corrupt nature is seen of all But enmity to God and the power of Godliness in that spirit of grace wherein alone any can be saved is seen of none in the highest wisdom of restored nature And this is the root of all spiritual Wickednesses Uncleanesses Idolatries and Murders These all lurk under fair shews in holy flesh form of Godliness and righteousness of Man in the restored Image of the earthy All natural excellencies in Man or Angel are but a fading flower All the mystical Gold Silver and Rubies thereof perishing nothings to the new-creation Wisdom and things of God And what then to the infinite divine Wisdom and things of God lesse then nothing Isa. 40. 17. Christ offers his durable Life Riches and Substance his Heavenly treasures for Man's fading Earthly shadows and is refused Mat. 19. 21 22. Wisdom of nature in corrupt or moral Heathen and in first covenant Saints excells the folly contrary thereunto as Light Darkness But this reaches not the intended mystery and truth of this scripture Vers. XIIII The wise Man's Eyes are in his head but the fool walketh in darkness and I my self perceived also that one event happeneth to them all The truly wise sees with the Eyes of Christ his spiritual Lord and Head in his light he sees light Psal. 36. 9. in the spiritual light of Christ the infinite divine Light and Glory Man and all he does in this light this spirit has the praise of God but not at all of men wise righteous Men. Paul was of high account with such when a persecuting first-covenant Saint in his holy flesh of no account with them when a suffering spiritual Saint in God's Holy Spirit 1 Cor. 4. 8-13 2 Cor. 10. 12. He was contented to be a no-body with men when such a one as the Lord commendeth passed not for Man's day or judgment of him The righteousness of Man kept up in enmity to God's is highly esteemed of men but abominable to God And the righteousness of God in the spiritual Saint is highly esteemed of God but abominable to man with all the words thereof Man's Soul established in his own Righteousness loath's God's soul or spirit and God's his Zec. 11. 8. Man's loathing God is the greatest wickedness God's loathing him and dealing with him accordingly the just punishment thereof In the spiritual Eyes of their Head do true Saints fix their eyes on Christ their Lord and Head receive his counsells and obey him amid'st all uncertainties darknesses and miscarriages of their natural Man They walk in his spirit of light fools in their own spirit of darkness Paul when wise in God seemed a fool to men men wise in Christ by his first-covenant communications Christ marred that visage wisdom and image of the earthy in his own person which they trust in for Salvation Paul cast away all they trust in as dung for the spirit and wisdom of God the life and image of the Heavenly No being wise in God without being fools to Men 1 Cor. 3. 18. and 4. 10. Man in the highest Light and Wisdom of his own nature is indeed the Fool tossed up and down by the various Winds of Satan's divers and strang doctrines walking in darkness not knowing whither he goes or what he does who or what he worship's He reckons he is making safe steps toward Salvation when making swift steps to destruction Man that finally trust's in his own Wisdom for directing his steps sides and hold's with the Devil as his Head true Saints with Christ for directing their Steps in his spirit But how does one event happen to them all Wise and Fools This one event is a twofold death incident to both in the twofold mortal Life of their Body and Spirit 'T is appointed to all men good and bad Once to Die Heb. 9. 27. as to both these lives in their natural state By such Death are all first or last cut off from and for ever deprived of all outward or inward litteral or mystical riches and comforts of this World The whole Life of the natural state in the love or wrath of God will be taken from every Man and Angel Mortality and Death is legibly written out upon all in the perishing nature of all they are possessed of however obstinately kept up and trusted in by most The event that happens or falls to the Lot of the obedient surrenderer of his natural Life under the Cross or rebellious refuser so to do which brings him under the same Cross or Gospel-sword in final wrath after the said one event that happens to both and all will be found exceedingly differing even a state of eternal Life or Death God rejects mens false confidences but approves of their distrust and despair in themselves or best things in their own Nature as vers 20. Vers. XV. Then said I in my heart as it happeneth to the fool so it happeneth even to me and why was I then more wise Then I said in my heart that this also is vanity Here is the bottom thought of Solomon's heart in this matter In the Wisdom of God he reflects upon and reviews himself in all his former glory and wisdom of a man and then compares himfelf and any other in like case made wise strong and honourable in Christ by his renewalls of their old natural state and fresh quickening them up into the life thereof out of their fallen state of death in trespasses and sins with the fool and finds one Chance or Lot happen to all that are but such wise men never proceeding farther and the fool even a state of eternal darkness and death The Fool in the lowest sense is what we call a meer Natural destitute in a manner of any use of his rational Powers through indisposition of Body Again a man weak and shallow in his natural Powers and uncultivated by Education Reading and Converse with better Understandings is a Fool to a man of deep Natural Judgement quickness of Mind of a soaring searching Capacity and great Reach advanced also by Learning and Converse This Fool and wise Man may both be found and oft are in the but heathenish spirit of nature and that in the corrupt rebellious state thereof walking contrary to such and to all light and wisdom natural and spiritual The moral righteous Heathen that endeavours to obey such light of nature as Christ a-fresh sets up in every man that comes into the world though of less light and speculative wisdom or capacity then the former is a wiser and better man The first-covenant Saint with his holy flesh wise strong and honourable in Christ though of less speculative wisdom then either is wiser and better then both and then the spiritual new-covenant Believer and Saint that seems a fool to them all as having quitted all Wisdom of man for God's is not only wiser then them all but the only truly wise and they all fools as to the whole of their eternal concerns In general all are fools
Spirit are after a peculiar manner in the hand of God or under his peculiar regard care and approbation as obedient to him in all things Yet by any outward dispensations his Love to them or Hatred to his and their implacable Enemies can't be known For the natural Man or State is gratified in Enemies with more then heart can wish and in Saints or Friends under continual Chastisements Crosses and Disappointments In this cryptick Method or mysterious Course of God's dealing with Friends as Foes and Foes as Friends in all discernable appearances to Man's Wisdom will Man judg enemies the only Favorites of God and Friends rejected cast-aways hated by him for ever as Job's enlighten'd Friends did seem to reckon him when under the Cross Job 4. 7 -9. Psal. 73. 7 -14. Heb. 12. 6 -8. Solomon in the Wisdom of God and true Spirit of Prophecy farther declares Vers. 2. All things come alike to all there is one Event to the righteous and to the wicked to the good and to the clean and to the unclean to him that sacrificeth and to him that sacrificeth not as is the good so is the sinner and he that sweareth as he that feareth an Oath In God's dispensations to the outward Man of Saints and Sinners all things come alike to all righteous and wicked good and bad clean and unclean So God's Love or Hatred cannot thereby be known God causes his Sun to shine and Rain to fall on the evil and good just and unjust Mat. 5. 45. From the afflicting or gratifying dispensations of God to the whole natural Man is the Wisdom of Man apt to take the measures of God's Anger or Love God affords invisible as well as visible good things of this World to the inner as well as outer natural Man the Spirit as well as Body of the rebellious as also of those who will prove obedient Saints This as one fruit of Christ's Redemption-work Psal. 68. 18. As to a first-covenant Benefit ' of Christ's death the common or general Salvation all Men are capable of may they be made wise strong and honourable in Christ yea by new or second-Covenant Light also shew'd offer'd and brought to tast and see how good and gracious the Lord is in his new-Covenant-life and after all irrecoverably apostatize and perish for ever 1 Cor. 4. 10. Heb. 6. 4 -6. If man finally keep up his restor'd first-creation changeable righteous Life in enmity to God and his second he perishes for ever If he prefer the Knowledg of Christ after the flesh in the restor'd righteous Life of the Law or conformity to him as born of a Woman under the Law to Christ after the Spirit or in his spiritual resurrection-Life he perishes for ever In this evil self-chosen life and way does God in Judgment gratify Men with invisible fading or natural good things beyond all they can wish Psal. 73. 7. The literal wicked in the corrupt and mystically wicked in the resin'd spirit of Nature may be gratified with all worldly desirables outward or inward to their bodies or spirits and perish for ever after all under the Wrath to come All this Solomon understood and declar'd The natural Understanding even in the spiritual Saint can't reach these mysteries of Providence in the promiscuous dispensations of God to good and bad as to all worldly desirables visible or invisible Psal. 73. The truly righteous good and clean 〈◊〉 his natural Life to God as fearing an Oath or the swearing an everlasting Covenant with the Devil in the first-creation state against God and the second So comes his heart in a newness of life to be set in him to do good in God's sight for ever He that swears that Covenant with the Devil is fully set to do Evil for ever Eccl. 8. 11. However undiscern'd the Saint's condition be to his Enemies under the love of God in this life God will at last manifest the difference between them that serve him and those that serve him not but swear everlasting Allegiance to the Devil Mal. 3. 18. whose Servants they are Rom. 6. 16. Vers. 3. This is an evil among all things that are done under the Sun ' that there is one Event unto all yea also the heart of the Sons of Men is full of evil and madness is in their Heart while they live and after that they go to the dead The death of Nature as to the mortal life of Body and Soul is the one Event to all Men. This fatal Period comes nature to in the wise and fool righteous and wicked The spiritual wise Man only is an unspeakeable gainer by all such losses as befals his nature with his fellows Out of the darkness and death brought on his natural state is he raised into the spiritual light and life of God The same darkness and death brought upon others in Wrath for refusing it in Love becomes their dreadful condition and portion for ever under Wrath. This exceedingly differing Event of the said same event the Death of nature in all Men is not consider'd or discern'd by Man's Wisdom Hence Solomon says how dies the wise Man As the Fool there 's no remembrance of the one more then of the other for ever Eccles 2. 16. in Man's day or Judgment The differing event of the Cross in Love or Wrath turning all first-creation Wisdom Light and Life into foolishness darkness and death Man's Wisdom sees not All wisdom beauty or desirableness in nature will perish and be forgotten in all Men for ever On this account as to any thing in nature the truely wise dies as the Fool. For both by death lose all the changeable Life and fading Glory of their own nature But the said wise 〈◊〉 obedient surrender of all receive a more excellent Life and Glory for ever and those that rebelliously keep it lose all for ever under Wrath in everlasting darkness So though the same Event happen to all as to the death of nature the event of that event is exceedingly different eternal life or death Those that do not obediently part with their own first-creation Life and Wisdom for God's in the second seem charact'red here by a heart full of evil and madness while they live and after that they go to the dead Yea they are dead while they live as 〈◊〉 in enmity to God which must needs be eternal death to them The best Works of righteous Nature fix'd in enmity to the Righteousness of God in his Spirit of Grace are but dead Works perform'd in a spirit of Enmity and Death True Repentance from dead Works Heb. 6. 1. imports Law-Conversion from nature dead in Trespasses and Sins Eph. 2. 1. to the righteous life of a Man But this second death of righteous nature by a fixure in enmity is worse then the former and exposes to the second death as the due punishment thereof the vengeance of eternal fire Rev. 20. 14. This is the latter end worse then any beginning which many self-confident
practices of Men and Devils in opposition thereunto Vers. 11. I returned and saw under the Sun that the Race is not to the swift nor the Battel to the strong neither yet Bread to the wise nor yet Riches to Men of understanding nor yet favour to Men of skill but time and chance happeneth to them all God reserves to himself the Prerogative of giving success or disappointment as to outward things and events where when and to whom he pleases as the supream and 〈◊〉 cause over-ruling all second By time and chance happening to all is meant such events as Providence oft gives in a direct contrariety and disappointment to Man's thoughts and expectations from second causes In mystery here is signified that Man in the utmost Power Skill or Wisdom of his restor'd natural state can't win the Race or Battel can't get true Riches Food or Clothing He can't so run and fight in his corruptible natural mortal Life and State as to vanquish all Enemies and obtain the incorruptible Crown Neither is the favour of God or his unchangeable love to Men or Angels in the highest Skill and Wisdom of that state The death and loss of all there is undispensably necessary to the finding a Life Spirit Wisdom Strength and Power to do gain and win all things more then conquer World and Devil be universally obedient and pleasing to God in every thing and wear the incorruptible Crown They that run and fight in but their own renew'd naturals are uncertain unsteddy runners and fighters run at an all-adventures and if they confidently fix there in a direct contrariety to the Command and Will of God Levit. 26. 21. Such Runners are certain of nothing but missing the great Prize So will prove cast-aways as Paul had if he had not brought under his body or that holy natural state wherein he was fighting against God's holy Gospel-spirit and Life 1 Cor. 9. 24 27. Solomon with Paul returning from the Light and Wisdom of his own Spirit to Christ's declares the Crown of Life durable Riches Food and Clothing victory over all Enemies and the peculiar favour of God for ever not attainable under the Sun or in the power and under the conduct of the natural spirit in the most heightned sublime Wisdom and Skill thereof Time and 〈◊〉 happens to all that strive in that spirit for the said great things All the fading good and comfort therein will pass away and so will they find uncertainty and chance to have bin inseparable from the nature thereof as they had bin abundantly warn'd in their mortal day on Earth Vers. 12. For Man also knoweth not his time as the Fishes that are taken in an evil net and as the Birds that are caught in a snare so are the Sons of Men snared in an evil time when it falleth suddenly upon them Here are the sad and certain consequents of Man's standing running or fighting in unsteady wavering first-Covenant Principles The Sons of Men at best in that life and state are but like Fishes and Birds sure to be caught in Satan's evil nets and snares Eccles. 7. 26. And God in his just Wrath will spread his net upon them as on King Zedekiah Ezek. 12. 13. 17. 20. They chuse that very life and state for their Portion that is the very snare thro' their fond wilful dotage upon and overvalue of it in and by which Satan catches them at his will and leads them into the same everlasting destruction with himself True Saints by Gospel-labours endeavour to waken Men out of this dreamish life and vain-shew in and by which Satan is drawing them into eternal Death as 〈◊〉 willing Captives and obedient Servants and so strongly deluding them as to make them verily believe they are making safe steps toward eternal Life in the very way of Salvation Saints labour to waken them out of this mistaking Dream that 's the very snare the Devil catches and holds them in as therein taken alive by him 2 Tim. 2. 24 -26. Man know's not the time God will deliver him up to Satan for ever yea send him strong delusion for being so wilfully deluded by the Devil and believing his lie rather then God's Truth that he may be damn'd 2 Thess. 2. 11 12. Under Satan's spirit of unchangeable darkness is Man kept ignorant of these dreadful consequents of his evil choice till there 's no remedy 2 Chro. 36. 16. till all the threatned evils come upon him suddenly in an 〈◊〉 time that he is no more aware of then Birds and Fishes of the evil net and snare they are caught in and made a Prey of The final Wrath of God will be upon them and the state by them chosen from which no escape for ever They shall not know how it comes what it is till upon them nor ever be able to put it off Isa. 47. 11. Vers. 13. This Wisdom have I seen also under the Sun and it seem'd great unto me Vers. 14. There was a little City and few Men within it and there came a great King against it and besieg'd it and built great Bulwarks against it Vers. 15. Now there was found in it a poor wise Man and he by his Wisdom deliver'd the City yet no Man remembred that same poor Man Christ is the poor wise Man in a spirit that 's in personal Union with his divine His little City are his little 〈◊〉 of true Saints deliver'd by his Wisdom from the great King the Devil that comes with all his power to besiege and build great Bulwarks against them He frustrates all the designs polices and practices of evil Angels and Men against them All this by taking our nature and impoverishing it even to a total abolition of all that Wisdom Glory Power and Excellency in which the great evil King and his Forces come against the little City he undertakes the defence of against them all By the death of that nature in himself and little City or flock which the Enemy can touch deceive and destroy Men by as the very snare they are caught in and raising himself and them into a life above their reach and power does he deliver them All his true Souldiers must follow this great Captain 's suffering steps for this conquest Heb. 2. 10 14. A being made fools weak and 〈◊〉 as to all worldly first-Covenant life strength and wisdom yea as nothing or no-body things that are not this is the only way to overcome all these wise strong and honorable therein the strong Bulls of Bashan Psal 22. 12. all enemies whatsoever 1 Cor. 1. 25 28. When Saints by obedience to the Cross on their nature are so totally impoverish'd and run down as to become spectacles of scorn to the whole world all evil Angels and Men 1 Cor. 4. 9. fix'd in their own worldly natural state even then and thereby are they fitted to trample them all under their feet in a life wisdom and power they dream not of the Power of
of God executed by the Cross on obedient Saints or eternal wrath of God by the same Cross on incorrigible sinners And so are we brought by Solomon to consider the Result from all this which he declares by way of Question Vers. IX What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth A like Question to that Chap. 1. 3. already spoken to Who is this he that worketh Man in the twofold perishing life of his Body and Spirit both inevitably falling under a twofold Dispensation of Birth and Death from God A vicissitude of building up and breaking down are unavoidable to both For Man in the utmost flourish of both is but a fading flower altogether Vanity lighter then vanity less than nothing Isa. 40. 7. 17. Psal. 39. 5. and 62. 9. The Life of both is mortal So was that of Angels in their innocency So is this Question of great weight What profit can Man have of all his Labours in a Life that 's Vanity All his best Labours therein do but encrease his heap of Vanities And what is he the better Eccl. 6. 11. Both lives in conclusion vanish and all the works fruits riches litteral and mystical all the things thereof things of man come to nothing Man then struggles under an impossibility to keep up the said lives or things thereof in rebellion against God's declared order and Command for surrender of all to him in obedient sacrifice by death If he refuse to give up all as demanded in love God will take away all In final Wrath. 'T is utterly impossible to avoid one of these two way 's of losing all No remedy All striving against these unalterable Appointments of God and fading nature of the things themselvs renders the inevitable parting with all and all Death-blow's of a tendency there-towards more Heavy Painful Bitter and Uneasy to Man's sore disadvantage and at last totall amazing disappointment If he has no other ground to stand on when all that is gone where is he What was his duty and beautiful in its season righteous performances in the activity of first-Covenant principles when call'd to Passive Obedience by the death and loss of all in order to active Obedience in the new-covenant Spirit and Principle of Everlasting Righteousness is Rebellion as the Sin of Witch-craft and Idolatry 1 Sam. 15. 23. T is a keeping that Amalekite Law spirit of Bondage alive as Ruler that God requires the death of Under such Witch-craft Paul found the Galatians Gal. 3. 1. No saving natures head from the irresistible Sword of the spirit of Grace No scaping in this War for Fighters against God Should the whole Creation Angels and Men lend their helping hand set their Shoulders to Boulster up and Support any one Man in this case he is gone They are all less then nothing to him we have to deal with All proud helpers and helped all final Resisters must stoop and fall under his Victorious Flaming Two-edged Spiritual Sword Wherein any deal proudly presumptuously keeping up the Life it ' larum's them in and summon's them to surrender it will be above them All that submit not to it in order to be made by it new Vessels of Honour and Fternal Life it will make their old ones Vessels of Dishonour and everlasting Contempt in Eternal Death To one of these two final Periods will the Versatile changable Spirit of Man Infallibly come The Obedient Saint when he awakes out of the Marred Visage and Death of the Earthy will be satisfied with the Image of the Heavenly Ps. 17. 15. And when Christ shall awake or come forth in the Visibility of the Heavenly he will despise or destroy all self-exalters against him with their Image of the Earthy Ps. 73. 20. In the Morning of Christ's day of Appearance with all his Saints in their Spiritual Resurrection-life after the long Night of this World under the Powers of Darkness will they have Dominion over all their Enemies in the Earthy and Consume all their Fading Beauty or Comliness Ps. 49 14. And what profit then will they find of all their Labours in a Law-Spirit of Bondage Death and Enmity to the Gospel Vers. X. I have seen the travel which God hath given to the Sons of Men to be exercised in it Heb. To afflict or humble them thereby Here 's Solomon's experience and Conviction of the unprofitableness of all Man's Labour and Travel for the gratifying and keeping up the Life of his Body or Spirit in the fading glory of a first-covenant state God gives or permits this Travel to Men in answer to and pursuit of their own vain Desire and Thought to humble or afflict them even by that very self-exalting Labour and State they chuse delight in and please themselves with They must with Job Solomon and others sit down at last in dust and ashes acknowledging the vanity of both the said Lives and of all done by them in the activity of both Happy they only that are timely humbled by the due consideration hereof so as to be willing to cease from the same quitting the folly of all their unprofitable Labours and false Confidences to walk with God in the more excellent Life and Way Vers. XI He hath made every thing beautiful in his time also he hath set the World in their heart so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end Man by Creation was made beautiful in the glory of a first-covenant Law-life for God's appointed season to him there So again when restor'd by Christ while he continues a fleshly Bride-groom to them there as his present dispensation But when by the convincing light of his new-covenant Gospel-spirit he discovers all this beauty to be but a fading Flower a Glory to be done away and that there 's Enmity to God under all then does Man's unlawful use of the Law or Rebellious keeping up his Law against Christ's Gospel-Life render that which was Beautiful most Filthy and Abominable to God Spiritual Sodomy worse then Litteral Man's hardning himself in his Law-Life against Christ's graciously shew'd and offered Gospel-Life provokes him to depart and Swear he shall never enter his Rest Heb. 3. 7. 11. Thus does Man bring his matters to a desperate pass by wilfully refusing so great Salvation as is offered and so is excluded for ever from it shall never be offer'd it more Christ and his true Saints and Seers will meddle no more with him in their Gospel-ministry nor intercede for but against him Act. 13. 46. 51. 1 Jo. 5. 16. They 'l shake the Dust off their Feet against him and away If Men say to Christ's Seers see not Prophecy not unto us right things They'l'a done Their Commission is out In Judgment on them they shall be Dumb Ezek. 3. 25 26. I know God has determin'd to destroy thee said the Prophet to King Amaziah because thou hast not 〈◊〉 to my Counsel and so on his threatning forbare 2 Chro. 25.
16. T. Also he hath set the World in their Heart c. When Men 〈◊〉 six or set up for themselves in their worldly nature and Life of the Law and so set up the World in their Hearts as the only Object of their desire and delight then does God Judicially harden and six them there or set the World in their Hearts And then is their highest Wisdom a Black Darkning Vail upon their Hearts disabling them for ever finding out the Work of God from the beginning of it in the first-creation to the Blessed end of it in the second The God of this World fixing Mens hearts in the love of this World that 's Enmity to God blind's their minds that the light of the Glorious Gospel may not shine into them They see not to the end of that which is abolish'd 2 Cor. 3. 13. So set up for Salvation in that law-Law-Life that 's to be abolish'd that Glory that 's to be done away v. 7. Fleshly 〈◊〉 t s were not able to behold the spiritual Glory of Moses his true face of Spiritual Saint-ship He therefore put a Vail on it that is came forth in the appearance of the Righteousness of Man or the Law to them They that set up in the Light and Life of the Law for Salvation set up in the Vail Such never see to their comfort the true Face inward Beauty and Spiritual Glory of Moses or other Saints nor the true inward Face or spiritual meaning of any Scripture All Spiritual things or truths in Scripture all spiritual Light Life Wisdom Understanding all things of God in his Saints lie quite out of their sight as meer nothings in their day their Judgment They no more skill or ken them than a Beast the Rational Powers and things of a Man 1 Cor. 2. 11. So they absolutely deny all Gospel things and Truths and positively assert there 's no more excellent Creature-Life or things Man is capable of then what were set up in the first-creation-state of Angel and Man What work will such make at Gospel specially if fixed here and so hardned in unchangable Enmity thereto Thus Christ found the Righteous Scribes Pharisees c. in a Murdering Enmity to the truth that is the Gospel-Spirit and so of their Father the Devil who abode not in that truth or Obedience to the said Gospel-Light in which Created but quitted that his Habitation or first Estate Jo. 8. 44. Jude 6. They that Rebelliously set up this Shadowy World in their Hearts can't receive the Spirit of truth nor words thereof Jo. 14. 17. 1 Cor. 2. 14. They provoke God to give them their desire in Wrath to set up the World in them or them in their worldly Law-spirit of Enmity and Death to chuse their Delusions Isai. 66. 4. send them strong delusion that they should believe Stan's Lie and be damn'd because they chose rather to beleeve that than his Spirit of truth 2 Thes. 2. 10-12 So God Christ Themselves and the Devil all concur and center in one point the setting the World in their heart or fixing them in their own worldly spirit but upon very differing accounts Then is their case as desperate as that of the Evil Angels Heb. 10. 26 27. Though yet highly Esteemed of Men as owners yea Ministers of the Gospel are they most abominable to God Mystical Sodomit's the most Criminal Sinners in the whole World By being set or fixed in their worldly Spirit they become wholly Strangers and Enemies to the spirit of the World to come which will be upon them at last in Irresistible Wrath. Vers. XII I know that there is no good in them but for a Man to rejoyce and to do good in his life Solomon at a dear rate had experienc'd that there 's no durable unchangable good to be found in all first-creation Life and most Righteous Actions or things thereof No true Joy or Happiness to be had in this World but by doing what is truly good in God's sight in the Life and Spirit of the next True Godliness or power of 〈◊〉 exerciseable only in the Gospel-spirit of Christ is profitable to all things having the promises of this and the Life to come 1 Tim. 4. 8. that is it comprehend's the promised Spiritual Life of Christ and Comforts thereof in this and the World to come the daily encreasing first Fruits of it here and fulness there Yea also the promises even of this life or worldly things thereof such as 〈◊〉 seek belong to true seekers of the Righteousness of God in 〈◊〉 Kingdom spirit All these shall be added to you say's Christ himself Mat. 6. 31-33 The only right rejoycing in and doing good in its kind with such things of this Life is as receiv'd on the said account and manag'd in the Kingdom-spirit of the World to come Vers. 13. And also that every Man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his Labour it is the gift of God 'T is in the unspeakable gift of God only the spirit of Christ the inmost man of the Saint in the Life hid with Christ in God can feed upon the hidden Manna the divine Glory as vailed by that Spirit of Christ and thereby also unvailed or rendred visible in a sutableness only to 〈◊〉 not natural understanding in Man or Angel The never-perishing Meats and Drinks the Bread and Wine of the Kingdom the divine and creature-glories of God in the Mediator are the things true Saints eat drink feed and live upon enjoy rejoyce and delight in even in the peculiar delights of the Sons of God divine spiritual heavenly substantial things things eternal All this is the comfortable fruit of all their right labours in that Spirit that 's the peculiar gift of God distinct from the natural spirit or state of Life with all the Fruits brought forth by Man's utmost and best labours therein Vers. XIV I know that whatsoever God doth it shall be for ever Nothing can be put to it nor any thing taken from it And God doth it that Men should fear before him Whatever is the immediate Divine Workmanship shall be for ever that is the new-creature Spirit set up by the Divine from everlasting Prov. 8. 23. in personal union with it and also called God that made the worlds Jo. 1. 1-3 Heb. 1. 2. Both Worlds Natural and Spiritual and all in both were comprehended in it and brought forth by it This Fountain creature-Spirit in Christ and Streamings forth of the Living Waters thereof into Saints is of an unchangable nature The Gift thereof to Men or heavenly call of them into The Life thereof is without Repentance Variableness or chang The natural first-covenant principle of life and action set up in Man and Angel by the first-Creation is a Starting Variable Wavering thing Ps. 78. 57. Man breaks that Covenant with God and then God his Promise therein with him Numb 14. 34. Though Men be Children and Spouses to Christ therein Jer. 3. 14.
spirit CHAP. V. Vers. I. Keep thy Foot when thou goest to the House of God and be more ready to hear then to give the Sacrifice of Fools For they consider not that they do evil HEre 's the Result and Use of all declar'd in the fore-going Chapters as to the Vanity and vain Labour of Man under the Light of the Mystical first-Creation Sun or Spirit of the Law in and under which Man and Angel were at first Created and Christ Born Gal. 4. 4. Paul draw's the same useful Instruction from the doctrin of the 11 former Chapters to the Roman's Chap. 12. 1. for quitting or giving up the same earthly natural State the same thing with the Foot here when restor'd or made again Holy Flesh the righteous natural Body in Sacrifice to God as our reasonable Service and true free-will Offring even the Offring up of our free-will to good and evil that we may receive his free-will to Good only the Glorious Liberty of the Sons of God with which the Son makes free indeed all that are Born of his Gospel-Spirit of overlasting righteousness and truth First then consider what this Foot is or signifies and secondly what 's the House of God it 's to be kept out of as not fit to enter 1. This Foot 〈◊〉 the whole Man in a first-Covenant Life The Heel Satan is permitted to bruise Gen. 3. 15. is of the same extent and comprehensive significancy And so were the Shoes Moses was Commanded to put from off his Feet where the ground was Holy Exod. 3. 5. This Foot or natural Spirit of Man corrupt or righteous being found in Enmity to God at best as in Paul before his Gospel-Conversion can bear no part in the right Worshipping of God which is wholly to be perform'd in Spirit and Truth Christ's new-Creature Gospel-spirit of everlasting righteousness and truth The infinite Divine Spirit and Father requires all Men and Angels to Worship him in the Son's Gospel-Creature-Spirit of truth How can Man please him in duties of Worship or any other Performances towards him or Man in his own Spirit of Enmity Such Enmity as is no otherwise extinguishable but by 〈◊〉 death of nature being absolutely inseperable from the Life of it at best Christ's Gospel-Spirit of Love in unchangable Union of Mind and Will Desire and Thought with God when it becom's the sole Principle of Life Desire Thought and Action in Man will perfectly and compleatly fulfil all Law perform all duty to God and Man to God's well-pleasing and the Performer's certain and everlasting Salvation Man is not to come in his own Spirit of nature however Wise Strong Rich and Honourable in Christ by his first-Covenant-Communications to him as a fleshly Bride-groom and 〈◊〉 at his earthly Table into the new-Creation Sanctuary of God the everlasting Righteous Fountain Gospel-Spirit of Christ. The Courts of this Sanctuary are too Holy Ground for any thing that 's but changably good as Man and Angels before the fall or also positively evil as nature corrupt or righteous in all Men since the fall to tread on For a Man in a Spirit that 's a Root of Bitterness bearing Gall and Wormwood Briars and Thorns in a continued Enmity to God every Imagination Purpose Desire and Thought thereof being only evil continually the old World's case before the Flood Gen. 6. 5. to appear in the unchangably righteous new-Creation Sanctuary of God what a strang incongruous thing and sight would it be If any fill'd and Clothed by Satan's 〈◊〉 and their own consent or choice with a Spirit of unchangable Enmity to God do as 't were crowd in and appear at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb and his Bride in the Kingdom of his Father see what 's like to become of him Mat. 22. 11 12. Friend will the King Jesus say how cam'st thou in hither not having a Wedding Garment And he was Speech-less had nothing to say Then say's the King to his Servants the Holy Angels of his Power that excel in strength all fixed first-Creation Enemies of God and the second bind him Hand and Foot and cast him into outer Darkness where shall be Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth to all Eternity Let the fixed first-Creation Sinner and Enemy of God in his form of Godliness Righteousness of Man do what he can get where he will he is gone for ever No Stranger was to come into the Litteral Sanctuary under the Law the Type of this Spiritual Gospel-Sanctuary-Spirit of God in Christ's Person and in his Saints the lively stones of the House upon the Rock that Christ is the living head-corner Stone and Foundation of He spirit 's influences and enliven's all the rest hold's them fitly compacted together and firmly cimented in his one Gospel-spirit of new-Creature-Life that 's a Universal Bond of Love and Peace to and with God Christ and one other for evermore The Foot Heel or Shoe that 's to be kept back laid aside or put off that we may be shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace and so walk orderly with a right Foot according to the Gospel of the Grace of God or on a new foot of account in the single-ey'd discerning strength and Power of Christ's Gospel-spirit is that Flesh and Blood which cannot enter into and inherit the Kingdom of God 1 Cor. 15. 50. or tread the Courts of his Heavenly Sanctuary Angels in the purity of their first-Creation-make and changable Life were to cover their Faces as not fit to appear before God to behold or be beheld by him therein And say's God to the Jews when ye come to appear before me who hath requir'd this at your hands to tread my Courts Isai. 1. 12. No right acceptable Worshipping God or doing any thing else but in the Gospel-spirit of Truth that spirit of Love that 's the compleat fulfiller of the whole Law even of all that God requires of us Sure the natural spirit at best that 's a spirit of Enmity to God and a bloody-minded Spirit against his true Saints can do no such thing It 's hands are full of blood It breath'd out Threatnings and Slaughters against the Disciples of the Lord even in Paul who had therein lived according to his light in all good conscience Act. 23. 1. exerciseable in the activity and restor'd Life thereof as a strict circumspect Opposer and Suppressor of the vile Affections and Lusts of his corrupt nature This Foot then is to be cut off cast away laid aside by us as not fit to perform any part in the true Worshipping of God Man is not to come alive into the House of God but be brought into it by the High Priest Christ himself dead as to his own Law-Life and principle of active obedience and quick'ned up into his Gospel-Life and Principle of active obedience wherein alone 't is possible to please God or be saved Passive obedience is the highest service performable in or with Angel's or Man's natural first-Creation Life
or Make. For by this the guilty Sinner the Belial-Party the Enemy of God is slain and all Power of Sinning abolish'd for ever Ro. 6. 7. 1 Pet. 4. 1. The obedient death of the guilty and continually sinning natural Spirit is more pleasing to God and profitable to Man then any Obedience or Duty performable in its kind in the Life and Activity thereof The House of Mourning or Death as to the first-Covenant Principle of Life is better than the House of Feasting in the utmost Flourish Prosperity Wisdom Glory and Fruitfulness thereof or Joy therein The death of the natural State at best from which since the fall Enmity to God is inseperable obediently yielded to must needs be more acceptable to God then the Life thereof or any thing performable therein From Love to God's Mercy or the unspeakable gift of new Creation Life to submit to yea and joyn with God in doing justly or Executing his righteous Judgment and Sentence of Death on our fleshly natural law-state in the awak'ned Life and Power of his Gospel-Spirit in us this is the Sum of all God requir's of us as the terms and condition of our full entring into and striking the new and everlasting Covenant with him Establish'd in all things and sure This doing justly in humbling our guilty natural Man or Spirit the Enemy of God even to the death thereof and living wholly to him in our never-sinning Spiritual Man or his never-sinning Spirit 1 To. 3. 9. is all he requir's of us Mic. 6. 8. Man must quit his own cieled Hag. 1. 4. adorn'd House or natural State to enter into God's Spiritual House or new-Creation Sanctuary His own House or nature is not ought not to be reckon'd his dwelling place or state of true rest for him Men will find all their Labour to keep up that building with the fading glory and riches thereof but a wearying themselvs for very Vanity Hab. 2. 13 a disquieting themselvs in Vain by heaping up Treasur's Ps. 39. 6. for their own destruction in the day of wrath This will Man get by coveting an evil covetousness to his own House or natural State and setting his Nest on high as vainly puffed up in his self-confident fleshly mind and thinking to secure himself from the Power of evil the Wrath of God Hab. 2. 9. He say's in his Heart Who shall bring me down to the Ground Obad. 3. I will saith the Lord v. 4. We must depart out of our own Countrey and Fathers House the Life and State of our own nature at best in but the restor'd Image of the earthy or first Adam form of godliness righteousness of Man a glory a wisdom to be Crucified Defac'd Obliterated and done away a Visage a Beauty to be Marr'd and Spoild in order to enter into God's own Countrey the far Countrey the Man Christ is gone into before us to prepare Places or Mansions of Glory for us Luk. 19. 12. To. 14. 2 3. We must depart from or out of our own House or nature however Ciel'd Adorn'd Swept Cleansed from the filth of flesh and Garnished with Spiritual Light or best enlightning Gifts short of the more excellent Spiritual Life and way 1 Cor. 12. 31. call'd Love 1 Cor. 13. in order to our right and worthy entring or going into God's Spiritual Sanctuary or House to Worship Our own Countrey Father's House Image of the earthy first-Covenant Life of our nature righteousness of Man Spiritual Conviction-Light c. All these make up but the Foot the whole Life and State of nature at best that's to be cut off and cast away as loss and dung to enter in a Resurrection-Life with the Man Christ into his Father's House where are many Mansions And so come we to the second thing here the House Man is to keep his Foot from or out of when he goes into it 2. This House is the Supream original new-creature Spirit of Christ the Living Creature-Book Word or Wisdom of God in which 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Written out the whole Counsel of his Divine Mind And the Man Christ is the Supream Prophet Mouth and Infallible Declarer thereof to Angels and Men. Christ's whole Creature-nature is the immediate Temple and Sanctuary of his own Divinity set up by his Divine Hand or Workmanship from everlasting in Personal Union with the Divinity Prov. 8. 22 23. This was Typed out by the Litteral Sanctuary under the Law No Strangers no nor 〈◊〉 while unclean might Approach or enter into it The polluted Heathen-Stranger and the unclean 〈◊〉 in Mystery and Truth signify the natural Man corrupt or righteous This is the stranger and Fool here meant that being altogether ignorant of this new-creation Sanctuary of God's own pitching not Man's Heb. 8. 2. is ready with Paul to think he does God service in denying and opposing this his own house and himself the Divine Inhabitant thereof in personal Union with it as also in Persecuting to the death true Saints that own and assert such a House as Partakers of living walking and speaking in the spirit of it The new-Creation Sanctuary-Spirit the Creature-word Wisdom or Hand of God set up from everlasting by God's own very Divine hand was the immediate hand by which the whole old or first-Creation World was made Isai. 66. 1 2. Men Angels c. which therefore are all to be roll'd up and laid aside by God as an old Garment Heb. 1. 10-12 and in Harmony of Mind with him and obedience to him are the life and all the best and most glittering things thereof to be laid aside and parted with by Angel and Man to partake of his Heavenly Sanctuary-Spirit and Live with him in that place of his and their true rest for evermore All the Heavenly Eternal things of his Sanctuary seem Foolish Idle Dreams which Men conspire to kill them for Gen. 37. 19 20. and all right Words concerning them Vain or Lying Words as Pharaoh call'd Moses his Messages from God to the most enlight'ned natural Man who is wholly ignorant and in the dark as to all Divine and Spiritual Creature-things of Christ and God 1 Cor. 2. 14. 'T is a vain imagination when Man thinks to Prie into and View the most Holy things of God's Spiritual Sanctuary in the highest Wisdom and best Light of his but restor'd natural state If he finally persist in such a Presumptuous mistake he will meet with a final Blasting upon him to Eternal Death figured by the fifty Thousand Presumptuous Peepers into the Ark of the Lord who were smitten by him to a Temporal death of their bodies 2 Sam. 6. 19. All the best things in the first-Creation-make and life of Angel and Man are of no neerer kin to God's new-Creation Sanctuary and Holy things thereof then as figures and shadows of them The rational powers and things of man are not more hid from the brute beast then the Spiritual things of-God from the wisest and most rational man 1 Cor. 2. 10 11. 14.
themselves 〈◊〉 or Unbelievers as to every tittle of Christ's Gospel No first-coven 〈◊〉 Saints ought to trust in themselves that selfish fleshly life or natural state however righteous but in God that raises men from the Dead or out of the obedient Death of that into his life and righteousness in the second 2 Cor. 1. 9. They ought with Paul gladly to receive God's Sentence of Death in themselves or on their Spirit in the first that they may be raised into his life in the second And as none are to trust in themselves in the first so are no men there sit to be trusted by Christ or 〈◊〉 Saints being yet but in an unsteddy starting Principle Joh. 2. 23-25 For they know in the alsearching Spiritual light of God what is in man all men in their highest restored Life Light 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The best of them is as a brier the most upright 〈◊〉 than a thorn hedge Mic. 7. 4. As found in enmity to God and all his Saints and Truths Paul himself while but there though eminent breathed out slaughter against the disciples of the Lord. What such temporary first-covenant believers came to under Christ's own personal ministry when he came closs upon them with the cross doctrin of the second upon all that we find Joh. 6. 66. A way they go walk no more with him regard not him or his doctrine Let not the true followers of the Lamb whither soever he goes not onely into the Law-life of the first-covenant but through the death of that into the Gospel-life of the second in which he lives for evermore Rev. 1. 18. expect other doings from such false hollow-hearted apostatizing professors who are presently upon the turning point to Satan and drawing back to Perdition when clossly plied and follow'd with the true full doctrin of the Gospel-Cross on the Law-Life of nature at best which they are willingly and therefore easily perswaded by the words of Man's Wisdom is a true Gospel-state of Salvation and Eternal Life Such drawers back and those that go on to the saving of the Soul grow dayly farther and farther asunder more and more strang and contrary to each other in Thoughts Words and Deeds One is Marching on with a swift Foot towards the Chambers of Eternal Death The other 〈◊〉 towards the Kingdom of God Their Bodies meet and touch Elbows still in these dayly encreasing Distances and Elongations of their minds hearts or spirits till they find one another at Length in fixed irreconcileable distances and contrarieties of Mind Will whole course and way towards eternal life or death Apostat's from Gospel Light turn from the hot fiery Doctrin of the Cross when they find it touch nature at best to the quick at the very root bringing a flaming sword upon the very principle into the cool shade of a worldly Church-doctrin where Satan's pleasing-Gospel is preach'd nature specially righteous restor'd nature tickled and gratified with words after its own heart 'T is the language or thought and Desire of all natural Hearts Prophesy to us smooth things Prophesy Deceits Isai. 30. 10. We have heard enough and too much of the right things of God's Seers and true Prophets Their Doctrin is too hot for us We like it not Let them that bring such strang and sad Tydings to our Ears sit and speak to themselvs or stools if they will which indeed may be to neer as much purpose as to any good such regardless hearers of Gospel-words have gotten 'T is a dreadful Season in which 't is rare to find any that are in earnest about Salvation or at all inquisitive after it Who with the noble Bereans search the Scriptures about their eternal concerns Who regard any more then Pagans that Command of Christ for seeking first or chiefly the Kingdom and Righteousness of God Mat. 6. 33. or to lay up Treasure for themselvs in Heaven v. 20. Even the but Shadowy Mystical Laodicean Treasur's heap'd up in an earthly first-Covenant Life are now as 't were under God's Blasting and Professors negligence therein almost in the Dust as Conclamated Wither'd Unregarded things Profanes and a regard of and inquisitiveness after meer bodily concerns and Ornaments steal away the Heart and in a manner all the time of Professors How too generally are they laying about them wholly to fetch in Provisions for the lowest and basest fleshly Life and Lusts of confounded fallen nature common with Brute Beasts But if any yet are conscientious Walkers in first-Covenant Principles and reckon they have whereof to trust in the flesh Holy flesh restor'd righteous cleansed nature Paul more Phil. 3. 4. Christ most But Christ Crucified it in himself and Paul rejoyc'd or gloried to find him Crucifying it in him also Gal. 6. 14. as the only way of delivering him from that Body of Sin and Death he before took to be a state of Eternal Life Rom. 7. 24. 8. 2. The kindly death of nature under the Cross brought upon it in love from God and submitted to by Man in Obedience to God is the only means and way of his deliverance from all evil by the death of the guilty Sinner and of being furnish'd with and Possessed of all good in God's Gospel-spirit of everlasting righteousness that never sin's 1 Jo. 3. 9. All Sabbath-keeping and other Litteral Performances in Man's Spirit of Enmity to God and his true Sabbath-Spirit Sanctuary and place of his rest that he delights in when known so to be are with their Persons an Abomination to God and so their Solemn Meeting on his Sabbath that was his own Appointment what 's ours Isai. 1. 13 14. All their Incense and Sacrifices all our Praying Preaching c. in a known Spirit of Enmity to God are Mystical Murder Idolatry Sacriledg the highest and most criminal wickednesses in God's sight Why Hands full of Blood a bloody mind of Persecuting Enmity against his Gospel Saints and Truth 's spoil's all I 'le therefore hide mine Eyes from you and not hear your Prayers Ye are a Mystical most Criminal Sodom and Gomorrha to me v. 10-15 and Isai. 66. 3. Ye do all in your own self-chosen way after your own Heart in your own spirit not mine but in perfect contrariety thereunto None of you hear's and answer's 〈◊〉 Heavenly Call in true Wisdom's Words or Preachings I 'le therefore not hear or answer your Prayers and pretended Callings upon me v. 4. If you 'l not hear my cry to you 〈◊〉 not hear your's to me saith the Lord of Hosts Zec. 7. 13. Is man in Enmity to the whole Mind Counsel true Sabbath and Sanctuary of God like to be a faithful and able Minister of his Gospel-Truths Yet who else is heard or regarded Who but the Woman or private natural spirit that 's Enmity to God and all his right Words of Counsel and Instruction for Eternal Life Be more ready to hear then to give the sacrifice of fools Man in the best wisdom the most righteous life and activity of
commanded by Christ after his resurrection to wait in their earthly-Jerusalem-state for Act. 1. 4. and Luke 24. 49. Both these testimonies are given by the same hand Luke Man is to part with all call'd his own his Life Wisdom Righteousness and all the things of man in his first make and then God will give to him and set up in him what he call's his own by a se-second his Life Wisdom Righteousness the things of God All the Life of Man's Spirit with the free will and rational Powers thereof must go in Sacrifice to God as our true free-will Offering and reasonable Service Rom. 12. 1. These things clearly seen assented to agreed on and engaged for on all hands as to what man is to suffer and God to do in order to man's being actually brought into the new and everlasting covenant with him man's wilful Apostacy and flying off from all after for a season he hath run wel in obedience to Gospel-light and suffer'd many things towards the demolishing his law-life Gal. 5. 7. and 3. 4. Spoils loses and forfeits all Dislike to Ghrist's Gospel-life of truth from love to his own law-life and so a fixed enmity to God and despite to his Spirit of Grace exclud's him all benesit of Christ's Sacrifice and Intercession for ever 〈◊〉 10. 26 27. 29. This is the unpardonable Sin against the Holy Ghost or new-creature Gospel-Spirit of Christ. There 's no plea or excuse left Man Nothing to be look'd for by him but the fiery Indignation of God to devour him as the far sorer punishment for 〈◊〉 sinning against the Gospel-Light of the Son of God then Law-Light of the 〈◊〉 of Man T. For he 〈◊〉 no pleasure in Fools pay that which thou hast vowed without delay Deser not to pay it that is to perform thy part vow'd and engaged for by thee in order to thy entring into the first or second Covenant with God For the not paying it will be found the greatest Folly and Madness and of most desperate and dangerous consequence to thee Hence does Solomon farther say by way of Information in this case Vers. V. Better is it that thou should'st not vow then that thou should'st vow and not pay So Deut. 23. 21-23 When thou vowest a vow unto God thou shalt not slack or delay to pay it But if thou forbear to vow it shall be no sin in thee Thou shalt perform thy free-will Offring as thou hast vow'd Better not vow then vow and not pay Better for men never to have known the way of everlasting righteousness and truth 2 Pet. 2. 21. Heb. 10. 26 27. then after known to turn from the Holy Commandment deliver'd to them What Commandment That which Christ received from his Father and obey'd even the yielding up our nature at best in himself to death To. 10. 17 18. God connives at Man in the day 's of his ignorance and darkness as to a Gospel-Life of everlasting righteousness whether in the vile state of polluted nature dead in sin or moral Heathenism in obedience to the Light or Law of rational nature or in the first-Covenant Believer Professor and Worshipper of God under the outward dispensation of 〈◊〉 or Gospel as Paul when a Persecuter These 〈◊〉 sorts of people while wholly ignorant of Gospel though they reject yea oppose yea persecute it to the death of the true Professors thereof it is no unpardonable Sin in them We find this in Paul's case who was the highest of the three sorts of Sinners above-mention'd He was an injurious Blasphemer and Persecuter of Saints for Gospel-truth but because he did all ignorantly in unbelief he obteined 〈◊〉 was not an unpardonable Sinner against the Holy Ghost or Gospel-Spirit 1 Tim. 1. 13. He soon became more eminent in Gospel-Life and knowledg then those he Persecuted Yea a signal Teacher of them and more abundant Labourer in the Gospel then all the other Apostles who were in Christ before him So as while a righteous Law-Pharisee if any had whereof to Glory or trust in Holy Flesh he more Phil. 3 4 now if any had whereof to glory in the Spirit or Resurrection-Life of Christ that 't is duty and absolute safety to trust in he more 1 Cor. 15. 9 10. No Man is brought to an absolute Trial till Christ the mystical Sun of everlasting righteousness dawn upon him in the beaming forth of Spiritual Light by which to give undeniable notice of his Gospel-Life and State to him for vowing or engaging the giving up the Life of his nature in Sacrifice to God Neither Publican or Pharisee the common Profane Sinner nor righteous first-covenant Jew or Gentile is bound to vow nor therefore to perform the vow as to that devoted thing nature in what-ever variety of Life or condition will in all first or last be found to be even devoted to death under the final Love or Wrath of God Fixure in the Life of nature corrupt or righteous which renders Men litteral or mystical Sodomit's will be found against at least negative conviction and Testimony that they ought not so to do being by its own self-evidencing demonstration a fading Flower a perishing Vanity But when Christ by spiritual Conviction-Light cleerly discover's and graciously offer 's his Gospel-Life to Men in its own self-evidencing excellency above their Law-Life and that they are bound to give up their fading Law-Life or natural state in whatever condition corrupt or righteous for it then are they both bound to Vow the giving up this devoted thing to death and to pay their Vow yea speedily sorthwith not be slack not delay or defer the Payment 'T is better never to have experienc'd the righteousness of Man in a renew'd first-Covenant Life then after all either turn back to their old sins in the corrupt Life of nature or establish themselvs there in unchangable enmity to the righteousnes of God in the Gospel-Life of his Spirit of Grace The sorest Punishment for ever in Hell the many 〈◊〉 belong to such knowing not-doers of their Master's will 〈◊〉 in such knowledg and rebelling against all will encrease 〈◊〉 everlasting sorrow Most aggravated wickednesses will be recompenc'd with such aggravated punishment and Tormont for e-ever as is meet 〈◊〉 Salvation is seen by Man at his door when under the undispensable obligation to vow the death of nature in obedience to 〈◊〉 and accordingly as he perform's or not persom's this most deeply concerning vow he has or misses it Refusing finally to vow or perform when bound to both is fixing in nature in unchangable 〈◊〉 to God and his Spirit of Grace This break 's all Covenant with God first and second the staff of 〈◊〉 comliness Ezek. 16. 14. or righteousness of man in the first and of Bands Zec. 11. 7-11 or such an unchangable band of Union as they ought 〈◊〉 to have enter'd into with God in the second All 's 〈◊〉 and gone They are for ever excluded by God's Oath or swearing in Wrath they
God and death to it self a Body a Law of Sin and Death as Paul found Rom. 7. 24. 8. 2. into the marvelous Palace or Paradisical Light and glorious Liberty of the Sons of God cannot forbear to go tell their 〈◊〉 how they fare They give them an account or true report of the new-creation Land of Promise or state of Life with the fruits and peculiar enjoyments therein above all other Countries Lands or States as far as the Heavens are above the Earth How is this News resented by these two sorts of Sodomites the Prophane in silth of 〈◊〉 or Legal-spirited Professor in filth of spirit enmity to God and all spiritual Truths that 's brought to both their ears by the Gospel-spirited Saint They all hiss at and deride his pretension to such Sun-light as the most presumtuous conceit and phanatical delusion in the World They sit them still won't budg an inch from their opinionated happiness in Rational Light and Moral Heathenism or first-covenant life also in Legal Christianity just as the case was in Plato's Apologue or fabulous Cave-students in their demeanour towards him that had ventur'd up a rocky Precipice with great difficulty and danger into the open Air and Sun-light on his return and tydings thereof to them What of all this The Saint is not to regard these contradicting Blasphemers misregarding him or his words nor be weary nor faint in his mind or Spirit Heb. 12. 3. They are to look wholly to God Christ blessed Angels and Saints that know and own them for what they know themselves to be What matters it for Man's day or judgment in which nothing of their spiritual life or doctrine is rightly seen felt heard or understood Saints by spiritual senses do all this natural never can do They hear see look upon and handle the Word of life even the original new-creature life in the living Word Wisdom of God Christ's Person 1 〈◊〉 1. 1. And they 〈◊〉 such life also in the derived streams of the living waters thereof in true Saints When their own Spirit is dead in Man's sight and judgement 't is most of all alive in God's Sight in his Spirit of Grace And those that live and spend their Widow-hood on Christ's death and departure from them as a 〈◊〉 first-Covenant Bridegoom in the pleasures of that life he has forsaken them in however alive in Man's sight are dead in God's while they so live 1 Tim. 5. 6. Incorrigible sinners in filth of Flesh or Spirit pass along this mortal World and Life jollily in the broad way to an eternal house of mourning Job 21. 13. Psal. 39. 5 6 11. Psal. 49. 10 -- 20. while true Saints through much tribulation and mourning are passing into an eternal house of feasting Those that will on in their various temporary houses or states of feasting literal or mystical making large and swift steps towards the Chambers of death seem to have much the better on 't in this World Who can help them Who can lift them up out of these drowning self-chosen lustful goatish ways of Vanity that will most certainly set them among the left hand 〈◊〉 Goats at last day Mat. 25. 33. Will ye hear a Wonder Spiritual Saints have the best on 't even in this World as thus They have the promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come True Godliness the power of Godliness is profitable to all things The form of it and bodily exercise or the fruitful exercise of Man 's cleans'd natural Spirit therein profits little The truely pure sinless use of worldly enjoyments without any sinful love to or delight in them and spending the strength of all in a serviceableness to the designs and interests of Christ upon and in Men belongs to the true Spiritual Saint only And they have a daily encrease with the encreases of God in the promised life of the World to come So have they the best on 't indeed and in truth even in their mortal day and state on earth All their Tribulations Persecutions and seeming worst things are wholly and exactly calculated for their good by him who cannot miss of accomplishing his design upon them therein and by There are three sorts of Men on the stage of this Earth together in a confused jumble as a mix'd heap in mortal bodies Profane inhabitants of the Sea in the corrupt Spirit of nature of the Earth in the righteous cleans'd earthy state or spirit of nature and dwellers in Heaven or in God's heavenly Spirit of Grace Rev. 12. 12. All People upon Earth are living and walking in the corrupt or changeably righteous Spirit of Nature or in God's unchangeably righteous Spirit of Grace No state in changeable nature is unchangeable or everlasting Salvation but a state of Grace only Eph. 2. 8 9. Not our working Spirit of Nature but God's working all in us and for us by his Gospel-Spirit of Grace will give us entrance into his Kingdom 'T is the unspeakable new-creation gift of God and workmanship of Christ fits any for the Kingdom And 't is then the unspeakable folly and madness of Man to refuse the receiving that Gift on any terms seem they never so hard to his nature Wo to Laughers they shall weep and mourn eternally Blessed are the mourners they shall rejoyce and laugh eternally These were Christ's spiritual sayings and warnings to all when in our flesh And he will be the Judge of all in that Spirit wherein himself is justified for ever in our nature before God most high 1 Tim. 3. 16. An innumerable multitude that have thought it so brave to have their wills in this World will meet with unimaginable amazing surprizing disappointments in the next An irresistible blast an irrecoverable death-blow will they be fore'd to receive on all first-creation delights desires and desirables belly and meats 1 Cor. 6. 13. All these dreadful things the living spiritual Saint lays to heart and as knowing the terrors of the Lord what a fearful thing 't is to fall into the hands of the living God and be torn in pieces without any possibility of deliverance Heb. 10. 31. Psal. 50. 22. endeavours to perswade Men while call'd to day to desist from their jovial march and swift posting it in their several sensual and intellectual paths of delight and present pleasure to their mis-judging nature which do all tend to meet and center in one and the same point a state of everlasting darkness and death under the triumphs of divine Justice and final Wrath. Solomon bewail's the unhappy choice most Men make of the merry self-pleasing-paths to eternal mourning But to allay the compassionating grief of this undeniably true observation he discovers an opposite party of happy People that in a new life and spiritual understanding do lay all these errors follies and madnesses of their fellow-mortals to heart though they can have little or no hearing with them and that find it their unspeakable concern
this riddle of providence in outward dispensations to friends as 〈◊〉 and foes as friends He sees not this mystery that when the wicked spring as the grass and all the workers of Iniquity flourish it is that they shall be destroyed for ever Psal. 92. 6 7. They are in their various self-pleasing wicked ways but treasuring up Wrath for themselves against the day of Wrath and posting to eternal death as happy as they both seem to themselves and others to be God's abused patience and long-suffring towards them will be found at winding up a signal aggravation of their sin and punishment Yet mean while God magnifies his mercy towards them in giving them so large a time to take notice of and advantage by his instructing warnings for preventing the wrath to come The mystical-wicked first-covenant Brethren fix'd in enmity to the 〈◊〉 do long live and prosper generation after generation in union of mind with the Devil filling up the measure of their Fathers in the highest and most criminal wickednesses Wolves in Sheep's-clothing are they Serpents a generation of Vipers that have drunk down the old Serpent's poyson of unchangeable enmity to God and 〈◊〉 then can they escape the damnation of Hell Mat. 23. 31 33. They 〈◊〉 and follow their first 〈◊〉 Fathers in former generations as persecuting Zelots against the second and so pass along into the same everlasting darkness after them and never see light Psal. 49. 13 19. To prevent this dangerous fixure in the righteousness of Man in the first covenant against the Gospel-life and new-creature righteousness of God in the second Solomon advises all capable of repentance or change of mind as follows Vers. 16. Be not righteous over-much neither make thy-self over-wise why shouldst thou destroy thy felf Heb. be desolate Man is righteous over-much or long in the first-Covenant when he over-much values it and lay's to great a stress upon it when he trusts rest's in and builds upon the changeable fallible principles thereof for Salvation On this mistake he refuses Christ's heavenly call to him to come up out of the life and image of the earthy into his heavenly out of the perishing life wisdom and righteousness of man in the first-covenant principle into the everlasting Life Wisdom and Righteousness of God in the second An overvalue for and unwarrantable security in the first endangers man's shutting the door of his heart and deafning his ear to Christ against his gracious offer of and invitation into the second So by preferring the Law-righteousness of man to the Gospel-life and righteousness of Christ and God do men destroy themselves bring the desolating final judgments of God upon their guilty heads This get they by being over-much righteous and over-wise as putting a value upon such righteousness and wisdom of their own nature above what is written of it 1 Cor. 4. 6. in God's Oracles of Truth Job while yet much in the dark as to what God was about to do with him said tho' he were perfect yet would he not know his own soul but despise even his righteous life Job 9. 21. The professing Jews blasphem'd and crucified Christ Paul breathed out threatnings and slaughters against the Disciples of the Lord from a fond conceit over-value for and 〈◊〉 in the restor'd life of the first Covenant and the wisdom and righteousness of man therein so as to prefer it to the everlasting Life Wisdom and Righteousness of God in the second This 〈◊〉 when Paul was happily deliver'd from he found his Jewish professing Brethren still in Rom. 10. 1 3. They were ignorant of God's Gospel Righteousness in the second and so zealous for their own Law-righteousness in the first While thus ignorant as he once and so pardonable and curable he earnestly pray'd they might so accept of and receive his Gospel-instructions that they might be saved He had greater love and better desires for them than they yet knew how to have for themselves He compassionatly bemoans and laments over 〈◊〉 on the same account Christ himself did Mat. 23. 37 38. O Jerusalem Jerusalem c. Behold your house is left unto you desolate Here 's the temper of the mystical earthly Jerusalem professor in all times and places under Law or Gospel They have bin all along generation after generation found in a posture of 〈◊〉 towards all right words brought to them in Christ's Gospel-spirit of true 〈◊〉 declaring the death of nature in the first-Covenant undispensably necessary to their sinding eternal life in the second The final refusal of the Lord's Counsel herein will render their first-Covenant house of feasting eternally desolate This twofold errour one the certain consequent of the other even the placing Salvation in the first and finally rejecting the life of God in the second is certain Damnation Man establish'd in his own righteousness as a state of Salvation is the unchangeable enemy of God Christ all spiritual Saints and Gospel 〈◊〉 This unlawful use of the Law or their own Law-life against Christ's everlasting Gospel-life amounts to that love of the World or of themselves in their worldly first-creation law-Law-life of Nature that 's enmity to God and his Gospel-spirit of Grace This is spiritual and most criminal adultery Jam. 4. 4. Law-life thus abused is the leaven of the Pharisees a root of bitternesses against the Gospel-life and Truths of Christ with mystically profane Esau Heb. 12. 15 16. Such wilful opposing instead of obedient submitting to God's Righteousness Rom. 10. 3. and Jam. 4. 7. keep 's Men from ever entering into God's Righteousness David the Type and Christ the Truth intercede against such incorrigible enemies Let 〈◊〉 not come into thy righteousness Psal. 69. 27. Let their habitation be desolate ver 25. ' Be not then righteous over-much or over-long by over-much valuing and over long staying in that first-Covenant life place or state whence by the death and loss of all thou art there possess'd of the true spiritual Children of Christ break forth into the new-creature-life of God Hos. 13. 13. Be not over-pleas'd transported and delighted with the fading righteous life of thy own nature so as to be leaven'd and sowr'd into a bitter enmity against that spiritual life of Christ in which alone any can be saved Prefer not thy mortal to Gods immortal righteous life Why shouldst thou destroy thy self or be 〈◊〉 and undone for ever This by turning all the fading Life Righteousness Wisdom Beauty and Glory by Christ himself set up in and put upon thee into a perfect abomination to him and cause of final desolation to thy self Vers. 17. Be not over-much wicked neither be thou foolish why shouldst thou die before thy time Heb. not in thy time Here 's another branch of Solomon's advice to another sort of Men whom he call's wicked living in the vile affections and lusts of the corrupt spirit of nature refusing the Redeemer's purchas'd and offered Deliverance out of that most palpably evil and shameful state of
Man among a thousand but no Woman among them all No true happiness to Man or Angel in the changeable womanish first-creation life of either What 's not there can the wisest man never find 'T is folly to seek it there The self-evidencing vanity of all first-creation things is such that all and every one say 't is not in me in us no true life wisdom or goodness no manly unchangeable new-creation Wisdom Life or Goodness is to be found in or amongst us all seek while you will 〈◊〉 28. 12 -- 22. The first-creation life of Nature in the first-covenant spirit or Law-principle of action God alway saw defective as to the true blessedness of Man or Angel He had beforehand therefore even from everlasting set up prepared and kept in reserve to bestow a creature-life of everlasting Righteousness in his new-Covenant Gospel-spirit that 's in unchangeable harmony with his infinite Divine Spirit Heb. 8. 6 〈◊〉 The Law makes nothing perfect Heb. 7. 19 no incorruptible Perfection or unchangeable good is to be found in the natural first-creation make or Law-life of Angel or Man The Law never had in it nor therefore could give true Life or everlasting Righteousness to any Gal. 3. 21. 〈◊〉 Is it could no need of Grace Gospel new-Covenant new-Creation Man's and Satan's Gospel says there is 〈◊〉 Life in the first Covenant principle the spirit of the Law or natural first-creation-state ye shall not die at all What need then of a second Never look farther for eternal Life Adam's yielding to this Doctrin slew all his posterity Yet abundance of his posterity when restor'd to some measure of the life they had and lost in and with him are at the very same point Can't the universal sad experience of Mankind as to the dreadful consequents of their first sin nor all examples of like Apostacy since nor all the abundant reiterated Warnings and multiplied Counsels of God or Instructions by the mouth of all his holy Prophets and Apostles or Messengers since the World began yea and by the Son himself prevent men's running into the same error sinning after the similitude of Adam's transgression What then can How currant does renewed old first-creation life pass at this day for new and the words thereof for Gospel How mad were the righteous Jewish Teachers and Professors with Christ for disturbing their peace and dashing their hopes in Satan's Gospel-state Whereas 't is in God's new-creature life and wisdom only on the death and loss of all this we can receive God's eternal good things to have hold and enjoy for ever These are we to eye and look at 2 Cor. 4. 18. 1 Pet. 1. 3 4. Not one Woman could Solomon a true spiritual Preacher find in the whole first-creation not one Man or Angel in that changeable womanish state in whom was any such thing as eternal Life or everlasting Righteousness any unchangeable good thing From his certain experience and infallible sight hereof he declares it 's never there to be had But he leaves not the point so On this Negative testimony giving a dash on the whole first-creation state he proceeds to the Affirmative shewing where the one thing necessary unchangeable Goodness is to be found in the second or new-creation Spirit and State signified by the one Man among a thousand The manly Spirit of the second Adam never sinn'd nor can any born of it as living and walking therein 1 Tim. 2. 14. 1 Joh. 3. 9. Gal. 5. 25. This one Man the manly new-creation Spirit Solomon found among the many thousands of blessed Angels and Saints yea in Christ the head and all the members of his mystical body the Church Col. 1. 18. 1 Cor. 12. 13. Eph. 5. 23. Christ and all his true thorow-followers whithersoever he goes and call's them make up the one mystical Man in unchangeable opposition to the Devil and all his Babylonish Party of Angels and Men fix'd in the first-creation womanish state the whole mystical-Whore of Babylon Not one Man nothing of the manly new-creation spirit in all these nor one Woman to be found nothing of the womanish spirit in all the compleated new-creation body of Christ the one mystical Man All these come to be of the same mind and judgment in every thing as one Man There' s no Female in new-creation Life no Male in the first Angel Man and Woman are all but the mystical Woman in the first and when fix'd there unchangeably so and so an unchangeable Adulteress against the man Christ to whom she ought to have been married in the second In a peculiar prerogative-sence Christ himself is the one Man among a thousand even thousands of thousands of his Spiritual Saints and Angels as the fountain of that Life they are all partakers of He never fails to give it in the distinct measures and seasons appointed by his Father to all the Father has given him Joh. 17. 2. All the things of the Man here are eternal of the Woman temporal Eternal Life and Death are set before us in these two Spirits the manly second and the womanish first-Creation Spirit All that hate Christ in the second love and chuse their own eternal Death in the first Prov. 8. 36. Christ the one Man Solomon found among the thousands of his Saints in a headship of pre-eminency over and above them all comprehensively signifies the whole number of elect Angels and Men in whom his one Spirit lives and they in it Here then have we the negative and affirmative Testimony of this Kingly Preacher in this grand concern of Man where eternal Life is to be found and where not Ver. 29. Lo this only have I found that God hath made Man upright but they have sought out many Inventions Here 's a farther account not only of the first-creation state but man's evil use thereof God made him upright pure clean and righteous without spot any filth of slesh or spirit very good Gen. 1. 31. but changeably so So soon did he make himself very evil by rebellion against him that made him very Good This by following his own many evil inventions Having once rebell'd do men set themselves to seek out many inventions to justifie and fortifie themselves in their self-chosen evil way of rebellion against God to their own destruction This destructive trade are they at might and main turning the deaf ear to the spiritual charmer the spirit of Truth in Christ and his followers wholly rejecting all the Counsels of God against their own souls Luk. 7. 30. This is the case of all first-covenant Lawyers in the renew'd righteous life of the Law in their own spirit of Nature in enmity to the newness of life in Christ's Gospel-Spirit of 〈◊〉 and all the words thereof They resolutely and confidently walk in their own invented paths to damnation refusing resisting defying contradicting and blaspheming the only way of God's invention and most wise contrivance for their Salvation God's abundantly declared way from first
was glorified and exalted by the Father into a life wherein he can do all the Father doth Joh. 5. 19 27. So Saints can do nothing of themselves or in their own Law-life towards Salvation but on the obedient surrender of that in Christ's Gospel-life can they do all things Phil. 4. 13. God then works all in or for them and they work all their works in him Isa. 26. 12 Phil. 2. 13. Joh. 3. 21. But consider how great this Man the King of Saints Ruler of all is He is anointed above all his fellow-Brethren that are Co-heirs with him of God in the transcendent prerogative of his fountain-creature-life of everlasting righteousness and also of his infinite divine life Psal. 45. 7. Rom. 8. 17 Saints that are Kings Priests to God will ever own him as their 〈◊〉 King of Kings Lord of Lords and High-Priest in a transcendent supremacy over and superiority to the highest Saints and all Saints and Angels put together All are to honour him as they honour the Father Jo. 5. 23. See then the weight of Solomon's Counsel here for keeping this King's Commandment to whom God has given all Rule and Authority over both Worlds as Heir of all things Psal. 2. 6 -- 9. Heb. 1. 2. The Reason he gives for this Counsel is in regard of the Oath of God This Oath implies the terms between God and the Man Christ on which he is to possess all God's Authority over his creatures The surrender of the pure and spotless natural Life of the Law for that spiritual Gospel-Creature Life that 's in unchangeable personal union with the divine entitles him to the exercise of all conjunctive divine and creature-power over all Christ's own Priestly Gospel-Spirit offer'd up his Law-spirit in Sacrifice to his Father as his part of the Covenant of the Oath the new and everlasting Covenant Then the Father perform'd his part made the Man Christ Ruler over all as advanced into the life of his original priestly Gospel-spirit and so made a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec or in the life of his creature-root the original 〈◊〉 And on the same account has he made him King over all Psal. 2. 6 7. All this hath God confirm'd by Oath to our mystical Lord Abraham figur'd by the literal on offering up his mystical Isaac or spotless natural Life to him God sware by Himself he would perform his promis'd part for advancing the Man Christ and Saints in their degree on the like obedient Sacrifice of their natural State So have they two immutable things for their strong consolation his immutable Counsel or living Creature-word and his immutable infinite Divinity Heb. 6. 13 18. Here 's the safe anchor-ground for Saints sure and certain hopes of eternal Life and Blessedness on surrender of their fading natural Saints by following Christ's suffering-steps into a conformity with him in his death are assur'd by him they shall reign with him in that life he is risen and ascended into 2 Tim. 2. 11 12. No other way can any come to reign with him Saints must keep his Command as he his Father's that has made him King Joh. 14. 15. 10. 18. These are the true and faithful sayings of his spiritual Law all yea and amen of absolute infallible certainty The same way our changeable nature comes to reign in him can it in us a change by death for his unchangeable creature-creature-Life that 's spiritual and eternal The Man Christ the King of Kings in infinite divine and irresistible Creature-power exercises a universal kingly and priestly Authority in Love or Wrath over all Angels and Men good or bad He will sacrifice changeable nature as to any goodness thereof in them all in the incorrigibly wicked to God's revenging Justice No being saved but as with Christ obediently yeilding to the terms of the Covenant by Oath the new and everlasting Covenant even the sacrifice of all receiv'd by us in the first Psal. 50. 5. This must be done in regard of the Oath of God to Christ as our duty in obedience to this King's command to us who requires nothing of us herein but what himself has done Father and Son are herein obey'd or disobey'd together He that hath the Son hath the Father also and he that obeys the Son obeys the Father 2 Joh. v. 9. Mat. 10. 40. Luk. 10. 16. Joh. 15. 10. ver 23 24. 16. 15 27. Vers. 3. Be not hasty to go out of his sight stand not in an evil thing for he doth whatsoever pleaseth him Here 's a farther reason for obeying this great King He has full commission to do whatever he pleases in both Worlds to foes that set up in the first or natural and Friends that obediently quit that for the second or spiritual Be not hasty then to go out of his sight by wilful turning from that light by which he shews and offer 's that Life to you wherein he is King Think not to get out of his sight or reach of his Power He sees you whether you 'l see him or no. And his Power will reach you for your wickedness in refusing to see own and become willingly subject to him There 's no fleeing from his presence His presence in Wrath will reach you in Hell it self Psal. 139. 7 8. Yet will Enemies labour to shuffle themselves out of his presence They will bid him depart from them as not desiring the Knowledg of his Ways of saving them Job 21. 14 15. Even first-covenant holy Men desire not to hear of his Counsels for the saving them by the destruction of their fleshly life or natural state at best Yea true Saints for a season are found amongst these refusers of God's Reproofs and Counsels for their Salvation ignorantly with Paul And Job while frighted at the Death-discipline of the Cross upon his righteous natural state went a-while in company with the workers of Iniquitie pleading against the equity of it with strong reasonings and arguings as an injurious proceeding of God towards his Creatures thus 〈◊〉 charges him Job 34. 5 -- 9. Yea the natural Man even in awaken'd spiritual Saints will be at such work as offended and amaz'd at a being daily plagu'd and chast'ned notwithstanding all their 〈◊〉 circumspect walking while wicked Men have more then heart canwish See what strange conclusions an impetous hurry of carnal reasonings is ready to run them into Psal. 73. 1 -14. Jer. 12. 1 2. 20. 14 -- 18. But the spiritual Principle in the Saint lifts up the natural Eccle. 4. 10. into Sanctuary-light to see the design of God in these cryptick Methods of his wonderful Wisdom dealing with them as Sons Heb. 12. 7. while those that refuse such Chastisements perish by their very Prosperity as gratified in their self-chosen way to their everlasting Destruction Psal. 73. 15 -20. But thousands depart from Christ for ever and walk no more with him or look after him as coming with his Cross-doctrin
first-covenant righteous wise strong and honourable in Christ come to for refusing to part with all that for Christ in the spirit of the second as risen out of the death of the first Rom. 7. 1 -4. These Sons of Men whose heart is full of evil and madness in this World while they live go after this life to the dead remain for ever in the Congregation of the dead Prov. 21. 16. in eternal darkness and never see Light This come they to with their Predecessours in the same obstinate madness and folly whose false doctrine or sayings they have prais'd own'd and follow'd against God and his Spirit of Truth Psal. 49. 13 19. Vers. 4. For to him that is joyned to all the living there is hope for a living Dog is better then a dead Lion The living Dog that being joyn'd to all the living has hope is the natural man of the spiritual Saint under the Cross rendered a fool weak and despicable as to all first-creation Wisdom Power and Glory with Paul 1 Cor. 4. 10. but is in an unchangeable union with all living for ever in the Spirit of Grace and so rich wise strong and honourable in God Tho' the Saint then in his broken impoverish'd natural man the barren disconsolate state of his desolate crucified 〈◊〉 be counted a Dog the filth of the world the off-scouring of all things by the Rich Full Wise Strong and Honourable in Christ 1 Cor. 4. 8 10 13. as to first-covenant attainments in and from him thro' a new and better life springing up in him however hid from them is he in a better condition then the dead Lion Who is this Man in all the riches wisdom and glory of a restor'd first-Covenant life figur'd by Dives as the crucified Saint's natural man by Lazarus All this Lion-like strength and power of nature fix'd in enmity renders Man but a dead Lion Fix'd enmity to God is everlasting death to Man This will all Lions in the boistrous blustering spirit and unbroken strength of nature find to be their condition as highly as they think of themselves Nothing of true spiritual everlasting life or strength have they about them This dead Lion scorns the living Dog as not seeing him in another spirit joyned to all the truly living Christ and all spiritual Saints and Angels The natural Man as a fleshly mystical Tree in the fruitful exercise of a restor'd first-Covenant righteous life when cut down spoil d and marr'd by the spiritual-Sword or Gospel-Cross Tree and Fruit Leaf Root and Branch yet is there hope thro' the scent of water even of Christ's Spiritual Water of Life that it will sprout up again in another life bud and bring forth boughs like a plant Job 14. 7 8. of God's right-hand planting by a new-creation the fruits and leaves whereof shall never wither or fade Psal. 1. 3. And so is the living Dog living with Christ in God better in himself and therefore in God's infallible sight then the said dead Lion ruffling in all the unbroken life and power of that restor'd natural state that 's crucified in the true Saint Such Lions have but a name to live They are dead Rev. 3. 1. as being the very mystical Law-Widows left by Christ in the first-Covenant and waxing wanton against him in the second chusing rather to be married again in the first to that other Man 1 Tim. 5. 6 11 12. Rom. 7. 3. the Man of Sin and Son of Perdition the Devil This brings Damnation or unchangeable Death upon them Ver. 5. For the Living know that they shall die but the Dead know not any thing neither have they any more a reward for the memory of them is forgotten Living spiritual Saints know their whole natural Man must die in conformity to Christ and the Will of God But the said dead Lion knows nothing has no right knowledge of the mind of God in obedience to his Will as to the appointed Death-pass out of his crucified nature into God's Spirit of Grace He sees not or knows this spiritual life in which risen Angels and Saints are everlastingly blessed The dead Lion in all his flourish being in a state of unchangeable Death will have no more any reward to his comfort only the meet recompence of his error madness and folly eternal darkness and death under which his memory will for ever be forgotten He knows nothing that 's truly good or desireable unchangeably good and he shall have nothing that 's changably or unchangeably good or desireable but only unchangeable evil for his everlasting portion Thro' the impassable Gulf 〈◊〉 between them and blessed Angels and Saints will such see those they unchangeably hate to be the objects of God's unchangeable Love and themselves of his unchangable Wrath. They 'l know nothing but what will aggravate their boundless misery and unexpressible torment for ever On the contrary the truly living know every thing 1 Cor. 2. 15. to the encrease of their unspeakable Joy They know that by the obedient death of nature they shall live for ever in God's spirit of Grace as the method of God's Wisdom whose whole Counsel about Salvation they fully comply with They glory with Paul in the Cross of Christ by which all worldly life and desire in them is crucified to all worldly vanities or desirables without them Gal. 6. 14. And so are they made alive to the World to come and have a new spiritual belly desire or appetite and palate springing up in their newness of life to savour relish desire and feed on things divine spiritual heavenly and eternal things of God only the peculiar delights of the Sons of God The said dead know none of these things in their dead state of unchangeable Union with the Prince of death the Devil wherein they are cast out of God's favourable Remembrance or regard for ever into outer darkness where will be weeping and gnashing of Teeth Vers. 6. Also their Love and their Hatred and their Envy is now perish'd neither have they any more a Portion for ever in any thing that is done under the Sun Here 's a lively description of the deplorable state of the mystical dead whose Love Hatred and Envy perish All delight and satisfaction in the restor'd fading life and good things of their own nature evilly chosen and rested in by them for happiness shall perish Belly and meats desires and desirables all will be gone And then the Wrath of God will be upon them for ever All the goodly dainties they lusted after will depart from them and never be found more Rev. 18. 8 14. For chusing their perishing things of Man not only in a preference but unchangeable enmity to the things of God in his new-Creation Life fall they under his unchangeable Wrath. So all their false evil destructive Love of any the best things in this World the Righteousness Wisdom and Glory of their own restor'd nature with the Fruits or Works thereof in enmity to
he saith to every one that he is a fool Man 's own Wisdom is Folly not able to direct his steps in or so much as into the way everlasting Jer. 10. 23. Trusting therein and to renders him an enemy to true spiritual Wisdom that can do all And this manifests him to every one to be fool God will set up that Light in all that they and all others shall see them Fools as having wilfully chosen that Life and Wisdom they knew would fail them and consequently excluded themselves for ever from that which would have done their Work Thus become they everlasting monuments of their own madness and folly in eternal darkness and death under Wrath. Vers. 4 If the spirit of the Ruler rise up against thee leave not thy place for yielding pacifieth great offences The acknowledg'd literal gives aim at the mystical sence In letter Man ought not to leave his place of subjection to worldly Rulers but acknowledg the ruling Power by God's Providence permitted any to exercise over him however ill us'd This may and ought to be without any sinful compliance with such abused Power Even Saints must suffer as a passive owning that power so ill manag'd they can't actively obey All ought to keep their place of subjection to it so as not to rise up against dispute or deny the Rulers place and office however abus'd Such demeanour is the only safe way to pacify the Ruler's unjust wrath against them t. For yielding pacifieth great offences Yea Devils are not to be denied their invisible evil Angelical Principality and Power permissively given them in and over this World Luk. 4. 5 6. The Devil 's evil place of Rule and Power is not to be denied Even Michael the Arch-Angel Christ himself contending or disputing with the Devil about the body of Moses durst not bring against him a railing Accusation but said the Lord rebuke thee Jud. 9. So Zec. 3. 2. About Joshua another Type of himself The Devil contends or disputes by himself and Apostles for the body of Moses or life of the Law as eternal Life and Salvation according to his first short comprehensive lying Sermon to Eve ye shall not die This is eternal Life ye are already possess'd of by the first Creation A due demeanour towards the very evil Angels is an owning our place of inferiority to them in the life of but humane nature or our natural state at best 'T is acknowledg'd so in Christ himself Heb. 2. 7. The leaving our place of Subjection or Inferiority to evil visible or invisible Powers of this World is a leaving our place of right subjection and obedience to God and a giving advantage to the Devil to make us pay it him And so come we to the mystery here Christ of right is always the chief Magistrate and Supream Ruler over all in his very passive season and Satan's active Reign If his Spirit rise up against the guilty natural spirit of Man if he come with his spiritual Sword and Gospel-fire to slay and sacrifice it to God Obedience ought to be given to him herein by yielding subjection to this Supream Ruler over all as our true interest and safety This is the way to pacify God's provoked Wrath against us even the delivering up that spirit to death that 's found guilty of all sorts of offences against him and this undeniably evidenc'd by the all-discovering light of the two-edged flaming Sword that slays us Heb. 4. 12 13. No absolute reconciliation but by the death of the guilty Sinner in us the foe of our own house We ought to agree with this true Ruler in the way of his Cross the only way to Salvation when his Spirit rises against and he comes in the posture of an Adversary upon his and our enemy in us Mat. 5. 25. Such yielding up the perpetual Offender to death in order to be brought to live under the peaceable Rule of that Spirit of Life and Love that slays our spirit of Enmity and Death pacifies the Wrath of our most righteous Judg and brings this wonder to pass that we who in our own spirits have bin guilty of innumerable and unutterably aggravated follies and madnesses shall have no Iniquity found in us by Friends or Foes The guilty Sinner our natural spirit that always rebell'd in its life has obediently suffer'd death and there 's an end of all Iniquity By this means come we to be fill'd with a spirit of Life that 's in eternal union of mind will desire thought love and hatred with the infinite divine spirit Then let enemies that love nothing but such Iniquities they would charge us with search and accuse us while they will yea and let God that infinitely hates all Iniquity search us to the bottom by the joynt beamings forth of his infinite divine and all-searching infallible new-Creation Sun-lights still still no Iniquity will be found in us when fill'd with his own Spirit of everlasting Righteousness and Truth Vers. 5. There is an evil which I have seen under the Sun as an errour which proceedeth from the ruler Vers. 6. Folly is set in great dignity and the rich sit in low place Here 's just matter of complaint relating to the invisible or visible Magistrates of this World evil Angels or Men. Nothing more familiar to observation in the visible then their encouraging and advancing folly it self or grossly wicked and unworthy persons and thrusting down the rich in true wisdom the truly worthy into low place or no place out of all place yea and out of the World as not fit or worthy to live by reason of his unalterably contrary principle temper and spirit to such wicked Gamsters as resolve to make a prey of the People All discouragements injuries and oppressions imaginable are on this ground exercis'd on the most worthy Patriots whose Consciences permit them not to gratify and serve their corrupt wills interests and unruly lusts These are the things practis'd by wicked visible Rulers in a flat contrariety to their duty Rom. 13. 3 4. The invisible Rulers of this World evil Angels prefer the rich wise-fools in a first-Covenant righteous life as their choicest and most useful subjects before above and against the mystical poor or impoverish'd there in order to become wise rich strong and honourable in God or in a spiritual new-Covenant life hid with Christ in God Christ pronounceth Wo to the former and says Blessed are the latter Luke 6. 20 24. That that 's highly esteemed of Men in the first Covenant is abominable to God Luk. 16. 15. as set up in a fixed enmity to him and the second And the broken contrite impoverish'd natural Spirit of the Saint as to all others trust and glory in seems abominable and contemptible to them the fat full rich wise strong and honourable in the first 1 Cor. 4. 8 10. The rich in the first-Covenant are sigur'd by the Man with a gold Ring and goodly apparel whereas the poor and
in a scripture sense God's judgment that make the visible or invisible glories and excellencies of this world 's perishing vanities the only objects of all their desire delight labour and love All inward mystical riches heaped up in the fruitful exercise of a restored first-covenant life under the fructifying influencings of Christ as a sleshly Bride-groom are passant vanities as mortal and perishable as the life and outward concerns of the body that all men know to be so and will make themselves Wings and slee away or depart from all the possessours thereof This then leaves the title wise only to the spritual saint that 's counted the veriest fool of all by all but such as himself that is by all fools as not fit to live any longer upon the Earth amongst them Thus thought and said Holy Wise Righteous first-covenant professours concerning Paul Act. 22. 22. And of Christ himself they said he hath a Devil and is mad why hear ye him Jo. 10. 20. All below the truly wise Spiritual Man both wise and fools within the compass of their natural state in all the fore-mentioned senses will be alike brought to the greatest loss disappointment and misery imaginable as to any thing of hapines in eternal Darkness Torment and Vexation of spirit under unquenchable Wrath. They 'l all lie down in Sorrow for ever This being so Solomon sayes Why was I then more Wise to wit in my renewed Life Wisdom and Righteousness of Man To what purpose do I labour in this that 's but folly and darkness it self as to all Divine Spiritual Heavenly most concerning things and Truths Moreover from the changableness and Mortality of it alway's exposed to death and loss All therefore that trust therein must needs meet with eternall vexation of spirit This is yet more fully witnessed Vers. XVI For there is no remembrance of the wise more then of the fool for ever seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten and how dieth the Wise Man as the Fool. Man in the corrupt and man in the Righteous Life of nature are brought to an equality in the grave of both Death level's their spirits as well as bodies All the fading inward or outward riches and glory of the Princes of this World litteral or mystical such professing first-covenant Saints as crucified Christ for the life and doctrine of the second that come to nought 1 Cor. 2. 8. will vanish and come to nothing However good in their kind and for a season the highest excellencies beauties and glories of humane or angelical nature be all that is now so in the dayes to come shall be forgotten It has the praise of man but 's of small or no account with God while it last's Spiritual Seer's God's watchmen warn both the righteous and wicked of this Scribe and Pharisee as well as Publican and Harlot that in the life of nature corrupt or righteous they will all likewise perish and the established 〈◊〉 found the highest and most criminal sinners Ezek. 3. 16-21 and ch 18. 20. 28. ch 33. 11-19 The same Cross or slaming Gospel-Sword they refuse to submit to in love will be upon them in sinal wrath Js. 1. 19 20. The mouth of the Lord hath spoken it What need of farther testimony Let the righteous turn from his righteousness to his old sins in corrupt nature or turn it into the highest wickedness by seting it up against the righteousness of God let him turn from his righteousness either of these two wayes he lies down in sorrow with the fool or fixed common sinner of the Gentiles for ever Ezek. 33. 13. This dismal end come both to Such righteous men exalted to Heaven in the restored Life of the first and light of the second instead of admission into the kingdom will be layd under greater final wrath then litteral Sodom as their most dreadful doom and amazing disappointment They have rejected confidence in God and he their confidences in themselvs Jer. 2. 37. By establishing their own righteousness in the first against God's in the second-covenant they become of a Changable People of God an unchangable Synagogue of Satan in unchangable enmity to God and union with the Devil All fixed in nature corrupt or righteous fools or wise therein will go to the same Tophet prepared for both under unquenchable wrath and the said righteous have the worst on 't there for ever Vers. XVII Therefore I hated life because the Work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me for all is vanity and vexation of spirit Solomon in the wisdom of God sees all he had bin long doing in his own vanity and vexation of spirit all his 〈◊〉 and labour therein grievous to him Rightly considering and reviewing all in the infallible light of true wisdom he argues himself into a most concerning duty without which Christ sayes none can be his disciples the hating his own life with all the desires designs thoughts wayes righteousness wisdom and best things thereof as vanishing shadows for the durable Riches Wisdom Life Righteousness and things of God All pleasures and delusive joy in the former all love of this World the delights of the Sons of Men he finds in the spirit of the next enmity to God Jam. 4. 4. and so destructive to man In nature corrupt or righteous since the fall are men found hating and hatefull to God and one another as scrambling for a hapines to them all out of things that can never make any one of them happy but leave every one in the eternall losse of their own Souls 'T is a just Judgment of God on all obstinate seekers for hapines where God has abundantly convinced and warned them 't is never to be found it should be so Solomon's reason for hating this life and man's whole course and race therein is because it and all done in it under the sun is grievous unto him not only unprofitable to the worker towards hapines but directly destructive to his whole being When this is discover'd by the spirit of God in and to men all the former delusive Mirth Joy and Laughter is spoiled Then nature growes sullen and angry at the discoverer fighting continually against it in the very Saint Flesh is offended at offend's and grieves opposes and fights against the said spirit as Paul found even holy flesh righteous nature in all its workings desires and thoughts to do Rom. 7. Vers. XVIII Yea I hated all my labour which I had taken under the Sun because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me In the former Verse he hated his own vain Life in this all his vain labour therein as both and all vanity and vexation of spirit not only unprofitable but grievous to him Life and Works Principles and Operations Here he gives another reason for hating them because he should leave the Product and Result of all such his labours to the man that shall be after him
and Fire of God's High Priest is our only way of being delivered from all evil of sin or punishment for ever And on such obedience we shall certainly receive the promise of the Father the everlasting creature-life and spirit of the Son which will fill us with all good for ever above wonder Is not here great Gain on all hands to encourage us to bear such loss the spiritual Law of the Cross and ordinances of God's new-creation sanctuary call for as undispensably necessary for our admission or entrance thereinto This exchang-traffique of Law for Gospel Life of Nature for Grace Earthly for Heavenly the natural life of the Creature for the spiritual life of the Creator is the highest and best market man can make of all his first-creation vanities Truth or the Gospel-spirit of truth can never be bought but to Man 's unspeakable advantage never sold or parted with from love to what 's to be parted with for it but to Man 's unspeakable loss Buy the Truth therefore at any rate but Sell it at no rate though all the kingdom's of this World and glory of them all natural humane or Angelical excellencies be bidden for it Paul when eminent in first-covenant holines parted with all as dung for this Truth All that have tried this most gainfull traffique have found it so No active obedience performable in Man 's own nature ever does his work for salvation but passive a right ceasing from that life with all its activity and labours Should a Man live a thousand years twice told in the utmost fruitfulnes of his rectified naturals he will still find Solomon's account true all vanity All that 's but Earthly in Man or Angel all first-creation Life and fruits or works thereof will be burnt up by the fire of the second 2 Pet. 3. 10. Christ's new-creature spirit will try by its al-discovering light all principles and works whether natural or spiritual earthly or Heavenly and then all the former that 's changable and perishable will most certainly perish or be burnt up by the fire of this trying spirit All that obediently submit not to this fiery triall fall inevitably under its everlasting burnings in and upon them in final Wrath. All changable goodnes earthly first-creation Life and Fruits first or last must passe away from obedient Saints and incorrigible sinners in God's Love or Wrath. This fiery triall seem's grievous at present to nature in Saints Heb. 12. 11. Our nature in Christ himself was sorrowfull to death cast out a word for scaping the Death-Cup but he instantly called it back His living Soul of the same kind with the first Adam's was sorely put to 't made exceeding sorrowful under the death-work of his second-Adam's quickning-spirit or gospel-sword and fire upon it Mat. 26. 38 39. Obedient submission to God's present temporary Wrath in this case is the only possible way of deliverance from his Eternal the Wrath to come All willful refusers of the former are sure to meet with the latter Those that with Paul received Gods just sentence of Death within them On their naturals at best have unspeakably the best on 't Those that please themselves a-while in resisting and scaping it fall under it for ever The sufferings and shame brought on the natural man of the Saint are not to be compared with the joy and glory of spiritual life that follows Nor does the present false joy stiffnecked resisters of the Cross or holy Ghost in its demolishing operation upon their naturals please themselves with signify any thing in comparision of the griefs torments and vexation of spirit this crosse will bring upon them in Eternal Death The demolishing-work of the Cross is grievous to nature in Saints at present but in no comparison so grievous as 't wil be to it in rebellious resisters and that for ever True Saints soon find the benefit of their obediently sacrificed nature by a resurrection out of the death of that into the everlasting righteous life of the sacrificing high Priest of their Gospel-profession Melchisedeck So have they eternal life abiding in them the Kingdom of Heaven within them live and walk in Christ's kingdom-spirit the Gospel-principle of everlasting righteousness Thus by submitting to the temporary wrath at present brought upon them in God's everlasting kindness do they scape the wrath to come But what mean's Solomon in saying that all his wise labours in his own restored nature must be left to a man that has not laboured therein Who is this Christ in his originally unchangable creature-spirit of everlasting righteousness and truth Himself surrendred the earthly first-covenant righteous life and labours thereof in our flesh to the flames of his own eternal Heb. 9. 14. everlasting righteous creature spirit in sacrifice to his own divine spirit and God most high The sacrifice he offred the sacrificing Priest that offered it and God to whom offered all are comprehended in the worderful person of the Mediatour as the divine and twofold creature form of God originally spiritual and spiritualiz'd transformed regenerate natural baptized into the death and assimilated in the resurrection life of it to the originally spiritual This divine and twofold creature-being image or form of God in Christ is all called God even the spiritualiz'd man Christ Jo. 1. 1. All are the living Word and Oracle of God's infinite divine mind his Wonderfull Counsellor to Angels and Men. And in all stands he in a distinction for ever from God most high in the single and uncompounded divine essence in which the Father to this divine and creature-Son begotten from eternity as the divine and from everlasting Prov. 8 23 as creature-Son of God Hence is it said the Mediatour is not of one nature but God is one Gal. 3. 20. This sacrificing Priestly Gospel-spirit of Christ reapes or gather's cut 's down burns up and utterly consumes all the life and labours or workings of Angel or Man in their natural first-creation make and life as he served our fleshly nature in his own person By his Cross or Gospel-sword he gathers all for sacrifice to God as his due required Tithes and Offerings the mystical truth of the litteral that never laboured or did any thing in that natural state of life but was originally spiritual This also is vanity sayes Solomon or shewes the insignificancy of man's or angel's labours in their earthly first-creation Life of vanity about salvation All must go life and all or they never can be saved And this is a great evil or grieving consideration to man that his life at best and all done in it are but perishing vanities vanishing shadows of things to come or to be brought a-float in men by a new-creation 'T is also Man's great evil his unpardonable Sin if he rob God or withold his Mystical Tithes and Offrings Mal. 3. 8. the most high and criminal Spiritual sacriledg many first-covenant Professours are guilty of in holy flesh Rom. 2. 22. the best fruits or works
or constant steddy spirit of everlasting Truth and Righteousness and Works thereof David pray'd for Psal. 51. 10. All fix'd in the but starting righteous natural spirit or principle of Life and Action hate with a perfect hatred as they them Psal. 139. 21 22. Righteous first-covenant Brethren are the most fierce persecutors of the second can't afford them a good word sit and speak evil against them Psal. 50. 20 21. Such Crucified Christ. Profane persons hate all such right works as are performable in renew'd naturals But all of both sorts Profane and Professors are against all spiritual Saints Works Things and Truths Many lesser Ruffles may the fix'd first-covenant righteons have with the Profane party but they mortally envy and hate the spiritual Saint with all his right works and words as seventy times seven fold more abominable to them than the profane party with all their brutish vilenesses Away with them 't is not fit they should live say they Masqu'd Papists worse than bare-fac'd or Mahumetans Spiritual Saints with their truly right works are a thousand-fold more envied by sowre leavened Legalists then common sinners of the Gentiles and their generally discernable wrong works This has bin found in all times and places towards all true prophets Christ himself and Saints before and under Law and Gospel Christ came to his own in the first-covenant and they blasphemed and Crucified him for the Gospel-doctrin of the second Never more will the whole World be in an uproar against Christ and his Saints then when he is just at the Door ready to come forth with them to reign over all such enemies What a universal surprize and amazement will this be to them all one and 'tother Heathen and first-covenant people As wondering at both their madnesses against Christ in his first and second coming the Psalmist ask's Psal. 2. 1. Why do the Heathen rage and the People imagine a vain thing What vain thing do they imagine and tumultuously assemble in a Union of their otherwise 〈◊〉 minds to do to cast down Christ God's supreamly anointed one and Saints Christ's anointed ones vers 2 3. A likely Project to thrive in Do either or any of them know what they do The Mystical Kings do in some measure the greater their madness the litterai less the less their folly though they also Rage and Tumultuously Assemble in this case Both are guilty enough to find a conclusion bad enough to them all Let the two earthen Pot-Sherds corrupt and righteous tugg and fight it out with one another That 's a lower trade of Sinning in either But if they peece up and joyntly fight against their maker they are at the highest point of Folly and Madness And then highest wo to both and all Isai. 45. 9. They contend against Almighty and Irresistibly mighty Divine and new-Creation Power Is all this Hubbub and Tumultuous Assembling of Mankind with all their combined Counsels and Forces against the insinite Divine Father and his Divine and Creature-Son like to Prosper They 'd break their Bands and cast away their cords srom them This is the Rebellious Design and Plot. They 'l not be subject to limited or bound up by their Laws or words of command This is their desperate case and Resolution This Universal Conspiracy to be remarkably the case in the last beyond all former times is on the very account here declar'd their incorrigible envy at or Enmity to God's Divine and new creature-Spirit of Grace with all the right words works or fruits thereof in true Saints which offer to lay Bands on all their unruly Wills This they 'l not endure but labour might and main to shake them off and cast them away from them This is that which corrupt and righteous humane with Evil Angelical nature make head against God Christ and Saints about The two-edged Spiritual Sword in all these hands speaks death to nature in them all Therefore they all fight against it But this will in Love or Wrath perform the whole Will and Counsel of God as to the death of nature on every Angel and Man good and bad Isai. 1. 19 20. and 55. 11. 2 Cor. 2. 15 16. Christ in that Spirit wherein any can or ever could be saved is the stumbling-Stone and rock of Offence the only Rock of Defence to Saints to the numerous Troops of innumerable evil Angels and Men that Build on the Sandy fallible Principles of nature for Salvation They utterly defy all the words of the Builders on the Rock that speak nothing but War and Death to them attempting to set Fire on their House Guess who of the Earthy party are like to take this most heavily at Christ's and his Saints hands as offring to take down a beautiful Church-building with pretence to set up a better unchangably glorious That Mystical Temple of his Body or whole natural State that Christ said was to be pull'd down So as not to have one stone of it left upon another and in which he Refus'd at the Jews desire to be their King saying he 'd build it up into another more glorious Temple-State in which he would be a King this was the very ground of the Professing Jews proceeding against him to the death He has built up our nature in himself by way of Resurrection into a new-Creation Temple of the Living God for evermore His Doctrin of the Cross upon them and Practice of it upon our nature in himself did the Professing Jews and their Teachers Priests Scribs Pharises c. call Blasphemy or evil-speaking against the first-Creation Temple and Life of the Law as no State of true Salvation This they reckon'd an Evil Hurtful or false speaking that is Blasphemy And in saying so they Blasphem'd or spoke and did evil and hurtful things Maliciously of and against him and all his Gospel-Truths First-Covenant Brethren hate the very Gospel-Principle and all the Right Works and Words of Christ and Saints therein For which of my good works do ye stone me Said Christ. Not for any good work but for Blasphemy replied the Jews Jo. 10. 32 33. What must Steven or any Servant expect if the Lord were thus handled See Act. 7. 51-60 with the ground Act. 6. 9-14 A first-Covenant People among the Gentiles under Gospel do the same things to their Spiritual Brethren as the Jews under the dispensation of the Law in the self-same Law-Principle and Life the very leaven of the Pharisees But these disturbers of Gods true Israel in both will be cut off Gal. 5. 12. They labour to keep off all true Gospel-Doctrin from all hearing as the most abominable Heresy and Preachers of it not fit to live Act. 22. 22. and 24. 14. Law-circumcision for cutting off Filth of Flesh they prefer to the true Spiritual Gospel-circumcision that cutts of Holy Flesh restor'd righteous nature from which filth of Spirit or Enmity to God's Gospel-Spirit is inseperable For this Murdering-minded Cain's Envy Mortally Hate and kill Spiritual Abels from
Fathers House the Image of the earthy or first Adam in order to receive the impress'd Image and Indeleble Character of the Heavenly 1 Cor. 15. 49. are the Mystical Poor Maim'd Halt and Blind Luk. 14. 21. that have bin content to have the right Eye or best understanding and light of their own nature pluck'd out cut off and cast away from them and so their right Hand and Foot or best Power of working and walking in a sutableness to that Light or dictat's and ruling Power of that understanding cut off Their Obediently Sacrific'd Slain Crucified earthly nature is rais'd into the Everlasting righteous Heavenly Life of Christ God's and their Sacrificing High-Priest in which they are fitted to enter into the Kingdom of God and drink Wine with Christ for ever therein All whose Palate and Appetites are tuned only for Perishing Meats first-Creation diet Satan's and 〈◊〉 's Morsel do slight the true Manna as Light contemptible Bread Typed by the Rebellious Israelit's slighting and loathing the Litteral Num. 21. 5. They are directly of Satan's temper and palate savour only the first-creation things of Man or Angel not new-Creation things of Christ and God Mat. 16. 23. Neither did the infinite Divine Father need a Creature-Son nor that Son a Wife as properly any gain or advantage to either To be sure pure Divinity is infinitely blessed in it self above all possibility of Addition or Diminution by any thing that ever Angels or Men can be do or say to Eternity And as for the advantages of the Spiritual Marriage-Union with his Creature-Son they do all redound to his Mystical Spouses Elect Angels and Men. For the accomplishing of God's designs of love to his Creatures his infinito Wisdom saw it meet his Son should have a certain number of them though comparatively with them that Perish in the broad way few yet an Innumerable Multitude Rev. 7. 9. as an Aggregate Body or one Mystical Woman and Spouse in general who lies warm in the 〈◊〉 of the Heavenly Creature-Son as he in the bosome of the infinite Divine Father But besides this General has Christ a Select number out of the Elect which make up the peculiar Spouse and Bride the Lamb's Wife Rev. 21. 9. But natural Man and Angel chusing to abide single and alone in their own nature not only vastly distant from but in unchangable Enmity to both Divine-Father and Creature-Son will find themselvs in a cold starvling condition for ever in Eternal Death destitute of all comforting warmth under the Tormenting Scorching heat of God's fiery Indignation upon them for ever On the other hand Saints have the heat and Comforting warmth of their Divine Lord and Creature-Husband as Scituated under the direct strong and cleer Beamings forth of the Divine and new-Creature Suns of infinite and Everlasting Righteousness upon them as the highest Satisfaction imaginable to them for evermore By personal Union with the Creature-Son that 's in personal Union with the Divine Father come they fully to enjoy the unsearchable Riches of their Husband 's Glorious person his conjunctive Divine and Creature-Glories with everlasting safety and Comfort Joy unspeakable and full of Glory Through the Transcendent cherishing influence and warmth of the Divine and everlasting Creature-Sun in Christ's person will they bring forth the fruits of his spirit offer up the Spiritual Sacrifices of Praise and Thanks-giving acceptable to God by Jesus Christ for evermore There 's no durable warmth or Comfort from Christ to be had in a first-Covenant Marriage-Union with him He will die or depart from them as to that fading warmth as known by them only after the Flesh and rendring them for a season beautiful and fruitful in their own nature will and way So if not Married to him in spirit or in that Spiritual Life into which rais'd out of the death of our nature we shall find cold comfort at last yea none yea and unutterably Tormenting heat or flaming Vengeance upon us for ever Vers. XII And if one prevail against him two shall withstand him and a three-fold Cord is not quickly broken The Saint is in personal in Marriage-Union with Christ in his irresistibly Mighty Invincible Creature-spirit that 's in like Union with Infinite Almighty Divinity This threefold Cord who can break Who is sufficient for these things So much as to declare the Transcendent Security and Priviledges of Saints They are above all language yea wonder If Christ if God be on their side who can be against them and prosper How can they be less then more then Conquerors Rom. 8. 31. 37. Saints the third and lowest Link of this Chain or 〈◊〉 are in effect in the same security with the higher and highest Christ and God Who shall seperate them from the Love of Christ v. 35 Or from the Love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord 35. 39. They are secured from all Enemies without or within in Christs Gospel-Spirit that 's greater then he that 's in the World the Devil 1 Jo. 4. 4. The Gates of Hell all the secret Counsels and Strength of Enemies the Powers of darkness with all their Mystery of Iniquity shall not prevail against them They can discover all their secret Counsels and Projects against God's Spiritual Israel as Elisha the King of Syria's against Litteral And they can trample all their Power under their feet being by God delivered up into their hands as the Syrian Army into Elisha's to lead them blindfold whither he pleas'd and to do what he listed with them Mad are the evil Angelical Principalities and Powers of darkness at those who can discover all their Devices Wiles Designs and Projects for destroying Men as also are their Apostles and Ministers when they find the Falsities of their whole accursed other Gospel detected 'T is the self-same case with both and all of them They are all of a knot The small number of Christ's awak'ned Spiritual Gospellers must look to be Charactred by them all as the most Proud Presumptuous Insolent Censorious Contradicters and Blasphemers of all good Men all Goodness and saving truth in the whole World This is Man's Wise enlight'ned first-Covenant Man's Censure in Harmony with Satan's concerning the truly Meek and Humble Poor Needy broken-Spirited Seed Sheep and Flock of Christ contented with Paul to become Fools Weak and Despicable as to all their Enemies put value upon 1 Cor. 3. 18. and 4. 10. Enemies not being able to deal with them at Spiritual Weapons or to Resist and bear up against the Spirit and Wisdom by which they speak Act. 6. 10. have recourse and betake themselvs to other Weapons Humane Laws and outward Belluine Force to silence suppress and destroy them as the 〈◊〉 Jews serv'd Steven Act. 7. 57-60 and as the King of Syria would have serv'd Elisha if he could True Saints as on the strongest and surest side though the tide seem to run so strong against them that there 's no stemming it all visible and invisible
in preference to and exclusion of God's heavenly Spiritual Eternal creature-things as not worthy his regard or minding They deny they decry them They call them blasphemous 〈◊〉 and therein do they blaspheme devised fables only to 〈◊〉 diminish and disparage their conceited natural things perishing vanities which they reckon the only creature-things that are in a perfect contrariety to the 〈◊〉 of God By those very Spiritual Saints and things man's Wisdom count's Fools and foolishness will God confound all their foolish-Wisdom and self-exalting power By these foolish Persons and despised things Man looks on as worse then nothing will God bring to nought things that in man's Judgment are in God's not 1 Cor. 1. 9. and v. 27 28. who 'l be Judg at last God and wise holy first-covenant Saints are of a directly contrary Judgment in this great case Those that with Paul have Praise with God are such as the Lord commendeth go for no body worse than nothing with them They that are meer dreamers and please themselvs with their dream Jer. 23. 25-32 or dreamish hapiness call all Gospel-truths a dream 〈◊〉 a delusion of the Devil and say to Gospel-Saints as Joseph's brethren to him behold these dreamish-heirs that pretend to the everlasting inheritance in a Spirit and doctrine we hate let 's kill them all and see what will become of them and their dream's Gen. 37. 18-20 They reckon their doctrin Wheat and Christ's Chaff But he will say what 's your Chaff to my Wheat The true Spiritual circumcision-Saint seem's a fool a mad Man in the house of God or to and amongst first-covenant brethren Hos. 9. 7 8 yea the filth of the world the off-scouring of all things 1 Cor. 4. 10. 13. 2 Cor. 10. 12. Those that rejoyce in Christ Jesus or in his Gospel-Spirit the Holy Ghost with joy unspeakable and Glorious are despised and trampled on by their first-covenant brethren whose confidence is wholly in their holy slesh or restor'd naturals The first and second-covenant Saint are properly the natural and Spiritual man The enlightned moral heathen obedient to the restor'd rational first-covenant light or law of nature may be comprehended under the title natural man But the corrupt heathen living and walking wholly in the brutish lusts of his degenerate fallen nature is a beast He has not what is properly in a Scripture-sense the life of a man or any part of it That Death in Sin threatned and accomplish'd upon Adam and all his posterity they delight in rather then accept of deliverance out of it But the enlightn'd restor'd natural man in the light or also life of the first-covenant is of a distinct contrary palate desire appetite and thought or judgment from and to the Spiritual All his regard desire love and delight is for after and in worldly perishing vanities passant shadows dreams that come from a multitude of busines that he vainly makes to himself about such empty perishing nothings So will they themselvs even these first-covenant kings the mystical Princes of this world such as 〈◊〉 Christ come to nought yea worse then nothing with all their trusted in nothings They 'l be at a total loss for ever pining and starving in everlasting poverty and nakedness under the positive Inflictions and Burnings of unchangable and unquenchable Wrath. T. And a Fool 's voice is known by a multitude of words good words fair speeches as the only Ministers of Christ's Gospel deceiving the hearts of the simple or undiscerning that can't discern or at least 〈◊〉 own the difference between Christ's and Satan's Gospel All the while are they gratifying or serving their own palate appetite desire or belly of their natural Spirit in the perishing Life and with the perishing Meats of a first-Covenant State as the true Salvation and blessedness of any These Wise-Fools are the fiercest enemies of the very Christ the very Gospel of all men A multitude of Words and Books do they come forth in And nothing must pass for Orthodox right or true Gospel-Doctrin but what the wisdom of Man that 's a flat enemy to all Christ's Gospel sitting in its Magisterial Chair of Infallibility gives its ratifying nod or Imprimatur to Be such what they will they do and will yet pass for the only signal owners and Trumpeters of Christ's everlasting Gospel whereas indeed they are the most careful shutters up of the Kingdom of Heaven the most industrious decriers of the very Christ the very Gospel or Spiritual sense of all Scripture in the World This was the Pharisees case in Christ's own time Mat. 23. 13. The first-covenant law-spirit or principle fixed in enmity to the second is the 〈◊〉 same leaven with that of the Pharisees under the outward dispensation of the Gospel as well as under the Law They for a pretence made long Prayers compassed Sea and Land left no means unattempted no stone unturn'd to proselyte or fetch back any from Christ's Gospel-truth to Satan's lie and falshood his accursed other Gospel and so to make them two-fold more the Children of Hell then themselvs as sinning against cleerer discerning greater Light and Conviction then they ever had as to Gospel-truths And this done they Triumph as having done God Service in converting them from Christ's to their 〈◊〉 which Man's wisdom styles Orthodox So all run's smooth and fine 〈◊〉 keep 's silence and they please themselvs to imagine he is of their mind and judgment such a one as 〈◊〉 Psal. 50. 20 21. But he warn's them before-hand he will find a time to 〈◊〉 them in pieces so as none shall be able to deliver them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And as he 〈◊〉 them he comforts Saints abused by 〈◊〉 with this 〈◊〉 Pl. appear 〈◊〉 your Joy and they shall be ashamed These threat's 〈◊〉 the one and promises to the other will be accomplish'd at one and the same time Christ's second comming 〈◊〉 66. 5. If such 〈◊〉 were used to keep off people from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 himself what may the true Ministers of his 〈◊〉 now 〈◊〉 from the like legal-spirited Generation of 〈◊〉 and Professors The Pharisees said among themselvs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nothing To wit as to the gaining and keeping off the people from listning to his Ministry 〈◊〉 the World is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jo. 12. 19. Indeed the World goes after 〈◊〉 1 Jo. 4. 5. hear's and own 's them and their Doctrin People a 〈◊〉 People 〈◊〉 after the Beast admire his Apostles praise reward and follow them The deadly Wound given mankind by the first Sin being 〈◊〉 in these Teachers and 〈◊〉 by which they are recovered out of that Death in Trespasses and Sins they were born in they reckon all 's their own And who but they Rev. 13. 3. With what a wry Mouth and scornful Indignation did the Pharisees take up theirs and the Chief Priest's Officers who were sent to Apprehend Christ but did not Never Man spake like this Man said the Officers Are ye also deceiv'd said the Pharisees Have any
and own'd the infallible spirit of the Son of God for his Counseller and the directer of his paths Prov. 3. 5 6. t. Lest thou hear thy Servant curse thee Here 's the reason for this advice The natural ought to be an 〈◊〉 servant to the spiritual man in the Saint as its dictatour and ruler but oft presumes to usurp the authority of its Master pretending to an infallibility in its judgment and so sit to be obey'd by the whole Man But the words of his Wisdom thwarting the Counsel Doctrine and words of the spiritual it sollow's the said natural Man will be apt to curse blaspheme or speak evilly of all the right words of the spiritual These words of the 〈◊〉 contradicting Servant or Woman against its spiritual Lord Master and Husband is the spiritual Man in the Saint not to heed nor follow the false reasonings thereof against his spiritual mind If he do it will breed great disturbance and confusion to him By a perverse mis-interpreting the Methods of God's Wisdom in his dealings with them and others in this world and its false conclusions there-from will it raise a sore troublesome combustion and tumult in him Psal. 73. 1 -14. When the spiritual Man recover's it self it does in Christ's Heavenly Sanctuary-light render all well and quiet again by its infallible discerning arguings and concludings And it discovers the natural disputer of this World ignorant and foolish as a beast unfit for the debating or rightly judging such matters between God and them v. 15 22. So Jer. 12 1 -3. and 20. 7 -9. Vers. 22. For often-times also thine own heart knoweth that thou thy self likewise hast cursed others Others that is the Spiritual Man in other Saints while and when in but the single activity and exercise of thy natural Paul while in his legal-spirited cleans'd righteous nature was of a perfectly contrary judgment to Gospel-Saints about Salvation and all things relating or conducing to it Hence did he blaspheme Gospel-Truths and persecute the Declarers and Owners thereof So has the Saint this farther argumentative Consideration for quiet bearing contradiction to and 〈◊〉 for his Gospel-Doctrine not only because Christ that never 〈◊〉 did patiently bear it Heb. 12. 3. but because himself before 〈◊〉 Conversion contradicted blasphem'd and persecuted others on the self-same account Peter's natural man before the spiritual Seed was waken'd in him or known to him very 〈◊〉 joyn'd with Satan in that seeming friendly advice and rebuke to his Master Be it far from thee Lord this shall not be unto thee that is pure nature in thee shall not die Christ rebuk'd his rebukers Peter and the Devil as an offence to him for being offended at that Cross and Death which by God's appointment is to be brought upon the natural-state of all Men and Angels first or last in Love or final Wrath. 'T was the self-same Doctrine the Serpent preach'd to Eve and by her to the first Adam Ye shall not die at all this shall not be unto you Ye have a life above all danger of death in your natural first-creation make and first-Covenant life or state The Devil was unchangeably fix'd in enmity to the Cross upon Nature Peter not so but beguil'd as Eve 2 Cor. 11. 3. unawares Job while in the single activity of his decaying natural man under the Cross multiplied words without knowledg walk'd in company with wicked men enemies of the Cross-dispensation he was under Yea he added rebellion to his sin clapp'd his hands and multiplied his words against God Job 34. 7 -9. 35 -- 37. and 35. 2 3 -- 16. The natural man is an offence to the spiritual because offended at the doctrine of the spiritual in others and in the Saint himself There 's just ground for the spiritual to be offended at the words of the natural man's wisdom about Salvation The natural without any just cause is offended at the spiritual for the words of God's Wisdom Satan and the natural man in the Saint himself are of the same mind judgment and palate in this great Case Neither of them savour but hate all the Eternal Divine Spiritual Gospel-Things or Truths of Christ and God They are only for the old temporal fading first-creation life wisdom and things of Angel or Man perishing vanities This whole Controversy is clearly discover'd and stated by Christ himself Mat. 16. 21 -- 26. The natural man or spirit of the Saint in the single judgment and voice thereof is the foe of his own house the false friend in his own bosom that 's not to be listned to or trusted in this greatest Concern and Case The secret of the New-Covenant even the required death and loss of the changeable womanish state of Nature in the old or first is to be kept from her Mic. 7. 5 6. The spiritual Man should shut out or exclude his natural when he retires into his Closet to pray and treat with Christ about the death of the natural For if that be admitted any share in prayer it will ask amiss even the sparing its own life and what may nourish and gratifie the lusts thereof whether in its corrupt or righteous state 〈◊〉 of slesh or spirit It will never vote or ask aright any thing of God in Prayer The thought and voice thereof is to be rebuk'd and rejected as well as Satan himself with a get thee 〈◊〉 me stand 〈◊〉 Nothing but death will fully silence the cross-desire of Nature to the Spiritual Cross. 'T is the love of God therefore brings the cross upon it and the highly concerning duty of the Saint to yeild obedience to it No other way to be saved Paul when a holy Law-Man gladly receiv'd the sentence of death within 〈◊〉 on his righteous natural state 2 Cor. 1. 9. Gal. 6. 14. All the thoughts 〈◊〉 and words of the natural man in the Saint or others are to be suspected and rejected by the spiritual not regarded or listned to either as to its counsel or cursing the contrary-minded spiritual Sometime or other 't will be at this work For 't is flat against all the thoughts and words of the spiritual in its preaching or prayer 'T is the carnal or fleshly-minded enemy to God and the spiritual lusting against the Spirit of Christ in himself and against the spiritual mind thereof in the Saint himself Gal. 5. 17. The carnal mind of enmity to God finally follow'd is eternal death to man Rom. 8. 6 -8. It enviously lusts against the spiritual mind Jam. 4. 5. is directly contrary to it in all its thoughts desires and affections lusts and motions labours might and main to hinder what that would beat and further what that is against and hates Rom. 7. 15. Out of the Saint's mouth by reason of the untamed or not fully crucified unequal Yoke-fellow his natural mind or man proceed's blessing and cursing Jam. 3. 9 10. The spiritual blesses God the Father the natural curses the spiritual man in Men that
fixed under the conduct thereof as not immediately to quit it for a better Guide the Light of Christ's Gospel Spirit Every one that thus fears God and works Righteousness is accepted with God all along under his various dispensations to them as seeing at first where he shall find them and they him at last even in unchangeable harmony of mind with himself and universal obedience to him in all things By following on to know the Lord from light to light dispensation to dispensation come they at length to a firm indissoluble Union with him With such fearers of God Solomon declares it shall be well They are all along accepted with God and in the same certainty for true Blessedness under the first and second as when under the third and last dispensation actually estated in new-creation principles of everlasting Righteousness In God's sight and purpose 't is sure to be well with them that so fear him that fear before him The doubling the words imports the certainty of both their truly fearing him and its being well with them for ever that are found to have the incorruptible Seed 1 Pet. 1. 23. of true Holiness and everlasting Righteousness in them They fear before him or are seen by him true fearers of him when but under the light of Nature or of the Law tho they have but obscure uncertain thoughts of him or themselves as to his purposes towards them or how it shall be with them for ever or in what spirit and life they can be truly blessed And so come we to the second thing here as positively declar'd by Solomon in the Spirit of Christ concerning the incorrigibly wicked that it shall as certainly be ill with them as well with the true fearers of God Vers. 13. But it shall not be well with the wicked neither shall he prolong his days which are as a shadow because he feareth not before God Though the wicked do evil a hundred times and his days be prolonged in this World and that in great outward or inward Prosperity and flourish so that he has more then heart can wish while the true fearer of God is continually plagu'd and chastned under the sharp discipline of the Cross Psal. 73. 1 -24. Yet at winding up of all t is certain it shall be well for ever with the obedient Saint and ill for ever with the incorrigible Sinner By wicked here are not chiefly nor properly meant such as are dead in the corrupt but made alive in some degree in the enlightned state of Nature and so brought actually under God's trial how they 'l demean themselves in following on to know and obey him till they do all in his Gospel-spirit of Truth Under every dispensation are they found in a directly contrary frame of Spirit to the true Saint and Fearer of the Lord. They fail in the main point a ready quitting inferiour dispensations and all their light life and attainments therein for the third and last a Gospel-state of everlasting Righteousness God requires the exchange of all restor'd natural Principles of Light Life or Operation for his spiritual Gospel Principles They are no true Fearers of the Lord from first to last that finally refuse this change of Life Food and Raiment Hence though they do evil a hundred times in their enlight'ned natural state against the highest and greatest spiritual Gospel-light and are permitted and gratified with a long flourish in all worldly Prosperity it will be ill with them at last for ever God's permitting all this signifies the utmost extent of his Patience and their trial after all which they 'l find themselves bound up in the bundle of Death in and with the very spirit of the Devil in unchangeable enmity to God This house or state of everlasting mourning will conclude their most prolonged day of Jollity and Mirth in their Wickedness The said Sinner being a hundred years old shall be accursed for ever Isa. 65. 20. Solomon in a holy scorning contradiction to what he had said of the Sinner's prolonging his days ver 12. says here he shall not prolong his days which are as a shadow This implies that the longest day such sinners against the Holy Ghost or Gospel-spirit are permitted to live on Earth will appear but as a transient shadow to the endless day of their Misery and Sufferings in Hell Their permitted larger time and more abundantly multiplied Wickednesses on Earth will increase their Torments for ever in Hell Wo unto them It shall be ill with them for the reward of their Hands shall be given them Isa. 3. 11. But with the Righteous it shall be well for ever for they shall eat the Fruit of their doings ver 10. in all their obedience to and fearing of God under every of his dispensations to them They have brought forth never-perishing fruits unto God in his newness of Life The incorrigible Sinner shall eat the Fruit of his rebellious doings in his oldness of Letter against God's newness of Life and be filled with his own devices or many inventions Prov. 1 31. Eccles. 7. 29. Thus will it fare for ever with the Saint and Sinner according to the several ways they have walk'd in and course they have steer'd in their own Spirit and Will or God's The Sinner shall go into everlasting Punishment and the Righteous into Life Eternal Mat. 25. 46. To these vastly differing ends do their as vastly differing ways lead Though the wicked not only prolong his days on Earth but be in great Power spreading himself like a green Bay-tree he will pass away and never find himself or be found more to his advantage and comfort Psal. 37. 35 36. Hold out as long as he can in his mortal body his end is to be out off and destroy'd for ever v. 38. But the end of the spiritual upright Man is everlasting peace with God v. 37. A brutish fool understands not this that when the workers of iniquity flourish 't is that they shall be destroy'd for ever Psal. 92. 6 7. In new-creation Sanctuary-light the Spiritual Saint understands and unriddles all 1 Cor. 2. 15. He sees the dreadful end of the wicked's utmost flourish and longest day of prosperity and the blessed end of the Saints utmost tribulations in this world Psal. 73. 17 -20. Job 21. 7 -20. Vers. 14. There is a Vanity which is done upon the Earth that there be just Men unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the Wicked again there be wicked Men to whom it happeneth according to the work of the Righteous I said that this also is Vanity This accords with Eccles. 9. 1. God's love or hatred to Men can't be known by his outward dispensations to them or dealings with them in this World Who-e'r goes this way to spell out or judg of his Love or Hatred Approbation of them or displeasure towards them will miss their mark and be dangerously deceived For in the wise Methods of God the truely righteous are
highly enlighten'd and restor'd understanding of Man is but dull blunt Iron till whetted by spiritual light utterly unable to discern or do the Will of God in any thing to his wel-pleasing It can't direct his steps aright towards God or his own Salvation Jer. 10. 23. 'T is spiritual Wisdom only is profitable to direct in the way everlasting Psal. 139. 24. This renders a Man an infallible Seer and Doer of the whole mind and will of God And this renders him the certain overcomer of his own contrary natural mind and lust 'T will crucify the worldly mind in him to the World without him and so the World to him and bring the God of this World under his feet Flesh World and Devil will all flee before and fall under him God will be fully pleas'd with him he fully saved and absolutely blessed for ever Vers. 11. Surely the Serpent will bite without enchantment and a Babbler is no better The natural spirit of fallen Angel and Man is poyson'd with enmity changeable in man unchangeable in evil Angels or Devils Devils being all absolutely fix'd in enmity and resolutely using all their angelical Wisdom in their superiority of nature to Man go clear beyond him in subtilty as well as power The Devil when fallen was too hard for man unfallen over-reach'd him with his subtilty overset him with his power and so sowed his evil seed of enmity to God's spiritual Law in all mankind This mystical deadly poyson has laid them all dead in trespasses and sins The old Serpent is more subtile then but gradually restor'd Man and still all along this World is upon him with the same lying suggestion and wicked but pleasing Counsel as to Eve that restor'd righteous nature is a state of eternal life and 〈◊〉 shall not die neither under the Cross here nor eternally hereafter Gen. 3. 1 -- 5. 2 Cor. 11. 3. It must needs be much easier for Satan to prevail with restor'd righteous man since the fall then in his first 〈◊〉 on humane nature in the primitive purity and perfection thereof For now he finds the same poisonous enmity to God in men with himself as even in Paul after all his Law-conversion and Righteouness of man but before his Gospel-conversion into the Life and Righteousness of God His work now is only to put his confirming Paw upon man for rendring his changeable enmity to God and Union with him unchangeable Then his work 's done and man undone for ever And in carrying on this is he pleasing to man His Counsels are all after man's own heart The old Serpent now in biting poisoning and wounding men to eternal death is all along pleasing to them He licks them to death with his flattering harlot-kisses in the practice of the highest and most criminal strumpetry seducing them from Christ the true spiritual Lord and Husband they ought to be chast single-ey'd and hearted in their love to The enchanting alluring Words of this grand mystical Adulteress are smoother then Butter when war is in her heart softer then Oil yet are drawn Swords Psal. 55. 21. Grand Adulteress the supreme Whore of Babylon influencing and drawing into the same guilt innumerable Men who with all Devils or evil Angels make up the comprehensive and compleat mystical Whore of Babylon in an unchangeable murdering mind of enmity to Christ and his true spiritual Israel or new-Jerusalem Saints Man of Sin Son of Perdition 2 Thess. 2. 3. roaring Lion seeking whom he may devour 1 Pet. 5 8. great bloody red Dragon Rev. 12. 3. Abaddon Apollyon 〈◊〉 destroyer Rev. 9. 11. Devil Satan old-Serpent Rev. 20. 2. and the like all these are charactering titles and distinguishing badges of one and the same Beel-zebub or Prince of Devils Mark 3. 22. Without Inchantment or such listning to the charming voice counsels of the Spirit of Christ the true Shepherd and Teacher as will turn them from the voice of all flattering Strangers Joh. 10. 4 5. Will Men be charm'd and seduc'd by this old Serpent and mortally bitten stung and poison'd by him to eternal death All this was figur'd out in the bitings of 〈◊〉 literal fiery Serpents and cure of such bitten Israelites only as look'd up by Faith to the fiery Serpent on a pole Num. 21. 6 9. This brazen Serpent on a pole was a figure of Christ as in our nature crucified and raised into his spiritual new-Creation Life Joh. 3. 14. whoever so look up to him herein as to be made willingly conformable to his death that they may partake of his resurrection-Life are certainly cured for ever as to the poisonous bitings of the mystical old fiery Serpent or Serpents the Devil and his Angels all Devils figur'd by the literal Enmity to God is inseparable from Man save by the total death of his natural state A Leopard's spots may as soon be done away or a Blackmoor's skin wash'd white Jer. 13. 23. as man save by a right obedient death of his natural spirit at best be cleans'd from all evil filth of spirit or enmity to God If Men listen not to the Counsels of true Wisdom they 'l be pleas'd with the old Serpents adding to his first poisonous biting them in and with the first man such a farther biting of them as will render their enmity to God as unchangeable in them as in himself All his words are natural and welcome to them They reject Christ's and wholly chuse and delight in his Counsels Isa. 30. 9 11. Here 's the dangerous posture mankind are in And a Babler is no better Man in his own Wisdom undertaking to expound Scripture and counsel his fellow-mortals about Salvation is a Babbler a tinkling Cymbal makes only a confused noise an uncertain sound of Words in all which he 's no better then the old Serpent himself that is gives no better but indeed the self-same Counsel he gives preaches his Gospel that men will find the restor'd righteous life of nature to be eternal and everlasting Salvation Thus doe babbling men carry on Satan's poisoning doctrine and work in a lying spirit of Divination for poisoning themselves and Hearers beyond cure to eternal death None are sit to teach Christ's Gospel to others but such as are wise unto Salvation themselves Who else can shew the way of Salvation Vers. 12. The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious but the lips of a Fool will swallow up himself All thoughts and words inward and outward Words of the truly wise man are gracious good and pleasing in God's sight A spirit of everlasting Righteousness is the principle and root of all He turns from the life light understanding will desire thought word and action of his own Spirit to live wholly in and to God after his heart in his spirit So God or his creature-spirit works all his works in him and he in God Isa. 26. 12. Phil. 2. 13. Joh. 3. 21. On the contrary the Lips of a Fool will swallow up himself Man in
thine to be sure for ever 'T is the true Saint only receivs all the good of the first-creation transcendently advanc'd in the second All others that finally refuse the second will be excluded from it for ever and have all in the first taken from them too Where are they then They lose the riches laid up for the ease of their own soul soul and all for ever in conclusion Here 's their Doom Christ therefore denounces wo to such first-covenant rich ones reigning with confidence as Kings there in their own righteous clensed nature as having receiv'd their consolation their penny the Praise and reward of Men in this World They are to have no good in the next Luk. 6. 24. Mat. 6. 2. 5. 16. No entering there for a rich Man rich in the first covenant life of his own nature and confident therein so as to reject the true riches of the second-covenant-life of God in his spirit of grace Mat. 19. 24. As to any thing of the new-creature-life and riches of God are such with the Laodiceans wretched miserable poor blind and naked Rev. 3. 17. They have nothing of that about them Yea they loath mortally hate all such life riches and God most high himself They 'l be needs Reigning as Kings in a Spirit a life Christ would not Reign in when offer'd Joh. 6. 15 Paul could not might not Reign in 1 Cor. 4. 8. Such hate that Gospel-Spirit Christ will Reign in with all his Saints The Rich and Full in First-Covenant Life and Treasur's are confident therein and laugh now under the Applause Reward and Praise of Men as were alway's the False Prophets Luk. 6. 24 26. How blanck will all such self-confident Laodiceans look that now reckon themselvs rich full encreased with goods and needing nothing when forc'd to find themselvs in everlasting Poverty and nakedness needing every thing that 's ought Litteral and mystical rich men possess'd of nothing but perishing vanities must needs fade away in both their wayes as the withering grass and falling flower thereof Jam. 1. 11. God rejects both their false confidences They shall not Prosper in them Jer. 2. 37. Amidst all the mirth and jollity of both are they bid howl and weep for the miseries that shall come upon them Jam. 5. 1. why why because both trust in lying vanities liable to rust canker moth-eating thieves in summe to perish yea infallibly certain so to do from the intrinsick perishableness of the very nature of them v. 2 3. And where are they both then This get they by listning to Satan's Man-pleasing counsel and rejecting Christ's who warns men in this great concern to quit such for his heavenly treasure and life expos'd to none of these sad inconveniences Mat. 6. 19. 20. When men heap up in for and to themselvs the said vain riches perishing goods so that such goods encrease they are encreas'd that eat them The mystical truth of this saying is this The inordinate lusts of man's boundless rambling roving Spirit from the immortality of its being encrease as his riches encrease So he is never the neerer yet towards any full or final satisfaction A bottomless desire an unsatiable appetite growing still bigger and wider encreasing as the heap increases and their sinfull dotage on and love to the heap encreasing with the heap man grow's worse and worse every way as to his case towards God or any satisfaction to himself in all such riches The sinful false appetite of his immortal Spirit after mortal riches is the eye that 's never satisfied with seeing or with riches the ear never 〈◊〉 with hearing Ec. 1. 8. and 4. 8. Men after all the sad experience of man and Angel at first will be trying over and over again generation after generation the self-same evil and unlawfull use of first-creation vanities that at first gave many Angels and all men their fall This notwithstanding all the faithful warnings of the Lord also against this course before and since the fall as to the dreadfull consequents thereof What peerless unparallel'd folly must this needs be Yet this course will men steer this way will they take Former Generations of professors have took this way follow'd such doctrin as has directed and assured them of safety therein and their posterity in the same first-covenant principles now approve their sayings applaud their doctrin and follow their example and so also follow them into that state of eternal darknes and death where they shall never see light Thus goes one generation after another to the generation of their fathers to the same chambers of death with them Psal. 49. 13. 19. They all feed on such things only as perish in the using and will as certainly perish for for so feeding on them And mean while before the final stroke of wrath be upon them to cut them off for ever and put a full period to their false mirth are they under an utter impossibility of ever being satisfyed with the greatest possible encreases and heaps of such perishing vanities For they Add or afford nothing no good to the Owners thereof saving the beholding of them with their Eyes There 's no durable truly satisfying good in them to man's Immortal Spirit The mystical Stomach Thirst Hunger or Appetite and desire thereof can never be satisfyed quenched or answer'd thereby but only cozen'd whil'd off and amus'd with the self-pleasing entertainments of this World in a Fools-Paradise of vanities The encreasing vain desires after such encreasingvain desirables frustrat's and deprives the Possessor still still of any good or benefit by them save the beholding them with his Eyes which are never satisfyed with seeing them So is man in a meer maze and labyrinth of self-tormenting disquietment in getting heaping up keeping and at last inevitably losing all again on which he will be left in a Bed of sorrow in Eternal Darkness Want Nakedness and Death under the inflictions of final Wrath for such madness and folly of which fairly and oft warn'd in his day on Earth All his present joy delight laughter pleasure in seeing his heap of vanities is but delusive and destructive to him All amounts but to an encrease of vanity in desires and desirables and what 's man the better Eccl. 6. 11. Yea how much still the worse worse and worse The true living Bread the Waters of 〈◊〉 the never perishing Meat and Cloathing Christ's Gospel-Spirit of everlasting righteousness brings with it answer all man's wants and make up a true blessedness to him for ever True Saints encrease with the encreases of God in his never-perishing Life and Riches They are Co-heirs with Christ of God Rom. 8. 17. feeding on and enjoying the very divine Glory shining forth upon them in favour and love for evermore Vers. XII The sleep of a labouring Man is sweet whether he eat little or much but the abundance Arab. covetousness of the Rich will not suffer him to sleep First to the litteral sense Man in his civil
Capacity and lawfull Calling in this World diligently performing his Duty and referring the issue and success of his labours to Providence without any carking solicitud's or murmuring repining thoughts against God when cross'd in his expectations and disappointed of his hopes has rest and quiet to himself therein Such a one however low in outward Riches Solomon preferr's as to outward worldly Happiness before the litteral covetous rich man that from excessive inordinate Love to such Wealth robb's and deprives himself of all right comfort therein His solicitous self-tormenting thoughtfulness for getting and keeping such Wealth and then fear of losing all again all which the other is freed from render him a very 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 His abundance of Riches fills his Heart with abundance of trouble and disquiet as well as his Coffers with Silver which will not suffer him to rest or sleep Through this vanity under the litteral first-creation Sun Solomon saw such Riches downright hurtfull to the Owners thereof instead of being of any benefit or advantage to them Semblably the inward Riches of man's Spirit under the mystical first-creation Sun the enlightning enlivening fructifying influence of Christ as a fleshly Bride-groom in his first-covenant Spirit Single upon man's nature Laodicean Treasures heaped up and trusted in and to by man for true Happiness produce the same restlesness and disquiet to him Full of solicitud's is he in getting and keeping and of Fears about losing all again as the litteral covetous rich man is Is there not a cause for such Jealousies and Fears All 's but a vain shew in Holy Flesh a first-covenant Spirit of bondage and fear about his known perishing vanities refusing Christ's convincingly shew'd and offer'd durable Riches and true Freedom even the glorious Liberty of the Sons of God in his Gospel-Spirit or perfect Law of Liberty to good only and that good unchangable That 's Freedom indeed to purpose Heb. 2. 15. 2 Cor. 3. 17. Joh. 8. 32. 36. Jam. 1. 25. and 2. 12. The Truth Christ's Gospel-Spirit of Truth makes us Christ's true freemen though in letter man's Servants 1 Cor. 7. 22. And the Master that 's free in letter if effectually call'd by Christ into his heavenly Life of true freedom is his Servant Christ's new-covenant Law or Gospel-Spirit of Life by its death-work on our old or first-covenant law-Spirit of Sin Bondage Enmity and Death sets us free from Sin and Death Rom. 8. 2. all vain Trouble Bondage and Fear He that 's so dead is freed from Sin Rom. 6. 7. ceases for ever from it 1 Pet. 4. 1. Vers. XIII There is a sore Evil which I have seen under the Sun namely Riches kept for the Owners thereof to their hurt This with the Verse before and four following joyntly Character the folly and misery of the litteral and mystical covetous rich Man the former as a Type of the latter One of them is fill'd with cares and solicitud's about making provision for his bodily ease the other is as busy about provisions for his Soul's ease Luk. 12. 16-19 Both of them trade but in perishing vanities 'T is but for perishing meats that gratify the evill Lust's the Belly Desire or Appetite of a mortal perishable Life of Body and Soul these two sorts of foolish Labourers Toil and fill their Heads and Hearts with vain self-tormenting cares and solicitud's All 's but to compass and finger the vain Delights of the Sons of men Nothing of the never-perishing Life and Meats of the Son of God delights of the Sons of God are admitted into their regard God is not in all or any of their thoughts Psal. 10. 4. Nothing of God's Christ's new-creature Life is sought after They 'l not come to him for it nor regard it when he comes and offers it to them Ioh. 5. 40. How oft would I have gather'd you together unto me under my divine and Creature-wings in this Life and ye would not Mat. 23. 37. Ye are all for your selves your own Life will have none of me or mine Then take your course ye shall never have mine at all never enter into my rest So will be left to your own desolate house for ever V. 38. The mystical rich man delightfully contemplat's the Beauty Fruitfulness and Riches of his own enlight'ned nature and too oft arrivesat this highest point of Spiritual wickedness as the result of his own wisdom to strike up an everlasting-covenant-union with the Devil He agrees to receive by his transforming Hel-fire-Baptism an advance of his own nature out of a narrower changably evil humane capacity into a wider and unchangably evil angelical This by suffering Satan to fill his Heart with his Spirit of unchangable enmity to God This is the making man's mystical House or Barns greater Luk. 12. 18 the enlarging and heightning his natural capacity by a kind of mystical death through Satan's false cross-work or counterfeit mortification for the death of man's Spirit of nature on his engagement by covenant and satisfying assurance that he will raise and catch him up out of that mystical Grave into his higher wiser stronger more excellent and capacious angelical nature Thus by bargain does he touch man's Spirit with the transforming alterative assimilating touch of his and translate him out of his narrower humane into his larger angelical capacity of the first-creation sort Man rather chooses this heightning and enlargment in his own way and after his own heart in the first-creation state of nature which renders him a man after the Devil 's own Heart in unchangable enmity to God then such destruction of his fleshly nature or whole natural state and life at best as leaves him no hopes of ever finding himself in a single natural first-creation-life more for ever but in a spiritual and heavenly by a new-creation in the new everlasting covenant Gospel-principle God's Spirit of Grace and Truth The assimilating transformingwork of Christ's Spiritual Cross or heavenly fire-baptism upon man would translate him if obediently submitting thereto and compliant therewith into the life of God's sacrificing Gospel high-Priest of our Profession or of that very Spirit and fiery law of liberty Deut. 33. 2. Jam. 1. 25 that puts his Law or lawless Spirit of bondage enmity and Death to Death with engagement by Covenant to raise it into the everlasting Life and Glorious liberty of the Sons of God Satan will Personate this very high Priest of God and God himself 2 Thes. 2. 4. And he will transform his higher Angelical excellencies and capacity into the likeness or neerest possible resemblance of Christ's new-creation Glories This is the top-stone of his mystery of iniquity the strongest delusion by which this most subtle old Serpent Dragon and roaring Lion deceives and devours men when and where God permitt's for his own most wise and holy ends Think what this choice of man under Gospel-conviction-Light to joyn unchangably with the Devil rather than with God deservs In order to secure their
God and his spiritual heavenly eternal life and things with all the things by them loved perish for ever nor have they any more a Portion in any thing under the Sun any fading good thing done or found in the whole first-creation World of vanities And as their Love their Hatred and Envy shall also perish All their Envy and Hatred express'd by them in all ways imaginable against God and his everlasting creature-life the object of his divine Love and Delight in Christ blessed Angels and Saints shall perish It remains in them for ever for the encrease of their Torment under Wrath but they 'l be depriv'd of all power of expressing it for ever The life and things of their own nature which they have chosen to be the object of their fixed Love in preference to God's render them the objects of God's final Wrath. Vers. 7. Go thy way eat thy Bread with joy and drink thy Wine with a merry Heart for God now accepteth thy Works To the Saint as passing through the House of mourning and death to his spirit of nature under the Cross into the life of God's spirit of Grace wherein joyn'd to all truly living is this message of Life and Peace sent from God Eat thy Bread with joy c. Bread and Wine here are the hidden Manna and Wine of the Kingdom in Christ's Person even his divine and creatures-Glories his never-perishing meats Saints are to feed on in their spiritual when their natural Man or Spirit under the sharp discipline and death-work of the Cross is reduc'd to the utmost straits eating no pleasant Food or finding any more delight in the forbidden perishing first-creation life works or fruits and meats thereof Their spiritual hidden Man feeds on what 's incorruptible which renders them more beautiful in God's sight with Daniel and the three Children then any that feed on the choicest perishing Dainties of the mystical evil King's Table They feed on the never-perishing meats at their heavenly King's Table which nourish them up in his communicated never-perishing Life So do they eat and drink with a merry heart Joy unspeakable and glorious in the Holy Ghost The reason For God now accepteth thy Works This shews in what Spirit and on what Bread they feed and what Wine they drink with such a merry Heart All 's done in a spirit a newness of life all the Works or Fruits whereof are accepted of God Their feeding on Christ's heavenly meats renders them abundantly more glad then the utmost fruits and encrease of Corn and Wine figures of the choicest mystical first-creation diet can render the natural feeders on them Ps. 4. 7. True Saints dwell between Christ's Shoulders in absolute safety Deut. 33. 12. Peace and Comfort above all Enemies reach all evil or danger They have a Joy no Stranger or Enemy can intermeddle with or interrupt Prov. 14. 10. 'T is a Joy a Peace the World can't give nor take from them Joh. 16. 22 33. Vers. 8. Let thy Garments be always white and let thy head lack no ointment Saints waiting for Christ's clear manifesting or revealing himself in his Divine and Spritual Glories as object of their Faith and Hope are here call'd on to keep their Garments white and clean from all filth of flesh and spirit 2 Cor. 7. 1. that they may be fit to meet Christ at his coming as grown up into a compleatness and full purity of spiritual life in him purified as he is pure 1 Joh. 3. 3. in all holy Conversation and Godliness 〈◊〉 2 Pet. 3. 11 12. 1 Pet. 1. 15 16. And let thy head lack no oyntment Let thy Spiritual Man that 's head to thy natural be found in such a diligent performing its ruling authority over the natural and keeping thy whole person in obedience to Christ as not to provoke him to withdraw but more abundantly pour forth his holy anointing upon thee the most precious ointment of his new-creature spirit 1 Joh. 2. 20 27. Vers. 9. Live joyfully with the Wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy Vanity which he hath given thee under the Sun all the days thy Vanity for that is thy portion in this life and in thy labour which thou takest under the Sun Solomon continues his advice to the spiritual man of the Saint as Husband Head and Guide to his natural By reducing it to and keeping it in a universal obedience to Christ the Lord Husband and Head to the whole Man can he live joyfully in a loving union of mind with it David Paul and other Saints have found the natural spirit in its untransform'd unsubjected uncrucified state life will and way a prison an enemy a perpetual disturber of the spiritual mind of Christ in them through a universal contrary-mindedness thereto Psal. 120. 5 -- 7. Rom. 7. 18 23. Sarah's obedience to Abraham calling him Lord types out this twofold Truth the obedience of the whole Church to Christ and of the natural to the spiritual Man in every Saint The natural when by way of death and resurrection brought into Union of mind with the spiritual and so the whole person of the Saint with Christ then as Heirs together of the Grace of life their Prayers won't be hindred 1 Pet. 3. 6 7. as they must needs be while the natural mind is contrary instead of being subject to the spiritual in every thing Hence arise all discords inconsistencies and confusions found in Saints most of the days of the life of their Vanity under the Sun The nearer their natural is brought into a conformity with Christ in his death and resurrection Phil. 3. 10. the more pleasing grows their life and service to God and the more comfortable to themselves 〈◊〉 with the Wife of thy Youth Prov. 5. 18. This in mystery cannot be but so far as the said mystical Wife in the Saint is by suffering taught obedience Heb. 5. 8. to the spiritual ' The natural Spirit corrupt or righteous in its own earthy Life Will and Way is a like prison to the spiritual mind or man in the Saint as the fleshly body to his natural spirit So his whole natural Man in the uncrucified spirit of it is an uneasie irksome habitation to his spiritual directly contrary to the mind and interest thereof in every thing desire and thought Vers. 10. Whatsoever thine Hand findeth to do do it with thy might for there is no Work nor Device nor Knowledg nor Wisdom in the Grave whither thou goest Solomon advises not man here to do his own will that 's found in enmity to God in both the corrupt and righteous Life thereof but as by death and resurrection brought into that newness of Life in which as a 〈◊〉 yoke-fellow to his spiritual to be serviceable to his Generation Act. 13. 36. as to their eternal concerns by using all ways and means for laying before them the whole Counsel of God about their Salvation and discovering the whole counsel devices and