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
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-life and Righteousness of God when in unchangeable Enmity thereto All such Interpreters of Scripture exploding denying and blaspheming Christ's 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
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
all Gospel-Truths as the greatest Heresies and Blasphemies in the World Christ himself suffer'd himself to be so dealt with by them When Saints declare the Gospel-life and assert that therein only any can ever enter into Heaven or scape the Damnation of Hell they do not deny that any in the corrupt or righteous Life of their own Nature or Spirit can ever come to experience Christ's Gospel-life or enter into his Kingdom but endeavour to be instrumental under Christ for leading them thereinto 2 Tim. 2. 24-26 Quest. Does the Gospel-Doctrine of true Salvation discourage or condemn the Righteousness of Man in the honest moral Heathen walking in a Sutableness to the rational Light of Nature restor'd by Christ in all Mankind as a Light which lighteth every Man that comes into the World John 1. 9. Does it discourage the righteous First-covenant Iew or Christian walking in his higher kind of good Conscience in the restor'd First-covenant Law-life as his Principle owning the imputed Righteousness of Christ there for the compleating him in a First-covenant-Communion with and worshipping of God Consequently does it judg and condemn the moral Heathen or legally righteous First-covenant Iew or Christian for teaching and exhorting others to walk in such Obedience to God as is performable in the said Light of Nature or Life of the Law Answ. Nothing of all this is justly imputable to the right Teaching of the Gospel Moral and legal Righteousness of Man is good for himself and his Fellow-creatures in this World Iob 35. 8. and better in God's Sight than gross Wickedness Injustice vile Affections and brutish Lusts but as to entring into the Kingdom of God in the World to come not at all available Gal. 6. 15. God himself testified of Iob to the Devil that there was none like him in the Earth a perfect upright Man fearing God and eschewing Evil Job 1. 8. The Devil knowing Iob in all this to be rewarded of God as a Debtor to him Rom. 4. 4. for such Righteousness in a Plenty of this World 's temporary good Things replied v. 9 10. Hast thou not bless'd the Work of his Hands and encreas'd his Substance in the Land Take all this away again and see if he curse thee not to thy Face v. 11. God puts it into Satan's Power to be instrumental herein for the Trial of Iob's Patience and carrying on the Work of his Cross upon him in a Conducibleness to his greatest Good His ten Children are kill'd by a great Wind blowing down the House where they were Feasting all his Goods were taken away by wicked Men under the Influence of the Devil Thus far Iob did bear his Trial without sinning or charging God foolishly blessing the Lord that gave him and then took all the said Gifts away again from him Then Satan desires the Liberty of smiting his Body and God grants him a limited Power as to that Then Satan moves his Wife to counsel him to do what himself had said to God Iob 1. 11. Curse God and die Chap. 2. 9. Job rebukes her saying shall we receive Good from God and not Evil In all this did not Iob sin with his Lips Job 2. 5-10 But when he felt the Cross or Death-work of the Spirit of God on his very Spirit as to the Life Wisdom and Righteousness of Man and Satan's permitted working upon him in this Hour and Power of Darkness he was sorely put to his utmost Trial and utter'd many hard Words against God's strange and wonderful Dealings with him reflecting upon his faithful Walking Iob 29. 2. so as not in the least to deserve any such dealing of God with him Iob 3. 19. 1-11 31. 35. He desires that the Almighty would answer him Here 's the Case and Demeanour of the Mirror of Patience next the Lord himself under all Sufferings in our Nature Elihu charges him with multiplying his Words against God Job 34. 37. The Lord himself charges him with darkning Counsel by Words without Knowledg Chap. 38. 1 2. He saw not as yet or understood the unspeakable Advantage of all this strange Dealing of God with him So contended with the Almighty and therein reprov'd God himself Chap. 40. 1 2. He reflected upon his former Condition and flourish in all worldly Prosperity and such an Eminency in Wisdom and Righteousness that when he open'd his Mouth in Counsel Princes refrain'd talking and Nobles held their Peace now Children of Fools abhor'd him made him their Song and By-word not sparing to spit in his Face Iob 29. 9 10. 30. 8-10 He comes at length to abhor himself in such a Change of Life and Mind for the better as to rejoice in seeing all the fading Glory Wisdom and Righteousness of his own Spirit turn'd into Dust and Ashes as the Way of God for experiencing his heavenly Creature-life above all Deaths and his eternal good Things therein the Righteousness and Wisdom of God and his living and working all his Works in God's Spirit of Grace and Truth But in the hundred and forty Years of his Life after all this we hear not a Word of such high Esteem with Men as when eminent in the Wisdom and Righteousness of Man Were the restor'd Life and Righteousness of Man all that God requires of him for entring into his Kingdom Godliness would be no Mystery The Light of Nature in all Men convinces judges and condemns all gross Sins vile Affections and brutish Lusts in all others and themselves also who are guilty thereof And then also Satan would have no Mystery of Iniquity to make use of in his destructive Practisings upon Mankind But for this he has not only all the Wisdom Righteousness and Glory of the First-creation in himself and Men to deceive them by but a permitted Power also to transform all that in himself and Men into the Appearance and Likeness of Christ's Gospel-life and Righteousness of God and by his Ministers amongst Men to dress it up with all Scripture Language and Titles of the very Gospel-Truths of God Regeneration New-Creature and the like So does Satan as the supream mystical Whore of Babylon with his whole Babylonish Party of evil Angels and Men furnish'd with all Glory of the First-creation and counterfeit Appearances also of the Second carry on his Work in the womanish Spirit of Nature against God's manly Spirit of Grace as deck'd and adorn'd with all worldly Glory Pomp and Beauty and having a gilded not golden Cup full of Abominations by which to deceive if possible the very Elect and infallibly all others into everlasting Destruction Even Iohn the peculiarly beloved Disciple an eminent Apostolical Saint marvel'd to see the Pomp and Glory of Satan and his whole Party herein and in all that call'd Mystery Babylon the Great Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth all amounting to a rebellious fixing in the earthly Life of the Creature in unchangeable Enmity to God and the heavenly Creature-life of the Creator offer'd by a
them for the right Use thereof in Passive Obedience to the Will of God in order to the attaining that heavenly eternal incorruptible Creature-life he ascended into which is the only Principle of everlasting well-pleasing active Obedience to God and Blessedness to Man Man in his First-creation at best before his Fall had but a fallible Understanding and a corruptible Will And what was fallible Satan could and did deceive what was corruptible he could and did corrupt all Mankind are sad experimental Witnesses of both And the same things can he do to any in but the restor'd Life and Righteousness of Man of the First-creation sort ever since If we consider the small part of Mankind this Day under the Name Christian and even amongst them so call'd somewhat rare to find such as walk in Obedience to the common Light of Nature as honest moral Heathens and much less yet as First-covenant Believers in Christ and much less yet as having a living spiritual Faith in his Second-covenant Gospel-life all this put together and consider'd evidence the near approach of Christ's second Coming of which himself has said that when he comes shall he find Faith on the Earth Luke 18. 8. a Faith in that Gospel-life he will come in Both Wise Virgins in New-covenant Gospel-principles and foolish ones in but First-covenant Law-principles cleans'd from filth of Flesh only will be found all slumbring and sleeping Matth. 25. 1-12 Yet will he own the Wise but to the Foolish he will say I know you not so Matth. 7. 21-23 In the dark Midnight-Season to both will he come to the amazing Surprize of the Foolish and unspeakable Joy of the Wise. All are requir'd to watch the time of his Coming being unknown to both and all Mat. 25. 1-13 'T will be a like amazing surprize to the far greater Number of Mankind as the Flood to the Old World or Fire from Heaven on Sodom Luke 17. 26-30 The Day or time of his Coming is kept secret from the Knowledg of spiritual Saints and the very Angels of Heaven Matth. 24. 36. yea and from the Son himself Mark 13. 32. Saints are requir'd therefore to watch continually not knowing the time of his Coming v. 42. A thousand Years with the Lord is as one Day and one Day as a thousand Years 2 Pet. 3.8 'T was said sixteen hundred Years ago This is the last time 1 John 2.18 and yet a little while and he that shall come will come and will not tarry beyond the appointed time for his second Coming Heb. 10. 37. Hab. 2. 3. A Day an Hour a little time in God's Account may be a long time in Man's When the Disciples ask'd Christ after his Resurrection and ready to ascend into the Glory he will come again in Wilt thou at this time restore again the Kingdom to Israel his Answer was It is not for you or any to know the Times or Seasons which the Father has put in his own Power Act. 1. 6 7. Satan can be willing Man should be presumptuously fore-telling with great Confidence what is utterly unpossible for him to know that while busy about an Impossibility he may be so ignorant and regardless of the Gospel-spirit and Glory he will come in as may render his second Coming most amazingly frightful to him amongst and with Millions of others who will be found in unchangeable Enmity to that Spirit he will come in Yet after all this and God's withholding the Knowledg of the time thereof 't is Man's Duty to observe the fore-running Signs of Christ's Approach Mat. 16.3 And such Signs are now remarkable beyond all former Days the Harvest seems very near ripe for the Sickle of God's Vengeance the Press full the Fat 's overflowing the Wickedness of Mankind exceeding great Ioel 3. 13. This is a great Sign that the Day of the Lord is near v. 14. But preparatory to the Lord 's personal Appearance will he send his Gospel Angels to gather his Elect together out of all Mankind that Day on Earth Mat. 24. 31. and they will call up his Gospel-Witnesses from amongst Men into an Association with them in the said Work Rev. 11. 12. That Gospel-dispensation will be accompanied with a more abundant wonder-working and Gospel-converting Power than was experienc'd in the primitive Apostolical Gospel-day This preparatory Dispensation by Gospel-Angels and Saints may seem to be as to the Duration thereof forty five Years Dan. 12. 11 12. This Dispensation will be but the Sign of the Son of Man in Heaven Mat. 24. 30. not his very personal Appearing In this Preparatory Dispensation will evil Angels as false Christs with their false Apostles amongst Men in their transform'd Appearances of Christ and his true ones be permitted to make their utmost Opposition to true Gospel-Angels and Saints Satan with his evil Angels will not be excluded from such delusive Practices by his false Apostles till Christ comes forth in his own Person Then they 'l be imprison'd in the bottomless Pit and disabled to deceive Mankind any more till Christ's thousand Years Reign be fulfilled Revel 20. 1 3. After Christ's thousand Years Reign Satan will be loos'd out of his Prison and permitted with his Gog and Magog his innumerable Multitude of evil Angels and Men transform'd into the Guise of good Angels and Saints to compass the Camp of Saints God's New Ierusalem-City in the very Glory of the Resurrection as their last and most transcendent Presumption on which immediately to be destroy'd for ever Revel 20. 7-10 Saints will be immediately taken up into their eternal Heaven and all Enemies will be thrust down into their eternal Hell Then to all eternity in Heaven will Saints and Angels acknowledg and ascribe their eternal Blessedness above all Conception and Wonder to God's infinite Free-Grace-Mercy and electing Love as the single and only supream distinguishing Cause thereof from those that perish forever under his everlasting Curse and unquenchable Wrath. The oft saying the same Things and quoting the same Scriptures on several Occasions is no other than is found in the very Scriptures where the same things are oft said by the various Pen-men thereof and by the same also FINIS Books publish'd by the Author FIRST Part of Evangelical Essays 1666 Book of Nature 1667 On the Whole Book of Iob the two Epistles to Timothy and sixteenth Chapter of Numbers 1677 Reign of Christ 1679 On the Whole Book of Ecclesiastes 1680 Gospel-Catechism 1688 The two last and this are sold by William Marshal at the Bible in Newgate-street and Iohn Marshal at the Bible in Grace-Church-street This is also sold by Andr. Bell at the Cross-Keys in the Poultrey