Purgatory cleansing them from all Filth of Flesh and Spirit and God's way of bringing them into the never-sinning Life and everlasting Righteousness of his Spirit of Grace and Truth Man in his own Spirit Will and Way at best has no right Knowledg of the true God or God of this World the Devil or what the Heaven or Hell-part of the eternal World to come amount unto so on he goes in the delusive Pleasures of this Mortal World and Things thereof literal or mystical within the reach of his natural Understanding without any looking after God for his Spiritual Heavenly Eternal New-Covenant Life and Things without which 't is impossible to find the Salvation of Heaven or scape the Damnation of Hell The Death of Man's Spirit at best in but the restor'd first-Covenant Life of the Creature is the only way to find the Life of the Creator in the second The living Soul of the first Adam has nothing but what Death will swallow up into Victory The Life of the quickning Spirit of the second Adam will swallow up all Deaths into Victory 1. Cor. 15. 53 54. The deepest Reason and highest Wisdom of Man in a first-Covenant righteous Life is by Death and total loss thereof the only way to find all again by way of Resurrection the very Reason Wisdom and Righteousness of God in the quickning Spirit of the second Adam Paul obediently parted with all the former for the latter Phil. 3. 6-11 God challenges the Disputers of this World standing up with Confidence in defence of their own Reason and Wisdom to produce their strong Reasons against him and see what all will amount unto Isa. 41. 21. 'T is Man's true Interest and greatest Reason to give up his own Reason and Wisdom for God's Iob was a while at this disputing Trade of Man against God as Elihu charges him Iob 34. 35-37 At this work we find him under the Cross challenging the Almighty to answer his strong Reasons in Self-defence and for his Justification in the Life wherein he had been eminently righteous Iob 19. 6-11 30. 1-10 31.35 When Christ told any that enquir'd after eternal Life the parting with all they have or can do in their own Spirit was necessary to the finding Eternal Life in his away they went and walk'd no more with him Mat. 19. 16-22 Mark 10. 17-22 Luke 10. 25. 18. 18-23 Iohn 6. 66. All Words of Man's Wisdom are without any true Knowledg a darkening the Counsels of God's Wisdom as to Man 's eternal Concerns Iob that had been confident in the former acknowledg'd what God charg'd him with Iob 38. 1 2. when in the latter Iob 42.3 I utter'd that I understood not things too wonderful for me which I knew not so darken'd the Counsel of God by Words without Knowledg He that contends with and reproves the Almighty can he answer it Job 40. 2. CHAP. XV. The Mystery of Cain and Abel Ishmael and Isaac Esau and Jacob. CAin Ishmael and Esau were sad Types of all those that with them follow Satan's whole Counsel in his Mystery of Iniquity preferring the Law-life of the Creature in the first Creation to the Gospel-life of the Creator offer'd by a second Abel Isaac and Iacob were the joyful happy Types and Patterns in their Persons and Principles of those that follow obey and declare the whole Counsel of God in the Mystery and Power of Godliness for the Salvation of Men and preventing their Damnation All fix'd in the former under Satan unchangably hate and persecute the latter In their holy Flesh Righteousness of Man they fight against God's holy Gospel-spirit and Righteousness of God in true spiritual Saints There 's for a time something of the Cain Ishmael and Esau even in Saints not only fighting and warring against the true Abels Isaacs and Iacobs Paul's Case before his Gospel-Conversion Acts 26. 9-11 but also against the Gospel-Spirit and Principle of Life Desire Thought and Action in themselves after This also Paul experienc'd after an eminent Apostolical Gospel-Saint Rom. 7. 15 19. And he warns other Saints to expect the like Civil War and Contests within them between their fleshly and Christ's spiritual Mind in them till Nature in the thinking and desiring Powers thereof their own fallible Understandings and corruptible Wills therein be fully crucified and silenc'd in order to their living and walking in the undisturb'd infallible Understanding and incorruptible Will of Christ's Gospel-Spirit of Grace and Truth Gal. 5. 17. Till this War be over and Victory over the Carnal Mind of Nature at best compleated are Saints to be continually fighting the Battels of the Lord against the Foes of their own House or Hearts the most dangerous Enemies within them tho not more subtle and potent than Enemies without evil Angels and Men till they come to live and walk wholly in the Spirit of God their Gospel-Principle and mean while to strive continually more and more so to walk ver 25. As to Enemies without the highest Rank of Professors in but First-Covenant Principles fix'd there in the restor'd Law-Life and Righteousness of Man with Confidence therein for entring into the Kingdom of God these Cains Ishmaels and Esaus are the fiercest Persecutors of true Gospel-Saints in the partaken of Life of Christ's Heavenly Creature-Spirit of Grace and Truth and verily think they do God Service therein Isa. 66. 5. Iohn 16. 2. So thought Paul once Acts 26. 9-11 Paul singles out the particular History of Isaac and Ishmael in this Point Gal. 4. 22-31 Self-confident First-Covenant Ishmaels mock and scoff at true Spiritual Isaacs all along this World Gen. 21. 9. And even Abraham Father of the Faithful was griev'd and loth to part with his Ishmael ver 11. when Sarah as Figure of the New-Covenant Spirit requir'd it and God in Confirmation of her most just Desire and Advice requir'd the same v. 12. Iohn declares the same thing figur'd in Cain and Abel and in them the murdering Mind of Enmity in a fix'd self-confident first-Covenant visible People of God in holy Flesh Law-Righteousness of Man against an invisible People of God in their Gospel-Life and Righteousness hid with Christ in God Col. 3. 3. Cain slew his Brother because his own Works were evil and his Brother 's righteous 1 John 3. 12. He was of that wicked one born of and in unchangeable Union with the Devil in the first Creation and with him in unchangeable Enmity to God and true Saints in the second Cain's Works in the Law-life of the first in his own Law-Spirit of Works are in Man's Day of Judgment the only good and righteous Works and his Words of Man's Wisdom the only right Words for Salvation and all true Abel's Works and their Words of God's Wisdom in his New-Covenant Gospel-Spirit contemptible and blasphemous Christ himself found this murdering Mind of Cain in the most enlighten'd righteous professing first-Covenant teaching and professing Jews unchangeable Enmity to his Gospel-Spirit and whole
all Gospel-Truths as the greatest Heresies and Blasphemies in the World Christ himself suffer'd himself to be so dealt with by them When Saints declare the Gospel-life and assert that therein only any can ever enter into Heaven or scape the Damnation of Hell they do not deny that any in the corrupt or righteous Life of their own Nature or Spirit can ever come to experience Christ's Gospel-life or enter into his Kingdom but endeavour to be instrumental under Christ for leading them thereinto 2 Tim. 2. 24-26 Quest. Does the Gospel-Doctrine of true Salvation discourage or condemn the Righteousness of Man in the honest moral Heathen walking in a Sutableness to the rational Light of Nature restor'd by Christ in all Mankind as a Light which lighteth every Man that comes into the World John 1. 9. Does it discourage the righteous First-covenant Iew or Christian walking in his higher kind of good Conscience in the restor'd First-covenant Law-life as his Principle owning the imputed Righteousness of Christ there for the compleating him in a First-covenant-Communion with and worshipping of God Consequently does it judg and condemn the moral Heathen or legally righteous First-covenant Iew or Christian for teaching and exhorting others to walk in such Obedience to God as is performable in the said Light of Nature or Life of the Law Answ. Nothing of all this is justly imputable to the right Teaching of the Gospel Moral and legal Righteousness of Man is good for himself and his Fellow-creatures in this World Iob 35. 8. and better in God's Sight than gross Wickedness Injustice vile Affections and brutish Lusts but as to entring into the Kingdom of God in the World to come not at all available Gal. 6. 15. God himself testified of Iob to the Devil that there was none like him in the Earth a perfect upright Man fearing God and eschewing Evil Job 1. 8. The Devil knowing Iob in all this to be rewarded of God as a Debtor to him Rom. 4. 4. for such Righteousness in a Plenty of this World 's temporary good Things replied v. 9 10. Hast thou not bless'd the Work of his Hands and encreas'd his Substance in the Land Take all this away again and see if he curse thee not to thy Face v. 11. God puts it into Satan's Power to be instrumental herein for the Trial of Iob's Patience and carrying on the Work of his Cross upon him in a Conducibleness to his greatest Good His ten Children are kill'd by a great Wind blowing down the House where they were Feasting all his Goods were taken away by wicked Men under the Influence of the Devil Thus far Iob did bear his Trial without sinning or charging God foolishly blessing the Lord that gave him and then took all the said Gifts away again from him Then Satan desires the Liberty of smiting his Body and God grants him a limited Power as to that Then Satan moves his Wife to counsel him to do what himself had said to God Iob 1. 11. Curse God and die Chap. 2. 9. Job rebukes her saying shall we receive Good from God and not Evil In all this did not Iob sin with his Lips Job 2. 5-10 But when he felt the Cross or Death-work of the Spirit of God on his very Spirit as to the Life Wisdom and Righteousness of Man and Satan's permitted working upon him in this Hour and Power of Darkness he was sorely put to his utmost Trial and utter'd many hard Words against God's strange and wonderful Dealings with him reflecting upon his faithful Walking Iob 29. 2. so as not in the least to deserve any such dealing of God with him Iob 3. 19. 1-11 31. 35. He desires that the Almighty would answer him Here 's the Case and Demeanour of the Mirror of Patience next the Lord himself under all Sufferings in our Nature Elihu charges him with multiplying his Words against God Job 34. 37. The Lord himself charges him with darkning Counsel by Words without Knowledg Chap. 38. 1 2. He saw not as yet or understood the unspeakable Advantage of all this strange Dealing of God with him So contended with the Almighty and therein reprov'd God himself Chap. 40. 1 2. He reflected upon his former Condition and flourish in all worldly Prosperity and such an Eminency in Wisdom and Righteousness that when he open'd his Mouth in Counsel Princes refrain'd talking and Nobles held their Peace now Children of Fools abhor'd him made him their Song and By-word not sparing to spit in his Face Iob 29. 9 10. 30. 8-10 He comes at length to abhor himself in such a Change of Life and Mind for the better as to rejoice in seeing all the fading Glory Wisdom and Righteousness of his own Spirit turn'd into Dust and Ashes as the Way of God for experiencing his heavenly Creature-life above all Deaths and his eternal good Things therein the Righteousness and Wisdom of God and his living and working all his Works in God's Spirit of Grace and Truth But in the hundred and forty Years of his Life after all this we hear not a Word of such high Esteem with Men as when eminent in the Wisdom and Righteousness of Man Were the restor'd Life and Righteousness of Man all that God requires of him for entring into his Kingdom Godliness would be no Mystery The Light of Nature in all Men convinces judges and condemns all gross Sins vile Affections and brutish Lusts in all others and themselves also who are guilty thereof And then also Satan would have no Mystery of Iniquity to make use of in his destructive Practisings upon Mankind But for this he has not only all the Wisdom Righteousness and Glory of the First-creation in himself and Men to deceive them by but a permitted Power also to transform all that in himself and Men into the Appearance and Likeness of Christ's Gospel-life and Righteousness of God and by his Ministers amongst Men to dress it up with all Scripture Language and Titles of the very Gospel-Truths of God Regeneration New-Creature and the like So does Satan as the supream mystical Whore of Babylon with his whole Babylonish Party of evil Angels and Men furnish'd with all Glory of the First-creation and counterfeit Appearances also of the Second carry on his Work in the womanish Spirit of Nature against God's manly Spirit of Grace as deck'd and adorn'd with all worldly Glory Pomp and Beauty and having a gilded not golden Cup full of Abominations by which to deceive if possible the very Elect and infallibly all others into everlasting Destruction Even Iohn the peculiarly beloved Disciple an eminent Apostolical Saint marvel'd to see the Pomp and Glory of Satan and his whole Party herein and in all that call'd Mystery Babylon the Great Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth all amounting to a rebellious fixing in the earthly Life of the Creature in unchangeable Enmity to God and the heavenly Creature-life of the Creator offer'd by a
Rewards run on Satan's Side to his reputed Gospel-Divines nothing but Contradiction Reproach and Persecution are the usual Recompence of Christ's true ones in this World under all which they rejoice in the certain Fore-sight of their great Reward in the next Matth. 5. 11 12. Act. 5. 41. Satan offer'd Christ himself all the Kingdoms of this World if he would own him for God and his false Law-Gospel for God's true if not crucify him crucify him says he by the legal-spirited professing Jews Iohn 19. 6. If he or his Followers preach up another Kingdom contrary to mine away with them kill them as Traitors to me and my earthly Cesars under me in but my worldly Life and Principle though under the Name Christian and that of the highest Rank in but First-covenant-Righteousness of Man mystical Infidels as to Christ's New-covenant Gospel-life and Righteousness of God Thus will Matters go while Satan and his Ministers are permitted to transform themselves into the Likeness of Christ and his 2 Cor. 11. 13-15 They carry all before them in this World Christ and his will have all in the next to Eternity CHAP. XIV Concerning the two Covenants first and second THE Life given Angels and Men in their First-creation was the Principle of a First-covenant-communion with and worshipping of God Many Angels and all Mankind in Adam by such Knowledg of God as they had therein by the things that were made glorified him not as God were not thankful for what they had received nor made the right Use thereof in Sacrifice to his Will in order to receive the eternal Gospel-life of their Creator by a new or second Creation the only Principle of a new and everlasting Covenant with him They became vain in their Imaginations professing and owning themselves wise enough to know what was best for themselves to do in their own First-covenant Law-spirit of Works as not needing any other Life or Things for true Happiness in a Second Rom. 1. 19-22 God made Man upright Eccl. 7.29 pure and incorrupt in the First but not incorruptible as in the Second All Mankind are sad experimental Witnesses of this however many of them all along this World deny it with their Mouths The Disputers of this World under Satan's Inspirations seek out many Inventions to defend and maintain their evil Choice and false Confidence in the First as transform'd into the Likeness and disguis'd with all Scripture-Titles belonging to the Second in unchangeable Enmity to God and the Second This greatest Folly as to their eternal Concerns are many guilty of taking great Pains to dispute themselves into everlasting Destruction They decry the New-covenant-life and therein the Wisdom and Righteousness of God which Christ requires all to seek after Mat. 6. 33. and complains that no Man will Rom. 3. 11. while confident in his own fallible Understanding in which he can never make one right Step in the Paths of Life to himself or Peace with God Ier. 10. 23. Prov. 20. 24. Had the First-covenant-life given Man in his First-creation or restor'd by the Redeemer since been faultless or not defective as to his true Blessedness no place should have been sought or appointed of God for a Second by a New-creation Heb. 8. 7. Mens establishing themselves in the First in unchangeable Enmity to God and the Second turns a visible People of God inholy Flesh Righteousness of Man into no People of God at all but a Synagogue of Satan Hos. 1. 9. 2. 2. Revel 3. 9. Yet when so will they confidently under Satan's strong Delusions assert themselves to be the only true Iews or spiritual Israel and Church of God but lie This will they say when in unchangeable Enmity to God and his true Saints Such have been all along this World Haters and Murderers of true Saints Prophets Apostles and Christ himself for the Life and Doctrine of the Second-covenant True Saints under the Inspirations of the Almighty are gradually ceasing from the Labours of their own Law-spirit of Works at best or delighting to seed on the best Fruits brought forth by them therein and to commit their Way to the Lord to work all their Works in them Isa. 26. 12. by his heavenly Creature-spirit of Grace and to feed on such incorruptible spiritual Fruits as are producible by them therein This is the true mystical Fast and Sabbath which he has chosen and requires Men to keep Isa. 58. Man is but a mystical Tree of Good and Evil in his own Spirit Will and Way a mystical Tree of Life in God's All outward literal bodily Fasts and Sabbaths though God's own Appointments and Ordinances to the Jews without this inward mystical Truth of all rendred all their Performances an Abomination to God and themselves a mystical Sodom Isa. 1. 10-15 worse than literal Matth. 11. 23 24. The delighting in and feeding on the best Fruits of our own Spirits in preference to God's is the self-same thing with Eve's Apple and our first Transgression in Adam All First-covenant Life Wisdom Righteousness Works and Fruits of Man's own Law-spirit of Works are to be given up in Sacrifice to God in order to our arriving at the happy Experience of the spiritual heavenly Creature-life Righteousness and Wisdom of God working all our Works in his Spirit of Grace and Truth Iohn 3. 21. and bringing forth right Fruits to him Rom. 7. 4. That the First-Covenant Life given Man in his first Creation was eternal is Satan's Lie carried on all along this World by all manner of Disguises in his evil Angelical Subtlety in opposition to God's Truth in the second The Law was given by Moses to direct to First-Covenant Righteousness of Man in the living Soul of the first Adam but Grace and Truth come by Iesus Christ in the quickning Spirit of the second Iohn 1. 17. 1 Cor. 15. 45. God rewards the Righteousness of Man for a season as a Debt to him Rom. 4. 4. but takes away such Rewards from Saints the inward Comforts of a good Conscience there and sometimes outward also by the permitted Hands of evil Angels and Men to make room in them for his eternal Life and Blessings where all is of Grace both Works and Rewards Iob was a signal Experiencer of both and Paul also with other Saints Phil. 3. 6-11 All that passes in Man's day of judging and Words of his own Wisdom for eternal Life will in God's day of judging be found by all that trust thereto eternal Death All first-Creation Life and Things thereof all Works and Fruits done and brought forth therein will pass for nothing in God's day The Temporary Wrath of God bringing Saints into the lowest Hell in this World from which there is Deliverance Psal. 86.13 is God's way for delivering them from the Wrath and Hell to come which are eternal The Saints Hell in this World as plagu'd and chasten'd all the day long Psal. 73. 14. while Enemies have more than Heart could wish v. 7. is their true