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-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-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
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-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
single and higher intuitive natural Understanding than Man's though in but the same First-Covenant Law-life of the Creature as Man He appear'd to the Angels immediately as four living Creatures that had the Likeness of a Man Ezek. 1.5 the comprehensive Sum of all changeable First-Creation-Being and Life The word Man comprehends all Every individual Man is a Microcosm or lesser World having all found in the Macrocosm or greater without him and something more peculiar to himself He has Being an earthy Body with Elements and all inanimate Simples or Compounds a threefold Life or Spirit of Lives Gen. 2. 7. Vegetable with Grass Herbs Trees c. a Life of Sense with Birds Beasts Fishes and creeping things an intellectual Exercise of the Life of his natural Spirit above and without the Body while in it with Angels but inferiour to them therein Then besides all this has he the rational Exercise of his natural Understanding by bodily Organs not found in any Parts of the greater World Angels or Beasts The four living Creatures by which Christ represented himself to the Angels had the Face or Likeness of a Man And they are call'd again and again the or one living Creature Ezek. 1.20,21 10. 15 17 20. The good Angels figur'd by Wheels or Chariots Psal. 68. 17. follow'd this Head fully Whithersoever his Spirit was to go they went and turned not or looked back as they went Ezek. 1. 17 20. The Reason hereof was the Spirit of the living Creature was in the Wheels v. 20 21. a Seed of his spiritual Life was in them Hence when the four living Creatures with the Face of a Man did let down their Wings the said Angelical Wheels did let down their Wings v. 24. In Passive Obedience to the Divine Will and Conformity to Christ's Death of the first Creation they ceas'd from the mortal Life of their own Spirits given them in their first Creation and from the Exercise of their own fallible Understandings and corruptible Wills therein which are the mystical Wings by which natural Angels and Men flie abroad in this perishing World to view and place their Thoughts and Affections on what seems desirable to them in order to pick up a true Happiness to themselves where it never is to be found While Man thus rambles and flies abroad for a self-pleasing delusive Happiness amongst the Delights of the Sons of Men he never looks or seeks after God and his heavenly Creature-life and Things the peculiar Delights of the Sons of God These heavenly Creature-things offer'd by a new Creation are out of the Reach of all single natural Understanding of Man 1 Cor. 2. 9. and the only way for attaining them is most contrary to his natural Will The Death and Loss of both and all is the appointed way in God's Wisdom whose Thoughts and Ways are not as Man 's but quite contrary about their true Salvation Isa. 55. 8 9. When the good Angels had let down their Wings importing a perfect Rest and Cessation from the Labours or Exercise of their own Spirits Wills and Understandings a Voice from the Firmament over their Heads calls them out of the said Death of Nature into a living spiritual Faith working by love to Christ as seen by them the Man upon a Throne as exalted Son and Branch in his heavenly Creature-life Hereby were they actually possess'd of eternal Life and infallibly sure of being compleated therein in God's time They patiently waited with a holy kind of Impatience well-pleasing to God also in longing Desires and Pantings after the actual Gift of the Holy Ghost or Gospel-Spirit of the Man they saw upon his Throne therein They with Old-Testament-Saints waited four thousand Years for this promis'd unspeakable Gift which was not given to either or any of them till Christ was ascended in our Nature Iohn 7.39 But as inseparably united therewith by a living spiritual Faith working by Love thereto they all had a good Report with God as well-pleasing and acceptable to him though they had not receiv'd his promis'd Holy Ghost Heb. 11. 39. All along the said four thousand Years the good Angels with Old-Testament-Prophets and other Saints desir'd to pry look into and consider what time the Spirit of Christ in them as enjoy'd by a spiritual Faith therein did signify when it testified before-hand the Sufferings of Christ and the Glory that should follow with the Holy Ghost sent down from Heaven and clear Gospel-preaching experienc'd therein 1 Pet. 1. 10-12 On this account the good Angels had Cause of Rejoicing at the Birth of Christ in our Nature as their own concern as well as Man 's though not in reference to Sin For they never sinn'd at all nor were in danger of ever sinning after their first change from Nature to Grace They rejoic'd also on behalf of Mankind who are all born Sinners The high Joy of the good Angels on these Accounts at Christ's Birth is recorded Luke 2. 8-14 By the first Demeanour of the good Angels is implied the contrary Behaviour of the evil ones The good follow'd Christ their Head the evil ones turn'd from their true Head as they went or were going a while with the good under the same Light Satan made himself a contrary opposite Head to Christ and with his Tail drew a third part of the Angels Revel 12. 4. signified by Stars Iob 38. 7. into the same Condition with himself under him as their Head in the self-chosen earthly Life of the first Creation in unchangeable Enmity to God and his heavenly Life offer'd them by a second As thus it was with the evil Angels so too oft with Men. Under high spiritual enlightning Gifts many that have gone a while with Gospel-Saints after Christ as their Head finding his Cross or the Death-work of his heavenly on their earthy Spirit to be pass'd under in order to be married to him as risen from the Dead they turn away from him under Satan's Witch-crafts Gal. 3. 1 3. to set up for themselves in their holy Flesh or righteous Life given them in their first Creation in unchangeable Enmity to God and his holy Gospel-Spirit offer'd by a second So Satan as God and Prince of this World brings them under his Influence by which he renders them the most enrag'd Antichristian Enemies of Gospel-Saints and Truths 1 Iohn 2. 19. A third part of the Angels will perish for ever Of Mankind the many in the broad easy self-pleasing Way to Hell out-number Christ's few in the narrow Way to Heaven though they also out of all Generations will be a numberless Multitude Revel 7. 9. CHAP. V. A short Review of the four preceding Chapters by way of Recapitulation CHAP. 1. God infinitely blessed from all Eternity Chap. 2. Determin'd to create Angels and Men to give them immortal Spirits and to put into them a mortal Life in their first-creation to be call'd their own with all the things thereof their own Righteousness Wisdom Works Fruits c. but
Men in their compleated spiritual Beings and New-creation Capacities not in reference to Sin or any Danger or Possibility of Sinning ever incident to them But First For letting down the Visions of the Divine Glory or Form in himself with Safety to their spiritual Understanding and Enjoyment through the transparent Vail or heavenly Creature-Image of the Divine Nature in him No Man or Angel hath seen God immediately at any time in his purely Divine Nature nor ever will or can to all Eternity in Heaven The only begotten Son will in and by his Creature-spirit as the prepar'd Means for it let down the Visions thereof to them at second hand Iohn 1. 18. Mat. 11. 27. Should the Divine Glory of the Father in the Son shine forth immediately in the infinite Brightness thereof on Gospel-Angels or Saints in Heaven it would be a consuming Fire to their very Beings Deut. 4. 24. 9. 3. Heb. 12. 29. The Request therefore of Moses ran too high when he said Lord I beseech thee shew me thy Glory Exod. 33. 18. That he meant the immediate Sight of the very Divine Glory Form or Face of God in the Mediator appears by God's favourable Answer to his mistaking Thought saying no Man or Angel can ever so see me and live But there 's a heavenly Creature place by me in personal Union with my Divine Glory through which as my back-parts thou mayest see me but my Divine Face or Glory shall never be immediately seen by thee or any meer Creature to all Eternity in Heaven v. 20-23 By and through the Creature-form or Face of God in Christ did he speak to Moses Face to Face v. 11. Mouth to Mouth as his living Word Numb 12. 8. 'T is the peculiar Prerogative and transcendent Privilege of the Man Christ Jesus only to see the Divine Glory immediately in himself as the supream Ingredient into his personal Constitution He is that King of Kings and Lord of Lords in the Creature-part of his wonderful Person dwelling with and in that Divine Light or Glory which no Man or Angel can ever so near approach unto as immediately to see 1 Tim. 6. 15 16. Thus will the Dignity and Prerogative of the infinite Divinity and the peculiar Privilege of Creature-nature in the Mediator be preserv'd in the transcendent Superiority of both and all above all meer Creatures Saints and Angels for evermore And so will they be secur'd in their unspeakable Privileges and utmost Blessedness by the wonderful compounded Divine and Creature-person of the Mediator Secondly A second Office of the Mediator to all Eternity in Heaven will be the presenting the blessed Persons of Angels and Saints with their spiritual Sacrifices of Praise and Thanksgiving to the absolute well-pleasing Acceptation of his Father and their Father John 20. 17. his God and their God in with and through him for evermore 1 Pet. 2. 5. The Multitude of Saints which no Man can number Revel 7.9 and the innumerable Company of Gospel-Angels Heb. 12. 22. will in their eternal Praises to God most high acknowledg and ascribe their eternal Blessedness in the Sight and Enjoyment of him to his electing Love in the Free-Grace-Purposes and Counsels of his Divine Mind from Eternity as the single and only supream distinguishing Cause of their everlasting Blessedness from those that perish for ever under his everlasting Curse and unquenchable Wrath. Creature-nature of immediate Divine Begetting qualifies him to mediate between two vastly distinct Natures Divine and meer creaturely in Angels and Men so as to answer all that can rightly be desir'd by them and to enable them to answer all that God requires of them By his right Performances therein on both and all Accounts Divine Nature can't suffer the least Diminution nor meer Creatures Angels or Men be swallow'd up or consum'd in their highest Exaltation The infinite Dignity of the one and unspeakable Privileges of the other will ever be preserv'd by the Mediator He is the wonderful Counsellor the mighty God the everlasting Father of Saints and Angels the Prince of Peace the only Procurer of their everlasting Peace with God Isa. 9. 6. He transforms and translates us out of the earthly Life of the Creature and fallible Understandings and Freedom of our own corruptible Wills receiv'd in our first Creation into the heavenly eternal Gospel-life of himself our Creator and infallible spiritual Understanding of all things and incorruptible Will therein for the right doing all things God requires of us which is the glorious Liberty of the Sons of God in unchangeable Harmony with his infinite Divine Will The Head of every Man is Christ the Head of the Woman is the Man and the Head of Christ is God 1 Cor. 11. 3. The Woman or natural Man in the changeable Womanish Life of the First-creation is by Death and Resurrection into the unchangeable manly Life of the second brought into the glorious Liberty of the Sons of God into unchangeable Harmony with the infinite Divine Will In this Transformation the manly Spirit of Christ becomes the Head of the transform'd womanish Spirit of Man and the Head of every such spiritual Man is Christ and the Head of Christ's whole compounded Person is God the single uncompounded Divine Essence or Father of all But all these Superiorities and Inferiorities in God the Father and his Divine and Creature-Son are swallow'd up in Christ's wonderful compounded Person into an equality as with his Divine Father one incomprehensible God Iohn 10. 30. All that 's in personal Union with the infinite Divinity is God CHAP. VIII The Mystery of Godliness and Mystery of Iniquity TO awaken'd spiritual Saints it is given to know the Mystery of the Kingdom of God the Mystery and Power of Godliness but to them that are without such spiritual Life and Knowledg all the spiritual heavenly Creature-things of God prepar'd for them that love him are done and spoken in Parables earthly Figures and Similitudes So hearing they hear but do not understand seeing they see yet not perceive or rightly take the mystical Truths therein and by signified Mat. 13. 13 14. and Mark 4. 11 12. They desire not to understand them they are so contrary to their own Wills and self-Interests They rather like chuse and approve of Satan's Mystery of Iniquity and embrace the Doctrine that carries on that which gratifies their own Wills both as to self-Interests in this World and a delusive Hope therein for true Blessedness in the World to come also In Conclusion he that hath not the Life God has prepar'd and offer'd by a New Creation which alone is eternal from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have or thinks to be eternal Life Luke 8. 18. And so will he find eternal Death in a most exquisite Sensibleness of his whole Being Spirit Soul and Body under the unquenchable Wrath of God This will Men get by following Satan's delusive Gospel in his Mystery of Iniquity Those that shall be
Saints till the spiritual Seed of true Saintship be waken'd up in them may be for a time under the same delusive Power of Satan with others Paul till then was a fierce self-confident Enemy to Gospel-Saints and Truths in the Law-righteousness of Man under Satan's Mystery of Iniquity Phil. 3.6 All reading of the Scriptures or hearing them expounded by Men in Law-righteousness however eminent in their own Understandings will never deliver from being captivated by Satan's Mystery of Iniquity All Scripture is a Book seal'd Isa. 29. 11. Let Man in but his own Understanding search the Scriptures he will not come to Christ the living Word and Book of God for that Life in which alone 't is possible to understand receive and own the mystical Truth of all Such Interpreters with their self-confident Hearers should they be at this Work longer than Methuselah liv'd they 'd still be wholly to seek as when they began as to that eternal Life and things of God in which 't is possible to enter into his Kingdom or scape the Damnation of Hell Awaken'd Saints in their new spiritual infallible all-discerning Understanding are enabled to see and declare not only the heavenly Creature-life and things of God therein but to pry and search into the deep things of the infinite Divinity in Christ's Person 1 Cor. 2. 9 10. to understand all things v. 15. the divine and spiritual things of God and what the natural things of Man given him in his first Creation amount unto The becoming a little Child as to the Life Wisdom Will and Understanding of Man in order to a receiving the heavenly spiritual eternal Creature-life and Things of God his Wisdom his everlasting Righteousness true Holiness a new infallible Understanding for knowing all things and a new incorruptible Will for doing all things well in God's Sight this Christ makes absolutely necessary to our ever entrin into his Kingdom Mat. 18. 3. and Luke 18. 17. Paul an eminent self-confident Pharisee in the Law-righteousness of Man and a fierce Persecutor of Gospel-Saints was doubtless of high esteem with those that in his Law-principle were wise strong and honourable But when a Gospel-Saint he became as a little Child a Fool weak and despicable in the Judgment of those who were wise strong and honourable in restor'd Law-life and First-covenant Attainments from Christ Phil. 3. 6-11 1 Cor. 4. 10. When a Gospel-Saint he renounc'd the Knowledg of Christ himself after the Flesh to be married to him in that Spirit into which risen out of the Death of our Nature in himself 2 Cor. 5. 16. Rom. 7. 4. He had now a Life and Things as far above all given Angels and Men in their first Creation as the Heavens are higher than the Earth This Life hid with Christ in God from Man's highest Understanding and all Man regards given up in Sacrifice to God what Esteem could he find with Men This has been the Case of true Saints Prophets and Apostles and of Christ himself all along this World from Abel to this Day Matth. 23. 34 35. While any are confident in Satan's Mystery of Iniquity preferring the Law-life of the Creature and Righteousness of Man to the Gospel-life of the Creator and everlasting Righteousness of God therein such are the greatest Haters of true Saints and were the Murderers of Christ himself when Pilate a Heathen Judg would have releas'd him as finding no Fault in him John 18. 38. 19. 4 6. Christ warns his true Followers to expect the like Usage from such Iohn 15. 18-20 16. 1 2. Saints fix'd in Union of Mind with God become the most hateful to all fix'd in the Law-righteousness of Man in unchangeable Union with the Devil In the Form of Godliness and Righteousness of Man they deny the Power of Godliness and Righteousness of God as a diabolical Fiction 2 Tim. 3.5 Such said of Christ himself he had a Devil and was mad Here 's the demeanour of any fix'd in Satan's Mystery of Iniquity to such as experience and declare the Mystery of Godliness Hence are God's true New Ierusalem-Saints a Contempt all along this World under Satan's Reign But when Christ shall appear the second time in his all-powerful all-discovering Gospel-light and enter upon his Reign on Earth they 'l be a Praise in the Earth For this therefore all Gospel-Saints and Angels continually pray and keep not silence Isa. 62. 6 7. Man's Wisdom denies true Godliness to be any Mystery at all which God's Wisdom declares without Controversy and beyond all dispute or question to be a great Mystery 1 Tim. 3.16 The Scriptures and Mind of God therein as to the eternal Concerns of Men are easy to be understood says Man impossible to be understood says God by Man's highest Understanding in the Light Wisdom and Righteousness of Man 1 Cor. 2. 9 14. Isa. 29. 11. God here says what learned Man should say in his highest Wisdom 'T is not in Man to make one right Step towards eternal Life in his own best natural Understanding Reason or Wisdom Ier. 10. 23. 'T is says Man's Wisdom and warrants final Peace with God therein Ezek. 13. 1-10 where there 's no such Peace Boldly and confidently does Man's lying Spirit of Divination in Satan's Gospel-Divines say this and warrant their Hearers they 'l confirm their Word v. 6. Man may know God's infinite Divine Power by the things that are made in the First-creation but sees neither his Divine Nature and things thereof nor any of his hidden spiritual eternal Creature-things prepar'd to be given by a new or second Creation Rom. 1. 20. 1 Cor. 2. 9. All Mankind are capable of and may receive the common Salvation as a Fruit of Christ's Death in our Nature and convincing Discoveries of his Truth or Gospel-life if they will 1 Tim. 2. 4. But as to special Salvation or eternal Gospel-life this is not of him that willeth but of God who will shew such Mercy to whom he will Rom. 9. 15 16. Many in all possible Attainments in the former will perish for ever Satan attempted to bring Christ himself to be a Member of his Church or Synagogue and worship him as God in his Mystery of Iniquity Mat. 4. 8 9. where are we till infallibly experiencing his Gospel-life and therein the Mystery of Godliness All along this World under God's most wise Permission Satan and his Gospel-Ministers transform'd into the Likeness of Christ and his carry all before them 2 Cor. 11. 13-15 All in but their own Spirit and worldly Life at best wonder and run after them Revel 13. 3 4. worshipping the Dragon and under and with him opening their Mouth in Blasphemy against God and his Creature-name that 's his heavenly Tabernacle and them that dwell therein v. 5,6 And it is given to him and his Party amongst Men to make War with Saints and overcome them ver 7. They are condemn'd as Traitors discovering his Counsels in the Mystery of Iniquity and he will
cause them to be so accounted also against Heathen Cesars and others of his Party under him Christ himself was condemn'd and murder'd on this Pretence Iohn 19. 12 15. Saints can discover him when sitting in the Temple of God shewing himself that he is God 2 Thess. 2. 4. to be the worst of all Creatures the Man of Sin and Son of Perdition ver 3. Will he quietly bear this Discovery will he not by his humane Instruments shew his utmost Rage against them and God permits But be it as it will the Sum of all true Gospel-teaching is a declaring the Mystery of Godliness for the Salvation of Men and preventing their Damnation and a discovering Satan's Mystery of Iniquity for the Damnation of Men and preventing their Salvation So only can Saints with Paul become free from the Blood of all Men Acts 20. 26. Ezek. 33. 7-9 as having no Share in that Guilt by which they bring that Blood upon their own Heads which will be found to amount unto no less than eternal Death to their whole Beings Spirit Soul and Body in a Resurrection of Damnation The experimental Knowers of the Mystery and Power of Godliness and faithful Discoverers of the Mystery of Iniquity will have a Resurrection of Life John 5. 29. above all Deaths temporal or eternal CHAP. IX The first Sin Fall and Punishment of many evil Angels and of all Mankind in Adam EVIL Mankind in Adam joyn'd with evil Angel-kind in Satan through a mutual Union of Love to themselves and one another electing or chusing for themselves their own earthly mortal First covenant Law-life of the Creature given by a First-creation in preference and opposition to the heavenly immortal Second-covenant Gospel-life of the Creator offer'd them by a second or new Creation The evil Angels herein did at first commit the unpardonable Sin against the Holy Ghost under the immediate Beamings forth of Christ's heavenly Creature-Gospel spirit the Son of everlasting Righteousness upon their highest single intuitive natural Understandings Secondly They had no superiour Rank of Creatures in the First-creation already fallen above them in Subtlety and Power to tempt them Thirdly They were all actually created and set up in their compleated personal Beings and Life at first Mankind receive their personal Beings successively Generation after Generation Fourthly Mankind's first Sin in Adam was not against such clear Knowledg of their own unspeakable Concern as well as Duty to God though in the same kind of First-covenant Law-life with Angels The inferiour Ingredients into Man's personal Constitution bodily Sensual-life tho created pure and incorrupt rendred his intuitive Discerning inferiour to that of Angels where 't was single and alone Hence what was immediately and more convincingly made known to Angels was represented to Adam by a figurative Tree of Life and himself in distinction from that by the Tree of Good and Evil. The former represented Christ to him in that heavenly Creature-life offer'd by a new Creation the latter represented himself to himself as but a mystical Tree of Good and Evil in his own Life given in his first Creation corruptible and changeable mortal and perishable with all the earthly things therein Will Understanding Righteousness Wisdom c. with all Works or Fruits ever possible to be done or brought forth therein By and under the superiour Subtlety and Power of the Devil the mystical Old Serpent was Adam in the primitive Purity of his whole Being and Mankind in him as their Head and Representative induc'd perswaded and deceiv'd so as to prefer Satan's self-pleasing Lie to God's Spirit of Grace and Truth So under and with the Serpent he chose his own earthly Life of the Creature in preference to God's own heavenly Creature-life of the Creator Many of Mankind when restor'd out of the Darkness and Death of their own Spirits into the Light Life and Righteousness of Man do sin again in their own Persons after the Similitude of Adam's first Transgression who at best in Innocency was but a Figure of the Second Adam who was to come in the Fountain-purity of our Nature and also full of the Holy Ghost Luke 4. 1. Iohn 1. 14. his heavenly Creature-spirit of Grace and Truth Rom. 5. 14. This Sin again in their own Persons after all sad Experience of fallen Mankind thereby in Adam and all Warnings and Counsels of God since is unrepentable by them Heb. 6. 4 6. and unpardonable by God Heb. 10. 26 27. This is the Case of any that conclusively and absolutely prefer their own restor'd earthly Life of the Creature and Righteousness of Man to the heavenly Creature-life of the Creator and everlasting Righteousness of God therein All that will not receive and have the heavenly Creature-life of God by submitting to the Death of restor'd Nature at best the Loss of all their own Life and things therein God will take away the said Life from them again and lay them down for ever under his unquenchable Wrath in eternal Death Luke 8. 18. This is that Christ says Mat. 16.25 Whosoever will save his Life shall lose it and whosoever will hate and lose his own Life for my Sake from Love to my heavenly Creature-life shall find it with unspeakable Gain as chang'd by Death and Resurrection into an eternal Life Satan was at it with Christ himself Matth. 4. 8 9. to stay and set up with and under him as a State of true Happiness in the mortal Life of our Nature and by his Apostle Peter was at the same Point to pity and spare himself there saying be the Death thereof far from thee this shall not be unto thee Christ discover'd and declar'd this Word of Peter to be Satan's Counsel in and by him Mat. 16. 21-23 As the first Sin of Angels was differing from Man's first Sin so was the Punishment The Punishment of evil Angels was the giving them their own evil Choice their own self-chosen earthly Life receiv'd in their First-creation with all the things thereof their own Wisdom Righteousness Subtlety and Power all natural Excellencies and Perfections therein as by them abus'd turn'd into and us'd in unchangeable Enmity to God and his heavenly Creature spirit of eternal Life God also permitted to them the Exercise of a ruling Power over sallen Mankind all along this World by which Satan carries on the same delusive Work as on Adam at first that the Life given in the First-creation is eternal no need of a second nor therefore of the Death of the first Ye shall not die Gen. 3. 3. This is Satan's uniform Lie all along this World that the Life given in the First-creation is eternal You must die or never live and reign with me in my heavenly creature-Creature-life which is eternal This is Christ's Truth his faithful Saying 2 Tim. 2. 11 12. There 's nothing more pleasing to Man's Will in the restor'd earthly Life of the First Adam than Satan's Lie and nothing so universally contrary to it as God's Truth that
Man therein Iohn 14. 26. This better Comforter he told them would teach them all things divine and spiritual and so bring to their Remembrance all that he had hitherto spoken to them in Parables earthly Figures and Similitudes in which the mystical divine and spiritual Truths lay hid from them as well as others The good Angels also rejoic'd at the Birth of Jesus on the behalf of Mankind in general and of Saints in special as the means for recovering all out of the Darkness and Death into which brought by their first Sin and Punishment thereof Gen. 2. 17. Iohn 1. 9. The World was made by him yet when he came into the World none in their worldly Life of the Creature at best either knew receiv'd or own'd him Iohn 1.10 The righteous First-Covenant professing Jews in Union of mind with evil Angels were the most signally enrag'd Contradicters Blasphemers and Murderers of him for his Gospel-Doctrine of Salvation Acts 3 13-15 The exalted Son and Branch was the immediate Former of himself in the Womb of the Virgin the Son of God on Earth remaining still what he was in the Beginning the Son of Man in Heaven John 3. 13. Evil Angels and Men were God's permissive Hand under his infinite over-ruling Wisdom and Power to finish the Death-work on all that was mortal about him in our Nature and so oft on Saints to their greatest Good and Enemies greatest hurt Hereby do they compleat Saints Conformity to Christ's Death freeing them from all that 's mortal about them while in the Body Isa. 57. 1 2. The Iews would have made Christ a King if he would have own'd his Kingdom in that mortal First-covenant law-Law-life they saw him in Iohn 6. 15. But witnessing his Kingdom not to be in that worldly law-Law-life but in his gospel-Gospel-life of Grace and Truth Iohn 18. 36 37. they murder'd him and so compleated the Death of him as to that mortal Law-life wherein they would have made him their King They chose rather to be Subjects to a Heathen King than such a King as he own'd himself to be Iohn 19. 12 15. who would have made him such a King as would have render'd them Traitors and Enemies to Cesar. Here 's the confounded Doings of Man at best in his own worldly Spirit and Life Some Corinthians Laodiceans and other Professors in but the First-covenant-life and Righteousness of Man all along since are of the same mind with them 1 Cor. 4. 8. Rev. 3. 17. The God of this World offer'd Christ a far larger Bribe than the Jews did all the Kingdoms of this World visible and invisible under him all worldly Power Human and Angelical in Case he would own his Kingdom to be in this First-creation Worldly-life Mat. 4. 8 9. Whoever are finally taken with his worldly Bribes the literal or mystical Riches of this First-creation World do fall down and worship him as God And by such Loyal Subjects of him does he murder true Saints that refuse so to do as they did Christ himself True Heaven-born Sons of God have the whole self-confident legal-spirited Generation of Professsors on the same Account universally in all times against them They mortally and irreconcileably hate them for owning the Death-work of Christ's Gospel-spirit of Grace on that Law-spirit of Works they confidently trust in for entring into the Kingdom of God Such become the highest Rank of Satan's Subjects and most serviceable Instruments for maintaining the Credit of his worldly Kingdom as the only true Blessedness to any God's Thoughts and Ways for true Salvation are not as Man 's and when he has declar'd his Ways in his holy Oracles let Man's highest Wisdom undertake the interpreting them all shall run on Satan's Side God's Thoughts therein remaining fast seal'd and lock'd up from Man's best Understanding in but a restor'd First-covenant Life Isa. 29. 11. CHAP. XI The Difference of Christ's Death in our Nature as to the intent and Extent thereof from Saints Conformity to him by the Death of Nature in them CHRIST's condescending to take our Nature and therein by the Grace of God to taste Death for every Man Heb. 2. 9. was in reference to the pardonable Sins of Mankind in Adam and also in their own Persons This was God's appointed Way for the redeeming and recovering them out of their fallen State wherein born dead in Trespasses and Sins Ephes. 2. 1. Col. 2. 13. into the Light and also Life receiv'd by them in their First-creation All may receive this general Redemption-Mercy the Common-Salvation-Work of Christ as a Fruit of his meritorious Sufferings and Death in our Nature if they will But as to the special eternal Salvation of the Elect in his new and everlasting Covenant Gospel-life this is not of him that willeth or runneth in the most fruitful Exercise of his own restor'd First-covenant Law-life but of God's Free-Grace Mercy which he will effectually and infallibly shew to whom he pleases only The ceasing from their own Life Will and Understanding is the only appointed Way for their receiving this special eternal Salvation-life of God Iude with others writ of both these distinct Salvations common and special temporal and eternal And when he had with all Diligence inform'd them of the former he found it needful to exhort them to contena earnestly in Prayer to God for a living spiritual Faith working by Love to him in the latter in which only true Saintship and Salvation ever could or will be found by any Man Iude v. 3. Thus is Christ the Saviour of all Men with a common or general Salvation but of them that believe in his Gospel-life and place all their Hopes of Salvation in that with a special 1 Tim. 4. 10. They trust in the living God that living Word of God which is God John 1.1 Those that wax confident in the common Salvation the restor'd Life and Righteousness of Man do trust in that Life for Entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven which Christ crucified in the Fountain-purity of it in himself God will not only that all Men should be saved with the common Salvation but has rendred them capable also of receiving the Knowledg of the Truth 1 Tim. 2. 4. his Gospel-spirit of Grace and Truth by the convincing Discoveries thereof to their natural Understandings But after all this are they liable to apostatize fall away and finally refuse so great Salvation as is thereby offer'd them and perish for ever Heb. 6. 4-6 The submitting in Passive Obedience to the Death and Loss of all receiv'd from Christ in the Common-Salvation-Benefit of his Death rendring them but holy Flesh is absolutely necessary to their finding the special eternal Salvation-life of his holy Gospel-spirit the Holy Ghost Otherwise after all receiv'd in the Common-Salvation they 'l find everlasting Destruction Conformity to Christ's Death by the Death of Nature at best in us is the appointed way to reign with him in the Life he is ascended into out of the Death thereof
Good Christ says to them my Yoke is easy and Burden light Mat. 11. 30. There are none of the said terrifying Ingredients into the Death of Nature in Saints peculiar to the Death of it in Christ himself Nor were they in his first Sacrifice of Nature in general above-spoken to To Saints therefore the Sufferings of the present time are not reckon'd worthy to be compar'd with the Glory which shall be reveal'd in them Rom. 8. 18. which they have the infallible forehand-Sight of by such Beginnings thereof as they already experience in them with Ioy unspeakable and full of Glory 1. Pet. 1. 8. CHAP. XII Regeneration BY true Regeneration Man that was made of God by a First-creation in the mortal earthly Law-life of the Creature is born of God in the immortal heavenly Gospel-life of the Creator the living Creature-word of God which is God Iohn 1. 1-3 As for the Life and Things given Angels and Men in their First-creation those are things which have been but shall not be for ever temporary transient things to be laid aside in order to their receiving God's own heavenly Creature-life by a New-creation To the blessed Submitters to the Terms of receiving this does God look with Regard and Delight as Objects of his everlasting Love Isa. 66. 2. The poor broken contrite Spirit of Man under the Cross or Death-work of the heavenly Creature-spirit of Christ on his earthly in order to be born of his heavenly is of more Value in God's Sight than all the unbroken Excellencies and Perfections of Men and Angels in their First-creation-Make and Life All that by a delusive Confidence in their own earthly Life given them in their First-creation finally despise God's heavenly offer'd by a second do chuse Satan's Lie in Union with him in the first in unchangeable Enmity to God's Truth offer'd by a second They prefer the Form of Godliness in the Life of the Creature to the Power of Godliness in the Life of the Creator 2 Tim. 3.5 2 Thess. 2. 10-12 True Saints are Followers of Christ in the Regeneration Mat. 19. 28. by the Death of their own Spirits at best into his everlasting true Salvation-life above all Deaths So come they to be chang'd from a visible First-covenant People of God in their own holy Flesh Righteousness of Man into an invisible People of God in his Holy Ghost or heavenly Creature-Gospel-spirit and therein have a Life hid with Christ in God Col. 3. 1-4 Their Peace with God therein passes or surmounts all natural Vnderstanding of Man with all the Things of God wherein it consists Man's highest natural Understanding in the First-covenant understands not the Saints spiritual Understanding in the Second nor any of the divine and heavenly Creature-things of God he thereby sees understands or speaks of He therefore reckons all Foolishness 1 Cor. 2. 9 14 15. The Seed of Life put into Angels and Men in their First-creation was corruptible in the second incorruptible This latter is the Life which by the Gospel is preach'd and made known 1 Pet. 1. 23-25 This Saints come to be the happy Experiencers of as the Root Spring and Principle of their Desire Thought and Action By Death of the First-creation and Resurrection into the Second was Christ himself as First-born from the dead qualified to be the immediate Creator of Angels and Men by a First and the giver to them of eternal Life by a Second-creation of them So only can any be Subjects to him in his heavenly Kingdom None that finally refuse to suffer and die with him in the First can ever live and reign with him in the Second 2 Tim. 2. 10 11. By true Regeneration the corruptible Life with the fallible Understanding and corruptible Will of the Creature is chang'd and transform'd into the incorruptible and infallible Life Will and Understanding of the Creator the marvellous Light and glorious Liberty of the Sons of God Awaken'd Saints in the all-discovering Light of the quickning Spirit of the Second Adam see an end all natural Life Wisdom Glories Excellencies and Perfections in the living Soul of the First will come to Psal. 119. 96. No such changeable Life or temporary good Things will be found in the Heaven or Hell-part of the eternal World to come Rev. 18 14-19 There will be nothing then but eternal Life or Death eternal good or evil Things The changeable fallible womanish Spirit of the First Adam at best is the mystical Iezebel or false Prophetess as to Mens eternal Concerns exactly serviceable to Satan's Designs in such Interpretation of the Scriptures of Truth as to preach up with all Confidence his Lie for Salvation to them and their finally deceived Hearers everlasting Destruction All this Iezebel's Children her Thoughts Doctrines Works or Fruits will be kill'd with eternal Death burnt up and destroy'd for ever Rev. 2. 20-23 By the wrong Use of their own Free-will did evil Angels at first set up for themselves in a Shadow of Divine Soveraignty to be as Gods in the uncontroulable Exercise of their own Wills as God is in his infinite Divine Will And they soon drew Mankind in Adam to make the same Choice with them to be as Gods telling them that God knows they shall be so and will own them therein as having made a right Choice for their everlasting Blessedness Gen. 3.5 In pursuance of this first destructive Lie as soon as any of Mankind are restor'd into the Life and Righteousness of Man by the Redeemer Satan is at the same Point with them as at first in Adam and prevails with many such redeem'd ones to strike up an everlasting Covenant with him in the First-creation-life of the Creature in unchangeable Enmity to God and the everlasting Life of their Creator To all such God says what have you to do to take the Words of my new and everlasting Covenant in your Mouth Psal. 50. 16. as pretending to preach my Gospel when Ministers of Satan's other no Gospel in a direct Contrariety to mine Gal. 1.6,7 Saints by true Regeneration as born of God do experience his working all their Works in them by his heavenly Spirit Isa. 26. 12. What a surprizing amazing Answer will all others find at last Day from Christ we find Mat. 7. 21-23 Depart from me ye that work Iniquity CHAP. XIII The Difference of the spiritualiz'd Natural from the spiritual Understanding MAN in the former is said to be a Partaker of the Holy Ghost or heavenly Creature-Gospel-spirit of Christ the living Word of God under highest spiritual enlightning Gifts These are the best Gifts to be coveted or desir'd receivable by and upon Man's natural Understanding but short yet of the more excellent Way or the very spiritual Life and Gospel-Principle of all right Desire Thought and Action Without this call'd Love as rendring any true Lovers and Beloveds of God Fulfillers of the whole Law Mind and Will of God after his own Heart all 's nothing as to eternal Life 1
Cor. 12. 31. 13. 1 2. Rom. 13. 8 10. The natural Understanding with all such enlightning spiritual Gifts receiv'd thereon is to be given up in Sacrifice to God with the Life wherein exercis'd for the new spiritual eternal Gospel-life of God and true infallible Understanding therein Man under all spiritual Enlightning discovering to him the more excellent Gospel-life of the Creator offer'd by a New Creation is yet liable by Satan's Witchcrafts with his own Consent to be fetch'd back again from looking after or owning Christ's Gospel-life though known to be his unspeakable Concern to submit to God's Terms and appointed Way of receiving it as the only way to find the Salvation of Heaven or scape the Damnation of Hell Gal. 3. 1 3. 5. 7 8. Thus prevalent was Self-love at first in evil Angels under the clearest Conviction of their unspeakable Concern as well as Duty and they prevail to bring Men under the like Knowledg of their eternal Concerns to make the same wrong destructive Choice to their known eternal Ruine They are perswaded by Satan to receive his self-pleasing Lie that by a being made perfect in their Flesh the fleshly Life of the Creature Righteousness of Man they will find Peace with God and Entrance into his Kingdom This yielded to and absolutely concluded is the unpardonable and unrepentable Sin against the Holy Ghost Heb. 6. 4-6 10. 26 27. This Sin excludes any for ever from any Benefit of Christ's meritorious Sacrifice leaving them nothing but a certain fearful looking for of Wrath and fiery Indignation which will devour all such wilful incorrigible Adversaries forcing them to dwell with and under everlasting Burnings as in unchangeable Union of Mind with the Devil All spiritual enlightning Gifts and thereby understanding all Mysteries and having all Knowledg of the Will of God and their own eternal Concerns and speaking with the Tongues of Men and Angels in the utmost Dexterity of organical or intuitive Expression all still without Love or a partaking of the very Life of the Son of God is nothing of no avail at all for their ever entring into his Kingdom In Man's Day of judging such are the only true super-eminent spiritual Saints in God's unchangeable Enemies and the highest sort of Adversaries to him and his Saints In the ever-new Life of God given by a New Creation Saints come to experience a new infallible spiritual Understanding and an incorruptible Will in Harmony with the very infinite Divine Mind and Will In this Life and Principle of Desire Thought and Action can they answer that Command for loving the Lord their God with all their Heart Soul Strength and Mind and the true mystical Neighbour Christ in his Gospel-life and spiritual Saints born of God therein No fix'd Law-spirited however righteous Man loves but hates the Lord his God and the true Scripture-Neighbour Christ and true Saints the new eternal Gospel-life in him and them Head and Members one mystical Body 1 Cor. 12.27 the true Neighbour with a perfect unchangeable hatred This may seem the dangerous Case of the self-confident Lawyer that tempted Christ saying Master what shall I do to inherit eternal Life Christ asks him what 's written in the Law how readest thou These are two distinct Questions The Lawyer agreed with Christ in answer to the first as to what was written in the Law But was to seek for answering the second as to the right reading or understanding in what Spirit and Principle of Life 't was ever possible to perform what was written Luk. 10 25-28 The implacable Haters of the true spiritual Neighbours Christ and his Brethren will go away into everlasting Punishment and the true Lovers of them into Life eternal Mat. 25 31-46 Christ takes all hating and persecuting his Gospel-Saints as done to himself Act. 9.4 Spiritually enlighten'd Men finally refusing to submit to the Terms of receiving Christ's offer'd spiritual Gospel-life though a while among Gospel-Saints as Members of the true Church owning Gospel-Truths will at length depart from them and become their most signal Antichristian Enemies 1 John 2. 18 19. Such prove grievous Wolves to Christ's true Sheep Act. 20. 29 30. Mat. 10. 16. Satan's choicest Instruments to disswade and draw away Disciples after them from looking after or owning any such thing as Christ's gospel-Gospel-life or Doctrine thereof Hereby become they the most criminal Sinners of all Mankind This after they had run well among true Saints owning Gospel-Truths Who did hinder or call them back that they should not finally obey the Truth Gal. 5.7 The Devil He prevailingly call'd them back from what Christ fairly offer'd and invited them to ver 8. Such become Satan's chief Apostles Ministers of his other Gospel fitted for his Work in calling others back from all Gospel-Truths as diabolical Illusions So do they shut up the Kingdom of God and set open Satan's exclude explode and deny all Christ's Gospel-Truths and preach up Satan's Lie the Life of the Creature given in the First-creation transform'd into the Appearance of and deck'd with all Scripture-Titles belonging to the Gospel-life of the Creator offer'd by a second as a State of true Salvation In this Posture and at this Work did Christ find the most enlightned teaching Jews Matth. 23. 13 33. Teachers of Satan's other Gospel furnish'd with all Wisdom Subtlety Eloquence and Dexterity of Expression may thus be dressing up Satan's Lie with all Scripture-Language of Christ's Gospel-Truth so as with their Hearers to grow irrefragably confident under Satan's strong Delusion and God's giving them up thereto as verily to think they are in a State of true Salvation Thus the renew'd Old Man passes for the new Creature restor'd Nature for a State of Grace Reformation of Naturals for Regeneration into Spirituals Satan's and Man's Nothings for God's All-things the restor'd mortal Life and Things of the Creature for the immortal gospel-Gospel-life and Things of the Creator So the Devil God of this World passes for the true God his Kingdom for God's his Lie for God's Truth Where such are like to be at last see 2 Thess. 2. 10-12 At this rate all along this World Satan's permitted Reign and Man's Day of judging under him in Matters of Religion and remarkably in this long Anti-christian Day of twelve hundred and sixty Years now near expiring have things gone God's only things that are and will ever be his eternal Gospel-life and Things pass for chimerical Nothings in Man's Day and Man 's confidently reputed All-things will be found nothing in God's Day of Judging Man's highest Wisdom calls nothing in his pretended Divinity by the right Name but the contrary in all Extremity Satan's Gospel passes currant for Salvation and Christ's for a Blasphemous Fiction of the Devil and Madness If it was reckon'd so by eminent First-covenant righteous teaching and professing Jews in Christ himself what can his true Followers expect Iohn 10. 20. 15. 18-20 16. 1 2. All worldly Honours Applauses and
Counsel of God by him declar'd to them therein On this account he tells them they with their Fathers in the like Cainish Spirit of Enmity were guilty of the Blood of all God's true Prophets shed from the Foundation of the World from the Blood of Abel to that day Luke 11 49-51 And so will it be to the end of this World under Satan's permitted Reign and Man's Day under him of judging in Matters of Religion and Worship of God so as nothing must pass for Gospel but what Man pleases to give his Approbation to The Jews built the Sepulchres of the Prophets under pretence of paying Honour to them and owning their Counsel when with their Fathers Murderers of all such and in unchangeable Enmity to all their Words rightly understood If they had been in the days of their Fathers they say they would not have been Partakers with them in the Blood of the Prophets Mat. 23. 29-31 Under all these Pretences and self-deceiving Imaginations Christ declares them fix'd in the self-same murdering Mind of Enmity with their Fathers against all true Prophets and himself also as soon appear'd and therefore ask'd them how they could think to escape the Damnation of Hell ver 33. Since all such dealings of the Jews with their own true Prophets and Christ himself with his Apostles in the foretold long Antichristian Day now near ending how have unchangeable idolatrous Haters of Christ and his Gospel-Truths and Saints been found under the Name Christian building stately Churches or Temples to the Honour of Paul Peter Iohn c. who would as certainly murder them for their Gospel-Doctrine were they now here as others did even in the Primitive Apostolical Gospel-day Let Men under Satan interpret their Gospel-Writings in a Sutableness to their own Wills and so in a universal Contrariety to the Words of God's VVisdom in them and all 's well and they with the Apostles in the way to eternal Life and true Salvation All void of a true living spiritual Faith in Christ's Gospel-life working by Love to him therein are the unreasonable and incorrigible Adversaries of true Gospel-Saints Paul shews the like Figurative Significancy in Iacob and Esau Rom. 9 10-13 Esau mortally hated Iacob and God hated Esau. Esau's murdering Mind of Enmity to Iacob is express'd by himself Gen. 27. 41 42. The like is notified in all his murdering-minded Followers against God Christ and his true spiritual Iacobs Obad. v. 8-10 Amos 1. 11. CHAP. XVI Concerning meer Creaturality in Angels and Men in their first and also in their highest spiritual second New-Creation Capacities with some account of all possible to be done by any in their first and the differing Ends of all at last HAving already spoken of the ready prepar'd Hand the exalted Creature-Son and Branch in the Mediator's Person the living Word of God as qualified and fitted for a first and second creating of Angels and Men come we now to consider what they both and all amount unto for ever as but meer Creatures not only in their natural Beings and Life of the Creature given them by a first but also spiritual Beings and Life of the Creator given by a second Creation of them Angels were all created at first in their compleat Personalities invisible immortal Beings without any innate Capacity of or connatural Tendency to the exercise of a threefold Souly or Animalish Life rational sensual and vegetable in and by a fitly Organiz'd Body As for Mankind they do gradually descend from one another in a continued Succession Generation after Generation for a compleating their Personal Beings from the beginning to the ending of this mortal World What became of Angels good and bad by the first well-pleasing Passive Obedience of the former and first unpardonable Sin of the latter has been above-spoken to Chap. 4. of this Treatise Man inferiour to Angels in their single intuitive natural Understandings tho in the same kind of Mortal Earthly First-Covenant Life is in his compleated Personality a much more comprehensive Being than an Angel He is the most compleat shadowy Image of God on all accounts in the whole Natural Mortal First-Creation World visible or invisible This is signified concerning him in distinction from Angels and all other Creatures therein created before him in a readiness for his Entertainment Of none thereof is it said by God as of him Let us make Man in our Image after our Likeness Gen. 1.26 as the Compend or Epitome of all other Creatures and something more peculiar to himself the rational Exercise of his Mind in and by a Body found in no Creatures above or below him So find we a peculiar Consultation of the three that are one to draw an earthly shadowy Image and Representation of themselves in every individual Man This Enlargement of Man's Personal Being beyond Angels expos'd and rendred him liable to vain sinful Desires and Thoughts so as to wallow in Mire among Satan's Swine feeding on Husks the lowest Dust of this World below any Palate in any evil Angels to savour any Belly Desire or Appetite in them to lust after delight in or feed upon being never link'd with mortal Bodies or sensual Life Pleasures in common with brute Beasts So the Enlargement of Man's Being beyond Angels was a Diminution to his intuitive Understanding in common with them and to the Exercise of his Natural Will as exposing him to a running out in his Desires after the lower sort of Desirables in the vast heap of vanishing Shadows in the visible Parts of this First-creation World And evil Angels tho they care not for such things themselves have Power through God's most wise Permission to shoot their fiery Darts into Mens Spirits and kindle in them evil Lustings after such visible things in which they keep the far greater part of Mankind wallowing in Mire as their Swine far from any looking after God at all The Soul or threefold animalish souly-Life of Man distinct from his Spirit ceases as to exercise at the Death of his Body The Spirit then retreats to the full Experience and Exercise of its supream intuitive Way of discerning and converse with Angels good or bad in a spiritual Intuitiveness with the good Gospel-Angels or natural with the evil Law-Angels Lawyers from the beginning on their First Sin and Fall setting up the law-Law-life of the Creature given in the First-creation against the gospel-Gospel-life of their Creator offer'd by a Second and so their Lie against God's Truth The Devil was a Murderer from the Beginning John 8. 44. and his fix'd Law-party of Mankind in the restor'd Law-life-Wisdom and Righteousness of Man have been under him the irreconcileable Haters and Murderers of Christ himself and his Gospel-Saints all along this World At the Death of the Body Man good or evil is dead His Spirit is for a time strip'd of the threefold Souly-life as to exercise that are essential Ingredients into his personal Constitution At last Saints will recover their Bodies in a
and see what all will amount unto Isa. 41. 21. Object 1. Will God destroy the First creation-works of his own Hand Will he take away Man's Reason Wisdom and Righteousness bring to nothing all his good Works and Fruits done and brought forth therein Must the very Life of our own Spirit at best with all the things thereof our own Wills and Vnderstandings therein be given up in Sacrifice to the Will of God by a holy Death Answ. Yes And all to our transcendent Advantage and greatest Gain in order to find all again in a Life above all Deaths and therein an infallible Understanding and incorruptible Will for the right knowing and doing all things in answer to the very Divine Will of God Most High Object 2. Does God require Impossibilities of Man such Obedience as 't is impossible for him to perform in his own Spirit Will and Way at best in the restor'd Life and Righteousness of Man Answ. Yes But had provided an originally incorruptible heavenly eternal Creature-life in the Mediator to be given them in the room thereof by a Second or New-creation of them This is a Life above all Deaths temporal or eternal will swallow up Death in Victory Isa. 25.8 1 Cor. 15. 54. This Life is figur'd by the Wine in Iotham's Parable Iudg. 9. 13. cheering God and Man answering all Man can rightly desire of God and enabling him to answer all God requires of him He that has not this Life of the Son of God has not Life not true eternal Life 1 Iohn 5. 12. Quest. Will the Disputers of this World still contend with their Maker in defence of their own Wisdom Will and Way against his for Salvation Answ. They will till Satan's Reign and Man's Day under him are at a full Period But what are Men like to get by this Contest Eternal Death True Saints oft suffer a violent temporal Death from such self-confident Contenders against God and them Man 's own fallible Reason or Wisdom perverts him turns him away from looking after the infallible Wisdom and Reason of God to his own sudden unfore-seen everlasting Destruction Isa. 47. 10 11. He searches the Scriptures thinks he understands those written Oracles of God yet never comes to Christ the living Word of God for the Life therein witness'd and declar'd Iohn 5. 39 40. The Scriptures are a Book seal'd as to Man's Understanding that reaches not to the heavenly creature-Creature-life and things therein signified under Figures Types and shadowy Similitudes Isa. 29.11 All spiritual salvation-Salvation-truths signified from the beginning of Genesis to the End of the Revelation are fast lock'd up and hid from Man's highest single natural Understanding The losing all in our own Law-spirit of Works is the only way to find and do all in God's Spirit of Grace Esphes 2. 8-10 'T is by Grace only or in the never-sinning Life of God's Spirit of Grace in Christ Jesus communicated to them any can be finally sav'd never in their own boasting Law-spirit of Works Having thus promiscuously consider'd Sinners in their First-creation and Saints in the Second come we now to consider meer Creaturality in spiritual Saints and Angels for evermore Spiritual Saints of the Double-portion making up God's New Heavens in their various distinct Portions therein from the highest to the lowest and Gospel-Angels the supream in the single Portion with all variety of Gospel-Saints therein making up God's New Earth in true Salvation-life are all Members of Christ's mystical Body In the former Christ's peculiar Dove supream double-portion'd Saints in the twofold heavenly and glorified earthly Life of Christ are the peculiar Wife and Bride of the Lamb Revel 19. 7. Below these in the double Portion are threescore Queens and then in the single Virgins without Number all in a Union of Mind with her praising her and owning her Superiority to them Cant. 6. 8 9. There will be no envying of the highest in the lower and lowest nor any insulting of the highest over the lower in Heaven to Eternity They 'l all rejoice in the superiour and inferiour Attainments of each other as is figur'd in the higher and lower Members of the literal Body of Man all mutually rejoicing in the Joys of one another as compleating the Joy of the whole Body 1 Cor. 12. 12-27 The various spiritual Capacities in higher and lower Saints are figur'd by Cups and Flagons Isa. 22. 24. None of all these will ever pretend to a personal Union with Christ's Creature-root and less yet with his infinite Divinity but only with the exalted Creature-Son and Branch in him the living Word of God the immediate Creator of all and Performer of the whole Divine Will on all good and evil for evermore in Heaven or Hell A World of gross Errors concerning God Christ and the eternal Concerns of Men have been toss'd up and down in the various Conceptions of Man's fallible Understanding under the unperceiv'd Influence of evil Angelical Rulers over this dark World Ephes. 6. 12. so as to blind and keep Men from looking after God for his all-discovering Spirit of Grace and Truth Rom. 3. 11. CHAP. XVII The ruling Power of Satan over Mankind all along this World as permitted God thereof under God's infinite over-ruling Wisdom and Power HE is so call'd in the Scriptures of Truth God of this World And he uses all his evil Angelical Subtlety and Power for the blinding and deceiving Men so as to keep them from any regarding or looking after God for his Gospel-life wherein alone any can be saved or ever enter into his Kingdom 2 Cor. 4. 3 4. Christ himself calls him Prince of this World John 12. 31. 16. 11. 14. 30. But says of him he hath nothing in me nor shall be able to touch or ever meddle with so as finally to overcome any Partakers of my all-powerful Gospel-life 1 Iohn 5. 18. Saints therein are Fence-proof against all the Gates or Strength of Hell all the Powers of Darkness evil Angels and Men Rulers of the Darkness of this World Ephes. 6. 12. in their own dark-spirited worldly Life and Wisdom of the First-creation The first unpardonable Sin of the evil Angels was their turning as they went or were a while following Christ towards that Life he represented himself in to them and the good Angels and in the Passage thereto by way of Death and Resurrection in such Transactions as had pass'd in the Creature-part of his wonderful Person before they were brought forth In a contrary Demeanour to that of the good Angels they turned as they went in love to themselves in their own self-chosen mortal Life given them in their first Creation in unchangeable Enmity to God and the Heavenly eternal Creature-Life of their Creator offer'd them by a second The good Angels did let down their Wings ceas'd from the mortal Life of their first Creation and Exercise of their own fallible Understandings and corruptible Wills therein signified by letting down their Wings in Conformity to
their Head in the Death of the first Creation and Resurrection into the Life of the second So pass'd out of their own mortal First-Covenant Law-Life into God's own New-Covenant Gospel-Life of originally immortal Holiness and everlasting Righteousness Ezek. 1 5-26 The Devil and his Angels kept not their first Estate but left their own Habitation Jude 6. To Man's Wisdom they only kept their first Estate the Life and Things given them in their first Creation And consequently in the Wisdom of Human Nature is Man ready to follow the evil Angels first Choice as best Here 's the case of many restor'd into the First-Covenant or First-Creation-Life of the Creature ready to establish themselves therein as a state of true Salvation This Paul fear'd and labour'd to prevent in his Israel-Brethren Rom. 10. 1-3 At this dangerous Point were the Corinthians and Laodiceans in the delusive First-Covenant House of feasting and rejoycing 1 Cor. 4. 8. Rev. 3. 17. as not at all needing any other Life by a second or new Creation for their everlasting Blessedness On the first unpardonable Sin of the evil Angels they were immediately cast down to Hell deliver'd into Chains of Darkness to be reserved unto Iudgment 2 Pet. 2. 4. They by their Sin fix'd themselves in their own self-chosen Life in Preference and Opposition to the eternal Creature-Life of their Creator and God in his righteous Judgment giving them up to and thereby fixing them in their own Choice was a casting them down to Hell In this Hell and their Chains of Darkness are they Rulers in this dark mortal first-Creation World The Chains of Darkness in which they are reserv'd to the Iudgment of the Great Day are all Life Wisdom Righteousness Excellencies and Perfections of their Angelical Nature given them in their first Creation as turn'd by their Abuse of all into the greatest Wickedness Madness and Folly in unchangeable Enmity to God and his Heavenly Creature-life shewn and offer'd them by a second So are they in a state in all Extremity contrary to what they were created in chang'd by Self-destroying Self-love from a state of temporary changeable Obedience to a state of eternal unchangeable Enmity to God An absolute Exclusion of them from the Kingdom of Heaven is called a casting them down to Hell God not only gave them their Choice but also in the abusive Exercise of their self-chosen Life a permitted ruling Power over Mankind all along this World as God thereof under the restraining limiting over-ruling infinite Wisdom and Power of the true God so as that he can never hurt any true Saints or Subjects of God's everlasting Kingdom Yet even Saints for a time are under their Power Yea he told Christ himself all the Kingdoms of this World and Glory of them were his offering all as his greatest Bribe to the true King in the World to come in case he would fall down own and worship him as God Mat. 4. 8 9. Luke 4. 5-7 Christ denied not that all the Kingdoms of this World were at his Dispose by God's most wise Permission He that said this to Christ in the Fountain-Purity of the First-Creation and full of that Spirit of Grace and Truth that 's offer'd by a second what will he not do to Saints before their experiencing any thing of Gospel-life or when but in some little beginnings thereof and Enemies within Foes of their own House in their own Spirits and whole Nature in Union of Mind with him in Enmity to God and his Gospel-Spirit in themselves He is permitted a Power of transforming his Earthly Spirit into the likeness of Christ's Heavenly Creature-Spirit that 's the mysterious House and Temple of God and therein to shew and assert himself to be God the very infinite Divine Being 2 Thess. 2. 4. And herein is he undiscoverable by the highest single natural Understanding of Man in but First-Covenant Principles tho indeed the worst of all Creatures the supream Man of Sin and Son of Perdition v. 3. This God of this World who passes with Man for the true God will not be able finally to blind and deceive any but them that are lost 2 Cor. 4. 3. If it were possible he would so deceive the very Elect by his false Christs evil Angels and his false Prophets und Apostles amongst Men transform'd into the likeness of Christ's true ones 2 Cor. 11. 13-15 Clothing their own First-Covenant Law-Life with all Scripture-Language and Titles belonging to God's own Heavenly Creature New-Covenant Gospel-Life as the true Regeneration new Creature State of Grace in which they have true Joy and final Peace with God Ezek. 13. 1-10 All this is confidently asserted by Men under Satan's lying Spirit of Divination With such the renew'd old Man in the restor'd First-Covenant Law-Life given in the first Creation must pass for the new Creature without all Scruple or Contradiction and does so pass in and with the most reform'd People or Churches of this World in but First-Covenant Principles All Worldly Preachers and Hearers in but Worldly First-Covenant Principles confidently take Satan's other Gospel that 's no Gospel for Christ's true Gal. 1. 6 7. 1 Iohn 4. 5. Restor'd First-Covenant Law-Life is so far from rendring any Fence-proof against the evil Angelical Rulers of this World that they make that their strongest Hold and Men eminent therein their choicest Instruments to oppose dispute against contradict and blaspheme the Heavenly Creature-Life and Gospel-Righteousness of God wherein any can be sav'd Let Satan in his superiour evil-angelical Wisdom and Men in their inferiour human Wisdom under his Influence interpret the Scriptures all therein shall seem to run current for carrying on Satan's Design to the everlasting Destruction of his blinded Teachers and Hearers Leaders and Followers That shall be preach'd up as a State of true Salvation and final Peace with God which if fix'd in will be found a State of unchangeable Enmity to God and eternal Death to Man All establish'd in the First-Covenant Law-Life and Righteousness of Man in unchangeable Enmity to the Gospel-Life and Righteousness of God go on to their dying moment with their delusive Laodicean Confidence therein to their sad long eternal Condition in the World to come Paul was confident awhile but not fixedly wilfully and unpardonably in his Law-Spirit of Works against God's Gospel-Spirit of Grace in true Saints but immediately on Gospel-Conviction and Conversion gave up the Life and Righteousness of his own Spirit in Sacrifice to God in order to find all again with Usury in God's eternal everlasting righteous Gospel-Spirit of Grace and Truth Phil. 3. 6-11 Many not only eminent in the Wisdom of Man but under highest spiritual enlightning Gifts receiv'd on their natural Understandings amounting to a partaking of the Holy Ghost Heb. 6 4-6 in the all-discovering Light but not the all-powerful Life thereof are bewitch'd back again by Satan to set up for themselves in their own holy Flesh Righteousness of Man Life of the Law
against God's holy Gospel-Spirit refusing to submit to the Death of their own Spirit at best for the Life of his This do they tho they know Christ himself crucified that Law-Spirit of Works in the Fountain-purity of it in his own Person Gal. 3. 1 3. the preserving of which was Satan's Attempt and Design upon him by himself the Jews and Peter to have set up his Kingdom in Luke 4. 5-7 Iohn 6. 15. Matth. 16. 22 23. All 's nothing as to our ever entring into the Kingdom of God till we have that Gospel-Life of God or a living spiritual Faith working by Love to God therein 1 Cor. 12. 31. 13. 1 2. Such a Faith only renders any true Lovers and Beloveds of God right Performers of all Duties to God and their Fellow-Creatures Such as look back after all convincing Discoveries and Offers of Christ's gospel-Gospel-Life for Justification with God in their Law-Righteousness of Man are fallen from Grace Gal. 5. 4. Who hinders Men or calls them back from Christ's offer'd gospel-Gospel-Truth ver 7. The Devil and his human Instruments that shut up the Kingdom of Heaven excluding and denying all such Gospel-Truths by which any can ever enter thereinto Satan takes Men alive at his and their own Will in the restor'd Life and Righteousness of Man as the highest Snare by which to keep them from ever looking after the Gospel-Life and Righteousness of God therein 2 Tim. 2.26 The Greek Original runs thus That they may awake out of the Snare of the Devil who are taken alive by him at his Will Christ requires all to look after God for his Heavenly Kingdom-Life and everlasting Righteousness Mat. 6. 33. and complains that no Man while confident in his own Understanding will answer this Advice or seek after God Rom. 3. 11. for his Heavenly Creature-life and things which lie quite out of the reach of all single natural Understanding 1 Cor. 2. 9. Neither Morally righteous Heathens nor First-Covenant Jews or Christians regard or look after God for his new or second Covenant-Life in which any can be finally sav'd But where God wakens up any out of their delusive Dream for true Happiness in their own Righteousness whether Jew or Gentile and gives them a living spiritual Faith working by Love to him in his Gospel-Life all such will find the Salvation of Heaven Satan deceiv'd Mankind at best in the Primitive Purity of their Nature in Adam assuring them that holding fast the righteous Life they were first created in and walking in the uncontroll'd Soveraignty of their own Will and Wisdom therein they should be as Gods 'T is the peculiar Prerogative of God so to live and be and the unpardonable Presumption of any Angels or Men to conclude and set up for themselves in their own Wills so as never to be subject and obedient to his Obedient Subjects of God will be eternally blessed and all proud presumptuous Self-exalters to be as Gods will fall under the everlasting Curse and Wrath of God He that prevail'd with the first Adam in the Primitive Purity of our Nature when he found the second Adam in the Fountain-Purity of our Nature a little lower than his Angelical Nature Heb. 2. 9. he most presumptuosly tempted him to fall down and worship him as God What Work is he like to make with Men in but the restor'd Life Wisdom and Righteousness of Man with Filth of Spirit Enmity to God and his Spirit of Grace under all In awaken'd Gospel-Saints while any thing of the Carnal Mind and Life of their own Spirit remains uncrucified he will be continually kindling the sinful Lusts and Desires of that his own Party yet in them as Paul found Rom. 7.15 19. and 2 Cor. 12. 7. Hereby does he endeavour to quench and extinguish the Mind and Life of Christ's Gospel-Spirit in them keeping up the War of their Fleshly Mind his Party in them against their Spiritual Mind Christ's Party so that they cannot do the things they would Gal. 5.17 fully and constantly till this War within them be finish'd by a full extinguishing of the Life of their own Spirit and Mindings thereof Then are they freed from all Filth of Flesh and Spirit too for ever Till then tho they live in God's Spirit they do not continually and constantly walk think and speak therein as is their Duty and Concern ver 25. In all this Combat and Danger Saints in a living Faith know their Salvation sure by a final Victory over all Enemies without and within them No Devils or Men shall ever be able to pluck them out of Christ's All-powerful Hand John 10. 28 29. When the God of this World with his Party of Men find they cannot prevail with Christ or his Followers by any Worldly Bribes or flattering self-pleasing Offers to turn from and disown any such thing as indeed is God's eternal gospel-Gospel-Life and Truth then go they to work another way When all Allurements fail they will in the Exercise of their implacable Malice try to fright them out of their Gospel-Profession and if permitted as oft they are to murder their Bodies Christ himself was so dealt with by them and warns his Followers to expect the like Iohn 15. 20. 16. 1 2. Evil Angels and Men have a kind of short self-pleasing Heaven in this World and Saints a short and to their natural Spirit unpleasing Purgatory-Hell by which cleans'd from all Filth of Flesh and Spirit The former are ripening and fitting themselves for the eternal Hell and God is ripening and fitting the latter for the eternal Heaven in the World to come God's temporary Wrath upon them bringing them into the lowest Hell in this World is his way for delivering them from the Wrath and Hell to come that 's eternal Psal. 86. 13. 116. 3. 2 Sam. 22.6 Nature in Saints is sorely put to 't in this Hell-work of God upon them in this World but know God will not leave their Soul there for ever Psal. 16. 10. Tho chiefly spoken of Christ will these words at last be found true in Saints All that God does to them and all he suffers evil Angels and Men to do them in their implacable Malice does God over-rule to their greatest good When Satan appear'd or stood before the Lord before whom he knew it was to no purpose because impossible to conceal his way of deceiving in Ahab's case he down-right acknowledg'd it that he would be a lying Spirit in the Mouth of all his Prophets And God said Go and do so Thou shalt perswade him and prevail also 1 Kings 22. 22. Thus did he prevail as God's permissive Hand to the Destruction of Ahab His four hundred false Prophets pleas'd Ahab to his Ruin and were highly esteem'd and God's one true Prophet that counsell'd him for his good was cast by him into a Prison and fed with Bread of Affliction and Water of Affliction v. 26. 27. He hated Micaijah the Lord 's true Prophet as not prophesying what
ver 22. All in but their own worldly Spirit or Principle at best in the restor'd Light or Life of the First-creation and conclusively setting up there with Confidence for Salvation as a State of eternal Life and Peace with God will be found at last unpardonable Hereticks Sinners against the Holy Ghost in unchangeable Enmity to the Gospel-spirit of Grace and Truth offer'd by a New-creation in which alone any can ever enter into his Kingdom or scape the Damnation of Hell Evil Angels were the supream Hereticks in their first sinful Choice of their own earthly mortal First-covenant-life given them in their First-creation They soon prevail'd with all Mankind in Adam to make the same Choice In Mankind when by Christ restor'd into the Light and Life of the First-creation and therein but the Understanding and Wisdom of Man whoever do conclusively set up for themselves therein as a State of true Blessedness do become with evil Angels unpardonable Hereticks Sinners against the Holy Ghost rejecting the whole Counsel of God and denying his Gospel-life in which only any can be sav'd Man in his highest fallible Understanding for judging and corruptible Will for chusing in Matters of Religion and Worship of God is under the Power of Satan to deceive and impose upon him Hence are all the Doctrines and Words of Man's Wisdom about eternal Life and Peace with God Heresy In all the various Conceptions and Language of Man's Wisdom we find a World of contrary Opinions and Disputes amounting to a mystical Babel They will all in one Mind reject and disown the gospel-Gospel-life and Truths thereof as the grand universal Heresy of all Scribes Pharisees Essen's Herodians c. among the enlighten'd righteous professing First-covenant Jews were all as one Man against Christ himself for his Gospel-Truth They said he had a Devil and was mad that he was a Blasphemer a Sabbath-breaker a Wine-bibber a Friend of Publicans and Sinners an Enemy of righteous Men most uncharitably sentencing them to the Damnation of Hell Mat. 23.33 and taking up Mary Magdalen's and Zacheus's Publicans and Sinners into the Salvation of Heaven These were the strange wonderful Appearances Christ and his Doctrine and way for eternal Life had in the Sight and Understanding of wise righteous First-Covenant Saint-like People What wonder None in that Principle of Understanding can see know own or receive the Gospel Life and Things of God 1 Cor. 2. 9. the New-Covenant Principle of true Salvation which therefore is universally denied by them all as a Diabolical Illusion Many that come to be true Saints at last may be found for a time with Paul deeply engag'd in a murdering Mind of Enmity to true Saints for their Gospel-Principle and Doctrine in the words of God's Wisdom But all that fix there become unchangeable Enemies to God and them All final Builders on the sandy Foundation the mortal earthly perishing Life of the first Creation will deny contradict and blaspheme all that are built on the firm sure rocky Gospel-Life of God in which alone any can ever enter into his Kingdom What these differing Builders will come to in Conclusion Christ declares Mat. 7. 24-27 The Righteousness of Man in Scribes and Pharisees is not that in which any can ever enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Mat. 5. 20. The Righteousness of God in his new and everlasting Gospel-Life which Christ requires Men to seek after Mat. 6. 33. this only will give all the happy Partakers thereof an Entrance into his Kingdom The imputed Righteousness of God to the compleating the imperfect Personal Righteousness of Man for a First-Covenant Communion with and worshipping of God in that Principle is still but the fading Beauty and Righteousness of Man in and with which he is liable to play the Harlot with the Devil in Enmity to Christ as offer'd to be a spiritual Head Lord Bridegroom and Husband to them in his Heavenly Eternal Gospel-Life by a new Creation of them So come they to be judg'd as mystical and most criminal Adulterers and Murderers Ezek. 16. 14 15. v. 38. Imputed Righteousness or Comeliness of God to Man in the First-Covenant on Man's abuse of all in him in Union with the Devil is withdrawn again and he for ever depriv'd of all or any Benefit of Christ's Sacrifice in our Nature Heb. 10. 26. In the second Covenant Gospel-Life of God Man comes to have the Righteousness of God in him under and with Christ. This is a Life a Wisdom a Righteousness and a Glory never to be done away In this only can any enter into the Kingdom of Heaven This is as much above the Righteousness of Man as the Heavens are higher than the Earth Thus are God's Thoughts and Ways for Salvation as far above Man's Thoughts and Words of his own Wisdom as the literal Heavens are higher than the Earth Isa. 55.8,9 God requires the plucking out our right Eye cutting off our right Hand and Foot when finding our selves therein offended at his way of saying us and so offensive to God and to our selves as to our own truest Interest and greatest Concern for finding eternal Life or scaping eternal Death Mat. 5. 29 30. and 18. 8 9. Mark 9. 43-48 This with other like Requirings of God are not to be understood in a literal Sense nor if so perform'd would answer the Counsel or Command of God We may give our whole Body to be burn'd and yet be destitute of that Spirit of God call'd Love rendering all the happy Partakers thereof true Lovers and Beloveds of God and so of no Value with God or true Advantage to our selves 1 Cor. 13. 3. So the selling all that we have and give to the poor Mat. 19.21 Mark 10.21 Luke 18.22 the mystical Truth of such Commands relates to the mystical Riches of Man's Law-spirit of Works and Fruitfulness of his own Nature therein all which are to be given up in Sacrifice to God for the durable Life and Heavenly Treasures of his Gospel-Spirit of Grace in them The right Eye Hand and Foot to be pluck'd out cut off and cast away from us are in Mystery and Truth the most enlighten'd natural Understanding signified by the right Eye the best Practice in our own Will and Way and most righteous walking in our own Law-spirit of Works all such seeing working and walking are to be given up and parted with in Passive Obedience to the Will of God in order to find all again with unspeakable Gain by seeing working walking and doing all things in the Gospel-Life of God the only Principle of everlasting well-pleasing active Obedience to him and Blessedness to us In the infallible Understanding of his Spirit can we know all things and in the incorruptible Will thereof can we do all that God requires of us God himself therein works all our Works for us Isa. 26. 12. and we work all our Works in him These are the only Works that will not be burnt up at the last Day Iohn
3. 21. All Christ's Gospel-Words seem'd hard Sayings even to his Disciples while known to them but as a fleshly Bridegroom in a restor'd First-Covenant Principle of seeing working and walking Iohn 6. 60. To give up all inward Riches of their own Spirits all Righteousness Wisdom Works Fruits every thing given them in their first Creation or done by them therein at best this seems a hard Saying exceeding strange and amazing to Man's Wisdom The very Disciples were exceedingly amaz'd at such words of Christ saying Who then can be sav'd at all Mat. 19. 24 25. This was a narrower Question than he ask'd that said to Christ Master are there few that be saved Luke 13.23 If there be no possibility of entring into the Kingdom of God by the best Man can do or be in the restor'd Life Wisdom and Righteousness of his own Nature he is ready with the Disciples to ask the same Question Consequently is he ready to deny the Truth of Christ's Saying and that as a Duty to God that sure he would never require more of Man for his true Blessedness than the utmost he can do in the Life given him in his first Creation or restor'd since The Disputers of this World under Satan's delusive Influence in defence of their Worldly Principle of Life Desire Thought and Action will never have done till the ending of the Devil's Reign and commencing of Christ's Such Disputers are not to be striven with but in Meekness instructed and if they 'll hear well and good if they be peremptory and conclusive in their own fallible Understandings contradicting and blaspheming all right Gospel-words of Counsel for true Salvation Saints may pray and desire other Saints Prayers for a Deliverance from such unreasonable Men who tho temporary Believers in and Owners of Christ in the restor'd First-Covenant-Life and Righteousness of Man which he crucified in himself are mystical Infidels as to that New-Covenant Gospel-Life and Righteousness of God he is ascended into They call all the right Words and Doctrine thereof a blasphemous Fiction Here 's the pass true New-Covenant Saints with their spiritual Faith in Christ's Gospel-Life are at with First-Covenant Believers in their restor'd Law-life All Contests with them amount but to a vain unprofitable jangling Such Teachers of the Law understand neither what they say nor whereof they affirm 1 Tim. 1.6,7 utterly denying the Gospel-Principle of true Love to God and our Fellow-Creatures in which alone possible to be obey'd and fulfill'd Rom. 13.8 10. But still this remains to be the Saints Duty with Paul to become all things to all Men 1 Cor. 9. 20-22 stooping and condescending to all kinds and degrees of Understanding in the Light of Nature Law and Gospel owning what 's good in any but in order to lead them into and build them up in what 's unspeakably better Christ's Gospel-Spirit of everlasting Righteousness and infallible Truth They will also as their Duty bear with such as at present persecute them as Blasphemers of the Law by preaching the Gospel-Cross and Death-work of God's Heavenly on their Earthly Law-Spirit of Works at best This Man's Wisdom calls a blaspheming or evil-speaking of the Law Moses and God Acts 6. 11-13 Paul was at this Work for a time in his own Law-Spirit Yet at length became a most eminent Preacher of the Gospel and then was as fiercely persecuted by such as he once was in their own Law-Spirit of Works In Man's day of judging in Religion and interpreting the Scriptures in the Words of his own Wisdom all his Preachings and Writings therein will exactly conduce to the carrying on the whole Counsel of the Devil in his Mystery of Iniquity for the Damnation of Men and preventing their Salvation And as in Church so in State-Affairs may we see what Man 's deepest Reason and Wisdom amounts unto as to his own eternal Concerns in the case and end of Achitophel His Counsel was as if a Man inquir'd at the Oracle of God and that under such a Man of God as was King David In Conclusion on God's crossing him and disappointing his Counsel in the Case of Absalom he hang'd himself 2 Sam. 16. 23. 17. 23. Thus is Man trusting to his own Understanding at best for directing his Steps gone at every turn in this World and the World to come To enumerate particular Heresies all along since the Primitive Apostolical Gospel-day and remarkably in our own Day and Nation within the compass of sixty Years would be endless and to no end If God's Gospel-Truth be evidenc'd and receiv'd all the Disputes and Controversies manag'd in the fallible Understanding of Man on all hands about Satan's Lie in his Mystery of Iniquity will be discover'd and laid in the Dust. CHAP. XIX Concerning true Charity or Love TRue spiritual Saints in God's Gospel-Spirit call'd Love are the only right Performers of all Duty to God and their Fellow-Creatures therein They have a right Love to all Men not known to be fix'd in Enmity to God and them and a peculiar Brotherly Kindness to the Houshold of Faith Christ's and their spiritual Brethren Yet are none reckon'd by Men in their own Wordly Life and Wisdom at best so universally uncharitable as reckoning all below their spiritual Principle of true Life to be in great danger of Damnation Men in the restor'd Life Wisdom and Righteousness of their own Spirits are ready to say to them as the Disciples said to Christ himself Who then can be sav'd at all Are all Mankind damn'd both corrupt and righteous This amazing Truth renders Saints in all appearance the most uncharitable of all Men. If all the World wonder after the Beast and worship the Dragon that gives Power to his Human Beast his false Prophets and Apostles in their Wordly First-Creation Principles at best all Righteousness and Wisdom of Man what a most uncharitable censorious Creature must the true Saint appear to be Rev. 13. 3-7 If all that dwell on the Earth fix and set up for entring into the Kingdom of Heaven in but their own Earthly Life in which none can ever enter thereinto what must Christ's few in the narrow way whose Names are written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the Foundation of the World be accounted v. 8. They that are of the World in but the Earthly Life of the first Creation preach up that in the Righteousness Wisdom and Glory of it as a state of eternal Life and the World all in that Principle hear and own their Doctrine as God's gospel-Gospel-Truth We are of God says Iohn he that knoweth God heareth us he that is not of God heareth not us 1 Joh. 4. 5 6. What is Man's Wisdom like to say to this You are in the right Principle for Salvation and all short thereof or contrary thereto in a delusive Perswasion doing saying and worshipping they know not what This is your most presumptuous uncharitable and unwarrantable Opinion of others and a justifying your selves as
the only true People of God The First-Covenant righteous teaching and professing Jews said to Christ they were born of God and that he had a Devil and was mad Joh. 8.48 and 10.20 and 8. 52. Now we know that thou hast a Devil Here 's the Language of a First-Covenant People fix'd in their own Earthly Spirit concerning Christ himself and his Followers by the Death of that into the Life of his Heavenly his Holy Ghost they call the Devil While the God of this World passes for the true God with any what other Language can be expected from them If the World hate you says Christ ye know that it hated me before it hated you Joh. 15. 18. It was the highest Rank of Men in the Worldly Spirit a righteous visible People of God that contradicted blasphem'd and murder'd Christ himself What can his true Followers expect His chusing them out of the World his transforming them by death of their own Earthly Spirits and Resurrection into the Life of his Heavenly will render them hateful to all fix'd in their own Earthly ver 19. True Saints in Christ's Gospel-Spirit can answer that Command of God in Sincerity and Truth Mat. 5. 44. Love their Enemies c. They can truly forgive other Mens Trespasses against them These are Commands too hard for Man in his own Nature and Spirit at best to answer The right performing them is an infallible Evidence of their being born of God's Heavenly Creature-Spirit or Holy Ghost ver 45. They that pray God would forgive their Trespasses against him as they forgive others Trespasses against them in case they do not so forgive others they pray in effect God would not forgive them Mat. 6. 14 15. True Saints on all accounts are truly and universally the only right Performers of all Duties to God and their Fellow-Creatures by a true universal Charity or Love to all Men not fix'd in Enmity to God Such 't is their Duty in Union of Mind with God to hate with a perfect Hatred Psal. 139. 21 22. Christ himself said of our Nature in the Fountain-Purity of it I can of my self do nothing John 5. 30. The only doing Principle for everlasting well-pleasing active Obedience to the Divine Will in me and my Followers is my Heavenly Creature Gospel-Spirit of Grace and Truth Against this Spirit of Truth God permits Satan to carry on his Mystery of Iniquity by transforming his Earthly into the likeness of Christ's Heavenly Creature-Spirit that 's God's House and as sitting in that Temple of God shewing himself to be God And then are his Ministers preaching up the Righteousness of Man only for eternal Life transform'd into the likeness of the Gospel Ministers of the Righteousness of God 2 Cor. 11. 13-15 They dress up Satan's and their Earthly with all the Titles belonging to Christ's Heavenly Spirit and are receiv'd and own'd beyond all Dispute and Question as true Ministers of the Gospel Where Satan in and by his Party among Men sits on the Judgment-Bench Rev. 2. 13. and Gospel-Saints forc'd to stand at the Bar all right Gospel-words for their Defence will be reckon'd matter of Condemnation to them without any need of other Witnesses against them Christ himself was thus handled He has spoken Blasphemy says the High-Priest What think ye Guilty of Death say the Iews as his Jury on which they did spit in his Face and smite him saying Prophesy unto us thou Christ who is he that smote thee Mat. 26. 65-68 They not only condemn'd but ridicul'd him in their proceeding towards the murdering of him This did they to him who had that Spirit in him which created all Angels and Men. True Saints give no ground for any to despair of Salvation who are not guilty of the unpardonable Sin against the Holy Ghost in a fix'd wilful unchangeable Enmity to the Gospel-Spirit of God They also endeavour by all Condescensions Ways and Means to bring them into the Knowledg and right owning of Christ's Gospel-Truth in which alone any can be sav'd Final Refusers of their Gospel-Counsels will persecute them for their Pains as has been experienc'd in all Times And we are now drawing near to yea are in the worst of Times since Noah's Flood under the permitted Exercise of Satan's great Rage because he knows he has but a short time to the finishing of his Reign over Mankind Rev. 12. 12. All manner of Wickedness encreases and abounds more and more continually such Wars Tumults and Confusions of all sorts as now are have not been the usual Experience of former days All tends to the running down the present Generation towards that Midnight-darkness a State in which Christ declares that at his second Coming he shall find the World at near the same pass Mankind were found in at the Flood Mat. 24. 37-39 Luke 18. 8. Under all these Discouragements Saints have an infallible fore-head-Sight what Matters will come to on all Hands at the winding up of all in the final Love or Wrath of God Then the unwarrantable Charity of Men warranting Salvation and Peace with God in a Principle where never to be found will be sadly and remedilesly experienc'd by themselves and their blinded Followers to have been the leading their Hearers into everlasting Destruction with themselves Then all Persons and Things all Words and Doctrines will be call'd by the right Names Under Satan's permitted Reign all things in Religion and the Worship of God have been call'd by wrong Names all along this World and will more and more confidently be so call'd to the full ending thereof In these last Days and near approach of the second Coming of our Lord will there be more Scoffing at any such thing and a more universal Disregard and Denial of the Spirit he will come in than ever 2 Pet. 3. 3 4. CHAP. XX. The Conclusion of this whole Treatise shewing the Security of true Saints all along this troublesom confounded World wherein God never suffers the Rulers of this dark World Devils or Men to do any thing to them in their implacable Malice but what his infinite Wisdom and Power over-rules into a constant Conducibleness to their greatest Good This with many other things are the Matters of this Concluding Chapter TRUE Saints have God and Christ himself on their Side in a Partnership with them under all the Blasphemous Contradictions of Men to their Words of God's Wisdom Words which the Holy Ghost his Gospel-spirit in them teaches In Blaspheming such Words they blaspheme Christ himself and God Most High Christ say'd to such as search'd the Scriptures in but their own Understandings and thought they had eternal Life in such Obedience as was performable by them in the restor'd Life of their own Law-spirit of Works ye will not come to me the living Word of God for my gospel-Gospel-life of Grace and Truth in which only any can be sav'd or enter into my Kingdom Iohn 5.39,40 From the same infallible Mouth of God we have a yet
seemingly harder Saying than this No Man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me by the attractive Power of his electing Love draw bring and give him to me John 6. 44. And I will give eternal Life to as many as the Father hath given me John 17. 2. to all whose Names are written in me the living Word and Book of Life Revel 13. 8. predestinated to be conform'd to me in that heavenly eternal Creature-life into which I was exalted as the Lamb slain from the Foundation of the World out of the Death of the First-creation into the Life appointed to be given Angels and Men by a Second Rev. 13. 8. Rom. 8. 29. The attaining eternal Life is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth in the Life Will and Understanding of his own Spirit at best but of the Will of God who will shew to whom he please such Mercy as is the Free-Grace-Gift of quite another Life Will and Understanding than was given Angel or Man in their First-creation Rom. 9. 16. The Election or Elect from among Mankind will obtain what they seek for even eternal Life the rest will be blinded by Satan and find eternal Death Rom. 11.7 These with many the like Sayings in the Scripture seem exceeding hard to Man's Wisdom in which if the attaining eternal Life or scaping eternal Death be not in the Power of his own Will and if the things of God in his eternal Gospel-life be quite out of the reach of his own Understanding so as that it is impossible to be sav'd in his own Will and Way he is ready with his strong Reasonings to charge God himself with Unrighteousness as requiring Impossibilities Rom. 9. 14-21 Man with all his strong Reasons when he produces his Cause and stands up in his own Defence against God will be found less or worse than nothing Isa. 41. 21 24. All seeming hard Sayings in the Scriptures of Truth about Mens eternal Concerns the finding eternal Life depending singly and meerly on the electing Love of God exclude none from the Hope of a Share or Portion therein till guilty of the unpardonable Sin against the Holy Ghost or Gospel-spirit and so of unchangeable Enmity to God Even Gospel-Saints know not who are elected of God till it appear to them by the self-evidencing Fruits of Christ's Gospel-spirit in them On this account Paul knew his Gospel-converts amongst the Thessalonians to be the Elect of God 1 Thess. 1.4,5 Those that are elected of God and shall be true Saints are born with all others of Mankind dead in Trespasses and Sins Ephes. 2. 1. Col. 2. 13. Could the self-confident righteous Scribes and Pharisees think Mary Magdalen and Zacheus the Elect of God while in the same corrupt Spirit of Nature with other Publicans and common Sinners in Filth of Flesh Could awaken'd Gospel-Saints think Paul elected of God when they saw him a fierce Persecutor and Blasphemer of all Gospel-Truths None are absolutely excluded from a Hopefulness of a Share in God's electing Love and so of finding eternal Life till fix'd by their own sinful unpardonable Choice and God's righteous Judgment upon them in giving them up thereto in Filth of Flesh or Spirit corrupt or righteous Nature rendring them a literal or mystical Sodom in unchangeable Enmity to God and his Gospel-spirit of Grace and Truth No Scriptures rightly interpreted and understood give ground to any for despairing or giving up all Hopes of God's electing Love save to the two abovesaid Sorts of Sinners A distrusting our own Understandings and Wills at best as to the finding eternal Life or ever answering the whole Mind Will and Counsel of God such a kind of Despair is a Duty of high Concern and a false Confidence therein is exceeding dangerous as answering Satan's whole Counsel to our eternal Destruction God forewarns us hereof Ier. 10. 23. Prov. 3. 5-7 None will finally take this warning but the Elect and not they till the dormant Seed of Gospel-life unknown to themselves be actually quicken'd and waken'd up in them The Words of God's Wisdom and Counsel about our eternal Concerns are universally contrary to the Words of Man's Wisdom Christ told the self-confident Law-righteous Scribes and Pharisees who reckon'd themselves and Followers such as were born of God Iohn 8. 41. and could not miss the Salvation of Heaven they were Serpents a Generation of Vipers that could not escape the Damnation of Hell Mat. 23. 33. He calls them Hypocrites not as pretending only to and not really experiencing the Righteousness of Man but as accounting themselves therein the only true Saints in the kingdom-Kingdom-life and Righteousness of God when in unchangeable Enmity thereto All such Interpreters of Scripture exploding denying and blaspheming Christ's gospel-Gospel-life and Truths in which any can ever enter into his Kingdom are said to shut up the Kingdom of Heaven disswading any that are looking after that Life in which alone possible to enter into it as a most dangerous delusive Fiction ver 13. Except our Life and Righteousness be quite of another kind than the Law-life and Righteousness of Man to wit the Gospel-life and Righteousness of God by a New or Second-creation we can in no wise enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Matth. 5. 20. The highest Rank of Antichristian Enemies to true Saints and their Doctrine of Grace in the Words of God's Wisdom are such righteous Men who set up for Salvation in the same Law-principle of restor'd Nature as Christ found the teaching and professing Jews in Under all blasphemous Contradictions and Persecuting-work of such as set up in the restor'd earthly Law-life and Righteousness of Man in preference and opposition to the Heavenly Gospel-life and Righteousness of God Saints have God on their Side who can be against them Rom. 8.31 so as to do them the least Harm 1 Pet. 3. 13 14. Whatever Devils or Men as God's permissive Hand can in their implacable Malice do to them is infallibly overrul'd by God's infinite Wisdom and Power for their greatest Good They are secur'd from any hurt by the great red Dragon or any of his innumerable serpentine Seed of Mankind Rev. 12 3-5 What was the Issue of the first War in Heaven between Michael and his Angels in the heavenly Life and Glory of the New or Second-creation and the Dragon and his Angels in the earthly Life of the first we find v. 7 8. They were utterly excluded out of Heaven from ever entring thereinto as transform'd by themselves into the Guise or Appearance of true Gospel-Angels of Light And by such deceitful Work does that Old Serpent the Devil and Satan deceive the whole World v. 9. all in but the worldly Principle of Life and Righteousness of Man By such deceitful transforming Work of Satan and his Angels of Darkness into Angels of Light and his Ministers of but the Righteousness of Man into the Likeness of Christ's true Gospel-Ministers of the Righteousness of God does he decry
the Death and Loss thereof with all the things therein is indispensably neceessary to any Man 's receiving that Life which is eternal by a new Creation Man in the restor'd Life of the First Adam's living Soul and highest spiritual enlightning Gifts convincing him of the Life offer'd by a Second and of the Necessity of parting again with the restor'd earthly Life and things of the First Adam 's living Soul for the heavenly Life and Things of the Second Adam 's quickning Spirit under all this Mercy is Man liable through his own unspeakable Folly to be bewitch'd back from looking after Christ's heavenly Gospel-life shew'd and offer'd him and to set up for himself under and with Satan in his own earthly Law-life and Righteousness signified by Holy Flesh Gal. 3. 1 3. This may be call'd a Sinning after the Similitude of the evil Angels first Transgression under the clearest Discovery of the Life offer'd by a new Creation with the Terms of receiving it and their unspeakable Concern for submitting thereto as the only possible Means to find eternal Life or scape eternal Death That the Punishment of evil Angels for their first Sin by God's giving them up to their own self-chosen Life and their own Will and Way therein all along this World that this was a greater Punishment than Man 's for his first Sin which was the Death and Loss of his abus'd First-covenant Life and Things receiv'd by a First-creation may seem strange to Man's Wisdom who reckons Adam should have kept what he had in the primitive Purity of his First-creation the keeping of which in preference to the Life of the Creator offer'd by a Second was his Sin the Loss of it by God's taking it from him his Punishment At Man's rate of Judging the evil Angels were in the Right as keeping what they receiv'd in their First-creation all the Glories and Excellencies Wisdom and Power therein Quest. Could Mankind or human Nature at best in Adam chuse the heavenly Creature-life of God shewn and offer'd them by a New Creation Answ. No. Neither Man nor Angel had Power in their own earthly Life and Wills to choose the heavenly Creature-life of God offer'd by a New Creation for then they would have elected themselves The receiving from Christ as a Fruit of his meritorious Sufferings and Death in our Nature the renew'd Life and Righteousness of the First-creation is of him that willeth All may receive that if they will But the attaining and receiving of the Life God offers by a Second-creation this is not of him that willeth or runneth in his own Spirit and Will at best but of God who will shew this Mercy to whom he will only Rom. 9. 15 16. All that finally elect or chase for themselves their own earthly Life of the Creature reject the heavenly Creature-life of the Creator All that God has elected will be brought to hate and lose their own earthly Life at best from love to his heavenly as the only Way to receive it A third Part of Angels fell irrecoverably by their first Sin Revel 12. 4. The far greater part of Mankind the many in the broad Way will be found irrecoverably fallen for ever Yet will Christ's few in the narrow Way be an innumerable Multitude Revel 7. 9. CHAP. X. The second Sacrifice of Christ in our whole human Nature Spirit Soul and Body IN and by his first Sacrifice he became the immediately fitted Hand of God the living Word of God which is God Iohn 1. 1-3 for performing the whole Divine Will in both Creations of Angels and Men and in dealing with them all for ever in final Love or Wrath. This first Sacrifice related not to the Pardon of Sin in Angels or Men. They were none of them then extant in their own personal Beings A Preparation for preventing Sin in both and all was thereby made notwithstanding which many Angels sinn'd and fell irrecoverably All Mankind sinn'd and fell in and with Adam but recoverably both as to their Sin and Punishment and also to a being render'd capable of that true Salvation-life they at first refus'd This second Sacrifice of Christ therefore in our Nature related only to the Sins of Mankind The good Angels never sinn'd at all The evil were absolutely unpardonable In reference to Sin therefore Christ took on him the Nature of Man not of Angels Heb. 2. 16. and therein became a little lower than Angels even than evil Angels in the Glory of their First-creation chosen by them and granted them by God in his just Judgment on them with a ruling Power over Mankind therein all along this short-liv'd World and then to be stripp'd of all their worldly Power and Glory and laid down for ever in everlasting Burnings under his unquenchable Wrath in the lowest Hell-part of the eternal World to come In reference to this second Sacrifice of Christ we are to consider his Entrance into this World in our Nature The Virgin Mary was found with Child of the Holy Ghost Mat. 1. 18. An Angel appears to Joseph in a Dream telling him that what was conceiv'd in her was of the Holy Ghost and warn'd him that when born he should call his Name Iesus that would save his People from their Sins and Immanuel also was he to be call'd that is God with us ver 20-23 Isa. 7. 14. The like Account as to his wonderful Formation in the Womb of the Virgin we find Luke 1. 26-35 and his Birth Luke 2. 7. The good Angels rejoic'd thereat Luk. 2. 13 14. not in reference to a procuring their Pardon for Sin having never sinn'd but as knowing thereby the time drawing near for them with Old-Testament-Saints to receive the Holy Ghost which they waited for all along four thousand Years by a living spiritual Faith working by Love to God therein and amounting to an indissoluble Union with Christ therein But the Holy Ghost was not given to Angels or Saints till our Nature in Christ was ascended and glorified Iohn 7. 39. Both the said Angels and Saints obtain'd a good Report with God as well-pleasing to him by a living spiritual Faith therein though they had not receiv'd the promis'd Holy Ghost Heb. 11. 39. From the good Angels Concern herein did they with Old-Testament-Prophets desire to pry look into and diligently to search out what manner of time the Spirit of Christ in them did signify when it testified beforehand the Sufferings of Christ and the Glory that should follow 1 Pet. 1. 10-12 to our ascended glorified Nature in him and to them by the Holy Ghost's being sent down from Heaven into Angels with the Spirits of Old-Testament-Saints departed and New-Testament-Gospel Saints in the mortal Body Act. 2 1-4 This is the other better Comforter Christ told his Disciples the Father in pursuance and for accomplishing of his Free-Grace-Mercy to them would send than he had yet been to them as a fleshly Bridegroom in the but restor'd First-covenant Life and Righteousness of