he reckon'd good concerning him but loved and rewarded Satan's false Prophets as pleasing to his own Will and after his own Heart's Desire So Ieremy who counsell'd King and People for the preserving their Lives was cast into a Dungeon where he sunk in the Mire while Satan's false Prophets pleas'd them to their Destruction Ier. 38. 5 6. God's one true Prophet among the then only visible People of God a fleshly First-Covenant Israel found King Princes Priests and People all as one Man against him while Satan's false self-pleasing Prophets were listen'd to and rewarded Satan that acknowledg'd to God he would be a lying Spirit in Ahab's Prophets is so far from being discover'd by the highest Wisdom or Understanding of Man in but First-Covenant or First-Creation natural Principles that he will pass with them there for Christ and God most high when indeed the worst of all Creatures 2 Thess. 2,3,4 Where God permits this and not only so but in Judgment gives them up to Satan's Man-pleasing strong Delusions for believing his Lie rather than God's Truth the Issue will be eternal Death to their whole Beings Spirit Soul and Body in a Resurrection of Damnation ver 10 12. Men are either brought by Satan in love to their own righteous earthly mortal Life given them in their first Creation to hate God's Heavenly Creature Gospel-Life offer'd by a second or by the electing Love of God to hate their own Life at best so as to give it up in Sacrifice to God in love to and as the only way for attaining and experiencing his New-Covenant everlasting Gospel-Life by a second or new Creation ver 13. This latter is Christ's Counsel Luke 14. 26. in the Mystery of Godliness the former Satan's in his Mystery of Iniquity Satan's Counsel is for sparing saving and keeping the Life of the Creature given in the first Creation Christ's Counsel is for the Surrender and Loss of that and all the things thereof for the Life of the Creator offer'd by a second and things of God therein The keeping the former in Preserence and Opposition to the latter Christ declares will be the loss of all Life and Righteousness God's and Man's too on which their whole Beings Spirit Soul and Body will be laid down for ever in the Nakedness of their own unpardonable Guilt under the unquenchable Wrath of God for evermore Mat. 10. 39. 16. 25. Mark 8. 35. Luke 17. 33. Iohn 12. 25. Man not only eminent in the First-Covenant Life Wisdom and Righteousness of Man but under highest spiritual enlightning Gifts on his natural Understanding short of the very Gospel-Life of Christ or a living spiritual Faith working by Love to him therein is yet within Satan's reach to beguile bewitch and fetch back into an unchangeable Union with him in the first Creation and unchangeable Enmity to God and his Heavenly Life offer'd by a second 1 Cor. 12. 31. 13. 1 2. Gal. 3. 1 3. 5. 7. Satan would keep all Mankind in the dead corrupt State of Nature wallowing in Mire as his Swine spending and ending their Days in this World in the brutish Lusts of literal Sodom But when cast out as to this kind of Work in them as fast as any are brought by Christ out of such Filth of Flesh into the Righteousness of Man he attempts and frequently prevails to get into such mystical cleans'd Houses and fix them with himself in Filth of Spirit unchangeable Enmity to God and his everlasting righteous Creature-Spirit of Grace and Truth and then he has a sevenfold surer hold of them than ever Mat. 12. 43-45 Luke 11. 24-26 So comes the last State of that Man to be worse than the first in his corrupt Nature Mary Magdalen's and Zacheus's in the Filth of corrupt Nature were capable of Christ's true Salvation Gospel-Life and such righteous Scribes and Pharisees utterly uncapable thereof or therefore of scaping the Damnation of Hell Mat. 23. 33. 21. 31. Publicans are brought to justify God and be eternally justified before him while righteous Pharisees and Scripture-Lawyers in restor'd Law-life and Righteousness of Man reject the Counsel of God for receiving his Gospel-life to their everlasting Destruction Luk. 7. 29 30. 15. 1 2. 19. 2-9 Fixure in Law-life and Righteousness of Man in unchangeable Enmity to Gospel-life and Righteousness of God renders Men mystical Sodomites in Filth of Spirit worse and more criminal Sinners than literal Sodom in Filth of Flesh Mat. 11. 23 24. But corrupt Nature or Filth of Flesh fix'd in with literal Sodom is unpardonable also And therein do the greater part of Mankind run their Race in this World from their Cradles to their Graves Take and put together all of both the said Sorts of Mankind in the broad Way to everlasting Destruction under Satan's prevailing Influence and they 'l be found wonderfully to out-number Christ's few in the narrow Way to Heaven Mat. 7. 13 14. Yet will they be a numberless Multitude also out of all Generations Revel 7. 9. Many of Satan's two Parties fix'd in the corrupt or righteous Spirit of Nature against God and his Gospel-spirit of Grace oft die without any Remorse or Fear as to any By-standers Observation without any right Knowledg of the true God or false God of this World Heaven or Hell till in the latter beyond all Remedy for ever Yet farther Satan will not only exercise his permitted ruling and tempting-Power over Mankind all along this World but after his Imprisonment at beginning of Christ's thousand Years Reign on Earth and his loosening out of it at the ending thereof will he as his last and most transcendently presumptuous Attempt rally up his Gog and Magog his innumerable Multitude of evil Angels and Men and in the transform'd Appearance and counterfeit Guise of Angels of Light and true Saints besiege the New Ierusalem-City of true Saints in the very Glory of the Resurrection Revel 20. 1-3 v. 7-9 This last Attempt of Satan and his Party of Angels and Men will have no Success at all Immediate will be the Decision of this intended Battel by Fire from God out of Heaven to devour them all casting them with the Devil that deceiv'd them into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone where to be tormented for ever and ever ver 10. Then Creation ceases and all Angels and Men good and bad finally concluded in their eternal Conditions of Joy or Sorrow unspeakable in Heaven or Hell CHAP. XVIII Concerning Heresies and Hereticks THE Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies Option or Choice all variety of humane Opinions in which Men chuse to set up for themselves with Confidence for Salvation contrary to the sound fundamental Principles of Religion and right Worship of God in his Gospel-Spirit of Grace and Truth in which alone any can be sav'd Iohn 4. 23 24. All short or destitute of this Spirit or a living spiritual Faith therein working by Love to God worship they know not what or whom
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
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-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
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-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-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-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