A Wakening Call, Chapter 18
CHAP. XVIII. Concerning Heresies and Hereticks.
THE Word foreign signifies Option or Choice, all variety of humane Opinions, in which Men chuse to set up for themselves, with Confidence for Salvation, contrary to the sound fundamental Principles of Religion, and right Worship of God in his Gospel-Spirit of Grace and Truth, in which alone any can be sav'd, Iohn 4. 23, 24. All, short or destitute of this Spirit, or a living spiritual Faith therein, working by Love to God, worship they know not what, or whom, ver. 22. All, in but their own worldly Spirit or Principle, at best, in the restor'd Light or Life of the First-creation (and conclusively setting up there, with Confidence for Salvation, as a State of eternal Life and Peace with God) will be found, at last, unpardonable Hereticks, Sinners against the Holy Ghost, in unchangeable Enmity to the Gospel-spirit of Grace and Truth, offer'd by a New-creation, in which, alone, any can ever enter into his Kingdom, or scape the Damnation of Hell.
Evil Angels were the supream Hereticks, in their first sinful Choice of their own earthly, mortal First-covenant-life, given them, in their First-creation. They soon prevail'd with all Mankind, in Adam, to make the same Choice. In Mankind, when by Christ restor'd into the Light and Life of the First-creation, and therein, but the Understanding and Wisdom of Man, whoever do conclusively set up for themselves therein, as a State of true Blessedness, do become with evil Angels, unpardonable Hereticks, Sinners against the Holy Ghost, rejecting the whole Counsel of God, and denying his Gospel-life, in which, only, any can be sav'd.
Man, in his highest fallible Understanding, for judging, and corruptible Will, for chusing, in Matters of Religion and Worship of God, is under the Power of Satan, to deceive and impose upon him. Hence, are all the Doctrines and Words of Man's Wisdom, about eternal Life and Peace with God, Heresy. In all the various Conceptions, and Language of Man's Wisdom, we find a World of contrary Opinions, and Disputes, amounting to a mystical Babel. They will, all, in one Mind, reject and disown the Gospel-life and Truths thereof, as the grand universal Heresy of all. Scribes, Pharisees, Essen's, Herodians, &c. among the enlighten'd, righteous professing First-covenant Jews, were all, as one Man, against Christ himself, for his Gospel-Truth. They said, he had a Devil, and was mad; that he was a Blasphemer, a Sabbath-breaker, a Wine-bibber, a Friend of Publicans and Sinners; an Enemy of righteous Men, most uncharitably sentencing them to the Damnation of Hell (Mat. 23.33.) and taking up Mary Magdalen's and Zacheus's, Publicans and Sinners, into the Salvation of Heaven. These were the strange, wonderful Appearances, Christ and his Doctrine, and way for eternal Life, had, in the Sight and Understanding of wise, righteous, First-Covenant, Saint-like People. What wonder? None, in that Principle of Understanding can see, know, own or receive the Gospel-Life and Things of God (1 Cor. 2. 9.) the New-Covenant Principle of true Salvation, which, therefore, is universally denied by them all, as a Diabolical Illusion. Many, that come to be true Saints, at last, may be found, for a time, with Paul, deeply engag'd, in a murdering Mind of Enmity to true Saints, for their Gospel-Principle, and Doctrine, in the words of God's Wisdom. But, all that fix there, become unchangeable Enemies to God and them.
All final Builders on the sandy Foundation, the mortal, earthly, perishing Life of the first Creation, will deny, contradict and blaspheme all that are built on the firm, sure, rocky, Gospel-Life of God, in which, alone any can ever enter into his Kingdom. What these differing Builders will come to, in Conclusion, Christ declares; Mat. 7. 24-27. The Righteousness of Man, in Scribes and Pharisees, is not that, in which, any can ever enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; Mat. 5. 20. The Righteousness of God, in his new and everlasting Gospel-Life, which Christ requires Men to seek after (Mat. 6. 33.) this only will give all the happy Partakers thereof, an Entrance into his Kingdom. The imputed Righteousness of God, to the compleating the imperfect Personal Righteousness of Man (for a First-Covenant Communion with, and worshipping of God in that Principle) is still but the fading Beauty, and Righteousness of Man, in and with which, he is liable to play the Harlot with the Devil, in Enmity to Christ, as offer'd to be a spiritual Head, Lord, Bridegroom and Husband to them, in his Heavenly, Eternal Gospel-Life, by a new Creation of them. So, come they to be judg'd as mystical and most criminal Adulterers and Murderers; Ezek. 16. 14, 15. & v. 38. Imputed Righteousness or Comeliness of God, to Man, in the First-Covenant, on Man's abuse of all, in him, in Union with the Devil, is withdrawn again, and he, for ever depriv'd of all or any Benefit of Christ's Sacrifice, in our Nature; Heb. 10. 26. In the second Covenant Gospel-Life of God, Man comes to have the Righteousness of God, in him, under and with Christ. This is a Life, a Wisdom, a Righteousness and a Glory never to be done away. In this, only, can any enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. This is as much above the Righteousness of Man, as the Heavens are higher than the Earth. Thus are God's Thoughts and Ways for Salvation, as far above Man's Thoughts, and Words of his own Wisdom, as the literal Heavens are higher than the Earth; Isa. 55.8,9. God requires the plucking out our right Eye, cutting off our right Hand and Foot, when finding our selves therein offended at his way of saying us; and so, offensive to God and to our selves, as to our own truest Interest and greatest Concern, for finding eternal Life, or scaping eternal Death; Mat. 5. 29, 30. and 18. 8, 9. Mark 9. 43-48. This, with other like Requirings of God, are not to be understood, in a literal Sense; nor, if so perform'd, would answer the Counsel or Command of God. We may give our whole Body to be burn'd, and yet be destitute of that Spirit of God, call'd Love (rendering all the happy Partakers thereof, true Lovers and Beloveds of God) and so of no Value with God, or true Advantage to our selves; 1 Cor. 13. 3. So, the selling all that we have, and give to the poor (Mat. 19.21. Mark 10.21. Luke 18.22.) the mystical Truth of such Commands, relates to the mystical Riches of Man's Law-spirit of Works, and Fruitfulness of his own Nature, therein; all which, are to be given up, in Sacrifice to God, for the durable Life and Heavenly Treasures of his Gospel-Spirit of Grace, in them. The right Eye, Hand and Foot, to be pluck'd out, cut off, and cast away from us, are, in Mystery and Truth, the most enlighten'd natural Understanding, signified by the right Eye; the best Practice in our own Will and Way, and most righteous walking, in our own Law-spirit of Works; all such, seeing, working and walking, are to be given up and parted with, in Passive Obedience to the Will of God, in order to find all again with unspeakable Gain, by seeing, working, walking, and doing all things, in the Gospel-Life of God, the only Principle of everlasting, well-pleasing, active Obedience to him, and Blessedness to us. In the infallible Understanding of his Spirit, can we know all things, and in the incorruptible Will thereof, can we do all that God requires of us. God himself, therein, works all our Works for us (Isa. 26. 12.) and we work all our Works, in him. These are the only Works, that will not be burnt up, at the last Day; Iohn 3. 21. All Christ's Gospel-Words, seem'd hard Sayings, even to his Disciples, while known to them, but as a fleshly Bridegroom, in a restor'd First-Covenant Principle of seeing, working and walking; Iohn 6. 60. To give up all inward Riches of their own Spirits, all Righteousness, Wisdom, Works, Fruits (every thing, given them in their first Creation, or done by them, therein, at best) this seems a hard Saying, exceeding strange and amazing to Man's Wisdom. The very Disciples were exceedingly amaz'd at such words of Christ, saying, Who then can be sav'd at all? Mat. 19. 24, 25. This was a narrower Question, than he ask'd, that said to Christ, Master, are there few that be saved? Luke 13.23. If there be no possibility of entring into the Kingdom of God, by the best, Man can do or be, in the restor'd Life, Wisdom and Righteousness of his own Nature, he is ready, with the Disciples, to ask the same Question. Consequently, is he ready to deny the Truth of Christ's Saying, and that as a Duty to God, that sure, he would never require more of Man, for his true Blessedness, than the utmost he can do, in the Life, given him, in his first Creation, or restor'd since. The Disputers of this World, under Satan's delusive Influence, in defence of their Worldly Principle of Life, Desire, Thought and Action, will never have done, till the ending of the Devil's Reign, and commencing of Christ's. Such Disputers are not to be striven with, but, in Meekness instructed, and if they'll hear, well and good: if they be peremptory and conclusive, in their own fallible Understandings, contradicting and blaspheming all right Gospel-words of Counsel, for true Salvation, Saints may pray, and desire other Saints Prayers, for a Deliverance from such unreasonable Men; who (tho temporary Believers in, and Owners of Christ, in the restor'd First-Covenant-Life and Righteousness of Man, which he crucified in himself) are mystical Infidels, as to that New-Covenant Gospel-Life and Righteousness of God, he is ascended into. They call all the right Words and Doctrine thereof, a blasphemous Fiction. Here's the pass, true New-Covenant Saints, with their spiritual Faith in Christ's Gospel-Life, are at, with First-Covenant Believers, in their restor'd Law-life. All Contests with them, amount but to a vain, unprofitable jangling. Such Teachers of the Law, understand neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm (1 Tim. 1.6,7.) utterly denying the Gospel-Principle of true Love to God and our Fellow-Creatures, in which, alone, possible to be obey'd and fulfill'd; Rom. 13.8, 10. But, still, this remains to be the Saints Duty, with Paul, to become all things to all Men (1 Cor. 9. 20-22.) stooping and condescending to all kinds and degrees of Understanding, in the Light of Nature, Law, and Gospel, owning what's good, in any; but, in order to lead them into, and build them up in, what's unspeakably better, Christ's Gospel-Spirit of everlasting Righteousness and infallible Truth. They will, also, as their Duty, bear with such, as at present, persecute them, as Blasphemers of the Law, by preaching the Gospel-Cross and Death-work of God's Heavenly, on their Earthly Law-Spirit of Works, at best. This, Man's Wisdom calls a blaspheming or evil-speaking of the Law, Moses, and God; Acts 6. 11-13. Paul was at this Work, for a time, in his own Law-Spirit: Yet, at length, became a most eminent Preacher of the Gospel; and then, was as fiercely persecuted, by such as he once was, in their own Law-Spirit of Works. In Man's day of judging in Religion, and interpreting the Scriptures in the Words of his own Wisdom, all his Preachings and Writings, therein, will exactly conduce to the carrying on the whole Counsel of the Devil, in his Mystery of Iniquity, for the Damnation of Men, and preventing their Salvation. And, as in Church, so in State-Affairs, may we see what Man's deepest Reason and Wisdom amounts unto, as to his own eternal Concerns in the case and end of Achitophel. His Counsel was, as if a Man inquir'd at the Oracle of God, and that, under such a Man of God, as was King David. In Conclusion, on God's crossing him, and disappointing his Counsel, in the Case of Absalom, he hang'd himself; 2 Sam. 16. 23. & 17. 23. Thus, is Man (trusting to his own Understanding, at best, for directing his Steps) gone, at every turn, in this World, and the World to come.
To enumerate particular Heresies, all along, since the Primitive Apostolical Gospel-day (and, remarkably, in our own Day, and Nation, within the compass of sixty Years) would be endless, and to no end. If God's Gospel-Truth, be evidenc'd, and receiv'd, all the Disputes and Controversies, manag'd in the fallible Understanding of Man, on all hands, about Satan's Lie, in his Mystery of Iniquity, will be discover'd, and laid in the Dust.