Christian is soberer than he the spiritual man is the soberest of all and he is reckoned the most disordered He speakes forth the words of greatest truth and soberness The case then is this when the World is in a mad bruitish disordered hurly burly they that attempt to bring righteousness a-floate are accused of turning it up side down Setting all to rights is reckoned the greatest Confusion The Rights of the Kingdom are reckoned the Wrongs of the King and many with whom the true native Rights of an earthly Kingdom will down are ready to startle at and resist the rights of Christs Kingdom in the Spirits and Consciences of men Even they will be ready to say of the Assertors of such Rights that they are no longer fit to live in the World that 's man's judgement The World is no longer worthy of them that 's God's Heb. 11. 38. 'T is plain God and men are of exceeding contrary Judgements concerning the true believer 'T is as plain We must all appear at last before the Iudgement seat of Christ for our final sentence 'T is plain also that we ought to obey God rather than Men Act. 5. 29. And not to be the servants of Men in things pertaining to God 1 Cor. 7. 23. From the cross constitution then which this world is generally found in to all Truth but most of all to the Spiritual and Sublimest sort of Truth it may appear what a hard time a Believer is like to have of it if he stand up for the Cause and Interest of God against the Devil who is called the God of this world 2 Cor. 4. 4. Here is the grand competitor of Christ that struggles for the Soveraignty the great red Dragon Rev. 12. 3. This is he that musters up animates and influences the sons of men to fight against God that he may exalt himself in them above all that is called God 2 Thes. 2. 4. Working in the children of disobedience at his pleasure Ephes. 2. 2. Do you see your General O ye sons of men will ye still fight under his Banner Consider the main Impostures of this self-transformer whereby you are beguiled into his Interest First He seduces your Understanding into this most false perswasision That he is the highest rational Being to whom doth of right belong the Legislative Authority and Supream Magistratical Dominion over the whole earth as God of this World under whose influence and dictates all earthly Thrones and Benches of Judicature ought to proceed in judgement Under this pretended and assumed Title of the highest rational Being he expects to be owned and submitted to as requiring no allegiance or obedience from his Subjects upon any other tearms than as he approves himself to their Consciences to mannage his Government exactly according to the Principles of humane Nature and Rules of right Reason Secondly He assumes and challenges to himself the Authority of the highest Spirit of Truth boasting himself as the infallible Teacher and Guide in matters of Faith and divine Worship in all things pertaining to the good and salvation of Souls Having thus assumed to himself these two grand prerogatives of Christ's Crown as the Supream Head not under but above Christ himself yea in direct contradiction to him in all Causes and over all persons as well Ecclesiastical as Civil 't is obvious to imagine what Titles Christ and his followers are like to have from this Dragon and his First They will boldly and openly assert that that which is indeâ—â— the spirit of Christ in him and his is an irrational Fanatick spirit destructive to all natural Order and good Government in humane Society Secondly That it is a deceitful deluding Spirit destructive to all sound Doctrine divine Institutions Church Order and Rule In these four things this grand Antichrist is the liar that denies Iesus to be the Christ. Under which Generals are comprehended multitudes of Particulars in his skilful methods of delusion needless here to be enumerated He that hath once gained these four points in the generallity of men will easily out-vote and cry down Christ and his for Blasphemers and Disturbers of mankind and accordingly handle them He prevailed even with the learned Religious Jewes to serve Christ thus Yea he attempted to seduce Christ himself to his party to own him for God fall down and worship him Christ refuses He therefore steers another course sets the Jewes upon it to call him Blasphemer and say he hath a Devil This is one step towards the accomplishing of his design when he hath once engaged men to say of Christ and his followers that they are Blaspemers and Devils he that thus makes them liars will make them Murtherers too they will soon cry Crucifie them Crucifie them right or wrong Away with them from the earth it is not fit that they should live Christ hath told us these things before hand Joh. 15. and Chap. 16. 1 and 4. that we should not be offended or surprised when they really come upon us If they have done these things to the green tree what will they do to the dry Luke 23. 31. The Servant is not greater than his Lord Joh. 15. 20. If the Master be called Beelzebub how much more shall they call them of his houshold Matth. 10. 25. Satans followers have the start of Christ's for number they out-vote them clear He ha's four hundred lying Prophets against one true 1 Kings 22. 6. and vers 20 23. I suppose you may discern by this time whether this Sufferer or his Enemies were in the fault that he was reckoned a man of Contention But peradventure this may yet grow clearer by considering his Principles He spake much of Principles What meant he Some Fundamental Truths worded and propounded in a Book as Perkins his Six Principles or the like He meant inward ruling Principles or Springs of Life and operation in men By taking a little freedom in handling this Point I shall give you aim at his Principle in its
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
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
by the variety of figurative light in the outward visible creation Christ is called The Sun of Righteousness Mal. 4. 2. Angels Stars Job 38. 7. And the Spirit of Man The candle of the Lord Prov. 20. 27. To wind up all then and secure our selves from the mistake of the German Divinity The servants that stand about the Throne are not the Bride that sits upon it The Bride is not the Bridegroom The Bridegrom himself in whatever creature-state he is married to men or angels by the new and everlasting Covenant is yet but as the Bride to himself in his purely divine form and as so yet he is not the Father but as the Bride of the God-head the express character or personallity of all the three as Image of the invisible God The Bride the Lambs Wife Angels or Men are all gathered up into one common Interest all do live in the beatifical Vision and enjoyment of God in Christ in their several intellectual distances ranks and capacities and may all be said to partake of the divine nature But more peculiarly next to the living creature that is under the God of Israel in personal union with God Ezek. 10. 20. the â—uperiour and more excellent sort of Saints are partakers thereof being actually brought forth in the highest kind of creature capacity that is next to the purely divine form See all summ'd up together Heb. 12. 22 24. Ye are come unto Mount Sion and unto the City of the living God the heavenly Ierusalem and to an innumerable company of Angels to the general Assembly and Church of the first-born which are written in heaven to God the Iudge of all and to the spirits of just Men made perfect and to Iesus the Mediator of the New Covenant Here we have a distinct expression of the heavenly Orders 1. An innumerable company of Angels and spirits of just Men made perfect 2. The general Assembly and Church of the first-born that have the double portâ—on of the Spirit 3. Iesus the Mediator of the new Covenant 4. God 〈◊〉 Iudge of all Will any now say What signifies this prolixe Discourse of Principles to the present undertake 'T is answered Much every way in case what hath been said be true and intelligibly expressed For it most exactly suits with what is engaged for in the Title Page He lived in the Spirit and walked in the Spirit Gal. 5. 25. 'T is this Life hid with Christ in God I principally intend the character of the Life of Faith which now with him is turn'd to sight being absent from the Body and at home with the Lord 2 Cor. 5. 6 7. This Life is no way explicable but by considering his Gospel Principles Doctrine and Way of Worshipping God in spirit and truth And what signifie all his publick and outward actings in Church or state but as issuing from and reducible to this his new-creature Life and the Principles thereof This discourse therefore is principally directed to Christian Readers who are furnished with the spiritual discerning of Faith which can take in the evidence and demonstration of things not seen to any other eye in man things eternal Heb. 11. 1. 2 Cor. 4. 18. This Pilgrim quitted the broad way that leads to destruction and took the narrow path that leadeth unto Life which few there be that find Mat. 7. 14. His lot was to be upon the earth while the Church was in her Wilderness condition in her sackcloth Briars and Thornes were with him all along he dwelt among Scorpions Ezek. 2. 6. Many archers shot at him they did shoot forth their arrows even bitter words they smote him with the tongue and at length with the hand but his Bow abode in strength his Armes were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Iacob Gen. 49. 23 24. His enemies encouraged themselves in an evil matter they communed of laying snares privily that they might shoot at him in secret their teeth were spears and arrows they did whet their tongue like a sword to wound him But God shall shoot at them with an arrow suddenly shall they be wounded Psal. 64. and 57. 4. He will whet his sword and ordain his arrows against the Persecutors Psal. 7. 12 13. But where may it appear that this sufferer was of the opinion that there are two distinct sorts of everlastingly saved men In his general Epistle to the Church of Christ upon earth which is like to be exposed to publick view before this Not long before his death I received express notice in a Letter concerning these two Witnesses of Christ both of them coming forth in the self-evidencing power and demonstration of the single or donble portion of his spirit He took rise for his conceptions herein from such irradiations of divine glory as he received in the contemplation of these following Scriptures with many others First Revel 11. 18. The Nations were angry thy wrath is come and â—he time wherein thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the Prophets and to the Saints and to them that fear thy Name small and great There is said he intended here by the holy Ghost a considerable difference between those called Christs servants the prophets and the rest that are named saints all being such as are said to fear God's Name great or small and are declared to be objects of Christs reward who hath one kind of reward for the prophet and another for righteous men saints just men made perfect These as faithful servants are to abide in the house for ever friends to the Bridegroom that rejoyce at hearing of his second voice which they have but at second hand through the Bride But those more excellent sort of servants the prophets that are the very Bride they have their peculiar priviledge above the other personally to possesse the Bridegroom as his Name is the WORD of God a Name Rev. 19. 12 13. which no man knows nor angel but he himself and they to whom the Son will reveal it In this sence is that to be understood which is testified by Christ himself Luk. 10 22. No man knowes who the Son is but the Father and who the Father is but the Son and he or they to whom the Son will reveal him This is the Name that Christ â—y inheritance hath obtained more excellent than the Angels the Name above every Name that at the manifestation thereof every knee should bow and tongue confess to the glory of God the Father After this Name it was Iacob was so inquisitive Gen. 32. 29. saying tell me I pray thee thy Name And he came afterwards to understand it was the face of God or sight of God face to face in his very similitude which it is not permitted in so ful and intimate a manner for every saint to have Upon this Iacob's name was changed to Israel and he became a Prince or chief prevailer with God and with Man Agreeable to this distinction does the Prophet Esay describe
so also the Baptism of the holy Ghost There is a figurative outward Water Baptism and a real or inward In the first sense it is an Institution which doth appoint the outward man to be washed in Water thereby to signifie the proper effect and operation of that washing with Water by the Word which causes a renovation or restauration of man by his repentance from dead workes and return to the service of the living God in amendment of Life By this inward Baptism and real work of the Spirit on the hearts of men they are but cleansed from the filthiness and pollution of their corrupted Nature not regenerated and altered from their first make and constitution that is attended with instability and liableness to apostacy ` There is also a twofold outward Water Baptism mentioned 1. Iohn's Water Baptism which was the onely outward sign that accompanied his Ministry the Ordinance of that time and season to prepare the way for Christ's coming in the flesh and to signify the proper effect which his first appearance as God manifested in flesh was to have upon the hearts and natures of men consisting chiefly in these two particulars Repentance from dead Works and Amendment of Life 2. The second outward Water Baptism was that which Christ himself instituted and committed to his disciples in his Life time as the outward sign that was to accompany their first ministry when he employed them much in the same nature as Iohn was sending them before his face as labourers into the harvest to all places whither he himself afterwards intended to come Both these Administrations had their Known Administrators and were dispensations proper to that season they were ordained in to prepare the minds of People to receive Christ in his first appearance or coming in the flesh and the fruits flowing there-from in amendment of Life The inward or real Water Baptism consisting in the washing of man's nature by the Word unto Repentance and Amendment of Life is capable of being administred three wayes or by a threefold hand 1. By the Ministry Hand or Tongue of Men as by Iohn Baptist through the preaching of the written Word 2. By the Word as spoken by Angels whereby inward abilities and dispositions are wrought in the minds of men in some sort answerable to what is required by the Law of the first Covenant Thus the Law is given by the disposition of Angels 3. By the Word as spoken by the Son himself in his first appearance Heb. 1. 2. which is yet but the preparatory work to the Baptism of the holy Ghost and of Fire The Baptism of the holy Ghost is either a Baptism of Gifts onely or also of Fire 1. The first is that wherewith the earthly man is capable to be Baptized through the pouring out of the Gifts of the holy Ghost 2 The second is that whereby the natural or earthly man is Baptized into conformity with Christ in his death and is made to grow up into the incorruptible form of heavenly manhood Of these four Baptisms The two Water Baptisms have served their season and are gone off the Stage The single Baptism of Gifts or first Baptism of the holy Ghost hath been of late somewhat remarkable amongst us and the Baptism of the holy Ghost and of Fire is hastening upon us as a general dispensation wherein the Vision of God will be so plain that he that runs may read it The declining of the two Water Baptisms deprives not the Saints of these times of the true use of that Ordinance which is kept up in the third and comprehends all that is now useful in the other two in a more heavenly and Spiritual way leading us yet forward to the end they all aim at which is the very thing it self contained in the fourth and last Baptism that of Fire So much in brief of his Judgement as to Baptisms He was for Breaking of Bread in a way of Christian communion and any other useful Observations could he have found them practicable in the Primitive Apostolical purity spirit and way which what hopes he had of in any visible Form allowed by man while the true Church is in the Wilderness cannot be difficult to conjecture Such Meetings as he found to approach nearest to the Apostolical Order as to liberty of Prophesying one by one c. 1 Cor. 14. 31. he most approved and frequented Concerning the SABBATH HE accounted the Iewish Sabbath Ceremonious and Temporary ending upon the coming of the Son of man who was Lord of the Sabbath day Mat. 12. 8. And if he had thought that which is commonly observed in the room thereof to be rather a Magistratical Institution among Christians in imitation of the Iewish then that which hath any clear appointment in the Gospel the Apostle would not have him judged for it One man saies he esteems one day above another another esteemeth every day alike Let every man be fully perswaded in his own mind He that regardeth a day regardeth it unto the Lord and he that regardeth not the day to the Lord he doth not regard it Rom. 14. 5 6. This I can say he usually took the opportunity of spending more time in exercise and prayer in his family or other Christian Meetings on that day than on any other And will any yet say he was a Sabbath breaker If they do see what company we may find for him under that imputation Iohn 9. 16. The Pharisees said this man is not of God because he keepeth not the Sabbath day So Ioh. 5. 16. The Iewes did peâ—secute Iesus and sought to slay him for curing the impotent man at the Poole of Beâ—hesdaâ— and bidding him take up his bed and walk on the Sabbath day Yea with this they joyn another sad charge as they reckon that he had not onely broken the Sabbath but said also that God was his Father therefore they sought the more to kill him vers 18. And John 19. 7. They answer Pilate we have a Law and by our Law he ought to die because he made himself the Son of God What strange work do the Sons of Men make with the Sons of God with the spirit wisdom righteousness glory and kingdom of God It was the religious professing Iew that Crucified Christ and persecuted Paul where ever he came Pilate the Roman Magistrate would have acquitted Christ and Paul rather appeals to Caesar's Judgement seat than appear before the Iewish Consistory Act. 25. The true spiritual Sabbath is to be continually kept as it is charactered by Esay Chap. 58. 13. consisting in aâ—câ—ssation from the single activity thoughts words and ways of our spirit which is but letter and in the performance of all duty by power of the communicated spirit of the new creation springing up in us which alone is worshipping God in spirit and in truth after his own heart He was for taking all opportunities of assembling our selves together to instruct and exhort one another and so much
the more as we see the day approaching Heb. 10. 25. Looking for and hasting unto the comming of that day of God wherein the Heavens will be dissolved and the Elements will melt with fervent heat 2 Pet. 3. 12. He was such a right spirited Latitudinarian as Paul was 1 Cor. 9. 20. became all things to all men that by all means he might save some He was against the exercise of a coercive Magistratical power in Religion and Worship and for the single Rule Power and Authority that Christ himself claimes as his peculiar prerogative in and over the hearts and consciences of all men How grosly inconcinnous must it needs appear even to the common reason of all mankind that such as take upon them to be Magistrates and Rulers whether the People will or no as it often falls out yea or though freely chosen should give the Rule to all others Consciences in point of Religion when they many times have no Religion at all in themselves nor any other Conscience but a dead or feared one hardened in the most brutish vilenesses that the basest of men can be guilty of But if the Magistrate do plausibly pretend to something of Religion what a changâ—ble thing will Religion be at this rate as â—ickle as the Magistrates Judgement at least as his person for the next Ruler may be of another perswasion as this Nation hath experienced off and on between Popery and the Protestant profession in Hen. 8. Ed. 6. and the two Queens Mary and Elizabeth Concerning PREACHING and PRAYER FIrst I ask are all Preaching and Praying amongst those that call themselves Christians Ordinances and Institutions of Christ Then the Popist Mass and Jesuites and Friers Sermons are his Ordinances The Ordinances of Christ are to be distinguished from all counterfeit imitations of them by the spirit and way of performance and by the matter that 's delivered as carrying its own evidence in the Consciences of the hearers to be the very truth of God 1 Cor. 14. 25. 2 Cor. 4. 2. and 5. 11. Satan will be found at last to have had the greatest hand in all such Ordinances Praying Preaching and what ever else that for spirit manner and matter are performed in a way of enmity and contradiction to the true spiritual believer and his more excellent way The usual practise of this Sufferer was to spend an hour or two every evening with his Family or any other that were Providentially there and as much both morning and evening on the first day He was of that truly bounteous princely communicative spirit noted in the Spouse Cant. 7. 1. Rich in good works ready to distribute willing to communicate 1 Tim. 6. 18. â—to make manifest the savour of the knowledge of Christ that himself had deep and large experience of in every place 2 Cor. 2. 14. His gravity purity and chastness of spirit was very exemplary He held out in the midest of all the late Apostacies and Changes He was stedfast and unmovable alwayes abounding in the work of the Lord and his labour was not in vainâ— as he well knew 1 Cor. â—5 51. So assiduous was he in continual searching of the Scriptures waiting upon the Lord in Faith and Prayer for more full discoveries of his mind therein that it was faid of him Put him where you will if he may have but a Bible he is well enough as Iansen of whom the Iansenists in France reckoned himself with Austin But what can be said for his Allegorizing the Scriptures Here 's another Branch of this Sufferers Charge from men wherein he shares with the learned Origen The Charge against Allegorists usually runs at this rate That by Allegorizing the Scriptures they carry them quite out of their native significancy and intendment wresting and forcing all to their own purpose and conceit and so frame Divinity Romances what Conclusions and Bodies of discourse they please To this miscarriage men of the most â—oaring curious and searching capacities are reputed most liable Jesuite masked Papist no title is thought bad enough for such men by their ignorant adversaries in their blind zeal We have but fragments of Origen that famous Allegorizer and diligent Searcher of the Scriptures and those translated out of Greek into Latin and handed to us by his enemies so that it may seem dubious when we read the small remains of his thousands of Books whether we read the genuine Issues of his Contemplation or the spurious Interpolations of some other man 'T is agreed on all hands by friends and foes that he was a person of more than ordinary tallness in Understanding and that he did fairly offer at a more pertinent disquisition into the whole bulk of intelligibles Divine or Philosophical than was usual And how was he handled what said they of him That he was a temeratious daring Fanatick quitting the plain truths of Scripture and bewildring himself and followers in diabolical Phantasms being perverted through his great learning on which account he was oft persecuted and dragg'd along the streets Concerning Allegories and Allegorizing the Scriptures VVHen one thing is said as Type Letter or significant Figure through which another farther and more excellent thing is meant and to be understood that is an Allegory which he that expounds must Allegorize Whether then there be not as much need of Allegorizing the Scriptures as of understanding them or whether there be any other possible way of interpreting them so as to discover the whole counsel of God therein detect Satans whole mystery of iniquity and render men wise unto Salvation shall appear by and by There are two sorts of Allegories in Scripture perfect and mixt Perfect are purely allusory when all the expressions are naturally suited to the person or thing first spoken of but much more accurately to some more excellent person or thing that is to be understood thereby An Allegory mixt or but partly allusory is when some one of the expressions onely are applicable to the type some inferiour person or thing and some onely to the antitype quite over-reaching and leaving behinde them the natural of historical shadow and pitching singly and expresly on the spiritual and mystical substance the more excellent person or thing that is to be understood Of this sort we find many Allegories in Scripture where Christ is typified and represented by other persons who when they are spoken of in that capacity and intendment some of the expressions outpace the shadow and are not at all applicable save meerly and singly to the very person of the Messiah Thus amongst others Melchizedeck who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the Kings Chederlaomer and the rest is said to be without Father Mother or descent having neither beginning of dayes nor end of Life but made like unto the Son of God a Priest for ever or of the everlasting Order Heb. 7. 1 3. This points us back to Psal. 110. 4. and that yet more backward to Gen. 14. 17. If
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
of this life again when renewed it shall die 'T is a tree twice dead dead first in Adam then after a personal revival dead again by a wilful sinning after the similitude of Adams transgression knowingly refusing the same more excellent life and glory of the new creation that he did by preferring the lesser glory of the first thereunto and so is pluck'd up by the roots and burned Iude 12. 9. Angels and the soules of men are immortal as to being if we mean by immortal everlasting Angels will remain a flame of fire and man will consist of body soul and spirit all the essentials of their first-creation constitution for ever But what then is this their advantage would it not be a great gain to them to lose themselves by annihilation rather than be eternally miserable They are stripped of all righteousness glory comfort deprived of all communion with God and in their single meer naked beings exposed to everlasting punishment in the pouring forth of his fierce wrath and displeasure upon them Mat. 25.46 Does not Christ say of Iudas it had been good for him if he had never been born Mat. 26. 24. 'T is not proper to say that wicked men and angels when under the paines or in the state of eternal death eternal a parte post are immortal but everlasting unless it be proper to say immortal death 10. 'T is observable that which is said 1 Cor. 15. 46. First that which is natural and afterwards that which is spiritual This holds true of the different creature-capacity and form in head and members root and branches in Christ angels and meâ— The natural creature-form in Christ as a peculiar product or emanation from the second of the three that bear witness capacitating him for the creation of the first world and to exhibite the Image of the three that are one to the creatures natural understanding when made is to be considered by us in a priority to that spiritual and more exalted creature form brought forth in Christ by the peculiar operation of the third in the Trinity by which the natural form is baptized into its unchangable state of Life and Union with God By this twofold creature-form in Christ are the three that are one everlastingly exhibited to the view and enjoyment of men and angels in a suitableness to what ever capacity natural or spiritual This is the beatifical vision God gives of himself in Christ. Will any here or any where else in this discourse cry Tautologie 'T is answered once for all the same things are oft said in scripture by several persons yea by the same on several occasions and sometimes scarcely that as is to be seen in the Psalms and Proverbs c. 11. As t is said of the natural and spiritual form in Christ and his members first that which is natural then that which is spiritual so is it said of them in another scripture by way of allegory in Iacob and Esau The elder shall serve the younger Rom. 9. 12. The natural or elder creature-form is to be so handled by the spiritual or younger as to be through the fire-baptism transformed out of its changable capacity and captivated into everlasting subjection to and unchangable harmony with the spiritual This holds true in Christ and his members also The whole rank and order of angels and men that are about the Throne in their incorruptible natural form are as servants to the Bridegroom and Bride that sit upon it in the spiritual The natural form also of Christ and all those peculiar Saints that constitute his heavenly Bride is subject to the spiritual in the same persons 12. These two creature forms natural and spiritual in Christ and his members are resembled to us by the two olive trees candlesticks and two annointed ones that stand before the Lord of the whole earth This may appear by comparing Zech. 4. 11 14. where they are peculiarly applied to Christ with Revel 11.4 where the true Saints that receive this twofold oyl or spiritual anointing with the heavenly name or nature of Christ and thereby become the two Witnesses or Witnesses of his twofold creature-glory and perfection shining forth in their persons are also called the two olive-trees and candlesticks standing before the God of the whole earth 13. Those that are truly anointed with both or either of these names or formes of Christ natural or spiritual by the new and everlasting Covenant are such onely as can most properly be said to assemble or be gathered together in his Name that is in the power and exercise of the new name and nature of Christ communicated to them Mat. 18. 20. Such meetings Christ promises to be in the midst of engages to hear all their prayers and to grant all things whatsoever they ask Iohn 14. 13 14. How can it be otherwise for whatsoever they ask in that spiritual new-creature name in the desire of that new Spirit and Life in them that is born of the will of God Jam. 1. 18. must needs be according to God's will and saies the same Apostle 1 Iohn 5. 14 15. If we ask any thing in or according to his will he heareth us And if we know that he hear us whatsoever we ask we know we have the petitions that we desired of him Meeting in the name of Christ in the fellowship of the spirit in the communion of the holy Ghost Phil. 2. 1. 2 Cor. 13. 14. are all the same thing 14. Christ has excellent gifts to bestow upon the rebellious also Psal. 68. 18. upon a sort of People that for a while are in Covenant with him married to him and made comely through one sort of comeliness from him put upon them Ezek. 16. 14. They are his Children wholly a right seed children that will not lie branches of the true Vine who are yet liable to be turned into the degenerate Plant of a strange Vine unto him Jer. 2. 21. to rebel against and vex his holy spirit so that he may turn to be their enemy Esay 63. 8. 10. This sort of Saints or People of Christ who may again become no people Hos. 1. 9. make up his first-Covenant Spouse resembled by Hagar His Children they are but they stay in the place rest in that state of their first-creation Life and Glory with unwise Ephraim and the foolish Virgins whence the true Children that have the feed of the new and everlasting Covenant-Life in them do break forth into the wisdom glory and righteousness of the new-creation Hos. 13. 13. Those that thus stay in that place or state of Life that is neither God's nor the creatures true Rest will at length set themselves to vex and persecute the spirit of Christ in them that quit that place and state for the more excellent way the true Rest and so as downright enemies to Christ will make use of those very natural parts or spiritual gifts he has bestowed upon them to decry vilifie and persecute him in
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
into an absolute compliance and unchangable harmony with his will Rom. 12.1,2 Crucifie the flesh with the affections and lusts Put off the old man These and many other Scriptures of like import do all together and each of them apart compendiously imply the whole duty of man even all that God requires of him which is to humble himself under the cross of Christ and walk for ever with the Lord. So Psal. 50. 23. whoso offereth praise glorifieth me So the Septuagint render it in Greek In the Hebrew 'tis whoso sacrificeth confession which the Caldee renders whoso slayeth his evil or fleshly concupiscence that is the fleshly or natural mind The renewed mind of man is out a labile wavering corruptible thing This is not onely to be confessed but the confession or thing it self that is confessed thus to be is to be sacrificed and offered up to God by a living active faith If not it will resist the spirit of God refuse his new-creation work seek to save its own life keep it self whole and unbroken and fo will evidence it self in conclusion to be that carnal mind that 's enmity to God and works eternal death to man Rom. 8. 6. To come roundly and freely off with the sacrifice of self in the full Scripture latitude thereof by a thorow self-resignation is the great duty of man and the onely true and acceptable offering of praise to God Truly and substantially to praise God amounts to no less than this offering Le ts not please and delude our selves with a noise a found of words shadowes for things substance truth 28. Know then O vain man that without works thy faith is dead Jam. 2. 20. What works the works of an active saving faith the fruits that flow from the proper spring and principle of new-creature Life in man One great work of this faith is to lay hold on the unchangeable and everlasting righteousness of God in Christ's person Another great work of it is to crucify the fleshly mind or principles of humane nature however renewed so as for ever to disable them either for working sin or righteousnesse in the single first-creation activity or Life thereof A third work of it is to enable man to worship God in spirit and truth and to perform all righteous works towards God and men in a more excellent and acceptable way and with more steadiness and certainty than ever the renewed natural mind with all its ornament and furniture could perform such things Without such a faith and the workings of it it is impossible to please God Heb. 11. 6. Thus by being disabled to perform one tittle of the Law in the single activity of our corruptible though renewed mind we come so to fulfil the whole Law in the continuing and incorruptible principle of new-creature life that against us there is no Law that has any thing to say Gal. 5. 23. Do we then make void the Law through faith God forbid yea we come by this means onely to establish and fullfil the Law Rom. 3. 31. Mat. 5. 17. They that believe in God must be careful to maintain such good works to wit the works of faith Tit. 3. 8. This is the letting our light so shine before men that they may see our good works and glorifie our father which is in heaven Mat. 5. 16. We shew hereby that God's spirit which is set up in man by the new creation is better at working righteousnesse than mans spirit that was set up in him by the first-creation Any works we do as born of God in the new-creation are better on all accounts than what we can do as made of God in the first whatever work is good in the honest Heathen or legal Christian shall be owned and out-done by the spiritual believer in his more excellent principles and way The highest Principles of Life in man include ratifie and out-do all that righteousness that is performable in the lower In such Principles was this Sufferer a worker of righteousness such a worshipper of God as the Father seeks and approves of such a true Son of peace such a peacemaker as hath bin described but reckoned a man of contention for that very reason He was content with Paul to be a fool for Christ despised for Christ the poor and needy man with David As a true Embassador of Christ and minister of the everlasting Gospel he warned and besought the sons of men to consider their own true interest in becoming not onely almost but altogether such as he was except his bonds His Life was not like other mens nor his Ministry His wayes were of another fashion as they reason Wisd. 2. 15. therefore have I writ his Life after another fashion that mens Lives use to be written treating mostly of the principles and course of his hidden Life amongst the sons of God that the sons of men may the better know and consider what manner of man it was they have betrayed persecuted and slain For this read on from vers 15 to 23 of Wisd. 2. which I quote not as Scripture but as a notable character of mens rational conviction and acknowledgements together with their false reasonings and most perverse deductions therefrom in the present case We are esteemed of him as counterfeits or hypocrites he absteineth from our wayes as filthyness He maketh his bâ—ast that God is his Father Let us see if his words be true If he be the Son of God he will help him and deliver him from his enemies Let us examine him with despitefulness and torture that we may know his weekness and prove his patience Let us condemn him with a shameful death for by his own saying he shall be respected Such things they did imagine and were deceived for their own wickedness hath blinded them As for the mysteries of God they knew them not nor discerned the reward of blameless soules Thus not owning any need of an Apology for having been so large in the exposition of his divine Life Principles and Doctrine save onely this that I have spoken these things rather as an instruction to the living than an Apology for the dead I return to the more publick and overt acts of his humane pilgrimage and conversation amongst men having mentioned the private passages thereof in the beginning Would you know his Title in reference to his countrey He was A Common-Wealths-Man That 's a dangerous Name to the Peace and Interest of Tyranny I have lately met with two new State Paradoxes in Print which speak ruine to all that own that Title 1. That the Common-Wealth is not safe while Common-Wealths-Men are alive 2. That the Lawes are not safe while they are alive that every day call for the aid of the Law These Assertions carry with them such an appearance of contradiction to say no more that I am not so much an OEdipus as to unriddle them The Character of this deceased Statesman with whose Principles those two sayings carry little
crime He was stedfast in the Covenant they turned aside like a deceitful Bow The criminous party had the Sword and innocency suffered Even so it is now To omit his rejection and confinement by the Long Parliament after their return to take their Seats afresh in the HOUSE 1659. his last Scene of Sufferings was under the present Powers Under this variety of Persecutors and Persecution he notably experienced the truth of that Apostolical Argument for the Resurrection If in this Life onely we have hope in Christ we are of all men most miserable 1 Cor. 15.19 He took that course in the face of all affronts and contradictions of sinners of one kind or other from first to last which shewed the invincible steaddinesse and chastity of his spirit What he vigorously prosecuted when he was active he ratified and sealed with his blood and all the tendencies thereunto by witnessing a good Confession since he was passive He stood up for the defence of the Lives and Liberties of his Country-men and lost his own Liberty 〈◊〉 Life for his paines As a true lover of his Nation he boldly asserted the Rights thereof at the last push to the faces of those that have sufficiently declared themselves enemies thereunto in condemning him What he could do or suffer more for his Countrey than he did is somewhat difficult to say His two years imprisonment under this power was by meer will and pleasure no particular crime being laid to his charge in direct contradiction to the fundamental Laws and Liberties of Englishmen stated in MAGNA CHARTA Chap. 29. Festus a heathen Judge deemed this unreasonable in Paul's case Act. 25.27 It seemeth to me unreasonable saies he to send one as a Prisoner and not withal to signify the crimes laid against him 'T is against the Law of nature the conscience and common light of Reason in all mankind that any man should be so dealt with For their most injurious underhand-dealing in picking up a charge while he was kept two years close-prisoner and procuring Witnesses against him by threats or promises together with their proceedings about him at the Grand Jury and Kings Bench I do once for all refer you to the Narrative of his Tryal I reserve onely a liberty of speaking something in general as to the difficulty of his circumstances in the tryal and for particulars to lay before you the main passages of the Iews proceedings with Christ trusting them and you together to make the application I take hint for this latter branch of my liberty from one of his occasional speeches recorded in his Tyral Mention being made by a Friend of the cruel proceedings against him Alas said he what a-do they keep to make a poor creature like his Saviour He was an able Common-Wealths-Man and a true Believer two dangerous qualifications to Church and State as this world goes He had remarkable insight in the Politie of the true Common-wealth of Israel the Holy Ierusalem that will shortly come down from God out of Heaven Rev. 21. This gave him no small aime at what he ought to be doing in the Common-wealth of England as preparatory thereunto What was done in the day of small things when the Nation was delivered from its taskmasters was not despicable in its season though a cloud be now drawn over it 'T was a usual saying with himâ— Come what would every thing was upon the right Wheel in the wise contrivement of God for the accomplishing of his righteous designs in the world But considering matters betwixt man and man that expostulation Eccles. 2. 15. Why was Libeâ—â—â—re wiâ—eâ— may seem to be fairly inâ—erpretable into this senceâ— That true wisdom is a great disadvantage to a man in this disordered world where 't is the fashion for lust will and pleasure to bear sway against Scripture Law and Reason Persons of the best rational abilities and most conscience have usually been destroyed in Courts of Judicature so called throughout the world in all times A man of Reason and Conscience called forth to declare his mind cannot afford to gratifie the corrupt humors lusts of men that put good for evil and evil for good light for darkness and darkness for light Esay 5.20 much less become one in spirit and principle with those that so do and then he must die When truth failes and every thing is called by a wrong name good evil and evil good men abhor him that speaketh uprightly they hate him that reproveth in the gate Amos 5. 10. If the foundations be destroyed what can the righteous do Psas. 11. 3. Yea or what can he say when the Soveraignty and infinitely most Supream Legislative power of God and Christ himself is set at naught there 's the mâ—in Foundation gone as to the righteous man's defence amongst his fellow mortals If Judges that have no fear of God before their eyes be on the Bench then long schrowls of I know not what must be formed up and read against the most faithful Patriots and choicest Christians as not having the fear of God before their eyes and sentence accordingly must be pronounced against them by one râ—ful wight or other that 's an enemy to all true Law and right Reason This sort of Cattel have not been wanting in any place or time Queen Iezebel could find them in Iezreel Judges and witnesses of Beliat against Naboth and away goes his Life and she not long after to the Dogs 1 King 21. and 2 King 9. Such Judges as have no fear of God before their eyes what will they stick at All inferiour and subordinate Foundations of the righteous mans safety all the Laws Rights and Liberties of any Nation will signify little with Judges so qualified and fitted to abuse and murder any righteous men that are brought before them See the boldness of the Kings Rulers and People of the earth not onely in slighting but down-right bidding defiance to the Soveraignty of God and Christ Father and Son with the Laws of both Psal. 2. 2 3. The Kings of the Earth set themselves and the Rulers take Counsel together against the Lord and against his Christ there 's their Soveraignty affronted Then they say vers 3. Let us break their bands asunder and cast away their cords from us there are their Lawes rejected Then if the antient fundamental Lawes or Liberties of any Nation be slighted laid aside or pulled up by the roots and mischief established by some new one with this advantage the basest of men may gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous and condemn innocent bloâ—â— Psal. 94. 20 21. If over and beyond all this there be such wicked Judges to be found that neither fear God nor regard that which is the man in man Reason but onely that corrupt State Reason that lies in point blank contradiction thereunto if such be to be found who will venture by their superadditional glosses to stretch a mischievous new Law beyond the proper
The natural man perceiveth not the things of God because they are spiritually discerned Spiritual things are not at all the suitable intelligible objects to the natural understanding But will self-confident man ever suffer this to becom the Question Whether the fault lye in him that he perceives not what is said by the spiritual watchman By no meanes specially if this natural man be renewed cleansed enlightened adorned with excellent gifts and the tongue of men and angels so that he is in one kind wise and strong and honourable in Christ a Prince at working righteousness reigning as a King 1 Cor. 4. 8. You may sooner remove a mountain then get this man so accomplished and qualified once to suffer his understanding and reception of things to be scrupled or questioned as insufficient for these things Then there 's no remedy but if the spiritual believers Testimony be not received the fault must be laid at his door That he daringly asserts many things but clears nothing proves nothing Thus the Pharisees serv'd Christ. Are we blind also Do you think that if you talk'd any thing that has Sence Reason or Scripture in it for its evidence we could not see what 't is you drive at John 9. 40. Let 's consider whether these learned self-confidents with the rest of the Iewish Rabbies were blind or no as to the true reach and significancy of those very Oracles they were generally reputed the onely Interpreters of in Moses and the Prophets Paul being set down in the Iewish Synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia upon intimation from the Rulers thereof to speak a word of exhortation a thing not admitted in our Synagogues insists upon this very point They saies he that dwell at Ierusalem and their Rulers because they knew not Christ nor yet the voices of the Prophets which were read every Sabbath day they have fulfilled them in condemning him And though they found no cause of death in him yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain Act. 13. 27 28. They are said therefore to have done it ignorantly The Princes of this World that is the Iewish Priests Scribes Pharisees c. that were Princes in understanding and at working the righteousness of the Law they yet knew not Christ for had they known him they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory 1 Cor. 2.8 'T was well for them their murdering of him was capable of such an interpretation for this keeps the door yet open for salvation through Christ crucified to be preach'd even to them that crucified him Men and brethren children of the stock of Abraham to you is the word of this salvation sent Act. 13. 26. What a marvellous thing may it seem that the very learned Rulers and onely reputed expounders of the Law and the Prophets should crucifie Christ and in all the circumstances of their proceedings with him fulfil all that was foretold of him in Moses and the Prophets and yet not know all along what they were doing They thought and so our Rabbies think they understand the Scriptures but did they or do we What though men have been reputed famous expounders of the letter of Gospel thirty or forty years together may not they yet be ignorant of Christ in spirit or the Spiritual man and all his concerns and so with great confidence cry him down for a Blasphemer and persecute him No doubt Is not Christ in Spirit and in the approaches of his second coming as like to be decried blasphemed and persecuted by the onely reputed expounders of the Gospel as Christ in the flesh was by the onely reputed expounders of the Law His second coming both in his Saints the true spiritual believer and in his own person is as fairly foretold in the New Testament in reference to his reign as his first coming in the flesh was foretold in the old Testament in reference to his Sufferings And of the two men will be more short of guessing right at the predictions that concern his second coming then those that concerned his first It lies more remote by far in all the circumstances and things of it from humane understanding then the first did Christ makes this dealing of God with men the ground and matter of a solemn thanksgiving to his Father I thank thee O Father Lord of heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes Mat. 11.25 And 1 Cor. 1. 26. Not many wise men after the flesh not many mighty not many noble are called See the self-confident reasonings of the Iewes against the reception of Christ or his Doctrine The Officers that went to apprehend Christ are astonished at his doctrine and durst not lay hands on him What say the Priests and Pharisees that sent them have ye not brought him Oh say they never man spake like this man Then answered the Pharisees are ye also deceived Have any of the Rulers or Pharisees believed on him But this people that knoweth not the Law are cursed He onely deludes a company of poor fishermen and the silly credulous multitude that know nothing Here is their Verdict of Christ. Why should his true followers expect other from the learned Rabbies and onely reputed expositours of Scripture in any succeeding generation amongst whom their lot is cast This is the way of man God's way and his reasonings are quite contrary The poor onely those that are emptied of all their Laodicean riches and self-confidences they are the fitly disposed persons to receive the gospel in God's esteem These are they he puts value on That passage in Acts 13. about the Iews crucifying Christ and not being aware what was the matter though the very Scriptures which they were reckoned the only interpreters of that the world had in it foretold and charactered the birth progress and death of him in all the circumstances thereof I say the serious weighing of this one would think should encline men amidst all the repute they have and please themselves with as to the interpreting of the Scriptures to reflect upon and call themselves in question whether they do yet know any thing at all of them as they ought to know If not then all the question they put to the spiritual believer is still How do you prove it how do you make out this from Scripture They 'l not admit the least scruple but that they can discern it if it be proved They will not suffer it to be questioned whether they have the hearing ear and seeing eye to discern what the spiritual man sayes to the Churches Men that have not this eye and ear and yet reckon they have and will not be beaten out of it the true believer were almost as good speak to stones as them These old foolish kings at knowledge and righteousness in first-covenant principles they will not endure to be admonished or told any thing of new-covenant light and righteousness Eccles. 4. 13. Let a skilful Mathematician