A Wakening Call, Chapter 7
CHAP. VII. The Mystery of God in general (of all that is truly called God, and to be worship'd) and, in particular, of God the Father, or Divine Essence; and, of Christ, the Divine and Creature-Son, (Col. 2. 2.) both and all, one incomprehensible God, John 10. 30.
IN general, all are one individual God. In particular, the Divine Form or Son (though most intimately one with the Divine Essence or Father, in the one infinite Divine Nature) became personally united with the Creature-form of God, the Divine Essence or Father, remaining, ever, single and uncompounded therewith, Gal. 3. 20. A Mediator is not of one Nature; but God, in his Divine Essence, is one. God the Mediator, as consisting of two Natures, Divine and Creaturely, in personal Union, is fitted to mediate between infinite Divinity and finite Creaturality, in blessed Angels and Saints, for ever, 1 Tim. 2. 5.
The Divine and Creature-Son will remain a Mediator, for ever, in Heaven, between infinite Divinity and elect Angels and Men, in their compleated spiritual Beings, and New-creation Capacities; not in reference to Sin, or any Danger or Possibility of Sinning, ever incident to them. But,
First; For letting down the Visions of the Divine Glory or Form, in himself, with Safety, to their spiritual Understanding and Enjoyment, through the transparent Vail or heavenly Creature-Image of the Divine Nature, in him. No Man or Angel hath seen God, immediately, at any time, in his purely Divine Nature, nor ever will, or can, to all Eternity, in Heaven. The only begotten Son, will, in and by his Creature-spirit, as the prepar'd Means for it, let down the Visions thereof to them, at second hand, Iohn 1. 18. Mat. 11. 27. Should the Divine Glory of the Father, in the Son, shine forth, immediately, in the infinite Brightness thereof, on Gospel-Angels or Saints, in Heaven, it would be a consuming Fire to their very Beings, Deut. 4. 24. & 9. 3. Heb. 12. 29. The Request therefore of Moses, ran too high, when he said, Lord, I beseech thee, shew me thy Glory, Exod. 33. 18. That he meant the immediate Sight of the very Divine Glory, Form, or Face of God, in the Mediator, appears by God's favourable Answer to his mistaking Thought, saying, no Man or Angel) can ever so see me, and live. But there's a heavenly Creature-place by me, in personal Union with my Divine Glory, through which, as my back-parts, thou mayest see me; but my Divine Face or Glory, shall never be immediately seen, by thee, or any meer Creature, to all Eternity, in Heaven, v. 20-23. By and through the Creature-form or Face of God, in Christ, did he speak to Moses, Face to Face, (v. 11.) Mouth to Mouth, as his living Word, Numb. 12. 8. 'Tis the peculiar Prerogative and transcendent Privilege of the Man Christ Jesus, only, to see the Divine Glory, immediately, in himself, as the supream Ingredient into his personal Constitution. He is that King of Kings and Lord of Lords, in the Creature-part of his wonderful Person, dwelling with and in that Divine Light or Glory, which no Man or Angel, can ever so near approach unto, as immediately to see, 1 Tim. 6. 15, 16.
Thus will the Dignity and Prerogative of the infinite Divinity, and the peculiar Privilege of Creature-nature in the Mediator, be preserv'd, in the transcendent Superiority of both and all, above all meer Creatures, Saints and Angels, for evermore. And so will they be secur'd in their unspeakable Privileges and utmost Blessedness, by the wonderful compounded Divine and Creature-person of the Mediator.
Secondly; A second Office of the Mediator, to all Eternity, in Heaven, will be the presenting the blessed Persons of Angels and Saints, with their spiritual Sacrifices of Praise and Thanksgiving, to the absolute well-pleasing Acceptation of his Father and their Father, (John 20. 17.) his God and their God, in, with, and through him, for evermore, 1 Pet. 2. 5. The Multitude of Saints which no Man can number, (Revel. 7.9.) and the innumerable Company of Gospel-Angels (Heb. 12. 22.) will, in their eternal Praises to God most high, acknowledg and ascribe their eternal Blessedness in the Sight and Enjoyment of him, to his electing Love, in the Free-Grace-Purposes and Counsels of his Divine Mind, from Eternity, as the single and only supream distinguishing Cause of their everlasting Blessedness, from those that perish, for ever, under his everlasting Curse, and unquenchable Wrath.
Creature-nature, of immediate Divine Begetting, qualifies him to mediate between two vastly distinct Natures, Divine and meer creaturely, in Angels and Men; so as to answer all that can rightly be desir'd by them, and to enable them, to answer all that God requires of them. By his right Performances, therein, on both and all Accounts, Divine Nature can't suffer the least Diminution, nor meer Creatures, Angels or Men, be swallow'd up, or consum'd, in their highest Exaltation. The infinite Dignity of the one, and unspeakable Privileges of the other, will ever be preserv'd by the Mediator. He is the wonderful Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father (of Saints and Angels) the Prince of Peace, the only Procurer of their everlasting Peace with God, Isa. 9. 6. He transforms and translates us, out of the earthly Life of the Creature, and fallible Understandings, and Freedom of our own corruptible Wills, receiv'd in our first Creation, into the heavenly, eternal Gospel-life of himself, our Creator, and infallible spiritual Understanding of all things, and incorruptible Will, therein, for the right doing all things, God requires of us; which is the glorious Liberty of the Sons of God, in unchangeable Harmony with his infinite Divine Will.
The Head of every Man, is Christ; the Head of the Woman is the Man; and, the Head of Christ, is God, 1 Cor. 11. 3. The Woman, or natural Man, in the changeable Womanish Life of the First-creation, is, by Death, and Resurrection into the unchangeable manly Life of the second, brought into the glorious Liberty of the Sons of God, into unchangeable Harmony with the infinite Divine Will. In this Transformation, the manly Spirit of Christ, becomes the Head of the transform'd womanish Spirit of Man; and, the Head of every such spiritual Man, is Christ; and, the Head of Christ's whole compounded Person, is God, the single, uncompounded Divine Essence or Father of all. But all these Superiorities and Inferiorities, in God the Father, and his Divine and Creature-Son, are swallow'd up in Christ's wonderful compounded Person, into an equality, as with his Divine Father, one incomprehensible God, Iohn 10. 30. All, that's in personal Union with the infinite Divinity, is God.