A Wakening Call, Chapter 5
CHAP. V. A short Review of the four preceding Chapters, by way of Recapitulation.
CHAP. 1. God, infinitely blessed, from all Eternity,
Chap. 2. Determin'd to create Angels and Men, to give them immortal Spirits, and to put into them a mortal Life, in their first-creation, to be call'd their own, with all the things thereof, their own Righteousness, Wisdom, Works, Fruits, &c. but all mortal, and to be done away for ever. He, therefore, determin'd to set up in personal Union with his Divine Nature, a Creature-Spirit of originally eternal Life, and render it communicable to Men and Angels, by a new Creation of them. The former rendred them but mystical Trees of Good and Evil. The latter makes them particular Trees of Life, under and with Christ. God, hereby, works all their works in them, (Isa. 26. 12.) and they, in him, Iohn 3. 21. The Leaves of such Trees never wither: every thing they do, therein, prospers, Psal. 1.3. All good Works or Fruits done or brought forth by them in the former, at best, are nothing to God, (Hos. 10. 1. Iob 35. 7, 8.) nor of any avail for their ever entring into his Kingdom, but only a new Creature, Gal. 6. 15. The most restor'd Life and Righteousness of Man, preach'd up and warranted for Salvation, is Man's Dream, under Satan's Witch-crafts; all their delusive Doctrine, therein, Chaff, Psal. 1.4. And what's this Chaff to the Wheat, the Gospel-Doctrine, Words and Things of God? Ier. 23. 28.
Chap. 3. (1.) In pursuance of God's twofold Purposes, for a twofold Creation of Angels and Men, the first of the Divine Three, call'd Father, did produce, beget, and set up a Creature-spirit of immortal Holiness, of the same Name in the Creature-part of the Mediator, with its Divine Producer, Father.
(2.) The Second, the Word, caus'd the said Creature-root, to bring forth a Branch, in the Fountain-purity of all mortal First-creation Being and Life, that was to be set up in Angels and Men, by a first Creation.
(3.) The Third, the Holy Gost, by its peculiar Operation, brought the Creature-Father and Son, into unchangeable personal Union, and so the whole Creature-nature in the Mediator, into unchangeable Union with his Divine Nature. The Creature-Son and Branch, thus exalted, was the immediate Creator of all things, in both Creations or Worlds, natural and spiritual, Heb. 1. 1, 2.
Chap. 4. (1.) Thus were the Works, determin'd of God, to be set up in Angels and Men, by a first Creation, finish'd in the Mediator, by the right Use of all, in order to the second, Heb. 4. 3.
(2.) Herein, was the exalted Son and Branch, the living WORD and Book of God, in which were written the Names of all the Elect, that are to be conform'd to him, in the like Death of the first Creation, and Resurrection into the Life, given by a second.
(3.) The exalted Branch, or living WORD of God, gave Angels and Men their Being and Life, by a first Creation; as the immediate Hand of God, for it.
(4.) He was, therein, the infallible Mouth of God, to declare his whole Counsel to them, for the right Use of all, given them, in their first Creation, in order to the second.
(5.) He was, therein, the High-Priest of God, to perform the like Death-work on them, as had pass'd upon himself, by the Original Melchisedec, his Creature-root and Father.
(6.) And lastly; He was the ready prepar'd infallible Pattern, for them to follow, out of the mortal, earthly Life of the first Creation, into the immortal and heavenly, by a second, as the only Means and Way, to find the Salvation of Heaven, or scape the Damnation of Hell.