A Wakening Call, Chapter 1
A Wakening Call: OR, An Alarm from Heaven TO THE Wise and Foolish Virgins.
WHEREIN The Vices of this Age is laid open, and bewail'd; the Subtilty of Satan discover'd in his Temptations, in several Particulars.
I. As to Original Sin.
II. As to the Love of the World.
III. As to the Danger of Ignorance.
IV. As to the Evil of Pride, &c.
Likewise, There is discovered the Nature of Regeneration, or the New Birth, in several Particulars.
I. The Nature of Union to Christ.
II. The Nature of True Faith
III. The Nature of True Repentance.
IV. Christian Carriage commended.
V. The Glory of the New-Ierusalem Open'd.
From a Minister in the Country, to a Minister in the City, for the Publication.
A Verse may find him who a Sermon flys,
And turn Delight into a Sacrifice.
Herbert's Temple, p. 1.
LONDON: Printed for the Author, and Sold by Will. Marshall, at the Bible in Newgate-street; and Iohn Marshall, at the Bible in Grace-Church-street; MDCXCVIII.
CHAP. I. Concerning the purely Divine Nature, and Things thereof.
1. GOD in his Divine Nature was infinitely blessed in the Sight and Enjoyment of himself from all Eternity, above and beyond all possibility of Addition or Diminution to his Blessedness, by any thing, meer Creatures, Angels or Men, good or bad, can ever be, think, say or do, to all Eternity; yea, even Creature-nature, in the Mediator's wonderful compounded Person, set up by the immediate Divine Hand (though by unchangeable personal Union with the Divine Nature, all one incomprehensible God) adds not to the infinite Blessedness of the Divine Nature; but was set up from the Beginning, and possess'd by the Lord in the beginning of his Way, towards the Creation of Angels and Men, Prov. 8. 22, 23. This was the Beginning of the Creation of God, Revel. 3. 14. Divine Nature had no Beginning.
The whole Creature-part in Christ's Person, Root and exalted Branch, adds not to the Glory of the Divine Nature, but was set up in reference to the twofold Creation of Angels and Men, natural and spiritual, and as the Means to let down the Visions of the Divine Glory at second-hand, with safety to the spiritual Sight, Understanding and Enjoyment of blessed Angels and Men in their new-created Capacities.
2. In the Divine Nature, the Divine Essence and Form are the infinite Divine Father and Son. The Divine Form, Image or Glory of the Divine Essence, is the Son thereof, by eternal and ineffable Generation; very God of very God, in the most absolute Sense; co-equal and co-eternal with the Father; both are one Infinite, Incomprehensible, Divine Being. But the Divine Essence is not the Form; nor Form the Essence.
The Three distinct invisible Powers in the Divine Essence or Father, did from all Eternity shine forth in the divine Form or Son, to God's own infinite Understanding, Enjoyment and Delight. The same three are, therein, the immediate Object of Sight and Enjoyment, to the whole Creature-part of the Mediator, Root and exalted Branch, as in unchangeable personal Union with the Divine Glory or Form in him; but are never so to any meer Creatures, blessed Angels or Saints, to all Eternity, in Heaven. They can never so approach unto, or see and enjoy the Divine Light or Glory, immediately, as he does, 1 Tim. 6. 15, 16. Mat. 11. 27. Iohn 1. 18. In, with, and through his heavenly Creature-Spirit, as born of that which in him is God, (Iohn 1. 1.) and therein Partakers of the Divine Nature, (2 Pet. 1. 4.) can and will they see and enjoy the Divine Glory, mediately, as let down to them by the exalted Creature-Son and Branch, being Members of that spiritual Body, his true Gospel-Church, to which he, therein, is Head, Col. 1. 18. For this Purpose it pleas'd the Father or Divine Essence, that even in the lowest Creature-part of the Mediator, the exalted Son and Branch, all Fulness should dwell, all the divine and Creature-fulnesses and Perfections of his divine Form and Creature-root.
The Divine Essence, singly and abstractedly consider'd, in and by it self, is absolutely invisible for ever; nor will the Divine Form, Glory, Image, or Visibility thereof, and of the three that are one, therein, ever be the immediate Object of Sight and Enjoyment to any meer Creatures, blessed Angels or Saints, to all Eternity; but only to the whole Creature-nature in Christ's Person, Root and exalted Branch. Never will any meer Creatures be found in personal Union with the Divine Nature, as Creature-nature in Christ is. They will never have Divine Nature, an Ingredient into their personal Constitution; or as the supream Principle of Life and Operation in them, as some in our Days have most presumptuously and unwarrantably affirm'd: for then would there be an innumerable Multitude of Christs and Gods, the greater sort of Polytheism.
The Divine Form or Son, is the Eternity, the supream Heaven of Heavens, the high and lofty Divine Essence, or Father inhabited from all Eternity, in distinction from the Creature-form, Glory or Image thereof; the high and holy Place, or heavenly Creature-temple, of immediate Divine Building (Prov. 9. 1.) in personal Union with the Divine inhabitant, Isa. 57. 15.
This heavenly Creature-Spirit, House and Temple, with the Life and Things of God therein, was prepar'd by and within himself, to be communicated in the distinct appointed Portions thereof, to them that love him (1 Cor. 2. 9.) because he first, even from Eternity, lov'd them, 1 John 4. 19. These spiritual, heavenly Creature-things of God, communicable to Men and Angels, by a new or second Creation, are quite out of the reach or sight of the highest single natural Understanding of Man, at best, in the but restor'd first-Covenant-Law-life of the Creature, given in the first Creation. No intellectual Eye, Ear or Heart, therein, can see, hear, perceive, conceive, receive, own, or know what to make of them; Isa. 64.4. Hence does Man account them, and all right Words about them, Foolishness, 1 Cor. 2. 9, 14. Here's the Case of Man at best, in but the living Soul of the first Adam: In the Life of the quickning Spirit of the second Adam, and the new, spiritual, infallible, all-discerning Understanding, therein, do Saints see and know all things, divine, and both spiritual and natural Creature-things, (in their proper Differences, Distinctions, Subordinations and Superiorities) even the deep things of God, 1 Cor. 2. 10. And as they have an infallible Understanding to know all things; they have also therein, an incorruptible Will, in unchangeable Harmony with the Infinite Divine Will, for the doing all things after God's own Heart. In his Heavenly Creature-Spirit, can any rightly worship his Divine Spirit, John 4. 23. In it only can any rightly perform all Duties to God, and to their Fellow-Creatures. All these things lie hid from (and are unpracticable by) Man, as out of the Reach of his own Understanding, and desiring or performing Power of his own Will. So will he not regard, look, or seek after God, for the Life and things hid with Christ in God, Rom. 3. 11. Col. 3. 3. Paul, with others that come to be true Saints, till the spiritual Seed of true Life be waken'd up in them, are wholly ignorant of any such heavenly Creature-Gospel-Life and things of God, however eminent in restor'd Law-life, Wisdom and Righteousness of Man, Phil. 3.6. Hence they verily think they do God Service, in persecuting Gospel-Saints, as the arrantest Hereticks and Blasphemers in the World, Act. 26. 9, 11. Iohn 16. 2. The reform'd natural Man, at best, understands not the transform'd, truly regenerate spiritual Man's Understanding, nor any of the Divine or spiritual things, he thereby understands and speaks of. He cannot know them; for they can only be spiritually discern'd, and he has no spiritual discerning, 1 Cor. 2. 14. If therefore he finally lean and trust to his own Vnderstanding, at highest, for directing his Steps, contrary to God's Counsel, (Prov. 3. 5, 6. Ier. 10. 23.) he is gone for ever, he never sets one Foot in the Paths of Life. A Man of deepest Reason, most soaring, searching, natural Capacity, vastest Display of his rational and intellectual Powers, with all Imbelishments of Art or acquir'd Accomplishments, may be Paul's most unreasonable Man to be dealt with, or discours'd, in Gospel-Matters, which he therefore desir'd his Thessalonian Converts to pray for his Deliverance from, 2 Thess. 3. 1, 2.
What's here said in this first Chapter, may give some aim towards right thoughts of God's Divine Nature and Things, which are to be acknowledg'd above and beyond all Conception or Language, by the Understanding or Tongue of natural Man or Angel; yea, will be Master of wonder to blessed Angels and Saints to all Eternity, in their spiritual new-Creation-Capacities.