A Wakening Call, Chapter 13
CHAP. XIII. The Difference of the spiritualiz'd Natural, from the spiritual Understanding.
MAN, in the former, is said to be a Partaker of the Holy Ghost, or heavenly Creature-Gospel-spirit of Christ, the living Word of God, under highest spiritual enlightning Gifts. These are the best Gifts, to be coveted or desir'd, receivable by and upon Man's natural Understanding; but short yet, of the more excellent Way or the very spiritual Life and Gospel-Principle of all right Desire, Thought and Action. Without this, call'd Love, as rendring any true Lovers and Beloveds of God, Fulfillers of the whole Law, Mind and Will of God, after his own Heart, all's nothing, as to eternal Life, 1 Cor. 12. 31. & 13. 1, 2. Rom. 13. 8, 10. The natural Understanding (with all such enlightning spiritual Gifts, receiv'd thereon) is to be given up, in Sacrifice to God, with the Life wherein exercis'd, for the new spiritual, eternal Gospel-life of God, and true infallible Understanding, therein. Man, under all spiritual Enlightning, discovering to him, the more excellent Gospel-life of the Creator, offer'd by a New Creation, is yet liable, by Satan's Witchcrafts, with his own Consent, to be fetch'd back again, from looking after, or owning Christ's Gospel-life, though known to be his unspeakable Concern, to submit to God's Terms and appointed Way of receiving it, as the only way to find the Salvation of Heaven or scape the Damnation of Hell, Gal. 3. 1, 3. & 5. 7, 8. Thus prevalent was Self-love, at first, in evil Angels, under the clearest Conviction of their unspeakable Concern as well as Duty; and, they prevail to bring Men, under the like Knowledg of their eternal Concerns, to make the same wrong destructive Choice, to their known eternal Ruine. They are perswaded by Satan to receive his self-pleasing Lie, that by a being made perfect in their Flesh, the fleshly Life of the Creature, Righteousness of Man, they will find Peace with God, and Entrance into his Kingdom. This, yielded to, and absolutely concluded, is the unpardonable and unrepentable Sin against the Holy Ghost, Heb. 6. 4-6. & 10. 26, 27. This Sin excludes any, for ever, from any Benefit of Christ's meritorious Sacrifice, leaving them nothing but a certain fearful looking for of Wrath and fiery Indignation, which will devour all such wilful, incorrigible Adversaries; forcing them to dwell with and under everlasting Burnings, as in unchangeable Union of Mind, with the Devil.
All spiritual enlightning Gifts, and thereby, understanding all Mysteries, and having all Knowledg of the Will of God and their own eternal Concerns; and, speaking with the Tongues of Men and Angels, in the utmost Dexterity of organical or intuitive Expression; all, still, without Love, or a partaking of the very Life of the Son of God, is nothing; of no avail, at all, for their ever entring into his Kingdom.
In Man's Day of judging, such are the only true super-eminent spiritual Saints: in God's, unchangeable Enemies, and the highest sort of Adversaries to him and his Saints. In the ever-new Life of God, given by a New Creation, Saints come to experience a new infallible spiritual Understanding, and an incorruptible Will, in Harmony with the very infinite Divine Mind and Will. In this Life and Principle of Desire, Thought, and Action, can they answer that Command, for loving the Lord their God, with all their Heart, Soul, Strength, and Mind, and the true mystical Neighbour, Christ, in his Gospel-life, and spiritual Saints, born of God, therein: No fix'd Law-spirited, however righteous Man, loves, but hates the Lord his God, and the true Scripture-Neighbour, Christ and true Saints, the new eternal Gospel-life, in him and them (Head and Members, one mystical Body, (1 Cor. 12.27.) the true Neighbour) with a perfect, unchangeable hatred. This may seem the dangerous Case of the self-confident Lawyer, that tempted Christ, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal Life? Christ asks him, what's written in the Law? how readest thou? These are two distinct Questions. The Lawyer agreed with Christ, in answer to the first, as to what was written in the Law. But, was to seek, for answering the second, as to the right reading or understanding, in what Spirit and Principle of Life, 'twas ever possible to perform what was written, Luk. 10.25-28. The implacable Haters of the true spiritual Neighbours, Christ and his Brethren, will go away into everlasting Punishment; and the true Lovers of them, into Life eternal, Mat. 25.31-46. Christ takes all hating and persecuting his Gospel-Saints, as done to himself, Act. 9.4. Spiritually enlighten'd Men, finally refusing to submit to the Terms of receiving Christ's offer'd spiritual, Gospel-life (though, a while, among Gospel-Saints, as Members of the true Church, owning Gospel-Truths) will, at length, depart from them, and become their most signal Antichristian Enemies, 1 John 2. 18, 19. Such prove grievous Wolves to Christ's true Sheep, (Act. 20. 29, 30. Mat. 10. 16.) Satan's choicest Instruments, to disswade and draw away Disciples after them, from looking after, or owning any such thing as Christ's Gospel-life, or Doctrine thereof. Hereby, become they the most criminal Sinners, of all Mankind. This, after they had run well, among true Saints, owning Gospel-Truths. Who did hinder or call them back, that they should not finally obey the Truth? Gal. 5.7. The Devil. He, prevailingly, call'd them back, from what Christ fairly offer'd, and invited them to, ver. 8. Such become Satan's chief Apostles, Ministers of his other Gospel; fitted for his Work, in calling others back, from all Gospel-Truths, as diabolical Illusions. So, do they shut up the Kingdom of God, and set open Satan's; exclude, explode and deny all Christ's Gospel-Truths, and preach up Satan's Lie, the Life of the Creature, given in the First-creation (transform'd into the Appearance of, and deck'd with all Scripture-Titles, belonging to the Gospel-life of the Creator, offer'd by a second) as a State of true Salvation. In this Posture, and, at this Work, did Christ find the most enlightned teaching Jews, Matth. 23. 13, 33. Teachers of Satan's other Gospel, furnish'd with all Wisdom, Subtlety, Eloquence and Dexterity of Expression, may thus be dressing up Satan's Lie, with all Scripture-Language of Christ's Gospel-Truth, so as with their Hearers to grow irrefragably confident (under Satan's strong Delusion, and God's giving them up, thereto) as verily to think, they are in a State of true Salvation. Thus, the renew'd Old Man, passes for the new Creature; restor'd Nature, for a State of Grace; Reformation of Naturals, for Regeneration into Spirituals; Satan's and Man's Nothings, for God's All-things; the restor'd mortal Life and Things of the Creature, for the immortal Gospel-life and Things of the Creator. So, the Devil, God of this World, passes for the true God; his Kingdom, for God's; his Lie, for God's Truth. Where such are like to be, at last, see, 2 Thess. 2. 10-12. At this rate, all along this World (Satan's permitted Reign, and Man's Day of judging, under him, in Matters of Religion, and remarkably, in this long Anti-christian Day of twelve hundred and sixty Years, now near expiring) have things gone. God's only things that are (and will ever be) his eternal Gospel-life and Things, pass for chimerical Nothings, in Man's Day; and Man's confidently reputed All-things, will be found nothing, in God's Day of Judging. Man's highest Wisdom calls nothing in his pretended Divinity, by the right Name; but, the contrary, in all Extremity. Satan's Gospel passes currant for Salvation; and Christ's, for a Blasphemous Fiction of the Devil, and Madness. If it was reckon'd so, by eminent First-covenant righteous teaching and professing Jews, in Christ himself, what can his true Followers expect? Iohn 10. 20. & 15. 18-20. & 16. 1, 2. All worldly Honours, Applauses, and Rewards run on Satan's Side, to his reputed Gospel-Divines; nothing but Contradiction, Reproach and Persecution, are the usual Recompence of Christ's true ones, in this World; under all which, they rejoice, in the certain Fore-sight of their great Reward, in the next, Matth. 5. 11, 12. Act. 5. 41. Satan offer'd Christ himself, all the Kingdoms of this World, if he would own him for God, and his false, Law-Gospel, for God's true: if not, crucify him, crucify him, says he, by the legal-spirited professing Jews, Iohn 19. 6. If he or his Followers preach up another Kingdom, contrary to mine, away with them, kill them, as Traitors to me, and my earthly Cesars, under me, in but my worldly Life and Principle (though under the Name, Christian, and that of the highest Rank, in but First-covenant-Righteousness of Man) mystical Infidels, as to Christ's New-covenant Gospel-life and Righteousness of God. Thus will Matters go, while Satan and his Ministers are permitted to transform themselves into the Likeness of Christ, and his, 2 Cor. 11. 13-15. They carry all, before them, in this World; Christ and his, will have all, in the next, to Eternity.