A Wakening Call, Chapter 11
CHAP. XI The Difference of Christ's Death, in our Nature, as to the intent and Extent thereof, from Saints Conformity to him, by the Death of Nature, in them.
CHRIST's condescending to take our Nature, and, therein, by the Grace of God, to taste Death for every Man, (Heb. 2. 9.) was in reference to the pardonable Sins of Mankind, in Adam, and, also, in their own Persons. This was God's appointed Way, for the redeeming and recovering them out of their fallen State, wherein born, dead in Trespasses and Sins, (Ephes. 2. 1. Col. 2. 13.) into the Light, and also Life, receiv'd by them, in their First-creation. All may receive this general Redemption-Mercy, the Common-Salvation-Work of Christ, as a Fruit of his meritorious Sufferings and Death, in our Nature, if they will. But, as to the special eternal Salvation of the Elect, in his new and everlasting Covenant Gospel-life, this is not of him that willeth or runneth, in the most fruitful Exercise of his own restor'd First-covenant Law-life, but, of God's Free-Grace-Mercy, which he will (effectually and infallibly) shew, to whom he pleases, only. The ceasing from their own Life, Will, and Understanding, is the only appointed Way for their receiving this special eternal Salvation-life of God. Iude (with others) writ of both these distinct Salvations, common and special, temporal and eternal. And when he had, with all Diligence, inform'd them of the former, he found it needful to exhort them, to contena earnestly, in Prayer to God, for a living spiritual Faith, working by Love to him, in the latter, in which, only, true Saintship and Salvation ever could or will be found, by any Man, Iude v. 3. Thus is Christ the Saviour of all Men, with a common or general Salvation; but of them that believe in his Gospel-life, and place all their Hopes of Salvation, in that, with a special, 1 Tim. 4. 10. They trust in the living God, that living Word of God, which is God, John 1.1. Those that wax confident in the common Salvation, the restor'd Life and Righteousness of Man, do trust in that Life, for Entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven, which Christ crucified, in the Fountain-purity of it, in himself. God will, not only, that all Men should be saved, with the common Salvation, but has rendred them capable also of receiving the Knowledg of the Truth, (1 Tim. 2. 4.) his Gospel-spirit of Grace and Truth, by the convincing Discoveries thereof, to their natural Understandings. But, after all this, are they liable to apostatize, fall away, and finally refuse so great Salvation, as is thereby offer'd them, and perish for ever, Heb. 6. 4-6.
The submitting, in Passive Obedience, to the Death and Loss of all, receiv'd from Christ, in the Common-Salvation-Benefit of his Death, rendring them but holy Flesh, is absolutely necessary to their finding the special, eternal Salvation-life of his holy Gospel-spirit, the Holy Ghost. Otherwise, after all, receiv'd in the Common-Salvation, they'l find everlasting Destruction. Conformity to Christ's Death, by the Death of Nature, at best, in us, is the appointed way, to reign with him, in the Life he is ascended into, out of the Death thereof, in himself, Rom. 6. 5. 2 Tim. 2. 11, 12. Nor Devil, nor Jews, could prevail with him, to own his Kingdom in the Fountain-purity of his worldly Law-life; but, in that Gospel-spirit of eternal Life, he was to ascend into, out of the Death thereof. Paul, when a Gospel-Saint, would no longer know, or own Christ himself, after the Flesh, in but the restor'd fleshly First-covenant Law-life and Righteousness of Man, but, in his holy Gospel-spirit and Righteousness of God, therein, 2 Cor. 5. 16. As married to him, therein, only, is it ever possible for any, to bring forth Fruit unto God, Rom. 7. 4. All, fix'd by Satan and themselves, in the Common-Salvation, become the most irreconcileable Enemies to those, in the special. Those that own but the Form of Godliness, Righteousness of Man, in the Common-Salvation, as a State of true Happiness, and finally deny the Power of Godliness in Christ's Gospel-life, they are mystical Infidels, (after all such temporary Faith in Christ, by which they have receiv'd their own Life, again, from him) the most criminal Sinners, spiritual Sodom, Egypt, and Babylon, such as crucified our Lord, (Revel. 11. 8.) and have been the Murderers of true Saints, all along this World, from Abel, downwards, and will so be, to the ending thereof; and, reckon, they do God Service, therein, John 16. 2. Literal Infidels vastly out-number these mystical Ones, not believing in Christ, at all, so as to receive the Common-Salvation-Life and Righteousness of Man, from him. What a World of such, is there, now, in this World? Mahumetans, other Pagans and Infidels, and amongst all Varieties of such as are call'd Christians, innumerable even of them, not living in the Principle of rational Light, that many meer Heathens walk in Obedience to. What final, eternal Benefit, are all these like to find, from the meritorious Sufferings and Death of Christ, in our Nature?
Saints Conformity to Christ's Death, as true Followers of him, in the narrow, unpleasing Way to Nature, through the Strait Gate of Entrance into his eternal Gospel-life, relates not, at all, to the peculiar Benefits of Christ's Death in our Nature, for Mankind, in general; or, Saints, in special. But, 'tis their unspeakable Advantage, to follow him into the said Death, by the Death of Nature, at best, or in whatever Condition, as the only Way to find the Salvation of Heaven, or scape the Damnation of He…l.
The restor'd righteous Life of Man, in his own Spirit of Works, put him, afresh, upon his own personal Trial, for the Right Use thereof, as was the Case of Adam, at first. If from Self-love, he finally chuse this, in preference to the Gospel-life and Righteousness of God, therein, he sins, again, in his own Person, after the Similitude of Adam's pardonable Transgression (Rom. 5. 14.) unpardonably, and unrepentably, Heb. 6. 4, 6. & 10. 26, 27. Filth of Spirit, Enmity to God's Divine and Creature-Holy-Ghost or Spirit, lurking under all Righteousness of Man's holy Flesh, will, to all, unchangeably fix'd therein, be eternal Death.
The Surrender and Loss of the Life of our own Spirits, at best, and our own fallible Understandings and corruptible Wills, therein, is the only Way to arrive at the happy Experience of an infallible Understanding and an incorruptible Will, in God's heavenly Creature-life, the only Principle of everlasting well-pleasing active Obedience to him, and Blessedness to us. A ceasing from the best Works, and fasting from the best Fruits, performable or producible by us in our own Spirit, Will, and Way, to live in God's Sabbath-Spirit of true Rest, to us in him and him in us, and Delight only in such incorruptible Fruits as can be brought forth by us, in his Spirit only, this is such a Fast, and such a Sabbath as he has chosen, Isa. 58. 5, 13. And this, will all, whom he has chosen, be brought unto, by his infinite Free-Grace-Mercy. All outward bodily Fastings and Sabbath-keepings, never accompanied with this inward mystical Truth of all, were an Abomination to God, when his own literal, figurative Appointments and Ordinances to the Jews, Isa. 1. 10-15. & 66. 3.
Gospel-life is the Wine of Christ's Kingdom, which Saints, with Christ, can daink of, only, in his Kingdom-spirit, as, therein, new Creatures; Mark 14. 25. This was figur'd in Iotham's Parable, cheering God and Man, (Judg. 9. 13.) answering all, Man can rightly desire of God, and enabling him, to answer all, God requires of him. No such true New-Ierusalem-Saints, shall ever have occasion to say, we are sick, (Isa. 33.24.) or need any thing; and to say, we fear no Danger of Repenting, or Change, from a mind of everlasting Obedience to God; nor, therefore, of Condition, from a State of unchangeable Blessedness, in the Sight and Enjoyment of him, in his infinite Divine Favour and Love. This gets Man, by a change from his own earthly, continual sinning Life of Vanity, to God's own heavenly never-sinning Gospel-life. He will be enabled, therein, to say with Christ, I was dead in my own Spirit, and am alive for evermore, in his, Rev. 1. 18. Our own right Eye, Hand, and Foot, the highest Light, best Practice, and walking in our own Spirit, Understanding and Will, must be pluck'd out, cut off, and cast away, or we shall be cast into Hellfire, Mark 9. 43-48. They offend us, as rendring the Cross or Death-work of Christ's heavenly Spirit on our earthly, offensive and displeasing to us; and us, therein offensive to God; and so, standing in our Way to eternal Life; so, on all Accounts, and in every Sense, offensive to God and our selves. We are to pray, that God, by his Spirit, would do this to, and for us; pluck out our right Eye, &c. We ought, also, by his Spirit in us, or a living spiritual Faith, working by Love to him, to be active in carrying on such Work, in Obedience to his Command. We are also to rejoice, in what God suffers evil Angels (or Men) to do to us, in their implacable Malice, as knowing all, overrul'd by him, in a constant, infallible Conducibleness thereunto. So, only, can we arrive at the happy Experience of an infallible spiritual Understanding for knowing all things, and an incorruptible Will, for doing all things, to God's well-pleasing, in the marvellous Light and glorious Liberty of the Sons of God; in such a Free-will, as is in unchangeable Harmony with the infinite Divine Will; the Free-will of the second Adam. The Light and Free-will of our own Spirit, at best, kept up, in Opposition to his, turns it into the greatest Darkness and Bondage, of all, Mat. 6. 23.
The Will of our Nature in Christ, found the full Death thereof, so exceeding terrible, as to pray, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this Death-cup pass from me. But, he instantly renounc'd the Request of his natural Will, so, as in the same Breath, to say, nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt; thy Will be done, Matth. 26. 39, 42, 44. As to the Sufferings of Nature, in Saints, as the Will of God, for their greatest Good, Christ says to them, my Yoke is easy, and Burden light, Mat. 11. 30. There are none of the said terrifying Ingredients into the Death of Nature, in Saints, peculiar to the Death of it, in Christ himself. Nor were they, in his first Sacrifice of Nature, in general, above-spoken to: To Saints therefore the Sufferings of the present time, are not reckon'd worthy to be compar'd with the Glory which shall be reveal'd in them, (Rom. 8. 18.) which, they have the infallible forehand-Sight of (by such Beginnings thereof, as they already experience in them) with Ioy unspeakable and full of Glory, 1. Pet. 1. 8.