A Wakening Call, Chapter 2
CHAP. II. The twofold Purposes or Counsels of God within himself from Eternity, with reference to the twofold Creation of Angels and Men.
1. GOD, in the free Purposes and Counsels of his own Divine Mind, did, from Eternity, when he pleas'd, determine to create Angels and Men, and to give them immortal Spirits, by a first Creation; but, to put into them a corruptible Seed (1 Pet. 1. 23.) of a mortal, earthly, though pure and spotless, First-Covenant Law-life, in which to be but mystical Trees of Good and Evil. He declares, he will break down this first Building, and pluck up this Tree (though of his own planting) by the Roots, Ier. 45.4. This changeable good Life and Things, given them in their first Creation, could not answer the Needs and Wants of their immortal Spirits, nor enable them to answer the whole Counsel, Will, and Command of God, in an everlasting well-pleasing active Obedience to him.
2. He did, therefore, in his Free-Grace-Purposes (another sort of Counsels within himself) determine, from the same Eternity, by his own immmediate divine Power, to form, produce and set up a heavenly Creature-spirit of originally immortal Holiness, everlasting Righteousness, infallible Truth, and eternal Life, and to take it into personal Union with his divine Nature, in the Mediator. He determin'd also to find a way in his infinite Wisdom, to render this Life communicable to Angels and Men, by a second or new Creation of them, as the only Principle of Desire, Thought and Action, in which, ever possible to please him, so as to find eternal Blessedness to themselves, in the Sight and Enjoyment of him. All conducible to this, was prepar'd to be given them by a second or new Creation, in a New-Covenant Life, the Life of the Creator, above all Deaths, Dangers, Enemies, Bondages, or Fears.
The Life given them in their first Creation, God calls their own, with all the things thereof, their own Wisdom, Righteousness, all natural Excellencies and Perfections: All is but a Life, a Wisdom, a Glory to be done away for ever, with all Works or Fruits, possible to be done or brought forth by them, therein.
The new and everlasting Covenant-Life (given by a second Creation of them) God's own heavenly Creature-life (with all the things thereof, the Wisdom and Righteousness of God therein) is a Life, a Glory, that unspeakably excels the former, and will remain for ever, 2 Cor. 3. 10, 11. By God's new building them, and putting his incorruptible Life into them, they become particular Trees of Life, under and with Christ, working all their Works in God, and bringing forth right Fruits to him, Iohn 3. 21. Rom. 7. 4. Their own Life and Wisdom, &c. was given them for Trial of their Obedience to the declar'd Method of God's Wisdom for receiving his. All that finally refuse, in Passive Obedience, to submit to the Death of their own, in order to find all again, with unspeakable Gain, in his own, prefer the Life of the Creature to the Life of the Creator, and will perish for ever, Rom. 1.25. All Life and things, given Angels and Men, in their first Creation, are character'd in Scripture by Grass, Flesh, a fading Flower (Isa. 40. 6-8. 1 Pet. 1. 23, 24.) call'd a vain Shew, altogether Vanity, a vanishing, transient Shadow of the heavenly Creature-life and Things of God, offer'd by a second. In this, 'tis as impossible, ever to sin against or displease God, as 'tis in our own earthly Life, to please or find everlasting Peace with him. If the First-Covenant-Life, given in the first Creation, had been faultless, or not defective, as to the pleasing God, or finding true Blessedness to our selves, no Place had been sought for a second, Heb. 8. 7.