his spirit of unchangable enmity to God then by Christ's new-creation workmanship baptized into his Gospel-spirit of unchangable union with God What 's the meet recompence of such errour The same Tophet punishment lake of mystical fire and brimstone the litteral is but a Shadow of unquenchable wrath fiery indignation the vengeance of eternal fire In this and other variety of language does the Holy Ghost or Spirit of truth in the Scriptur's of truth clothe the joynt everlasting torment and vexation of both For such a covenant with the Devil is a covenant of oath a swearing everlasting allegiance to him and a taking also his oath of supreamacy owning him as the supream ruler and infallible dictatour in Church and State in the room of the holy ghost or Christ in Spirit and God most high himself 2 Thes. 2. 4. And so his bored Servants they are for ever whom they have sworn to obey for ever on all accounts and own for their Supream Paramount-Ruler and guide so as to place themselvs under his protection wing and conduct Rom. 6. 16. They agree to Obey Sin and the Man of Sin Satan the unchangably sinning Spirit of Eternal Darkness and Death Can this be lesse then the sin unto death eternal death They 'l be sure of the portion they have chosen They unchangably hate Christ's Gospel new-Creature Spirit of everlasting righteousness chuse and love a Spirit of unchangable enmity to it and death to themselvs Prov. 8. 36. Can they miss of what they love and have chosen Rebellious Children are they They take counsel not of me saith the Lord but of the Devil They cover with a covering not of my Spirit but the Devil 's for their clothing and protection They are willing to be dress'd up in his furniture and armour to fight against God All this for this very end that they may add sin to sin unchangable enmity to God the unpardonable sin to the pardonable changable state of enmity and death they were born in So come they to a latter end worse than their beginning by their own choice when offer'd a better end then ever nature in its beginning at best before the fall amounted to in the the changable spotless life thereof They are now in a known chosen confederacy with the Devil for ever against God Christ all Gospel-Saints and truths They have greedily drunk down the poyson'd wine of the very Spirit of the old Serpent Their wine is the poison of Dragons the cruel venom of Asps Deut. 32. 33. The poison of Asps is under their lips Rom. 3. 13. They spit venom breath out slaughter against the Saints of the most high They are establish'd by Satan made men fully after his own heart So unchangable irreconcileable implacable enemies of all after God's own heart as Saul to David In these two fixed states after God's or the Devil 's own heart will all men in conclusion be found in heaven or hell everlasting joy or sorrow under the final favour or unquenchable wrath of God Neither say before the Angel 't was an errour This Angel is Christ the supream Apostle or Messenger of God's Covenant the living Creature-word and book of God which is God Jo. 1. 1 So the Septuagint render it neither say before God it was an errour and therefore why should he be angry c. To what porpose is it for any to pretend ignorance as having done all this by a mistake and surprize before this Angel or word of God that 's of an all-penetrating sight so as infallibly to discern and discover the bottom-thoughts and intents of all hearts Heb. 4. 12 13. He will undeniably evidence all this wickedness to have bin wilfully and knowingly done against his cleer declarations of the mind of God to them and most faithfull warnings of them to the contrary and of the unspeakable danger thereof No good words fair speeches plausible pretences whereby they have deceiv'd their fellow-creatur's will signify any thing towards their defence or excuse before this infallible Angel's judgment-seat He will silence and stop every mouth of iniquity and fill all that have thus caused their flesh to sin thereby with everlasting shame and confusion of face Peter in the Holy Ghost or that Spirit of this Angel Christ wherein he will judg the world detected the falshood of Ananias and Saphira and executed God's sentence of death upon them as having suffer'd Satan to fill their hearts their undeniable guilt Act. 5. 1-10 Such Spots are not the Spots of God's Children They are never guilty of unpardonable Sins And then do those guilty of such errours think to get any thing by 〈◊〉 why should God be angry and destroy our works Or Solomon in the Spirit of God asks them why should God be angry at thy voice or mouth that hath agreed with Satan to cause thy flesh or whole man to sin 〈◊〉 and so destroy the Work of thine hands But let this Question be put by whom it will the Works which have been wrought in a Spirit of unchangable enmity to God will be 〈◊〉 If put by the Holy Ghost in Solomon 't is by way of counsel to 〈◊〉 such madness in Men whereby to receive such a Spirit of unchangable enmity into them for the principle of all their Desires Thoughts and Works as will most certainly expose them and all such Works to be burnt up and destroyed for ever They have done all such wicked Works and the leading wicked Work to all the rest in receiving the Devil's Spirit of unchangable enmity for their working Active Principle before the said Angel or under his convincing Spiritual Light and cleer discoveries of himself to them in his Spiritual Life of Truth wherein alone they can be Saved He will at last undeniably convince them that they were convinced and fairly warn'd of all these things before-hand in his gracious exhibitings and offers of himself to them doing all they could desire he should do for preventing such a self-ruining wilfull unpardonable errour All has been done by them against the known commands of his Spiritual law And will they say it was an errour a mistake of meer ignorance And so think to prevail with this Angel to plead for their Pardon Alas Alas He will make them see it most Just for him to intercede against them as his and his Father 's incorrigible wilfull Enemies and to say to his mighty Angels slay these mine Enemies before my face Luke 19. 27. that would not I should Reign over them but the Devil God or this Angel is most Justly angry at their Voice or Mouth by which they have chosen and declared their consent for unchangable union with the Devil rather then with him And he will destroy all the works of their Hands that in such union they have done against him in whatever nearest resemblance of his Gospel-Spirit and Truths by the transforming Arts and Skill of their Master-Workman purposely to express their utmost Malice against him
spirit into you by which ye shall rightly understand all my words vers 23. While men ramble after their many things spend all their labour and money for that which is not Bread Satans divers and strange Doctrines they come to be established in their own Nature with his meats to their final destruction in stead of being established with the Grace and Doctrine of Christ for their everlasting 〈◊〉 Heb. 13. 9. All our Old things Life Light Wisdom Righteousness c. must pass away that we may receive Christ's new 2 Cor. 5. 17. Vers. IX There is no remembrance of former things neither shall their be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after All former things excellencies and perfections found in the natural first-creation state before the fall or gradual restorations of the like since are of no account or remembrance with God Nothing short of his Life of everlasting righteousness set up in Man brings him under his approbation-Seal Men must be unmade broken down and pull'd up by the roots as to that Building and Life they were set up in by God himself in their first-creation-make in order to be new Vessels of his newness of Life by a second God planted in Man an incorrupt seed of corruptible Life that in its utmost flourish and fruitfulness amounts but to a fading flower by his left hand in a first-creation He offers to plant and quicken up in him on the obedient death and removal of all this Root and Branch Tree and Fruit an incorruptible seed of an everlasting Life by his right hand in a new-creation of him See both Seeds with a negative on the former in all born of the latter 1 Pet. 1. 23. This only and man therein will be of everlasting account and remembrance with God the other never in time past in innocency or any restorings of it since or time to come by the like restorings of it in following generations under Satans reign or the full perfection of it under Christ's reign which shall come after Vers. XII I the Preacher was King over Israel in Jerusalem What more contemptible than Satan's mercenary Priests and Preachers of Lies What or who more honourable than the Preachers of God's Truth King Solomon and a far greater than he Christ himself the high Priest of God is the Preacher of his Truths and Declarer of his Counsels to Angels and Men. Preaching Christ's Gospel is the best of Callings Satan's the worst of Trades Solomon the Preacher and Writer of this Book was King over litteral Israel in Jerusalem and therein a Type of Christ King over the whole spirituall Israel of God in the New-Jerusalem In the all-discerning Spirit of Prophecy does Solomon reflect upon his former vain thought for finding true happiness or the way towards it in the single wisdom of his own enlightned nature however eminent as follows Vers. XIII And I gave my heart to seek and search out by Wisdom concerning all things that are done under Heaven This sore travel hath God given to the Sons of Man to be exercised therewith Solomon here in the true preaching Spirit of Jesus reflects upon and gives an account of his own mistaking wisdom and thought about blessedness and of his sad experience therein I gave my heart to search out by my own Wisdom wherein I excelled others concerning all things under Heaven The result was he found this sore travel and labour of his natural mind to be what God has given to the sons of men to exercise afflict or humble them by In the new-creature Wisdom of God he finds the vanity of his own and his vain design thought and labour therein He finds that and all the things or works and fruits thereof to be but earthly from beneath below that Life wisdom and things of God he had now the experience of in him under Heaven So he at once confesses declares and corrects his vain thought of reaching knowing and doing all things relating to his true blessedness therein By way of Recantation toward the close of his Life and day in this World he confesses the vanity of his thought and unprofitableness of all his labour therein calling it as by sad experience he had found it a sore travel He declares also God's design in letting even Saints for a season run their course there to humble and Afflict them and so dispose them to a willing surrender of that for a better Life and Wisdom in which alone they may find what they were under an impossibility seeking for Thus God let Job and his three Friends run to the end of their Line in their own Wisdom and Spirit as Disputers of this world till at an absolute puzzle and period none of them being able to unriddle the design and methods of God's Wisdom towards Job under that dispensation of the Cross. Then he opens the mouth of his fore-runing Messenger 〈◊〉 to instruct them all in another Wisdom and Spirit on which they were 〈◊〉 answered no more but left off speaking Job 32. 2. 15. Enmity to God inseperable from the highest restored Life and Wisdom of Man must needs render his utmost labour therein about happiness a sore travel God in greatest love on Man's fall 〈◊〉 the mystical Ground Earth or earthly state of Man's nature and that for Man's sake so as to render that enmity to him contracted by the Fall unextinguishable otherwise then by the perfect death thereof Thorns and Thistles shall it bring forth say's God to Adam Gen. 3. 17. 18. Both the litteral and also mystical earth of Man's Nature in the very restored Life of the Law Image of the earthy and righteousnes of Man fell immediatly under this Curse All in the best works of their Law-life are under this Curse Gal. 3. 10. What Thorns and Thistles was Paul when eminent herein bringing forth in a fierce persecuting enmity against Christ and all his Gospel Truths and Saints Phil. 3. 6. Act. 26. 11. The death of nature then the right way not in but to sin so that sin becomes dead in them not they in it under the Cross and Gospel-sword is undispensably necessary to the ridding man of all evil and capacitating him to receive a Life of everlasting righteousness wherein he will find himself possessed of all good a state wherein 't is as impossible not to please God in every thing as in his own Life at best ever to please him in any thing This comes Man to by obediently complying with God's design in gladly receiving his sentence of Death within him as Paul and so getting rid of his own law-Law-spirit of bondage enmity and death and all his sore travel and labour therein to no purpose as to his grand concern in exchange for the Gospel-life of Christ and therein glorious liberty of the sons of God an everlasting freedom to good only and from all Evil of sin or punishment for ever Then all our works are wrought in
As figure and shadow of his meaning herein 't is with many the whole design of all their Labours and Travels to heap up outward treasures to themselves and leave to their Posterity great Possessions call'd after their own Name as if they had any concern therein when deceased or any relief thereby when with Dives tormented in the flames of God's Wrath. And as to any advantage to Posterity how know they but their Successors will blot out and deface by their unwise and sinful practices what they got by their wise and honest labours though great things of that sort are seldom so gotten Such great things puff up and are oft the ruine of those that come after them This was Solomons own case in his foolish Son Rhehoboam who following the rash dictates of ignorant young 〈◊〉 and rejecting the sage counsel of grave Senators that stood before his Father disobliged the People lost ten parts of his Kingdom at first entrance on his Government and he and his Successors held the rest not without great confusions troubles and desolating Wars with the Kings of Israel their Brethren and from such Nations round about as were common enemies to both Moab Ammon 〈◊〉 Edom Philistines c. 1 King 12. Yet is this but the lowest and least part of Solomon's meaning in these and the following words Vers. XIX And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise Man or a fool Yet shall he have Rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured and wherein I have shew'd my self wise under the Sun This is also vanity Here is a deep mystical Truth The fading Laodicean Riches and great Possessions treasured up in and by the fruitful exercise of my own spirit in the restored first-covenant Life of the Law Who knoweth 〈◊〉 a wise Man or a fool shall get and rule over it Whether the supreamly wise man Christ himself by his Gospel-sicle Sword or Cross as freely and obediently surrendred to him or the Man of sin and Son of Perdition the greatest mystical Fool the Devil Those that give up themselves and all Christ's gifts to them of first-covenant Life Wisdom and Ornaments and second-covenant Light with all their fruits and effects brought forth therein mystical Corn Wine Oil Silver and Gold to Baal or Moloch the Lord or King and god of this World are willing he should reap and gather all and so use all Christ's own gifts to them and all the fruits of their own labours therein against Christ and God himself to their own destruction as qualified thereby to be the most gygantick opposers fighters against God Man walk's in a vain shew disquiets himself in vain heaping up Riches and not knowing who shall gather them Psal. 39. 6. Till Man come to a resolution whose Arms he will cast himself into with his changable Life and Riches Christ's or the Devil's in order to be fix'd in the unchangably good Spirit of the former or evil one of the latter He knows not who shall gather all or what will become of him and all he has gotten One of these will certainly gather all in conclusion All puffed up self-exalters against Christ give themselves and all they have into the hands of that Lucifcrian Head and King over all such children of Pride Job 41. 34. receiving his spirit of unchangable enmity to God for the Principle of their Life Desire Thought and Action All fixed first-covenant Kings are absolutely engag'd in Satan's reign in perfect opposition to Christ and his invisible Saints whose saintship or spiritual Life is hid with Christ in God till Christs second appearing and rendring it visible in himself and them which will be the Manifestation of the Sons of God Christ offers true freedom to all even the glorious Liberty of the Sons of God But multitudes of enlightned holy first-covenant Professors and no better whatever they reckon themselves chuse rather for self-preservation against the Cross to be slaves of the Devil the arrantest slave of all and so to have their eares boared as his servants for ever on their willful refusal of true Liberty This is figured out Ex. 21. 5 6. At last Christ by his Cross and spiritual Gospel-Sword or Sicle will reap down and gather or take from all evil Angels and Men all the Riches and Comforts all the fading Glory and Power they have used against him under Satan's reign and tread them all under foot in his reign From a sober Reflexion upon the whole matter in the Spirit of Truth discovering the vanity of all first-creation Life and things of Man with all his vain Labours and uncertain Riches and then the uncertainty as to who shall gather them to his everlasting damage or greatest gain he looks on all Man's Labours and Possessions in the confounded state of his own Nature corrupt or righteous on all these accounts put together to be but a hateful vanity and vexation of spirit So he farther declares Vers. XX. Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the Labour which I took under the Sun So should every one in union of mind with Christ hate his own Life with all his Labours and Fruits brought forth in the but restor'd natural Principle or Spirit of the first-covenant Law of Works for the Life Wisdom and Righteousness of God in the second the new-covenant spirit of the Gospel The former at best was but changably good and since the Fall enmity to God or filth of spirit is inseperable from it direct enmity to that creature-spirit or holy Ghost in the new Life whereof only 't is possible to please God or be saved A heart set to love that Life in which man hates and is hateful to God is a heart fixed in or set to do evil for ever Solomon therefore sets his heart to hate the whole Life and all the best works done in the single activity of his own nature at best under the twofold first-creation Sun litteral and mystical as abovesaid Of this he gives a farther account vers 21 -23. Vers. XXI For there is a man whose labour is in wisdom and in knowledge and in equity Yet to a man that hath not laboured therein shall he leave it for his portion This also is vanity and a great Evil. Solomon gives an account of himself in the Man here described by him travelling in Wisdom Knowledge and Equity that is in the wise and righteous actings of his own restored enlightned nature All this he finds vain and unprofitable yea a great grief and sorrow to him Here 's the sad result of all man's goodnes and fruitfulnes in his own nature All is vanity the 〈◊〉 tree of good and evil and since the fall of evil only filth of spirit at least which is the greater sort of evil with the Fruits the Root with the Branch Principle and Operations Desires Thoughts Counsels Purposes Words Actions all naught The loss of all as obediently surrendred to the sacrificing hand Gospel-cross Sword
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-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
not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God for God is in heaven and thou upon earth therefore let thy words be few In this farther advice Solomon confirm's and open's his meaning in the former The mouth we are not to be rash with nor suffer our heart to utter any thing before God by is the mystical mouth or tongue of the natural Spirit Comprehensively signifying all its variety of expressing it self in outward action and a sound of words as also the inward agitation of mind in thought and desire The latter is call'd by Philosophers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the thought or inward word of the mind or spirit of Man within himself the other 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the outward expression of it to other Men. The Mystical Tongue of the natural spirit in this comprehensive sense of the Word Mouth or Tongue we are not to be rash with nor hasty to utter any thing or word before God by is abundantly more untamable and unreclaimable in its exorbitances then the figurative Litteral Tongue And of this mystical extent and significancy abovesaid is Tongue to be understood Jam. 3. 8. The Tongue can no Man tame it is an unruly evil full of deadly Poison 〈◊〉 kind of Beasts 〈◊〉 Fishes and Serpents or Creeping things in Air Earth and Water have bin tamed by Man But the Tongue his own Spirit in the unruly Life Motion and Various 〈◊〉 of it can no Man tame This is beyond Man's Power or Skill And more so when beside all the Evil and Enmity to God found in its fallen earthly state of nature and fiery Zeal of love to and for the defence of its own Life Will and Way Specially when restor'd and clensed from filth of flesh 't is also set on fire of Hell This may seem to import its being brought by Satan's farther workman-ship into a fix'd state of Flaming Zeal and Love for and to it self with him in unchangable Enmity to God and his Spirit of Grace This full account of the Tongue the same with the Mouth here have we with the Litteral Figure that little Member that boasts great things and with its little fire or heat in the beginning of a contention kindles a great matter encreases into a huge flame and tumult so as frequently to bring two persons or more before in Union into a final seperation and an irreconcileable parting-blow to their dying Hours Thus is the Tongue in Letter and Mystery put together a fire a World of Iniquity defiling the whole Body or Man and setting on fire the course of nature and all this beyond Retrieve or Remedy when it is once set on fire of Hell Any Man then that 's reduced by the Cross of Christ the only effectual and powerful Bit Bridle and Helm for ruling or bringing about his natural spirit more untamable and unreducible to order then any wild Horse Mule Psal. 32. 9. or other Beast more ungovernable then a Ship in a Storm or other dangers into due order peace quietness and right demeanour towards God and Man any or every such Man is a perfect Man not offending in Word but able on all accounts to bridle and order his whole Body or Man All this have we Jam. 3. 2-8 In many things we offend all say's that Apostle that is the natural Spirit in its own will course and way at best worst 〈◊〉 any intermediate condition is a continual Offender without any intermission in principle and all manner of operation or motion desire thought word or action The very Spirit it self is a Root of Bitterness bearing Gall Wormwood Briars and Thorns in Enmity and Rebellion against God Yea in the very awak'ned Spiritual Saint 〈◊〉 perfectly Crucified and Slain Dead and Buried in the mystical Grave of Christ 't is a continual contrary-minded Warrier and Fighter against God and the Saint's own spiritual mind Gal. 5. 17. Rom. 7. 22 23. Thus have we by Solomon Paul and James a sad strang but true description or Character of the temper and condition of the Spirit of Man within the compass of nature or in the Sphere of its own activity corrupt or righteous It 〈◊〉 in wickedness or in the wicked one 1 Jo. 5. 19. Satan has a twofold party in mankind the corrupt Profane Heathen and a mistaking righteous Professing first 〈◊〉 People Both are against Christ's little Flock Spiritual Saints a third party in this World 〈◊〉 in Heaven We find the mention of all three Psal. 2. and Rev. 12. 12. Inhabitants of Earth and Sea a mystical earthly Jerusalem party of Professors in all Ages and a prosane party foaming out their own shame casting up Mire and Dirt as a mystical 〈◊〉 Sea these are all of them against the dwellers in Heaven that have their Conversation 〈◊〉 Heaven affections fix'd on things above Another wonder Of Satan's two parties in the World Professors in first-covenant Holiness as gained by him and made his Synagogue in a fix'd Enmity to the Gospel prove all along his most serviceable Instruments as the righteous Scribes and Pharisees against Christ and his whole Gospel-ministry his choicest Subjects the strongest frontier Garrisons in his whole worldly Dominion or Universal Monarchy before and all along the four Universal Humane Monarchies with the Romane or last whereof his also is to be Perioded They are the signal with-standers of Gospel-Light and of all Christ's true Gospel-Witnesses in all times whose Testimony is Tormenting to all that dwell upon the Earth or take up with confidence in but earthly restor'd natural Principles for Salvation These false Apostles Messengers or Emissaries of Satan that so generally amuse Men with his accursed other Gospel for Christ's true and blessed one are his most useful Engineers to keep off the true Gospel and Preachers thereof in the whole World Why What if Christ's Messengers or Ambassadours should have a hearing Why they are the only dangerous Invaders of Satan's Universal worldly Monarchy discoverers of all the intriqu's wiles and most subtile devices by which he 〈◊〉 on his whole Mystery of Iniquity manages all his affairs for the maintaining his ground against any Encroachments or Dawnings of the Kingdom or Spirit of Christ. So long as he can keep out Christ's Gospel as the most formidable Blasphemy and Heresy in the World and make his Law-Gospel pass currant with the generallity of Professors he reckon's himself well and his matters at a very good pass And if he have thus prevail'd wonderfully all along this World even in the very day of Christ's and his Apostles Ministry what 's to be expected in this latter day the worst of times He has alway's in a manner engaged magistratical Humane Powers as under his influence and steerage on his Gospel's-side to assist against Christ's help first-Covenant Brethren against the second a worldly Church against a heavenly Hypocritical Sinners in Zion against true Spiritual Zion-Saints in their Controversies with them the Orthodox Doctrin of Man's Wisdom on natur's
the crosse upon it be finish'd Be not therefore rash with thy mouth tongue language or expression of thy natural Spirit nor let thy carnal mind or fleshly heart that 's in union with the Devil be hasty forward and consident to utter any thing before God Let not that be the Speaker to Men in Preaching or to God in Prayer publick or private It will do Satan's drudgery carry on his designs where or when-ever it is the speaker or actour It will do all in enmity to God to his Spirit of truth and Saint's Let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing or word before God This shew's Solomon mean's by mouth in the first clause the expressing and doing of the will and mind of the natural heart or Spirit that 's in enmity to God The Saint ought to have a jealous eye over it and keep a continual watch against it so as never to do the will or fulfil the lusts thereof but oppose fight against and crucisie them If we live and walk in Christ's Steddy Spirit of everlasting righteousness thus we shall do Gal. 5. 16. and 24 25. All yielding Obedience to or doing the will and lust of the flesh or carnal mind of enmity to God is compliance with the Devil against the Gospel-will of Christ in himself and us and divine will of God The natural Spirit is the home-bred traitour wrap'd up in a confederacy with the Devil in enmity to God the Foe of our own House or in our own persons by which Satan seek's to mischieve and destroy us 'T is our great concern to watch against this foe and keep it out of action till perfectly abolish'd and cut off and then shall we never be troubled with it more The restor'd Spirit of man that has bin as a bosome-friend and guide in the first-covenant house of God leading us out of the corrupt State of our nature and opposing the vile affections and lusts thereof filth of flesh turn's flat against the new guide and leader the Spirit of Christ in himself and us under the conduct whereof only t is possible for us to 〈◊〉 into God's rest This familiar friend and wife that lies in our bosome lifts up the heel and turn's flat against the new governour the Spiritual and sure guide to true bessedness as well as former familiar friends without doors that remain wholly in the first-covenant house establish'd by Satan in the righteousness of man and so in unchangable enmity to God Psal. 41. 9. Trust not thy bosome-friend when indeed turn'd into a bosom-enemy the Foe the worldly disputant the carnal-minded reasoner against and opposer of Christ's Gospel-Spirit in us our new guide Confer not with her Gal. 1. 16 Suffer her not to Speak or open her mouth And keep the door of thy mouth from her Let not the thoughts words prayers of thy Spiritual mind or man that 's to seek study and joyn with Christ to put her to death be offer'd to her in way of conference or treaty For She will be against all to be sure Ther 's no treating with her for peace whose enmity to God is curable only by her Death She is for war as long as one drop of mystical blood or life is left in her She will fight against Spirit to the last gasp Trust her not then Mica 7. 5. I am for peace say's David's Spiritual Man but if I open my mouth to speak of peace to my natural that with all the affections and lusts thereof that fight and war against my own soul 1 Pet. 2. 11. is alway's for war Psal. 120. 7. The carnal mind or natural Spirit is the he that hates peace that peace with God which is no otherwise attainable but by its Death The soul of the Spiritual Saint sojourn's in Mesech dwells in the tents of Kedar with him that hates peace the Foe of its own house till utterly abolish'd dead and gone v. 5 6. If we follow our former old guide in us against the lusts of our corrupted nature when thus turn'd against the new and sure Spiritual guide in us we are so far forth servants of sin and Satan Rom. 6. 16. These two Spirits natural and Spiritual Man's and God's first and second-covenant principles of life desire thought word and action in Man clearly stated and laid before him in their vast differences and irreconcilable contrarieties with the advantages and disadvantages of chusing this or that for the principle of our life and action eternal life or death does not a wrong and most foolish choice render a man undeniably and unexcusably guilty of his own eternal ruine Be not then rash with this mouth of thy Spirit of enmity to God nor hasty in that heart to utter any thing before God For how is it possible to speak right words or things to God or men in a 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 to God whose mouth speaks all its words in union with the Devil All that after Spiritual Light and strong conviction as to all these things afforded them do still persist in speaking the words of their hasty forward Spirit of enmity to God in preaching to men or pretended prayer to God are abominable to God in all For as their most aggravated wickedness madness and folly do they deliver themselvs up to the Devil as his sworn bored Slaves and vassals for ever When by way of death and 〈◊〉 Man's natural Spirit is transform'd and baptiz'd into a union with his Spiritual mind or man the Spirit of God in him then as a Seer of God and right obedient Servant to the true Prophet or Spiritual man in him 't is a meek rightly tuned spirit fitted to be a mouth or door of utterance for the things of God to his Spiritual man For God is in Heaven and thou upon Earth therefore let thy words be few God resides or dwells in the all-searching Light of his new-'creation Sanctuary-Spirit that can discover the bottom intent of all hearts Heb. 4. 12 13 that take up with Satan in his first-creation house or state in unchangable enmity to him and the second his heavenly house or Spirit When thou prayest then enter into thy Closet and shut thy Door Mat. 6. 6. exclude thy own Earthly understanding Mind or Will let them have nothing to do in or with thee in thy Prayers keep secret from them what thou pray'st and treatest about with God for thy Salvation For the Life of that is to be the Sacrifice by which to enter into the new and everlasting covenant with God Psal. 50. 5. Keep the Door of thy mouth from this false bosome-Friend and guide She will never consent to her own Death And in all true Saint's preaching to men and Prayer to God is this very thing to be taught and sought This foe is to be excluded out of the cabinet-counsell of Christ and the Saint who joyntly conclude the Death or utter abolition of all the Life and motion thereof If that therefore be
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-Gospel-Spirit of Life by its death-work on our old or first-covenant law-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
works Rom. 4. 2-6 By the works of the Spirit of Grace not nature are we justified and saved Eph. 2. 8 9. One of the works by which Abraham was justifyed was the sacrificing death-work upon his Spirit of nature at best typed by Isaac And Abram therein with Isaac were both of them Types of Christ as the Gospel high-Priest and Sacrifice Works and reward in man's dealing with God on the terms of the first-covenant in his own spirit will and way are of debt in the second both and all on all hands are of Grace works and reward True Saints can say not I live walk speak work but Christ or his Gospel-Spirit lives and does all in me Gal. 2. 20. 'T is his Spirit of Grace in and by which they are what they are do what they do say what they say 1 Cor. 15. 10. All done in the participated creature-Spirit of the Son exactly answers the very divine mind and will of the Father All 's after his own heart By eating and drinking at Christ's heavenly Table feeding on his never-perishing meats Bread of Life and Wine of his Kingdom his divine and creature Glories do they enjoy the good of all their labours in the Lord. They eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart Act. 2. 46. with joy unspeakable and glorious in unchangable union with God whereas others are feeding at the Serpents Table in a Spirit of darkness death and unchangable enmity to God with him Avast difference There 's a fix'd unpasable Gulf between these two sorts of feeders eaters and drinkers The generation of God's Children born of his Spirit to whom he has given his heavenly riches and power to eat thereof do truly rejoyce in all their labours even while in their mortal Body on earth under the litteral Sun This is their happy Portion and Gift from God as follow 's Vers. XIX Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth and hath given him power to eat thereof and to take his Portion and to rejoyce in his labour This is the Gift of God The obedient Saint chooses not his Portion in his own will and life to his eternal ruine but is content God should choose as well as provide his Portion for him In a dutifull compliance with his Spiritual Law he readily parts with his own fading Life and riches perishing vanities for God's everlasting which is absolute Salvation Others rebelliously and knowingly choose what he obediently parts with as dung for their final portion which lay's them under final wrath Saints quit the best Life and Things of the living Soul of the first 〈◊〉 for the transcendently better Life and Things of the quickning Spirit of the second their earthy Image for his heavenly No other way of bearing the Image of the heavenly but a quitting the Earthy as a glory to be done away for the Glory of the heavenly which excell's and remain's for ever 2 Cor. 3. 10 11. In this 〈◊〉 of Life and all the labours right works and fruits thereof do they eat with unspeakable gladness of heart and this is the Gift of God The reason of this gladness is given Vers. XX. For he shall not much remember the days of his Life because God answereth him in the joy of his heart The day 's of the Saint's Life in his own Spirit of vanity and unprofitableness to himself as also enmity and sin against God shall not be remembred by God So he shall not be call'd to an account for what he has done in them God pardon 's and puts all out of his Book of remembrance on man's delivering up the guilty Sinner the Son of Bichri spiritual King David's Enemy 2 Sam. 20. 21 his own Spirit to Death in order to be quickned up into the Life of the Spirit of mystical King David that can never sin And this done by God the Saint himself shall not much remember so as to be confounded with the review of his innumerable and unutterably aggravated follies and abominations in the Life and Day 's of his vanity All 's pardoned and done away Sins and Sinner never to be remembred more by God Jer. 31. 33 34. Heb. 8. 12. and 10. 16 17. In their newness of Life they delight in God and God in them He answers them therefore in the Joy of their Heart giving them all the desires thereof Psal. 37. 4. Their and his desires meet and center in that one thing necessary to their pleasing him or being saved the new-creation Spirit of Christ his appointed and determin'd unspeakable Gift to them from Eternity CHAP. VI. Vers. I. There is an evil which I have seen under the Sun and it is common among Men Hebr. much upon man What Vers. II. A Man to whom God hath given Riches Wealth and Honour so that he wanteth nothing for his Soul of all that he desireth yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof but a stranger eateth it This is vanity and it is an evil disease IN letter a man furnish'd with all sorts of outward worldly desirables heart can wish from the unlawful use and feeding on them may be said not to eat thereof so as to receive any right comfort in its kind but signal disadvantage thereby Hence are all such his goods left a stranger to feed on being to himself so abused nothing but vanity and an evil disease A right lawful comfortable eating thereof is the gift of God Eccl. 5. 18 19. without this is he in a worse condition than he that wants all he enjoys as by the abuse thereof more deeply guilty Fading things give no true comfort or satisfaction in their kind The gift of God added to them distinct from such things this only can give right comfort and the lawful use of them 'T is a disease or infirmity inseparable from the nature of such things singly of themselvs to give any right comfort or advantage to man Solomon had himself large experience hereof in the abuse of such vanities given him by God in greater abundance then to others he wanted not for any such outward Riches Wealth and Honour 1 King 3. 13. and he did set himself as much or more than any to try what satisfaction he could find therein Whatever his eyes desired he kept not from them He withheld not his heart from any joy Eccl. 2. 10. This trade in vanities he long drove after signal mercy of the highest sort afforded him a principle of true wisdom which remained in him ver 9. unextinguishable under all though sorely interrupted as to exercise by such mad extravagant doings On his return from such sensual delights he declares all vanity in this recanting book All such desires and desirables belly and meats are vanity of vanities shadows of a higher mystical sort of vanities belly and meats that with these lower brutish are all to be destroy'd 1 Cor. 6. 13. And where 's man then The same evil disease in mystery is found commonly among men
noise made in the Wisdom thereof is but an uncertain sound of a tinkling Cymbal 1 〈◊〉 13. 1. 14. 8. It gives no aim at the right way toward Salvation or at the right armour to undertake Satan in Yea no greater or siercer Enemies blustring contradicting Blasphemers of the very 〈◊〉 of Salvation and right Armour for the Lord's battels then these 〈◊〉 Sirens first-covenant Singsters Such literal-wise mysticalfools will meet with a total disappointment of all their 〈◊〉 for ever Vers. 7. Surely oppression maketh a wise Man mad and a gift destroyeth the heart In letter the unreasonable Injustice and Oppression practis'd 〈◊〉 the corrupt spirit of nature in all worldly Governments may 〈◊〉 here meant The root and cause of all is an evil false self-interest by which Men in Government and Judicature are mercenarily seeking advantages to themselves in the outward riches and honours of 〈◊〉 World This is implyed in saying a gift destroyeth the heart 〈◊〉 Joel and Abiah Samuel's Sons turn'd aside 〈◊〉 lucre 〈◊〉 gain took bribes and perverted Judgment turn'd their bench 〈◊〉 Justice into a seat of Iniquity whence wrong Judgment proceeded This gave occasion to Israel's asking a King under which 〈◊〉 they found themselves much worse and that without remedy 〈◊〉 could not shake off that new and grievous yoke God would 〈◊〉 hear own or help them therein as he had threat'ned and forewarn'd them His Spirit in Samuel rul'd over them which was a Theocracy So God was rejected Sin their choice of a King like the Heathens round about them 1 am 8. They have rejected me that I should not reign over them says God Yet gave he them their national evil choice in his anger after he had said I will be thy King and told them they had destroy'd themselves by their own foolish choice but in him was their help Hos. 13. 9 -- 11. So gives he particular persons their foolish choice to be reigning as Kings mystical in the restor'd first-covenant 〈◊〉 of nature in preference to his Spirit of Grace the principle of life and action in the second a Theocracy where God would undertake to rule over and work all their works of obedience to himself in them and for them Such an evil self-chosen kingly Power he gives them in anger as a Judgment and will take it away in final wrath as he did 〈◊〉 For preventing or at least allaying the cammon evil and general calamity under the oppressive outward Governments of this World God gives Laws and enables wise Men in moral Heathenism or but legal-Christianity by the knowledg of Christ only after the flesh to make Laws prohibiting all in places of government or judicature to take gifts The reason alledg'd for this Exod. 23. 8. is because a gift blinds the Eyes of the Wise Heb. Seeing and perverts the words of the righteous So they pass sentence contrary to their own discerning Light Thought and Conscience This brings unreasonable oppression upon the innocent A foundation is laid and occasion given to this oppression in selling places of Judicature Whoever buy such places are under a temptation on that very account to sell Justice that they may reimburse themselves as to their own bribe for the place by taking bribes of others in it In the counsel of Jethro to his Son in law Moses approved by God we find the right qualifications for Men in such places that they be able Men fearing God Men of truth 〈◊〉 covetousness Exod. 18. 2. They were to be wise understanding Men such as should not respect persons in judgment nor fear the face of Man but hear and do justice to the small as well as great Deut. 1. 13 -17. Thus did Job I put on righteousness deliver'd the poor and fatherless that had none to help them I caus'd the Widows heart to sing for joy I search'd out the cause to the bottom brake the jaws of the wicked and pluck'd the spoil out of his teeth Job 29. 12 -17. Did I fear a great multitude or did the contempt of Families terrifie me so as to hinder my doing Justice to the poor needy and helpless Job 31. 34. So of the literal now to the mystical meaning of these Words A deeper and sorer evil among Men because a greater sin against God then the former is here pointed at as the principal intendment The truly wise Man is the spiritual Saint By the oppression of him are signified the additional ingredients and aggravating circumstances of bitterness by Satan's wiles put into the cup of suffrings given his natural Man to drink In the weakness and barrenness thereof under the demolishing work of the cross causing an hour and power of darkness all the former flourish and fruitfulness joy and feasting thereof in the first-covenant is turn'd into comes the roaring Lion the Prince of darkness to oppress devour and sink him quite Till brought to the test under the cross he accuses him to God be he never so faithful to his first-covenant Light that all his obedience is but mercenary from a self-interest wherein gratified to the utmost and not at all from any regard or love to God Put forth thy hand and touch all he has and he will curse thee to thy face says he of Job to God Let me be thy hand or employ'd instrument herein and see where Job will be then All he has is in thy hand or power says God Job 1. 9 12. When this dispensation of the cross and trial of Job thereby was begun Satan wind 's about and employs his Serpentine craft and malice against both God and Job another way He endeavours to bring Job to espouse his quarrel against God as dealing most injuriously with him He represents to Job the cross-blows on his righteous natural man body and spirit which himself was the permitted hand and commission'd manager of upon him as a most unreasonable oppression And by thus casting all the seeming oppressing-work upon God does he hide his own real oppression wicked counsel and suggestions from Job's natural Man now brought into darkness and not knowing what matters would come to what God would do with him or what would become of him Till new spiritual day-light was caused to spring up in him he could not interpret the riddle of the cross how this devourer of a fading life goodness clothing belly and meats should be the very means of giving all again with usury in a more excellent life and way Samson's riddle was the type of this Out of the eater came meat and out of the strong sweetness Judg. 14. 14. hony out of the Lion by him kill'd ver 6. 18. Samson as a type of the Priestly Spirit of Christ in its crucifying sacrificing-work upon nature rent that Lion as a Kid which was a usual sacrifice to God under the Law The natural Man of the Saint while in the dark under the cross is ready to strike in with Satan against God The Devil stirr'd up Job's three Friends
under this tryal they make a right or a wrong choice find eternal life or death the better or worse end than their beginning All that make the right choice have the praise of God but lie under the utmost dispraise and malice of Man all along this World under Satan's reign and the day of Man's orthodox judgment or Wisdom This is the great and main controversy between God and his creatures 〈◊〉 and Men. 〈◊〉 the very turning point to 〈◊〉 life or death the obedient submitting to the death of nature or the rebellious keeping up the life thereof The Saint sinds the end that 's better than the beginning others an end that 's worse The Saint sinds that blessed end of the Lord that the Lord Christ himself and his Servant Job found to be the happy issue and result of all their sufferings in the flesh or natural Man Jam. 5. 11. The truly patient in spirit here meant that submits to the death of his own nature finds the life of God's new-creature spirit of Grace in the room thereof So is he transcendently better than the proud in spirit that contradicts blasphemes and does despite to the Spirit of Grace with all its words and followers to his own everlasting destruction By sparing saving and keeping up his own life in enmity to the Cross he loses all life and comfort for ever The over-value and love of his own freedom or free-will brings him into everlasting bondage The quitting it for God's Free-will to good only and that unchangeably is everlasting deliverance or Salvation from all captivities oppressions enemies dangers or deaths The Saints new-creation life of God swallow's up all death's and enemies into victory renders them more than conquerors over all for ever The proud lifters up of themselves against God will be made vessels of dishonour under everlasting contempt and lie down in sorrow for ever This will they have of his hand Ver. 9. Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry for anger resteth in the bosom of fools The spirit of Man rich full wise strong and honourable in the fruitful 〈◊〉 of a first-covenant life is apt to be hasty angry and offended at what comes to run down all this in him marre his 〈◊〉 and lay all this his fading glory and honour in the dust The wise spiritual Saint in Seed may be found in this hasty angry demeanour against the Cross or any words or Doctrine thereof ignorantly for a season with Paul but such anger resteth or abides for ever only in the bosom heart or spirit of fools that obstinately persist in such wilful madness and folly as to their grand concern and utterly perish in their own corruption Will Man justifie himself herein saying I do well to be angry at the Doctrine and work of the Cross He that contends with the Almighty reproves God's declar'd method and way of saving his own creatur's let him answer it Job 40. 2. Why what Says Man's wrangling disputing wisdom Shall I suffer my house to be set on fire the Gospel Fire-Baptism and death thereby to be brought on my righteous natural state Christ did on his more righteous Shall I suffer the comely visage beauty and glory the wisdom and righteousness of my own nature ' twice set up in and put upon me by God himself once at creation and again by redemption to be all spoil'd and marr'd Shall I suffer all my mystical riches herein to be seiz'd and like a tame fool make no resistance The Man-Christ himself did not He opened not his mouth against this dispensation He suffer'd that fleece to be shorn off all that riches to be taken away as the dumb Sheep her literal fleece yea that life and all as the Lamb brought to the slaughter without noise or struggle Isa. 53. 7. And Paul was forthwith obedient to the Heavenly Vision and discovery of the Lord's mind herein without struggle or dispute He gave not way to the fleshly disputer of this world in himself or others against the known Command of God and method of his Wisdom for Salvation He became a tame fool in this case as Man's wisdom reckon's an obedient wise spiritual Man as God's Wisdom reckon's 1 Cor. 4. 10. Here 's the clash of two distinct opposite Wisdoms They that reckon themselves wise are not wise in God's account 2 Cor. 10. 12. And those they reckon fools the Lord commendeth v. 18. Those that finally refuse to be offer'd up in the fire of the same Heavenly eternal priestly Gospel-spirit of Grace in which Christ offer'd up our nature at best in himself without spot unto God Heb. 9. 14. Joh. 10. 17 18. will offer up themselves in the false fire of Satan's spirit unto him will give their body or natural state to be burnt by him not in love but unchangeable enmity to God This is the state they chuse to pass into as set on fire of Hell Jam. 3. 6. They are back'd and encourag'd by Satan's lie to set up their own nature with him in unchangeable enmity to God So come these mystical proud in spirit by their false self-preserving reasonings to be guilty of remediless folly and madness to their own destruction All this proceeds from a 〈◊〉 up thought of the wisdom and glory of their own nature above what is written of it They take and assert it to be everlasting But no such thing was ever written of it in the Oracles of God's Wisdom but the contrary 'T is therein abundantly and frequently asserted to be but a fading flower a perishing vanity and Man at best therein altogether vanity lighter than vanity less than nothing It had bin better for him never to have bin at all than never to be better He will find himself worse then nothing Annihilation-death will be desireable a reduction to his primitive nothing rather than a being exquisitly sensible under eternal torment and vexation of spirit When thus gull'd by Satan do men carry his lie in their right hand teach it as the only way of Salvation to their own and deceived blind-followers eternal damnation To prevent this great danger Solomon advises not to be hasty in our spirit to be angry in this grand concern and case as knowing it a fault Saints themselves are too inclinable to through a readiness to listen to the voice of their own spirit the words of their own Wisdom which go forth out of their own mouth Jer. 44. 17. with Satan's strong delusions and reasonings at the back of their own humane arguings to beget in them a rash hasty angry temper against the Cross or spirit of Christ and all the words thereof A stiff-necked resisting the cross-work of the Holy Ghost Act. 7. 51. upon them is the unpardonable sin the great the presumptuous transgression the sin unto eternal death They that thus do reject so great Salvation as in God's way and Wisdom is offer'd to them and 〈◊〉 what proves damnation in their own will and way as the
〈◊〉 bad his highest all the Kingdoms of this World and Glory of them all first-creation excellencies humane and angelical and that as transform'd into the gilded likeness of the second to purchase the life of Truth out of Christ's own hands How Christ handled him we find Mat. 4. Luk. 4. But he prevails with a World of professors that have put their hand to the Gospel-Plough as brought by Gospel conviction-Light to see their concern in running down Nature at best to look back Luk. 9. 62. to his first-creation offers withdraw their hands from and turn their backs upon Christ and his Kingdom-Spirit with the bewitch'd Galatians Gal. 3. 1 3. 5. 7 8. which alone could secure them from the destruction the over-much righteous or wicked come to That dungy-life Paul quitted which many hold fast unto damnation are we to withdraw our hand from and let go our hold of in order to lay hold on that unchangeably good thing that is eternal Salvation Those that having begun in the Gospel-spirit withdraw their hand from that Gospel-plough or cross upon their cleans'd enlightn'd natural Spirit and return to the love of and self-deceiving 〈◊〉 in their holy flesh or righteous Law-life of their restor'd Nature are in a dangerous way towards final Apostacy and Damnation Paul found the bewitch'd Galatians not so absolutely gone as to 〈◊〉 no room for his Gospel-endeavours and intercessions towards their recovery Gal. 4. 19. But many 〈◊〉 Gospel-convictions owning and following Gospel-Truths for a 〈◊〉 play false and turn final Apostates sell Christ's Gospel-spirit for their holy 〈◊〉 take off their hand and let go their hold 〈◊〉 Christ's Spirit of Truth for Satan's Spirit of lies on his engaging to advance them in their own nature will and way after their own heart Such oft become his most pregnant eminently accomplish'd Instruments to oppose those very Gospel-Truths that for a season they profess'd and own'd They knowingly part with or sell Christ his Gospel Spirit of Truth and his great Salvation therein offer'd them for themselves or their holy flesh restor'd Nature the Devil and Damnation They part with Christ's great Spiritual Gospel-Pearl for their lesser natural after they had agreed to and vow'd the parting with all for that one thing necessary They 'l not stand to their new-covenant bargain not go through as to the cost for a new building the utter demolition of their old They 'l not part with all their old things for Christ's new They like them not so well So hold fast what they have and lose all whereas they that obediently lose all they have find all again with usury in what the others refuse Mat. 16. 25. After all fair warning of this thus they do What help To begin in the Spirit and finally apostatize to a false confidence for Salvation in the flesh fits Men for the hottest Hell the greatest portion of Wrath for evermore This exposes such bidders at the new-building to everlasting derision and contempt Luk. 14. 28 30. When Men have yielded a little to cross-work suffer'd something of the old building to be pull'd down Gal. 3. 4. Stood the shock of some reproach from scorners for it and then are offer'd by Satan not only to be repair'd and made whole again as ever but also to have their old natural first-creation building rais'd higher and made larger and wider by the super-additions of superiour angelical excellencies and brightnesses of the same first-creation sort with their humane they are willing to take this for the right new-building for the Kingdom of God the true Gospel-state When Satan has them at this lock in this snare he lays his confirming paws upon them fixing them in unchangeable enmity to the very Gospel-Life and Spirit in which any can be saved or ever could They are then fully engaged in the sin against the holy Ghost or Gospel-Spirit of Truth beyond retreat leaving no place for repentance Heb. 6. 4 -- 6. 10. 26 27. This get all such Esau's by greedily catching at Satan's first-creation morsel in preference to Christ's offer'd new-creation birth-right Heb. 12. 16 17. They let go Christ's new-creation all things for Satan's glittering gilded first-creation nothings perishing vanities Christ's heavenly for his earthly things dust the old Serpent's diet Gen. 3. 14. This trade many thousands have driven and do drive in this World to their eternal ruine in the next There 's no helping them that will not be help'd Finally to refuse the things of God for the things of Man and Devil deliberately on a fair view of both is unpardonable folly They see how matters go on all hands see what they refuse and for what so their sin remains upon them for ever as Christ told the Pharisees Joh. 9. 40 41. They that refuse to part with their earthly life as dung Phil. 3. 8. for Christ's heavenly will perish as their own dung for ever Job 20. 7. All fading first-creation Vanities are dung to Chrst's heavenly spiritual things things of God offer'd by a new-Creation The best services in their own life on this fatal miscarriage will he spread as dung upon their faces Mal. 2. 3. To withdraw their hand from Christ's offers to comply with and accept Satan's is a drawing back to perdition Heb. 10. 39. This Solomon warns against farther declaring he that fears God shall come forth of them all shall escape out of all sin all evil company and ways every evil path that mystical Sodomites are in ver 16. or literal ver 17. He shall be delivered from the presumptuous unpardonable sin of both and all a sixture in their differing evil ways of death and be finally deliver'd and acquitted as to all his other sins on the death of the guilty sinner the evil-doer in him He shall surmount all sins and sinners come out of all literal or mystical Sodomies and Sodomites in corrupt or righteous Nature and so partake of none of their plagues under final Wrath Rev. 18. 4. 2 Cor. 6. 17. The Saint is highly concern'd to watch and fight against the Belial-party in him flesh or nature corrupt or righteous with the affections and lusts that war against his own Soul Gal. 5. 24. 1 Pet. 2. 11. What Satan backs and 〈◊〉 to gratify support and cherish in Saints are they constantly to fight against oppose cross impoverish and run down to death If they not only live but walk in Christ's Gospel Spirit wherein he will judg the World and they with him thus will they do They 'l judg the World within them their worldly natural Spirit now pass sentence of death upon it in harmony of their spiritual mind with Christ and as workers with him joyn in the speedy carrying on the 〈◊〉 of it lest Satan set or fix their heart in them to do evil Eccl. 8. 11. in unchangeable union with him All that by Christ's Spirit in them mortify the lusts and deeds of their body or natural state will live for ever with
God and the true Spiritual New-creation Man or Heavenly creature-Life and Image of God in Christ blessed Angels and Saints The ring-leading Head of all thus fix'd is the Devil This Head as representative of the whole party of incorrigible wicked Angels and Men and comprehending them all is the Woman here the mystical Babylonish-strumpet guilty of unpardonable Adulteries and spiritual wickednesses against Christ the true Spiritual Lord and Husband of Angels and Men whom they ought all to obey and be eternally subject to in every thing The very person of the Devil as possess'd of the highest natural glories and excellencies by the first creation was therein the supream first-Covenant Spouse of Christ. But this Spouse soon apostatiz'd and became the grand mystical strange Woman and Adulteress that did from the date of her first sin and fall set herself to draw as many Angels and Men as she could into the same adulterous and murderous mind of enmity against Christ that spiritual Lord and Husband they all ought to submit to his terms of being married to for ever in the new and everlasting Covenant All that rebelliously keep up their own life and beauty in the first against him and the second will be judg'd as mystical Wedlock-breakers Murderers and most criminal Idolaters Ezek. 16. 15 38. The Devil by this practice in the top-excellency of first-creation life has render'd himself a bottomless pit of deceits and all sorts of spiritual wickedness endeavouring and abundantly prevailing through God's permission and Men's wilful folly to corrupt their spirits and fill their hearts with the same unchangeable enmity to Christ and God with himself By the Workmanship of this mystical Woman are Men rendered temples of her unchangeable evil Spirit The mouth of this strange woman is a deep pit he that is abhorred of the Lord shall fall therein This have we from Solomon also Prov. 22. 14. But whoso pleases God shall escape her Thus gives he a true account of the said bottomless pit with the sad condition of all that fall therein and the blessed priviledges of them that escape her All blind leaders with their followers in the first-creation-state excluding Christ and the second tumble together into this deep ditch or bottomless pit of unchangeable wickedness Mat. 15. 14. Luk. 6. 39. The very spirit of the Devil is this ditch or bottomless pit the mother of all mystical Whoredoms and spiritual abominations of the Earth Rev. 17. 5. Or in the earthly natural state lying in wait as a robber for a prey and encreasing the transgressors among Men Prov. 23. 27 28. All that in their renew'd spirit of Nature righteousness of Man or Form of Godliness in the first-Covenant finally deny and reject the Power of Godliness the New-creature-life Wisdom and Righteousness of God in the second are fallen into this bottomless pit of deceits All fix'd first-creation builders on the Sand absolutely reject exclude and deny that Spirit of Grace that 's the corner-stone and rocky foundation of the true Church The Woman here is indeed that strong powerful Man of Sin or Son of Perdition that by his superiour angelical strength and subtilty when faln was too hard for Man at best in innocency By the obedient death only of Man's spirit at best can he receive the life of that new-creation spirit of Christ that 's greater stronger and wiser then he 1 Joh. 4. 4. Then he is an over-match for the Devil able to fight and run down all evil angelical principalities and powers those wicked spirits with all their spiritual wickednesses in high places or counterfeit heavenly appearances Ephes. 6. 10 -13. When strong in the Lord and in the power of his might in the life armour or clothing of God's Spirit of Grace set up in and put upon him then is man able to still the said enemy and avenger Psal. 8. 2. This spirit in man is stronger then the strong man of sin who therefore cannot enter that House or Person it possesses nor spoil his house or goods Mat. 12. 29. Man wise strong and honourable in Christ but by first-covenant communications 1 Cor. 4. 10. Satan is too strong for and can spoil all he has or is All that is in his power Job 1. 12. So let Man want the Spirit stronger than Satan he 'l fall under him and be led captive at his will in and by that very first-covenant life he reckons to be saved in 2 Tim. 2. 26. The wisdom of it cannot discover his snares nor the strength of it withstand his power All 's but as straw and rotten wood to his superiour Angelical Wisdom Strength and Armour Job 41. 27. Flesh and Blood Man at best is so far from being fit to wrestle against evil Angels that they can make all that in Man serviceable to their designs for destroying him as on their side their friend in him In Christ's Spirit of life are Saints only fit to fight down both both Flesh and Blood the natural spirit at best and evil Angels at the back of it to strengthen that Foe of their own house that with them in all its affections and lusts fights and warrs against God and the true interest of their own souls The compleat death of this home-bred Foe but pretending Womanish Friend and Counseller in the Saint's own bosom Mic. 7. 5. is his full deliverance from all Satan's nets and snares For then he finds no part in him that he can tempt or touch please or hurt John 14. 30. When the Saint is crucified as to all worldly desires in him to all worldly desirables without him the God of this World finds nothing in him his Belial-party the enemy of God is extinguish'd and abolish'd The literal Woman by her snares and alluring Arts makes literal the mystical by her's spiritual and more criminal Sodomites T will be easier in the day of Judgment for the former then for the latter Mat. 11. 23 24. The light of Reason in all men may fence against the literal but the best Wisdom and Strength of first-Covenant holy Men is no defence against this mystical Woman's practices upon them Yea she turn's that very Wisdom and Strength with the perishing meats they feed on therein at Christ's earthly table and fruits they bring forth under Christ's Husbandly influence as a fleshly Bridegroom into so many Snares by which she catches them While she keeps them confident in holy flesh or knowledg of Christ after the flesh she renders them wholly regardless of his holy Gospel-spirit and words thereof save to oppose contradict and blaspheme all When Men give up themselves with Christ's first-Covenant gift of life and second-Covenant enlightning gifts and thereby a taste-of his new-Wine Hos. 2. 8. Heb. 6. 4 5. of the the Kingdom to Baal the Devil they become his most Gigantick opposers and strenuous fighters against all Gospel Kingdom-Truths and all that bring such things to their ears When men wilfully deafen themselves to the voice of
AN EXPOSITION OF Ecclesiastes OR The Preacher The Inspiration of the Almighty giveth Understanding Job 32. 8. The things of God knoweth no Man but the Spirit of God by which he reveal's them 1 Cor. 2. 10 11. The Spiritual Man discern's all things v. 15. If I pleas'd Men I should not be the Servant of Christ Gal. 1. 10. LONDON Printed in the Year 1680. Sold by Samuel Lee at the Feathers in Lombard-Street near Popes-head Alley CHAP. I. Vers. I. The words of the Preacher the Son of David King of Jerusalem THIS Book written by King Solomon about the fourtieth year of his Reign and last of his Life Anno 〈◊〉 3030 is called in Greek Ecclesiastes in Hebrew Choheleth both signifying a caller unto or a gatherer together of Men to declare to them the words of God's Wisdom relating to their everlasting blessedness This is the proper work of the infallible Spirit of Christ in himself and Saints Pro. 1. 20-23 and 8. 1 -9. This living Creature-Word and Wisdom of God is called the Beginning in and by which God created the Heaven and the earth Gen. 1. 1. The purely divine Form of God did by way of emanation or generation not properly creation produce that Supream Creature-form of him in personal Union with it self from everlasting as it self tells us Prov. 8. 22 23. This became his fitted Hand by which to Create the World as also to mediate between meer creaturality in Angels and Men when made and the single infinite Divinity This fountain Creature-Spirit is by Divine Authority called God and asserted to be the immediate Creator of all things John 1. 1 3. Col. 1. 15 16. Yea the Man Christ as the polished Shaft in this hand of God ready to be sent forth in due time is said to be him by whom God made the Worlds Heb. 1 -- 3. Natural and Spiritual by a first and second Creation He gave an Immortality of Being not of Life to Angels and Men by the First but true Life and Immortality are brought to light and set up in them only in and by the Second The First was a mortal Law-life the Second is an everlasting Gospel-Life 2 Tim. 1. 10. Whoever fall short of Christ's Gospel-life as all do that finally refuse to part with their fading Law-life by a holy obedient death of their own Spirit and Nature fall short also of the glory of God never come to see and enjoy the divine glory as Co-heirs with Christ of God This living creating preaching Word and Creature-Wisdom of God is the supream receaver and infallible declarer of the whole counsel of the divine Mind relating to Angels and Men. The words of this living Word will prosper in the thing whereto sent the Eternal Life or Death of the obedient 〈◊〉 or willful rejecters thereof Isa. 55. 11. 2 Cor. 2. 15 16. God effectually makes obedient submitters to and receivers of it Wicked Men and Angels make themselves willful haters final refusers and incorrigible enemies thereof Hos. 13. 9. In this supream Creature-being the original Creature-Book and living Word of God did all things consist or stand up together in a Radical existence before brought forth in their actual subsistencies by Creation In this Book were all our Members written when as yet there was none of them Our substance was not hid from God but seen by him together with all we shall ever come to be or do and all he will do with us to all eternity Psal. 139. 15 16. Seen and known to him were all the works of his hands and all the works of those works Men and Angels towards him before their actual Production or personall Individuation Yea before their said radical Existence There are no Futurities to His infinite Understanding All things past present and to come were ever present to him The Supream Creature-Spirit Word and Wisdom of God is called Man as also are Angels both good and bad The man Gabriel that appeared to Daniel Zachary and Mary Dan. 9. 21. Luk. 1. 19. vers 26 27. was this creature-Creature-Spirit in the Mediator Good Angels also have been frequently represented as and called Men Gen. 18. 2. and other Scriptures Evil Angels also are called Men of sin Sons of Perdition in and with their Luciferian Head 2 Thes. 2. 3. By the communicated Spiritual Light of the Man Christ to Angels and Men can either of them under and with him become true seers of God in his divine and creature-glories so as to be true Preachers and rightly qualified Declarers of his divine and spiritual Things or Truths Such a Seer of God was Solomon the Preacher and Writer of this Book And in the same Light in which a Seer of the things of God was he enabled infallibly to see and declare the Vanity of all first-creation Life and Goodness and the never-fading Glories and excellencies of the Second In the all-penetrating Spirit of true Prophecy did he see the deep things of Gods divinity and the natural and spiritual things of the first and second Creation what each amounted to So could 〈◊〉 with other awakened spiritual Saints infallibly prophesy or foretell what will become of any Men or Angels to Eternity as found rebelliously fixing in their first-creation Life and State of Vanity or obediently surrendring it for the second in Eternal Life or Death In this true spirit of Prophecy did Solomon with his Father David and other Saints find out and set in order many right words words of Truth given from one Shepherd Eccl. 12. 10 11. The spirit of the Lord the rock of Israel spake to and by David His Word saies he was in my tongue 2 Sam. 23. 2 3. Such words only as the Holy Ghost teacheth words of Gods wisdom shew the way of salvation and of scaping damnation Such words only shew those glorious things God hath in everlasting love provided for Saints and the dreadful amazing things he hath in everlasting wrath prepared for incorrigible sinners neither of which can the Eye Ear Heart or Understanding of natural Man or Angel take any right measure or notice of Man and Angel in the utmost wisdom of their own nature are bounded with first-creation vanities for Object of which number its very self is and they therein When view'd in the infallible Light and weighed in the just Ballance of Gods new-creation Sanctuary-Spirit they 'l all be found lighter than vanity t. The Son of David King of Jerusalem So a Type of the Man Christ as Son of the great and originally unchangable Creature-spirit of the Mediator the true King of his New-Jerusalem Saints set up by God on his holy Hill of Zion Psal. 2. 6. John 5. 22. 27. Act. 17. 31 c. Vers. II. Vanity of vanities saith the Preacher Vanity of vanities all is vanity The doubling of the words Vanity of vanities is emphatical more strongly asserting this irrefragable Truth That vain are all things in the first-creation world or natural state of Men and
returning thereunto as in unchangable union therewith can truly satisfy it Vers. VIII All things are full of labour man cannot utter it the eye is not satisfied with seeing nor the ear filled with hearing Man in his natural first-creation state at best in all possible attainments and contentments thereof is but labouring in vanity from first to last and his misery therein not to be conceived or uttered by him Everlasting perplexity and unutterable vexation of spirit will inevitably seize him for ever after all his doating mirth in his fools paradise here if he get not out of this finfull folly and madness The understanding or eye ear and heart of his immortal spirit in the best natural state thereof cannot see hear desire take in or enjoy the divine and eternal spiritual creature-things of God provided in the Mediatour for them that love him which alone can answer all the wants of their immortal spirits not onely to satisfaction but extasy and wonder to all eternity A new spiritual eye ear intellect and palate are absolutely necessary for mans rightly taking in seeing hearing savouring enjoying and delighting in these things of God But how or which way must or can man come by these spiritual senses eye ear palate and understanding By the assimilating regenerating touch of Christ's new-creature heavenly spirit on man's natural and earthly Man obediently submitting to the death-work of Christ's heavenly priestly spirit as himself did in our spotless fleshly nature offering it up in sacrifice to the will of God in the fire thereof Heb. 9. 14. kindling that fire on the earth or earthly state of our nature in himself Luk. 12. 49-51 by this means and way only can any truly please God effectually resist and overcome world and devil scape eternal death or find eternall life in the senses whereof to be satisfied with seeing and filled with hearing He must be content to have his right eye hand and foot plucked out cut off and cast away to part with and lose the best discerning wisdom and light the exactest working righteousnes and walking righteously in his own renewed natural state offended at the cross signified by eye hand and foot in order to be filled with another life springing up from the incorruptible seed thereof as begotten and born of the spirit or ever-living word of God 1 Pet. 1. 23. in which alone he can see hear work righteousness or walk with a right foot according to the gospel of the grace of God so as truly to please God or find true blessedness for himself where his eye ear and heart can take in what will fully answer all the wants or desires of his immortal spirit to eternity Thus only can man come so to delight in the Lord as to have the whole desire of his heart Psal. 37. 4 all the needs of his immortal being eternally over-answered in such enjoyments and things as the natural eye ear or heart of Angel or Man can never see hear desire understand or take any right measure and cognizance of 1 Cor. 2. 9. By submitting to the death of nature at best under the hand of the gospel-high priest of our profession Heb. 3. 1. as himselfe in our nature did can these things be brought to pass The promise of the father will be certainly performed by the son for the quickning us up out of the death of our obediently sacrificed nature into the life of the true Melchisedec or sacrificing High Priest of God So shall we come to have an eye that can be satisfied with seeing and an ear filled with hearing in the fight and enjoyment not only of the Rivers of true Life in the creature-spirit of the Mediator but infinite divine Ocean-fullness of God most high The natural Eye Ear Heart and Understanding have nothing for Object of the desire and thought of Man but a heap of perishing visible or invisible vanities that can never answer the wants of his immortal being All his appetite there is but a belly for meats and meats for a belly that God will destroy both one and t'other 1 Cor. 6. 13. desires and desirables which are all Vanity Man in whatsoever variety of his own nature then is vainly labouring under an impossibility of pleasing God or profiting himself as to true blessedness All he does in his natural state or Body the restored living soul and Image of the earthly is but bodily exercise 1 Cor. 15. 44-49 1 Tim. 4. 8. Man by trusting and establishing himself in his righteous Law-life becomes the unchangable enemy of God and his Gospel-life and Truths Filth of flesh or spirit an enmity to the divine and everlasting righteous creature-spirit of Christ and God fixed in makes Men a litteral or mystical Sodom to which the vengeance of eternal sire is the meet recompence When Man is once come to this pass all his labours are but as the tossings and uncertain tumblings of a raging foaming Sea casting up mire and dirt 〈◊〉 of flesh or spirit Isa. 57. 20. No peace with God no peaceable fruits of righteousness to God in a fixed spirit of enmity to him These can only be found and brought forth in that Gospel spirit of truth which is called Love as unchangably loving and beloved of God the fulfiller of his whole Law Rom. 〈◊〉 10. in every point in the full comprehensive litteral and mystical meaning thereof the fulfiller of all righteousness God's and Man's to God's well-pleasing and Man's Salvation Man establish'd in the most righteous Life of his own nature and so in unchangable enmity to the Righteousness of God in his spirit of Grace is unchangably wicked He walkes but in a vain shew a troublesome dream disquiets himself in vain heaps up Riches and knows not who shall gather them Psal. 39. 6. Christ by the same Cross or spiritual Gospel-Sword and Fire in final wrath will seize gather take and consume all which had they obediently submitted to as offer'd to be brought upon them in Love he would have given them his durable Riches and everlasting Life in the room thereof and so a spiritual Eye that should have bin satisfied with seeing and an Ear that would have bin filled with hearing Without Gospel-exchange-Traffick of Nature for Grace the Life of Man for God's of the Creature for the Creator's who is God blessed for ever we never find true satisfaction In his own nature Man trades only in shadows will never make any thing on 't to purpose That Life and all it feeds on are but vanishing shadows all the visible and invisible goodnesses thereof but fading flowers All that willfully and knowingly spend their days in such vanities will in a moment go down to the grave and all their thoughts perish Job 21. 13. All their beauty will be consumed in the grave from their dwellings Psal. 49. 14. This will men come to by the willful neglect of this timely warning from God that the inmost Eye and Ear of their Immortal Spirit in
Sand on the Sea-shore 1 Kings 4. 29. The mystical inward riches of his restored adorned nature rendred him as much above others therein as in outward worldly greatness and visible pompe And he resolved to make the best of all these advantages offered him try what they all amounted to not without a secret hopeful-thought of finding absolute blessedness therein Vers. XVII And I gave my heart to know Wisdom and to know Madness and Folly I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit Here 's that he find's all to amount unto Wisdom Righteousness Wickedness Madness Folly all within the compass of Man's natural state corrupt or righteous vanity and if finally trusted in for blessedness will leave Man to his sore and amazing disappointment in eternal darkness and death unutterable torment and everlasting vexation of spirit as his due portion the meet recompence of his errour from God Solomon found the search after all Earthly vanities all things under Heaven or below what is heavenly a sore travel vers 13. a grievous labour man little the better when he has found them For setting himself to experience what the utmost pleasures to be had in all amounted to as gratifying to all variety of life and desire in him sensuall or intellectual he found all such knowledg and folly in corrupt or righteous nature and all such practice and experience vanity and vexation of spirit He was qualified and furnished to take the largest and deepest draughts as to all delights of the Sons of Men and take them he did and this he found all to be Though he found wisdom acquired or infused nature cultivated advanced and adorned by humane learning in Heathens or made wise strong and honourable in Christ by his restoring the lost righteous first-covenant life thereof better then the folly of dark ignorant uncultivated and unrenewed nature yet he found that all these varieties in nature fall under the same general title vanity and vexation of spirit This is the conclusion he arrives at in the preaching all-searching spirit of infallible truth All Wisdom Folly Light Darkness Righteousness Wickedness in man's natural state which he had taken the liberty to experience as well as know all is vanity This is King Solomon's Proclamation and warning to his fellow-mortals and the true King Solomon's faithfull and timely warning to all man-kind in all generations Prov. 1. 20 c. 8. 1 c. Final disappointment torment and vexation will befall all that finally fall short of true substantial divine and spiritual things in which alone true blessedness can ever befound Vers. XVIII For in much wisdom is much grief and he that encreaseth knowledg increaseth sorrow All increasings with the encreases of man in the fading Life Wisdom Riches Righteousness and Glory of his own nature not of God in the everlasting Life Wisdom Glory and righteousnes things of God are but additions to and multiplications of his sorrow in getting keeping and then loosing all again For all must go first or last by the dispensation of the Cross in love or final wrath upon every Man and Angel Men cannot but have misgiving thoughts from the self-evidencing nature of the perishableness of all they can be there possess'd of that all will be gone again So are all their life time therein subject to bondage in the highest glory and flourish thereof through a fear by death of losing all Heb. 2. 15. Job declares that as safe as he was apt to 〈◊〉 himself to be in the highest righteousness wisdom and glory of his own nature in afirst-covenant-life he had a secret bottom-fear all would fail him The thing I greatly fear'd is come upon me Job 3. 25 26. I find I had nothing of that true safety rest or quiet in the utmost wisdom and glory of my own restored nature that I fondly flatter'd my self into the false perswasion of He found all death-struck by the Cross the very righteous life and mystical riches of his spirit as well as outward concerns of his body His secret fear was the truest thought and faithful 〈◊〉 of him as to what he was to expect at winding up Man's encrease in the wisdom and knowledg of his own nature amounts but to the cleerer sight of the miseries and defects of himself and others therein and all such wisdom shews it self insufficient to correct his own or others errours Young sciolists are apt presently to think they know all but when they have travelled farther in their inquiries come with Socrates to see and confess they know only this that they know nothing with certainty infallibly and so find no rest or satisfaction in all they find Yea and are still more and more vexed and press'd thereby with the foresight of future evils incident to them The wisest man will more and more find himself in the exercise of his own wisdom as to things past present or to come but in a self-tormenting labyrinth and 〈◊〉 maze of vaine self-bewildring imaginations All knowledg and thoughts depending on the temper and fitness of bodily Organs are enfeebled in the old age and at length quite extinguished at the death of the body Then that all that sort of thoughts perish all see Again the higher man's light and knowledg if uncompliant therewith in practice the heavier he knows will the wrath of God be upon him for ever Thus the sad and inevitable result af all Man's encrease in his own wisdom and knowledg is the encrease and aggravation of his sin and sorrow at every turn Lastly the higher man is advanc'd in the life riches wisdom and righteousness of his own spirit the more apt with Paul to be a fierce zelot for that law-life and forwardest opposer of the everlasting Gospel-life of Christ and all the words thereof The Cross seemes a harder dispensation to the righteous Scribe and Phaisee that have much to lose then to Publicans Harlots in the corrupt life of nature who therefore as more easily induced to submit to and own the doctrine thereof enter into the Kingdom of God before them The mysticall rich young man went away very sorrowful when he heard of parting with all he had for eternal life Zaccheus and Mary-Magdalen did not so Final trusting in the corruptible life riches wisdom and righteousness of man render's entering into the kingdom of God absolutely impossible Mar. 10. 24 25. The very Disciples acquainted yet only with first-covenant riches were astonished out of measure at this word saying among themselves who then can be saved vers 26. Encrease in outward riches also and in that wisdom and subtlety by which gotten and for a season kept all such riches pomp and glory therein as figures and shadows of inward are usually found to be but the amusing snares of Satan by which he keep 's men in a total mindlesness of truelife with all the words thereof and leads them blindfold to the chambers of Death in Mirth and Jollity Job 21. 7-13 Thus are
deep dark dungeon and miry pit of all sorts of filth of flesh or spirit a litteral or mystical Sodom in the corrupt or righteous life thereof in the dark as to the excellent things God offers and wholly disposed and inclined to close with Satan's offers out of his vast heap of perishing vanities Merriment and Jollity in such a destructive course is madness God therefore calls man into a state of poverty mourning and death as to all this life of vanity and that as the only possible way of his deliverance from all evil Prov. 1. 33. Vers. III. I sought in mine heart to give my self unto wine yet acquainting my heart with Wisdom and to lay hold on Folly till I might see what was that good for the Sons of men which they should do under the Heaven all the dayes of their life Vers. IV. I made me great Works I builded me Houses I planted me Vineyards Vers. V. I made me Gardens and Orchards and I planted Trees in them of all kind of Fruits Vers. VI. I made me Pooles of Water to water therewith the Wood that bringeth forth Trees Vers. VII I got me Servants and Maidens and had Servants born in my House also I had great Possessions of great and smal Cattel above all that were in Jerusalem before me Vers. VIII I gathered me also silver and gold and the peculiar treasure of Kings and of the Provinces I gat me Men-singers and Women-singers and the delights of the sons of men as musical Instruments and that of all sorts Vers. IX So I was great and increased more then all that were before me in Jerusalem also my Wisdom remained with me Vers. X. And whatsoever mine Eyes desired I kept not from them I withheld not my heart from any Joy for my heart rejoyced in all my labour and this was my portion of all my labour Here 's in Letter a larg account of Solomon's most desireable circumstances as to his outward condition in this World He excell'd other Kings in all kind of wealth wisdom greatness and honour 1 Kings 10. 23. Of all worldly contentments he had more then heart could wish And he set his heart to deny no desires thereof but fetcht up the utmost pleasure and satisfaction to himself that all these things could afford him To interpret then Every outward circumstance was figurative to the inward condition and mystical riches of his spirit All import in mystery his beautiful structure in the glory and wisdom of a first-covenant life and the workes of his own hands therein All this Paul counted dung and parted with for the riches wisdom and righteousness of God in his Gospel-spirit of grace and truth Phil. 3. 6-9 The wisdom inward beauties and excellent natural accomplishments of Solomon's spirit are here represented by stately Houses fruitfull Gardens Orchards c. At length in the awaken'd principle of true wisdom from the Fountain of living Waters he sees and declares the vanity of his broken Cistern or leaky natural Vessel with all the fading Waters buildings plantings and fruitfulnesses thereof All within man and all from without relating to him in this world is but Meats for a belly and a belly for Meats all perishing vanities God will destroy all belly and meats desires and desireables All confidence laughter mirth and joy therein is folly and madness All natural perfections and excellencies in the unstain'd purity of his first-creation state together with the convincing discoveries and revelations of the spiritual perfections and excellencies of the second soon ran out of the leaky natural Vessel of the first Adam He did not long keep the twofold waters of first-covenant Life or second-covenant Light the loss of both soon left him and all his posterity in darkness and death Dead in 〈◊〉 and sins Solomon finds all his natural braveries outward or inward but tottering Houses leaky Vessels all his possessions therein altogether vanity In the infallible light of spiritual wisdom he makes a right judgment of his natural principle and all fruits works or buildings therein typed by the abundant litteral varieties of pompous Houses Plantations c. All is vanity say's he This is the result this his verdict on the review of all after his full trial largest draughts and utmost experience of all possible desireables or satisfactions to be found in nature To particularize farther Men-singers and Women-singers may sitly signify the well-tuned frame and pleasant harmony of Solomons spirit in the orderly comportment and beautiful subjection of the sensual to his rational and intellectual powers figured by great and small Cattel making up but the humane Beast in scripture Language Every man is a Beast by his own knowledg in the utmost wisdom of his own nature earthly sensual so all in Man or Angel is call'd short of spiritual new-creation life having not the spirit Jude 19. so if fixed in devilish by unchangable enmity to that spirit and God most high Jam. 3. 15. The head of fallen Angels in the fading glory of first-creation life rebelliously exalted against the second is the most subtil beast in the first world or field Gen. 3. 1. Solomon gathered Silver and Gold was great and encreased more then all before him in Jerusalem mystical Gold and Silver the peculiar treasure of Kings such Princes of this world Scribes Pharisees c. in the riches flourish and fruitfulness of their own restored nature made wise strong and honourable by and in Christ there as crucified the prince of life in the next the Lord of Glory In sum he exceeded all such mysticall 1 Cor. 4. 8. as well as litteral Kings of the earth for wisdom and for riches inward and outward And his great delight in both and all is figured by Men and Women-singers with musical Instruments of all sorts importing his full injoyment of the utmost delights of the Sons of Men nature in it's most widen'd capacity can take in Whatever his eyes desired he kept not from them nor withheld his heart from any joy He allowed himself a latitude of rambling to take his utmost pleasure in all the litteral and all the mystical riches and fruits of his labours He rejoyced in this portion as the result of all his labour reckoning he had ground so to do The wisdom of God that remained with him in under all this doings was the only preservative in him that kept him from sinking and drowning in this full tide and affluence of all worldly desireables streaming into him He gives proof of the awakened exercise of this wisdom in this recantation-book and of the contrary Judgment thereof to man's at best as to the things wherein his true hapiness lies In the hurry of his busy active natural mind in worldly contrivances and enjoyments this true wisdom in him lay sorely clouded obstructed silenced and neglected But at last up it gets under Christ's powerful influence and pronounces himself and all his former designs works and injoyments in his own
fading nature vanity and vexation of spirit as follow 's Vers. XI Then I looked on all the workes that my hands had wrought and on the labour that I had laboured to do and behold all was vanity and vexation of spirit and there was no profit under the Sun Solomon in the infallible light and wisdom of the second looked upon all his works labours and enjoyments in the first-creation World and life and finds all vanity and vexation of spirit of no profit avail or conducibleness at all to true hapines but rather as mistaken and abused signal lets and hindrances thereunto All will come to nothing and therefore finally trusted in and relied upon will leave Man naked and destitute to eternity In all moyling and toyling in his own nature he is found in direct enmity to God and that spirit of grace in which alone he can be saved All life goodness things of this world are not only unprofitable but destructive to man if rested in His inevitable loss of all is legibly written out in the changable nature of all for his own reading The resolute chusing therefore his own fading creature-life and things before above and against the unchangable creature-life of the Creator and everlasting Righteousness and wisdom of God therein with all the ever-new fruits thereof things of God is an unpardonable crime the sin against the holy Ghost or spirit of God and Gospel-life of Christ the great the presumptuous sin unto death exclusive to all benefit of Christs sacrifice all intercession of Christ or true Saints Jo. 5. 16. Heb. 10. 26. So will man be left for ever in the most forlorn condition imaginable unutterable torment and vexation of spirit Vers. XII And I turned my self to behold wisdom and madness and folly for what can the man do that cometh after the King even that which hath been already done Solomon turned from his own fallible to the infallible wisdom of God or light of his spirit in which he saw the perpetual course of madness and folly he had been guilty of under the conduct of his own So saw he the wisdom of God in his new-covenant spirit of grace and folly of man throw-out in his old-covenant spirit of nature Partakers of that creature-holy ghost or spirit that 's in personal union with the divine are brought into unchangable union of mind with the divine When Solomon turned to the exercise of this he turned from his own as he advised others Prov. 3. 5 6. The spirit of God is the creature-wisdom the living Word of God that is God Jo. 1. 1. everlasting righteousness true holiness To keep up the life and way of Man's will wisdom and spirit against God's is destructive Madness and folly For what can he do that comes after the King Solomon King of litteral and also mystical earthly Jerusalem in all the glory wisdom and righteousness of man He reigned as a King there for a season over his sensual powers with the Corinthians in the but restored first-covenant spirit of the Law 1 Cor. 4. 8. He had the start and vantage-ground of all others in his day for finding true hapiness in worldly vanities if any such thing were ever to be found therein What litteral or mystical all visible or invisible Riches and Glories of that sort signified or amount unto he had so full an experience that for any to think or hope to find therein what he could not is madness The King here may also point back to the first or forward to the second Adam in our flesh made under the Law as the first Both first and second Adam in holy flesh life of the Law righteousness of Man were greater then Solomon in the first-creation Principle of life and action and free from enmity to the second The first could not secure his standing in that changable principle The second refused to attempt it but surrendred and let it fall for that principle of unchangable righteousness in which he could as the first ought to have done He would not be a Judg Ruler or King in the former as the professing Jews in that spirit would have had him who crucified him for owning himfelf a King in the latter wherein the Son of God Yet such a King will he shew himself to be to their sorrow whether they will or no. What can men hope for in but some gradual restorings of that life of nature they had in perfection untinctur'd also with filth of spirit or enmity to God and the power of godliness in his spirit of grace which lurk's under the highest restored Righteousness of Man or form of godliness in his spirit of nature Adam in innocency had not eternal life and God took away what he had his fading for his sinfull keeping it up against and refusing to surrender it in exchang for his everlasting life If what was Adam's sin to do be asserted the duty he ought to have done to Wit the keeping what he had and where he was what instructions are we like to have towards the avoiding a sinning after the similitude of his transgression And they that confine the Death of the second Adam to his body denying the surrender and Death of his spirit as to its first-covenant Life of the Law will teach the pittying sparing and keeping up of that as Satan by Peter counselled Christ himself to be the very way of salvation Thus runs the doctrine of Satan's and Man 's other Gospel in a flat contradiction to Christ's in every point Vers. XIII Then I saw that Wisdom excelleth Folly as far as Light excelleth Darkness Wisdom and Folly Light and Darkness character the first and second Covenant or Old and New creation Law and Gospel-principles of life desire thought and action in Men. The excellency of the second admits no comparison with the first The first has no Glory Wisdom Light Righteousness to the second that excell's and remain's for ever 2 Cor. 3. 10 11. The first is marvellous darkness as to all spiritual things of God and grand concerns of man The second marvellous light discovering all things divine spiritual and natural in their distinct goodnesses Ye were darkness in your own spirit of nature corrupt or enlightned now are ye light in the Lord's spirit of grace walk as Children of this light Eph. 5. 8. walk not as fools in your own spirit but as wise vers 15. in the Lord's Man's spirit since the fall in the highest renewals is of Satan's palate savours not sees or receives any things of the spirit of God Mat. 16. 23. 1 Cor. 2. 14. All that finally prefer their darkness to God's light will find everlasting darkness their portion The glorious advantages of the wisdom and light of God's spirit render it most desireable to man Prov. 3. 13 18. and 4. 5 13. True wisdom call's out to all in corrupt or enlightned nature as fools and simple in their main concern Prov. 1. 20-23 and 8. 5. The folly of Man in
of his own nature life and all from Christ's Gospel-sword or Cross and spiritual Circumcision-Knife and so from being an obedient sacrifice or holocaust to God in all There is also a great evil even direct enmity to God found in all man's first-creation life of vanity the most restored Image of the Earthy and best fruits producible therein This filth of spirit cleaves fast unto all and is inseperable from Man's nature since the first sin of it Christs communicating to and setting up his spiritual life in Saints makes them Lilies that neither toil nor Spin yet grow into a flourishing fruitfulnes No labour or toil of the natural spirit in the case but a rest from all that labour God works all our works in us and we all our works in him Jo. 3. 21. Solomon in all his glory was not Arayed like one of these Mat. 6. 28 29. In all his fading natural excellencies and perfections he had no glory to these beautiful new-creation Lilies that excel Men yield up all their fading natural life and fruits to Christ as the man the spirit of everlasting righteousness or to the Devil the Man of sin and everlasting wickedness If to Christ he offers all up in sacrifice to God If to Satan he sets up and uses all in unchangable enmity to God When the Son of God had this life of vanity about him the life of the Law God spared it not in him nor did he pitty or spare it in himself as the Devil by Peter advised him to do Some that have a mind to be bidding at Salvation and the new-building in the way of the Cross and won't bid up are willing to part with the corrupt life of nature and palpably evil fruits and lusts thereof the refuse and worst of their Cattel but as Saul in letter and mystery spare the choice things the King and best of the Cattel in this Amalekite-spirit of nature keep back part of their earthly possessions with Ananias and Saphira the righteous Earthly life and fruits thereof will come off or fare as they did lose their own self-chosen kingdom life and all 1 Sam. 15. 8 9. and v. 18-23 Acts. 5. 1-10 Vers. XXII For what hath a Man of all his labour and of the vexation of his heart wherein he hath laboured under the Sun Without a surrender of all for that newness of life in which alone he can bring forth fruit unto God and be saved all turns to his eternal loss and disadvantage This question is resolved Vers. XXIII For all his dayes are sorrows and his Travel grief yea his heart taketh not rest in the night This is also vanity If first-covenant life be not first or last surrendred for the second that has bin no active principle or labourer in the way and Wisdom of the first all 's lost For 't is in the new life of the second only can any bring forth fruit unto God or be saved This exchange of first for second finally refused Man will have nothing to reap of all his labours and travels in the first but unexpressible sorrows grief shame and everlasting contempt as having wilfully rendered himself a Vessel of dishonour for ever under wrath He has changed all his goodness the wrong way into unchangable evil and enmity to God for which the unchangable wrath of God will be upon him And this will make that mystical Night of Darkness and Death his heart can take no rest in This come all men's vain labours for rest in the life and activity of their own nature to against all the faithful counsels and timely warnings of God So will all the dayes belonging to their immortal beings even to all eternity be spent in torment and vexation of spirit They have rebelliously walked in the light of their own Fire and Sparks of their own kindling the fruits and births of their own light and wisdom in the life and activity of their own nature and must lie down in Sorrow for their pains All first-creation life of the Law thus unlawfully used in rebellion against God will be found not only vanity but a great and sore evil to them for ever Vers. XXIIII There is nothing better for a man then that he should Eat and Drink and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour This also I saw that it was from the hand of God This eating and drinking as a taking pleasure and joy in man's labour Solomon recommend's as savory advice and a peculiar gift from God cannot be any thing bordering upon brutish sensuality nor yet Men's feeding and gratifying themselves with the best fruits of their labours in a first-covenant Law-life for in both these men lie under the Curse of God Gal. 3. 10. No feeding on perishing meats in a perishing life can be the meaning of the spirit Solomon gave this counsel in but a feeding on never-perishing Meats suited to a never-perishing life as Christ the true Solomon advises with a negative dash on all other life and meats Jo. 6. 27. This only is a true blessing from God puts man under his approbation-seal a Belly and Meats he will not destroy All other he will All other life finally kept up and fed in tends to man's final destruction Right eating and drinking of Christ's living Bread and the kingdom-Wine of his spirit strengthens man in his newness of life to bring forth fruit unto God daily more and more from thirty to sixty sixty to a hundred-fold and from that to a thousand c. endlesly David Solomon and other Saints have seen and proclaimed the vanity of all other Life and Meats with all Man 's delusive destructive joy mistaken pleasures and confidences therein They have recanted and declared the wrong measures they took in their own fallible wisdoms both of themselves and Gods various dealings with them and others in this world Enemies are gratified with more than heart can wish litteral or mystical riches in their own nature will and way after their own hearts while true saints are plagued all their day long in this World and chastned every morning Psal. 73. 4. 14. The natural man of the saint envies frets and is vexed at this worldly prosperity of the wicked but their spiritual in God's Sanctuary-light sees what all will come to and so quiets their wrangling envious natural as an injurious quarreller at Gods dispensations and the methods of his wisdom v. 16-19 Spiritual light extricates them out of that labyrinth and consused maze their own wisdom and thoughts run them into and sets all to rights The blessed end of Saints troubles and dreadful conclusion of wicked Mens prosperity payes for and answers all This seen quiets the Saint and fills him with Joy unspeakable and glorious This we find over and over Psal. 37. 73. 〈◊〉 21. and in plenty of other scriptures Envy not their fools-paradice here that ha's Hell at end on 't All their laughter and merriment is but as the crackling
Body have we the Shadow of a great Mystical Truth relating to the Spirit living soul or inner Man of Man the life whereof also being Mortal is subject to and therefore figured out by the like changes as are Incident to Bodily Life in the Birth Flourish Decay Death and Resurrection thereof First then to the Figurative Shadow knowable to all and after to the Mystical Truth knowable to few to none aright save such as are of the same Spirit Solomon was when he Writ these Words 1. There' s a set time to all Visible things under the Litteral Heaven and Sun as the Answer and Accomplishment of God's most wise design and purpose concerning them There 's a time alotted for their Appearance and Manifestation and then for their Disappearing and Vanishing again Both these general Dispensations of God to them do Minister Important Instruction to Man The Positive Assertion of this Truth in general v. 1. does Solomon prove by particularizing the Various things Circumstances and Occurrents relating to Man's Bodily part and Life in reference to which the whole Visible Creation in the greater World without Man was set up before hand as requisite for his entertainment Gen. 1. and Ch. 2. 7. and then to the declinings and Death thereof under the Various Dispensations of God to this lower work of his own hand in Man And hereby is signified the like Various Dispensations of God and thence a like Variety of Condition Incident to the Spirit or inner Natural Man as to it s but Mortal First-Covenant-Life put into and 〈◊〉 up in it by Creation Man therein at best was but a Mystical Tree of good and Evil a changable thing a Fading Flower Since the Fall this Fleshy Tree is in a manner only alway's Evil. Man 's fallen nature herein is a Gursed Mystical Earth bringing forth Thorns and Thistles in Filth of Flesh or Spirit Gen. 3. 17 18. His Immortal Spirit in its Unstain'd Mortal First-Covenant Life and State before the Fall with all done or possible to be done in the Activity thereof all Riches Fruits Righteous Works Producible or Performable therein all was Vanity 〈◊〉 but Vanishing Shadows of durable substantial things the Everlasting Righteous New-Creature Life Wisdom 〈◊〉 things of God Man with all his natural First-Created Life and things is in another Sense under Heaven or below the Spiritual Heavenly Life of Christ the New-Creation Sun of Everlasting Righteousness and things of God Nor Man nor Angel in Innocency had any thing of that Life about them or Fruits thereof And in that Life only can any bring forth Fruit unto God They that say Adam should have held fast that Righteous Life he was Possess'd of by Creation kept where he was as Job once through a great mistake said he would hold fast his Restored Righteousness of that sort they that say this what else must they say This. That Man Restor'd by the second Adam to something of the lost Life of the First must hold it fast Establish himself there never part with or let it go again and Heaven is his own this is true Salvation and Eternal Life In their Lying Spirit of Divination do such Teachers warrant their Deluded Hearers safe and truly Blessed here causing them to hope they will confirm their Word Ezek. 13. 6. They follow Heb. walk after their own Spirit of vanity see nothing of God's they are vanity and see nothing but vanity the things of man which they presumptuously call the things of God and so teach Rebellion against the Lord. They establish themselves and others in a life and Righteousness that 's but Vanity a Fading Flower for Salvation And Irrefragably Confident they grow herein All the World wonder and run after them Rev. 13. 3. 1 Jo. 4. 5. Mean while no Man in the but Restor'd Worldly Spirit of Nature the Life Wisdom and Righteousness of man receives Christ Gospel-Testimony given by his Spirit of Truth in himself or followers Jo. 3. 32. That which indeed is the very Unpardonable Sinning after the Similitude of Adam ' s Transgression do Men Preach up as their undispensable Duty for Salvation The holding fast and keeping up what they received by the First-Creation against the everlasting Creature-Life Wisdom Righteousness and things of God cleerly shew'd and offered them by a second was the very Unpardonable Sin that gave the Irrecoverable fall to the Devil and his Angels Their fall evil Change and Punishment lies in this They retain all the Natural Life Glory and Excellencies of their First-Created State as by their wilful Folly and God's Righteous Judgment turn'd into and used in unchangable Enmity to God They kept not their first Estate but left their own Habitation Jude 6. What was that A State of Unstain'd Natural Purity and of changable Obedience in their Wavering Natural Principle to Spiritual Light by which cleerly shew'd and offered an Unchangably Righteous Creature-Life by a New-Creation on the Obedient-Surrender and loss of their Changable The Lord was pleas'd to deal more favourably with Man as of less Natural Capacity and so under lower Spiritual Conviction then Angels and then also as Over-reach'd and Overset by the Superiour Subtilty and Power of the Evil Angel taking from him the Fading Righteous Life Wisdom Excellencies and Corruptible Perfections of his Inferiour Humane Nature not leaving him them to Fight with against himself as he did to the Evil Angels But when this Life with the things thereof is gradually Restor'd by the Redeemer in Men Satan is presently at the same point with them as with Eve 2 Cor. 11. 3. that they shall not die at all they have Eternal Life Though it was not so in the first Adam yet when Restor'd by the Second and Men Confirm'd or Establish'd therein by him it is Indeed this Fixing Establishing Doctrine to and work upon them is Satan's not Christ's For it fixes them in unchangable enmity to Christ's gospel-Gospel-spirit and all his Gospel-things or truths Adam's attempt and design for keeping up the Righteous Life he was Created in and thence Refusing to Surrender and part with it for what was Presented to him in the Tree of Life was his very Sin The Losing or falling from the Righteous life he had was his punishment God took from him What he had his fading righteous Law-Life for Preferring it to his Everlasting New-Covenant Gospel-life The day he ate of the tree of good and evil or pleas'd himself with his own changable righteous life and the 〈◊〉 Meats or Delights thereof in preference to God's more excellent Creature-life and never-perishing meats thereof he died as threatned Gen. 2. 17. that is lost that fading righteous Life and so with all his Posterity became dead in trespasses and sins Now if Establishing our selvs in the restor'd Righteous Law-Life of our Nature Called our own be Asserted our duty and security for salvation then a sinning after the similitude of Adam's Transgression which done thus the second time after
all Experience of man and Warnings from God to the contrary is as Unpardonable as the Devils first sin must be the very way of Salvation What-else or less And then as to the second Adam Let his original Creature-nature or Spirit Set up by himself in Personal Union with his divine From Everlasting Prov. 8. 23. be denied and the very Creation in effect or rather in the cause of it is denied For this Living Creature or all comprehensive Creature-nature under the God of Israel Ezek. 10. 20. and in personal Union with him comprehending in it as a Polished shaft in God's Quiver the very man Christ that in the Fulness of time was made flesh was the very immediate hand by which God Made the Worlds By this Creature-Wisdom and word of God which is called God also were all things made Jo. 1. 1-3 and so by the very man Christ as comprehended therein were made both worlds natural and spiritual in a first and second Creation-workmanship of his passing upon them Heb. 1. 2. Col. 1. 13-16 The same WORD also by which all Angels and men were made was the provided means Mouth or Prophet of God to speak forth the whole Counsel of his Divine Mind to them when made and to Mediate between them and Infinite Divinity which without this Interposing Creature-Vail would have been a Consuming fire to them all This Word is also the Executer as well as Declarer to them of the whole Mind and Will of God from first to last on all Angels and Men as Obediently Submitting to the Methods and Terms of his New-Creating Workmanship or Incorrigibly Rebelling against it He is the 〈◊〉 Roll of Woes to the one the Book of Life and Mercy-Seat to the other in which are Treasured and Sealed up all the distinct Measures and Portions of Wrath for the one amongst the distinct Portions and Measures of Grace and Love for the other Deu. 32. 34 35. This Living Book in which all they do towards God and all God will do towards and with them are exactly Recorded and Registred the Living Stone that bear's and know's all on all hands God's Words to them and theirs to him Jos. 24. 26 27. by way of Covenant will be the Infallible Witness for or against them and Irresistible Executor of the Mind and Will of God towards and upon them all in Everlasting Love or Wrath. See then the case of those that deny any Creature-Nature or Spirit in the Mediatour of elder date then his being made Flesh. And then when in that Fleshy State Crucified they that narrow and consine his Crucisixion only to the Violent Death of his Body and Exclude or take no notice of the Death he put his natural Spirit to as to the Spotless but Changable earthy Law-Life thereof by kindling upon it and Offering it up in the Mystical Fire of his Eternal New-Creature Spirit Luk. 12. 49. Heb. 9. 14. What Conformity to his Death will they Preach If the principal thing he Crucified in himself be denied the principal thing that 's to be Crucified in us will be denied And what then Why then the Subduing the Vile Affections of the Corrupt Spirit of Nature must be Reckon'd Conformity to Christs Death whereas he had no such things in him to Crucifie And then Conformity to him in the but gradually restored Righteous First-Covenant Life of the Law Holy Flesh call it what else we will which he Crucified in himself at best must be reckon'd a State of true Salvation the SAINTS EVERLASTING REST. And then the Counter workings of in part restor'd nature and the Corrupt must pass for Flesh Warring against Spirit and Spirit against Flesh 〈◊〉 5. 17. when indeed all 's but Flesh. Paul when Eminent in Holy Flesh was a fierce Fighter against Christ's Gospel-Spirit Here 's your Divinity and Anti-Gospel Teaching in perfect Contradiction to the declared Methods and Words of God's Wisdom for Salvation in every point Some care is taken to Preach down and Subdue the Brutish Lusts of Litteral Sodom in the Corrupt Spirit of Nature but Mystical Sodomy more criminal then Litteral is Preach'd up for Salvation to wit such establishment in Righteousness as is unchangable enmity to God Gross sins in the dark ignorant corrupt Spirit of nature are cried down but all Mystical Uncleanesses Adulteries Idolatries Thefts Murders Sacriledg c. are preach'd up for Salvation A hard saying What is Truth Said Pilate to Christ not waiting the answer Jo. 18. 38. Christ had told him before-hand that he came into this world to Bear witness to the truth V. 37. What truth That ther 's nothing but vanity or vanishing shadow 's in this World the whole first-creation my Kingdom therefore say's he is not of this World or to be managed in my worldly law-spirit of nature Holy flesh where the Jews would fain have had him own himself a King Jo. 6. 15. but as is Implied of the next and to be manag'd in my new-Creation Spirit of truth All things in the first-Creation state of Angels and men are but vanishing shadows of the truth all Substantial durable Eternal things or truths in the second This is the good confession Negative and Affirmative Christ Witnessed before Pontius 〈◊〉 1 Tim. 6. 〈◊〉 as we find Jo. 18. 36 37. the former Expressed the other Implied in the Word Truth Christ Witnessed or Declared in his Infallible Spirit of Truth that there 's nothing of truth or substance in God's sight nothing unchangably good no Eternal good things or Truths but in the New-Creation State and World in and over which he owned himself a King They that will finally and conclusively be Reigning as Kings in the but worldly restored First-Covenant-Life Holy Flesh as 1 Cor. 4. 8. will be found Pseudo-Fift-Monarchists in direct Hostility to the true Reign of Christ and all true Spiritual Saints in his Holy Gospel-Spirit and so in a Flat contradiction to every tittle of his Gospel-Testimony Christ's witnessed good Confession to Pilate my Kingdom is not of this World gives the dash Solomon Proclaim 's on all First-Creation-Life of Man or Angel with all the things and fruits thereof as Vanities or but perishing Shadows of God's durable New-Creation substances things and truths the Everlasting Life Wisdom and Righteousness of God in his Spirit of Grace and Truth with the Blessed Fruits thereof in Men True Love Joy Peace c. to from and with God and all right Fruits brought forth by them therein unto God All these are Everlasting Incorruptible things the Spiritual Tree Root and Branch Fruits Leaves and all Psal 1. 3. In this Spirit of Truth have Men durable Riches Life Food and Cloathing In this Spirit of the Son only can they rightly Worship the Infinite Divine Spirit or Father He must be Worship'd in Spirit and in Truth in a Spirit of Everlasting Righteousness and Truth All Worshippers in any other Spirit Worship they know not what Jo. 4. 22-24 may be the Devil as God
knowledg of Christ after the flesh 2 Cor. 5. 16. in a righteous Law-Life for the knowledg of him after the spirit in his spiritual Gospel-life into which risen out of the Death of the former Phil. 3. 7-10 This according to his own advice in the Holy Ghost Rom. 7. 1-4 That which is born but of the Flesh of Christ the Fleshly First-Covenant Law-life is but holy flesh not Eternal Life But that that 's Born of his Gospel-Spirit only Jo. 3. 6. The former when taken by himself as made under the Law he Crucified as the only means and way of exalting our nature in himself into the second in which he Lives for evermore So must we As there was an appointed time for him and so for us by his mean's to be Born or have this Righteous Law-Life brought forth in him So was there an appointed time for the death and loss of it in him and is also in us By the fresh Gift and Birth of it from him is he the Healer Planter Restorer and Builder up of Man afresh out of the Shameful Bloody Polluted State of Nature dead in Trespasses and Sins into the Fading Glory Life Wisdom and Righteousness of Man the Goodliness of Holy Flesh which yet is but as a Flower of the Field Isai. 40. 6. This Restoring Healing-work of Christ as to the deadly Wound given to all Men by the First Sin of the First to the top-stone of this Renewed old Building by his comlines or perfect Righteousness of the Law imputed to or put upon them he warn's against the abuse of by an over-value of it over-considence in it and doating love to it so as to prefer it before his offered Spiritual Life and Everlasting Righteousness in the Image of the Heavenly the new Building For this is Mystical Adultery against him as their true Spiritual Lord and Husband worse then Litteral Yea and Murder also as a Murdering Mind of Enmity against him there is Interpreted for which they are to be Judg'd as the most Criminal Adulterers and Murderers All this we find Ezek. 16. 1-15 and v. 38. Man as Dead in Sin is figuratively Charactred by the helpless condition his Body is Born in as to any thing he can do for himself v. 3-6 These Expressions Represent the Dark Black Dismal Bloody Condition and Desolate State of his Spirit that none but Christ can help Let him look within without and round about him there 's none to Pity or have Compassion upon him that can help him This disconsolate State and Extremity God declares to be a motive and opportunity to him to help him restore Life to him Cleanse or Sanctify him and by Imputation of another's Righteousness justify him and render him fruitful in his Restor'd Naturals under the Fructifying Influences of Christ as a Fleshy Bride-groom and Husband who also puts the Mystical Ornaments Bracelets and Jewels of Supernatural Spiritual Enlightning Gifts upon him And he causes him to feed at his earthly First-Covenant Table on such Meats or Communications from him as tend to Nourish Strengthen and Build him up into a Fruitful Flourish in that Life to the Encreasing with the Encreases of Man not of God in the Wisdom aud Glory of his own Life not of God's So grows he exceeding Beautiful prospering into a kind of Kingdom State in his own Life and way consisting in a Ruling Power of his Restored Spirit over all the Inferiour Powers of Nature in him Such Kings Paul found amongst the Corinthians 1 Cor. 4. 8. Multitudes refuse this common Salvation love their Chains and Bondage under the Brutish Lusts of their fallen degenerate nature so as not to accept of deliverance there-from And Multitudes of First-Covenant Believers and Professors that receive this Common Salvation refuse the Special the Crowning benefit of Christ's Death his Spiritual New-Creation or New-Covenant Life his unspeakable Gift Their Restor'd Spirit of Nature or the Law is still a Spirit of Bondage under the Law and Curse Gal. 3-10 another State of Death by Filth of Spirit or Enmity to God's Spirit in which alone they can be finally saved Paul found his Holy Flesh or Restor'd Natural State a Body a Law of Sin and Death as Phil. 3. 6. and Ro. 7. 24. 8. 2 compared do Evidence Man's Rational Powers and Free-Will at best are the Living Holy Sacrifice God requires as their reasonable Service and true Gospel-Free-Will Offering unto him by the death of all Rom. 12. 1. Final refusing to do this renders men Conformable to this World v. 2. yea to the Devil the God of this World who has set up his Superiour worldly life wisdom and glory in unchangable enmity to God Thus fall first covenant Saints by refusing the second and crowning benefit of Christ's death under greater Guilt and sorer Condemnation then if they never had received the First They refuse to listen to Christ's Heavenly second voice and call to them out of the Fading Life and Earthly Freedom of the Sons of Men into the Everlasting Life and Glorious Liberty of the Sons of God Thus do Men sin away their First-Covenant Life and second Covenant Light again after the Similitude of Adam ' s Transgression by preferring such Life and Ornaments to the very Gospel New-Covenant more excellent Life and way 1 Cor. 12. 31. And so come they to a latter end worse then their beginning either in Innocency or as Born dead in Sin because now Irrecoverably Unpardonably and Unchangably dead This then is Solomon's meaning here God has appointed a time for the Birth and Death the Planting and Plucking up the Building and Pulling down the Healing and Wounding or Killing and Destroying Man as to this mortal first-covenant-life of his own nature The Birth of the Planting and Building him up therein is the ground and cause of his Laughing Dancing Exulting and Rejoycing in the Embraces of Christ as a fleshly Bride-groom The pulling down and destroying all this again by his Gospel-Cross or spiritual Sword is the cause of his Weeping and Mourning All this have we Vers. 2 3 4. Vers 5. A time to cast away Stones and a time to gather Stones together a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing Christ has a set time for gathering together the stones of Man's ruined desolated Building in his own nature and a time to pull down his rebuilt natural state and cast away the stoues thereof again uot leaving one stone upon another in this fleshly Church-building Thus serv'd he the first mystical Temple-building of our spotless nature in himself figured in his Prophecy of the downfal of the litteral Temple at Jerusalem in Answer to his Disciples Mat. 24. 1 2. Christ has a time to embrace Men as a fleshly Bridegroom to them and a time to refrain from embracing on his dying and departing from them there And he requires them to desire expect or look after him no more there for a knowledg of him after the Flesh but wholly fix
their Eye and Heart upon him with Paul in that Spiritual Life into which 〈◊〉 out of the Death of the former and be Married to him there as their Everlasting Spiritual Lord and Bride-groom Ro. 7. 1-4 While Christ Pipes to Men in First-Covenant Communications as he did by John Baptist's Ministery they are to Dance and Rejoyce When he with-draw's and call's them into the death of that State they are to Mourn else are they Immorigerous and Undutiful Mat. 11. 17. Their Natural Hearts will be filled with Sorrow as the Disciples when as a Fleshly Bride-groom and Comforter he departed from them Mat. 9. 15. Jo. 16. 20-22 Right Obedient Mourners in this case are Blessed and sure to hear of Christ as a better Comforter and Bridegroom in his Spiritual Life The Death of Man as to a Mortal First-Covenant Life is as sure as the Birth of it as the case is with the Birth and Death of the Body And indeed the House of Mourning and Death is better to Man in the tendency of it then the Birth and utmost Flourish of a First-Covenant Life in him For though after Rebuilt in the Restor'd Righteous Life of his own Nature and then pull'd down again he be seemingly in a worse condition and more hopeless then before ever Christ medled with him at all 〈◊〉 yet is this the only way to Christ's House of Everlasting Feasting and Rejoycing Those that refuse this way and Laugh now their 〈◊〉 Joy will end in Everlasting Mourning and Saints Transient Sorrow in everlasting Joy Mat. 5. 4. Luk. 6. 25. Jo. 16. 20. Christ came not to speak Peace but War and Death by his Spiritual Fire and Sword to the earthly Life of Nature at best in himself and followers Luk. 12. 49-51 We must follow the Suffering-Steps of this great Captain of our Salvation or never come where he is True Saints with Paul Glory in the Cross of Christ Conformity to his death and in bearing about them the marks of the dying of the Lord Jesus So the Spiritual Life of risen Jesus comes to be more and more manifested in their Mortal flesh 2 Cor. 4. 10 11. Vers. 6. A time to Get and a time to Lose A time to Keep and a time to cast Away A time to seek after and recover the exercise of our nature in the first-covenant righteous life thereof and to heap up Riches by a fruitfulness therein And then comes a time to lose and cast all away again as dung and loss with Paul for the more excellent Life Christ's unspeakable gift Phil. 3. 6-9 And so is there a time to keep up the exercise of our nature in the restor'd first-covenant righteous Life thereof so long as Christ own 's that to be his Dispensation to us by continuing as a fleshly Bride-groom with us and a time to part with and cast it away again for the second in the same sense with what is meant in the former clause of this Verse Vers. 7. A time to Rent and a time to Sew A time to keep Silence and a time to Speak That which has been Sew'd Heal'd and made up again after the sore breach by the first Sin and so fitted or fitting us in its kind to speak to and instruct the dark ignorant corrupt Spirit of nature in others as a Teacher and Guide of such blind ones all this healed speaking State in the Wisdom of Man made Wise in Christ must in its season be rent broken down and torn in pieces again silenc'd and wholly laid aside to make way for another better Dictatour Ruler and Guide the Infallible Spirit of Truth The final refusal to submit to this chang of Ruler and Guide lodges up first-covenant Saints in unchangable Enmity to God and the spirit of the second under the guilt of the most Criminal Adultery Theft and Sacriledg Ro. 2. 17-22 God speak's once and he speak's twice yet Man perceiveth it not Job 33. 14. God call's Man out of his Death in Sin into the righteous Life of a Man or of the first-covenant Law again Then by the voice of his second-Covenant spirit into the death of the first as his only pass into the Life and Righteousness of God in the second Under pretence of continuing in obedience to his first voice does man Rebell against his second and is found an Enemy to the Spiritual Cross of Christ. He prefer's the oldness of Letter in his Living Soul to Gods newness of Life in his quickning Spirit Man's Laughing Dancing Speaking time is over in his own Wisdom and Righteousness when shew'd the unprofitableness as to true Blessedness of all done or said by him therein The right understanding and obedient Submitting to Christs Various Voices and observing the several seasons of Speaking and Silence is Mans safety and he therein wel-pleasing to God 'T is a high point of true Wisdom for Man to be more ready to hear the voice of the Spirit of Christ in himself or Saints then to speak and so Offer the Sacrifice of Fools in his own Ec. 5. 1. Man in his highest Wisdom is a Fool as to all spiritual things his greatest concerns the unreasonable Man Paul desir'd to be delivered from the Impertinent Trouble and Babbling Loquacity of about Gospel things that he has no discerning in The restor'd Law-principle of Life and Action in Man is but a ceremony to be abolish'd and becomes an antiquated thing with all the Fading Glory of it when to be done away to give room for a spiritual Principle of everlasting Righteonsness as a new Root and Spring of his Desire Thought and Action This refused all Duties perform'd in the Law-spirit are thenceforth but Sacrifices of Fools that do evil What in its appointed Season and day was Obedience in that Law-State becomes then direct Rebellion As Man has Lived therein to God so the Season come is he to die therein to him that both living and dying he may be the Lords Rom. 14. 8. Passive Obedience is the utmost requir'd of Man in his own nature to make way for the true spiritual principle of active Obedience to God's wel-pleasing Vers. VIII A time to Love and a time to Hate a time of War and a time of Peace There 's a time of Love and Peace such as it is to be found in a first-covenant Union with Christ and such obedience as is performable therein But at length Christ speaks War and Death to this state comes to break down demolish and cast away all the stones of this old 〈◊〉 creation building And thus have we seen in these eight Verses God's twofold dispensation to Man's Body and fleshly or natural Spirit in all the fading first-creation Life and Glory thereof The Birth and Death of the Body and so of the natural Understanding as exercised there in and by all this is Typical to the like twofold dispensation of mystical Life and Death to his Spirit as to its first-covenant righteous state under the temporary wrath
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-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.
they break with him and then he departs Jer. 31 32. In this sense God Repents Gen. 6. 6. that is changes his dispensation towards Back-sliding Man If Man turn his changable Righteous Life in the first into unchangable Enmity to God and his second-Covenant Life Christ will turn from a changable Husband and Saviour to them in the first into an unchangable Enemy to them in the second Isai. 63. 8. 10. If a Back-sliding people return to him he returns to them and repents of the Evil threat'ned them Exod. 32. 14. Jer. 26. 19. Jonah 3. 10. But he overthrew Sodom c And Repented not of the evil of Punishment Threat'ned because they Repented not of the evil of Sin by them Committed Jer. 20 16. On Man's obedient chang of his sickle Life and freedom of the Sons of Men for the unchangable Life and Glorious Liberty of the Sons of God all this Starting Repenting doings is past on all hands What God does for and in Man by his New-Creation-Workmanship will continue for ever and they in an everlasting Covenant Union with him Establish'd in all things and sure They 'l never depart from him nor he from them to do them good Jer. 32. 40. No breach incident to the new-covenant Jer. 31. 33 34. because manag'd in a Spirit on God's part and Man's too that can never err Sin or miscarry T is infallible Truth and Ever-lasting Righteousness in Christ and his Saints Whatever God yea or Man doth in this Spirit shall be for ever All the Fruits Labours Works produced or done therein are Incorruptible Everlasting will be for ever As the new Root and Tree so are the Fruits and very 〈◊〉 The Incorruptible Gospel-Tree will be known by its fruits in distinction from the Mystical Fleshly Law-Tree and Corruptible Fruits thereof T. Nothing can be put to it nor any thing taken from it God's offring and setting up his new-creature Life with the glory Wisdom and Righteousness thereof in the room of Man's obediently surrendred old is the main design and scope of all Scripture This 〈◊〉 where are Men with all the words of their Foolish Wisdom Setting up Law-Life for Salvation and Calling it a Gospel-State is directly Satan's Gospel-Work his Mystery of Iniquity with its hidden Works of darkness under the Form of Godliness and Righteousness of Man All the Mystical Spiritual sense of Scripture is by such excluded out of all their Teaching Those that thus take away or deny a spiritual Creature-Life in Christ the Whole Living Book and Word of God and so the Character Doctrin and declaration thereof in the Scriptures or Written Oracles of God do take not only some but all the principal intended things Engraven by God himself in the former or by his Holy Inspired Pen-men in the latter And then will God take from them any part of the truly good things in either and Inflict on them all the Plagu's Written in both Rev. 22. 18 19. Sure 't is no small retail-heresy that exclud's all Gospel Truth and the whole Doctrine of Salvation This does Man's Wisdom that 's Foolishness to God's and reckon's all the Word 's of God's and whole Gospel-Doctrin of his Cross upon nature at best Foolishness 1 Cor. 1. 18-25 It shuts up the Kingdom of Heaven excludes all Kingdom-Life and sense of Scripture But though Gospel-undertakers herein not only derogate from and diminish but what in them lies utterly Deny Despise and Destroy all true Gospel-Life and Doctrin in Christ Scriptures and Saints 't is not by all their or Satan's 〈◊〉 Wiles and Skill that any thing can be taken from it or added to it All the Opprobrious Titles of Hereticks Enthusiasts or Phanaticks Blasphemers Mad-men that they bestow on Christ Jo. 10. 20. and true Saints Hos. 9. 7. belong intirely to themselvs This will be undeniably Evidenc'd at Christ's second appearing and final Decision of all Controversies between true Spiritual Zion-Saints and these Hypocritical 〈◊〉 in Zion Isai. 66. 5. and 34. 8. that in the worded-dress of Spiritual Saint-ship and New-Covenant Principles are but a Law-spirited Generation that only personate and would pass for the true Heirs and so labour to 〈◊〉 them out of their right and take their Inheritance from them These are the Ravenous Wolves in the Spiritual Sheeps Clothing that bestow no other Titles on them but Devil and Mad as Inquisitors on Lutherans and so Kill them as not fit to live upon the Earth Act. 22. 22. The determining this Controversy will give an amazing Consternation and Disappointment to Hypocritical Sinners in Zion and unspeakable Joy to the all along this World under Satan's Reign and in Man's day oppressed Sion-Saints Is. 33. 14. This will be when Christ arises or comes forth to Judg Enemies and have Mercy upon Zion Psal. 102. 13. In his new-Creature-Spirit and Life God does whatsoever he will and Enables Saints to do so too even whatsoever he will's as universally Obedient to him in every thing No Man or Angel in single First-Creation-Light or Understanding can discern this Spirit of Life or any of the things thereof and therefore would make nothing of them all Proud Man and Angel will needs have any thing they can't see to be nothing But God hath so order'd his matters as to the final Salvation of Man that Men should fear before him yield to his term's of saving them and not Proudly and Presumptuously exalt themselvs against him in that Life and Wisdom the Death and utter abolition of which according to the declared Methods of his Wisdom is absolutely necessary to their being saved So only can any receive that Life in which infallibly to know and declare the whole Counsel and to do the whole Will of God after his own Heart Solomon having declared this Incorruptibly perfect New-Creature-Life that admits to Chang Addition or Diminution for ever when compleated being above all Death Dangers Enemies or Fears proceed's to shew the Weakness Insufficiency and unprofitableness of all other Life or things First-Creation Vanities compared therewith saying Vers. XV. That which hath been is now and that which is to be hath already been and God requireth that which is past Somewhat like what is said Ch. 1. 9. That which hath bin in former Generations is now a gradually Restor'd First-Covenant Righteous Life And that which is to be set up again in full perfection at Christ's second Comming for the Restitution of all things Act. 3. 21. hath already bin in Primitive Innocency But still still what is this that has been at first and shall be at last in full Perfection and in the gradual Renewals of it all along between A Starting Labile Versatile thing a fading flower altogether Vanity liable not only to such a fall as happen'd to Man at first into changable but also into unchangable Enmity to God and Eternal Death to Man This is a latter end worse then the beginning in Innocency or as Born dead in Trespasses and Sins This Life
of God Ye never find it else or enter it 〈◊〉 from your own understanding Consult not or conferr with flesh and blood in your selvs or others what ye shall do to be saved That principle will never own one right word towards eternal life T' is a flat enemy to every word of God's Wisdom about it They that despise and wonder at such words will everlastingly perish Acts. 13. 41. Those that gad abroad in a spirit of vanity enmity and death to chang their way from form to form in Religion toss'd and Tumbled up and down by every Wind of Satan's and Man's Doctrin or other Gospel who can help them That that dieth say's God let it die and that that is to be cut off let it be 〈◊〉 off Zec. 11. 9. Litteral and Mystical Sodom do seem to carry all before them in this most Antichristian-day and Perillous Season A Gospel-Testimony is almost universally rejected When Christ himself Preach'd he met with Multitudes of Wilfull Proud Heady Traiterous Contradicting and Blaspheming first-covenant Saints Wise Righteous Holy Men in the form of godliness in the first denying the Power of it in the second-Covenant Spirit the Gospel-Principle This was alway's the case And even so is it now 2 Tim. 3. 1-5 Gal. 4. 29. Who but Professours in Holy Flesh urg'd Christ's Crucifixion when Pilate and his Heathen Party would have freed him They 'd rather a Robber a Murderer any Malefactor should scape then he Wise Righteous Holy Men and a Currupt Dark Profane Grosly Idolatrous Party are in a contesting Scramble But both have had their season to speak Lies at one Table against the Saints of the most High Are we at a loss for an instance The Vizard will flie off The guilty Shedders of Innocent Blood will be unpalliated at last and forc'd to appear in their more then Ethopian hiew that yet lies hid under the form of Godliness God exercises long-suffering towards them and lets them think him such a one as themselvs till he set their Sins in order before their Eyes and so tear them in pieces that none can deliver Psal. 50. 20-22 His long-suffering towards Enemies is with design to compleat and fulfill the Patience or Sufferings of his Saints by their hand for their unspeakable advantage and their Enemies final Destruction A Comfortable Consideration True Saints ought to Comfort themselvs and one another with such right Words and Thoughts In conclusion Christ will appear to their Joy and their Enemies shall be asham'd Isai. 66. 5. Yea lie down in Sorrow and Everlasting Contempt as Vessels of Dishonour Eternity will be a long day to pay their full reckoning in God in the exercise of his infinite Justice and Mercy will bring all to rights give every one their due recompence for Obedience to or Rebellion against him New-covenant Gospel-Saints are more odious to the legal first-covenant professour then is the common sinner of the Gentiles in the corrupt spirit of nature The wisdom of this world in the most enlightned first-covenant Saint Wise strong and Honourable in Christ there is 〈◊〉 to God's and God's in his new-covenant Saints to theirs Was not Paul a fool weak and despicable in Christ's Gospel-spirit to but such wise strong and honourable ones in Christ 1 Cor. 4. 10. Flesh and Spirit or Man's spirit and God's are directly contrary to each other in all their designs desires and thoughts about true Salvation The former fixed in is the carnal mind of enmity to God Rom. 8. 6 7. that will prove eternal death to man The latter becomming the principle of life desire thought and action in Man is eternal life to him and in him The carnal mind of enmity was not found in Man or Angel the day they were created Ezek. 28. 15. Neither of them as they came out of their Creator's hands were found in enmity to God or the life of his spirit of Grace though they had it not till they both sinn'd and fell The voluntary evil rebellious use of their own mind introduced this enmity to God's Changable enmity in man is now inseperable from his life Unless therefore life and all at best be parted with he will become unchangable therein as Devils are and so be found in a state of eternal death No wonder then if in the place of Judgment and Righteousness or in the most enlight'ned Righteous state of the natural spirit in fallen Man and Angel be found by the al-searching spirit of Christ in himself and Saints the deepest and most Criminal Mystical Wickedness and Iniquity hidden works of Darkness rendring them most abominable to God unchangable Enemies to the Saints of the most high and to ths most High himself But what Have Gospel-Saints all truth and First-Covenant Saints none Can any believe this Yet most true Let but the Scripture-sense of truth be duly considered as the Character of the Gospel Spirit and words thereof in distinction from the Law-Spirit of this World in all its variety and words thereof the Wonder at and unbelief of this would cease But does the wise first-Covenant Holy Man receive nothing of a Gospel-Testimony Not one word No man in the Spirit of nature corrupt or righteous rightly receives such Testimony in any point That Spirit is a Spirit of total darkness and Universal Errour an absolute Heretick as to all Gospel-Life and truths This seem's hard What then The Jews were for Moses who but they Christ found they took not the Mystical truth of one word of Moses So told them they were Infidels as to the principal intendment and main scope of all his Writings For says he had ye believed Moses ye would have believed me But if ye believe not his Writings how shall ye believe my Words Jo. 5. 46 47. The Scriptures are own'd as the Words of God by all under the name of Christians but how do they read hear or understand them In the litteral Shadow only or Mystical truth also As teaching and preferring the Righteousness and Wisdom of Man to the dark ignorant State and Vile Affections of the corrupt Spirit of nature only or as also farther declaring the everlasting Life Wisdom and Righteousness of God in his gospel-Gospel-Spirit of Grace and Truth For this latter nature at best is to suffer death the right way Viz by the death of the guilty Sinner and so death of Sin in Men whereas by the fall Men became dead in Sin Sin alive in them and they dead now they alive and Sin dead and that for ever This by the death-work of the Cross or Gospel-Spirit on the natural Men in their own confused Spirit of Darkness as to all Gospel-Truths have much variety of thought and Opinion But all as one Man are against every tittle of Gospel-truth words of God's Wisdom which the Holy Ghost teaches Though they all read all the Words of God's Wisdom in the Letter they do not read them in the sense of Christ's Question to the Lawyer or teaching
Legal-Spirited Professour how 〈◊〉 that is understandest thou what 's Written in the Law Luk. 10. 26. Let any come in the true spirit of Prophecy King Princes Priests and People in the once only Professing Nation of the whole World all against him Jer. 1. 18 19. So when Christ Preach'd 〈◊〉 Pharises Sadduces c. with all their differences of Judgment all against all his right Gospel-words to a tittle And so is it now as much shall I say or more then ever Why not the latter if these be the latter and therefore worst of times Solomon having thus declared goes on to acquaint us with his thoughts in the Holy Ghost What the most high will do with all these litterally righteous workers of Mystical Iniquity how he will handle them at last as follow 's Vers. XVII I said in mine Heart God shall Judg the Righteous and the Wicked For there is a time there for every purpose and for every work God will be even with all his Enemies both sorts of Satan's Subjects the righteous and the Wicked In righteousness and truth will Christ Judg and make War upon them both Rev. 19. 11. And have they an arm like God What then will become of them The righteous sort of Sinners will be found most Heretical Enemies to Gospel and so the most loathsome to God of all the very Spiritual Sodom Egypt and Babylon The sixed litteral in the corrupt Spirit of nature will have bad enough on 't in Dooms-day-work and what follow 's Neither of them can escape the Damnation of Hell If Judgment begin at the First-covenant House or People of God that by fixing there in Enmity to the second and so not obeying the 〈◊〉 become no People of God but a Synagogue of Satan where shall gross Sinners appear that are fixed in Enmity to all 〈◊〉 God's and Man's too with Elymas the Sorcerer 1 Pet. 4. 17 18. The Light or Law of nature restor'd in every Man 〈◊〉 Damnation to themselvs as fixed in the vile affections of corrupt 〈◊〉 And the al-searching Light of Christ's Gospel-Spirit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus Preaches absolute Damnation to fixed first-Covenant righteous Men who have rend'red any Repentance or Change of their Mind to the better Impossible Heb. 6. 4-6 and 10. 26 27. and 12. 17. This is the case of wilful Sinners against the Holy Ghost or Gospel-Spirit and all its counsels its Reproofs of Death upon their Spirits and Instructions of Life by their being transform'd into and built up in its own Life of everlasting Rightoousness Esau ' s Morsel of Meat for which he sold or parted with the offer'd Birth-right or new-Creation Life and never-perishing Meats of Christ comprehend's all sorts of first-Creation Vanities and Shadows from the highest part of the Dust of this Mortal World all Humane and Angelical Excellencies natural to the lowest the gratifying delights of Brutish Men. The particular Books of all Wicked Men's Consciences shall be open'd by the setting up of Spiritual Conviction-Light in Wrath therein and found to agree with that other general Living Book or Word of God Rev. 20. 12 Christ's Gospel-Spirit and so shall the inward parts of the very righteous Sinners be found very Wickedness unchangable Enmity to God All the most hidden works of darkness in the Mystery of Iniquity shall be Proclaim'd upon the House tops manifested to all Angels and Men good and bad Then shall it be seen there is a Reward for the Righteous and Wicked too because he is a God that Judgeth in the Earth Ps. 58. 11. All sorts of Sins shall then be brought into Judgment and reckon'd for even the most hidden works of Dishonesty Mystical Spiritual Wickednesses the most secret Intents of all Wicked Men and Angels All will be manifested and laid open before that Judg whose Judgment-Seat they 'l be Summon'd and irresistibly forc'd to appear before Heb. 4. 12 13. 2 Cor. 5. 10. Then shall it appear there is a time for every purpose and for every work desire thought and intent of the Heart in the corrupt or enlightn'ed Spirit of nature fix'd in Enmity to God and his Spirit of Grace to be brought into Judgment and laid open before all Vers. XVIII I said in my Heart concerning the Estate of the Sons of Men that God might Manifest them and that they might see that they themselvs are Beasts In this and the four next Verses Solomon Summ's up in a manner all insisted on before in this and the two former Chapters Men made by God rational being's good in their kind have made themselvs Beasts by their Sin and fall In the corrupt spirit of their nature are they Beasts by loss of their changable goodness Created in they Inherit a Brutish Spirit or principle of sensuality Bestial Powers Rebell against and insult over their rational And the predominant Power Denominates This Solomon saw and desires God would manifest to them that they may see what a deplorable condition they have brought themselvs into and clear God as having no hand therein And this yet is but one part of the consideration in which they are like Beasts Man restor'd out of the dismal dark 〈◊〉 Life of his corrupted nature into the clean enlight'ned righteous state thereof as to filth of flesh and taking up there for Salvation is yet but another sort of Mystical Beast yea a worse Beast then before in the unfix'd corrupt state of nature because now fix'd in Enmity His Carnal Mind and Earthly Wisdom thereof that at best is but sensual in Scripture-Language when fix'd in becomes Devilish Jam. 3. 15. This brings Man into the same condition with fallen Angels or Devils in unchangable Harmony with them against Christ and God Man in the highest Honour Wisdom Righteousness and Glory of his own restor'd nature is but as a Beast and altogether Vanity Ps. 39. 5. and 49. 12. 20. From a self-ruining mistake he puts himself under the conduct of a spirit of unchangable Enmity to God Man also in his bodily part is like a Beast Of this a larg account is given v. 19 20. Vers. XIX For that which befalleth the Sons of Men befalleth Beasts even one thing befalleth them as the one dieth so dieth the other yea they have all one breath so that a Man hath no pre-eminence above a Beast for all is vanity Solomon here speaks of the Bodily sensual part of Man consisting of the like corruptible ingredients and feeding on the like perishing Meats with meer Brutes So the same dissolution befalls them All alike in birth life and death Dust both and all and turn to dust again This is positively asserted of Man's Body in distinction from his Spirit Gen. 2. 7. and 3. 19. God breathed into his nostrils the breath of Life Heb. the spirit of Lives one Soul with sundry faculties and operations vegetal sensual and rational Cald. a speaking reasonable Soul different from Beasts So in Man are found all sorts
of mortal first-creation Life with the operations thereof intellectual and intuitive with Angels sensual with beasts birds and fishes c. Vegetal with plants trees c. And then has he bodily parts made of elementary materials with all inanimate compounds Every individual man therefore is fitly call'd a Microcosm or little World an Epitome or Compound of all found in the greater without him And all these Lives in him are mortal All vanity The very righteous first-covenant Life of his immortal spirit whether in the intuitive inorganical or rational organical operations thereof is mortal too All men are witnesses of this by the death and loss of it in all for the first sin of all in and with the first Yet farther One sort of Life Man has that 's not found in the whole Macrocosm or greater World without him a Life of rational-sense exercised in and by his Body Neither Angel nor Beast have this no Creature above or below him The Result from God's uniting Man's Spirit and fitly organiz'd Body is called a living Soul Gen. 2. 7. 1 Cor. 15. 45. The Soul Souly or animalish Life sleep's or remain's dormant and unexercised in the Spirit when departed till a re-union with its Body at the Resurrection whether of Life or Damnation John 5. 29. The essentials of Man Body Soul and Spirit whatever suspension of exercise or temporary alteration be incident to any of them make up the discriminating form of Man from all other Creatures in both Worlds for ever in Earth Heaven or Hell Man's corruptible Body at first made of dust receiv'd an additional frailty by his sin in the degenerate state of his whole Nature The Spirit departed out of it it soon moulder's into dust Then does Man cease from the exercise of Bodily Life as well as the Beast when he dies In this therefore Man has no pre-heminence above a Beast For he is made of the same materials has the same Breath in his Nostrils and comes to the same end The Beast receives his animation by the quick'ning up of a meer sensual Life in his Body So his Spirit never has its Body again nor any Life above and without it but ceases for ever Brutified Atheists would fain perswade themselvs and others out of the immortality of their Spirits and that Man has no other kind of Life or Being than the Beast but only a superiority to the Beast therein as Angels have to Men in intellectual Life though man had the same kind of Life by Creation and that perfect too See the Apocryphal Wisdom of 〈◊〉 sor a Character of these Atheistical Reasoners Wisdom 2. 1-9 Plenty of these brutish disputants that labour to out themselvs and others of all the Prerogatives of man above the Beast find we at this day Having wickedly made themselves Brutes fain would they perswade themselvs God made them so And if others think themselvs better they set themselvs to prove their thought a whimsical Imagination and that we have no being or Life for ever after the dissolution of our Body What 's Eternal death Annihilation No. That 's the thing they plead for and seek after but will never find The incorrigibly vile will be most exquisitely sensible under everlasting Burnings in every particle of their beings The Righteous Life Man had before the fall he lost by his first Sin That was but mortal and a perishing Vanity as well as the Life of the Beast though of a more excellent sort But he has degraded his nature into a kind of Equality with the Beast He may know the insignificancy of his lost Life as to true Blessedness by its being lost But in stead of looking upwards for a better he chuses rather to sink down into a worse the meer Brutish Life of the Beast hating all Discourse Counsel or Instruction of the least tendency towards a Gospel-Life of immortality suited to the immortality of his being This appear's the case of most Men by the following Words Vers. XX. All go unto one place All are of the Dust and all turn to Dust again Here 's the condition of all Men as to the Mortal Life of Body and Soul the Mortal first-creation earthy righteous Life of their Spirit turn's also to dust again Their Spirit indeed as an Immortal being is distinct from and Superiour to the meer sensual Spirit of the Beast This appears Vers. XXI Who knoweth the Spirit of Man that goeth upward and the Spirit of the Beast that goeth downward to the Earth Or Who knoweth and rightly consider's the Spirit of Man in its distinguishing Prerogative from the Beast What is said v. 18-20 may seem to countenance the mistaking sensualist's foremention'd Atheistical Doctrin But this pulls him back to another Lesson Man in his bodily part Life and Breath was like the Beast even before the fall But his sinful doting on the same sensual delights with Beasts and so making his whole Man a Beast this was not his case by Creation God made him a Man He has made himself a Beast And the Beast has vastly the start of him herein Sin 's not in his delights has no principle of Life desire or palate in his nature to which any thing above meer sensual Objects is calculated Is not subject to the Judgment Man is nor has any Immortality of being to sufler the pains of eternal death in The Spirit of the Beast goes downward to the Earth as well as his Body There 's an end of him He never hear's of himself more Such death incorrigibly Wicked Angels and Men will vainly seek but never find It will ever flee from them They 'l find themselvs in a fix'd hatred to what is eternal Life And they 'l find themselvs dreadfully Tormented in eternal death What then can be their desire but insensibleness or annihilation They 'l never find either Being will stick closse to them and most exquisite sensibleness never depart one Moment in Eternity from them They must lie by 't for ever in Sorrow Tormented in every particle of their make Man by the Right use of his rational Powers in law or first-covenant-light ought to Perform active obedience to god's law and when call'd to it yield himself up in passive obedience to his Cross and so receive his Gospel spirit and principle of eternal and well-pleasing active Obedience Thus ought Man to live to the Lord and die to the Lord Ro. 14. 8. in his Law-Spirit of nature that he may live for ever to the Lord in his Gospel Spirit of Grace Thus is Man to obey God in a Law and Gospel-state successively one after another in the Life of his own Spirit and then of God's This is the Method and Doctrin of God's Wisdom for Man's Salvation tion Man's unbelieving contradicting Wisdom will if persisted in bring him to Weeping and of Gnashing of Teeth for ever the Just Portion of all his 〈◊〉 company Luk. 12. 46. the Just Punishment of all wilful Mistake Unbelief and
Thy Father 〈◊〉 our 〈◊〉 grievous make his heavy Yoke upon us lighter and we will serve 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 King 12. 4. He takes three days to consider of an Answer to them vers 5. He consults with his Fathers Old Counsellours of State who give him good Advice But he 〈◊〉 their Counsel and consults with his Young Companions vers 6. 7. So His answer was My Father 〈◊〉 your Yoke heavy and I will add to it He chastised you with whips but I will 〈◊〉 you with Scorpions They reply To thy Tents O Israel and let David's House look to itself take their course Vers. 8-16 The 〈◊〉 Son acknowledg'd his wise Father's oppressing them but in stead of relieving threatens to add to their grievances though he saw them upon the turning point with Jeroboam the in head of them whom they make King of ten of the twelve Tribes which never returned to the House of David more This got he to himself and Successors by his madness in following the counsel of his rash young Hectors But if even holy David and his wise Son Solomon eminent in spiritual Saintship and signal Pen-men of the Holy Ghost through some remain's of uncrucified nature demean'd themselvs so in King-ship as to cause many grievances to the Subject what 's to be expected in the utmost degeneracy of Heathen Monarchy from Golden-head Nebuchadnezzar to Iron and Clay though called most Christian God gratified Israel's foolish request 〈◊〉 a corrupt humane Monarchy like the Nations round about them to a Theocracy the Government of God himself 1 Sam. 8. 5 -- 7. Giving them a King in his Anger whom he took away in his Wrath Hosea 13. 11. by the Philistines Sword on Mount Gilboa 1 Sam. 31. And were not the sad Consequents of David's numbering the People seventy thousand mens Lives with the quelling his Son Absolons Rebellion and matter of Uriah c. sore Grievances But in the principal meaning of these words we shall find the Oppressors more and the Oppressed fewer than is commonly considered Till the truth concerning both be brought into publick view 'T is matter of wonder to hear it Solomon in God's found the mistake of his own wisdom so endeavoured to take off others with himself from wondering and also to shew them the Cure of the Evil that through ignorance they wond'red or were amazed and discouraged at If thou seest the oppression of the poor and violent perverting of Judgment and Justice in a Province marvel not at the matter Heb. Will or Purpose of God in it who can use evil Magistrats as Instruments of his Providence though they be not properly Ministers of his Ordinance but indeed directly contrary a terrour to good works and workers and a countenance and encouragement to evil Rom. 13. 3. for he that is higher than the highest regardeth and there be higher than they Eccl. 5. 8. The good Angel is higher than the highest invisible evil angelical Principalities and Powers of this world and Christ and God most high are yet unspeakably infinitely higher than they In this Reason is contained relief enough for the Oppressed in the last and worst of times and Power more than enough to deal with the Oppressors Devils or Men as we shall farther and more clearly see when we come in course to consider Chap. 5. 8. In this Chap. 4. vers 1. and that with divers other passages in this Retractation-Book doth Solomon prepare his spiritual brethren to quit their ignorant natural man's wondring by having recourse to spiritual sanctuary-Light with the Psalmist Psal. 73. 19. The highest wisdom of Man in first-covenant Light and Righteousness secures him not from being a Fool and as a Beast before God in this matter vers 22. And so indeed is he as to all his spiritual eternal concerns all the heavenly things or truths of God and methods of his Wisdom in his dealings with Men with Friends as Foes and Foes as Friends All these things are Uninterpretable Riddles Unintelligible Mysteries not only to largparted and most Cultivated Learned Heathens but to Wise Strong and Honourable in Christ as to first-covenant attainments in him and Union with him These yet are Fools and Beasts to the truly or Spiritually Wise Strong and Honourable in Christ who seem and are reckon'd Fools to them with Paul 1 Cor. 4. 10. God's giving Incorrigible Enemies more in this World within and without then heart can Wish and plaguing his Friends Spiritual Saints every Morning as to all he gratifies the other with puzzles the Prophet's Servant or natural Man even in the Saint himself till Baptiz'd and Advanc'd through a Mystical Death and Resurrection of his Spirit the only true Regeneration Transformation or New-Creation thereof into the Spiritual Light and Sight of the true Seer and Prophet in him The figurative Shadow or Type hereof we find 2 King 6. 15-17 In fallen-nature even when in Measure restor'd from filth of Flesh oft deeplier guilty of filth of Spirit Enmity to God's do all worldly Governours more or less pervert and violate under all specious and plausible pretences of doing Judgment and Justice Those appointed to redress and remove by forming up and contriving a corrupt Interest to themselvs contrary to the Community do oppress and make the Grievances This two general way's by perverting good or making Evil Laws The Throne of Iniquity frames Mischief by a Law And then do they gather together against the Soul of the Righteous and Condemn Innocent Blood Ps. 94. 20 21. The Wicked Compass about the Righteous and then wrong Judgment proceedeth Hab. 1. 4. The Wicked walk on every side when the vilest Men are Exalted Psal. 12. 8. and the worthiest rejected yea cut off as dangerous to the Peace of Tyranny An evil self-interest in Rulers suggest's deceitful Policies call'd Reasons of State ugly unreasonable Reasons for oppressing the helpless in stead of doing them Justice Such Reasons have been remarkably recompene'd sometimes even in this World by God's Righteous Visible Judgments on the guilty Heads of the Wicked Inventers and Contrivers thereof Pharaoh and his Council Judg'd it Reason of State to kill the Male Children of the Hebrews as soon as Born least they should grow too many for them This was paid off with a Vengeance upon them After several other Plagu's their own first-born Sons died for 't Exod. 12. 29. And at last Pharaoh himself c. with a Multitude of Egyptians were over-whelm'd in the Red Sea Jeroboam for a reason of State set up the old Egyptian Idolatrous Worship of Calv's to prevent his Peoples going to Jerusalem to worship at solemn Feasts which he fear'd might endanger a Revolt from him to the House of David 1 King 12. 26-28 This was the very trade Israel had bin soundly punish'd for in the Wilderness What will warn Vain Vile Man All the Israelit ' s were Threatned with Destruction for 't But on Moses his Intercession the Punishment was narrow'd to three Thousand Kill'd by the
Levit's and a Plague on some others of the People Exod. 32. They said v. 4. and Jeroboam said after them in the like case behold thy Gods O Israel which brought thee up out of the Land of Egypt O Madness To the Egyptian God's that could not deliver their own People from them do they ascribe their deliverance from their Egyptian Bondage and Task-Masters So Ahaz Sacrificed to the God's of Damascus which were the ruine of him and all Israel 2 Chron. 28. 22 23. and 2 King 16. 10-13 So also Amaziah set up the Edomit's Gods to be his Gods and sought after them which could not deliver their own People out of his hands 2 Chro. 26. 14 15. and was destroy'd for his pains as threat'ned by the Prophet for not hearkning to his Counsell though against and contrary to the King 's Wicked Idolatrous Council v. 16. 27. And what became of Jeroboam for his Calf-worship erected on a self Interested Reason of State See 1 King 14. 10 11. I le cut of Jeroboam and take away the Remnant of his House as a Man takes away Dung till it be all gone Him that dieth of him in the City shall Dogs Eat and him that dies in the Field shall the Fowls of the Air Eat For the Lord hath spoken it Is not here enough When Christ shall take possession of and actually reign over all the Earth his right always Psal. 2. 8. all Visible and Invisible Principalities and Powers of this World Evil Men and Angels will be laid in the Dust. Nothing but Righteousness of one sort or other Man's or God's in Man will be found in the whole World his Holy Mountain or Kingdom by his Executing that Judgment and Justice in the Earth Jer. 23. 5. always all along his peaceable Righteous Reign that they allway's perverted Saints also that he will bring with him to Reign will do the like in Harmony with their Universal Fift Monarch Dan. 7. 18 -- 27. Jude 14 15. Rev. 5. 10. Solomon in Spiritual Light sees and mean's not only nor chiefly the oppression of the Body in the concerns thereof by Heathen Governments violating the Common Law or Light of rational nature in mankind but the Oppression and Violence exercis'd by first-Covenant Brethren against the second the only true Heirs and Saints of the most high The new Light and Life they are found in under the fructifying Influence and Beamings forth of the Mystical New-Creation Sun of everlasting Righteousness Christ as a Spiritual Bride-groom is Scorn'd Hated contradicted Blasphem'd and they Persecuted and kill'd for 't by none so much as by their envious Brethren in Holy Flesh restor'd Law-Life under the Mystical first-Creation Sun or First-Covenant Spirit wherein Christ has bin a sleshly Law-Bride-groom to them Thus are true Saints the Oppressed peculiarly and most properly here and Chap. 5. 8. meant by Solomon And then shall we find the vast number of Dead Heathens in the corrupt Life or Spirit of nature dead in Trespasses and Sins and the far smaller number of enliven'd first-Covenant Brethren professing Saints in Holy Flesh in all variety of Judgment Form or way in one kind or other Oppressours of the smallest number of all Christ's little Flock the few that are saved true Saints of the most High in God's Holy New-Creature-Spirit stripp'd and destitute of all Worldly Power or help All in this World against them No thing No body for them They are Men Wonder'd at Scorn'd Hated by all Men of Contention with the whole Earth The whole Earth or wordly party of Angels and Men fix'd in their earthy natural first-Creation-make and State despiteful Enemies to the Spirit of Grace and all in the second are their Implacable Adversaries in every thing The but first-Covenant Righteous Professour call himself what he will sometimes gets a considerable Share in the Civil Sword or Power and uses it with greatest fierceness against the new-Covenant professing Spiritual Saint who with Christ look's not after the Kingdom of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heavenly managable only in the Spirit of 〈◊〉 not the most enlight'ned righteous Principles or State of nature and not actually commencing till Man's and Satan's be at a Period Such a Kingdom such a King or Kings as Christ and his true Disciples lay claim to or own themselvs of right to be as Sons of God even Heathen Pilate was able to see and Judg carries no clash in it at all with Worldly Ceasars or Magistracies John 18. 36-38 True Saints are not for throwing down all Heathen Magistracies in the corrupt Spirit of nature that they may rule over all in the renew'd worldly spirit thereof They that design and drive at this are the Pseudo-Fift-Monarchists who in all their Zeal and high Pretences for the King Jesus are the highest and fiercest Enemies and Opposers of the very Jesus the very Christ in his very Gospel-reigning Spirit of Grace and Truth They are themselvs the most signal part and Branch at least of that little Horn with the Mouth speaking very great things Dan. 7 8. 11. 20 21. 24 25. Rev. 13. 3. 5 -- 8. 11 -- 17 which they would wholly fix upon and appropriate unto a corrupt and grosly Idolatrous Heathen party in the Fourth Roman Monarchy under the name Christian. These are they with the deadly Wound Healed given by the first Sin that laid all Mankind dead in Trespasses and Sins who with a great mouth speak great things blasphemous words against God and his new-name or Gospel-Spirit the Holy Ghost God's Heavenly Sanctuary or Tabernacle and them that dwell in it even the Saints of the most high that dwell or have their conversation in Heaven Christ's Heavenly Gospel-Spirit of Grace By the false Fift-Monarchist is to be understood not only a party peculiarly and apart from their Fellows at Munster or lately amongst us or in any former Generations and other Countries pretending this way by throwing down all corrupt Worldly Monarchies or Governments to set up themselvs but the whole fixed first Covenant-Spirited Generation and Party of Professours in all times and places found in the same uniform Spirit of unchangable Enmity to the true Spiritual Saint on the one hand and a self-confident Disturbing Traiterous Opposition to corrupt worldly Cesars on the other This troublesome Spirit is charactred by the Apostle in the Jewish Professours that both kill'd the Lord Jesus and their own Prophets and Christ's Apostles And therein please not but indeed highly displease and Provoke God and are contrary to all Men on their right and left hand Spiritual Saints and polluted Heathens For this Wrath came upon those Jews to the uttermost and will upon all in like case 1 Thes. 2. 15 16. These are they that speak great swelling Words of Vanity with their self-exalting Luciferian Master Satan the old great Bloody-minded Red Dragon against the most high himself and all his true Spiritual Saints These are they that said of Christ himself the Supream Preacher and
with false hopes and confidences here and come what will think they hereafter At length they must leave their false present rest and lie down in everlasting sorrow Who can help Satan's twofold party corrupt and righteous men fixed in nature with him will on in their fools Paradise in their various pathes under Satan's counsel and steerage to the same Tophet Saints ought to do their best in all meekness to recover any out of the snares of the Devil till evidently fix'd in Enmity God's method with men is that none should usually have two Heavens or two Hells All Good is the Saints all Evil the incorrigible sinners in the world to come All Saints tears are put into God's bottle of remembrance to requite all hereafter as Enemies oppressive madnesses shall also be paid off with such recompence of their Errors as is meet the vengeance of Eternal Fire Jude 7. All will come to their rights at last Friends and Foes This very Argument does Paul comfort oppressed Saints with 2 Thes. 1. 4 -- 10. At Christ's second coming will Saints ride in their Triumphal Chariots as more then final Conquerors over the Heads of their Oppressors Devils and Men who have had their turn to ride over their heads Ps. 66. 12. The Lord regards every sigh and groan of his Prisoners appointed to death under worldly Powers Psal. 12. 5. and 69. 33. and 79. 11. 146. 7. He will make his despised oppressed ones a praise in the Earth in the sight of all that have scorn'd and trampled on them Psal. 102. 13. 16. 19. 20. The true Saint pants after final deliverance from all Enemies within him Rom. 7. 24. as well as without All will be 〈◊〉 at last in Answer to their Prayer Psal. 74. 10. and ver 〈◊〉 Saints groan after deliverance from their mortal righteous earthly life of Enmity as well as from that of the Body 2 Cor. 5. 1 2. All in nature within and without them is in a universal confederacy against them What matter If God be for them who can be against them Or who can hurt them Rom. 8. 31. Here 's enough The whole first-creation world lies in wickedness litteral and mystical filth of flesh or spirit 1 Joh. 5. 19. and so in a universal daring affront and contradiction to all words and things of God in the next Jer. 44. 16 17. But God will hear or deliver Saints from the horns of the Unicorns Psal. 22. 21. That is from all oppressive Powers of this World visible and invisible without and within So have we in some small measure the meaning of these words Vers. II. Wherefore I praised the Dead which are already Dead more than the living which are yet alive The weight of these words lies not in the Litteral Sense For no miseries or oppressions incident to bodily Life in this world are comparable to the sad condition of the wicked after death under final wrath The spiritual truth here relates to Saints Saints departed are in a far better condition than those left behind them in the Body that have not fully passed through the twofold inward and outward oppression or suffering-work that 's to be undergon by them Saints departed out of the Body or while in the Body out of the Law-life of their own spirit are those A voyce from Heaven command's John to write as a most certain Truth blessed Blessed are the dead in the Lord Rev. 14. 13. All so dead with Christ will live with him for ever in his Immortal Gospel-life All others will perish in their own corruption or corruptible Law-life and state which they have rebelliously chosen and trusted in for blessedness against the Lord's known commands and warnings to the contrary By keeping up what Paul cast away as dung for Christ's spiritual Life will they perish as their own dung for ever Job 20. 7. A perfect death of the natural Spirit and Principle of Life and Action in man an everlasting cessation and rest from all the desire thought and unprofitable labour thereof and so the honourable burial of it in the mystical grave of Christ is true conformity to his death Christ came not to do his own Will nor speak his own words the Dictat's of his own understanding though spotlessly perfect in our fleshly nature but Crucified and ceas'd from all We must follow his suffering steps through the same fire of his eternal Spirit Heb. 9. 14. kindled by him on us as on himself Luk. 12. 49. Spiritual Circumcision and fire-Baptism put nature corrupt or righteous to death cut off and burn up all flesh even Holy Flesh Col. 2. 11 12. Man in the restor'd righteous Life of his own nature has nothing but a Body of Sin and Death about him which Paul pray'd for deliverance from Ro. 7. 24. Phil. 3. 6-8 Since the fall filth of Spirit Enmity to God is inseperable from the Life of nature corrupt or righteous Nature in whatever condition and Enmity to God Live or Die breath or expire together Paul when eminent in Holy Flesh breath'd out Enmity Threatnings and Slaughter against God's Holy gospel-Gospel-Spirit Saints and Truths Act. 9. 1. From the time this Spirit of Enmity was Death-struck by Christ in his way to Damascus he lived and brought forth Fruits unto God in a newness of Life In the restor'd Life of nature the great Sin of Enmity revives gather's Strength Credit and Authority By the death of it under the Cross that and all other Sins are pluck'd up by the Roots He that is so Slain and dead is freed from all Sin for ever Ro. 6. 7. When Planted together in the likeness of Christ's Death and Resurrection the Old Man is Crucisied the Body of Sin destroy'd v. 5 6. Man's natural Body or whole natural Man at best as a Righteous Living Soul 1 Cor. 15. 44 45. is by the twofold death and Life-work of Christ's quickning Spirit Transformable into the likeness of his Glorious Body or the glorified Body Soul and Spirit of our nature in his person Phil. 3. 21. On such death of nature Man ceases from sin for ever 1 Pet. 4. 1. If Obedient to the Slaughter-work of Christ's Gospel-Spirit on our Lawless or Law-Spirit in corrupt or righteous nature shall we by the second operation of it be quick'ned up into the Life of his Gospel-Spirit All dead with Christ shall after their season of dwelling in Dust arise with his dead Body into a newness of Life and Sing for ever Isai. 26. 19. Paul's argument in this case looks both way's If the Dead rise not Christ is not Risen 1 Cor. 15. 12-19 implying if Christ be Risen the Dead with him shall be Rais'd into that 〈◊〉 of Life our Crucisied nature in him Lives in for evermore Rev. 1. 18. Our nature in Christ is rais'd also into and possess'd of the very Divine Life So the fulness of the very Godhead dwells in him bodily in personal Union with his Manhood This is his peculiar Prerogative
transcendently above the highest Saint for ever But all Saints in new-Creature Life are in Personal Union with that which in him is in Personal Union with the Divine nature and thereby fitted to see and Enjoy the Divine Glory as coheirs with him of God Ro. 8. 17. They are thus one with him Personally as he and the Father are one Jo. 17. 21 22. We must Obediently suffer and die with the Man Christ as to the best and most righteous first-Covenant Law-Life in our restor'd nature or not live with him for ever in his Spiritual Gospel-Creature-Life 2 Tim. 2. 11 12. Such dead ones rest from all their sinful and unprofitable Labours in their own Spirit of Enmity and their righteous works or fruits done and brought forth by them in the Spirit of Grace follow stand by them before the Judgment Seat of Christ and justify them as owned and approved in their whole persons and all such works The changableness before the fall and enmity also since found in Man's whole nature render it not properly that is unchangably good and truly Holy in God's sight as under his Approbation-Seal Yea since the fall is Man at best in his single naturals hateful to and a hater of God and therefore can't be profitable to himself by any thing done therein as to true hapiness Wilful fixure in nature at best is unchangable Union with the Devil in Enmity to God So that which he willingly mistak's for Salvation is Everlasting Damnation to him In stead of the Saints Everlasting Rest he 'l find the Sinner's Everlasting Torment and Vexation of Spirit as the Fruit of all his Vain Labours Solomon therefore Preferr's the dead in and with Christ as to the Life of their own nature corrupt or righteous in the Profane Publican or Righteous 〈◊〉 to any yet alive in their own nature Vers. III. Yea better is he then both they which hath not yet bin who hath not seen the evil work that is done under the Sun Better are the compleatly dead in the Lord then either those Saints that yet live in the Mortal Body and have something of the remaining Uncrucified first-Covenant Life of their own Spirit about them so are yet under the Oppressive Practicings of Devils and Men without and Fleshly Lusts within them Warring against the Spirit Gal. 5. 17. Or those Saints who are yet Unborn The departed Spiritual Saint is better then the Saint yet in the Mortal Body amidst a throng of Enemies without and within surrounded with all sorts of worldly Allurements Disturbances wicked Men and Devils Paul therefore earnestly groan'd after deliverance from his earthly Tabernacle by the dissolution of it that he might be at home with the Lord in his Heavenly House So only comes Mortality to be compleatly swallow'd up of a life that 's above all death or chang 2 Cor. 5. 1-6 And if Saints departed enter into a full peace and rest Isai. 57. 1 2. and so a better condition then that of Saints in the Body more yet are they beyond such as shall be Saints that are yet Unborn who have all the said Miseries and Oppressions without and within wholly behind to pass thorow But the letter of this Scripture seem's to look another way that the yet Unborn may seem better then the actually engag'd in this Mortal World of Miseries and Troubles or then the deceas'd who has pass'd through them and that all sorts of deceased good and bad Men as not having yet seen the Oppressions and evil work that 's done under the Sun This as relating to the Miseries of all in this Mortal World and Life of Vanity only He that 's dead is freed from all these things be he unchangably good or evil for ever after The wicked cease from troubling them and the weary are at rest Prisoners no more hear the voice or feel the hand of the Oppressour Job 3. 17 18. The sense in which the yet Unborn is better then both they that are in or have pass'd thorow and out of the Miseries of this World singly consider'd without what follow 's to wit the Grievances and Oppressions incident to the natural Man of Saints or Sinners may seem to import a never being Born at all a meer nullity Such a nullity by an annihilation-death will all that finally perish ever desire and seek but never find as better than to be tormented for ever in Hell or afflicted with the miseries and Oppressions of a mortal Life on earth In this twofold sense had it bin good for Judas never to have been born or bin at all Mat. 26. 24. And this Job seem's to mean Job 3. 11 12. 16. and 10. 18 19. Vers. IV. Again I consider'd all travel and every right work that for this a Man is envied of his Neighbour This is also vanity and vexation of spirit Fallen Man is so brutishly wicked as to envy and hate every right work and worker in the but restor'd Spirit and Life of his own nature as condemning him for the contrary Some of them have affirm'd God gave not Man Free-will but with intent that he may lawfully walk in the uncontrolled liberty thereof And so is it lawful to hate the righteous Life and Action of their own nature in Legal Christianity or Heathen Morality Hence Speak they evil of all that run not with them into the same excess of riot 1 Pet. 4. 4. While such Brutes please themselves with and promise others such Liberty they are the servants of and will utterly perish in their own corruption 2 Pet. 2. 12. 19. Thus do they render the righteous works of restor'd nature which yet are but vanity vexation of spirit to the workers And hence does Satan puff up such persecuted conscientious workers with a confident opinion that they are Christ's true persecuted Gospel-Saints Thus does he play his game so as to be a Winner every way in both these bussling worldly Combatants corrupt and righteous keeping them all in his differing snares and at his beck to let them both loose as he sees occasion against the spiritual Saint One sort of them hates all that run not with them into litteral uncleanesses with greediness the other all that run not with them into mystical uncleanness The righteous first-covenant-professor is the odious Butt at which a profane party shoot their revengeful Arrows And they are at the same work towards the spiritual Saint Because his way 's are of another fashion from and better then theirs For this very cause Cain kill'd Abel 1 Jo. 3. 12. Cain mystically wicked the fixed Enemy of God in the establish'd righteousness of man a first-covenant Brother murthered his natural Brother as found a Second The right work 〈◊〉 here meant is what 's done in the Spirit of Grace not of Nature that can never deceive be deceived sin erre or miscarry All done and said in this spirit only is pleasing to God hateful to righteous men in restor'd Nature only All in the right
charg'd with hiding his Talent in the Earth Not using it at all to Suppress and Resist the vile affections of his corrupt Spirit of nature or evilly using it in Preference and Opposition to the spirit of Grace and Everlasting Righteous Life of God brings him to the same point From both or either of these Follies comes his whole person to be a Mystical Field or Vineyard all over-grown with Thorns and Nettles and to have the stone-wall or Fence thereof broken down God puts it to such a fleshly Israel themselvs to judg what they can desire he should do for them that he has not done Isai. 5. 1-7 God spared not his own Son but delivered him up to Death for us all That Son spared not his own natural Life at best but laid it down of himself for us What unpardonable folly then must it be for any to keep up the shat-ter'd Sinning Life of their own Spirit in preference to the everlasting righteous Life of God's But so far are they after all done and said from yielding to the Exchang-Traffick of old for new-Creation Principles that they signally hate and Oppress those that do Christ gathers out the Stones Thorns and Weeds found in Man's Barren Wilderness-State of Polluted fallen nature cleanses him from filth of Flesh the Pollutions of his worldly State and then requires and warns him not to return to his Old Sins therein with the Dog to the Vomit Nor commit new and more dangerous ones under all the righteousness thereof in despite to his Spirit of Grace the only infallible Principle of every truly right work which would secure men from an unpardonable return to their old or being guilty of the said new Sins On returning to their old or committing the said new Sins the stone-Wall is broken down and they become a ruinated heap a Barren Desolate Howling Wilderness a Habitation of Dragons Devils and Wild Beasts or Bestial Lusts worse then before cleans'd and restor'd as now unchangably so 2 Pet. 2. 20-22 By observing what other Sluggards and Apostat's have thus come to ought they with Solomon to receive Instruction and avoid the like evils of Sin and Punishment Christ's restoring them into the righteous cleansed nature of Man does cleer them for a season and in degree from Thorns Nettles and Brambles But they are yet but Fallow Field bring forth no Fruits to God till the Plow of the Cross go so deep as to fetch up that very Life and Tree of good and evil by the Roots to make way for quickning up in them the incorruptible Seed of a new Life in which only they can so do When by following Spiritual Conviction Light for a season they ran well Gal. 5. 7. putting their hand with God's to the Plow of the Cross to carry on such mortifying-work on their renewed Earth or Earthly State by looking back and turning from such Husbandry on themselvs become they Apostat's unfit for the Kingdom of God Such looking back is a Repentance or chang of mind unto death which they can never truly Repent of or chang back again from This turns them into a Mystical Sodom As Bewitch'd with their Holy Flesh a Glory to be done away they Recant fly back from and quit Christ's Holy Spirit Gal. 3. 1-3 Such perswasion comes not of God that call's them forward toward Salvation but of Satan that call's them back again to Destruction Gal. 5. 8. So a Spirit of unchangable Enmity to God becom's the principle of all their Desire Thought Life Word and Action a Root of bitterness against God Christ all Spiritual Saints and Truths This renders their Earth or earthly natural State not only nigh unto Cursing but for ever Accursed without Remedy or Chang. Obedient yielding to the declar'd Methods of God's Wisdom 〈◊〉 Salvation is the only way to prevent all this mischief From a contrary demeanour all the good benefit or comfort of their restor'd natural Talent is taken from them which the right Users and Improvers of Receive again with Usury and great gain in another a new-Creation Life In this sense is the Talent taken from the Wicked Slothful Servant and given to the true Spiritual Sons of God These go into Lise Eternal and the other into outer Darkness where shall be Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth Thus Eternal Poverty Wo and Misery comes upon such Sluggards as an Armed Man They lose all the fading good they once had and are for ever excluded from the unchangable goodness once offer'd them This come Sluggards to They fold their Hands together and Eat their own Flesh. In love to their own Flesh or sleshly natural State and Food or things thereof and Hatred to God and his Spirit they chuse it as turn'd into unchangable Enmity to God So become they sit Fewel for his Unquenchable Wrath. God in just Judgment gives them up to Satan's strong Delusion and their own mad and wilful choice So all concurr on one account or other to destroy them for ever All this because they refus'd to submit to such a Temporary Destruction of their Flesh or fleshly nature and life under the kindlings of the same Mystical Fire of the eternal Gospel-Spirit Heb. 9. 14. Christ kindled upon it at best in himself Luk. 12. 49. as their influencing and Meritorious Pattern They pitty spare and save their Fleshly Life of nature in their own will and way after their own Heart as Satan by Peter would have perswaded Christ himself and so lose it and Perish for ever Mat. 16. 21-26 By refusing to have it rightly and most advantageously Destroy'd by the 〈◊〉 of the Cross in Sacrifice to God they do Destroy it and so themselvs for ever They lose their own Soul for ever after all their conceited worldly gain in Rebelliously keeping up their Fading life with the Perishing Food Moth-eaten Clothing or Filthy Raggs their best Righteousnesses are no better Isai. 64. 6. and Canker'd Rusty Riches Mystical Gold and Silver their Laodicean Treasures heap'd up in the Fruitful Exercise of their restor'd nature in a Righteous first-Covenant Life For this most Criminal Sacrilegious robbing God of his Mystical Tithes and Offrings Mal. 3. 8. by keeping up the Life and Activity of nature as the fit Sacrificing Priest that God requires by Passive Obedience to become the Sacrifice to him do they Provoke him to kindle a sire within as well as upon them He will set up his Spiritual-Conviction-Light in their Spirits Hearts and Conscicnces by which they shall everlastingly be kept in the forced sight of what they had bin fairly warn'd about Mat. 6. 19 20. Luk. 12. 33. in their Mortal day and State on Earth that all they trusted in was liable to Moth-eating Cankers Rust and Thievs and so in conclusion would as to all the Goodness and Comfort thereof Vanish and Perish for ever as Dung. This very Corruption Rust and Canker comming upon their Riches all they are or have will be a Witness against them for their
and the Prophets and all 's 〈◊〉 The Jewish Teachers and Professors wilfully miss'd and rejected all the spiritual counsel and sense of their own Prophets whom they highly pretended to obey and follow When Christ the great Master Prophet came to work with them they were found in direct Enmity and contradiction to them and him He finds and unanswerably proves them to be Insidels or Unbelievers as to all the Spiritual Gospel-meaning of Moses and the Prophets Is ye believe not Moses's Writings say's he How shall ye believe my words Joh. 5. 45-47 Both Christ and they appealed to the Law and to the Testimony The whole Controversy lay and still lies in the right understanding it So found he and proved them 〈◊〉 enemies to Moses and himself the true Accomplisher of all the significant Types Shadows Ceremonies Sacrifices Commands Ordinances Statutes Judgments and Institutions that Moses under his Conduct taught and writ Such self-confident Professors when the Visor is taken off are found Infidels as to the Gospel-sense of all Scripture Christ ask'd the Lawyer enquiring after Eternal Life What 's written in the Law How readest thou These are two Questions As to the first about the Letter of the Law this they were presently agreed on But How readest or understandest thou this Law In the first-covenant wisdom of Man or new-covenant wisdom of God Here arises all the Dispute and difference about the reading As to the first Query about the Letter Christ granted he answered right Do this and thou shalt live said he that is have Eternal Life the thing queried Both the Lawyer Luke 10. 25-29 and the young Man in like case Mat. 19. 16-20 willing and ready to justify themselvs reckon'd all this already done by them But indeed nothing For 't is not in the first-Covenant Spirit of the Law but new Covenant Spirit of the Gospel any can answer the true meaning of the Law as Austin said Both Lawyer and Young Man loved themselvs in the fading Law-Life of their own nature not the Lord their God at all in the everlasting Gospel-Life of his spirit of Grace This is Charact'red in its own Oracles by the word or title Love 1 Cor. 13. as unchangably loving and beloved of God So is positively asserted to be the fulfiller of the whole Law Rom. 13. 9 10. on all accounts to all intents and purposes to God's well-pleasing and Man's Salvation in the comprehensive litteral and mystical meaning sense and requirings thereof towards God or Man The terms on which 't is possible according to the methods and appointments of God's Wisdom for any to receive and be possess'd of this Gospel-spirit or principle of Life Desire Thought Word and Action being rejected and the Law-spirit of Nature kept up alive in which 't is impossible to do any of the things required for eternal Life what must such self-confident vain boasters come to In their own Law-spirit at best from which enmity to God is inseparable since the fall in stead of loving the Lord their God with all their heart soul strength and mind and their Neighbour as themselves they 'l be found to hate both God and his new-creature gospel-Gospel-spirit the supream mystical Neighbour and Friend of God and Man in personal union with God and offering personal Union with its self unto Man And if unchangably fix'd in their Law-spirit they 'l with the fallen Angels Hate the Lord their God and their said Neighbour with all their heart soul strength and mind All their good words and fair speeches by which they deceive themselvs and simple undiscerning hearers Rom. 16. 18. all their plausible pretences of love to God Christ and his Gospel-Truths by which they palliate their evil matters will not serve their turn This great Mystical Neighbour Christ's Gospel-Spirit called LOVE is the Fountain Creature-Vine-Tree that brings forth right Fruit true Wine cheering to the Hearts of God and Man as in Jothams Parable Judg. 9. 13. Christ in our fleshly nature and fading first-Covenant Law-Life thereof would not leave this right and true steddy constant gospel-Gospel-Spirit Ps. 51. 10. of Everlasting Rightcousness in which alone he is to Reign to go to be Promoted over the Law-Trees Inferiour to that pure and spotlesly perfect Law-Life in himself to wit Scribs Pharises and Professing Jews the Mystical Princes of this World that Crucified their true King for owning himself in his Reigning Gospel-Spirit of Life and because he would not be their false King in his Law-Spirit and Life as they desired yet would have forc'd him to be Jo. 6. 15. This had spoil'd all For had he so done he had quitted the true reigning spirit for a 〈◊〉 the Gospel for a Law-spirit as they did and Devils have done in unchangable Rebellion against the true King Jesus and God most High He would not thus quit the true Vine-Tree his Gospel-Spirit the Wine or Fruits whereof are cheering or delightful to God and Man Spiritual Men to be promoted over Men as Mystical first-Covenant Trees in Holy Flesh Trees of good and evil in Enmity and Rebellion against both God and Cesar the Jew's then worldly Soveraign at Rome Yet even they that would have made him such a King Crucified him because he would not be such a King as had bin an Enemy to Cesar and told Pilate himself to his Face if he let him go he was not Cesar's Friend Jo. 19. 12. They Mortally hated him for making or owning himself a King in the Spirit of the World to come that Pilate saw and declared to their Faces was no fault at all against Cesar and for not owning himself a King in that Law-Spirit of this World in which he had bin an Enemy to God and Cesar too Yet in a Tumultuous Vociferation and most Brutish Irrational Out-cry admitting of no distinction the general Word King serv'd their turn to Proclaim him an Enemy to Cesar and to get Cesar's Romane 〈◊〉 Pilate to Crucify him as King of the Jews Whosoever makes himself a King in any sense tell not us of Niceties and Distinctions a King is a King and there 's an end on 't speaks against Cesar. And we have no King but Cesar say these very Jews that would have set up Christ a King against Cesar. 〈◊〉 ye how matters go between Heathen Magistrat's and first-Covenant Brethren against Christ and the second A plain case What unutterable Confusion Blindness and Madness on all hands Pilat's Conscience and his Wive's Dream are against 〈◊〉 with Christ. Yet the Jews Out-cry Crucify him Crucify him carries it without any reason given and Crucified he was And the Spiritual Servant must not look to fare better then his Lord. What evil hath he done Said Pilate Not a word to that question But they cried out the more saying let him be Crucified Mat. 27. 22 23. Stark Madness But To the second Query What 's meant by the said Frivolous Vain Carking Sharking Covetous Unreasonable Unprofitable Labourer's being destitute of an
Powers of this World comming with a swift and full Torrent upon them to run them down have this to say by what the Spiritual Man or true Prophet and Seer in them sees their Rock is not as our Rock even our Enemies themselvs being Judges Deut. 32. 51. Be the present awak'ned Spiritual 〈◊〉 of Christ in any Generation never so few yea if there be but one single Jeremy amongst the only professing people of God in the whole world and all against him even there King Princes Priests and People he 'l be too hard for them all Moe and greater still are they that are with and for him then against him They shall 〈◊〉 but not prevail against thee for I am with thee saith the Lord to deliver thee Sure he or they that have God on their side will have the best on 't though all the World be against them as indeed they always are All Inhabitants of the Earth and Sea 〈◊〉 in their own earthly Life of nature corrupt or 〈◊〉 Inhabitants of the Mystical foaming Sea and Land All worldly force by Sea and Land is full against the Saints of the most High dwellers in Heaven that have their affections and Hearts set on things above their Conversation in Heaven while Bodies still on Earth The Saints Rock is the new-Creature gospel-Gospel-Spirit the new name or Life of Christ into which they run and are safe from all that pusse at them and swell in an implacable mind of enmity against them What Spirit then is the Enemies Rock The Devil's He has made choice of and set up for himself and followers in all the sading Glory Wisdom Strength and excellency of the first-Creation all the Life and Power of Humane and Angelical nature as six'd in unchangable Enmity and used in a perpetual War against God Christ Blessed Angels and Saints so long as they can by God's Permission for most Wise and Holy ends known to himself hold it and make a Vain Tumultuous 〈◊〉 against them The Saints Rock will be found at winding up of all to be too hard for all their Inhumane Enemies Rocks viz. all evil Angelical Principalities and Powers Their Rock will dash 〈◊〉 these Rocks to 〈◊〉 Their Mountain or Kingdom with Christ will be establish'd in the top of their Mystical Angelical Mountains and exalted above all their Humane Hills or visible worldly Principalities and Powers When wicked Men shall flee to their Angelical Confederates and Masters higher Subtler and Stronger then they in their first-Creation make and nature and so the Supream first-creation Mystical Rocks and Mountains to shelter hide or Protect them from the Wrath of the Lamb the Saints Rock all won't do They 'l not be able to bear up stand or keep upon their Feet before the Lamb when the great day of his great Wrath is come Rev. 6. 15-17 All such Rocks and Mountains with all runners to them for safety all will to wrack under the irresistible Power and Wrath of the Saints Rock upon them all Mountains and Hills or Angels and Men. Then all Proud evil Angelical helpers with all their Proud helped self-exalting Subjects amongst Men must all stoop bow and lie down under his and his Saints Feet for ever Christ will not withdraw his anger but cause it to rest on them all for ever as a Fire never to be quench'd and therefore thus it will be with them look as big and be as confident as they will now Job 9. 13. Kings of the Earth both Humane and Angelical in their earthly first-Creation make and life again humane or visible Kings of the said Earth and that of two sorts in corrupt and Righteous earthly nature and life Heathens and a professing first-Covenant People who are all ready to lay their Heads together and joyn Heart and Hand against true Saints all these Litteral and Mystical Kings can agree and consult at one Table how they may both and all rid their hands of and weare out the Saints of the most high by changing times and laws perverting good or establishing evil ones and so mischief by a Law Dan. 11. 27. and 7. 25. These Crafty Consulters shall all be at a loss when Christ comes to set up his and his Saints Kingdom in the World or upon the earth His and his Saints Mountain or Kingdom set up on the top or over the heads of all their Mountainous worldly Rocks and Powers will crush them all to pieces yea grind them to Powder When he takes to himself his great Power and Reign 's will this most certainly be And then will he have the Universal Praises Hosannah's Hallelujah's and most joyful Acclamations of all that dwell in Heaven all his Saints whom he 'l bring and cause to Reign 〈◊〉 him Jude 14. as we find Rev. 11. 17. But even now during Christ's and his Saints suffering season under Man's and Satan's domineering Reign he suffer's neither of these visible or invisible Powers without to do any thing to his Saints but what 's exactly conducible to their true good the destruction of their Flesh or slaying all Enemies within them the Foes of their own House the desires thoughts affections and lusts of their natural Man Life and all at best which Fight and War against God and the true interest of their own Souls These combin'd Enemies Devils and Men are the wicked Christ uses as his Hand and Sword Psal. 17. 13 14. against the natural Man of his Saints in a pure serviceableness to their everlasting advantage in all their most malicious designings and practicings against them with intent to destroy them for ever The Prince of this World strik's at Gospel-Life and Spirit in Saints nor he nor his Instruments can ever hit or touch They hit only their own party in them flesh and Blood or their natural Man in the full comprehensiveness thereof corrupt or righteous on the perfect destruction whereof under the Cross by their own obedient consent and submitting thereto are they filled with his Spirit and Life in the irresistible Power whereof they will break all their Heads and trample them under their Feet This is the pass they bring their matters to in all their despite to Saints and the Spirit of Grace they are of A most comfortable consideration in all their Sufferings This is abundantly evident in Job's case All he had in the righteous Life and Wisdom of his own nature was by the Lord put into Satan's Hand or Power Job 1. 12. And to 't he goes bestirring himself with all his Malice and Power to destroy him What was the Result Job's Arriving by way of Death and Resurrection to his spirit at that all-powerful spiritual Life in which to break the Serpent's Head the latter end better then his beginning Flesh or the natural Man at best till Crucified and subdued Hurries even true Saints with an Impetuous Violent Torrent of Desire or Lust after Satan's Perishing Meats and so into many Rebellious Practices against God Christ and
their own spiritual Mind Ro. 7. 15. 23. Solomon had a larger sad experience of this then Paul But though this one even the natural Spirit of the Saint in its own Life lust will and way oft prevail against him even against his spiritual mind or man two shall withstand him even this rebellious flesh or natural man What two Who are these The Fountain Spirit of Christ in himself and the quick'ned up Seed thereof or Spiritual Man in the Saint The Rebellious natural Spirit Satan's Party in the Saint and he at the back of it to encourage and strengthen it with all variety of Arguments Motives Reasons and Uses against its own Saviour and Salvation shall both fall down together under the prevailing Power of the Spiritual Man Christ's Party in the Saint and he at the back of it making up the blessed two here These will weaken Satan's Party in the Saint and at length quite extinguish all the Life and abolish all the Power thereof laying it in the Dust. Then the whole Man shall be fill'd with and actuated by his Spirit of Life there 's no dealing or medling for Satan with Perfect Conformity to Christ's Death and Resurrection is all compleat's the Saints work and deliverance from all Enemies without and within He that 's thus dead is freed from Sin Ro. 6. 7. Sin or the guilty Sinner the natural Spirit is dead and gone as to its own sinning life of enmity So comes a ceasing from Sin for ever 1 Pet. 4. 1. The same mind in the Saint with Christ for a compleat full suffring in the flesh extinguishes all Sinning self-destroying Power for ever in him And this bring 's the Saint's matters to the self-same passe with Christ's when he said Now come's the Prince of this World and hath nothing in me Jo. 14. 30. Satan would have perswaded Christ himself and that by an Apostle to pity and spare his first-Covenant Law-Life or righteous natural self But he utterly rejected these flattering Judas-Kisses and Smooth words of the Enemy which are drawn Swords to Wound and Kill Men eternally He took not the Enemie's Counsel but clean contrary brought his own Spiritual Sword and Fire upon it Crucified offered it up by a Holy Obedient death in Sacrifice to his Fathers Will. Saints must do likewise They must hate that Life in themselvs he Crucified in himself or cannot be his Disciples But under all plausible appearances of kindness for Self-Preservation and Salvation does Satan animate his Party in Man the Disputer of this World to Dispute and Contend for his own everlasting Destruction against all Christs Gospel-things and truths By Man himself does he carry on his work smoothly and fair for the destroying him for ever Men are generally in their fallen State of nature Children of Wrath dead in Trespasses and Sins hatefull to and hating God and one another So are they half Devils ready as 't were made to Satan's hand by his own hand or first blow upon humane nature in our first Parents They are Enemies of God Lovers and Friends of World and Devil in corrupt or in part righteous nature They are Litteral or Mystical Adulterers and 〈◊〉 Jam. 4. 4. Thus we see Men want no more of being compleat Deuils as Christ asserted Judas to be Jo. 6. 70. then of being fixed and rendred unchangable in Enmity They are born and live as thus forward in the ready Rode and broad way towards their everlasting Destruction And to forward and encourage the restor'd righteous Party in this way there want not for a World of false Christ's and false Apostles in the Counterfeit guise apparel and dress of the true fitted to deceive if possible the very Elect. These evil Angelical Roaring Lions in Christ's Clothing and 〈◊〉 in the Clothing and appearance of Christ's true Apostles and 〈◊〉 will in their Lying Spirit of Divination and false Prophecy warrant this their very way to Salvation Ezek. 13. 6. Here 's Man 's dangerous condition on all hands as to his grand concern In this deplorable State these almost desperate Circumstances all Men are in does Christ the true WISDOM of God publickly warn and cry out aloud to them all to take heed of being taken with this deceitful Doctrin of Men and Devils their false accursed other Gospel and that they listen to his contrary Counsel and Instructions of Life submit to his Reproofs of Death on that Spirit of nature that 's 〈◊〉 and so receive his Spirit of 〈◊〉 that can never Sin or be deceived err or miscarry but 〈◊〉 discern and own all his words of truth Prov. 1. 20-23 See then and consider Oye Sons of Men the different posture ye are in towards your Blessed Saviour and the Abaddon Apollyon Red Dragon and Destroyer Christ comes to Cross and run down fallen nature as to the corrupt Lusts and vile affections of Litteral Sodom This done and nature recovered and set afresh upon its 〈◊〉 in a rectified first-Creation orderly state or mystical house he comes again with Fire and Sword upon this to pull it down and destroy it in order to the new spiritual Building and Life of the Rock Here 's all this unpleasing Cross-work to nature corrupt or righteous which must be submitted to and obediently complied with or no Salvation On the other hand Satan that comes to destroy Men finds them in a ready posture gladly to receive and entertain him and all his words his flattering Kisses and smooth Sayings in his accursed other Gospel all after their own Hearts desire and Palate And if he can but fix them in Enmity they are his own for ever direct Devils Now whom think you like to be most welcome to Man the destroying Saviour or the saving destroyer Christ or the Devil the Angel or Messenger of Gods everlasting Covenant or the Angel of the Bottomless Pit The whole World or earthly party of mankind corrupt or righteous lieth in Wickedness 1 Jo. 5. 19. or in the wicked one the Devil liable to be used by him against God Christ all awak'ned Spiritual Saints and Gospel-Truths as Paul when eminent in the Law-Righteousness of Man was Ready are all save actually awak'n'd Spiritual Saints to embrace his smooth words of Counsell which are drawn Swords to kill them saw they all and to be at his service greedily receiving teaching and Hearing the very doctrin of Devils without the least scruple for Salvation All the World wonder and run after the Beast Rev. 13. 3. His Ministers and Apostles are of the World or worldly earthy nature and Life in the Image of the earthy the Wisdom and Righteousness of Man so teach only such worldly things for Salvation speak of the World and the World all of the like earthy-temper and Spirit hear follow and Embrace their Doctrin Down it goes without any chewing pause doubt or suspition If this Doctrin wear thred-bare and lose its colour he will clothe it with the appearance of Christ's Spiritual true Gospel-Doctrin In
will both come to in Eternal Life or Death Vers. XIV For out of Prison he cometh to Reign Heb. Out of the House of Bond-Men or Bondage he goes forth to Reign Whereas also he that is Born in his Kingdom becometh Poor The true Saint finding the Land of his Nativity a narrow strait'ned place the Life of his own nature in the Image of the earthy at best to be but a State of Enmity Bondage and death come's out of this his own Mystical Countrey and Father Adam's House or natural State by a Holy death to reign in another Spiritual more excellent Life He find's his own Spirit of nature in whatever variety of condition a State of Bondage or House of Bond-Men a Prison a deep dark Dungeon a miery Pit of filth and corruption filth of flesh or spirit litteral or Mystical Sodomy or both out of which by the death thereof he find's it his unspeakable advantage to Ascend come or be brought forth into a larg place in a Life above all death to Reign whereas the old foolish King who will no more be admonish'd hear of the Cross or death-Doctrin of Christ's Gospel-Spirit on the restor'd Law-Life of his own wherein he sets up his Kingdom becometh Poor He is even now in this World by Christ and awak'ned Saints seen to be Miserable Poor Blind and Naked as Happy Rich Cleer-sighted and Well-cloathed as he think 's himself He will find this too true at last in eternal Poverty Darkness Nakedness and Death Here are the exceeding different Conclusions they come to even the old foolish King in the birth of a first-Covenant Life fixing himself there in unchangable Enmity to God and the second the incorrigible first-Creation sinner and the poor wise Child broken and undone as to all the fading Life Riches Wisdom and Glory of his own nature and so becoming a truly reigning new-Creation Saint in the spirit of Grace the reigning Gospel-Principle That restor'd natural State which the old foolish King sets up in as his Palace the House of his Kingdom to reign in the poor wise child find's to be a Prison and hasten's out of it as a Spirit of Bondage and Enmity into the true Palace-Light and Glorious Liberty of the Sons of God whom the Son mak's free indeed Where the Spirit of the Lord becom's the principle of Life and action there is true liberty Man's freedom or freewill at best is but a Liberty in Word Figure Letter Shadow not in deed and in truth No true freedom sure in a Spirit of Bondage and Enmity to God a Spirit that 's in Union with World and Devil as the spirit of nature is in all mankind corrupt or righteous Yea so far as uncrucifi'd even in the awak'ned Spiritual Saint himself Ro. 7. and Gal. 5. 17. That renew'd natural State the old foolish King make's his Palace will prove his everlasting prison and dungeon of darkness and death in which he will be shut up for ever as the evil Angels in their narrow Angelical nature All of them shall be dealt with as unchangable Enemies of God and that Heavenly sanctuary-Sanctuary-Spirit that 's his true resting place and the everlasting habitation of blessed Angels and Saints in Chains of everlasting darkness in which reserv'd to the Judgment of the great day The unpardonable sin of Men and Angels is the self-same even a fix'd Enmity against the Holy Ghost God's Gospel-spirit or Heavenly Sanctuary convincingly shewed and offered to them all They were all Created perfect in their own natures Humane and Angelical Ezek. 28. 15. and in Obedient Subjection to the Gospel-Spirit in the Light of it But they soon hated that Life turned from the Light that shew'd it them and this was their Apostasy All this from an evil self-love to the fading Life Wisdom and Glory of their own nature which they chose to set up in in a known contrariety to the reveal'd mind of God and unchangable Enmity to his Spirit of Grace the very Gospel-High-Priest of God the true Melchisedec by whose hand they ought all to have given up that selfish life in Sacrifice to God So become they all Mystical Sodomit's guilty of all the highest and most Criminal Mystical Spiritual Wickednesses Uncleanesses and abominable Idolatries God in Faithfulness Favour and Love to his Saints Plagu's and Chasten's this Rebellious Spirit of nature this Carnal mind of Enmity in them while he gives more then Heart can wish to it in-Enemies to their final ruin Heb. 12. 5-8 Psal. 73. 7. 14. God's giving the old doting Kings their Hearts desire and more is a sore and heavy Judgment on them though they take it for a great favour and Token of his Love to them Desolation and an utter consuming of them with Terrors the true Saint certainly foresees to be the eternal issue of all their Temporal flourish and Prosperity v. 18 19. All the old foolish King dotes on the poor wise Child cast's away as Dung So foolish are the old Mystical Kings and also litteral Heathen Kings of this World as to bandy together against the Lord and his anointed as if hopeful to prevail against the infinite Divine Lord and his Anointed King Jesus with his Saints and Followers Their design is to break their Bands a sunder and cast away from them all their Cords of restraint upon them He that sits in Heaven laugh's at all these foolish Kings He will speak to them in his Wrath and vex them in his sore displeasure Ps. 2. 1-5 Have they an arm like God Can they thunder with a Voice like him What madness to think of prevailing in this Rebellious Insurrection and Contest against the Almighty Divine and Irresistibly Mighty New-Creation Power of Christ These old foolish Humane Kings will all fare as their evil Angelical King the King of all such Kings or Rebellious Children of Pride Job 41. 34. They 'l all 〈◊〉 into the same Condemnation with him will all have their Portion in the same Lake of Fire and Brimstone the Tophet prepar'd of old for them all They 'l be all finally stripp'd of all Power of resisting the Will of God and forc'd to suffer the same to be done upon them in 〈◊〉 Wrath. Then with their everlasting Poverty will they have unutterable Shame and Confusion of Face All they refus'd obediently to part with will be forcibly torn from them in final Wrath. All their fading goodness or beauty 〈◊〉 Consume in their eternal Grave from their dwelling their whole Mystical Houses earthly Habitations or persons all the goodness of that natural State they chose for their dwelling Ps. 49. 14. There 's no middle State for ever between the poor wise Child that will be eternally rich in Heaven and the old rich foolish King that will be eternally poor in Hell The poor wise Child believ's and follow 's the Faithful Sayings of Christ's Spiritual Law or Gospel-spirit the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus He is content willing yea glad
his own Spirit offer 's but the sacrifice of fools in God's judgment however highly he esteem the sacrifice or himself for it He does not rightly know what he does what he is whither he goes whom he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ospel things and truths the whole Counsel of God the 〈◊〉 and only way of salvation the methods of God's wisdom in order thereunto all the law's ordinances statut's and judgments of his new creation-sanctuary describ'd in the nine last chapters of Ezekiel all these things lie quite out of his sight How can Man in his own best Wisdom that 's foolishness to God's in his own Spirit that at best is enmity to God's perform do any thing or offer up any sacrifice acceptable to God any but the sacrifice of fools These fools consider not will not consider that they do evil Stiff-necked are they in their own self-confident understandings which are not only blear-ey'd and dimm-sighted but stark blind and wholly ignorant of all Gospel-things and truths yet on they will turning their deaf ear to or setting their mouth against the heavens Ps. 73. 9. all heavenly Gospel-doctrin and instruction They 'l listen to nothing that may induce them to consider the great mischief they are doing to themselvs and others by preaching promising and warranting peace with God in a spirit of direct enmity to him Ezek. 13. 6. 10. and decrying might and main that which is the only way of salvation and the only spirit in which any can be saved with all the words thereof This desperate work are these blind leaders with their self-confident followers at all reck'ning they are doing very pleasing and acceptable service to God Act. 26. 9. Having nothing of Christ's very Gospel-Spirit or doctrin in their Church do they with great indignation and scorn cast all that are wholly for the very Christ and his very Gospel out of their church Isai. 66. 5. Ps. 50. 20 yes and out of the world too when they can as not fit to live any longer in it Act. 22. 22. All this do these Gospel-Wolvs in Sheep's Clothing reckon to be a doing God service Jo. 16. 2. in a blind zeal for him and his law against every word of his Gospel Rom. 10. 2 3 for the first-covenant life of the law in their own restor'd spirit of nature against the second-covenant life of the Gospel in his own spirit of grace So think they do God service when they joyn with the Devil to do despite to the spirit of grace Heb. 10. 29 casting all the words thereof behind their backs and all contempt they can on all such words and all the speakers and right hearers of them as the worst of blasphemies and blasphemers What was Saul's Sin in letter and mystery too is their's in mystery They must be brought to acknowledg with Saul that what the wisdom of God and the words or commands thereof require to be destroy'd their foolish wisdom in the words thereof preaches keeps up and warrants currant for salvation The Spirit of nature in Man recovered and restored by Christ out of the fall into the life wisdom and ruling power thereof over all inferiour sensual brutish power of life and operation in him amounts to no more in mystery and truth then the Amalekite King Agag and best of the cattel The refuse of the cattel the vile affections the disorderly unruly lusts of the corrupt state of nature they have subdued yet not fully but the King and best of the Cattel the rational and sensual powers reduced to good order in the ruling authority of the former and due subjection of the latter these they judg fit to be spared And what are these both king and subjects All but still the Amalekite spirit of nature and Man therein the direct enemy of God and all his Gospel-Saints and truths Was not Paul in and with all these fighting against God when he thought his had bin fighting for him With Saul will all such self-confident justifiers of themselvs be condemn'd out of their own mouth even amid'st their self-justifying plea against the Lord's and his true spiritual Prophet's charge drawn up against them as Samuel's against Saul They 'l be found partial in God's Law The refuse things the vile affections of their polluted nature they are content should be subdued in obedience to it But the choicer things thereof nature at best in the Glory Wisdom and righteousness thereof that all this must go up in sacrifice by a just and holy death to God being an unholy life or state of enmity to God however in a sense holy as cleansed from filth of flesh though convinc'd God's Wisdom requir's this also do they with Saul under a self-condemning light refuse to obey c. and yet stoutly assert with him that they have obeyed the voice of the Lord. All this find we 1 Sam. 15. 18-23 This get men by setting up their own Wisdom and Spirit as judg or interpreter of the Oracles dictat's or words of God's in a known contrariety to the spiritual meaning and intendment of all In their restor'd righteous inlight'ned nature that 's God's required Gospel-sacrifice sigured out by all clean law-sacrifices in the old Testament do they presumptuously with Saul and King 〈◊〉 intrude or thrust themselvs into the priests office 1 Sam. 13. 8-14 2 Chron. 26. 16-21 In their own Foolish Wisdom and Spirit of Enmity to God and all the Words of his Wisdom do they pretend to the Office of Christ's Priestly gospel-Gospel-spirit of Infallible Truth and Everlasting Righteousness as the only true declarers of the Will and Words of God that rightly take not his meaning in any of his Words nor ever can understand them This Presumptuous course persisted and fix'd in will render the contagious over-spreading Leprosy the Sin of Enmity to God filth of Spirit that 's no otherwise curable then by the compleat and full death of nature absolutely incurable and mortal as the case was with the Litteral Leprosy on Uzzia's Body to his dying day though said for a season to have done that which was right in the sight of the Lord in his long Reign of two and fifty Yeers 2 King 15. 2 3. The true Priestly Gospel-Spirit of Christ offer'd up our nature in himself at best in Sacrifice to God When Samuel Reprov'd Saul for Sacrificing his answer was The Philistins were ready to come upon me to Gilgal and I had not made Supplication to the Lord so I forc'd my self and Offer'd a Burnt-Offring These 〈◊〉 Pleas and Apologies of nature go for nothing when thorowly search'd by the Spirit of Christ in his seers Thou hast done foolishly say's Samuel and shalt lose thy Kingdom Life and all for 't by those Philistin's through the fear of whom thou did'st Offer this Sacrifice of Fools And what befel Adam and all his Posterity with King Uzziah for Presumptuously setting or keeping up his Law-State or changable first-Covenant righteous Life of his own nature as therein
the fit Priest to perform all well-pleasing active obedience to God in Preference and Opposition to the gospel-Gospel-Spirit presented and offer'd to him in the Tree of Life wherein alone 't is possible to please God and do all things well without any possibility of failer or Miscarriage What came of this willful mistake and Heresy of Adam A Universal Leprosy and contagious Disease of Sin and Enmity to God and death in such Sin upon all mankind Rom. 5. 18. 1 Cor. 15. 22. The very sin by which Adam brought this sore Mystical Leprosy upon the spirit of humane nature in all mankind in the beginning of this World do many Professors in the ending of it reckon had bin his duty even to keep up the righteous life he was created in from death and loss This is directly contrary to God's Command to first and second Adam which the first Rebell'd against and second obey'd Jo. 10. 18. What was offer'd Adam in the Tree of Life Nothing All things the one thing necessary comprehending all things conducible to mans true blessedness Nor Man nor Angel had this Life in their first-Creation-make and State What they both and all had was not Eternal Life but a Mortal Perishing Vanity a fading Flower 'T is Eternal Life say's Satan ye shall not die at all Hold fast your own He had Rebelliously so done in his Angelical nature which turn'd that which was but changably good into unchangable evil a mutably good Angel the work of God's hand into an incorrigibly wicked Devil the work of Satan's own hand which he would also bring all Men and Angels to if possible in a fixed unchangable Enmity to their Maker The setting up ourselves in a righteous first-Covenant Life aganst God and the Spirit of the second is the highest sort of Rebellion as the Sin of Witch-craft such Stubbornes as is indeed the highest and most criminal Idolatry 1 Sam. 15. 23. Paul found the Corinthian and Galatian Professors of the Gospel in danger of this most criminal Witch-craft to wit of being beguiled by the Old Serpent as Eve 〈◊〉 2 Cor. 11. 2 3. and fetch'd back again from Christ's unchangably Holy Gospel-spirit of Life exhibited to convincingly shew'd and offered them in his Ministry to a confident taking up in their own changably Holy Flesh or natural Law-Spirit of Enmity and death for Salvation This after they had begun in the Spirit running well for a season in obedience to Gospel-Light Gal. 3. 1-3 and 5. 7 8. Who hinder'd you or did drive you back that ye should not obey Christ's Gospel-Spirit of Truth Who but the Devil We find in both Old and New Testament-Saul that the confident resting in a first-Covenant-Life for Salvation renders Men mortal haters of all the right words of the second and fierce Persecuters of all that bring such unwelcome Tydings to their Ears as the Doctrin of the Cross seem's to the Wisdom of righteous Man though indeed the only Words or Doctrin whereby any can be saved the Power of God unto Salvation 1 Cor. 1. 18. Saul in the Old Testament or First-Covenant Spirit Persecuted David singly and meerly as found in the new Name and Spirit of the second in which he saw the Lord to be with him 1 Sam. 18. 12. For this very thing was he afraid of him and resolv'd to kill him though his Son in Law So old Testament legal-spirited Saul in the New Testament till he became a Gospel-spirited Paul and preacher of the Gospel was the fiercest opposer of it breathing out threatings and slaughter against the Disciples of the Lord for it Act. 9. 1. Old Testament Saul's unpardonable presumptuous sin against the Holy Ghost his unchangable murdering mind of enmity against David for its sake was the great transgression David earnestly prayed to be delivered from in his own person Psal. 19. 13. God sets up first that that 's natural and afterward that that 's spiritual in the Saint All that stick fast in the natural state and life of man are against the spiritual state and life of God Those are figured by the Elder these by the younger brother in Cain and Abel 〈◊〉 and Isaac Jacob and Esau. He that 's born after the flesh by the knowledg of Christ after the flesh as a mystical parent and bridegroom to him in a restor'd fruitful first-covenant righteous life persecut's him that 's born of the same Christ after the spirit in the second and so brought forth in or raised up into that life into which Christ himself is risen from the dead Rom. 7. 1-4 Thus was it alway's And so is it now Gal. 4. 29. These two births in Christ the former making men wise strong and honorable in the first covenant the latter wise strong and honorable in the second we find Jo. 3. 6. 1 Cor. 48. 10. The rich full first-covenant Corinthians reigning as Kings there were the former to whom Paul in the latter seem'd a fool weak and despicable But Paul in the latter knew them to be fools weak and despicable in all the Wisdom strength and fading Glory of the former Paul himself had experienc'd both in an eminency had been eminent in holy flesh and therein the eminent'st Ring-leading Persecuter of them that were born of Christ's Holy Gospel-spirit And when Eminent in Christ's Gospel-spirit was he persecuted by those that were fix'd or unfix'd as himself before Gospel-conversion Act. 9. 1. In Holy flesh enemies of the Gospel and Cross of Christ. Even those that will prove true Saints while but in the first-covenant persecute the second and consider not or think they do evil but indeed good and acceptable Service to God Joh. 16. 2. Act. 26. 9. Solomon's advice to them here is that they be more ready to hear the voice of the Spirit of Christ in himself and Saints then to speak in their own to hear the words of the true publick new-creation manly Spirit of Grace in the second Adam and his Spiritual descendants or posterity then to speak in their own private changable womanish Spirit of nature or the first Adam We should be swift to hear the true spiritual shepherd's voice rather then forward or at all to speak in the highest Wisdom of our own Spirit that 's the stranger and indeed the very woman Christ prohibits any speaking at all in his true Gospel-Church Paul on Christ's manly astonishing voice from heaven to him turn'd from his own womanish understanding conferr'd not with flesh and blood nature at best in himself or others Gal. 1. 16. None more prejudic'd against or more unfit to hear Christ's Gospel-Doctrin in the Church on the Rock then the self-confident Speakers and Preachers of Satan's in the House upon the Sand. Satan's false Prophets and Ministers that see Vanity and divine Lies are most unfit of all Men to be so much as Members in the Gospel-Church of Christ the Assembly of his People Ezek. 13. 9. V. II. Be not rash with thy mouth and let
behalf against the 〈◊〉 and Gospel of Christ as the common enemy of nature in them all Though these two earthen Pot-sherds a corrupt and righteous party do sometimes dash one another in pieces they still find it their joynt interest to piece up again and lay their heads together to consult at one Table against the true Saints of the most high Righteous Law-Saul that siercely fought Satan's Battel against the Lord and his Saints when everlastingly righteous Gospel Paul he became the most dangerous enemy to and disturber of the peace of his worldly Territories or Universal Province in the whole World For then he could discover all his wiles and Cabinet-Counsels as Elisha the King of Syria's And yet the natural spirit with its Mouth Tongue and whole expression inward or outward in thought desire word and deed as to its own remainder of Life in its own activity will and way was still on Satan's side the Belial-party even in Paul the Unbeliever as to Gospel the continually guilty Sinner the Fighter against God and his own true interest Ro. 7. Gal. 5. 17. 1 Pet. 2. 11. But it was weakn'd and batter'd by the Cross he having gladly receiv'd the sentence of death upon it within him and rejoycing to find death-work going on a-main upon it yea joyning with Christ in his spiritual mind to Crucify his fleshly with the affections and lusts thereof Gal. 5. 〈◊〉 This Belial-party in the very Saint 2 Cor. 6. 15. his natural Spirit or fleshly mind not fully Crucified is that Tongue that 's 〈◊〉 to be set on fire by the influence of the Devil and to be kindled or awaken'd up into strong hot fleshly desires and lusts after his perishing Meats or worldly desireables Whence else could Solomon himself after God's answer to his pleasing request for true Wisdom Spiritual and Heavenly have bin fetch'd back and hurried many Years after into such a World of gross Uncleannesses and Idolatries The natural spirit in its own unsubdued motions and way's defiles even Saints themselvs and this is figured by the Tongue a little Member of the Body but an unruly one as used by the unruly Spirit and will of Man 'T is a raging and enraged Expresser and Provoker of unruly Passions in our selvs and others Whatever may be done with the Litteral the Mystical Tongue of Man's Spirit can no Man tame by any Curbing-Bit or Bridle any device or means to be found in the first-Creation World or nature Yea this Tongue waxes more unruly raging mad and blasphemous of all things against all saving Gospel-Truths even in the flourish of Legal-Christianity form of Godliness righteousness of Man or Holy Flesh Act. 26. 11. If no Man nothing in first-Creation nature can curb and tame this Mystical unruly Tongue 't is implied this can be effectually done only by God himself or his appointed all-searching all-powerful Spirit Cross or Spiritual Gospel-Sword and Fire Slaying and Offering up the Life of nature that 's Enmity to God in Sacrifice by Death unto God The obedient death of a Spirit a Life a State of Enmity to God is acceptable to God by Jesus Christ the High-Priest Slayer Offerer up and Presenter thereof unto God most high The Cross of Christ is the Yoke the Bit the Bridle put upon it for like reason as Yokes and Bridles on unruly Beasts to make them obey their Masters and Riders The natural Spirit in the Saint though cleansed and righteous is since the fall found in Enmity to God and Union with World and Devil So Paul sound it Ro. 7. Nature corrupt or righteous World and Devil or the World the Flesh and the Devil are all of a Knot in a united interest against God Christ all Gospel-Saints and Truths This unruly beast in the Saint greatly need 's a taming-bit and bridle to fetch it about and teach it obedience to Christ its divine and Spiritual Lord and Master The demolishing death-work of the cross upon it can only do this Satan was riding this mystical beast the natural or legal Spirit in Paul towards Damascus against the Gospel Christ meets him throw's off that rider for ever and not only for a season as from Balaam strikes down the beast flat to the earth the earthly natural Spirit as well as litteral body of Paul The latter was a figure of the former Christ turn'd about his understanding and heart or will into a full career of opposition to the Devil's design and Kingdom So he presently preach'd the Gospel at Damascus whither he was comming with full purpose and resolution to persecute it Then forthwith the Devil and professing Jews hunted and forc'd him out of the City But let Satan Strike while he will at Paul and do his worst in rage against him whom before he used as a serviceable instrument when Christ is the rider The more deadly wounds he or his instruments do give any thing in Paul that can be wounded and slain the more tame and obedient does it grow to his new rider and true master Christ will render the most malicious practices of all enemies against Paul or any in like case conducible to the bringing him to his own hand which is the Saint's true good and great gain The Wicked Angels or men that are his Sword are used by Christ as whipp's and scourges to tame the unruly tongue natural Spirit or rebellious fleshly mind in the Saint that warr 's against his Spirit in himself and Saints The said wicked are as 't were ridden also or over-ruled by Christ the Saint's new rider Psal. 17. 13 14 used as his Sword and hand to carry on his cross-work on what 's to die in the Saint the said unrulytongue The whole knot of evil angels and men can do nothing to or against his Saints but what 's exactly conducible to their good at every turn in every point All 's on the right wheel still come what will or can under Christ's conduct for the Saint's advantage The due consideration of this will cause Saints to rejoyce with Paul in the greatest tribulations and triumph over all enemies amidst the thickest troop's of them round about them having a fixed eye upon the glory that follows which exeell's and remain's for ever In stead of sinking and growing weary under contradictions and persecutions he said God forbid I should glory or rejoyce in any thing save what 's doing to me by the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ let who will be the instruments for carrying on its demolishing taming work on my unruly fleshly mind and body of death The full taming it is the compleat death of it The more thick speedy and powerfull death-blow's are given to it the better the sooner will the happy work be done and the Saint deliver'd from his Spirit of bondage the perpetually guilty Sinner and so from all evil of sin or punishment The natural Spirit corrupt or righteous is in a union of mind with the Devil till this death-work of
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
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
latter If they 'l not follow his suffering steps they never come where he is They prefer the earthy life and Countrey of the Creature to the heavenly life of the Creatour Blessed for ever The issue of and for this disobedience matters come to is this God will strip them of and take from them all the fading good they are possess'd of in the mystical earthly Countrey or land of their own restor'd enlighten'd nature as wilfully retain'd in a known rebellion against him The very same Mystical Sword or new-Creation Spirit of Christ and God will be drawn against them in final wrath to destroy them for ever which they so fear'd startl'd at and turn'd from when offer'd to be brought upon them in love to give them a kindly and right death-pass into the true land of promise Had they willingly obey'd it they had enter'd and eaten the good of the true land of promise But having absolutely and conclusively refused it and rebell'd against it they 'l be devour'd by the same sword or Spiritual cross upon them for ever The mouth of the Lord the living word of God Christ himself hath spoken it Isa. 1. 19 20. Obediently lose the fading life of nature and enter Rebelliously save pitty spare your own life and ye lose all for ever in eternal death under final wrath This is Christ's doctrin Mat. 16. 25. And this Christ presently deliver'd on Satan's contrary doctrin by an Apostle with the perswasive and seeming friendly words of his wisdom When he had spoken of his sufferings Peter rebuk'd him and preach'd the self-same doctrin to him the Old Serpent preach'd to Eve and by her to Adam Be it far from thee Lord this shall not be unto thee that is thou shalt not suffer or die at all This Spotless righteous law-life in holy flesh is eternal life no danger of death The Gospel-Riddle uninterpretable by Man's Wisdom is this die must nature or all 's lost nature and grace too all good in first or second covenant changable or unchangable And what succeeds unchangable evil of sin and punishment The obedient death of nature under the cross the full sevenfold purifying of it in the fiery furnace thereof from all dross tin and reprobate silver all filth of flesh and Spirit too renders man clean every whit Jo. 13. 10. This delivers him for ever from all captivities bondages enemies dangers and death's litteral and mystical Sodom Egypt and Babylon the life of nature corrupt or righteous both of which are a state of enmity to God and death to man if fix'd in Thou shalt never wash my feet said Peter No say's Christ then thou wilt have no part in me Oh then not my feet only but hands and head said Peter If feet be wash'd 't is enough say's Christ there need 's no more to make perfectly clean every whit whole and spiritually sound If the feet the will and understanding the two mystical feet on which man walks in his esteem judgment thought of and desire after things if these be Spiritual Heavenly Gospel-feet the discerning and desiring powers of the Gospel-Spirit and principle all will go right Heavenly things never-perishing meats will be wholly and only esteem'd desir'd and fed upon in this bottom-principle All will be right a-top in all Holy Gospel-Conversation when all 's right at bottom A Spirit greater then he that 's in the World the Devil in which 't is impossible to displease God Sin erre miscarry deceive or be deceived must needs ever do all things well and man be truly blessed in the deeds thereof The extream folly then of man in not only deferring but finally refusing to pay his engaged commanded vow for giving up his whole nature or Spirit the devoted thing in sacrifice by death unto God is unpardonable And then God will be extream and that most justly in marking all done amiss by him in his self-chosen nature and life He will call him to an account for every thing done therein from first to last This great transgression the presumptuous unpardonable sin unto eternal death will bring all other sin 's at its heels to be answer'd for as creditors come upon a man for lesser debts when clapt up in prison for a great one And then will every Spiritual conviction offered men in the day of their trial and God's patience towards them be reviv'd in them and stare them in the face to witness against them judg and condemn them in harmony with God himself When man's trial is over and sentence of death irrevocably past upon him God will not repent or change from his dispensation of wrath and man cannot repent or change from his rebellious mind of enmity against God Repentance will be hid from God's eyes and man's on all hands Unchangable enmity to God lay's man under the unchangable wrath of God thrust's him out of all distance as to any favour for ever or benefit by Christ's sacrifice or intercession Christ died not nor will intercede for the pardon of unchangable enmity to God and him And God will revive his formerly given Spiritual light to testify for him against them in their own consciences the evidence whereof can never be silenc'd extinguish'd or denied by them The irresistible testimony of it will be a perpetual condemner of them and justifier of God in his most wrathfull proceedings against them This is the worm never dies witnessing the fire of that wrath to be undeniably just which can never be quench'd Mark 9. 44. 46. 48. Vers. 6. Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to Sin neither say thou before the Angel 70. before God that it was an errour wherefore should God be angry at thy voice and destroy the work of thine hands The Spirit of man at best in its own life is but flesh The life mind will desire thought wisdom righteousness glory all the things thereof are but sleshly earthly perishing vanities Man in all altogether vanity is possess'd of no goodness but what 's a fading flower no beauty no glory but what will be consumed and done away Ps. 39. 5. and 49. 14. Isa. 40. 6. Man in all this is the slesh his mouth should not cause to sin Mouth as said signifies all manner of expression of this slesh 〈◊〉 mind or natural Spirit inward or outward in desire thought word or action If the inmost mouth bottom desire and thought of man be found approving of and consenting unto the entering into a firm unchangable union with the Devil the striking up an everlasting covenant with him then does it cause his flesh or natural Spirit to sin unpardonably against the Spirit of Grace the Gospel-Spirit or Holy Ghost in which convincingly shew'd he ought to enter into or strike a new and everlasting covenant with God His knowing wilful choice is rather to comply with the Devil in a fond self-destroying love to himself or his own life and nature to be by his most destructive workmanship Baptized into
under the mystical first-creation Sun the first covenant Spirit as to all their fruits and Laodicean riches heap'd up there as in the litteral Rich man under that Sun that produces the litteral riches and fruits of this Earth we tread upon The influence rain anointings gifts enlightnings and comforting warmth of Christ 〈◊〉 his single distributions of first-covenant light and life as a fleshly Bridegroom and Comforter makes men first-covenant Saints in holy cleans'd flesh or a righteous natural State freed in degree from the pollutions of their sormer polluted worldly nature This makes them 〈◊〉 fruitful rich full flourishing wise strong and honourable there in holy flesh by such knowledg and experience of Christ after the flesh Christ's mystical husbandry and husbandly influence upon them there has these real effects upon them brings them a-fresh into the 〈◊〉 of godliness and real righteousness of man in the image of the earthy or first Adam restored and put upon them as a comeliness and beauty all which yet is but a 〈◊〉 flower a perishing 〈◊〉 as at first in Adam And now also filth of spirit or enmity to God's divine and new-creature Gospel-spirit of grace is inseparable from this restor'd life of holy flesh This disease therefore is curable only by the obedient death and loss of all this again for Christ's spiritual Gospel everlasting righteous new-creation life by which to become one with him there as married to him in that life into which he is risen out of the Death of that Law-life of holy-flesh in his own person Rom. 7. 1-4 These first-covenant Brethren Children and Spouses of Christ in the first-covenant finally refusing the terms of being Married to him in the second which is the death and loss of all their fading vanities come to be Married to the Devil for ever and so of a changable spouse and people become not only no spouse children or people of God but a very Synagogue of Satan 〈◊〉 the mystery and power of Godliness they are finally catch'd and for ever swallowed up in Satan's mystery of 〈◊〉 Such righteous first-covenanters in Law-life thus joyning unchangably with the Devil in an everlasting Marriage-Union with him hated all Christ's spiritual Gospel-Doctrine and Crucified the Lord of Glory put to a temporal Death the very Prince of everlasting life These drive a more dangerous trade with their vanities then the litteral Rich man with his Paul and all spiritual Saints follow Christ's suffering steps out of the Glory and Life to be done away into the Glory that excell's and Life that remain's for ever This is the rendring any man truly blessed And this in great variety of Scripture-language and Figurative Parabolical instruction is signified to men by the voice of the true Shepherd and wisdom of God the words of his heavenly Gospel-spirit in himself and Saints But man notwithstanding all that can be said pitches his foot resolutely in harmony with Satan for Salvation in the but restor'd earthy first-covenant life of his own nature in his own will and way after his own heart which in fine render's him a man after Satan's own heart They so interpret all Scripture by the words of their own wisdom and in their lying spirit of divination as to warrant this a state of true and everlasting blessedness This Doctrin in all its variety is the Doctrin of Devils and no better the self same the Serpent Preach'd to Eve and prevail'd in Gen. 3. 4. Ezek. 13. 6. So have ye Satan's and his Apostles accursed other Gospel-Ministry in flat contrariety to every word of Christ's If ye follow it ye must take what follow 's for ever the wrath to come be as jocund and confident as ye will now This has been Satan's and Man 's delusive cursed other Gospel that 's no. Gospel from the beginning and will be to the end of this world under all variety of dispensation from God before and under written Law or Gospel the Oracles of God in a sound of words which make up the Scriptures of Truth the holy Bible or Book of God a transcript of the living Oracles of God in the person of Christ the living creature-wisdom word and book of God's whole very Divine mind and counsels about the Salvation of his Creatures Angels and Men and the supream Prophet and declarer thereof Prov. 1. 20-23 and 8. 1-9 Man and Angel must die as to first-creation 〈◊〉 at best that 's but vanity and a fading flower say's 〈◊〉 No such matter says the Devil and say his Gospel-ministries in all their tosses variety of thought and clashing language of their wisdoms Ye shall not die at all No danger or death is incident to you to be suspected or feared by you in your righteous cleans'd natural State Here 's the universal clash and contrariety of Satans lying and Christs true Gospel which will ye choose O simple ones Object 1. The willingly deluded followers of Satan's object against Christ's that 't is but one and the same thing whereas that they call Satan's has great variety Hear you say they or turn your books while we will open them at any leaf we find still one and the same thing insisted on 'T is all one where we open or what we read 〈◊〉 What amounts this objection to That Christ's Gospel-words are in exact harmony thorow-out and Man's and Satan's Babel-gospel has great confusion of Language and contradicting words proceeding from contrary Opinions Thoughts or Apprehensions larded with a world of fine stories similies and perswasive words of man's eloquent wisdom But all uniformly against and contrary to all Christ's 〈◊〉 Gospel to a Tittle This variety tickles the itching Ear 2 Tim. 4. 3. and gratifies that Palate in man which with Satans savour's only the many natural things of Man or Angel in the first creation and not at all the one thing necessary that 's comprehensive of all the things of Christ and God communicable to Men in the second Object 2. We deny say Satan's Gospellers there 's any creature-life or spirit distinct from what God set up men and Angels in by the 〈◊〉 creation above that or between that and the infinite divine life 〈◊〉 spirit And this is that fill's all your Books and is the substance of your pretended-gospel And this higher creature life you call the life of God and the wisdom righteousness and all the things of it the wisdom righteousness and things of God What can you mean by all this save the very 〈◊〉 life the eternal righteousness and wisdom And we hold a swallowing up of creatur's beings and wills at last into the Divine life and will of God Answ. What 's this at bottom but annihilation of Man and Angel and then God is where and what he was from Eternity and nothing of the Creature in any sense or capacity remain's at all Here 's the sum of the controversie between hypocritical Sinners in Zion pretending to right saving Saintship in renew'd naturals first-covenant
such blind followers neither of whom know what they are doing whither a going or whom they worship all in a manner doing they know not what The Objections here made have I oft heard from the unanimous defenders of the Doctrine of Devils who with hearts believe or obey and with their mouths make confession of Satan's Gospel calling it Christ's unto damnation Holy Men a first-Covenant People of God blasphem'd said of Christ he had a Devil and was mad why hear ye him Joh. 1. 11. 10. 20. Do any wise knowing righteous Men believe on him Joh. 7. 48. But to return from this requisit digression A Man restor'd and made by Christ rich 〈◊〉 wise strong honourable fat fruitful and 〈◊〉 in his own nature again in the same kind of life Adam was at first set up in has with the literal rich Man in his case no power to eat thereof so as to receive the comfort that 's to be found in the right use of his fading mystical riches The right using and eating them to true advantage is in the zeal of God's House Psal. 69. 9. the mystical fire of his Sanctuary-Spirit to eat consume devour and burn all up in Sacrifice to God as Christ handled our spotless nature in himself If not eaten thus in and by the true Priestly Spirit of God in an obedient friendly union of mind with the Cross or Spirit of Christ the same Spirit or Gospel-sword will come as a stranger yea a downright enemy and devour eat all up and destroy the Rebel for ever Isa. 1. 19 20. Ps. 69. 9. Joh. 2. 17. The single Spirit of 〈◊〉 in its highest renewals and most righteous restor'd life since the fall is a continual sinner and an enemy of God The gospel-Gospel-Spirit of Grace that 's on its death to succeed and become the sole and single principle of life and operation in the Saint never sins The true Saint therein joyns with Christ to destroy the former that he may live for ever with him in the latter Such suffering and dying is God's appointed method for living and reigning with him for evermore 2 Tim. 2. 11 12. A right death of Nature is a ceasing and a being freed from Sin for ever 1 Pet. 4. 1. Rom. 6. 7. They that feed on perishing lying vanities and gratify that fleshly belly or desire and life that 's to be destroy'd will be destroy'd for such rebellious feeding in a forbidden life and way on such forbidden fruits 1 Cor. 6. 13. They gratify but that carnal earthly mind that minds only earthly things first-creation vanities So sin they after the similitude of Adam's first transgression This great Sin Solomon observes to be a vanity and an evil disease common among men Multitudes of first-covenant Professors call themselves what they will will be found guilty of this unpardonable Sin unchangeable enmity to God and his Gospel-spirit at the final determination of Zion-controversies They are strangers and enemies to the Cross of Christ Phil. 3. 18 19 and that as a stranger and enemy to them will eat up or consume and destroy their fading life and goodness in final Wrath. It also eats up all the same kind of fading life riches beauty or glory in Saints themselves in a way of everlasting kindness love and faithfulness for their eternal good Away then will all first-creation life riches and glory go for ever as to any goodness comliness or comfort therein from all Saints or Sinners in love or wrath In wrath will he come upon incorrigible enemies that by chusing their own first-Covenant-life before his second have forfeited the benefit of all his dispensations of Love and Mercy towards them as well as all their large great mystical earthly riches and possessions for ever Vers. 3. If a Man beget an hundred Children and live many years so that the days of his years be many and his soul be not filled with good and also that he have no burial I say that an untimely birth is better than he In Mystery Man in the top-excellency and most abundant fruitfulness of his restor'd Nature though he live long and be fill'd with the utmost joy and comfort all riches fruits and honours there amount unto he is but an old doting sinner against God and his Spirit of Grace all along throughout his whole race or course in this mortal world and state He is an old rich accursed Sinner as to any durable life or riches dead miserable wretched poor blind and naked Rev. 3. 17. He is such a covetous Sinner that however he has blessed himself in his own way or reckoned himself blessed of God as giving him more than heart can wish there though he be an hundred years old live never so long in this fools Paradise he will find himself accursed for ever under the wrath to come after all Isa. 65. 20. The reasons hereof are here given his soul is not filled with good and he hath no 〈◊〉 The truly satisfying new-creation goodness that 's only to be attain'd by an honourable burial in Christ's mystical Grave or through-conformity to his death of Nature is not found with or in him He has nothing of that about him Satan has 〈◊〉 ' d his heart with unchangeable enmity to God and all his durable riches Diotrephes-like loving to have the preeminence do such prate against true Gospel-Saints with malicious words and all the durable Gospel-Riches yea the unsearchable Riches of Christ's Wonderful Divine and Creature-person that they preach Eph. 3. 8. as a meer blasphemous fiction a nullity 'T is but a lump of corruptible vanities they at best are fill'd with They and all this earthly trumpery will be found but the Earth and works thereof that are the 〈◊〉 fewel by the fire of Christ's day to be burnt up 2. Pet. 3. 10. Man's immortal Spirit can never be fill'd with true good but in an immortal Gospel-Life never in a mortal fading Law-Life He must be emptied of the former to be fill'd with the latter This is done by the twofold Death and Life-work of the Gospel-Spirit of the Cross on his Law-Spirit of Nature slaying his Nature and raising him if passively obedient to the death of that into the life of the sacrificing Gospel High-Priest of our Profession Heb. 3. 1. the active Gospel-Principle of everlasting Obedience to God most high Without this an abortive or untimely birth is better than the said rich and flourishing long-liv'd first-creation sinner This abortive is either a literal that has not known any thing or received any sort of good 〈◊〉 God and so is free from the guilt of neglecting or abusing it or mystical abortive that has never receiv'd the actual birth and life of a First-Covenant State from Christ nor experienc'd a fruitfulness of his own Nature therein and so has not been possess'd of such choicer First-Creation riches to abuse in enmity to the second Vers. 4. For he cometh in with Vanity and departeth in darkness
departed out of their own Countrey and Father's House the mystical Land of their Nativity their natural state and life and are entred into God's new-creation spiritual mystical true Land of promise or state of life the Land of the truly living for evermore So know they how to walk before the living God the living word of God and all the truly living partakers thereof blessed Angels and spiritual Saints in that blessed new land and life They know how to walk with God in some degree towards what Enoch did and to demean themselves as orderly Gospel-spirited walkers before all the blessed inhabitants of that new Land of the living These poor ones little Children Mat. 18. 3. Brethren of Low degree in their own Spirit 〈◊〉 nature demolish'd defac'd and impoverish'd by the cross are the only right sort of true rejoycers because sure of an exaltation into that Gospel-life of Christ wherein they will certainly know to walk before all the said living God Christ blessed Angels and Saints Jam. 1. 9. The fix'd fool or wise in the natural state corrupt or enlighten'd are utterly uncapable of Repentance Pardon or Salvation for ever The door of Grace is fast shut upon them If then Christ had not a secret spiritual Seed of unfix'd ones amongstus whether in the corrupt or enlighten'd spirit of nature where were any true Church of spiritual Saints or so much as a hopefulness of such a thing this dark day on Earth Had not the Lord a very small remnant-Seed of true Saints among us we should be as Sodom and Gomorrha literal or mystical Both both in a wonderful degree however unconsider'd or unperceiv'd by such whose minds the God of this World has wonderfully blinded left the true Gospel-light of Christ should shine unto them 2 Cor. 4. 4. Vers. 9. Better is the sight of the Eyes than the wandring of the desire Heb walking of the Soul this is also vanity and vexation of Spirit The wandring desire or walking Soul is a fit character of Man's natural spirit exercis'd in a first-Covenant principle of life and action subject to all sorts of uncertainty Man therein lives and walks at all-adventures as the margin renders Lev. 26. 21. 'T is a starting turning Psal. 78. 57. versatile principle in which Man at first was liable to Apostasy and since his Apostasy any Men in that restor'd principle and life are exposed to the same as has bin sufficiently experienc'd by millions 'T is a tossing fluctuating principle unstable as water with Reuben Gen. 49. 4. Man therein is apt to be carried about with divers and strange Doctrin's tossed to and fro with every wind of false deceitful delusive and destructive Doctrine by the sleight and cunning craft of Men Ephes. 4. 14. and Devils Satan and his Gospel-ministries These false Doctrines or the matter of them the Wisdom Righteousness Glory things of Man or Angel in the first Creation asserted to make up an absolute Safety and Salvation to Man do utterly pervert and destroy him for ever They tend wholly to the establishing of Men with Satan's perishing Meats in unchangeable enmity to God This is a most evil wicked thing and state But it is a good thing that the heart be established with Grace or in that gospel-Gospel-spirit of Grace that 's in unchangeable union with God not with Satan's perishing but Christ's never-perishing meats Heb. 13. 9. Man's tossing roving rolling spirit wandring in its desire up and down to pick up a satisfaction in Satan's vast heap of first-creation vanities the perishing dust himself feeds on Gen. 3. 14. if permitted by God to make his own final choice brings him at length to be establish'd by such gratifying ensnaring captivating 〈◊〉 or things in unchangeable union with the Devil He feeds on Wind Hos. 12. 1. Ashes Isa. 44. 20. a deceived heart turn's him aside that he can't deliver his soul nor say is there not a lie in my right hand 〈◊〉 divers uncertain Doctrins or things the Spirit of God calls strang meats wind ashes lies Satan by 〈◊〉 has all first-creation vanities at his dispose all the Kingdoms of this World and glory of them as 〈◊〉 up to him to give to whomsoever he will Luk. 4. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 on which he offer 's all to Christ himself or any thing thereof to others are that he or they take and own him for God and worship him as so v. 7. and 2 Thess. 2. 4. He can gloss over his vanities so as to answer 〈◊〉 palate gratify every extravagant desire of Man's wandring spirit being compleatly skill'd and knowing therein by the over-reaching subtilty of his superiour angelical nature and by his powerful insluence upon Man can he kindle blow up and inflame his desire or lust after his perishing desirables Yet farther if Man by spiritual conviction-light grow jealous and suspicious that his meats are dangerous and shy as to an eating of his dainties he will gild them over with the nearest possible resemblance and counterfeit appearance of Christ's never-perishing meats And so does he fetch many back from Christ that have tasted of his true heavenly meats begun well in his spirit or in obedience to his Gospel-light and ran well for a season Heb. 6. 4 -- 6. 1 Pet. 2. 3. Gal. 3. 1. -- 4. and 5. 7 8. The Devil is ready for Man at every turn can humour him to a hair while at his own choice as to what he will feed and live upon And in presenting his dusty diet in all variety thereof he uses all imaginable self-pleasing and most subtile arguments as to Eve to engage men to feed at his table till establish'd in his spirit of enmity to God and to his never-perishing Meats Hold your own say's he and ye shall be as God's Gen. 3. 5. God offers you a happiness in your eternal and unchangeable subjection to him 〈◊〉 teach you how to become Gods your selves in an absolute uncontroll'd soveraignty of your own wills like the most High as I have made my self Isa. 14. 14. What kind of Gods will he make them Gods or Princes of this World under him in unchangeable enmity to the true God most high He is the God of all such Gods King of all such Kings and Children of pride Job 41. 34. In stead of not dying at all as he flatters them they sink and dy with him once for all irrecoverably eternally While people are gadding abroad to change their way Jer. 2. 36. wandring like Bee's from one fading flower to another in Satan's first-creation field or worldly dominion they look not after God their backs are upon him they bow down to feed with the Serpent on dust their ears are deafned their eyes or minds blinded by him that they will not listen to God's Counsel look after his meats have no palate to savour or relish his things the things of God They are wholly of Satan's palate savour only natural first-creation vanities the things of Man or evil Angels Solomon
on his murdering work on the Prince of Life and Author of Salvation and at same time procur'd by them a pardon for a convicted murderer Act. 3. 14 15. That Men get by such fighting against the only spirit wherein and by they can be saved is their own everlasting destruction by the same hand they oppose executed upon them And what get they in their own way amongst a heap of delusive vanities nothing save an encrease of vanity and of their sin and guilt for their wilful rebellion therein against all the faithful warnings advice and commands of God's spiritual Law to the contrary for their good So will they find at length that by encreasing their heap of vanities they have bin heaping or treasuring up wrath to themselves against the last day They will be in such sense fill'd with their own devices and reap the sad fruits of their many inventions Prov. 1. 31. Eccles. 7. 29. under wrath and a total disappointment of all their vain opinions and labours about and for rest and happiness Abundantly the worse will they be for all they have bin done or had Vers. 12. For who knoweth what is good for Man in this life all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow For who can tell a Man what shall be after him under the Sun There 's great cause for these two pertinent queries concerning Man For in his natural state at best is he wholly ignorant of both these things viz. What 's best for him to do in this World or what will be after him under the Sun when he is departed out of it What 's truly good for him in order to true Blessedness here or hereafter he knows not But when convincingly shew'd all wherein from what hand on what terms or by what way and means 't is attainable if he refuse so great Salvation as is offer'd in God's Spirit and chuse the life of his own before and against it he spends all his days and labours in and about a shadow and so chuses his own damnation He is possess'd of no good but what will vanish and leave him for ever Psal. 39. 5. 49. 12. when he is stripp'd of all his fading good and finds himself unchangeably evil under unchangeable Wrath he will too late be forc'd to see the Truth here declar'd by way of question that he spent all his days in and all his hours about a shadow But To the second Query These are the sad things that will be after a Man has spent his days here in a shadowy state of Vanity as amus'd and diverted all along his vain life with variety of perishing Vanities under the influence of the God of this World Amidst a flush and confluence of these delusive entertainments he seems little concern'd what shall be after him or what will become of him for ever He obstinately deafens himself to all counsels and instructions about what indeed is eternal life or the way towards it the death of a fading natural one as meer aery notion fiction and enthusiastical delusion He strikes in with the God of this World as willing to be blinded by him against all Gospel-Light and things He desires not to be troubled with such matters but to live in 〈◊〉 perfect inadvertency and unconcernedness as to such good things as can't be lost and as in no danger of losing what he has which most certainly will be lost for ever Man's days in this World are but as a hand-breadth nothing to his endless sorrowful State hereafter Yet all his sollicitude is about his concerns here scarce a thought about his eternal concerns hereafter All duties and performances in a life of vanity do but add to and encrease vanity and what 's he the better as to true happiness or any thing towards it In every respect worse in none better For what he sinfully heaps up against conviction he more and more sinfully delights in As the heap of vanities encreases his evil love to and delight therein encreases So in all his labour he adds iniquity to iniquity on all hands His heap of vanities and his vain love to it encreases all in a known rebellion against God Here 's Man's destructive trade in vanities wilfully neglecting all God's Counsel and durable riches He neither lay's to heart the desperate consequents of his evil choice and dotage on his own perishing life and riches or the unspeakable happiness that would have come after and befallen him had he obediently exchang'd and parted with all for God's everlasting Solomon bewail's this twofold ignorance of unhappy Man as to the everlasting good things that would have fallen to his lot after this life above all conception or thought of his natural heart on a right choice or sorrows and torment for ever on a wrong in a state of everlasting darkness and death This is the unknown or unconsider'd state that will come after all his jollity and deceitful pleasure in his vain life under the Sun CHAP. VII V. 1. A good Name is better then precious Ointment and the day of death then the day of one's birth NOthing is properly good in God's sight but what 's unchangably so Christ would not suffer our nature in the changeable first-covenant life of the Law to be call'd good in his 〈◊〉 person Mat. 19. 17. The good name then here is the new name Rev. 2. 17. which imports and belongs to that newness of life in which only 't is possible to bring forth fruit unto God or be saved Rom. 6. 4. 7. 4. This is here asserted to be better then all the precious Ointment in its kind of first covenant Life Light Wisdom with all variety of Gifts and Abilities therein as also all spiritual enlightning Gifts receiv'd upon that foot or in that Law-state short of the very Gospel-life and more excellent way 1 Cor. 12. 31. call'd Love 1 Cor. 13. To this only belongs the new or unchangeably good name here This is the unspeakably more excellent Gift then the said precious Ointment All first-creation-Life and Goodness being corruptible God that sees all futurities and possibilities knowing it will change or be chang'd and lost calls it Corruption in or with which no man or Angel can enter into or inherit Incorruption the incorruptible Inheritance 1 Pet. 1. 4. the Kingdom of God 1 Cor. 15. 50. That incorruptible new-creation Life is convincingly shew'd and offer'd Men in lieu of their obediently surrendred natural and corruptible in which alone any can enter into and inherit it And this is imported in the new or good name here All old or first-creation life at best in Angel or Man is character'd by 〈◊〉 grass flower of grass Vanity a Dream and they therein said to be altogether Vanity Isa. 40. 6 -8. 1 Pet. 1. 24. Psal. 39. 5. Thus is the corruptible seed of a first-covenant life set up in both by the first-creation or restor'd in Man since lost by the fall which in
its utmost growth flourish and fruitfulness is but a fading flower the mystical natural tree of God's left-hand-planting distinguish'd from the incorruptible seed 1 Pet. 1. 23. of his right-hand-planting by a new-creation which springs up in spiritual Saints prospers into an everlasting Kingdom-state rendring them mystical Gospel-trees the fruits whereof are incorruptible and the very leaves such as never wither or 〈◊〉 away Psal. 1. 3. This spiritual tree of Life will be known by its fruits in distinction from the natural fleshly tree all the fruits whereof are as the root and tree they grow upon perishing Vanities The new Name or Life of the new-Creature Gospel-spirit or living Word of God set up in man can never be turn'd into a lie Man's old name and fading first-covenant Law-life at best when asserted to be a spiritual Gospel-state of everlasting Life and Salvation is turn'd into a flat lie and falshood and all the things births works fruits and products thereof and in though good in their kind when call'd spiritual and confidently rested in for Salvation are all lies and enmity to God and his Gospel-Spirit of Truth Renew'd nature call'd Grace the renew'd old or natural Man with his first Covenant righteous Life and Name call'd the new-creature the spiritual Saint with the new Covenant-Life and Gospel-Name all these are dangerous destructive lies In sum the good Name and precious Oyntment here are the differing characters of first and second-Covenant Life The former through the said mistake Paul found to be a body a law a state of sin and death Rom. 7. 24. 8. 2. which the new-covenant law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus freed him from by putting his nature therein to death The Spirit of life is the death of death when it puts the law-spirit of Enmity and Death to death in the Saint utterly abolishing all the Anointings or said precious Ointment receiv'd in the natural state and giving all again with usury in the unchangeable life and transcendently more precious anointing of the spiritual Man Man in restor'd first-Covenant Law-life is apt as Paul once to despise and reject all Gospel-Tydings or witness of the second The good Name imports a transcendently higher and better anointing then the precious Oyntment here can signify For then the spiritual there is no better kind of precious ointment receivable by or communicable to Man This true meaning of the Holy Ghost in Solomon as to this former will much conduce to and facilitate the opening of the latter clause of this verse And the day of Death then the day of one's Birth The stress of these words can't lie in the literal sence which cannot hold generally nor mostly true For the literal death of the vast number of wicked men is abundantly worse then the day of their litteral birth and life in this World Man though born dead in Sin is capable of a restauration-birth of a first-Covenant life in his Spirit which puts him under hopeful advantages and possibilities of a new-creation-birth of an everlasting righteous Life These hopes are utterly cut off from all that die in their Sins as all that die in a state of enmity to God and his Spirit of Grace and everlasting Life do This necessitates the allowing a mystical meaning to these Words which is this The death of Man's Spirit as to all natural first-creation life 〈◊〉 or first-Covenant righteous obediently submitted to with certain hope of a Resurrection into the life of Christ's Gospel-Spirit that slay's and offers it up in sacrifice to God as he serv'd our nature at best in his own person is transcendently better then the Birth and utmost flourish thereof in him For now is he much forwarder on his way in the right method and death-pass towards an everlasting righteous new-Covenant life Paul counted the former dung to the latter and suffer'd the loss of all therein for it Phil. 3. 7 8. If Man submit not to the terms and ways of arriving at this new birth for a newness of life he will come to a latter end worse then his beginning in either of his two former Births litteral or mystical of bodily or first-Covenant life eternal death By obediently losing and quitting the former natural or Law-life for a spiritual Gospel-one he comes to a latter end better then any of his beginnings in Adam before the fall or since in his own said twofold personal birth eternal life A rebellious pitying and sparing our own nature in the first-covenant life thereof loses all for ever An obedient giving it up to death and right losing it saves all Matth. 16. 25. The Spirit or inner natural Man when crucified and raised into Christ's spiritual life the death or dissolution of the body is not fear'd but desir'd as by Paul He earnestly long'd and groan'd after the shaking off and being perfectly rid of the dusty mortal perishing earthly life and state of his whole natural Man body and spirit 2 Cor. 5. 1 4. and so to be wholly at home with the Lord ver 6. in the intire single uninterrupted exercise of spiritual life amongst the best company the pure unchangeable Friends of that life blessed Angels and Saints departed In this World the Saint is surrounded with innumerable Enemies thereof very burdensome ill unpleasing company to him In the birth and utmost flourish of a first-covenant Law-life we are still under Satan's power and delusive influence He can deceive us into the same perdition with himself by that very righteous life By inducing Men to over-value and and rest in it and on it for Salvation he brings them into unchangeable Union with himself in Enmity to God When perfectly crucified as to the life of the Law raised into the life of the Gospel we are not under the Law but under Grace Then Sin and Satan have lost their dominion over us for ever We wholly cease and are freed from both and all all enemies and dangers whatsoever Rom. 6. 7 -14. 1 Pet. 4. 1. The birth of a first-Covenant life gives not full victory over Satan the right death of Nature and loss of it does Therefore better on all hands as the only way to free us from death and set us up in eternal life The right full death of Man's Law-spirit of bondage delivers him from all bondage and fear of death for ever which all their first-Covenant life-time Men are continually subject to Heb. 2. 15. Vers. 2. It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting for that is the end of all Men and the living will lay it to his heart The house of mourning or state of sorrow to the natural Man under the death-blows of the Gospel-Sword or spiritual cross of Christ is better for him to go into and be in then the house of feasting in the most joyful fruitful life and exercise thereof in a first-Covenant state For therein draws he nearer to a heavenly
Men in the corrupt spirit of nature unfix'd Mat. 12. 43 45. Luk. 11. 24 26. So come such feasters to a latter end in restor'd worse then their 〈◊〉 in corrupt nature a state of unchangeable enmity to God and his Gospel-spirit of Grace Man chuses rather to follow the Devil 's pleasing false counsel through a house of temporary feasting into everlasting mourning then God's true and faithful through a house of 〈◊〉 and death into everlasting rejoycing and life ' t. For that is the end of all Men and the living will lay it to his heart All Men good and bad must come sooner or later for a season or for ever to the house of mourning by the death and loss of all the 〈◊〉 goodness in their natural state or house of feasting That house or state of mourning is the end all men come to on the said differing accounts specified Such an end they must all experience after the most fruitful flourish in their fading Law-life even the death and loss of all Here 's then a character of the natural heart in all Men Their inward thought and design is to establish themselves in their own righteousness when they have it and in the riches and fruitfulness thereof and so to have the mystical Land of their own nature call'd after their own old name in their old first-covenant life or restor'd first-creation state figur'd by Men's calling their outward possessions so relating to bodily life only Psal. 49. 11. Conviction-light of the new-covenant Spirit they 'l receive as an ornament to prank up adorn and advance their nature to puff it more up with spiritual pride not by obedience to and compliance with it to let it fall down and be humbled to the death of that state as they ought So turn they all spiritual inlightning Gifts upon as well as fresh enlivenings of their nature into their disadvantage and sorer condemnation for ever Satan offers to advance them in their own way after their own heart into his superiour angelical perfections and excellencies of the first-creation sort gilding them also by his sinful transforming arts with the appearance of Christ's spiritual new-creation excellencies and then has he them fast in his fools-paradise which they take for the Kingdom of Heaven He wants not for Men-Apostles to carry on this work Moral Heathens are bidding towards Salvation by obedience to first-Covenant light only Temporary Believers by the knowledg of Christ after the flesh are bidding at it in a righteous first-Covenant life under the perfect righteousness of that sort from Christ imputed to them or that comliness put upon them Ezek. 16. 14. The moral Heathen with the Quaker aim's at a perfection in his own perpersonal Life and operations of the same sort Adam at first had not regarding imputed righteousness in either Covenant or at all the everlasting righteous life of the second This is not and so nor God in all or any of his thoughts Psal. 10. 4. The legal-Christian-Believer and Professor tho' advanc'd beyond the highest pretender to Heathen morality yea and furnish'd with spiritual light also is yet but the supernaturally adorn'd natural Man that oft with the 〈◊〉 Galatians retreats from Christ in spirit shew'd and offer'd him to a resting in holy flesh or his own restor'd naturals in a first-Covenant-life for salvation Gal. 3. 1 3. This finally and absolutely done is the unpardonable refusal of and sinning against the Holy Ghost God's holy new-Creature Spirit of everlasting Righteousness The Morally righteous Heathen is not so resolutely fierce against first-Covenant life in the professing legally righteous and Gospel-convinc'd Christian as he is against the second in the true Gospel-believing Christian. Wot ye why First-Covenant life advances nature in its own way above and beyond Heathen Morality But in order to true Gospel or second-Covenant life Christ comes with fire and sword to pull down and destroy the Wisdom of the Greek or Moral Heathen and the first-Covenant righteous life of the Jew or legal Christian. For this is the Preacher of the Cross and work of it a fool foolishness and a stumbling-block to both 1 Cor. 1. 23. Thus comes the spiritual Saint tho' transcendently advanc'd over both their guilty heads as far as the Heavens are above the Earth into the life and Image of the Heavenly that 's out of the sight and reach of both their Wisdoms or Understandings to be judg'd the veriest fool and mad man in the world by them both They are agreed against him to call and reckon him so in their several gradual advances in Naturals The highest rank of Naturalists in 〈◊〉 Covenant life and second-covenant light call'd Christ 〈◊〉 So Joh. 10. 20. for his Gospel-Doctrine 〈◊〉 the Cross on their Pharisaical Law-life and Righteousness leaven'd sowr'd into unchangable enmity to God's Gospel-life and everlasting righteousness Awaken'd Saints and true Prophets have bin so handled by such legal-professors in all Ages Hos. 9. 7 8. Cain a 〈◊〉 Covenant worshipper kill'd his own Brother Abel a second on this very single account Paul himself when a righteous wise first-Covenant Law-Pharisee in holy 〈◊〉 fiercely persecuted the Gospel-spirit in 〈◊〉 Covenant Saints 〈◊〉 he was despis'd as a contemptible 〈◊〉 by such as he had bin when a signal Friend and Preacher of the Gospel 1 Cor. 4. 10 -13. But in his transcendently superiour Life Wisdom and Righteousnes of God he pass'd not for Man's day or dark-spirited judgment whose wisdom reach'd not such Spiritual Heavenly Mysteries Things or Truths 1 Cor. 4. 3. He regarded not their disregards mistakes contradictions blasphemies or evil-speakings and most unjust cenfurings of him As elevated by Satan into natural angelical excellencies and tongues or language of Men and Angels intuitive and by a sound of words and all 〈◊〉 things gilded with appearances of spirituality do first-Covenanteers feed at the Serpent's table with such delight as to find extasies and raptur's of false delusive joy in a way after their own hearts and despise the crucisied abas'd natural Man in the Saint as the filth and off-scouring of all things Satan thus all along this World and his Reign by his undiscern'd or wilfully unconsider'd pranks plays his game upon Man so as to carry it clear with abundantly the far greater number of professors high pretenders to Gospel and bidders at Salvation and the Kingdom of God as the only reputed Orthodox or right-thinking heirs thereof But the truly living spiritual Saint lay's all these things to heart as having escap'd out of the dark mistaking spirit of bondage and death others keep in He sees the house of mourning or loss of all fading goodness or life in the natural spirit will be the end of all Men and Angels good and bad Those that obediently surrender and lose it find eternal life others eternal darkness and death True Saints and incorrigible sinners all must come to 't at last even to experience the loss of all good in their
Christ's new and heavenly his natural for Christ's spiritual creature-life and possessions A conclusive refusal to part with all we have is a final parting-blow between God and Man Paul found Corinthian Professors bewitch'd Galatians and belly-God Philippians dangerously engag'd towards a sixure in this most presumptuous Sin and Error 1 Cor. 4. 8. 2 Cor. 11. 2 3. Gal. 3. 1 -4. Phil. 3. 18 19. And Christ found a first-Covenant party in enmity to the second in most or all the seven Churches Rev. 2. 3. In Laodicea scarce any other and all this under the outward dispensation and ministry of the Gospel owning themselves as Gospel-Professors And what or who else in a manner at this day can we find but such anti-Gospel-Gospellers in all variety of opinion form and way All the highly pretending and conceited Children of the Kingdom in the most sublimated Church-forms or purest Churches in but restor'd first-covenant Law-principles without advance by exchange and Gospel-conversion will be found at a loss and cast or kept out of the Kingdom of Christ as not at all of his new-Covenant Gospel-spirit of Grace and Truth 'T is in the heavenly Wisdom of this only Men can attain the sight and inheritance of the most glorious divine Sun and of the new-creation Sun of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mal. 4. 2. in the Mediator's person which is the greatest gain the highest prosit and advantage Man or Angel can receive or enjoy to all eternity This 〈◊〉 proves ver 12. Vers. 12. For Wisdom is a defence Heb. shadow and mony is a desence but the excellency of knowledg is that Wisdom giveth life to them that have it Here 's a distinguishing character of the first and second covenant spirits Lives Wisdoms with or by the effects riches and priviledges of each The Wisdom and mystical mony or riches of the first are a defence against the rude assaults the unruly brutish motions of the corrupt state of nature and do make up to Man all he thinks he needs for eternal life 1 Cor. 4. 8. Rev. 3. 17. But through the fading nature of all that life and riches and evil use of it in preference and opposition to the durable life and true riches in the gospel-Gospel-spirit of God all 's spoil'd Man's inordinate love to the former is that love of mony that 's the root of all evil against God and to himself evil of sin and punishment It renders all the mammon of unrighteousness as preferr'd to the 〈◊〉 riches of Christ in his infinite divine and everlasting righteous new-creation Life First-creation Life with the riches thereof is to be allow'd its due as good in its kind and lawful use for suppressing the unruly desires thoughts and motions of the corrupt state of Nature Man so using it is faithful to the Light afforded him by Christ in the first Covenant as a fleshly Bridegroom But then farther is he to follow this Bridegroom in the death and loss of all this fading life and riches Wisdom and Mony for what in spiritual conviction-Light is shew'd and offer'd him by Christ as a better Bridegroom and Comforter in the second This second and principal thing done as the passive part of obedience requir'd in the right and lawful use of all in the first Covenant law-state God is well-pleased and Man saved But be Man never so faithful in the active obedience performable in his law-life if he refuse to perform or yield to the requir'd passive obedience all his active turns in conclusion to no account at all Himself is turn'd out of God's house for ever as but that servant in his own law-spirit of bondage that refus'd to become a Son of God in his Gospel-spirit of glorious liberty that makes free indeed Jo. 8. 35 36. The truth the gospel-Gospel-spirit of Truth makes Man truly free ver 32. Where or in whomsoever that Spirit is is liberty 2 Cor. 3. 17. The Gospel-law of the Spirit of life is the perfect law of liberty It renders Man free not to but from all sin and death at last Rom. 8. 2. Jam. 1. 25. Man's spirit of bondage chosen before and against God's spirit of true freedom becom's a house a prison a state of eternal death to him If Man use his law-life aright as to the first end for which restor'd and miss the appointed and declared second all comes to worse then nothing for ever He misses that true Wisdom that gives and is eternal life to them that have it This the Law-life and best Wisdom of Man can never give or be to him Gal. 3. 21. Vers. 13. Consider the work of God for who can make that straight which he hath made crooked Consider well the life and state of Men and Angels as the first-creation Workmanship of God's hand and you 'l find it crooked first comparatively To the second make of them by his new-creating Workmanship all the fading goodness Life Wisdom Glory and Righteousness of the first are as nothing no Glory 2 Cor. 3. 10. If the Glory and other things of Man in the first be not only presumptuously compared with but preferr'd and exalted into a jusling competition with and opposition to the Life Glory Wisdom Righteousness Works Fruits and things of God offer'd them by a new and second Creation this renders all such things worse then nothing Yea if this be finally wilfully and conclusively done the Glory Wisdom Light Life Righteousness all things of Man are turn'd into unspeakable shame utmost folly and highest wickedness to which belong utter Darkness and eternal Death The corruptible seed 1 Pet. 1. 23. of God's left-hand planting in Man's or Angel's natural first-creation-make and state at its utmost growth flourish and fruitfulness amounts but to a fading flower Man in all at best is altogether Vanity This fleshly state of Life was figur'd by the tree of good and evil before the fall Since the fall 't is always evil root and branch tree and fruit silth of 〈◊〉 or spirit are found in all its operations fruits products or performances root and branch When Paul was eminent in the restor'd righteous law-life of Man how fiercely did he persecute the Gospel or new-Creature life of Christ in himself and Saints That was filth of Spirit enmity and despite to the very Gospel spirit of Grace in which any can be saved 't was a sinning against the holy Ghost but ignorantly When done knowingly and so wilfully t is the presumptuous unpardonable Sin unto Death God made Man upright set up in him a first-Covenant-life perfect in its kind but fallible corruptible changeable loseable as all mankind have sadly experienc'd by the first error of humane nature at best in the first Man Now what is corruptible God calls corruption The natural seed of a first-Covenant life cast into Man in his natural first-creation make and fashion of being was sown in corruption dishonour weakness By the obedient death of Man therein 't is rais'd in Incorruption Glory Power a spiritual
him in his spiritual Rom. 8. 13. The right death of what 's expos'd to all snares deaths and enemies attacks delivers out of and from them all from all snares of Satan on the right and left hand calculated to the self-interest palate and desire of Nature in the corrupt or righteous life and principles thereof in order to lodg all he can in unchangeable enmity to God with himself God warns all sorts of Sinners as to Satan's various snares if therefore caught therein 't is at their own peril Their destruction is singly of themselves by their own choice Ezek. 3. 17 21. Prov. 8. 36. Vers. 19. Wisdom strength'neth the wise more then ten mighty Men which are in the City The Wisdom or living Word of God the Gospel-Spirit of Christ makes all the truly wise partakers thereof Spiritual Saints stronger and wiser too then all that 's found in the first-creation-state of Men and Angels 1 Joh. 4. 4. This new-creature-wisdom of God by which the Worlds were made Gen. 1. 1. Jo. 1. 1 3. Col. 1. 15 -- 19. Heb. 1. 2. Wheresoever it is or in whomsoever admits no comparison of any first-Creation Power Glory or Excellencies with it Prov. 3. 13 19. 2 Cor. 3. 10. The evil Angels with their Luciferian head as the supream invisible Principalities Powers and Rulers of this dark World may fitly be represented by the ten mighty Men in the universal City Province or Dominion thereof The truly wise Saint in the Life Light Strength Power and Armour of God can discover all the devices and vanquish all the power the mystical Goliah and his Philistine Army can come forth against him with True Spiritual Davids in the new name and power of the Lord will be too hard for them all will be more then conquerours over the whole incorporated first-creation City of evil Angels and Men. Their weapons are spiritual and mighty through God to beat down the City and strongest forts thereof about the ears of the rebellious defendants that have fortified themselves against the new Jerusalem City of God The enemy has none but carnal weapons fleshly Wisdom Power Strength and Arms perishing Vanities Saints with spiritual will tumble down all their strong holds and every high thing that exalts it self against God and them They have in a readiness Power to revenge all such disobedience of Man and Angel when their own Gospel-life and obedience is compleated 2 Cor. 10. 4 6. Vers. 20. For there is not a just man upon earth that doth good and sinneth not This confirm's what is said v. 19. There 's not one man amongst all men in their earthy first-creation life and wisdom at best without sin in God's sight Yea their highest righteousness and wisdom oppos'd to God's are the most criminal wickedness and folly There 's none truly righteous among them all no not one None in their earthly spirit or natural state corrupt or righteous understands or seeks after God in his spiritual new-creation life So are they all unprofitable to themselves as to true blessedness because not one of them does that good in God's sight that 's of any conducibleness or tendency thereunto They rebel against swell with indignation and despite to his offer'd Spirit of Grace wherein alone any can ever please him or be saved Their throat is an open Sepulcher to belch out blasphemies threatnings and slaughter against it or any that own or talk of it in its own words and wisdom 〈◊〉 tongues are deceitful the poison of Asps is under their lips their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness against it their feet are swift to shed the blood of any that declare it From Cain downwards to the end of this World Satan's reign and man's day all 's of a piece one uniform spirit of contradiction to and rebellion against the Spirit of God and all its words Destruction and misery are in their way 's and the way of peace have they not known They have no fear of God before their eyes Yet flatter they themselves as true fearers of God at peace with him and in the very way to Salvation If good words fair speeches and most 〈◊〉 self-pleasing imaginations will do 't they are in a fair way to blessedness while they are serving their own belly gratifying their own lust and desire in direct enmity to God Christ all Gospel-Saints and Truths Rom. 16. 18. They 〈◊〉 peace peace to themselves and others where there 's no peace and say the Lord saith when 't is Satan and their own lying spirit of divination saith so Ezek. 13. 6 -- 10. They have not known or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 foot in the way of peace with God but Satan's way of enmity to him And in all this with their leader are they bold confident and fearless behave themselves as Satans Children of pride without fear Rom. 3. 9 -- 18. Job 41. 33 34. There 's not a just man upon Earth in the restor'd righteous life and image of the earthy that sinneth not There 's not a man perfectly free from filth of flesh the vile affections of the corrupt spirit of nature and filth of spirit or enmity to God and his Spirit of Grace is inseparable from the most restor'd righteous life of Nature since the Fall Only by the perfect death of the spirit of Nature under the Cross can this enmity be slain and utterly abolish'd out of any man So there 's a very great mixture of sin in any possible fading good found in or performable by man in his highest renewal Enmity to God lurks under all their fair shews in holy flesh form of Godliness righteousness of man This spoil's all The perpetually sinning life of Nature utterly abolish'd by death and the never-sinning-life of God's Spirit of Grace set up in the room thereof can render any man truly and fully just in God's sight He that 's so dead ceases or is freed from all sin justified before God for ever in a newness of life that 's above all death 1 Pet. 4. 1. Rom. 6. 7. Vers. 21. Also take no heed unto all words that are spoken lest thou hear thy Servant curse thee In letter here 's a prudent walking requir'd by not troubling ones self with regarding or harbouring any revengeful thoughts against others for their injurious words But as the chief intendment is advice here given to the spiritual wise Man as to his deportment towards the natural in his own person made clean wise aud righteous in first-creation principles The spiritual is to take heed to any words or doctrine proceeding from this natural so as to follow the direction or counsel of its fallible wisdom and judgment about things pertaining to God and his own Salvation lest he hear this natural Servant that would fain be dictating and ruling as a Master curse the spiritual Heaven-born Son in him Paul on his Gospel-conversion immediately conferr'd not with flesh and blood Gal. 1. 16. lean'd not to but turn'd from his own understanding
by her Nothing but what 's unchangeably good is properly and truly good before God No man then that has not some unchangeable good thing or goodness in him can please God Without a spiritual Faith or new-creature principle of life and action something of the life of the Faith of the Son of God Gal. 2. 20. distinct from and superiour to the most righteous life of the Sons of Men 't is impossible to please God Heb. 11. 6. Man wise strong and honorable in Christ as a fleshly Bridegroom that has restor'd the old first-creation righteous life of Nature in him and rendered him fruitful there 1 Cor. 4. 10. This is not yet the He that singly as so pleaseth or can please God For then what was Paul that had quitted all the advantages or priviledges that such knowledg of Christ himself after the flesh brings along with it and includes in it 2 Cor. 5. 16. He became a fool weak and despicable there having parted with all that as dung for the knowledg of Christ after the Spirit in his Gospel-life into which risen from the dead Phil. 3. 6 10. Rom. 7. 1 4. Christ requires his Law or first-Covenant Spouses to quit him there as he them die with him there in order to meet him in the life of the second First-Covenant Spouses or Children of Christ live in him but he comes properly to live in them in the second Gal. 2. 20. T is but the Life Wisdom and Righteousness of Man Christ restores and afresh sets up in Men in order to render them his first-Covenant Children and Spouses The Life Wisdom and Righteousness of God a spiritual immortal Gospel-life he sets up in the second in the room of their surrender'd fading mortal Law-life in the first Christ abolish'd death or crucified that Law-life in himself that was subject to death and so brought a Gospel-life and Immortality to light 2 Tim. 1. 10. This is true life in an absolute sence th' other but a shadow In the infallible Light or spiritual Understanding that accompanies and is found in Gospel-life are true Saints enabled to discover all the wiles of the mystical Woman here All the subtile practices and falshoods of evil Angels coming as false Christs and their false Apostles and Prophets Mat. 24. 24. 2 Cor. 11. 13 -- 15. in the dress language and neerest resemblance of the true Christ and his Prophets or Apostles lie open and naked before that understanding in spiritual Saints that judgeth or discerneth all things 1 Cor. 2. 15. That Spirit in which they can discern the deep things of God ver 10. the utmost depths and heigths of Satan can't lie hid from All his nets and snares are seen and all his power of darkness overset and master'd by this Gospel-spirit and marvelous light thereof When the mysterious methods of God's wisdom for Salvation are seen all the depths and methods of delusion Satan can use in the utmost stretch of his Serpentine Wisdom to destroy Men flie open All Satan's Apostles Ministers of his Gospel in whatever variety of doctrine form language or way in the same sandy fallible first-Creation Principles do all center in this point whatever their thought or intent be to run their hearers into the very arms of the Devil as their only security for Salvation If the Devil can impose himself upon them as Christ and God as he can 2 Thes. 2. 4. This must needs be the issue and result of all their teaching 2 Cor. 11. 13 15. Their end will be according to their works All 's earthly and so fewel for the fire of that Wrath that will be kindled on them and all their earthy doctrin life and works at the day of the Lord 's appearing in that Gospel-spirit and life they 'l be found in unchangeable enmity to 2 Pet. 3. 10. No wisdom of Man secures from this Woman here Adam in his unspotted naturals clear from all silth of flesh and spirit too was not fence-proof against the wiles of this Woman The womanish fading changeable first-Creation life in the evil Angel when fallen was too subtile and powerful for man in his inferiour womanish-life of the same kind to deal with before his fall Satan's first lie to Eve passes currant all along this World with multitudes of professors and high pretenders to the Gospel of Christ and Kingdom of God for the very Gospel of Christ to wit that the establish'd righteous life of the first Creation-state of Man is eternal life that man need not will not die at all Literal Sodom Egypt and Babylon are made up of Men sixed in corrupt Nature given up by themselves and therefore also by God to the vile affections enormous lusts and madnesses of that Ro. 1. 26. Mystical Sodom Egypt and Babylon are made up of Evil Angels and enlight'ned first-Covenant Brethren or Professors establish'd or six'd in the 〈◊〉 righteousness of Man and so in unchangeable enmity to the Gospel-righteousness of God These two sorts of Babylonians and Sodomites in these last and worst of times do or will so fill the scene with their super-abounding iniquities literal and mystical as to leave no room for any hearing of Christ's Gospel at all The spiritual Saint by his Gospel-life of that faith that overcomes the World 1 Joh. 5. 4. remains secure amidst this vast heap this innumerable multitude of Babylonians visible and invisible evil Men and Angels under the protecting shadow and comforting influence of Christ's new name that 's the strong Tower into which he runs and is safe Prov. 18. 10. Heb. is set a-loft to wit on that Rock that 's higher then he Psal. 61. 2. But all incorrigible wilful haters and refusers of Christ and his Gospel-truths will every one of them be taken in the snares of the said Woman So it follows Text. But the sinner shall be taken by her He that 's abhorred of the Lord falls into the mouth of this strange Woman whose heart is a deep pit full of snares and nets and her hands bands Who is this sinner the Lord abhors The fixed incorrigible hater and loather of God and his Spirit of Grace call'd God's Soul or Spirit as the spirit of nature Man's Soul Zec. 11. 8. All blind leaders with their followers tumble into this deep ditch or pit Prov. 23. 27. Luk. 6. 39. All whose minds are willingly blinded by the God of this World the Devil lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ who is the supream creature-image of God should shine into or upon them all such embrace Satan's accursed other contrary 〈◊〉 and his spirit of unchangeable enmity to Christ and his They are engaged what in them 〈◊〉 to shut up the Kingdom of Heaven 〈◊〉 off the 〈◊〉 of that Kingdom out of all hearing or reception and to 〈◊〉 open the Kingdom of the Devil asserting that to be the Kingdom of God and his Gospel Christ's So are they with their admirers engaged in 〈◊〉 of the bottomless pit
to last and all along is a death-pass to the spirit of Nature under the cross or death-work of his Spirit of Grace into its own everlasting righteous Life It takes down their natural sandy-foundation'd Building to build them up anew in its rocky-life that 's 〈◊〉 then theirs as the Heavens than the Earth a Life a Glory never to be done away Man is grown to have exceedingly contrary thoughts and ways to God's in reference to Salvation And he will on in his own invented way to destruction rather then in God's to Salvation Hereby have all Men in and with the first and many Angels given many infallible sinful proofs the wrong way of the changeableness of the good and upright state they were 〈◊〉 in The good Angels with their head as the Lamb 〈◊〉 from the foundation of the World proved it the right way by a death of that and resurrection into a life unchangeably good 〈◊〉 the Head look'd and went they look'd and went turned not or looked back as they went When he was lifted up from the Earth or out of the earthy changeable first-creation life of Nature these angelical wheels or chariots were lifted up by him For his spirit was in them Ezek. 1. 12. and v. 19 -21. and Ezek. 10. 11. The spirit of the living creature or spirit of life was in them v. 16 17. They follow'd the Lamb whithersoever he went thro' the death of the first-creation state into the Resurrection-life of the second in which he became the first-born from the dead Col. 1. 18. In the utmost reach of those words Rev. 14. 4. the peculiar Spousal Saints follow the Lamb whithersoever he goes over all the heads of the highest elect Angels sitting on the very Throne with him as his Bride and Wife about which they stand Rev. 7. 11. as friends of the Bridegroom and his choice Bride from among men A sinless power of sinning was in Angel and Man at best The exerting this in sinful Acts was their sin and fault unpardonable in Angels at first pardonable in Men till wilfully committed the second time in their own persons after the similitude of Adam's first sin This amounts to a fix'd preferring the Life Wisdom and Nature of Man to the Life Wisdom and Grace of God the Creature to the Creator The fruit of this their own device and invention will Men find a sowrer Grape then Adam at first ate unchangeable Wrath Prov. 1. 31. Many such do prosper in their own self-chosen way having more then heart can wish in this World They set their mouth against the Heavens or heavenly Spirit of Christ in himself and Saints Psal. 73. 7 9. But what come they to Desolation in a moment they are utterly consum'd with terrors ver 18. 19. They spend their days in wealth or mirth and in a moment go down to their eternal grave Job 21. 13. These fat and strong Cattel in first-Covenant Life Strength and Wisdom thrust with their shoulder and push the diseased with their horns the lean feeble poor and needy Cattel Spiritual Saints whose Natural Man is death-struck by the Cross or Gospel-sword plagu'd and chasten'd continually thereby Ezek. 34. 20 21. Psal. 73. 14. Those the Lord is thus disciplining for Salvation Heb. 12. 6 7. the poor and needy little ones of Christ's flock do the sturdy daring stiff-necked self-confident proud fat full wise strong and honourable 1 Cor. 4. 10. first-Covenant Cattel despise deride shoot all their revengeful Arrows bitter Words against Psal. 50. 20. Their teeth are Speares and Arrows their Tongues sharp Swords against them Psal. 57. 4. Thus are they merrily posting to the Chambers of Death while the impoverish'd needy ones of Christ are passing through much Tribulation into the Kingdom of God Act. 14. 22. The former make swist steps in the broad way to Destruction the latter safe steps in the narrow way under the Cross that narrows and shrinks Nature to death unto Salvation The former set their heads awork to invent what will gratify their own Wills in a known contrariety to God's They fondly and madly please themselves with hopes of Salvation in a state all mankind have experienc'd no such thing was ever to be found in at best in innocency The Righteousness of it then was but a fading Garment Since the fall 〈◊〉 raggs Isa. 64. 6. Think they to enter the Kingdom and sit at the Marriage-Supper of the Lamb in such Garments where all the Guests are cloath'd with everlasting Righteousness See what 's like to become of them 〈◊〉 22. 11 13. Their life is not of the same kind nor their Garments of the same Cloth make or fashion with the true Saint's So will they be thrown out of Christ's Kingdom of Marvelous Light into Satan's accursed Darkness their own proper deserved place with Judas Act. 1. 25. Angel's first sin rendred them unchangeably evil because unpardonably wicked being a full noon-tide daring and most presumptuous Sin against the Holy Ghost 〈◊〉 first sin render'd him but changeably evil and if he love that so well as to become unchangeable in it he will sind himself in the same condition with evil Angels even in unchangeable enmity to God Let God then be true and every Man a liar Rom. 3. 4. God made Man upright Man by his own evil choice and invention has spoil'd himself and is the single and only demeritorious cause of his own ruine He seeks out many inventions Errour is manifold Truth one the Gospel-spirit of Truth one in head and members Men are toss'd to and fro into variety of Opinions and Ways from their various conceptions in their fluid wavering unstable unconstant spirit under the blasts and inspirations of Devils David aware of this pray'd for that right or constant Spirit of God the evil one can't touch Psal. 51. 10. 1 Joh. 5. 18. Yesterday to day and for ever from everlasting to eternity is God's Creature-Spirit of Truth one and the same This 〈◊〉 the one thing with all its things of God awak'ned Spiritual Saints are for and interpret the Scriptures of Truth given by this Spirit of Truth into Man's one thing and things of that thing is his own spirit of nature which by the Conceptions and Words of his own Wisdom he interprets all Scripture into in favour and defence of himself against the cross of Christ and all the spiritual Truths and sence of Scripture the things of God as the very sum and substance of all his humane Divinity And he will not endure this one thing of his should be call'd by its right name a spirit of direct enmity to God and all his Gospel-Truths Consequently as unwilling is he Christ's one thing or Spirit of Truth should be call'd by its right name or any name at all He denies there is any such Holy Ghost or Spirit at all communicable to men John's Disciples and conscientious faithful followers in first-covenant holiness Paul found at Ephesus wholly ignorant of any such thing
alway's for An open 〈◊〉 to the 〈◊〉 voice and too general reception of the methodiz'd words of man's wisdom as orthodox-Gospel does wonderfully disframe Peoples minds and prejudice them as to a right listning to one right Gospel-word of God's If the true Gospel-Preacher gratisie not their prurient or itching ears their vain wanton understandings or fancies with the humane methods they have bin all along accustom'd to and habituated in from enmity to and dislike of the matter they 'l pretend that occasion to fly off from any farther hearing it The numberless things of the Gospel one thing 〈◊〉 the Pearl of great price the unspeakable gift the Thoughts Affections Words Works Births Fruits and products thereof will be sound to out-number as well as transcendently to exceed in dignity all man's first-creation no-things shadows things that are not Things 〈◊〉 have their numerous varieties as well as excellencies above all first-creation perishing vanities The New-creature Gospel-spirit brings with it into man the New-creature Life Wisdom and 〈◊〉 of God that is that creature-life that being in Christ personally united with the Divine and in Saints in unchangeable harmony with the Divine is call'd the Life of God and they that have it are said to be born of God and partake of the Divine Nature 2 Pet. 1. 4. All things are theirs and they are Christ's and Christ is God's 1 Cor. 3. 22 23. God or the infinite Divine Nature is their inheritance by way of object to their sight and enjoyment not an ingredient into their persons as in Christ's That 's his super-eminent Prerogative But Saints are Co-heirs with him of God Rom. 8. 17. as to the vision of and feeding on the Divine Glory to eternity The great design of the whole Scripture is to bring Men into the view love and enjoyment of things eternal 2 Cor. 4. 18. all which are comprehended in the explain'd one thing necessary The vast number of things eternal in the one eternal Creature-spirit of Christ Heb. 9. 14. are handed to us in great variety of Expression Types Figures Parables Similitudes with most significant Instructions about the one thing or spirit that comprehends them all as the natural spirit in Man and Angel comprehends all their natural things first-Creation Shadows perishing Vanities Those that come to any right frame of mind towards God's Gospel-things will quit and rid themselves of all those Prejudices and false Conceptions they have bin cramm'd with and built up in by worldly-Church-custom's and freely expose their darling nature to be touch'd and hit between the joynts of the Harness or Armour of Man by the sharp doctrine and discipline of the Gospel-sword and Cross of Christ. Man at best in his own Strength Wisdom and Armour stands ready to resist and fight against God not the Devil Whose side was Paul engag'd on when according to Law blamless Every right interpretation of Scripture will be at this work with us even the darting in mortifying Truths upon Nature's heart shooting in the sharp Arrows of the Lord into the hearts of the King's Enemies even in Saints the foes of their own house their own very Spirit and that at best with all the mystical Children Works Fruits or Products thereof as altogether Vanity and sinful All the desires thoughts and reasonings our own spirit the foe of our own house people's our Souls with against God and his only way of saving us are a numerous throng of Enemies Fighters and Warriers against God and the true interest or eternal concerns of our own Souls These are all struck at at every turn by every right Gospel-word or doctrine of the Cross. If we come with but itching Ears to gratify our curiosity by hearing a few Gospel-words of God's Wisdom as a novelty among the various Words or Doctrines of Mans for our understandings to trade in to furnish notional Discourse only and so to pride our selves in over-topping others understandings we shall find our selves sorely mistaken in the case Such a design may seem a-kin to Ptolomee's curiosity in procuring the Greek translation of the old Testament by 72 Jews 6 of each of the twelve Tribes call'd thence numero rotundo the Septuagint to furnish his new-erected Egyptian library amongst the learn'd writings of the wise Greeks and others from others parts God's Word is another-gets thing and has far other-gets matters to do with Men then to furnish a little overly Discourse Where rightly interpreted in the Words of his Wisdom or of that spirit which inspired the holy Pen-men thereof 't will be a Savour of Life or Death to the hearers 2 Cor. 2. 15 16. 'T is as a sire in and upon Men's spirits Luk. 24. 32. A hammer that breaks the Rock in pieces Jer 23. 29. 'T will prosper in the thing whereto he sends it accomplish that which he pleases Isa. 55. 11. Life or Death in and to the respective heedful or regardless hearers thereof 'T is dangerous dallying with such sharp two-edg'd tools Do we stand trifling and lie at catch with the Pharisees to see what Gospel-doctrine will be at Where it will pitch Alas alas Every Word of it rightly heard and consider'd makes a home-thrust at Nature's heart howe're it slips o're Men's inadvertent heads while they confusedly wait for they know not what hoping to hear some change of voice in favour to poor Nature's head and that the Righteous Life of the earthly Jerusalem State thereof need not be surrendred to the Gospel-sword and Cross. A like vain thought to that of King Zedekiah when he sent privately for Jeremy out of a Dungeon to speak with him Is there any Word from the Lord Says he to him There is says Jeremy and this is it Thou shall be deliver'd into the hand of the King of Babylon Jer. 37. 17. How Nebuchadnezzar handled him see Jer. 52. 8 11. The Word of God is a steddy constant Word not off and on no yea and nay with it all 's yea and amen 2 Cor. 1. 17 20. Or absolute infallible Truth The mercenary preachers of Satans accursed other Gospel in great variety of opinion and way flourish in worldly dignities and recompences for their pretended skil in spiritual affairs the whole world running after them 1 Joh. 4. 5. Rev. 13. 3. Amidst this self-exalted crew of mercenary Babylonians with their many inventions if the true spiritual Gospel-Declarer can but scape blows he will think himself tolerably treated He comes with a Doctrine that strikes at the very root and foundation of all their humane self-interests the very principle of all their Life Desire Thought and Action at best CHAP. VIII V. 1. Who is as the wise Man and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing Heb. word A man's wisdom maketh his face to shine and the boldness Heb. strength of his face shall be changed HEre are too questions the latter implying an answer to the former and then a declaration of the valuable priviledges of the truly wise man The
incident to Men under the wonder-working Power and Grace of God in the King of Saints Hos. 1. 6 10. God requir'd Israel to own him King submit to the Government of his Spirit in Samuel the same Spirit in which Christ is universal King All in that Spirit are his true obedient Subjects Any Person or any People that will not have this spiritual heavenly King reign over them and in them though his earthly Jerusalem Citizens or first-covenant People see how they 'l be handled by him Luk. 19. 14 27. This great universal King lately offer'd to set up his Theocratical Fifth-Monarchy amongst us His earthly-Jerusalem-Citizens in a first-covenant spirit pretended to it as the Corinthian 〈◊〉 in Paul's Gospel-time in a spirit nor Christ nor he could own for a reigning principle 1 Cor. 4. 8. and a huge noise they made of owning the King Jesus in but a knowledg of him after the flesh in a restor'd Law-life the very principle and state the Jews would have 〈◊〉 him King in Joh. 6. 15. Such first-Covenant first-Monarchists Kings or Princes of this World crucified the true King Jesus 1 Cor. 2. 8. They blasphem'd and crucified him for owning a Kingship and Kingdom not of this World in his Gospel-spirit of Grace and Truth that would have made him a King in that Law-life and spirit they were of and in They cry up their Heathen Cesar for their King rather then such a King Jesus Shall I crucify your King says Pilate We have no King but Cesar say they Joh. 18. 36 37. 19. 12 15. A plain case and our's just He that was for the right King Jesus in his true reigning Spirit must be shuffled out of the World with his great Master as an Enemy both 〈◊〉 Cesar and them 〈◊〉 and a first-covenant People are joyntly for the rooting Christ and his true spiritual Anointed Ones out of the World as not sit to live in it Psal. 2. 1 -- 3. Act. 22. 22. And what got Israel by refusing the King Jesus or Government of God in the said Spirit of true Prophecy grievances enow What help none to remove them God would not as he fore-threatned them when busie about their new choice of Government Ye shall cry because of your King ye have chosen but the Lord will not hear you says Samuel Fair warning See all this 1 Sam. 8. 6 18. The law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus comes to strike down the ruling Power of that spirit in Man that 's but a Law of Sin and of Death and so by setting up his own kingly Rule and Power in him frees him from all evil and bondage Those that willingly submit to this death-blow of Christ on their ruling Law-spirit cast down their Crowns or ruling Power at his Feet and set the Crown on his Head in the day of their new-covenant Espousals to him owning his true Kingly-Spirit for their Ruler Cant. 3. 11. Christ struck down the earthy Law-king in Paul to the Earth and instantly set up his gospel-Gospel-spirit King and Ruler in and over him Act. 9. 3 4. The law-Law-spirit at best in fallen man is but the Amalekite-Ruler the Agag which tho' Saul spared in favour to it in himself as was implied in his unpardonable sin Samuel in the true Kingly Spirit of Jesus hewed in pieces when he said or thought as Man when the corrupt spirit of Nature is subdued and a Righteous Law-spirit set up in ruling authority in him surely the bitterness of Death is past here 's no Cross or Death-work by a Spiritual Gospel-Sword behind to be brought upon this Righteous Law-life 1 Sam 15. 32 33. Spiritual Friends of Christ have the whole counsel and mind of God made known by him to them First-covenant Servants in their Law-spirit of bondage holy flesh form of Godliness Righteousness of Man tho' as busy as may be in reading hearing preaching and obeying the letter of their Lord's Command in the Scripture are wholly strangers to the spiritual design sense or meaning of their Lord in all They know not what he does Joh. 15. 15. or has now done himself with our nature at best in his own Person nor will consider their duty in following him therein by giving it up at best in whatever state in their persons as God's requir'd Sacrifice He that keeps the spiritual Command of Christ believes or obediently submits to the Law of his Cross shall feel hear see or know no evil thing or word against him from Christ at last day when on his Judgment-Seat But he that believeth not quits not his Law-spirit or principle of life and action under the Gospel-Cross or spiritual Sword of Christ for the Gospel-Life of that very Sword or living Word of God will be damn'd Mark 16. 16. t. And a wise man's heart discerneth both time and judgment The spiritual wise man discerns an appointed time for the right use of a changeable first-Covenant Law-life and then as an antiquated Law-ceremony with the fading things and glory of it to be done away by a holy death as the Judgment and Command of God in Sacrifice to himself This Gospel-Sacrifice of Man at best was figured by the Law-Sacrifices of clean Beasts and Birds Spiritual Saints under the Law obediently gave up this Gospel-Sacrifice to God And all save a spiritual Seed refuse to give it under the Gospel When restor'd Law-life has serv'd its turn in man by his faithful performing Law-service to God therein suppressing the vile affections of the corrupt spirit of Nature 't is to give way to a better guide Christ's Gospel-Spirit or quicken'd up life thereof A Sentence or Judgment of Death upon the restor'd righteous Law-life of man must be submitted to by him with Paul 2 Cor. 1. 9. Law-life and the things thereof the Wisdom Righteousness Beauty Glory Fruits Works Duties Desires Thoughts Words Actions and all manner of performances therein kept up and finally preferr'd to Christ's Gospel-Life and things of God therein is the highest and most criminal Adultery and Murder Ezek. 16. 15 38. There 's an appointed time for Man and Angel too to die Heb. 9. 27. or lose that first-Covenant Law-life which was set up in them by creation The obedient loss of it under the Cross frees man from all guilt contracted by Sins past and all power of sinning any more for ever He thereby ceases from Sin and comes to be justified before God in a newness of life wherein he can never sin 1 Pet. 4. 1. Rom. 6. 7. 1 Joh. 3. 9. A change by the death of Nature of Law-life for Gospel under the working power of the Grace of God brings Men's matters to that blessed pass that no enemies will find any iniquity in them to charge them with nor will God himself Rom. 8. 33 34. Jer. 50. 20. The guilty sinner in the Saint that has committed innumerable 〈◊〉 is dead and gone and a spirit of everlasting Righteousness is become the single and sole principle
Life is the Principle in which Man does all he rejoyces in a 〈◊〉 with the very Divine Mind and obedience to the Divine Will in all things t. For that shall abide with him c. His labour in the Lord or in his Spirit shall not be in vain 1 Cor. 15. 58. All Fruits brought forth therein shall abide with him and speak for his everlasting acceptation with God Rev. 14. 13. Vers. 16. When I applied mine Heart to know Wisdom and to see the business that is done upon the Earth for also there is that neither Day nor Night seeth sleep with his Eyes Solomon from the said Vanity done upon Earth vers 14. or in the earthy state of Saints and Sinners under the differing Dispensations of God to them proceeds to consider thence the business done upon the Earth In spiritual Wisdom he clearly sees what is in Man John 2. v. 25. 1 Cor. 2. 15. even the whole Life Desire Thought and Work of Humane Nature the business it is doing in the 〈◊〉 first-creation make and state thereof all Man's tormoil in 〈◊〉 Vain Shew or shadowy Life in the Image of the earthy which he seems to inform us of in the following Parenthesis for also there is that neither Day nor Night seeth sleep with his Eyes Here 's a character of Man's earthy nature and unprofitable Labours therein Man is in an embondaging continual solicitude to keep what he knows will be gone when all 's done Yet places he his hopes of Blessedness in such a state No Joy Peace or Mirth can he have but what 's meerly delusive and destructive unless extinguish'd by the Cross and so the Man deliver'd He never sees Sleep with his eyes never has any true rest or peace His spirit has an indeleble bottom-thought and sense of the immortality of its being and mortality of its best natural life and all its fruits or possessions therein which will therefore be gone and leave his naked being in the lurch exquisitly sensible under the wrath to come for refusing the Grace offer'd while it was call'd to day Heb. 3. 7 8. So find's he himself under an impossibility of finding true rest therein or scaping unexpressible torment and vexation of spirit for ever be or do what he can in that state True sleep or the Saints everlasting rest can never be found or had in a fading life of vanity and enmity to God and that very Spirit of Grace in which alone it is to be found True rest can man find only in that newness of life that qualifies to see and enjoy the very Divine Glory of God for ever Without this neither day nor night in the enlighten'd righteous nor dark corrupt state of nature or neither in his day upon earth or night of everlasting darkness in Hell can or will he find rest or see sleep Solomon in the infallible Spirit of truth saw and declar'd where true rest is to be found and where not Hence turns he from that natural state of vanity wherein Man is labouring for and seeking what he can never attain or find and applies his heart wholly to that spiritual life and true wisdom wherein he is sure to find this desirable thing a state of sleep or true rest and satisfaction to the intellectual eye and utmost desires of his Immortal spirit Psal. 37. 4. Vers. 17. Then I beheld all the work of God that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the Sun because tho' a man labour to seek it out yea further tho' a wise man think to know it yet shall he not be able to find it Man neither in the dark corrupt nor most wise enlighten'd state of nature can find out the work of God done under the Sun or the end and design of God in all the first-creation works of his hands 'T is Man's wilful errour to think by the utmost labour of his natural mind to understand God's Divine and spiritual creature mind herein He labours under an utter impossibility of finding what he seeks Solomon would lead his fellow-Mortals into that infallible and immortal Gospel-state where they may find and understand all 1 Cor 2. 15. even the deep divine and spiritual things of God the whole Counsel of God the Methods and Contrivances of his infinite Wisdom about his Creature 's true Happiness They that will not rest from the unprofitable Works of their own Spirit under the Law and Work of the Cross will never find rest in God's and will for ever lose all the fading good and comfort they have for a season found and enjoy'd in their own No Man or Angel finally refusing and turning from God's offer'd spiritual Light can ever in their single natural Wisdom at best find out the finishing work of God or end by him put to the first-Creation State in by and for a second Whoever will not surrender and lose their own Wisdom in the first for God's in the second though they think to know and find all out can never do 't nor find true Rest. If Man prefer himself to his Creatour his Life Wisdom Righteousness to God's he will never find out all the work of God by a first and second Creation but grossly mistake and abuse the first and himself therein and never come within sight of the second do what he can Pretend he does to the interpreting the words of God's Wisdom but what work is he like to make on 't All things spiritual heavenly and eternal lie cleer out of his reach He is brutishly absur'd unreasonable and untreatable about such most concerning things Jer. 10. 14. 2 Thes. 3. 2. And what other Wisdom but Man's in the more refined sort of Teachers has bin the Undertaker at interpreting the Words of God's with any sort of publick reception owning and approbation for many hundred years CHAP. IX V. 1. For all this I consider'd in my Heart Heb. gave or set my Heart even to declare all this that the Righteous and the Wise and their works are in the hand of God no Man knoweth either Love or Hatred by all that is before them SOlomon consider'd or set his Heart in the spiritual Wisdom of God wherein a true Preacher and Seer of God to declare his whole Mind and Counsel about Men. He saw the priviledges of the truly Wise and Righteous that their Persons Ways and Works are in the hand of God with whom they find Praise Commendation and a blessed Reward let Men despise them and say or do what they will or can against them Then he declares concerning them and all other Men that no Man knows either Love or Hatred by all that 's before him But who are the Wise and Righteous here And what 's meant by their Works being in the hand of God To the 1st To Spiritual Saints only does this character belong For they only have that Spirit that 's everlastingly righteous and infallibly wise To the 2d Their Persons and Works in that
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
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
thereby even the promis'd gift of an everlasting righteous Life and so all their own fading good again with usury The Law or law-life in Man or Angel us'd unlawfully as kept up for Weapons of War in rebellion against Christ's Gospel-life is destroy'd by the said Sinner in evil Angels and Men. They thus destroy and frustrate all the good intended in and by their first-creation State and for ever exclude themselves from the immutable good of the second So destroy they much good even the whole good of the first and second Creation By the lawful use of the first they might have had all the good of both By the unlawful use thereof they spoil and lose all all the good given them in the former and offer'd them in the latter Then as six'd in unchangeable enmity to God they must fall and lie down for ever under the unchangeable Wrath of God as their undeniably just portion CHAP. X. V. 1. Dead Flies Heb. flies of death cause the Ointment of the Apothecary to send forth a stinking savour so doth a little Folly him that is in reputation for Wisdom and Honour THe dead flies or flies of death found in Men since the fall that cause the first-covenant precious Ointment of Christ the great mystical Apothecary or perfumer of Man's filthy loathsome corrupt polluted nature dead in trespasses and sins are a character of the 〈◊〉 to God's divine and creature-creature-spirit which is filth of spirit in Man This enmity as the single product of the first sin is call'd the little folly in eminently restor'd righteous Man that with Job is there in great reputation for Wisdom and Honour Job 29. 7 -10 This little folly a changeable pardonable curable enmity to God in all comparatively with the great folly the incurable unpardonable great transgression or presumptuous sin unto death as thro' Man's wilful madness this changeable is turn'd into a fix'd unchangeable enmity to God in many this little folly what a noise it made in Job against the dispensation of the Cross when under it as we find at large by the reproofs Elihu and Christ himself came upon him with Job 32 to almost the end of that Book Man in the honour he was created in not understanding or duly considering the changeable nature of that honour and slipperiness of his standing in it soon fell and became as the Beasts that perish Psal. 49. 12 20. a brutified meer sensual creature as 't were having forfeited the righteous life of a Man And when restor'd by the redeemer out of that polluted bloody condition into the same kind of changeable first-covenant righteous life of a Man again Ezek. 16. 6. so as to remove and take off the punishment of the first sin the first sin it self is not hereby cured but through this very fresh coming of the command or Christ's setting up his first-covenant Law-life in him again does this sin of Enmity revive also which with and in dead nature lay as dead into an active bold confident daring presumptuous resisting of God and his Gospel-spirit as Paul experienc'd Rom. 7. 9 -11. And had he obstinately persisted in that course when convinced of his duty it had slain him for ever But he yielded to the death of that restor'd 〈◊〉 covenant law-life as the known means of abolishing that 〈◊〉 which reviv'd sprang up with it and is inseparable from it No way then to be rid of that enmity but by being rid of that life under the Cross. And no other way or on no other or lower and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 can God's Gospel-life of 〈◊〉 Righteousness be 〈◊〉 by or set up in us He therefore gloried in nothing save the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that by its twofold death and life-operation runs down the 〈◊〉 covenant life and 〈◊〉 up the second crucified all 〈◊〉 life and desire in his spirit to all this World's desirables and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it Gal. 6. 14. and set up a life in him the Palate Belly or 〈◊〉 and Desire whereof wholly and only savour'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 desir'd and 〈◊〉 after the things of God things eternal delights of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God He so became alive only to the World to come and that to him a meer Pilgrim and Stranger in and to this to the delights of the Sons of Men things seen temporal 1 Pet. 2. 11. 2 Cor. 4. 18. The dead Fly or little solly here is the same with the little leaven that leavens the whole lump Gal. 5. 9 of mankind which can be purg'd out of any no otherwise then by the death and Sacrifice of Nature at best from which inseparable And then with our sacrific'd spotless Nature in Christ our Pass-over shall we find that the destroying Angel even Christ with the same spiritual-Sword or Gospel-Cross will pass over us as to that use he will make of it in Wrath upon all fix'd incorrigible enemies Angels or Men. This fix'd leaven or Doctrine of the Pharisees in a sowr'd leaven'd spirit of unchangeable enmity in a 〈◊〉 Covenant righteous life against the second Law against Gospel is that Christ warn'd his Disciples to beware of Mat. 16. 6 11 12. For this cause did Christ sanctify our nature by the death thereof in himself that by the like death-sanctification the same fire-Baptism of his heavenly Spirit of Truth on our earthy-spirit of enmity and falshood he might sanctify it in us Joh. 17. 17 19. The enmity or Fly of death becoming unchangeable in Men renders them a most stinking abomination to God for ever Their Soul unchangeably loaths God's Soul or Spirit of Grace and his them Then Christ's fresh first-Covenant Gift that was for a season as salt to dry up the fleshly filth of their polluted nature loses its savour and the whole person becomes a stinking loathsome thing as all-over polluted with a spreading incurable Leprosy or most noisom Disease Vers. 2. A wise Man's heart is at his right hand but a fool's heart at his left Here 's a description of the truly wise and of the greatest fool The heart of the former is at his right hand fix'd and set to follow those right counsels of God in the life activity desire and thought of the incorruptible Seed of God's right-hand-planting in him by a new-creation which will set him at Christ's right hand when fools or lustful Goats in the activity life and desire of the corruptible seed of his left-hand-planting in them by a first-creation in which wholly set upon this worlds vanities will be found at his left-hand and doom'd to eternal punishment Mat. 25. 33 46. Saints give up their fleshly Tree with the fruits or works thereof their left-hand first-Covenant life to the death of the Cross that they may receive that right-hand second Covenant Gospel-life wherein to be wise unto Salvation Others of a perfectly contrary mind fool themselves into eternal damnation Vers. 3. Yea also when he that is a fool walketh by the way his Wisdom Heb. heart faileth him and
who so breaketh an hedg a Serpent shall bite him First-Covenant Life and second-Covenant Light are a twofold hedg of defence to secure Man from all dangers on his right hand and left The restor'd life of the Law is a hedg of defence for a season against the vile affections and lusts of corrupt nature dangers on the left hand Spiritual Light by which Christ in his spiritual Life is shew'd aud offer'd Men as their absolute Salvation is a hedg of defence to secure Men from the most dangerous sinning against that Supream Right-hand Mercy and gracious offer of it from God The first mystical hedg or fence against the workings of corrupt nature kept up in opposition to the second so as finally to turn from and reject the second which would secure from all sin in corrupt or righteous nature filth of flesh or spirit for ever this is Man's wilful breaking down the chief hedg for his security And then Satan the old poysonous Serpent breaks in upon him and bites or mortally wounds him to eternal death This by perswading Men to set up nature with him in an eternal opposition to God and his Grace Vers. 9. Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt therewith and he that cleaveth Wood shall be endangered thereby Stones here are the same with the hedg in the former Verse figuring the new-Creation Spirit and Light thereof This rocky-spirit of Christ in Saints renders them Rocks or living Stones in his spiritual house Mat. 16. 18. 1 Pet. 2. 5. Man's wilful refusing hating and turning from this rocky life shew'd and offer'd him is a removing these stones decrying and what in him lies pulling down this spiritual Temple and persecuting or scattering Christ and spiritual Saints the living Stone and lively Stones thereof This will bring the greatest hurt upon himself For this Stone or Spirit in Christ and Saints will fall upon him in wrath and grind him to powder Mat. 21. 44. t. And he that cleaveth wood shall be endanger'd thereby By cleaving wood is meant a separating the first benefit of the Cross or death of Christ a restor'd first-Covenant life from the second and consequently a setting up the first in unchangeable opposition to the second a Gospel-life of everlasting Righteousness and true Holiness God's Wisdom has found a way by the death of the former to join these two together in the new life of the latter By the obedient death of Nature corrupt or righteous is the changeableness and enmity of the former done away and so is it brought into unchangeable union with the latter and harmony of mind and will with God most high These that God requires a yeilding to his way of putting together as 〈◊〉 in Unity Psal. 133. 1. let no man presume to keep or put asunder as first-covenant Brethren do when they sit and speak against the second in despite to them and that spirit of Grace they are of and in Psal. 50. 20. Ezek. 33. 30 -- 32. Heb. 10. 29. Such cleavers or dividers of Wood the first benefit of the Cross from the second after a clear discovery of the whole design of the Cross to them will not only be endanger'd thereby but bring final destruction upon their own heads Vers. 10. If the Iron be blunt and he do not whet the edg then must he put to more Strength but Wisdom is profitable to direct Man's natural spirit fallen into sin and enmity whether in the corrupt or restor'd righteous Life thereof is the mystical blunt Iron here heavy and dull as to any right understanding of or obedience to the commands of God's spiritual Law 'T is more difficult to yield any obedience thereto then before the fall For now there 's positive enmity in it then not It therefore greatly needs the sharpning work of Christ's spiritual convictions to bring the blunted dull nature thereof so much as to see its unspeakeable concern in listning and submitting to the hard sayings and sharp discipline of his spiritual Law Those that finding themselves weary and heavy laden or overset as to such important concerns come to Christ for his spiritual life and senses for which willing to take up or submit to the death of their natural under his Cross will find all easie and plain both to understand and do Mat. 11. 28 30. His yoke is easie and burthen light Yea such yoke and burthen amounting only to our unchangeable subjection to his will that 's unchangeably subject to the divine is the very glorious liberty of the Sons of God And so also their sufferings in submitting to the yoke and burthen of his Cross on their natural will and spirit will in the prospect and certain sight of such glorious advantages not be reckon'd upon in any comparison therewith Rom. 8. 18. Scripture is a Parable or sharp saying and requires a sharp Wit that is spiritual understanding to discover the mysterious Things Truths or meaning of God's Spirit therein 'T is too painful yea impossible for Man's natural understanding to interpret and rightly understand so much as the providential dispensations of God to friends as foes and foes as friends Psal. 73. 3 -16. Spiritual understanding or Sanctuary-light discover's all v. 17. the voice of all Providences and the dark sayings or parables of all Scripture It can interpret oraculous dreams shew hard sentences dissolve doubts Dan. 5. 12. Take the total sum of its objects It discern's or judges all things 1 Cor. 2. 15. divine and twofold creaturely natural and spiritual the deep things of God's Infinite Divinity v. 10. his whole Counsel about the Salvation of his Creatures Act. 20. 27. and the whole counsel of the Devil for their Damnation the whole mystery of Godliness the whole mystery of Iniquity the mysteries of Christ's Spiritual Kingdom of marvelous light in his Gospel-Spirit the mysteries of Satan's accursed kingdom of marvelous darkness in his Law-Spirit 2 Cor. 2. 11. As God gradually more and more runs down the wisdom or understanding of the natural Man in the Saint into darkness by the demolishing operation of the Spirit of the Cross he raises it up more and more into the new all-discovering light or discerning of his spiritual which James calls his giving more Grace Jam. 4. 6. So the natural man or spiritual Prophets Servant in the Saint comes to see what the Prophet sees as in type 2 King 6. 17. Thus is man's understanding or spirit as more brought by way of Death and Resurrection into union of mind with the spiritual more and more whetted sharpn'd and enabled more clearly to discern the whole mind and do the whole will of God Paul found even Gospel-profelling Jews so dull of hearing or understanding so defective as to the right hearing ear reception or capacity for spiritual mysteries that he 〈◊〉 to have forborn the declaration of many things he otherwise would have said to them Heb. 5. 11. He clearly saw their darkness and incapacity as to spiritual Gospel-matters The most
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
vanities saith the Preacher all is vanity All in the first-creation worldly state of Angel and Man is vanity no life beauty 〈◊〉 glory wisdom 〈◊〉 thoughts belly or meats desires or desirables words works c. but what are perishing vanities Man and Angel too in the highest honour and attainments of their natural make and state are altogether vanity Psal. 39. 5 6. 'T is then inexcusable madness and folly in both to pitch by their final choice for true happiness short of the convincingly shew'd and graciously offer'd new-covenant life of Christ and God Doting on their own glory will render them vessels of dishonour and 〈◊〉 contempt Vers. 9. And moreover because the Preacher was wise he still taught the people Knowledg yea he gave good heed and sought out and set in order many Proverbs 1 King 4. 32. Solomon in the infallible Spirit of Truth declar'd the deep hidden things and Spiritual Truths 〈◊〉 God All Divine and Spiritual things are Mysteries Parables and dark-sayings to the highest natural capacity of Angel or Man 'T is only in the infallible light or spiritual wisdom and understanding of Christ communicated to and set up in Man or Angel by his new-creating-workmanship upon them such Kingdom-things or mysteries can ever be discern'd or judg'd 1 Cor. 2. 10 14 15. To spiritual Saints only is it given to know such things Mat. 13. 11. To them any Men in their own understanding it is not given In the 〈◊〉 creature-spirit of Christ men come to see the fellowship of the 〈◊〉 Ephes. 3. 9. or the mysterious fellowship of Divine and 〈◊〉 nature in Christ's wonderful Person Hereby the most dark 〈◊〉 of God's infinite Divinity becomes known and seen to Saints Christ himself is the supream Preacher Discoverer and Declarer of all And by a portion of his infallible creature-spirit are Saints qualified to receive such visions or sights of God as he exhibits to them and to declare them to others Vers. 10. The Preacher sought to find out acceptable words and that which was written was upright even words of Truth Here 's a farther account of 〈◊〉 same thing by Solomon as a type of Christ the supream Apostle 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 and High-Priest of God the highest and chief 〈◊〉 of the divine mind to Angels and Men. He finds out and 〈◊〉 his true spiritual Disciples and followers with meet 〈◊〉 words ways and means for revealing or opening the mysteries of infinite Divinity which remain seal'd up from all first-creation 〈◊〉 The whole Counsel and all mysteries of the infinite divine Spirit are 〈◊〉 in the Tables of Christ's twofold creature nature root and branch in the heavenly and glorified earthly life thereof so as to be seen and read or understood by all spiritual Angels and Men. All the words of this living creature-word spirit or Book of God are acceptable to God and to obedient Angels and Men. This Book in personal union with the Divinity whose Book it is was shew'd John open'd by the Lamb slain as to changeable first-creation life and rais'd into the second On the opening thereof blessed Angels and Saints fall down and worship the Lamb for opening this Book of acceptable words to God and right words of comfort and Salvation to them Rev. 5. 5 14. By a right reading or understanding of these words of the reveal'd or open'd Book are other Saints with Solomon qualified to preach them This Paul experienc'd by Christ's powerful touching and raising him into a right spiritual understanding of such words in a newness of life and strength with Daniel Act. 9. 6. Dan. 10. 18 19. on which he became a Preacher of his unsearchable Divine and Creature-riches Ephes. 3. 8. in right words acceptable to God and Men as shewing the true way of Sulvation in which only men can be acceptable to God and truly blessed Such words as the new-Wine of the spiritual Vine-tree are 〈◊〉 to God and Man Judges 9. 13. Vers. 11. The words of the Wise are as Goads and as Nails fastned by the Masters of Assemblies which are given from one Shepherd Here are summ'd up the Truths spoken in reference to Christ and Saints as Christ is the great Master of such Assemblies and great Shepherd of his sheep setting up and using others under him in this high service Christ and his wise-hearted right-spirited Ministers under him are the only 〈◊〉 of such Words as will make wise unto 〈◊〉 Such words as goads and nails are fastned by such Masters of Assemblies in the hearts of obedient Hearers that have an incorruptible Seed of the same Wisdom in them The words of Man's or Devil's wisdom Princes of this World that come to nought 1 Cor. 2. 6. signify worse then nothing even that that natural State they have set up in unchangeable enmity to God is eternal Life But the words of God's Wisdom are not yea and nay but only yea and amen 2 Cor. 1. 17 20. Words of infallible Truth and everlasting Life fastned by Christ himself immediately and mediately by other Masters of Assemblies under him Vers. 12. And further by these my Son be admonished of making many Books there is no end and much study is a weariness of the Flesh. What are these many Books without end or to no end and much study or reading that 's weariness to the flesh Both signify the unprofitable labour in Man's Wisdom that can never attain the right knowledg of spiritual Mysteries the glorious Truths or things of the Kingdom of God Yea that Wisdom is the very vail on Man's heart that hinders his sight as to any such things In that wisdom can Man never see beyond no nor to the end of what 's to be abolish'd So sets up in the fading 〈◊〉 Goodness or Glory of that first-Covenant State that 's to be done away and utterly abolish'd out of all Angels and Men 2 Cor. 3. 13. Christ when he had taken this fleshly Vail rent it in himself Heb. 10. 20. By the death of our natural spirit at best can it be so rent in us as to make way for our spiritual sight of 〈◊〉 eternal things things of God Where-ever Moses or the Law yea and whole Scripture is read by such as have this Vail on their Hearts a single uncrucified natural first-Covenant 〈◊〉 they see nothing but letter old Testament or first-Covenant sense of all Scripture nothing of the Spirit new Testament or second Covenant and spiritual meaning in all 2 Cor. 3. 13 15. The enlighten'd fleshly first-Covenant Jews or Lawyers saw nothing of Gospel-mysteries couch'd under Moses's typical Law-writings by which even he they trusted in condemned them as Rejecters of all spiritual Truths or Mysteries by him therein declar'd 〈◊〉 5. 45 47. They saw the literal but did not believe the spiritual sense of and things in Moses's Writings the proper objects of spiritual Faith discerning or understanding They refus'd the way of having such an understanding brought a-float in them the death and loss of
and with the everlasting righteous Gospel-life of his spirit of Grace Joh. 10. 17 18. Joh. 14. 15 21 23. From the true Sonly fear of God and love to his Mercy or unspeakable Gospel-gift of eternal Life must we hate and do judgment or receive and also execute God's righteous Sentence of Death 2 Cor. 1. 9. on our most restor'd Law-state of Nature By such humbling our selves to the death of our Nature at best can we come to walk as Enoch with God in his Spirit of Grace that 's in unchangeable harmony of mind and will with his infinite divine Spirit Mic. 6. 8. How can two Men walk together and how much less God and man except they be agreed This is the concluding sum of all God requir's of us That we obediently keep and do all his Commands in his never-sinning or erring Spirit of everlasting Righteousness and infallible Truth The best works or fruits done or brought forth in our Law-life of enmity to God can never answer his requirings of us Can we love him with all our heart soul mind and strength in a spirit of direct enmity to him Luk. 10. 27. Direct contradiction The Gospel-spirit of Grace call'd Love is the fulfiller of the whole Law mind and will of God Rom. 13. 8 -10. Vers. 14. For God shall bring every work into Judgment with every secret thing whether it be good or whether it in be evil Rom. 2. 16. 2 Cor. 5. 10. The Man Christ will be found able to do all this Heb. 4. 〈◊〉 13. The sad consequents of rejecting the advice given v. 13. will be eternal misery torment and vexation of spirit on the irrecoverable loss of all the fading goodness or comforts of the natural state and an eternal exclusion from the once fairly shew'd and offer'd never-fading goodness and glory of a spiritual eternal life of everlasting righteousness This will be concluded by God's infallible Spirit of Truth whose Authority when Christ appears Judg himself on his Throne shall no longer be questioned or disputed as all along this World in Satan's reign and man's day it has but every tongue shall confess it as of right belonging to the Man Christ Joh. 5. 22 27. Phil. 2. 11. The undeniable truth of his 〈◊〉 Judgment will have a universal acknowledgement from all good and evil Angels and Men. By the irresistible beamings-forth of the light of that Spirit wherein he will judge and pronounce the Sentence of God's infinitely just and righteous mind and will shall the Books of all hearts and consciences be forc'd open or unlock'd so as to make enemies themselves witnesses for him against themselves on their amazing forc'd remembrance of and his setting all their innumerable sins and abominations naked and open in the view of themselves and all others And then will Christ also open his own infallible Book of Records in which he has registred and set down in indeleble characters from first to last according to the divine sight and judgment of God all done by or found in every Angel and Man good or bad Rev. 20. 12 13. The Books of all Men's and Angel's Consciences will be opened and then Christ's own Book the Book of Life out of which all Men shall be judged according to their works Out of and by all these Books will God's Judgement pronounc'd on Men be found clearly and undeniably righteous For the Records in the hearts and consciences of men will be found in exact harmony with what 's written in God's own Book which will lay the evil creaturé under undeniable guilt and just condemnation to the silencing and stopping every blasphemous mouth of iniquity And then also shall the secret hidden spiritual Life of Saints with the well-pleasing right works and fruits thereof unobserv'd and un-own'd yea blasphem'd by enemies be open'd and manifested to all for their eternal justification All secret evils that have lain hid in enemies under all fair shews in holy 〈◊〉 and all 〈◊〉 secret good works of spiritual Saints that have lain hid under the marr'd visage of their crucified natural man shall be brought into publick and general view So will the incorrigibly wicked be sent as justly condemned persons into everlasting punishment and the unchangeably Righteous into Life eternal Mat. 25. 31 -- 46. FINIS ERRATA PAge 102. line 21. for the in read in the. P. 176. l. 1. 〈◊〉 dul r. duly P. 323. l. 16. f. cammon r. common P. 380. l. last f. creation r Cretian Some 〈◊〉 mistakes and in stopping are left to the ingenuous Reader
to suffer and die with Christ as to his short Law-liv'd nature that he may Reign with him in his long-liv'd Spirit of Grace 2 Tim. 2. 11 12. 〈◊〉 we be dead and 〈◊〉 with Christ we shall live and reign with him There 's for the poor wise Child If we deny him he will also deny us Ther 's for the old foolish King The 〈◊〉 by death com's out of his Prison-State or natural Spirit of Bondage to Reign The latter King's it like an old doting Fool in his Prison-Spirit of Bondage and Death These old foolish Kings the Mystical Princes of this World under the Devil by God's Permission have bin the self-confident Persecutors and Murderers of Christ and his Spiritual Saints in all Ages Cain a first-Covenant Worshipper of God began this work on Abel a second 〈◊〉 winding up of all true Abel-Saints will be the Fowls of Heaven that are to feed upon or delight themselvs in a Union of Mind with God in the final Slaughter of all such Mystical and Litteral Kings and People of the Earth as are found in unchangable Enmity to God and them Rev. 19. 17-21 Vers. XV. I considered all the living which walk under the Sun with the second Child that shall stand up in his stead Here 's Solomon's confirmation of what has bin said his judgment upon the whole matter in sanctuary-light In this he considered all the living under the mystical first-creation-Sun walking under the Conduct or in the Light of the first-covenant spirit as therein made alive again in some degree by the Redeemer By the unlawful use of this restor'd Life or Light of the Law in enmity to God and his Gospel-spirit of Grace do they bring themselvs into everlasting poverty and nakedness Their immortal spirit as thus pleasing themselvs by taking up their rest for salvation in the restor'd natural righteous Life thereof he considers with their whole man in that state they shall be caused to stand up in for ever in the stead of what they were in this mortal World and Body This second Child or state of Man in the Resurrection will to the Old foolish King be found a state of everlasting darkness and death in a Resurrection of damnation under final and unquenchable wrath The full infliction of wrath is reserved for this second Child in the said Resurrection-state of the whole Man This second Child or state of Man is that in which he must answer by way of suffering for all the evil done by him in his natural body or slate on earth through a willful abuse of the first-covenant Life of the Law in unchangable enmity to God and the Gospel This comes the said old foolish King to Vers. XVI There is no end of all the People even of all that have been before them they also that come after shall not rejoyce in him surely this also is vanity and vexation of Spirit Solomon having consider'd the present generation of old foolish kings in his own day upon earth tells us the case was alway's the same in former and will so be in all after-times of this world So these two last Verses of this Chapter are a farther enlargment as to the Character and future condition of the Old foolish King to Eternity As to the poor wise Child he asserted him in general to be better than the Old foolish King vers 13. Then vers 14. gives his reason for it because he comes out of his Prison to reign with Christ in a state of eternal Life absolute freedom and true blessedness There 's enough for him all that need be said of him But the Old foolish King vers 13. declar'd in general vers 14. amidst all his conceited riches to be poor he farther signifies vers 15. that he will so be found to all eternity And then vers 16. that this is the Case of all the like old foolish Kings in former generations from the beginning of the World and will be found the Case of all of the like spirit in after-Generations to the World's end To the first of these he speaks in the former part of this Verse There is no end of all the People even of all that have been before them There 's no end of their immortal beings and exquisite sensibleness of their whole Persons Body Soul and Spirit in a Resurrection-State of Damnation Annihilation-death they 'l ever desire but never find Such death will ever flee from them And Eternal Life they can never have For though in a general confused random-guess at happiness every one would be happy that Life in which true happiness ever can be found are and wil they be found in a Spirit of unchangeable enmity to Such life then can they never have nor such death as annihilation of their beings or insensibleness in their beings amounts unto however hotly pursued desired or sought by them There 's no end of their being nor yet of their most exquisite sensiblenes therein under the tormenting wrath and fiery indignation of God for ever The immortality of their whole being in a resurrection of damnation will hold them close to 't under punishment for ever in hell for the ill Use they made of their immortal Spirits and mortal first-covenant righteous life thereof while in their mortal Body's upon earth The second Child or whole man body Soul and Spirit put together again in a resurrection-state of immortality as to being is to answer for all done in the mortal body or natural state and life of all 2 Cor. 5. 10. and Ec. 12. 14. Thus will it be with the Old foolish King for ever as to being But as to that Mortal changable first-Covenant righteous Life which he pleased and flatt'red himself with as an endless Life of true blessedness that will come to an end He will find himself rid of all the fading good and comfort of that which he would fain keep and will be kept up for ever in a most desolate wretched State of being under wrath which he would fain be rid of So is he gone every way All he would not have he must have and that for ever and all he would have he will for ever be deprived of without the least relief when Tormented in the flames of God's Wrath so much as by a drop of Water to cool his Tongue Luk. 16. 24. The mortal first-Covenant Life of his immortal Spirit Exspires and Vanishes dies away and ceases with the mortal Life of his Body So such wise old foolish Kings wise in Christ 1 Cor. 4. 10. as to first-Covenant attainments and fixing there in Enmity to the second will die and perish for ever as the Fool or Brutish Sinner of the Gentil's Yea worse will be his final Doom of the two The righteous Mystical Sodomite in the form of Godliness righteousness of Man in his own restor'd nature but Enmity to the Power of it and righteousness of God in his Gospel Life and Spirit of Grace which is filth of Spirit will
have worse on 't then the Litteral Sodomite in filth of flesh His greater advance and 〈◊〉 advantages toward Salvation neglected and abused do highly aggravate his evil of Sin and accordingly will be his evil of punishment for ever After all Exaltation with Capernaum in first-Covenant-Life and second Covenant or Gospel-Light even up to Heaven so as 〈◊〉 to see and then obstinately refuse God's only appointed way of entrance the death of their earthly spirit of nature for the life of his Heavenly Spirit of Grace will all such Mystical Sodomit's be tumbled or thrust down to Hell where it shall be more tolerable for Litteral Sodom then for them Mat. 11. 20-24 Luk. 10. 12-15 Christ himself gives the reasons for this difference in Punishment v. 21. 23. and Luk. 12. 47 48. He that cleerly know's his Master's will and does it not shall be beaten with many Stripes He that does not so cleerly know it shall be beaten with fewer For to whom much is given of him shall be much requir'd as the case is with Men to whom they have committed much of him they will ask or expect the more Man in the dark State of his corrupted nature know's not his Master's will at that rate as the old foolish King in the restor'd Life of the first and light of the second Covenant does By abusing the Life of the first in Rebelliously keeping it up and himself therein against the second when discover'd by its own light to him to be that which cannot be receiv'd by him but on his obedient surrender of the Life of the first does he deserve a sorer Punishment then the common Sinner against the Law Heb. 10. 28 29. For he Sinn 's more immediately and knowingly against the Holy Ghost or Gospel Life of the Son of God in Heaven even the Man Christ as risen from the dead into that Life wherein he lives for evermore The other against the Son of Man on Earth or that Law-Life of nature the highest Edition of the Law which Christ took and was found in as made Flesh and which he Crucified and abolish'd out of our nature in his own person in order to bring it forth again in the new Gospel-Edition of it by a new-Creation in unchangable Harmony with his Originally everlasting righteous spiritual new-Creation Gospel-Life So only can or ever could first-Covenant Law-Life come in him or in us to dwell for ever with new-Covenant Gospel-Life as Brethren in Unity This unchangable Union of the natural and spiritual Man in Christ and true Zion-Saints is pleasant in God's sight and of everlasting advantage to Man Psal. 133. 1. For so and so only by the death of the natural and Resurrection of it into the Life of the Spiritual Man in the Saint and the Spiritual Man in Christ's person come the poor but truly wise Crucified dead Children to live for ever in unchangable Union and Harmony of Mind with the infinite Divine Spirit of God most high Christ enlighten's every Man that cometh into the World Jo. 1. 9. None then are absolutely in the dark stark blind wholly ignorant of his will Even the Gentil's all Heathens have the light or Law of nature within them accusing or excusing their thoughts Words and Actions as found compliant with or contrary thereunto Ro. 2. 15. God's rule given in the Scriptur's of truth in reference to all Men is this If any be unfaithful in and to their little Dimme rational Candle-Light in some degree set up a fresh by the Redeemer in all men If they do allow themselvs in a constant course of Rebelling against the same without any remorse or chang of mind they 'd not be true to higher natural Light in the actual Priviledges of a first-Covenant Life and less yet to the higher Spiritual new-Covenant Gospel-Light if not only offer'd but actually receiv'd by them Luk. 16. 10 11. He that 's unjust in the least is or will be unjust also in much Those that are not faithful in the unrighteous Mammon the fading Light or also Life and inward Riches of their own restor'd Nature which yet is but a Spirit or State of Bondage to them and Enmity to God at best as in Paul before Gospel-Conversion who will commit to their Trust the true Riches Those that do not rightly use any fading Light Wisdom Life Riches in their own Spirit of Nature by such active Obedience as is performable therein and with while that is God's Dispensation to them and then by such passive Obedience in despising surrendring and giving all up as Dung with Paul when God requires it in order to receive his more excellent spiritual heavenly Gospel-Life in a Resurrection-state Phil. 3. 6-10 how should they ever come at or be possessed of the true durable Riches and everlasting Life The only possible undispensable way and means for this in the declar'd Methods of God's Wisdom is the obediently surrend'red natural State as to all the fading Life Glory Wisdom Righteousness and Riches thereof even the Death and Loss of all in Sacrifice to God as Christ himself did when he had taken our fleshly nature in the full Glory and unspotted Purity thereof Eternal Gospel-Life is by the Wisdom of God or Gospel-spirit of Christ freely proclaim'd and offer'd to all men Prov. 1. 20-23 and 8. 1-9 The old foolish Kings the highest and most criminal provoking Sinners that receive and abuse the Life of the first and Light of the second Covenant will fare worst under final Wrath. All others fix'd common Sinners of the Gentil's litteral Sodom will have bad enough on 't under their fewer wrathful Stripes or lesser Torments in Eternal Death But the hottest fiery Indignation and Mystical Flames of Wrath in the lowest Hell will be for ever upon the old foolish Kings Sore amazing Tydings for such self-confident presumptuous Sinners as reckon their Plea good for entrance into the Kingdom of God Yet thus it will be For the mouth of the Lord himself hath spoken it Mat. 7. 21-23 and 11. 23 24. Mar. 6. 11. Luk. 10. 12. All first-Covenant Saints in Holy Flesh that finally refuse the whole new-Covenant Gospel-Testimony the Words of God's Holy Spirit and Life thereof this will most certainly be theircase Easier will it be for Litteral 〈◊〉 Profane Brutisied Sinners in the corrupt Spirit of nature then for them It had bin better for them never to have known the way of everlasting truth and righteousness then after they have known the truth or Gospel-Life of Christ in its own Light and Beamings forth upon them to turn from the Holy 〈◊〉 of God therein and wilfully Rebel against it 2 Pet. 2. 21. Heb. 10. 26 27. Isai. 1. 20. Much sorer Punishment belongs to fix'd Sinners against the Holy Ghost than 〈◊〉 sinners against the Son of Man for ever v. 29. Such recompence of both their errours as is meet will they all receive both Litteral and Mystical Sodom even the Vengeance of Eternal Fire Ro. 1. 27.
own mortal life of Nature 'T is appointed to all once to die Heb. 9. 27. or lose all mortal life or good in Body Soul or spirit Is it short of a wonder that when Saints discover the devices of Satan all his serpentine crafts thorow-out his mystery of iniquity first-covenant professors jovial and frolick in his mystical spiritual Snares and a profane party in his brutish Snares or Fetters of a contemptible strumpet should both and all despise and hate him for his Gospel-news and discoveries of their madness and desperate consequence of finally persisting therein Yet thus it always was and now is more then ever in these latter and worse then all former times 2 Tim. 3. 1. The great peril to true Saints in the power of Godliness is from 〈◊〉 Brethren in the form thereof the life of the Law righteousness of Man Psal. 50. 20. Isa. 66. 5. In them is the highest strain of self-love For they have the most plausible beautiful self to love the mystical visage or clean face of a cleans'd enlightned Spirit The literal Beauty or outward Glory found in a profane party lies but in bodily complexion Skin and glittering outward Circumstances Pomp and Ornament The true Saint that brings tydings in his new Light of a spiritual Life Beauty and Glory demonstrating all these two sorts of mad People are pleasing and sporting themselves with to be but shadows a dream a vain shew kick-shows lighter then Vanity and themselves also Psal. 39. 5 6. 62. 9. spoils all their sport gives a damp to all their delusive pleasure and delight yea vexes and torments them all specially the dwellers upon Earth Rev. 11. 10. inhabitants of the earthly Jerusalem in first-covenant-life holy flesh The brutish inhabitants of the Sea a profane party are more gravel'd with and vex'd at such reproof and condemnation as is reflected upon them by the doctrine and conversation of strict-walking righteous legal-spirited Teachers and Professors They little mind or are able to take any cognizance of the spiritual Gospel-Saint or his doctrine And what need the Law-pretender to Gospel gilding all his Law-things with Gospel-words and appearances fear the Gospel-Saint's Testimony as to true Gospel-things What Why this spoils all their mystical Babylonish sport and trading Ministry with their false Wares It discovers all to be but Pictures or Idols pourtrai'd on the Walls of their house or Church on the Sand and on the mystical whited Sepulchers themselves who personate and would pass currant in such disguise paint and gildings for the true Gospel-Heirs of the Kingdom and so jussle out the true spiritual Heirs as blasphemous wranglers about it and groundless unwarranted pretenders to it Mean while the true Heir's invisible Saintship on which his title and claim to the Kingdom of Heaven depends consist's in a life 〈◊〉 with Christ in God hid under a vail of not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Law-life But when this vail wear's off and grow's daily thinner under the continual batteries and macerating-work of the Saint's spiritual on his natural Man the spiritual begins to shine thro' the vail look out at the windows or holes made in his natural spirit by the Gospel-Sword and Cross and flourish or 〈◊〉 himself thorow the 〈◊〉 thereof So thro' his impoverish'd 〈◊〉 mind or earthly nature comes his spiritual Man to shine forth in a right Gospel-conversation to and with other awakn'd spiritual Saints Cant. 2. 9. in such Gospel-works and fruits by which he 〈◊〉 his Father which is in Heaven Mat. 5. 16. But in converse with unawakn'd Saints and the generality of the two other sorts of sinners and 〈◊〉 of God and them that the world is full of must they with Moses pull the 〈◊〉 vail again over their spiritual faces lustre and beauty that they may appear to and talk with them in their own guise dress and language They must in this sense become all things to all Men with design to gain some to their spiritual Life and Doctrine yea turn many to the everlasting Righteousness of God by a true Gospel-conversion which Paul wholly wanted when an eminent Law-Saint 1 Cor. 9. 22. They must thus with Paul please all Men in all things 1 〈◊〉 10. 33. How In a serviceableness only to their true interest and the interest of Christ therein by gaining the opportunity to insinuate Gospel-Truths into them and jussle out 〈◊〉 lies As to a soothing Men up into a considence in Man's and Satan's Law-Gospel he say's do I seek to please Men then I should not be the Servant of Christ Gal. 1. 9 10. but indeed an enemy to him and his Gospel as I too long was thro' a confidence in my own Law-life or holy flesh But if no compliance in any sense might be lawfully used by spiritual Saints with otherwise-minded people common sinners or first-Covenant-Professors of Christ all opportunity of gaining them to a Gospel-state would be lost There 's no dealing with them at first dash without some-thing of condescention from a pure spirituality of conversation To grate on them with forc'd spiritual discourse and high mysteries of the Kingdom of God where there 's nothing preparatory towards the reception of such matters or hopefulness to give them any advantage thereby would render the most pertinent things impertinently as well as unsupportably troublesome and tormenting to any earthy fleshly-minded company corrupt or righteous holy or profane Such too generally is the guise dress and temper of in a manner all sorts of People in common conversation at this day that should they see or hear the inmost thoughts of spiritual Saints they 'd not endure their company Self the Anagram of Flesh backward rejecting h that 's no letter holy or unholy Nature professing or profane People are all of a knot in confederacy with World and Devil against the spiritual Saint and all his right words to a tittle about Salvation special 1 Tim. 4. 10. Yet enough has he to bear him up and maintain in him an undaunted spirit and invincible courage against all the despisings and misjudgings of these two sorts of blind dark-spirited confounded haters and rejecters of all Gospel-light and truth They both sit as in Plato's feigned Cave admiring their little glimmering Moon or Candle-light their intellectual rational Lamps in a Night-state or at best and highest but such Day-light as the mystical first-creation Sun or first-covenant Spirit gives and makes out to them In these various states postures accoutrements and enjoyments of Nature sit they both in a readiness to deride and scoff at the true Saint pretending to a yet transcendently higher Day-light under the beamings forth of the New-Creation Sun of infallible everlasting Light Life Righteousness and Wisdom the Gospel-new-Covenant-Spirit of Grace and Truth Those that are lifted up from amongst their fellow-mortals out of themselves or their own deep dark dungeon-dungeon-spirit of Nature corrupt or righteous a miery pit of Corruption and 〈◊〉 filth of flesh or spirit enmity to
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-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
bondage and death in trespasses and sins These under the self-polluting practices of their unbridled brutish lusts carry folly and madness written in their foreheads to be seen and read of all men in and by the restor'd common light of Nature They hate the righteous life of their own nature with all reproofs and instructions towards their recovery into it They abuse what light of Reason they have rendring it a slave to those brutish powers of life it ought to direct and rule over so as to prog about and fetch in provisions for them The consequent hereof Solomon declares to be a dying before or not in their time saying Why shouldst thou die before thy time In a literal sence how oft do men hasten the death of their body by 〈◊〉 riot and luxury These are bloody-minded men that shall not live out half their days Psal. 55. 23. They wholly delight in the brutish lusts and pleasures of their degenerate nature polluted in its own blood Ezek. 16. 6. dead in trespasses and sins Eph. 2. 1. Solomon advises men not to be over-wicked or stay over-long in the brutified polluted state of fallen nature out of which the first-covenant 〈◊〉 of Christ do break forth by a being born of and knowing him 〈◊〉 the flesh into the righteous fleshly-life of the Law who also 〈◊〉 to break forth out of that fading righteous state with the spiritual new-Covenant Children of Christ when warn'd of and call'd thereunto become guilty of more criminal 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and abominable Idolatries then they that remain wholly in their polluted Nature A being born but of the flesh or will of 〈◊〉 in Christ is vastly short of a being born of the spirit or will of God in him Joh. 3. 6. and 1. 13. That that 's born of his flesh is but flesh holy flesh righteous Nature makes but a first-Covenant Saint Spouse and Child of Christ which Paul wholly quitted as dung for the knowledge of 〈◊〉 after 〈◊〉 Spirit or in his Spiritual Resurrection-life This turn'd the Law-Saint in holy 〈◊〉 into a Gospel-Saint in God's holy new-creature Spirit of everlasting Righteousness 2 Cor. 5. 16. Phil. 3. 6 10. So became he a fool weak despicable as a crucified dead Man to them that were yet wise strong and honorable in Christ by the knowledge of him only after the flesh 1 Cor. 4. 10. or in but the first-Covenant But to the wicked here Christ has restor'd the first-Covenant Light of Rational Nature in every Man that comes into the World By this he shews or gives them a fair prospect into this first mystical Canaan or earthly Jerusalem-state and so a call into it even into the righteous cleans'd Life and State of their own Nature Those that refuse deliverance out of their polluted dead state of Nature do by this additional evil to their Hereditary Disease and Pollution from Adam pull the just charge of that original Sin upon their own guilty heads as delighting in it and chusing it in preference to any thing of the righteous life of Nature Adam had before his fall They render themselves literal Sodom incorrigibly and therefore unpardonably wicked to whom belongs the vengeance of eternal fire Jude7 as the meet recompence of such errour Rom. 1. 26 27. Will they reckon it too hard eternal punishment should be brought upon them in Hell for a little short brutish pleasure upon Earth In this also they greatly err not considering that their unchangeable enmity to God deserv's his unchangeable Wrath upon them Thus Man dies before his time chuses his state of death and pollution when he might receive the fairly offer'd Righteous Life of his own Law-Spirit of Nature again after which yet he may die eternally if he refuse by the right death and sacrifice of that to receive eternal Life in God's Gospel-Spirit of Grace But as an enemy of all Righteousness or Righteous Life God's and Man's too does he turn that but changeably dead state of Nature he was born in into a state of unchangeable eternal death a latter end worse then his beginning worse then that changeable curable recoverable state of death he was born in Such brutified monsters will not admit any thing of the least 〈◊〉 towards their Deliverance or Salvation not any thing towards 〈◊〉 rendring them clean sacrifices to God in a restor'd first-Covenant Life in order to receive his life in the second By this over-plus of wickedness does man hasten his own eternal ruine If he hate the Righteousness of man that he has seen much more does he hate the more excellent spiritual new-Creature everlasting Righteousness of God and much more yet the infinite and eternal Righteousness of the very Divinity that he has not seen 1 Joh. 4. 20. As still more and more above and contrary to the vile affections and lusts of his brutified self-polluting Nature Eternal death is the undeniably just recompence of all that finally refuse to submit to the Lord 's declared terms for their receiving eternal life whether they be found in corrupt or righteous Nature whether Publicans and Harlots common 〈◊〉 of the Gentiles or Righteous Scribes and Pharisees professing first-Covenant Jews or Christian Gentiles So have we the sence in which these two verses 16 th 17 th are spoken to two sorts of Men professors and profane one perishing by being over-much righteous the other by being over-much wicked The former will needs have his Righteousness and Wisdom to be everlasting and unchangeable above and beyond all that God has ever written or spoken of it crying Peace peace to himself and others therein as entitled thereby to eternal life and peace in and with God All this in a perfect contrariety to all God's Declarations Counsels and Warnings about it So they love and delight in what Christ makes the hating parting with and death of undispensably necessary to their being saved Eternal death is the meet recompence of such errour finally persisted in As for the overmuch-wicked ver 17. he sinks himself into a far worse condition then left in by his first Parents So come they both to a latter end worse than their beginning eternal darkness and death These two sorts of incorrigible sinners mystical and literal Sodomites bring upon themselves swift destruction by denying the Lord that bought them 2 Pet. 2. 1. One denying or refusing to receive him so much as in his first the other in his second or new-Covenant life And of the two the mystical Sodomite will have the worst on 't for ever under the wrath to come Mat. 11. 24. Vers. 18. It is good that thou should'st take hold of this yea also from this withdraw not thine hand for he that feareth God shall come forth of them all The good we should take hold or lay hands on is Christ's new-creation life of Truth the absolute unchangeable good thing that 's to be sought and pure as'd at any rate sold or parted with at no rate Prov. 23. 23.