The Book of Nature Translated and Epitomized, Chapter 20 – Errata
Chap. 19.
Sect. I.
In what manner men come to be united with the first evil angels, as their head.
THe two principal opposite wills of God and the devil, make two opposite Kingdoms, empires, dominions, and lawes; a Kingdom of darkness, and a Kingdom of light. All men are subjects in the one or other of these Kingdoms. The devil layes claim to all those things which belong to God; honour, praise, adoration, &c. He is obstinate and blinded in this transcendent strein of pride and presumption. He does all he can, to destroy the honour, glory and worship of God, as contrary to his. He extreamly hates the Kingdom of God; envies man's capacity of ascending thither, and labour's to the utmost, to obstruct and hinder his motions that way. He labour's might and main, to bring all men under his dominion.
But there is a twofold difference between the first captivity of mankind, and other fallen angels, to the will of the first; the devil. First, all the fallen angels became fix'd in and with the will of their head, in enmity to God: but men are capable of recovery from the power of Satan unto God. Secondly the evil angels are subject to their leader and head, as his incorporated members, resigned up to his will. They do all most unanimously and harmoniously agree and center in one will, so that no discord or contention can possibly arise amongst them. They are the most free and willing subjects of the devil. As for men, they are cozen'd into slavery: they are, unawares, by fraud, captivated to the will of the devil. They agree with the devil in enmity to God. They quit all union with the will of God; but, with design to live in the soveraign and uncontrolled exercise of their own wills, as the devil does in his, unsubjected either to God or him. But when they de part from God, they fall into the devil's hands, and are taken captive by him, at his will; 2 Tim. 2. 26. Man intend's a distinct Kingdom within himself, separate from God's and the devil's too, as a new third Monarch, distinct from both. But it fall's in, by way of coalition, and becomes one Kingdom of darkness with Satan's, in opposition to the Kingdom of God. The will of the devil, separated from God, of itself. The will of man, separated from God, by the instigation of the devil; on which, the devil gain'd entrance into, and dominion over his will, beyond, and contrary to his intention. The devil caught man at first with guile, did with craft surprize him, and does by violence and fraud usurp a tyrannical domination over him.
The fallen angels are the devil's natural subjects, and members, being of the same angelical nature with him. But men, as of a different nature from him, are by fraud and force, captivated and subjected to his will. Every wicked man retein's his own private will in himself, which alway's agree's with the will of the devil, in enmity and contrariety to the will of God. The devil is a gainer by men's living and walking in their own wills, as not willingly or knowingly subjected unto his. For, by this means, he can, in combination with the will of man, do many exploits in the world, which by himself alone, or by his angels who are freely united in and with his will, he could not do.
Wicked men, in this world, do not center by way of resignation, in any one will; but have every one their proper and private will, distinct from all others. They cannot therefore agree amongst themselvs, as evil angels do, because they have distinct private wills and lusts, whence contentions, warrs, brawlings, and fightings do arise (Jam. 4. 1.) every one raking and tearing from another, to get what he can for himself. Satan know's too well how to manage the private lusts and passions of men, to his advantage. He does thereby stir up man against man, nation against nation, Kingdom against Kingdom, putting the world into an uproar, and filling it with all manner of tumults and confusions. This he does by his hidden artifices, and unperceived influencin… and riding of the wills of men, as hi… …easts, into a career of opposition to each other. He is ready also, on all sides, to suggest innumerable wayes and arts of doing mischief, as the grand master of al mis-rule in the whole world. He uses his angels as his own members, for the doing of mischief. But he and his angels use men as their beasts, to ride on. Men's minds and wills are secretly bestridden and spurr'd by these principalities and powers of darkness; and they no more know or consider who is on their backs, then horses know what men are, that ride them. Into this deplorable condition is man brought by self-love, and living in his own will, separate from god's. He is made a servant, a slave, a captive, a beast, for the devil and his angels to triumph over, and ride on, who are themselvs most miserable captives in everlasting chains of darkness. Jude v. 6.
The will of the devil is a bottomless pit, wherein the wills of wicked men are imprison'd; and their own private wills are so many distinct spiritual prisons, subordinate to the will of the devil, wherein they are deteined. Man's own will is both the prison and the chain that bind's and hold's him fast in the will of the devil. Here's that man gets by living in his own will. When he hath once separated himself from God, and set his heart wholly upon vanities, in case he sometimes get what he desires, if he rejoyces in it, he add's iniquity unto iniquity, by rejoycing in the accomplishing of the fleshly desires of his carnal mind, that is enmity against God. All the desires of our wills, in separation from God's, are evil. If we have not what we desire, we are sad, looking on our disappointment as a punishment. If we have what we desire, we rejoyce, and so adde to the iniquity of our unlawfull lust, a rebellious exulting and rejoycing against God. Turn which way we will then, while we live in our own wills, we are sure to find sin or sorrow, to meet either with the evil of sin, or evil of punishment, continually. To center, unite, live and dwell in the will of God, is true blessednes and glorious liberty unto man, in direct opposition to all the above-mention'd captivities and inconveniences.
SECT. II.
THe whole angelical nature fell not. The whole humane nature fell. Angels descend not from one another by generation, as men do; but were all created together. Those angels that fell, fell irrecoverably, at first. No men were rendred unchangably and irrecoverably evil by their first fall, nor were they thereby exposed to remediless misery. Had mankind, by being made totally sinful, bin totally lost, in vain had all men bin made, as to the principal design of God in the creation of the world, which was, to bring the world, summ'd up in man, into union with and enjoyment of himself. Had no course bin taken for the recovery and salvation of men, after their first fall, we might be apt to think it far better, that God had forthwith destroy'd Adam and Eve, on their first sin, and put a period to humane nature in their persons, without any farther multiplication. That which Christ say's of Judas, it had bin good for him, if he had not bin born, Mat. 26. 24. may seem to countenance this general assertion, that it had bin far better and more eligible for all those who will eternally perish, uever to have bin at all.
SECTION. III.
Redemption.
AS to the recovery, redemption, and salvation of man, this we may take notice of in generall, that none but God himself could make satisfaction to his own infinite justice for the sins of men. And none is obliged to give satisfaction, but man. He then, that perform's it, must needs be both God and man, united in one person. The natural and most intimate marriage-union of humane nature with the divine, in Christ's person, did render it so valuable, in the vertue and dignity of its husband, that the laying down of the life thereof, was a satisfaction to divine justice for the sins of men, infinitely beyond what the voluntary surrender of life, by al creatures in their full purity, would have amounted unto. Such a man as was also God, could and did by the death of his manhood, overcome him that had the power of death, the devil; Heb. 2. 14. And having spoiled those principalities and powers of darkness, the devil and his angels, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it; Col. 2. 15. He will also cause his followers from among men, to triumph over them also; to trample them under their feet, as Josua or Iesus (Act. 7. 45. Heb. 4. 8.) the type of Christ, caused the captains of the men of war, to put their feet upon the necks of the five Kings. Jos. 10, 23. 24. He does, by regeneration, put a spirit into them, greater then he that's in the world, the devil; 1 Jo. 4. 4. a spirit, which that wicked one cannot touch, deprave, corrupt, or assimilate unto himself; a spirit, that cannot touch or put forth its hand unto sin. He, or that which is born of God, sinneth not, nor can sin. 1 Jo. 3. 9.
SECT. IV.
THus have we seen the original evils of humane and angelical nature; the roots of all other evils, in or to angels and men. All the evil of sin or punishment, incident unto both, from first to last, is wholly imputable to their own wilful deviations, apostasies, and rebellions.
Fallen man, who was seduced by a superiour order of creatur's, more subtle then himself, is, through the tender mercies of God, declared to be in a recoverable condition; and accordingly, are there means afforded him, by the personal suffrings and performances of Christ, whereby he may be saved. But being fallen and corrupted into a state quite contrary to his own nature, he is usually so far from any due considering of the vileness and misery of his condition, or of the dreadful vengeance of eternal fire, which will certainly follow, that he laugh's and rejoyces in his chains, his prison-state under Satan, who is a chained captive himself. He glories in his shame, put's far from him the evil day, laugh's at the sad stories of hel and damnation, as old wives fables. The heart of the Sons of men is full of evil; madness is in their heart while they live; and after that they go to the dead. Man also knoweth not his time: as fishes are taken in an evil net, and birds caught in the snare, so are the Sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them. Ecc. 9. 3. 12. By the laughing, jovial, frolick practice, and senseless security too generally observable amongst men, may it appear, that man is a most foolish, frantick, dreamish, inchanted thing, not considering what he is, whither he goes, or what's like to become of him for ever. The folly, misery, and delusion, wherein man securely and pleasantly walk's, under the rulers of the darkness of this world, who can utter? For farther …formation herein, I refer the reader to the Scriptures o… truth, as beyond the reach of the book of the creatures, though their line be gone out, thorow all the earth, and their words to the end of the world, so that there is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Psal. 19. 3. 4.
FINIS.
Page 4. line 30. trhee. r. three. p. 5. l. 5. it. r. is. p. 15. chap. 3. r. 4. So are there 20. chapters in the whole book. p. 52. l. 26. slowing. r. flowing.
End of the text · George Sikes, The Book of Nature Translated and Epitomized (1667)