A divine looking-glass, or, The third and last testament of Our Lord Jesus Christ whose personal residence is seated on his throne of eternal glory in another world : being the commission of the spirit, agreeing with, and explaining of the two former commissions of the law and Gospel, differing only in point of worship : set forth for the tryal of all sorts of supposed spiritual lights in the world, until the ever-lasting true Jesus, the onely high and mighty God, pesonally appear in the air with his saints and angels / by John Reeve and Lodowick Muggleton ...

CHAP. V.

1 The cause of the Angels fall, and the fruit thereof. 2 The condition of the elect Angels. 3 The spiritual nature of the fallen Angel remained, and what names are g ven to h m. 4 An Objection, and the Answer concerning two vessels. 5 Of the ••allen Angel and Adam. 6 No distinction between God and the creaiure, but by names and natures. 7 Election and Reprobation proved by divers Scriptures.

I•• the next place I shall write of the occasion of the downfal of the angelical rep••obate, from that height of his created glory which he possessed above all the elect angels: My beloved brethren in ••he pure truth, you know that light of the holy spirit in the Creator breathing it self into my ignorant soul, hath abundantly remonstrated the distinction between the natures of God and Angels aforesaid.

2 Moreover, you may remember I told you that the spirits of an∣gels were pu••e reason in their creation; and furthe••more you know, it is cleerly proved that the nature of the highest reason that ever was or possible can be, is nothing el••e but meer desire.

3 Wherefore though the Creator gave it its rational being, yet unto you spiritual ones, I made it appear, that in his glorious spirit not one motion of reason was inherent.

4 Because where any desire is, though it be never so pure, it is a want of something desired.

5 Therefore you know than an infinite fulness of divine perfections in its own spirit, cannot possibly have any kind of want in it, therefore uncapable of any kind of desire in the least.

6 Because what it hath a mind to do concerning it self, or any thing it hath made, you know it can do it to the utmost, and who can let it, or shall dare to say in the day of his eternal account, why hast thou made one vessel for eternal glory, and another vessel for ever∣lasting shame?

7 Wherefore my Christian f iends, you may know that the con∣tinuance of the glory of the angelical reprobate being expired, the Creator onely withheld the inspiration of his divine glory from him, and immediately for want of that spiritual meat to satisfie his de∣siring nature, his Godlike cre••••ed purity became nothing else but imaginary impurities of secret aspiring desires above the Creator.

8 So that his former pure reason was then become nothing but a loathsome sink of unclean reasoning, concerning the true knowledge

of the Creators being the Creator, and the creatures being but crea∣tures, and in stead of honouring the Creator for his unsearchable wis∣dom, of forming out of a little dead ••ust, such an innumerable host of elect angels for his Majesties personal society,

9 At the blind bar of his lying imagination secretly he araigned all the wisdom of the infinite God in creation, and condemned i•• as weakness it self, in comparison of his imaginary wisdom, if he had been the Creator.

10 Again his angelical spirit being wholly out of all creaturely order and being lifted up with the wisdom of his spirit and glory of his person, he beheld both the wisdom and persons of all he elect angels, as simple uncomely creatures, in comparison of him or his wisdom.

11 Moreover, conceiving himself most fit for divine Rule, and beholding himself and the Creator together, he imagined his personal wisdom more capable of a divine throne, then he which sate thereon.

12 Furthermore, he began to imagine a new creation of his own, for he thought if he had bin the Creator, by a word speaking he could have formed more glorious creatures then those angels were, without any dust or any other matter whatsoever:

13 Or if he must have had some materials to form things withal, he imagined by his word speaking or thinking onely, he could have produced matter of a more excellent nature for creation then a little dry dust, out of which he conceited he could have created creatures all glorious, and yet have retained his divine glory within himself distinct from them all.

14 Furthermore he imagined, that he could have created as ma∣ny spirits as he saw fit, without any bodies at all;

15 Or if he saw good, he could have formed spiritual bodies that might be transformed into any other nature or form after he had created them, and not to continue onely in one nature and form al∣ways:

16 For he thought it want of wisdom or power in a Creator, yea and a veyling of his infinite glory over the things which he had made, if they might not be transmuted into any condition whatsoever, at his pleasure that formed them.

17 Wherefore in the midst of these and such l••ke creative con••u∣sions, his irrational wi••dom of imaginary impossibilities, so elevated his out-cast spirit, that secretly he utterly abhorred that the Creator,

or any other creatures should remain in being, unless he onely might bear rule over them all.

18 Wherefore when the secret pride and envy of this angelical reprobate was at that height of unthroning the Creator, or else a dis∣solution of all, then the most wise God revealed his spiritual cruelties unto his holy angels, and answerable unto what he would have done for a Creators throne, in the visible sight of his elect angels, he con∣demned him to be cast out of his personal presence, and heavenly throne or kingdom for everlasting;

19 And immediately like unto lightning, he was thrown down in∣to this perishing world, where his desired kingdom of godlike govern∣ment was prepared for him, and his lineal angels in another way:

20 And so having left their first estate, they are reserved in ever∣lasting chaines of darkness or unbeleef, untill the judgement of the great day, then to give an eternal account of their divellish govern∣ment over God elect righteous Abels on this earth, which was so exalted by him in the highest heavens beforesaid.

21 My beloved spiritual brethren, you may know that then, and not till then, all the elect angels in glory were filled with variety of new spiritual praises in their mouths, of honour, power, praises, glory, majesty, wisdom, councel, dominion, faith, love, mercy, patience, peace, meekness, justice, righteousness, or any divine excellency that can be named to their glorious Creator, for his electing free love unto them, eternally to abide in their created purity, to behold his glorious face.

22 And for his wonderful wisdom in creating such angelical per∣fection, unto an everlasting rejection of desperate burning envy in utter shame.

23 Mo••eover you which expect crowns of immortal glo••y may know that in the downfal of the angelical reprobate, his spiritual form remained.

24 But the nature of his spirit was onely changed as beforesaid, and so after our first parents were deceived by him, answerable unto his filthy n••ture of impure reason or lying imagination.

25 In Scripture Records you know, the Lord is pleased to call him by such like titles as these; namely, Devil, a Dragon, an Enemy, a Wicked one, a Murderer, a Liar, a Theef; an Envious man, an Hy∣pocrite a Lucifer, a Beelzebub, or a Prince of the Air, or Satan, or Reprobate, and such like.

26 O ye blessed ones of the most nigh God! with astonishing admiration it behoveth you not to flight, but seriously to ponder Gods wonderful wisdom in the creating of angels and man: why? because in it is hid all spiritual secrets which are appointed to be revealed to elect men and angels unto eternity.

27 Again, I humbly beseech you which have really been posses∣sed with that spiritual new birth of our Lord Jesus Christ in glory, is there any light, or life, or love, or any kind of divine excellency in the glorious spirit of our Creator,

28 Again, had he any power over himself, or over any creature which he had formed, either to fill them with glimpses of his most excellent glory, or wholly to retain them to himself?

29 If you grant him this his royal prerogative, the which no spirit∣ual one can possibly deny; then without all controversie, unless the most wise and holy Creator had formed two vessels of several spirits to remain onely for a season in their created purity,

30 And at the decreed time leave them both to their own crea∣ted strength, and so withholding that heavenly Manna of divine in∣spiration from them both, by which they stood, that in order to their charge they might unite their spirits and bodies unlawfully together, for producing of two several generations of mankind on this earth, for the manifestation of his ravishing glories unto the one, and re∣taining the heavenly splendor of his divine excellencies wholly from the other, for the demonstration of his divine justice, will, or pleasure;

31 Would not all his heavenly wisdom, divine power, or ravishing glory, have been vailed from men and angels? And must they not either have been all Creators, or creatures like unto sensless stocks or stones to all eternity, in reference of any knowledge of the vari∣ous wisdom, power, and glory of the Creator, as abundantly be∣foresaid?

32 Again, in that pure distinguishing spirit of all divine truth, I humbly beseech you which are delivered from the power of all na∣tural, notional, or literal witchcraft, and in the room thereof are endued with a good measure of spiritual unders••anding in the things of eternity, can there possibly be any distinction between the un∣changeable Creator, and changeable creatures, without variety of di∣stinct natures and names, to manifest the difference between them?

33 As namely since the outcast condition of the angelical repro∣bate,

and fallen estate of the man Adam.

34 Can there now be any Creator or God at all, unless there be a devil, or devils also?

35 Or can there be any light or life, and no darkness in death?

36 Or can there be any eternal immortal glory for some men, and no eternal shame and misery for other?

37 Again, can any man from any kind of faith or truth possibly imagin or think, that any one of these can be without the other?

38 Doth not the one give an absolute being unto the other? Can any man therefore think that if one of them should be dissolved, that the other could continue to be?

39 Thus you which enjoys that true distinguishing light of eter∣nal life in you, may cleerly see that immortal heaven or glory must of necessity be essentially distinct from hell or shame, or else there can be no perfect heaven or glory at all, and hell or misery must be essentially distinct from heaven or glory, or else there can be no certain hell or misery at all.

40 Moreover, the glorious person of the divine Majesty himself, must of necessity be essentially distinct from men, angels, heaven, earth, and all in them, or el••e it were impossible that there should be any God or angels, men or devils, heaven or hell, or any thing else besides, but accidental things, proceeding from those four elements of earth, air, water, and fire, as all filthy Atheists vainly and blindly imagine.

41 But my beloved spiritual brethren, you have not so learned Christ, or received the truth of the ever-living Jesus into your inno∣cent souls, to abide in any such foolish darkness.

42 Wherefore for your confirmation chiefly is this Epistle writ∣ten, that you may be enabled to discern the lying notions, and flesh∣ly voluntary wil••-worship in man, contending against the secret de∣crees of the Holy One of Israel.

43 Furthermo••e, because many of the elect of God are as yet in bonds, by the exceeding subtilty of many silver-roule merchants of this perishing world, therefore I shall endeavor to confirm what is written from a clo••d of un-erring Witnesses, my spiritual Brethren, the fo••mer true Prophets and Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; wherefore it was sai•• by our God, which is Christ Jesus the Lord, that heaven and ea••th shall pass away but his words shall not pass away.

44 Again it is written, That he made all things for his own glory,

and the wicked for the day of wrath. Also it is written, That Jacob was loved, and Esau was hated, before they had done good or evil, that the purpose of God might remain according to election; For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and will have com∣passion on whom I will have compassion; So then it is not in him that wil∣leth, nor in him that runneth, but in God that sheweth mercy. Further it is written, But O man, who art thou which pleadest against God? shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, wh•• hast thou made me thus? hath not the Potter power over the clay, to make of the same lamp one ves∣sel to honour, and another to dishonour? what if God would, to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, suffer with long pa••ience, the ves∣sels of wrath prepared to destruction, and that he might declare the riches of his glory upon the vessels of mercy, which he hath p••epared unto glory, Rom 9. And in Rom. 8. it is thus written, Also we know that all things work toge••her for the b••st unto them that love God, even to them that are called of his purpose; for those which he knew before, he also pre∣destinated to be made l••ke to the image of his Son: moreov••r, whom he pre∣destinated, th••m also he called, and whom he called, them also he justified; and whom he justified, them also he glorified. Again in the first Epistle of Peter, it is thus written, Wherefore also it is contained in the Scrip∣ture Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect and precious, and he that believeth therein, shall not be ashamed: unto you therefore which be∣lieve, it is precious; but unto them that be disobedient the stone which the builders d••salowed, the same is made the head of the corner, and a stone to stumble at, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient, unto the which thing they were even ordained: But ye are a chosen Generation, a royal Friesthood, an holy Nation, a People set at liberty, that ye should shew forth the vertues of him that hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous l••ght. Moreover, in the Epistle of Jude are these word: For there are certain men crept in, wh••ch were before of old ordained to this condemnation; ungodly men they are, whi••h turn the grace of God into wantoness, and deny God the onely Lord, and our L••rd Jesus Christ: they are the raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame▪ they are wandring stars, ••o wh••m is reser∣ved the blackness of darkness for ever. Again, For if God spared not the angels that had sinned, but cast them down to hell and del••vered them into chains of darkness, to be kept unto d••m••ation what will become of all those ang••lical fleshly hypocr••tes which bless themselves in their un∣righteousness, and cursedly contend for it, even against the holy God, elect

men, and angels, and their own consciences, which will become their eter∣nal chief Accomptant in the great day.

45 Again, as a conclusion unto what is written aforesaid, I shall write something concerning the Scriptures themselves.

46 My spiritual brethren, can you possibly think that those men as yet have received the spiritual truth of the true God, which ido∣lize the visible Records, and worship them in stead of that holy Spi∣rit in our Lord Jesus Christ which spake them?

47 Again, did ever any man attain to a true understanding of that Holy One of Israel, by any endeavor whatsoever, from the bare let∣ter of the Scripture?

48 It is written, The letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life. Again it is written, That the Scriptures are sufficient to make the man of God wise unto salvation.

49 My brethren, can any man be a godly man, or a man of God, unless he hath the spiritual light of life eternal, to enable him to un∣derstand the minde of God in the Records, and so believe unto immortality.