all Experience of man and Warnings from God to the contrary is as Unpardonable as the Devils first sin must be the very way of Salvation What-else or less And then as to the second Adam Let his original Creature-nature or Spirit Set up by himself in Personal Union with his divine From Everlasting Prov. 8. 23. be denied and the very Creation in effect or rather in the cause of it is denied For this Living Creature or all comprehensive Creature-nature under the God of Israel Ezek. 10. 20. and in personal Union with him comprehending in it as a Polished shaft in God's Quiver the very man Christ that in the Fulness of time was made flesh was the very immediate hand by which God Made the Worlds By this Creature-Wisdom and word of God which is called God also were all things made Jo. 1. 1-3 and so by the very man Christ as comprehended therein were made both worlds natural and spiritual in a first and second Creation-workmanship of his passing upon them Heb. 1. 2. Col. 1. 13-16 The same WORD also by which all Angels and men were made was the provided means Mouth or Prophet of God to speak forth the whole Counsel of his Divine Mind to them when made and to Mediate between them and Infinite Divinity which without this Interposing Creature-Vail would have been a Consuming fire to them all This Word is also the Executer as well as Declarer to them of the whole Mind and Will of God from first to last on all Angels and Men as Obediently Submitting to the Methods and Terms of his New-Creating Workmanship or Incorrigibly Rebelling against it He is the 〈◊〉 Roll of Woes to the one the Book of Life and Mercy-Seat to the other in which are Treasured and Sealed up all the distinct Measures and Portions of Wrath for the one amongst the distinct Portions and Measures of Grace and Love for the other Deu. 32. 34 35. This Living Book in which all they do towards God and all God will do towards and with them are exactly Recorded and Registred the Living Stone that bear's and know's all on all hands God's Words to them and theirs to him Jos. 24. 26 27. by way of Covenant will be the Infallible Witness for or against them and Irresistible Executor of the Mind and Will of God towards and upon them all in Everlasting Love or Wrath. See then the case of those that deny any Creature-Nature or Spirit in the Mediatour of elder date then his being made Flesh. And then when in that Fleshy State Crucified they that narrow and consine his Crucisixion only to the Violent Death of his Body and Exclude or take no notice of the Death he put his natural Spirit to as to the Spotless but Changable earthy Law-Life thereof by kindling upon it and Offering it up in the Mystical Fire of his Eternal New-Creature Spirit Luk. 12. 49. Heb. 9. 14. What Conformity to his Death will they Preach If the principal thing he Crucified in himself be denied the principal thing that 's to be Crucified in us will be denied And what then Why then the Subduing the Vile Affections of the Corrupt Spirit of Nature must be Reckon'd Conformity to Christs Death whereas he had no such things in him to Crucifie And then Conformity to him in the but gradually restored Righteous First-Covenant Life of the Law Holy Flesh call it what else we will which he Crucified in himself at best must be reckon'd a State of true Salvation the SAINTS EVERLASTING REST. And then the Counter workings of in part restor'd nature and the Corrupt must pass for Flesh Warring against Spirit and Spirit against Flesh 〈◊〉 5. 17. when indeed all 's but Flesh. Paul when Eminent in Holy Flesh was a fierce Fighter against Christ's Gospel-Spirit Here 's your Divinity and Anti-Gospel Teaching in perfect Contradiction to the declared Methods and Words of God's Wisdom for Salvation in every point Some care is taken to Preach down and Subdue the Brutish Lusts of Litteral Sodom in the Corrupt Spirit of Nature but Mystical Sodomy more criminal then Litteral is Preach'd up for Salvation to wit such establishment in Righteousness as is unchangable enmity to God Gross sins in the dark ignorant corrupt Spirit of nature are cried down but all Mystical Uncleanesses Adulteries Idolatries Thefts Murders Sacriledg c. are preach'd up for Salvation A hard saying What is Truth Said Pilate to Christ not waiting the answer Jo. 18. 38. Christ had told him before-hand that he came into this world to Bear witness to the truth V. 37. What truth That ther 's nothing but vanity or vanishing shadow 's in this World the whole first-creation my Kingdom therefore say's he is not of this World or to be managed in my worldly law-spirit of nature Holy flesh where the Jews would fain have had him own himself a King Jo. 6. 15. but as is Implied of the next and to be manag'd in my new-Creation Spirit of truth All things in the first-Creation state of Angels and men are but vanishing shadows of the truth all Substantial durable Eternal things or truths in the second This is the good confession Negative and Affirmative Christ Witnessed before Pontius 〈◊〉 1 Tim. 6. 〈◊〉 as we find Jo. 18. 36 37. the former Expressed the other Implied in the Word Truth Christ Witnessed or Declared in his Infallible Spirit of Truth that there 's nothing of truth or substance in God's sight nothing unchangably good no Eternal good things or Truths but in the New-Creation State and World in and over which he owned himself a King They that will finally and conclusively be Reigning as Kings in the but worldly restored First-Covenant-Life Holy Flesh as 1 Cor. 4. 8. will be found Pseudo-Fift-Monarchists in direct Hostility to the true Reign of Christ and all true Spiritual Saints in his Holy Gospel-Spirit and so in a Flat contradiction to every tittle of his Gospel-Testimony Christ's witnessed good Confession to Pilate my Kingdom is not of this World gives the dash Solomon Proclaim 's on all First-Creation-Life of Man or Angel with all the things and fruits thereof as Vanities or but perishing Shadows of God's durable New-Creation substances things and truths the Everlasting Life Wisdom and Righteousness of God in his Spirit of Grace and Truth with the Blessed Fruits thereof in Men True Love Joy Peace c. to from and with God and all right Fruits brought forth by them therein unto God All these are Everlasting Incorruptible things the Spiritual Tree Root and Branch Fruits Leaves and all Psal 1. 3. In this Spirit of Truth have Men durable Riches Life Food and Cloathing In this Spirit of the Son only can they rightly Worship the Infinite Divine Spirit or Father He must be Worship'd in Spirit and in Truth in a Spirit of Everlasting Righteousness and Truth All Worshippers in any other Spirit Worship they know not what Jo. 4. 22-24 may be the Devil as God
For he can deceive all Men short of the Spirit of Grace and Truth to Worship him as so above and against God himself 2 Thes. 2. 4. Vers. 2. A time to be Born and a time to Die A time to Plant and a time to pluck up that which is Planted Vers. 3. A time to Kill and a time to Heal a time to break down and a time to Build up Vers. 4. A time to Weep and a time to Laugh A time to Mourn and a time to Dance There 's an appointed time for every Man to be Born in a Fleshly Body which is his personal appearance or Manifestation The Body is an Essential Ingredient into the compleat Constitution of every Man which under all Temporary Vicissitudes Alterations and Changes by Decay's Death and Resurrection remain's for ever the distinguishing part of Man from other Created beings in Heaven and Hell Angels are compleated in their personal Constitution without any such thing as Man's Earthly Body or Life The Spirit of Man before it enters the Body or after departed out of it is not the Compleat Person of a Man For Man consists of Spirit Soul and Body as distinct Essential parts of his being which Paul distinctly Pray's may in Saints be Preserved blameless unto the comming of our Lord Jesus Christ 1 Thes. 5. 23. The whole Spirit of Man Comprehends in its make a Dormant Souly Animalish Life So has a Natural tendency of desire to a Union with its fitly Organized Body in order to bring its Latent Soul or Souly Life into actual Exercise and Operation At the death of the Body this Soul or Souly Life ceases as to exercise lies dormant again in the Spirit as before it's entrance thereinto So till the Resurrection of the whole Man the Spirits even of Just Men made perfect in Spiritual New-Creation Life Act and Converse as pure Intellectual Powers Intuitively after the manner of Angels only Now as there 's a time for the Birth of Man's Body so from the frail materials and constituting Ingredients of it is there an appointed time for its dissolution and so for the Death of the Man by a Seperation of his essential parts This is a truth universally experienc'd and known by all And the like Vicissitudes and Seasons are appointed for other parts of this greater Visible World without Man as well as lesser World the Sum and Abridgment of all within him From the Moment of his Bodily Birth may be Dated the Building Planting Laughing Dancing Rejoycing and Embracing season during the growth and Flourishing State of his Bodily Life When this is at its height Approaches God's appointed Season from the perishing Materials thereof for plucking it up breaking it down and Slaying it This Season is attended with Man's Weeping and Mourning as the Consequents thereof These litteral truths are Experienc'd by Man in the Decay's Gray Hairs Old Age and Death inevitably incident to his body In the declining state thereof is he reduced to a kind of equality with Childhood as debilitated in the exercise of his rational Powers in and by bodily Organs or Instruments Brain Animal spirits c. So if he come to 70 or 80 years his decayed strength affords him little but labour and sorrow Psal. 90. 10. as finding himself to have out-lived the brisk and vigorous exercise of that Reason by which distinguished from brute Beasts In this case 't is man's duty and wisest course to fall in and comply with God's twofold dispensation upon his fleshly body by willingly owning and submitting to the decay's thereof in God's latter demolishing work upon it for pulling it down as well as to be found rejoycing and delighting in his former planting and building up of the same 'T is man's gross folly to struggle and contend for an impossibillity even the keeping up of that which he sees by an inevitable Law of necessity must be laid down He is as sure to die as he was born yea to go strip'd and naked out of the World as he came into it Job 1. 21. God has determined the time for both Death comes as an armed man on man's Body and on all that sort of understanding that 's exercised in and by it There 's no discharg in this War The decay's of it all along from the turning declining point preach the death of it and of that organical Understanding exercised in and by it Come we now to the Mystery of all this All the methods of God's wisdom in his dealings with man's body or bodily life the outward part of his natural man are typical to the like methods and dispensations to his immortal spirit considered in the but mortal first-covenant natural righteous Life thereof planted in it by the first creation A birth life death and buriall are incident to this also as God's appointments to it At the birth of the Body the Spirit or inner natural man is dead as to the mortal first-covenant life of the Law of Works it was at first created in But a fresh birth of or quickning up into this shadowy Life and Image of the Earthy wherein the first Adam was created is offered to all and may be actually received and experienced by all as the common or general salvation if they will The far greater part of mankind refuse to part with the corrupt life of their nature for the righteous And many that receive the righteous as the common salvation Jude 3. from the general Saviour of all men 1 Tim. 4. 10. refuse the special or eternal Salvation receivable only by and in a spiritual Faith This cannot be received without the obedient surrender and death of all received twice from Christ's own hand by his first-creation and general-redemption-workmanship Such death according to the declared methods of God's wisdom must undispensably be yielded to and we become as fools and little Children as to all the restored wisdom life and glory of our own Nature as the undispensable way to our receiving the Life Wisdom and Righteousness of God in his Gospel-spirit of Grace and Image of the Heavenly which alone is Eternal The former is but Reformation-Life in restor'd enliven'd naturals This latter a true Regeneration into spirituals by the Birth of such a new Life in us springing up from the quickned incorruptible seed thereof as plants us together in the likeness of Christ's resurrection on our obedient likness to his death Rom. 6. 5. Nor Angel nor Man had any thing of this Life in the Innocency of both by creation but only as objctivetly presented to their understanding in the Mediator As God at first gave Man that that 's natural and call'd his own offering him that which is spiritual God's own So he first restores something of the first-covenant-Light or also Life that 's natural and after that that 's spiritual Paul when eminent in restored naturals holy flesh by knowledg of or conformity to Christ in the flesh or righteous life of the Law quitted such
16. T. Also he hath set the World in their Heart c. When Men 〈◊〉 six or set up for themselves in their worldly nature and Life of the Law and so set up the World in their Hearts as the only Object of their desire and delight then does God Judicially harden and six them there or set the World in their Hearts And then is their highest Wisdom a Black Darkning Vail upon their Hearts disabling them for ever finding out the Work of God from the beginning of it in the first-creation to the Blessed end of it in the second The God of this World fixing Mens hearts in the love of this World that 's Enmity to God blind's their minds that the light of the Glorious Gospel may not shine into them They see not to the end of that which is abolish'd 2 Cor. 3. 13. So set up for Salvation in that Law-Life that 's to be abolish'd that Glory that 's to be done away v. 7. Fleshly 〈◊〉 t s were not able to behold the spiritual Glory of Moses his true face of Spiritual Saint-ship He therefore put a Vail on it that is came forth in the appearance of the Righteousness of Man or the Law to them They that set up in the Light and Life of the Law for Salvation set up in the Vail Such never see to their comfort the true Face inward Beauty and Spiritual Glory of Moses or other Saints nor the true inward Face or spiritual meaning of any Scripture All Spiritual things or truths in Scripture all spiritual Light Life Wisdom Understanding all things of God in his Saints lie quite out of their sight as meer nothings in their day their Judgment They no more skill or ken them than a Beast the Rational Powers and things of a Man 1 Cor. 2. 11. So they absolutely deny all Gospel things and Truths and positively assert there 's no more excellent Creature-Life or things Man is capable of then what were set up in the first-creation-state of Angel and Man What work will such make at Gospel specially if fixed here and so hardned in unchangable Enmity thereto Thus Christ found the Righteous Scribes Pharisees c. in a Murdering Enmity to the truth that is the Gospel-Spirit and so of their Father the Devil who abode not in that truth or Obedience to the said Gospel-Light in which Created but quitted that his Habitation or first Estate Jo. 8. 44. Jude 6. They that Rebelliously set up this Shadowy World in their Hearts can't receive the Spirit of truth nor words thereof Jo. 14. 17. 1 Cor. 2. 14. They provoke God to give them their desire in Wrath to set up the World in them or them in their worldly law-Law-spirit of Enmity and Death to chuse their Delusions Isai. 66. 4. send them strong delusion that they should believe Stan's Lie and be damn'd because they chose rather to beleeve that than his Spirit of truth 2 Thes. 2. 10-12 So God Christ Themselves and the Devil all concur and center in one point the setting the World in their heart or fixing them in their own worldly spirit but upon very differing accounts Then is their case as desperate as that of the Evil Angels Heb. 10. 26 27. Though yet highly Esteemed of Men as owners yea Ministers of the Gospel are they most abominable to God Mystical Sodomit's the most Criminal Sinners in the whole World By being set or fixed in their worldly Spirit they become wholly Strangers and Enemies to the spirit of the World to come which will be upon them at last in Irresistible Wrath. Vers. XII I know that there is no good in them but for a Man to rejoyce and to do good in his life Solomon at a dear rate had experienc'd that there 's no durable unchangable good to be found in all first-creation Life and most Righteous Actions or things thereof No true Joy or Happiness to be had in this World but by doing what is truly good in God's sight in the Life and Spirit of the next True Godliness or power of 〈◊〉 exerciseable only in the Gospel-spirit of Christ is profitable to all things having the promises of this and the Life to come 1 Tim. 4. 8. that is it comprehend's the promised Spiritual Life of Christ and Comforts thereof in this and the World to come the daily encreasing first Fruits of it here and fulness there Yea also the promises even of this life or worldly things thereof such as 〈◊〉 seek belong to true seekers of the Righteousness of God in 〈◊〉 Kingdom spirit All these shall be added to you say's Christ himself Mat. 6. 31-33 The only right rejoycing in and doing good in its kind with such things of this Life is as receiv'd on the said account and manag'd in the Kingdom-spirit of the World to come Vers. 13. And also that every Man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his Labour it is the gift of God 'T is in the unspeakable gift of God only the spirit of Christ the inmost man of the Saint in the Life hid with Christ in God can feed upon the hidden Manna the divine Glory as vailed by that Spirit of Christ and thereby also unvailed or rendred visible in a sutableness only to 〈◊〉 not natural understanding in Man or Angel The never-perishing Meats and Drinks the Bread and Wine of the Kingdom the divine and creature-glories of God in the Mediator are the things true Saints eat drink feed and live upon enjoy rejoyce and delight in even in the peculiar delights of the Sons of God divine spiritual heavenly substantial things things eternal All this is the comfortable fruit of all their right labours in that Spirit that 's the peculiar gift of God distinct from the natural spirit or state of Life with all the Fruits brought forth by Man's utmost and best labours therein Vers. XIV I know that whatsoever God doth it shall be for ever Nothing can be put to it nor any thing taken from it And God doth it that Men should fear before him Whatever is the immediate Divine Workmanship shall be for ever that is the new-creature Spirit set up by the Divine from everlasting Prov. 8. 23. in personal union with it and also called God that made the worlds Jo. 1. 1-3 Heb. 1. 2. Both Worlds Natural and Spiritual and all in both were comprehended in it and brought forth by it This Fountain creature-Spirit in Christ and Streamings forth of the Living Waters thereof into Saints is of an unchangable nature The Gift thereof to Men or heavenly call of them into The Life thereof is without Repentance Variableness or chang The natural first-covenant principle of life and action set up in Man and Angel by the first-Creation is a Starting Variable Wavering thing Ps. 78. 57. Man breaks that Covenant with God and then God his Promise therein with him Numb 14. 34. Though Men be Children and Spouses to Christ therein Jer. 3. 14.
Madness and Folly and Eat their Flesh as Fire Jam. 5. 1-3 They refuse the kindly kindlings of the Fire of the Spirit or Cross of Christ upon them to eat up their Flesh as Fire eat 's Wood by Consuming it in Sacrifice to God He therefore kindles it in as well as upon them in Final Wrath as a never dying Worm in their Conscience a Fire that never shall be quenched Mark 9. 44. 46. 48. Thus shall Incorrigible Sinners or Fools find that in and about them in which they 'l become Eaters of their own Flesh or fleshly nature without ever such a Consuming it as Annihilation would amount unto the only death they 'l ever seek but never find Vers. VI. Better is a handful with quietness than both the hands full with travel and Vexation of spirit Here 's the opposite state to the mystical Fool. In effect of the same significancy are these words of spiritual counsel from or by Solomon as those of Christ himself Mat. 5. 29 30. 18. 8 9. Mar. 9. 43. 47. The right 〈◊〉 Hand and Foot of Man offend themselves oppose their own true intorest in being offended at the Cross that comes to cut them off and cast them away as dung and loss for a more excellent life and way The best light wisdom or understanding the most righteous practice or walking signified by the right Eye Hand and Foot of Man in his own nature restored by Law-conversion to the first-covenant or first-creation sort of righteous Life Discerning Action and Walking are to be cut off and cast away by the kindly death-work of the Cross or the demolishing crucifying mortifying operation of Christ's heavenly Gospel-spirit upon Man's righteous natural spirit in the said Law-life as Paul found and yielded to Phil. 3. 6 -- 11. He counted and parted with all as loss and dung to win Christ in his spiritual Resurrection-Life So only can any be truly acceptable to God or bring forth fruits unto him in a newness of Life All the former state to be quitted is called in Scripture but oldness of Letter In the best Life thereof Man brings forth fruit but to himself for the enriching and adorning his own deceitful nature not unto God in his Gospel-spirit of Grace and Truth in which only he can be rightly worshipped to his wel-pleasing acceptation and man's true advantage All others worship they know not what Joh. 4. 22 -- 24. They know not what they do or whither they go The divine spirit of the Father can be rightly worshipped in the Gospel-spirit of his Son only All that finally refuse to part with their natural Law-spirit and Life by a holy death under the spiritual Cross never receive or partake of Christ's Gospel-spirit of Life in which only 't is possible to worship God aright or do any thing well in his sight The natural man by Legal conversion made wise strong and honourable in Christ by his first-covenant communications of Life and Light to him hates Christ's Gospel-spirit with all the crucifying work and Cross-doctrine of death upon nature corrupt or righteous as Paul once did Man hates that which he undispensably needs must submit to and pass thorow or never be saved His restor'd natural right Eye Hand Foot must off and be cast away This Man stumbles and is highly offended at He is ready to reckon such doctrin the damnablest 〈◊〉 heresy madness and blasphemy that ever was broach'd or utter'd by man The enlightned professing Jews reckon'd it so when Christ himself preach'd it Yea his very Disciples stumbled sorely at it and took it heavily Mat. 16. 21 22. Mar. 10. 23 -- 26. John 16. 6. 20. Though he Preached his Resurrection in the same breath with his Death Mat. 17. 23. still they were exceeding sorry This would not do no not so much as allay their grief They knew not clearly what he said or meant by Death or by Resurrection Mar. 9. 31 32. and were afraid to ask him What he Preach'd the Death and loss of in himself and them even of a first-covenant Life they somewhat perceived to their sorrow But as to the more excellent Life and Glory he declar'd was to follow to him and them by way of Resurrection out of the Death of their fading this they understood not and so got little or no relief yet by the bare tydings of it But enough when they came to experience it Act. 2. The Cross is a stumbling block to the righteous first-covenant Law-Jew or Gentile under the outward dispensation of Law and Gospel and before either were written by the Pen-men thereof in the Bible and foolishness to the wise Greek with all his moral Righteousness and obedience to the common Light or Law of rational Nature in Mankind 1 Cor. 1. 23. Both these sorts of Wise and Righteous Men bidding at and fondly pleasing themselves with a hope of true Salvation in their several way 's do stand as with Drawn Swords in the Armour of Man on Satan's side to bid defiance to this seemingly Bug-bear Doctrin of the Cross upon all they are Possess'd of and trust in They decry it as the highest Blasphemy and Folly Imaginable They warn others by no means to regard a word of it in Preaching or Books As for the Brutified Immorral Heathens the far greater party of Mankind walking and allowing themselvs in the Abominations of Litteral Sodom Egypt and Babylon hating all Righteousness God's and Man's too Man 's in Moral Heathenism or legal Christianity they little regard the Doctrin of the Cross on one or ' tother The hopeful Party of Mankind in Moral or Legal first-Covenant Righteousness that have something considerable as they reckon to lose by the Cross these are ready to fight against it as Paul found and told the Philippians even Weeping Phil. 3. 18. But Jews or Gentiles that answer Christ's Heavenly call into the death of their fading earthly State however good in its kind in Obedience to the Cross as the only pass into the Everlasting Life of the Crucifying High-Priest of their Gospel-Profession Heb. 3. 1. they find the said Cross the Power and Wisdom of God to and in them 1. Cor. 1. 24. This they receive in lieu of the form of Godliness and Wisdom of Man as made Wise Strong and Honourable in Christ by First-Covenant Artainments in him and Union with him 1 Cor. 4. 10. Others chuse rather to keep their first-Covenant-State Whole Unmaim'd Unbroken or Uncrucified and so to go with their whole Body or 〈◊〉 their own two Eyes Hands and Feet to Hell then 〈◊〉 and Crucisied in Conformity to the Lamb Slain and his true Saints that suffer with him to Heaven What if one Man had all the single first-Creation Glories Excellencies Riches Wisdom and Power of all Men and Angels and lose his own Soul what 's he the better Where 's his gain Mat. 16. 26. All Man gets by pitying and sparing himself in this case is the loss of all his own fading goodness
Capacity and lawfull Calling in this World diligently performing his Duty and referring the issue and success of his labours to Providence without any carking solicitud's or murmuring repining thoughts against God when cross'd in his expectations and disappointed of his hopes has rest and quiet to himself therein Such a one however low in outward Riches Solomon preferr's as to outward worldly Happiness before the litteral covetous rich man that from excessive inordinate Love to such Wealth robb's and deprives himself of all right comfort therein His solicitous self-tormenting thoughtfulness for getting and keeping such Wealth and then fear of losing all again all which the other is freed from render him a very 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 His abundance of Riches fills his Heart with abundance of trouble and disquiet as well as his Coffers with Silver which will not suffer him to rest or sleep Through this vanity under the litteral first-creation Sun Solomon saw such Riches downright hurtfull to the Owners thereof instead of being of any benefit or advantage to them Semblably the inward Riches of man's Spirit under the mystical first-creation Sun the enlightning enlivening fructifying influence of Christ as a fleshly Bride-groom in his first-covenant Spirit Single upon man's nature Laodicean Treasures heaped up and trusted in and to by man for true Happiness produce the same restlesness and disquiet to him Full of solicitud's is he in getting and keeping and of Fears about losing all again as the litteral covetous rich man is Is there not a cause for such Jealousies and Fears All 's but a vain shew in Holy Flesh a first-covenant Spirit of bondage and fear about his known perishing vanities refusing Christ's convincingly shew'd and offer'd durable Riches and true Freedom even the glorious Liberty of the Sons of God in his Gospel-Spirit or perfect Law of Liberty to good only and that good unchangable That 's Freedom indeed to purpose Heb. 2. 15. 2 Cor. 3. 17. Joh. 8. 32. 36. Jam. 1. 25. and 2. 12. The Truth Christ's Gospel-Spirit of Truth makes us Christ's true freemen though in letter man's Servants 1 Cor. 7. 22. And the Master that 's free in letter if effectually call'd by Christ into his heavenly Life of true freedom is his Servant Christ's new-covenant Law or Gospel-Spirit of Life by its death-work on our old or first-covenant law-Spirit of Sin Bondage Enmity and Death sets us free from Sin and Death Rom. 8. 2. all vain Trouble Bondage and Fear He that 's so dead is freed from Sin Rom. 6. 7. ceases for ever from it 1 Pet. 4. 1. Vers. XIII There is a sore Evil which I have seen under the Sun namely Riches kept for the Owners thereof to their hurt This with the Verse before and four following joyntly Character the folly and misery of the litteral and mystical covetous rich Man the former as a Type of the latter One of them is fill'd with cares and solicitud's about making provision for his bodily ease the other is as busy about provisions for his Soul's ease Luk. 12. 16-19 Both of them trade but in perishing vanities 'T is but for perishing meats that gratify the evill Lust's the Belly Desire or Appetite of a mortal perishable Life of Body and Soul these two sorts of foolish Labourers Toil and fill their Heads and Hearts with vain self-tormenting cares and solicitud's All 's but to compass and finger the vain Delights of the Sons of men Nothing of the never-perishing Life and Meats of the Son of God delights of the Sons of God are admitted into their regard God is not in all or any of their thoughts Psal. 10. 4. Nothing of God's Christ's new-creature Life is sought after They 'l not come to him for it nor regard it when he comes and offers it to them Ioh. 5. 40. How oft would I have gather'd you together unto me under my divine and Creature-wings in this Life and ye would not Mat. 23. 37. Ye are all for your selves your own Life will have none of me or mine Then take your course ye shall never have mine at all never enter into my rest So will be left to your own desolate house for ever V. 38. The mystical rich man delightfully contemplat's the Beauty Fruitfulness and Riches of his own enlight'ned nature and too oft arrivesat this highest point of Spiritual wickedness as the result of his own wisdom to strike up an everlasting-covenant-union with the Devil He agrees to receive by his transforming Hel-fire-Baptism an advance of his own nature out of a narrower changably evil humane capacity into a wider and unchangably evil angelical This by suffering Satan to fill his Heart with his Spirit of unchangable enmity to God This is the making man's mystical House or Barns greater Luk. 12. 18 the enlarging and heightning his natural capacity by a kind of mystical death through Satan's false cross-work or counterfeit mortification for the death of man's Spirit of nature on his engagement by covenant and satisfying assurance that he will raise and catch him up out of that mystical Grave into his higher wiser stronger more excellent and capacious angelical nature Thus by bargain does he touch man's Spirit with the transforming alterative assimilating touch of his and translate him out of his narrower humane into his larger angelical capacity of the first-creation sort Man rather chooses this heightning and enlargment in his own way and after his own heart in the first-creation state of nature which renders him a man after the Devil 's own Heart in unchangable enmity to God then such destruction of his fleshly nature or whole natural state and life at best as leaves him no hopes of ever finding himself in a single natural first-creation-life more for ever but in a spiritual and heavenly by a new-creation in the new everlasting covenant Gospel-principle God's Spirit of Grace and Truth The assimilating transformingwork of Christ's Spiritual Cross or heavenly fire-baptism upon man would translate him if obediently submitting thereto and compliant therewith into the life of God's sacrificing Gospel high-Priest of our Profession or of that very Spirit and fiery law of liberty Deut. 33. 2. Jam. 1. 25 that puts his Law or lawless Spirit of bondage enmity and Death to Death with engagement by Covenant to raise it into the everlasting Life and Glorious liberty of the Sons of God Satan will Personate this very high Priest of God and God himself 2 Thes. 2. 4. And he will transform his higher Angelical excellencies and capacity into the likeness or neerest possible resemblance of Christ's new-creation Glories This is the top-stone of his mystery of iniquity the strongest delusion by which this most subtle old Serpent Dragon and roaring Lion deceives and devours men when and where God permitt's for his own most wise and holy ends Think what this choice of man under Gospel-conviction-Light to joyn unchangably with the Devil rather than with God deservs In order to secure their
comes to worse than nothing unspeakable misery and confusion without the least relief for ever under unquenchable wrath Man is born in a naked condition of Body and dead in Sin as to his Soul When reviv'd and Cloath'd again by Christ as to some measure of his restor'd lost Life and Righteousness in the first-covenant by keeping up that in enmity to an everlasting Life and Righteousness offer'd him by Christ in the second and so sinning after the similitude of Adam's first transgression he is worse than ever his latter end worse than his beginning a state of unchangable incurable evil sorrow nakedness poverty and death His whole man after all possible revival comsort flourish or fruitfulness in the mortal first-covenant Life of his Spirit or sensual Life of his Body goes destitute of all good or comfort naked out of the World as he came into 't He takes nothing of the fading Glory of his reviv'd Spirit any more than outward riches and comforts relating to his Body away with him at the death of the Body All goes In all points on all accounts he goes as he came stark naked strip'd of all comfort or goodness All fruits and labours of his Spirit and Body go together all vanish They that obediently part with all such fading Life and but things of man in their Spirit before the death of their Body find their own again with usury for ever in the everlasting Life Wisdom Righteousness and things of God in the Gospel-Spirit or Principle of the new and everlasting Covenant This is the unspeakable Gift of God offer'd all on obedient surrender of their fading Life and things in the first-covenant for his everlasting in the second They that refuse this surrender as most do lose all good in both Covenants for ever and fall under the positive inflictions of wrath for ever This for the evill use of all their things and labours in the first against God and the second When charg'd for all before the Judgment-seat of Christ they 'l be found in a silencing self-condemning consciousness as to all charg'd with will have nothing to say When their evil consciences are open'd all their mouths of iniquity will be stopp'd No disputing pleading apologizing but e'ne take their charge and sentence and so lie down for ever in sorrow shame and confusion under the wrath of their most righteous all-seeing Judg. Then will they find nothing of all their evil travel left in their hand The wrath of God will be upon them and the awak'ned spiritual convictions afforded them in mercy on earth will be set up in them for ever in hel as a never-dying ever-gnawing worm Mark 9. 44. 46. 48 to torment them within by the perpetually forc'd sight of their madness and folly on earth against the universal experience of all mankind and all faithfull warnings from God All their fading beauty will be consum'd in that Grave from their dwelling Psal. 49. 14. or that earthly state of their whole persons which they have chosen for their final habitation They have rendred themselvs fit fewel for the wrath of God eternally to flame forth upon When Christ awak's or comes forth in his heavenly he will despise or destroy their earthly Image Psal. 73. 20. or state burn up all the fading Glory perishing Life Riches Fruits and meats thereof or works therein 2 Pet. 3. 10. Their fleshly principle or root with the branch tree with the fruit as Grass at best a fading flower will wither and perish for ever Isai. 40. 6. These things and life then chosen by them when known to be so and Christ's everlasting Life and Things as knowingly and wilfully rejected when convincingly shew'd and fairly offer'd them will cause their unutterable confusion for ever in eternal darkness and death They 'l have nothing but wrath to feed on for ever in a resurrection of damnation Much sorrow and wrath will they have in and with their sickness unexpressible wrath rage and madness within them as the Septuagint render in their languishing incurable sickness or unchangable enmity to God under the final wrath of God This will befall them after all patience of God and favourable offers while 't was called to day with them in this world all which they abus'd and refus'd to their sorer condemnation and punishment So become they most desolate for ever O Jerusalem Jerusalem c. Mat. 23. 37 38. As vessels of dishonour will they be forc'd to eat the fruit of their own way 〈◊〉 be filled with the fruit of their own devices the wrath of God Prov. 1. 31. 'T will be sorely ill with them when that just reward of their hands shall be given them Isai. 3. 11. Had they 〈◊〉 to his Counsel they might have dwelt safely for ever and have been quiet from fear of evil Prov. 1. 33. Their simple turning from his offers and their prosperous flourish in their own nature will and way destroy'd these incorrigible Fools V. 32. Vers. XVIII Behold that which I have seen it is good and comly for one to eat and to drink and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh vnder the Sun all the days of his Life which God giveth him for it is his portion Having in some former Verses finish'd the Character of the incorrigibly wicked as to their dreadfull condition Solomon proceed's here to declare the blessed condition of all that are of a perfectly contrary temper of Spirit to that of unchangable enmity above-said of another Spirit with Caleb and Joshuah who wholly followed the Lord Numb 32. 12. 'T is the Spirit of Faith only the law of the Spirit of Life and true Liberty the Gospel-Spirit of Truth in which the Lord can be rightly own'd fully follow'd and acceptably worship'd in Spirit and Truth Sure none of these things can ever be done in man's own spirit will and way that at best is enmity to God True Saints bring forth all the fruits of their labours unto God the Father in this Spirit of the Son which makes them free indeed in this newness of Life and Law of true Liberty the glorious Liberty of the Sons of God And they reap the benefit or fruit of all their such labours in the Lord which never are in vain 1 Cor. 15. 58. All labours in our own Spirit of nature uncircumcis'd or circumcis'd that is corrupt or righteous are in vain as to eternal Life Gal. 6. 15. Nothing but the new creature and its actions are conducible or of any tendency towards that There God work 's all our works for us and we all our works in him as co-workers with God in his own Spirit Isai. 26. 12. Joh. 3. 21. Without me or my Gospel-Spirit 〈◊〉 can do nothing in the way towards true Life say's Christ to all Joh. 15. 5. These Gospel-works of the Spirit of Faith in Abraham justified him Jam. 22. 21 not law-works in his own Spirit of nature or principle of the covenant of
〈◊〉 bad his highest all the Kingdoms of this World and Glory of them all first-creation excellencies humane and angelical and that as transform'd into the gilded likeness of the second to purchase the life of Truth out of Christ's own hands How Christ handled him we find Mat. 4. Luk. 4. But he prevails with a World of professors that have put their hand to the Gospel-Plough as brought by Gospel conviction-Light to see their concern in running down Nature at best to look back Luk. 9. 62. to his first-creation offers withdraw their hands from and turn their backs upon Christ and his Kingdom-Spirit with the bewitch'd Galatians Gal. 3. 1 3. 5. 7 8. which alone could secure them from the destruction the over-much righteous or wicked come to That dungy-life Paul quitted which many hold fast unto damnation are we to withdraw our hand from and let go our hold of in order to lay hold on that unchangeably good thing that is eternal Salvation Those that having begun in the Gospel-spirit withdraw their hand from that Gospel-plough or cross upon their cleans'd enlightn'd natural Spirit and return to the love of and self-deceiving 〈◊〉 in their holy flesh or righteous Law-life of their restor'd Nature are in a dangerous way towards final Apostacy and Damnation Paul found the bewitch'd Galatians not so absolutely gone as to 〈◊〉 no room for his Gospel-endeavours and intercessions towards their recovery Gal. 4. 19. But many 〈◊〉 Gospel-convictions owning and following Gospel-Truths for a 〈◊〉 play false and turn final Apostates sell Christ's Gospel-spirit for their holy 〈◊〉 take off their hand and let go their hold 〈◊〉 Christ's Spirit of Truth for Satan's Spirit of lies on his engaging to advance them in their own nature will and way after their own heart Such oft become his most pregnant eminently accomplish'd Instruments to oppose those very Gospel-Truths that for a season they profess'd and own'd They knowingly part with or sell Christ his Gospel Spirit of Truth and his great Salvation therein offer'd them for themselves or their holy flesh restor'd Nature the Devil and Damnation They part with Christ's great Spiritual Gospel-Pearl for their lesser natural after they had agreed to and vow'd the parting with all for that one thing necessary They 'l not stand to their new-covenant bargain not go through as to the cost for a new building the utter demolition of their old They 'l not part with all their old things for Christ's new They like them not so well So hold fast what they have and lose all whereas they that obediently lose all they have find all again with usury in what the others refuse Mat. 16. 25. After all fair warning of this thus they do What help To begin in the Spirit and finally apostatize to a false confidence for Salvation in the flesh fits Men for the hottest Hell the greatest portion of Wrath for evermore This exposes such bidders at the new-building to everlasting derision and contempt Luk. 14. 28 30. When Men have yielded a little to cross-work suffer'd something of the old building to be pull'd down Gal. 3. 4. Stood the shock of some reproach from scorners for it and then are offer'd by Satan not only to be repair'd and made whole again as ever but also to have their old natural first-creation building rais'd higher and made larger and wider by the super-additions of superiour angelical excellencies and brightnesses of the same first-creation sort with their humane they are willing to take this for the right new-building for the Kingdom of God the true Gospel-state When Satan has them at this lock in this snare he lays his confirming paws upon them fixing them in unchangeable enmity to the very Gospel-Life and Spirit in which any can be saved or ever could They are then fully engaged in the sin against the holy Ghost or Gospel-Spirit of Truth beyond retreat leaving no place for repentance Heb. 6. 4 -- 6. 10. 26 27. This get all such Esau's by greedily catching at Satan's first-creation morsel in preference to Christ's offer'd new-creation birth-right Heb. 12. 16 17. They let go Christ's new-creation all things for Satan's glittering gilded first-creation nothings perishing vanities Christ's heavenly for his earthly things dust the old Serpent's diet Gen. 3. 14. This trade many thousands have driven and do drive in this World to their eternal ruine in the next There 's no helping them that will not be help'd Finally to refuse the things of God for the things of Man and Devil deliberately on a fair view of both is unpardonable folly They see how matters go on all hands see what they refuse and for what so their sin remains upon them for ever as Christ told the Pharisees Joh. 9. 40 41. They that refuse to part with their earthly life as dung Phil. 3. 8. for Christ's heavenly will perish as their own dung for ever Job 20. 7. All fading first-creation Vanities are dung to Chrst's heavenly spiritual things things of God offer'd by a new-Creation The best services in their own life on this fatal miscarriage will he spread as dung upon their faces Mal. 2. 3. To withdraw their hand from Christ's offers to comply with and accept Satan's is a drawing back to perdition Heb. 10. 39. This Solomon warns against farther declaring he that fears God shall come forth of them all shall escape out of all sin all evil company and ways every evil path that mystical Sodomites are in ver 16. or literal ver 17. He shall be delivered from the presumptuous unpardonable sin of both and all a sixture in their differing evil ways of death and be finally deliver'd and acquitted as to all his other sins on the death of the guilty sinner the evil-doer in him He shall surmount all sins and sinners come out of all literal or mystical Sodomies and Sodomites in corrupt or righteous Nature and so partake of none of their plagues under final Wrath Rev. 18. 4. 2 Cor. 6. 17. The Saint is highly concern'd to watch and fight against the Belial-party in him flesh or nature corrupt or righteous with the affections and lusts that war against his own Soul Gal. 5. 24. 1 Pet. 2. 11. What Satan backs and 〈◊〉 to gratify support and cherish in Saints are they constantly to fight against oppose cross impoverish and run down to death If they not only live but walk in Christ's Gospel Spirit wherein he will judg the World and they with him thus will they do They 'l judg the World within them their worldly natural Spirit now pass sentence of death upon it in harmony of their spiritual mind with Christ and as workers with him joyn in the speedy carrying on the 〈◊〉 of it lest Satan set or fix their heart in them to do evil Eccl. 8. 11. in unchangeable union with him All that by Christ's Spirit in them mortify the lusts and deeds of their body or natural state will live for ever with
Legal-Spirited Professour how 〈◊〉 that is understandest thou what 's Written in the Law Luk. 10. 26. Let any come in the true spirit of Prophecy King Princes Priests and People in the once only Professing Nation of the whole World all against him Jer. 1. 18 19. So when Christ Preach'd 〈◊〉 Pharises Sadduces c. with all their differences of Judgment all against all his right Gospel-words to a tittle And so is it now as much shall I say or more then ever Why not the latter if these be the latter and therefore worst of times Solomon having thus declared goes on to acquaint us with his thoughts in the Holy Ghost What the most high will do with all these litterally righteous workers of Mystical Iniquity how he will handle them at last as follow 's Vers. XVII I said in mine Heart God shall Judg the Righteous and the Wicked For there is a time there for every purpose and for every work God will be even with all his Enemies both sorts of Satan's Subjects the righteous and the Wicked In righteousness and truth will Christ Judg and make War upon them both Rev. 19. 11. And have they an arm like God What then will become of them The righteous sort of Sinners will be found most Heretical Enemies to Gospel and so the most loathsome to God of all the very Spiritual Sodom Egypt and Babylon The sixed litteral in the corrupt Spirit of nature will have bad enough on 't in Dooms-day-work and what follow 's Neither of them can escape the Damnation of Hell If Judgment begin at the First-covenant House or People of God that by fixing there in Enmity to the second and so not obeying the 〈◊〉 become no People of God but a Synagogue of Satan where shall gross Sinners appear that are fixed in Enmity to all 〈◊〉 God's and Man's too with Elymas the Sorcerer 1 Pet. 4. 17 18. The Light or Law of nature restor'd in every Man 〈◊〉 Damnation to themselvs as fixed in the vile affections of corrupt 〈◊〉 And the al-searching Light of Christ's Gospel-Spirit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus Preaches absolute Damnation to fixed first-Covenant righteous Men who have rend'red any Repentance or Change of their Mind to the better Impossible Heb. 6. 4-6 and 10. 26 27. and 12. 17. This is the case of wilful Sinners against the Holy Ghost or Gospel-Spirit and all its counsels its Reproofs of Death upon their Spirits and Instructions of Life by their being transform'd into and built up in its own Life of everlasting Rightoousness Esau ' s Morsel of Meat for which he sold or parted with the offer'd Birth-right or new-Creation Life and never-perishing Meats of Christ comprehend's all sorts of first-Creation Vanities and Shadows from the highest part of the Dust of this Mortal World all Humane and Angelical Excellencies natural to the lowest the gratifying delights of Brutish Men. The particular Books of all Wicked Men's Consciences shall be open'd by the setting up of Spiritual Conviction-Light in Wrath therein and found to agree with that other general Living Book or Word of God Rev. 20. 12 Christ's Gospel-Spirit and so shall the inward parts of the very righteous Sinners be found very Wickedness unchangable Enmity to God All the most hidden works of darkness in the Mystery of Iniquity shall be Proclaim'd upon the House tops manifested to all Angels and Men good and bad Then shall it be seen there is a Reward for the Righteous and Wicked too because he is a God that Judgeth in the Earth Ps. 58. 11. All sorts of Sins shall then be brought into Judgment and reckon'd for even the most hidden works of Dishonesty Mystical Spiritual Wickednesses the most secret Intents of all Wicked Men and Angels All will be manifested and laid open before that Judg whose Judgment-Seat they 'l be Summon'd and irresistibly forc'd to appear before Heb. 4. 12 13. 2 Cor. 5. 10. Then shall it appear there is a time for every purpose and for every work desire thought and intent of the Heart in the corrupt or enlightn'ed Spirit of nature fix'd in Enmity to God and his Spirit of Grace to be brought into Judgment and laid open before all Vers. XVIII I said in my Heart concerning the Estate of the Sons of Men that God might Manifest them and that they might see that they themselvs are Beasts In this and the four next Verses Solomon Summ's up in a manner all insisted on before in this and the two former Chapters Men made by God rational being's good in their kind have made themselvs Beasts by their Sin and fall In the corrupt spirit of their nature are they Beasts by loss of their changable goodness Created in they Inherit a Brutish Spirit or principle of sensuality Bestial Powers Rebell against and insult over their rational And the predominant Power Denominates This Solomon saw and desires God would manifest to them that they may see what a deplorable condition they have brought themselvs into and clear God as having no hand therein And this yet is but one part of the consideration in which they are like Beasts Man restor'd out of the dismal dark 〈◊〉 Life of his corrupted nature into the clean enlight'ned righteous state thereof as to filth of flesh and taking up there for Salvation is yet but another sort of Mystical Beast yea a worse Beast then before in the unfix'd corrupt state of nature because now fix'd in Enmity His Carnal Mind and Earthly Wisdom thereof that at best is but sensual in Scripture-Language when fix'd in becomes Devilish Jam. 3. 15. This brings Man into the same condition with fallen Angels or Devils in unchangable Harmony with them against Christ and God Man in the highest Honour Wisdom Righteousness and Glory of his own restor'd nature is but as a Beast and altogether Vanity Ps. 39. 5. and 49. 12. 20. From a self-ruining mistake he puts himself under the conduct of a spirit of unchangable Enmity to God Man also in his bodily part is like a Beast Of this a larg account is given v. 19 20. Vers. XIX For that which befalleth the Sons of Men befalleth Beasts even one thing befalleth them as the one dieth so dieth the other yea they have all one breath so that a Man hath no pre-eminence above a Beast for all is vanity Solomon here speaks of the Bodily sensual part of Man consisting of the like corruptible ingredients and feeding on the like perishing Meats with meer Brutes So the same dissolution befalls them All alike in birth life and death Dust both and all and turn to dust again This is positively asserted of Man's Body in distinction from his Spirit Gen. 2. 7. and 3. 19. God breathed into his nostrils the breath of Life Heb. the spirit of Lives one Soul with sundry faculties and operations vegetal sensual and rational Cald. a speaking reasonable Soul different from Beasts So in Man are found all sorts
Appetite the Belly that 's but for such Meats as will perish with it 1 Cor. 6. 13. They that sate in the Gate spoke against him Was not the great Lord and Master Christ himself thus handled Despised and Rejected of Men even his own People in the first-Covenant for Witnessing and Practicing the Doctrin of the second Isai. 52. 14. and 53. 2 3. Jo. 1. 11. Was not Job the next signal instance for suffering to his Lord thus handled on the self-same account by his first-Covenant Friends when brought under the sharp Disciplin of the Cross in order to the second They vex'd 〈◊〉 broke him in pieces with reiterated frequent and continued 〈◊〉 Words They made themselvs 〈◊〉 to him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 themselvs against him in pleading his Reproach when God was Stripping him by his Cross-work on that State of the fading Glory 〈◊〉 that State and taking that Crown from his Head Job 19. 2-19 which he had long worn and enjoy'd as a first-Covenant Prince or King in the Army Job 29. 25. of that sort of Pseudo-Fift-Monarchist's Thus was Poor Job destroy'd and gone on every side forsaken and abandon'd on all hands by God and Men as to any more or farther Comfort in that state he had king'd it in over his fellow-Mortals His very inward Bosome-Friends abhorr'd him And was not Paul so handled by his Friends presently after his quitting their Law-Principle and House on the Sand for Christ's Gospel-Principle and House on the Rock The next news we hear of him is he signally beyond other Gospel-Saints and Apostles Persecuted by Law-spirited Jews at Damascus Act. 9. 19-25 2 Cor. 11. 32 33. What cleer plain undeniable instances are here Who would think any sober Man whose obstinate will does not bribe off Pervert Obstruct and deafen his understanding could withstand such undeniable demonstration in this case I would For who believ's the report Who takes any spiritual Gospel-Testimony with whatever undeniable Demonstration attended and Ratified No Man in the single Wisdom of humane nature at best when made Wise Strong and Honourable in Christ but there Jo. 3. 32. 1 Cor. 4. 10. The natural Man even in awak'ned Spiritual Saints is ready and apt to wonder at this But retreating to the Sanctuary-Light of their Spiritual Man they see how matters go and the wonderment ceases The Spiritual Man the true Watchman Prophet and Seer of God is a Fool Mad a Snare Hatred it self Where With whom With a first-Covenant People and House of his God Hos. 9. 7 8. Was this alway's so Is it so even now Gal. 4. 29. will it be so to the end of this World and Satan's Reign E'ne cease wondring then at it O Saints of the most High What Wonder at what has bin the constant course and Practice of Humane nature in all mankind corrupt or righteous Popish or Reform'd true Saints themselvs not excepted till unwoman'd by the Cross as to their mutable fickle Womanish Spirit of nature and made actual Partakers of Christ's manly Life in his Gospel-Spirit of Grace springing up from the quick'ned Incorruptible Seed thereof 1 Pet. 1. 23. Be not dismay'd to see the Law-Church of God your Brethren in the first-covenant Children Spouses of Christ as a sleshly Bridegroom in their Holy Flesh turning themselvs into a Synagogue of Satan and serving his designs in persecuting Christ's Gospel-Church in his Holy Spirit sitting and speaking Blasphemies against them Psal. 50. 20 21. Paul when a new-Covenant Gospel-Saint was a Fool weak and despicable to Law-Saints in the renew'd old or first These were still Wise Strong and Honourable in Christ after the flesh as to both Inherent and Imputed Righteousness from him Sanctifying and justifying them according to the Tenour of that changable first-Covenant Life and State True Saints when with Paul Job and others they find all that to be but a fading flower altogether Vanity or a vanishing Shadow however good in its kind and beautiful in its day and season a Glory to be done away away they sling it as Dung for Christ in his Spiritual Resurrection-Life and Gospel-State Paul also advises others to become Fools with him as to the Law-Wisdom of Man in the first-Covenant for the Gospel-Wisdom of God in the second 1 Cor. 3. 18. In short Paul was a Poor Wise Child in Christ's newness of Life or second Covenant that had with the doting first-Covenant Law-spirited Corinthians bin for a season an old Foolish King in the 〈◊〉 of letter his restor'd old first-Creation spirit of nature But with this difference not a fix'd knowing wilful one that would no more be admonish'd For as discover'd therein what he amounted to and convincingly shew'd and offer'd a more excellent life and way immediatly he conferr'd not with Flesh and Blood consulted not with or listned to the reasonings of the first-Covenant Wisdom of Man in himself or others but was Obedient to the Heavenly Vision Trembling and astonish'd he said Lord what wilt thou have me to do Act. 9. 6. Had he after such convincing discovery of his folly and Madness in Persecuting the Gospel-Spirit and Truths of Christ in his Saints obstinately persisted therein he had bin absolutely unpardonable But he did it ignorantly 1 Tim. 1. 13. For as soon as he knew a better a Gospel-Life and more excellent way of obeying and Worshipping God he instantly yielded to God's terms the death of his Law-principled Persecuting nature as 〈◊〉 for Christ's Gospel-Life He found the Corinthians after all this confident in that State he was in when a Persecutor Full Rich and Reigning as Kings Wise Strong and Honourable in first-Covenant Attainments from Christ himself after the flesh They were brought out of the corrupt into the righteous Life of theirnature and so into some good degree of Conformity to the Life of Christ that first Covenant Life of the Law under which he was Born of a Woman But were in no degree of Conformity to Christ in the obedient death of that state in Sacrifice to God So if they finally refused Paul's Counsel Example and Admonitions for becoming Fools Weak Poor and Despicable there as he had done in following Christ's own example and Counsel they proved themselvs with thousands of others in all Ages and Generations the very Old Foolish doting Kings here meant and Paul with his true Gospel-Disciples and Followers proved themselvs the Poor Wise Children of God in a newness of Life a Wisdom a Glory never to be done away He was content with Christ to have his Visage Marr'd his fading Law-Life and Glory in the restor'd Image of the earthy or first Adam done away as the undispensible means of receiving the Life and Image of the Heavenly or second Adam 1 Cor. 15. 49. Job with other first-Covenant Saints or Holy Men in their own restor'd nature while in the dark and in great measure if not altogether ignorant for a season as to the spiritual Life and Glory that was to follow and fall to his lot was sorely
and interest to obey the counsel and follow the example of Christ in his suffering steps through a temporary house of mourning into his eternal house of feasting and rejoycing But for such doctrine of the cross and practicing it upon our nature in himself was Christ himself contradicted and blasphem'd Joh. 10. 20. as by Beelzebub the chief or Prince of Devils a master devil casting out other lesser and weaker Devils Mat. 10. 25. 12. 24. Mar. 3. 22. Luk. 11. 15. Holy first-covenant Preachers and Professors handled Christ thus And the Disciple must not look to fare better then his Lord from or amongst the legal-spirited generation in any age of this World under Satan's reign and in Man's day while his Wisdom will shuffle it self in for Judge and Umpire in Religion and Worship and force all it can to receive its sentiments as the only Orthodox and sound 〈◊〉 Vers. 3. Sorrow is better then laughter for by the sadness of the Countenance the heart is made better The sorrow Heb. anger or mourning of the natural Man under the cross at which offended angry troubled griev'd as run down in his own life and denied the pleasing himself in his former freedom of feeding on the gratifying delights of the Sons of Men all this as ill as it appears is better than all his former laughter in the flourish fruitfulness and joy thereof in its own way and after its own heart When brought into such a state of darkness and ignorance under this dispensation as not to understand God's design in all his withdrawing from him the favours and fruits of his former presence as a fleshly bridegroom in which he has found much content and satisfaction yet is this a certain truth he ought to believe for his own comfort that this sorrow is better than all his former laughter in the first-Covenant house of feasting while the candle of the Lord therein shin'd upon his Tabernacle which Job while yet in the dark as to what follow'd wish'd for the fresh experiencing Job 29. 2 -6. The veneration his person was in so that young Men hid themselves aged stood up Princes refrain'd talking and Nobles held their peace when he appear'd and spoke amongst them this honour from others and satisfaction to himself he had found in the wisdom glory and fruitfulness of his inlight'ned righteous Nature begot in him a lingring desire to return thither again even to his old house or state of feasting and rejoycing O that I were as in months past c. Under the cross all his Glory and Visage was so marr'd that now younger then I sayes he have me in derision c. Job 30. 1. Not seeing the more excellent Glory that was to follow this was a hard point with him Paul when of such a wise strong and honorable Man was rendred by the same sharp discipline of the cross a fool weak and despicable saw that spiritual Glory yea had it in him which is to be revealed or made manifest in him and others at Christ's second coming and manifestation of the Sons of God in the visibility of spiritual Saintship with which he reck'ned not the sufferings of the present time worthy to be compar'd Rom. 8. 18 19. And Solomon here declares the advantage of this amazing dispensation of the cross wherein Christ not only with-draws his comforting presence as a fleshly Bridegroom but turns his hand against his Spouses and Children in the first Covenant coming in the posture of an enemy with his Gospel-fire Sword and Cross speaking nothing but war and death to them there Yea he runs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as a Giant with 〈◊〉 force breaks them with 〈◊〉 upon breach takes them by the Neck and shakes them to 〈◊〉 and all this sometimes without shewing any cause why that the Saint is able presently to take distinct notice of in such confusion as in Job's case Job 16. 12 14. and Job 2. 3. 9. 17. 〈◊〉 wonderful 〈◊〉 and contrivances of God's Wisdom leave Saints quite at a loss till they come to see how matters go Yet this sorrowful state is better in it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 take it then all his former laughter and 〈◊〉 in the house of feasting by him 〈◊〉 Christ withdraw's the lesser glory of the first-Covenant-Sun in order to shine upon him in that of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that excell's and remains for ever The very Apostles were at the same loss and sad pass with Job on Christ's withdrawing from them as a fleshly Bridegroom and Comforter Their hearts were sill'd with sorrow But the joy that follow'd in the visits of the better Comforter over-answer'd all When Paul had by the Gospel-Doctrine of the Cross made the Corinthians sorry dashing all their vain hopes and false considences in the fading glory of a first-Covenant life he repented not but rejoyc'd 〈◊〉 as that right godly sorrow wrought a Gospel-repentance in them to Salvation not to be repented of or that can never be sinally turn'd again from 2 Cor. 7. 8 -10. A Law-repentance or change of mind from the corrupt to the righteous life of Nature they had experienc'd before as himself also when he persecuted the Gospel But now came they to the happy experience of a Gospel-repentance conversion or turn of mind from Law to Gospel from the life and 〈◊〉 of Man to God's The letter that made them sorry seem's to be his first Epistle to them wherein he shew's the vanity of their false joy and confident reigning as Kings without him or Christ yea against both 1 Cor. 4. 8. Nor he nor they would ever have cause to repent of such right sorrow as was follow'd with repentance unto life For no damage but great advantage receiv'd they thereby But say's he worldly sorrow worketh death Unwarrantable joy in this world's vanities disposes to unwarrantable worldly sorrow about the loss of them which works death A crucified mind to all worldly perishing vanities upper or lower mystical or literal with the sorrow of the natural Man and pangs of death upon him in order thereunto work life or a repentance unto life Such short sorrow of the natural Man in the Saint tends to his everlasting joy in spiritual life By obedient losing his own life he find's God's From all these reasons or grounds sorrow is better than laughter and this farther reason hereof does Solomon give for by the sadness of the Countenance the heart is made better The Visage of the natural Man marr'd defac'd and made black by the Cross in Man's sight the more comly is the Saint therein to God Cant. 1. 5 6. When Paul was a fool weak and despicable in the judgment even of those that were yet wise strong and honorable in Christ as to a fruitful flourish in first-Covenant life was he truly wise and honourable in God's sight such a one as the Lord commended 1 Cor. 4. 10. 2 Cor. 10. 18. The whole-spirited Man in the fading glory of the first-Covenant has the praise of Man
or crucifying-work upon their natural State They desire no knowledg of him in such ways of saving them Joh. 6. 66. The Devil 's and his Instruments destructive but pleasing Ways and Counsel they like better And then in the darkness of his Spirit and Counsels they think to hide themselves from this King saying no Eye sees them how does God know what they are doing Psal. 73. 11. They are for this call'd brutish Fools Psal. 94. 7 11. Brutish Men and Fools know not this that when the wicked spring as the grass and workers of Iniquity flourish 't is that they shall be destroy'd for ever Psal. 92. 6 7. T. Stand not in an evil thing Persist not in this evil Practice of turning from this King and in this vain thought of securing your selves from his sight and just revenging Power Ye may soon sin your selves out of the reach of his mercy but never get out of the reach of his Wrath. Your endeavour to get speedily out of his sight or out of the hearing of his words will soon bring you under his Wrath that can do what he pleases with you If ye will not have this spiritual King reign over you he will command his Angels to slay you Luk. 19. 14 27. They 'l be a 〈◊〉 fire on all final Resisters of his Gospel-doctrine and Spirit 2 Thes. 1. 7 8. He will rejoyce over all such to destroy them that refuse all his offers of good to them Deut. 28. 63. If they 'l not please him he will please himself in their destruction If they 'l not give the Glory due to him he will take it by executing his just Vengeance on them Actively or passively by what they do or shall suffer will he be glorified of all If man agree not with Christ appearing as an Adversary and quietly deliver up his guilty sinning nature to his Gospel-cross Fire and Sword he will plead against him as justly demeriting final Destruction Mat. 5. 25 26. If his Gospel-sword on Man's Law-spirit be summitted to he will be an Advocate and prevailing Pleader for his final acceptance with God the Judg of all Heb. 12. 23. Let 's deliver up the guilty Rebel this mystical Sheba 2 Sam. 20. 16 -- 22. the natural spirit to his spiritual Sword and all shall be well everlasting Peace will be proclaim'd to us Vers. 4. Where the word of a King is there is power and who may say unto him what dost thou In the word of this glorious universal King is Power to fulfil it on all his Subjects in Love or Wrath whether submitted to or rebell'd against There 's no questioning the reason of his Will or Authority of his Commands He is furnish'd with absolute Soveraignty to accomplish his unchangeably righteous Will on all opposers thereof He is abundantly qualified Isa. 11. 1 -4. to exercise God's soveraign Authority over all Not in the Law-spirit of Nature by the sight of its eyes or hearing of its ears will he judg reprove or punish but in his everlasting righteous and infallible Gospel-spirit of Grace and Truth Man's Law-spirit of restor'd Nature is in effect warranted by man's wisdom to be the Tree of Life and Christ's Gospel-Spirit that indeed is so exploded as an enthusiastical fiction with all the words thereof Where this Gospel takes place that Satan preach'd to Eve and where does it not there 's no hearing for Christ's His Grace and Gospel are made void and the declarers thereof reckon'd meer no-bodies with Paul among rich first-covenant Professors and Teachers 1 Cor. 4. 10. 2 Cor. 10. 12. He will abundantly recompence his meek ones in love and his and their Enemies in wrath 2 Thess. 1. 6 -10. All secret wickednesses will lie naked before his all-penetrating light Heb. 4. 12 13. He will be a swift Witness against Condemner and Punisher of all incorrigible Adversaries When he summon's all' before him Eccl. 12. 14. 2 Cor. 5. 10. 't will be seen and felt that in the word of this King is power He will accomplish all his words for he can do what pleases him Isa. 55. 11. And he will silence and render most frivolous all contradiction or opposition No Man or Angel will have any colour for questioning his proceedings with them He will set up an undeniable Testimony of the equity of his dealings towards them in their own consciences So every mouth of iniquity will be stopp'd For who may say to him what dost thou He will be found unquestionably just in doing what he pleases Vers. 5. Whoso keepeth the Commandment shall feel no evil thing and a wise man's heart discerneth both time and judgment Here 's the comfortable Use and Application of this great Truth a declaration of the unexpressible Blessedness and Safety of those that keep this King's Command Whoso hearkens to him shall dwell safely and be quiet from fear of evil Prov. 1. 33. Those that speak no evil or blasphemous word against him shall hear of no evil or condemning and punishing word from him against them He will set them above the power of all evil dangers or enemies whatsoever Quest. But what 's the Commandment carries so great advantage with it to the Observers thereof Answ. That the keeping whereof imports and implies an universal obedience to this divine and spiritual King First-covenant Servants and People of God that may again become no People yea a downright Synagogue of Satan Rev. 3. 9. Such while knowing well-vers'd or mighty in the letter of Scripture and strict in obedience thereto may be altogether strangers to the spiritual mind of their Master therein Joh. 15. 15. If when convincingly shew'd and offer'd Christ's Gospel-life they finally refuse to part with their Law-life and all they have therein for it they become a Synagogue of Satan and perish for ever Servants in Christ God's house for a season if on the utmost trial they refuse to become Sons by losing their servile Law-life of bondage for the glorious Gospel-life and liberty of the Son of God the King here meant they must turn out and never come in it more Joh. 8. 35 36. Such Children of the Kingdom will be cast out and Publicans and Harlots with Zaccheus and Mary Magdalen common sinners of the Gentiles from all parts lifted over all their heads by true Gospel-conversion and brought to sit down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven Mat. 8. 11 12. 21. 31. This doctrine or declaration as to common Sinners in the corrupt spirit of nature being effectually caused to receive the Gospel while a professing first-covenant People despise and reject it are disobedient and gain-saying to Paul notes as a holy boldness for God in the Prophet Isaiah Rom. 10. 19 21. Isa. 65. 1 2. A People of God in the first becoming no People again and those that are no People of God in either Covenant made all on a sudden a peculiar People in the second these are the chops and changes of condition
the natural earthy fleshly state of their whole person Body Soul and 〈◊〉 See all this 2 Cor. 5. 1 8. But quite contrary the wilfully disobedient to God's Time Way and Judgment of Death to their whole beings are under an absolute necessity of coming to the experience of the same twofold Death as to any natural life or goodness in Body or Spirit and they 'l receive in the room thereof the positive inflictions of Wrath upon their whole beings for ever in a resurrection of Damnation Joh. 5. 29. Dan. 12. 2. The immortality of their beings will hold them to 't in suffering under the Wrath to come that will never be gone or end No scaping the temporal death of their mortal Body or eternal death of their immortal Spirit and Body too as reduc'd by a resurrection into a fellowship with their Spirit in Torment for ever the Tophet prepar'd for them None of these Deaths has evil man the least Power to resist or avoid the temporal Death of his Body or Soul as to the mortal Life of both or the eternal Death and 〈◊〉 of both There 's no discharge from this twofold War of God upon him Fall he will most certainly in both For has he an Arm like God Job 40. 9. Think'st thou by thy wicked and rebellious contending with him to escape or find any thing short of thy eternal confusion t. Neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it Devils the supream rank of enemies rendred the highest spiritual wickednesses and rebels against God and his new-creation Spirit by fixing in their natural and first These grand patrons of wickedness and most gigantick fighters against God with their followers and subjects from amongst men will fall under the hand of the living God Heb. 10. 31. his irresistible Gospel-Sword Men-rebels with their proud evil-angelical helpers the mystical Rocks and Mountains or supream first-creation Principalities and Powers will all be inevitably forc'd to stoop and fall together under his all-conquering Sword and Power Job 9. 13. Rev. 6. 12 -17. No evil Angel or Man have power over their own spirit to preserve any life light or comfort therein against God's or his final Wrath to be executed thereby upon all and every one of them Nor can they by annihilation shuffle themselves out of the hands of God's avenging Justice No annihilation-Death will ever be found by them Rev. 9. 6. The misery therefore of them all will be as unavoidable as unexpressibly great upon them And 't will be undeniably evident they have all by their wilful obstinacy brought it upon their own guilty heads They have refus'd so great 〈◊〉 as was offer'd them in God's way and chosen so great misery in their own Prov. 8. 36. And who Devil or Man can imagin or take the right measure of God's final punishment upon them both till they feel and are irrecoverably under it The great sweeping temporal judgments the 〈◊〉 the storm of Fire and Brimstone on Sodom c. are but figures and shadows of the Vengeance of eternal Fire Jude 7. The deluge of sinal Wrath will drown all incorrigibly wicked Men and Angels in everlasting destruction and perdition for gratifying and drowning themselves in their own foolish and 〈◊〉 lusts 1 Tim. 6. 9. And as an aggravation of man's misery in this World he know's not when or how all this shall be brought upon him Evil shall come upon him he shall not know whence it rises 〈◊〉 shall fall upon him he shall not be able to put off and desolation shall come upon him suddenly which he shall not know Isa. 47. 11. 〈◊〉 knows not his time but as fishes or birds shall be taken in an evil net or snare falling suddenly upon him Eccl. 9. 12. Man knows not the time of his bodily death to which subject every moment of his life And if 〈◊〉 in enmity he soon sinds himself on such death under unchangeable wrath All his days upon Earth he fought under Satan's Banner against God his Saints and Truths So was he not only an Acceslory but principal Actor in bringing all his great eternal misery upon his own guilty head in a state of everlasting bondage and death Ver. 9. All this have I seen and applied my heart unto every work that is done under the Sun there is a time wherein one man ruleth over another to his own hurt This observation Solomon gain'd by the sad experience of the vanity of all things under the first-creation Sun literal or mystical Here 's 〈◊〉 a literal Truth when the Power of the Ruler is us'd to encourage wickedness in the ruled Such a one most certainly rules to his own 〈◊〉 For he is accountable for it And the mystical or principal sence is yet more true So the Ruler here is the Devil the permitted Ruler over the whole first-creation World from the beginning to the ending thereof This though he be gratified and pleas'd with will turn to his great damage when the Vials of Wrath come to be pour'd forth upon him as the meet recompence of all the wickedness he has bin instrumental to the practising of by Men in his rule over them The more universally he is obey'd and follow'd the more has he 〈◊〉 and the more will he be tormented for ever Both ruling evil-Angels and ruled evil-Men will 〈◊〉 unspeakable hurt in conclusion from all the wicked rule of the one and wicked obedience of the other Both will be cover'd with everlasting darkness and death Concerning such rule and obedience to it Solomon declares his farther observations as follows Vers. 10. And so I saw the wicked buried who had come and gone from the place of the holy and they were forgotten in the City where they had so done this is also Vanity Here 's the sad account of the faulty ruled from their willing obedience to the said wicked Ruler in the whole Progress of their lives as will be undeniably evident in the end Not Man in the dark corrupt but enlightned righteous nature that holy place or state is here meant This holy state being changeable will certainly be gone again as is plain Ezek. 18. 24 -26. God has provided a means to bring the whole Posterity of Adam into the first-covenant holy place or state but shews their liableness to apostatize or fall away from it again for ever and abundantly warn's them against it and of the most dangerous consequence thereof For then the guilt of the first sin and all the evil done in their own Persons will be justly charg'd upon them If the Righteous turn from his Righteousness and commit Iniquity he shall die He that has come to the first-covenant State or Place of the Holy as brought by the Redeemer thither out of his corrupt or unholy natural Place or State and is gone or departed thence back again into his unholy place comes to a final state of Death in which buried for ever in a grave from which there 's
no Redemption Psal. 49. 8. The first-covenant holy Place wilfully kept up against the second and most holy turns it into a most unholy Place a state of unchangeable enmity to God and death to Man 2 Pet. 2. 20 22. Heb. 10. 26 27. On this complicated twofold wilful sin against God and the distinct lights of his twofold Covenant as an enemy of all Righteousness does God bury and cover him with a spirit of unchangeable darkness So comes he to 〈◊〉 wholly forgotten in the City place or state where he hath so done The very name and memory of the whole earthly 〈◊〉 City or party of Men fix'd in the first-covenant holiness as turn'd into unchangeable enmity to God and the second will 〈◊〉 for ever They 'l be blotted out of all favourable regard or remembrance with God for ever The very state by them rebelliously chosen will 〈◊〉 made 〈◊〉 final prison and burying-place in which to 〈◊〉 for ever This get they by trusting in lying vanities Ver. 11. Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil Here 's a sad Account of the 〈◊〉 of all hearts as ready to abuse all the goodness and patience of God in deferring the execution of his sentence against their evil works God is of purer eyes than to behold with approbation any iniquity One time and way or other all sinners must be punish'd for all sorts of sins pardonable or unpardonable God punishes every evil work in Saints and puts the evil-worker in them their natural spirit to death at long-run under the fatherly chastisements of his Cross as we find it in Solomon's own case and all the posterity of our spiritual Lord David Psal. 89. 26 -36. Then he quickens and sets up the life of his Spirit of Grace in them that never can sin 1 Joh. 3. 9. In this can they fully please God and overcome the Devil This get they by the Gospel exchange-traffick God's infallible Gospel-Spirit and Wisdom for their fallible Law-spirit All that fix in their Law-spirit become unchangeable enemies of God and his Gospel And all God's patience towards them herein do they abuse to a farther hardning and waxing confident in their folly setting their hearts to do evil because his declar'd Sentence against them is not speedily executed upon them v. 11. and Rom. 2. 4 5. God 〈◊〉 them line and opportunities of manifesting the utmost of their wicked thoughts and intents against him and so do they ripen themselves for the Sicle of his just Vengeance Rev. 14. 19 20. God will be abundantly clear'd and justified in all his ways and dealings towards them his long patience with them and then final severity upon them after all No Men without the Law or in the Law no Heathens in the rational light of Nature no Jews or Christians in the first-Covenant life of the Law will be found destitute of such conviction of the insufficiency of their natural state for Salvation as will expose them to judgment for their secret enmity to God in staying there by his infallible Gospel-Spirit Rom. 2. 12 -16. 'T will then be undeniably evident that neither from the fashion of being or changeable life given them by a first-creation nor from want of sutable helps for directing them towards eternal blessedness in the second the miscarriage of any to their eternal ruin has bin necessitated Their evil mind growing worse and worse under all a Sentence of unchangeable Death comes at length to be most justly executed upon them Under all the favour of a first-Covenant life a-fresh restor'd in them and the life of the second in its own light shew'd and offer'd them in such a Land or State of Uprightness do they deal wickedly in enmity to God and the second Isa. 26. 10. Pharaoh under all the wonders in Egypt hardned himself more and more against the messages of God presumptuously calling them vain or lying Words Exod. 5. 9. The Priests Scribes Pharisees and professing Jews in the view of all Christ's Miracles grew more wilfully hard'ned against his Gospel-doctrin and murther'd his Person Thus did they in a Land of Uprightness the holy Place or first-covenant State of their enlightned righteous natural Spirit Man's just demeaning himself therein is an obedient submitting to God's doing Judgment on it out of love to his mercy or unspeakable Gospel gift of eternal Life Mic. 6. 8. By humbling himself with Christ Phil. 2. 8. to the Death of the former comes Man to walk for ever with God as Enoch Gen. 5. 24. in the latter A surrender of all our own in the first-creation for God's own in the second is a doing righteously in and with our Land or State of Uprightness This answers the very end for which God restores unto Man or brings him again into his first-creation 〈◊〉 or Land of Uprightness If Man will not then honour God with his substance Prov. 3. 9. by giving it all up in sacrifice to his Will but rebelliously keep it up in a known enmity to him his destruction is undeniably of himself as fully setting his heart to do evil Ver. 12. Tho' a sinner do evil an hundred times and his days be prolonged yet surely I know that it shall be well with them thatf ear God which fear before him In this and the next 〈◊〉 Solomon positively asserts a twofold truth concerning the obedient Saint and the incorrigible Sinner The Saint who alone truly sears God it shall be well with And as certain is it it shall not be well with the wicked because he does not fear before 〈◊〉 This fear of God that carries such great and certain good in it to the Saint and the want whereof causes great unchangeable misery to the incorrigible Sinner can import no less than an universal obedience to God and compliance with every of his 〈◊〉 Such obedience is seen by God in the incorruptible Seed of spiritual life and true Holmess before quickned into life or motion in the Saint This holy Seed secretly disposes men to obey the Lord according to their various degrees of natural and legal light as honest moral Heathens or first-covenant Believers Cornelius an Heathen Captain was own'd as such a fearer of God with all his Family under his conduct and example Act. 10. 2 22. and as so accepted with him v. 35. This Fear consisted in a faithfulness to his present light against the workings of corrupt nature and a readiness to receive and obey a greater light when offer'd as by Peter's Ministry So 〈◊〉 before his Gospel-conversion was faithful to his Law-light under that higher dispensation of God then Cornelius was before his Gospel conversion and forthwith obedient to Christ's Gospel-light as soon as shining upon him and made God's new dispensation to him Gal. 1. 16. Act. 9. 6. 26. 19. Both Cornelius and Paul walk'd according to their light yet not so resolutely confident or