The Book of Nature Translated and Epitomized, Chapter 14 – Chapter 15
Chap. 13.
Sect. I.
The temporary fruit of self-love.
THe temporary fruit of self-love, in this world, cannot be any true joy, but only a sophistical, deceptive, seeming joy, carrying reall sadnes in the womb of it. He that loves his own will, praise, honour, glory, and bodily pleasur's, loves and seek's after such things as conduce thereunto; worldly riches, dignities, offices, sciences, &c. Such a man, when he has any considerable hopes or enjoyment of such things, he has a proportionable kind of joy. And because all these things may pass away, be lost or destroy'd, he fear's to lose them, and hates all that would diminish or destroy them. From such danger, fear, and hatred, sadnes must needs arife. His joy then, at best, in such delusive, transient vanities, hath sorrow and vexation of spirit, most intimatly connexed with it.
From the properties and conditions of self-love, may we certainly conclude the properties of the joy, arising there-from. If such love be an inordinate, unjust, tortuous, false, vicious, corrupt, unclean thing, contrary to the nature of God and man, as also to the order of the whole universe; if it be a most wicked, filthy, malignant, abominable thing, the joy arising from it must needs be of the same complexion, and have the self-same evil qualities, properties and conditions. Self-love is the leading injustice and injury, dishonorable to God, and destructive to man. It sets up a false God, in the room of the true; the will of man, in opposition to the will of God. Any joy man can have in such a course, must needs be a false, deceptive, inordinate, unjust, vicious, corrupt joy, contrary to the nature of God and man, as also to the nature and order of all creatures. Tis a most wicked, filthy, poisonous, mortal, dark, lying joy. As the root is, so is the fruit. And forasmuch as self-love render's a man the capital enemy of God (as thereby usurping a power of living in the absolute Soveraignty and unsubjected exercise of his own will, which is the peculiar prerogative and incommunicable priviledg of God alone) all the joy he can possibly find in such a course, is but yet a higher strein of enmity to God. All his joy, and complacency in things temporal, is but a rebellious exulting, and rejoycing in his contempt of, and enmity to God. The more a man has of such joy, the greater enemy of God is he.
Self-love and the love of God cannot stand or dwell quietly together in the same will, but, as capital enemies, will destroy and expell one another. In like manner is it with the two opposite joyes, thence arising. The joy that spring's up from the love of God, strengthen's man's union with God. The joy which spring's from self-love, divides, separat's, and alienat's a man more and more from God. For the maintenance of a false joy, such a multitude of temporal things appear's requisite, as cannot usually be gotten without damage and destruction to others and ourselvs. The love of such riches as are the nourishmēt and maintenance of a false joy, will put us upon the exercise of many such foolish and hurtful lusts, as drown men in destruction and perdition. 1 Tim. 6. 9.
True joy in the lord render's a man bountiful, courteous, merciful, humble, mild, and sweet. False joy in the creature, make's him cruel, wicked, proud, implacable, revengful, and all that's naught. The former preserv's peace, unity, friendship, and all that's good amongst men: the latter tend's to the dissolution of all right friendship; sowes envy, strife, divisions, animosities, and all that's evil, amongst them. The former alway's profit's, the latter alwayes hurt's him that has it. The former enlighten's and cleer's up mans understanding: the latter more and more darken's and blind's it. The former will have the greatest reward: the latter, the greatest punishment.
SECTION. II.
The eternal fruit of self-love.
IMmediatly after this life, he that had nothing but a false, temporary, momentany joy in the fleeting things thereof, wil for ever be deprived of all that he loved, desired, or rejoyced in. He wilbe compelled by the hand of God, to have all that he would not have; and he wilbe everlastingly deprived of all he would have, his own honour, glory, praise, and bodily pleasur's. The soul of man in hel, cannot but think of such things, as will give it perpetual sorrow. It will look upon itself, as the most deformed, filthy, disorder'd thing, imaginable; contrary to God, in the utmost extreamity; contrary to the uprightnes and glory of its own first-created, natural being; and much more contrary to the yet more excellent glory of spiritual life, it was capable of having bio advanced into, by a new creation, or the true regeneration, which it wilfully refused. The soul, finding itself in this dismal posture, will most vehemently desire to be rid of itself by annihilation; but never can. Man, in such case, will most earnestly desire, God may lose his being, that there may be no omnipotent hand to keep him up in being, and punish him. He wilbe eternally displeased that either God, or himself, or any other creatur's are continued in being, because all makes for his woe. Thus will fond self-love end at last in eternal self-abhorrency, sorrow, and confusion. As eye hath not seen, ear heard, neither have entred into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him; So nor hath eye seen, ear heard, neither have entred into the heart of man, while on earth, the dreadful vengeance and eternal fadnes, that wilbe the portion of all those that finally persist in the love of themselvs, which is enmity to God. Eternal sorrow is eternal death, in reference to which, man wil be kept up in a most exquisite sensiblenes, by the omnipotent hand of divine justice. God know's exactly all the sins and follies of men, in their full dimensions and aggravations; and will proportion their punishment thereunto. Those that deny God his due (by not loving him, but themselvs, and so hating him with all their heart, soul, strength, and mind) wilbe sure to meet with their due, from the most just avenging hand of God, that fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.
Man by self-love, exalt's himself into the room of God, with an ERO SIMILIS ALTISSIMO, in harmony with the devil's first sin; on which he will come to be cast down to hel (2. Pet. 2. 4.) with his leaders, the devil and his angels. The punishment due to man for such contempt of his omnipotent creatour, is unexpressible by the tongu's of men or angles. Fire, as the most afflicting thing in nature, is used to express the eternal punishment of man. The eternal fire, into which he wilbe cast, will burn, but not consume him, or afford him any light. It wilbe accompanied with eternal darknes. It will have all the afflicting, grieving properties of fire, but none of the relieving, comforting properties, at all. Men that love darknes rather then light here, because their deeds are evil, will have their fill of darknes at last, for all their evil deeds.
Man only, of all the visible world, can properly deserv, and accordingly receive punishment from the hand of god, because he only is furnished with rational powers, to know what he ought to do, and to do what he ought, in obedience to God. If therefore he do things contrary to the will of God, and his own light, God will bring somthing upon him contrary to his will, with eternal darknes. His will, being a perpetual thing, and fixed in enmity to God, God will do that which wilbe perpetually contrary to it. His inordinate will, chiefly affected and sought his own honour, praise, glory, and pleasure; the contraries whereunto, in extreamity, wilbe his portion, eternal dishonour, contempt, shame; confusion, and sorrow unutterable. The everlasting punishment of man, from the hand of God, wilbe managed and executed in such a way, as is most contrary to his will and desire, and most conducible to the aggravation and advance of his sorrow.
SECT. III.
Resurrection.
AGain, from the eternal punishment and sorrow, due to the soul of mā, we may conclude, it shall recover its own body again, and that in a state most contrary to its desire, for the encrease of its sorrow. As it us'd it, contrary to the will of God on earth, it shall have it in a posture most contrary to it's own will, in hel, for ever. As the whole man, body and soul, acted against the will of God in this world; So must the whole man, body and soul, suffer against his own will, in hel. And because 't is more contrary to the will of man, in such case, to receive his body again in a passible condition (or capacity of suffering) then impassible; and in an immortal condition (uncapable of losing its sensiblenes) then mortal, &c. we may conclude that he will receive it, clogg'd and attended with all imaginable disadvantages, a passible and yet immortal body, that it may ever suffer; a most obscure, dark, deformed body, for the encrease and aggravation of his sorrow. Furthermore, all the sorrow of others in fellowship with him; and all the joy of others, in the opposite condition thereunto, will make for the encrease of his sorrow. The creatour, and every creature, yea, the very soul itself shall avenge the cause of God upon man; so that he will have no comfort on any account, or from any thing, for ever. The creatour, every creature, all the joy and good of others, all the sorrow and evil of others, shall make for the encrease of his sorrow. So have we the truth and certainty, as to the two final fruits which will arise from the two above mention'd first loves, the love of God and self.
CHAP. XIV.
Two generall societies, and everlasting habitations of men.
THe freedom which man hath in the united exercise of his understanding and will (above-spokē to) for the judging and turning this way or that, qualifies and capacitates him for the taking of two contrary wayes, the steering of two opposite courses, unto life or death. By the different wayes which men take in the exercise of these their rational powers, do they come to be divided and separated in will, affectiō, mind, doctrine, and interest, so as to be direct enemies to each other. Tis requisite therefore that there be two distinct final receptions or habitations for them, suitable to the distance and contrariety of their affections. The same thing may be also concluded from the two above-said first loves, the love of God and self, which render men directly contrary to each other, separating, elongating, alienating, and distancing them from one another, in will, affection and their whole course, as far as is possible. One of their habitations will be the place of sorrow and eternal death; the other, of joy and eternal life. The one wilbe the royal palace and house of God; the other, an everlasting dungeon, full of confusion, darkness, and all evill. In the one wilbe more good; in the other, more evil, then can be express'd by the tongu's of men or angels. All that have walk'd and finish'd their course in self-love, being of the same nature and inclination, wilbe gathered together into one place. And all that have lived in the love of God, as being also of one temper and inclination, wilbe gathered into a distinct place, separated from, and most opposite to the other, as a company or corporation, most contrary in Spirit and principle to the other. The sheep will finally be separated from the goats, and enter into life eternal; the goats must away into everlasting punishment. Mat. 25. 32. 46. Seing there are but two general inclinations of men, there can be but two places for their final abode, heaven and hel. And each place wilbe suitable to the different temper of the inhabitants. Those that by self-love have sought to dethrone God, and to usurp the peculiar soveraignty of his will, wilbe thrust into outer darknes, where shalbe weeping and gnashing of teeth.