OPimONS OF TH£: PRESS. The scope of this little Treatise is to draw a line between the Seed of the Woman and the Seed of the Serpent; and to display the Sovereignty of God in the Choice of his People from everlasting. — There are many acute and judicious Remarks, which do credit to the Writer's judgment, scattered through the above little WoA. calculated to further the Believer in his spiritual growth, and confirm him in his stedfastness. — Gospel Magazine, July, 1837. \ A Treatise on the Original Election ofthe Churchof ^ God in Christ, by Christopher^ Savery. Jenkin Thomas 9, Cornwall-Street, Plymouth ; Fitze, Exeter ; Simpkin, Marshall, and Co., Stationers Court ; and Day, Goswell Street, London, 1837. — This little volume, if it does not convincei-'null at least command the respect of every good personl being the sincere convictions on an impor- i tantpoint of doctrine,'of a venerable disciple of Christ, who has attained the age of 80 Years. It is put forth also with much modesty and christian humility, the au"^ thor praying that the statenlent of his views, may, under the teaching of the Holy Ghost, as far as the same may be consistent with the written Word, be rendered as profitable and blessed to others, as the knowledge of them has been to himself, and to many others to whom they have been communicated. The work is printed in a clear type, and very creditably sent forth.. — Trewman's Exeter Flying Post, June Sthy 1837. Our attention has been drawn to a very able erudite, and highly interesting work," on the original Election of the Church of God in Christ," by Christopher Savery. — Without pretending to any very extensive knowledge in Theology, we venture to pronounce, having perused the work with great attention that the Author has not only handled his subject in a masterly manner, but that his arguments are at once cogent and conclusive such as must irrisistibly lead every unprejudiced mind to adopt his views on this highly interesting question. It is not the least recommendation of this elaborate though circumscribed Treatise, that its author exhibits no ostentatious display of atFtiCt..d learning or pedantic research; his premises beinq: as simple as his inferences are self evident. We regret we have not space to enlarge on this important subject farther than to record our decided conviction that no Man can rise from the perusal of this little Book without feeling himself both wiser and better. — Editor of West of England Conservative. iSU- ■'g-.?^ i L I B PI ^ R Y 1 Theological Seminary, ; PRINCETON, N. J. \ Case \ Shelf ^^fc^ Division /O^O-X^sec:,,. \ Bool: i . ■ No. Digitized by tine Internet Archive in 2011 witii funding from Princeton Theological Seminary Library http://www.archive.org/details/treatisebychristOOsave A TKEATISE CHRISTOPHER SAVERY, THE ORIGINAL ELECTION OF THE CHURCH OF GOD IN CHRIST, As Members of His mystical Body in an indissoluble Grace Union with him, as set up spiritually, but not in the Flesh, from everlasting according to the sovereign mind, counsel, will, and purpose of JEHOVAH the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, which Union neither Sin, Satan, Death, or Hell can possibly annul, prejudice, or destroy ; and on the Church's Fall in Adam, as the first open man, as her Nature-Head ; and on her Recovery and Redemption in Christ, the Second Adam, as her Grace or Spiritual Head ; and proving by positive Scriptures, which defy contradiction, the distinction between the Seed of the Woman and the Seed of the Serpent, as plainly asserted by God himself. Gen. iii. 15, 16, and distinguished throughout the whole Rible, and beautifully illustrated by our Lord's own Parable of the Tares and the Wheat : not on hypothetical Theory founded on the mere natural wisdom of man, which is foolishness with God, 1 Cor. i. 20 : but on the express Words and Revelations of God himself, and of the Prophets affd holy men of old, and of the Apostles, as they were moved and taught by God the Holy Ghost, comparing Scripture with Scripture : so that he, who runs, taught of God, may read, and the way-faring man, though a Fool cannot err therein. "GREAT IS THE MYSTERY OF GODLINESS," 1 Tim. iii. 16. PLYMOUTH : PRINTED AND SOLD BY JENKIN THOMAS, at his ALBION PRINTING OFFICE, 9, CORNWALL-STREET ; Sold also by Simpkin, ^Marshall & Co. Stationers' Court ; and Day, Goswell-Street, London ; Meyler, Bath ; Hannaford, Totues, Trewman, Exeter; Kingsbridge ; and Daw, Modbury. [entered at stationers' hall.] MDCCCXXXVIL ERRATA. PAGE 14 After the words " my substance" and the ending of the following parenthesis, 8th and 9th lines from the bottom, and before the words " when I was made, &c." read the additional words '' ivas not hid from thee,'' which were omitted in the manuscript. J 6 In the 3d line from the bottom, read 700 instead of 1700. 83 In the 12th line from the bottom leave out the word '' first." 92 In the 8th line from the top, instead of the words to same, read the same. The Printer begs to remark by way of apology, that being very dangerously ill and confined during the greater part of the time of printing this Treatise, many fresh sentences are begun in the middle of a line, which although the meaning is uot altered is otfensive to the eye. PREFACE Having expressed tp a few of my Christian friends my sentiments as to the essential Jehovah Father Son and Holy Ghgst, having set up from everlasting the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as the elect head of His elect body the Church, united to him as the gift of JEHOVAH, and as one in Him from everlasting as Sons of God, Heirs of God and Joint Heirs with Christy Gal. iv. 6, 7. — 1 John, iii. 2, as members of his mystical body ; and as to the nature and effect of the Chm'ch's fall in Adam, and her safety in Christ notwithstanding, distinct and separate from the seed of the serpent, as the tares from the wheat : and having been requested to reduce the same into writing, I have presumed to make the attempt, and I most earnestly intreat God the Holy Ghost — who teacheth to profit, and hath graciously promised to give his holy Spmt to them, that ask it, and without which the wisest man cannot possibly understand or explain any one scripture contained in the Holy Bible correct- ly — to assist and enable me to set forth and unfold these deep mysteries scriptm'ally, spiritually, and correctly, agreeable to the revelation of the same by God himself, by his Prophets and Holy IV PREFACE. men of old, as they were prompted or moved by his Holy Spirit throughout the Old Testament, and by Christ himself in person, confirming and explaining them in the New. I am well assured, that every carnal natural man or a mere professor of religion, in an unre- generated state — I judge from my own experience, for in the foinner part of my life, up to fifty years old, having a good opinion of myself — although indulging in sin, in which the devil was pleased to tell me, there was no harm — I so hated the grand doctrines of election, predestination and salvation by fi'ee grace, and all who held or preached them, that I would have gladly hanged and gibbetted my late fiiend, the dear Doctor Hawker, now a saint in glory ; and all others I would have sent to Botany Bay, considering I should do God service — I say, every natm'al unre- generated man will, and he cannot do otherwise, for it is foolishness to him — not only reject and disbelieve, what I have written, with the most inveterate scorn and rancour, but many, I doubt not, will publish contemptuous derisions and bitter invectives against the same, vdiicli in the estimation of persons of their own blind persua- sion may appear plausible and satisfactory, so far as the natm'al man's wisdom goes, wliich is foolishness with God, whose wisdom is in a mystery, and foolislnicss to the natural man, 1 Cor. ii. 7, 14., and iii. 19. To all such I beg PREFACE. V to say, I shall pay no regard, nor make any reply, to what they may say or write, no more than om' Lord himself regarded the scoffs and tamits of the Scribes and Pharisees ; against whom he repeatedly denounced 'WoEtqJonWoE V Mat, xxiii. 13 to 34 : but I will refer them to the same scriptm'es. I am very sensible, that to point out an error in any generally received opinion of long standing on divine science may appear presumptuous, and is likely to provoke opposition and censure : but I am not in the least degree intimidated by any fears of this kind, as I neither desire, dread or regard popular applause or contempt; whilst I feel a divine impulse and authority, and a, con- scious duty and design to state, what has been manifestatively and clearly revealed to me, and may be likely to refute very serious errors and unfounded doubts and questions on the sover- eignty OF JEHOVAH. I read the scriptures, as they are written without alteration, or adding thereto, or taking therefrom ; and my observations and conclusions are founded on the positive revelations stated therein, comparing scriptm-e with scripture — Let others deny at their peril. The children of God are instructed and required to believe the word of God according to the faith of God's elect. This faith is the gift of God received into the renewed mind by the operation of the Holy Ghost. A believer is not requu'ed to Tl PREFACE. understand. His whole life is of faith on the Son of God, for " whatsoever is not of faith is sin ; '* Rom. xiv. 23. What I have presumed to notice as merely my own opinion with a view to reconcile some seemingly very awful denunciations of JEHOVAH consistent with His justice and mercy as His sovereign will is secret and known only to himself, further than what is revealed, I consider, I may be deservedly censured even for hazarding an opinion thereon, and therefore I desire, that it may be no further regarded. When we contemplate the sovereignty of JEHOVAH in its vast length, and breadth, and depth, and heighth, in what is not revealed : for instance. Why should there be any devil } Why he should be permitted to tempt Eve, Job, Judas, Peter, and Christ ? Why and how the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent, declared to be two distinct seeds, should both pass through the woman, by a multiplied conception ; Gen. iii.16, how the earth, sea, sun, moon, stars, and the natural world, were created out of nothing, by the word of God, who spake and they were created ; '* so that things, that are seen, were not made of things, w^hich do appear," Heb. xi. 3, 4. How and prom what cause all the beasts, birds, fishes, reptiles, insects, were created, or spake into being ? How man was created from the dust of the earth, and endowed with intellectual faculties? How Eve was formed from a rib of Adam's PREFACE. Vll body ? How and by what power all animals, trees, vegetables, and minerals are produced, live, move, and have their being ? How the mysterious union and bu'th of the Son of God in the human nature by the miraculous conception of the Virgin Mary by the overshadowing of the Holy Ghost ? How the divinity and humanity as one person in Christ exists in all its influences and effects ? and how all other such mysterious facts, being like God himself Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, in their unity and trinity of persons incomprehensible ? How all such great and grand works were and are effected, tracing effects, which in many instances are understood, to causes not understood, are far beyond the finite reason of a finite creature. I would therefore beseech the reader to intreat the assistance of the Holy Ghost, and having the witness of the spirit with his spirit, that he is a cliild of God, and quickened, and a new creature in Christ, to read what I have written deliberately ; and not hastily or rashly, to approvtj or reject the same, but to weigh well the scriptures, which I have quoted and to searchfor others,thatlike the Bereans of old. Acts xvii. 1 & 1 1 ; he may satisfy his mind on scriptm-e grounds. I most sincerely pray, that the statement of my views to the Lord's deal- children, may, under the teaching of the Holy Ghost, as far as the same may be consistent with his written word, be rendered as profitable and blessed to them, as it has been to me and rm PREFACE. many others, to whom I have communicated them ; and I am well convinced, if that almighty LORD hath according to my belief revealed the same to me, that he will maintain his own truth, and confirm the same in the minds of his own people. I have waited more than a yeai', and consult ed many learned christians, and as not ONE hath by any arguments or scriptures been able to gainsay or disprove, what I have written, but so far from it as I have thereby been more and more confirmed therein, I verily and most conscien- ciously believe, that the same hath been under his most gracious condescending, and divine unction, and insti-uction ; for otherwise feeliiig myself to be vile, and of unclean lips, a mere babe in divine things, and long ignorant, and in nature's darkness, dead in trespasses and sins, fulfilling the desires of the flesh, and of the mind, and even now in myself, i. e. in my old Adam fallen natm'e, the chief of sinners, and deservedly despised and rejected of men, or carnal, moral, worldly professors, and hated for my present views of religion ; I would not have dared to comment on these deep grand subjects, at my advanced age (80 years old last April,) on the borders of the grave, and looking into eternity as a mere hypothesis, on head know- ledge in my own strength, or in the vanity, or deluded enthusiasm of my own naturally vain mind : but feeling myself irresistibly influenced PREFACE. IX bj the Holy Ghost, as I humbly believe, I dedicate and commit the same with all submission and reverence to that Almighty Lord and efficient Minister of the true Gospel Church, trust- ing in, and leaving it to Him so to dispose of the same, as it may seem best in His godly wisdom ; and if it shall please Him to render the same profitable, to Him shall be all the praise. As oiu: adorable Christ addi-essed JEHOVAH, Mat. xi. 25 ; "I thank thee, O Father ! Lord of Heaven and Earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes : even so Father ; for so it seemeth good in thy sight." As a mere babe I feel myself encouraged by this scripture ; and moreover fi-om the consideration that the evangelist, the penman thereof, and the other evangelists, and most of the disciples and apostles were humble and unleai'ned men, I dare not resist the motive, which urges me to publish the same, not fearing the opposition of the wise and prudent in their own conceit, whilst I consider myself justified in the sight of God: to WHOM BE GLORY FOR EVER AND EVER. AmEN. N. B. Om* blessed Lord himself, even at the time when He was working the most surpris- ing miracles and speaking parables, was taunted and degraded among the Phaiisees, saying, " is not this the Carpenter's Son ?" Mat. xiii. 55. Tlie natural unregenerated man, having no spiritual understanding, (be his natm'al or X PREFACE. acquired abilities ever so great, cannot compre- hend, nor can or will lie believe more, than what is within, or according to the compass or standard of his own natural reasoii : He therefore reads and understands the Bible according to his natural faculties, and human learning as a mere history, and will not — indeed he cannot — trouble himselT about spiritual inquiries. He trusts to his own notions, and convictions of a mere natural religion, and looks to the Law or Ten Command- ments as a rule of life, considering he must work out his own salvation ; and that he can only be saved by his own holy life — deservings and doings : and, if he does the best he can, that the Lord, who is merciful, will save him : and more especially if he is more moral, exem- plary charitable, pious, &c. in the sight of men, than the generality of mankind, and not guilty of any of the vilest acts of murder, adultery, theft, &c. and being wholly unconscious that by the breach of even the least commandment in thought only he is guilty of all, and that by the deeds of the law, no flesh living can he justi- fied, he trusts to his own good deeds, doings, and deservings, as the main ground-work of his salvation, and goes on heedless of the awful scripture, Isaiah, 50. 11, that he shall lie down in sorrow. He indignantly rejects with scorn and contempt, not only the tiiie scriptural grand fundamental and essential doctiines of election PREFACE. XI PREDESTINATION AND ORIGINAL SIN, aS COlltraiy to natural reason and common sense, and to his refined opinion of God's justice and mercy, (why- he should love Jacob, and hate Esau, before either of them was born, or had done good, or evil, &c.) : but he also hates all those, who enter- lain, believe, or preach the same, considering such doctrines not only damnable and dangerous, but a cloak and encouragement to sin and licentious- ness : for he naturally reasons, if we are elected we must ])e saved, and tlie worst we can do cannot prevent it, and if we are not elected, do what we will we cannot be saved : therefore we may as well enjoy om-selves and live, as we like, in defiance of all decency or morality. To such I beg to reply, that the contrary is the fact ; and so far from it, that, whatever the natural man may think, the belief of these doctrines hy a regenerated child of God is the basis of all his hope of salvation, and constrains him seriously to examine himself, to look into himself, and to search the scriptures, and for the witness of the spirit, that he is bom of God; and such regen- erated child of God will not rest satisfied, until he has found evidences and assm'ances, from reading or hearing the scriptures under the illuminating and invincible power of the Holy Ghost, of his own personal interest and secmity in the atoning blood, righteousness, redemp- tiop-, and salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ ; Xll PREFACE. and that the whole is oi free sovereign distin- guishing grace, everlastingly secured to him hy a oneness and union to the person of Jesus Christ, as a Son and Heir of God, and Joint Heir with Christ, irrelevant of any work, merit, or doing of his own. An apology may be necessary for the many repetitions, and frequent quotations of the same scrip tm'es ; but I considered it more important to elucidate the same subject again and again, by a repetition, rather than to leave it to the reader to refer back, or to tnist to his own memory for an explanation. To such of the Lord's family, who may be disposed to call upon, or to write me in a kind christian sj)irit, on scriptm*al grounds for the sake of explanation or edification, free of postage, I shall be happy, and consider it my duty to notice and answer them, so far as my spiritual faculties may instnict me : but never- theless avoiding and declining disputation and controversy, which seldom profit. CHRISTOPHER SAYERY. Plymouth, March, 1837. A TREATISE, &c. My opinion and most confident belief, founded on the express revelations and asser- tions contained in tlie Bible, and proved, and confirmed throughout the same, comparing scripture, with scripture, is, that the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, (the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person ; Heb. i. 3,) God and man in one person, not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh, but by taking the manhood into God, as the Mediator between God and man, the Man Christ Jesus, as the elect head and representative of His elect body and bride, the Church ; and that every indi- vidual member of that body, as Sons of God, Heirs of God, and joint Heirs with Christ, Rom. viii. 14, 15, 16, 17, and spiritually pre- served and hid withhimin God, Col.iii. 3, and Adanidimong the rest?2;ere.9e^upspiritually,but not in the flesh,from everlasting,before the foun- dation of the world, according to the sovereign 14 mind, will, counsel, purpose, and pleasure of JEHOVAH, Father, Son, and Holy Gliost, in a glorious indissoluble Grace Union ; and were ail individually known to him, and decreed to he created, and become incarnate openly in the flesh in the time-state ; and that every thing concerning them in providence, grace, and glory in their passage through this world to the world to come, was predesti- nated, ordained, and determined. If this is not admitted, vre deny the omniscience of God. Thus the Church wtis originally chosen per- fectly holy in Christ, as Sons of God, Heirs of God, and joint Heirs n'ith Christ. They all had passed under the hand of him, that telleth them, Jer. xxxiii. 13. Their names rvere written in the Book of Life. Phil. iv. 3, Rev. XX. 15, xxi. 17 — Christ addressing His Father, Psal. cxxxix. 15, 16, says " my substance (^meaning himself including all his members or jrhole bpdg the Church as one in hi ni)j^^ ' ^yhen]nms inade in secret and curious- ly wrought in the lower parts of the earth thine eyes did see my substance, (i. e. Christ as the head, and his whole Church, as his members or whole body as one in him,) yet being imperfect (because not then actually 15 existing, hut predestinated to he horn in the time state, in the flesh, i- e. the members of his hodij hij natural generation, and Christ (the head) horn of theVirgin Mary hy the miraculous overshadowing of the Holy Ghost,) and in tliy book all my members (i.e, every individual member of Christ's mystical body) were writ- ten, (i. e. in the decretive mind and will of JEHOVAH, wherein all events, which have taken place, are taking place , or are to take place,are comprehended, viewed, and consider^ ed all finished and complete at one, and the same moment, Jesus Christ being the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever,) wlien in continuance, (i- e. as ajid when from time to time they should individually and severally he actually born in the flesh,) were fashioned, Tvlien as yet, (i. e. ivhen written originally in the Book of Life,) tliere was none of tliem, (i, e. actually existing or horn in substance in the flesh or person) Christ 1000 years before bis incarnation speaking in tbe character of wisdom says, "I ivas set up from everlasting, or ever tbe earth was, when he prepared the heavens, when he ap])ointed the foundations of the earth then I was by him as one brought up with him, and I was daily bis delight, 16 rejoicing always before him, rejoicing in tlie liabitable part of his earth, (before there was any earth,) and my delights were with the sons of men, (before there were any'') Pror. viii. 23, 27, 29, 30, 31. He was desj^ised and rejected of men, &c. he was bruised for our iniquities — the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all — he was numbered with the trans- gressors. Isa. liii. 3, 5, 6, 12. — The Lord received double for all her sins, (i, e. the sms of all the members of the Church.) Isa. xl. 2. They parted my garments, &c. they yave me vinegar to drink ; They pierced my hands and my feet. Psal. xxii. 16, 18. — Unto us a Child is born, Isa. ix. 6. Jesus Christ THE SON OF God, John iii. 16, 17, was the LAMB slain before the foundation of the world, i, e. upwards of four tliousand years before the event of his death on the cross took place. Rev. xiii. 8. All the above scriptures, and all the psalms, and all the proj)liecies, in the Old Testament reveal, and set forth, what Christ was to go through and suffer in the time state, as fully and particularly as having all past and taken place from 1000 to ^700 years before the events actually occurred; from which it must be clearly understood and con- 17 cliidedjtliat all tilings and events past, present, and to come, were in tlie sovereign mind, and will of JEHOVAH all decreed and predesti- nated, concerning Christ and his Cliurcli from the beginning to tlie end of time, and considered fulfilled and accomplished at the same one moment or period of time : for 1000 or a million jears or a whole Eternity, must be in his sight, no more than one single moment. Jeremiah by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost five hundred and ninety years before the incarnation of Christ, says, " the flocks (meaning the Church o/' Christ as his flock,) shall pass again under the hand of him, that telleth them, implying they must have passed before spiritually, and probably when their names were written in the Book of Life, see Isa. xl.lO, 11, "behold the Lord God will come, &c. he shall feed Ai^^ocA; like a shepherd, &c." see Ezek. xxxiv. containing God's judgment against the shepherds, (meaning the false ministers of his Church,) for not feeding his floch, in the last verse of which awful chapter to all Church ministers or professors, God say«, ^' ye my flock, the flock of my pasture are men, and I am your God.'' Thus the whole Church, whose names or members were written 18 in the Book of Life, and who had all passed under the hand of him, that telleth them — were from everlasting ; and Adam among the rest, before the foundation of the world in the sovereign mind of J ehovSih,(I mean spiritually hut not in theflesli,) perfectly holy and com- plete in Christ their elect head, and united to him, as one in him, as Sons of God and joint Heirs with him as members of his mystical body, by an indissoluble Grace Union, which sin, nor satan, nor the fall of Adam and all his posterity spiritually in his loins (rvhile in iheii carnal fallen nature horn in the flesh during the time state) through the temptation of the serpent, nor death norhell, could possibly annul, tarnish, or in the least degree affect or prejudice : and in that Grace Union spiritiuilbj united to Christ their sjDiritual head and preserved in him, the whole Church all pass through the time-state here on earth, perfectly holy in a grace state without blame before God in love, without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as lie hath chosen them in him before the foundation of the world, &c. having predestinated them to the adoption of cliildren, &c. Eph. i. 3, 4, 5, 19 and altliougli born in sin, and the subjects of sin, and the lawful and willing captives of the devil, and the children of wrath in their carnal fallen nature onlij in the Jiesh, as descended from Adam their nature head, and as such dead in trespasses, and sins, and enemies in their minds by wicked works, Col. i. 21, walk- ing according to the course of this world ; according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that worketh (invisibly) in the children of chsobedience, among whom ^ve (the saints addressed in the first chapter) all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our ilesh, fulfilling the desires of the ilesh and of the mind, and were by nature; i. e. the fallen nature in the flesh, not ajfecting the spiritual or Grace Union, the children of wrath even as others, meaning the non-elect or seed of the serpent. — yet, nevertheless as spiritually preserved in and united ^o Christ^ '^ their lives are hid with Christ in God, Col. iii. 3 ;" " they are saved in him, called with an holy callirg," 2 Tim. i. 9, and "made willing in the day of God's power," Psal. ex. 3^ '^ they shall be gathered from the east, west, north, and south, a great company, Jer. xxxi. 8, 9, and Jer. xxxii, 37," " they shall come^ 20 that are ready to perish," Isa. xxvii. 13. ** If they have made an agreement mth hell or a covenant with death it shall he disannulled," Isa. xxviii. 18, " they shall all hy God, who is rich in mercy, for the great love wherewith he loved them, even when they were dead in sins, he quickened together with Christ, and be raised up and made to sit together in hea- venly j)laces in Christ Jesus, for by grace they are saved through faith; and that not of themselves, it is the gift (free sovereign un- merited gijt) of God : not of works, lest any man should boast ; for they are his workman- ship created in Christ Jesus unto good works, whicliG od luith before ordained that they shoul d walk in them," Eph. ii. 4, &c. " tlie wages of sin is death, eternal death: but the gift (free gift) of God not for any merit or wages, is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord,'' Rom. vi. 23, " not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration and by the renewing of the Holy Ghost," Tit.iii. 5, '^GoD placed salvation in Zion, i. e. his Church, for Israel his glory, i, e. Christ and his Church in him (and none else,) Isa. xxvi. 13 ; and thus spiritually holy and complete in 21 Christ their grace head, they shall pass through the time state, and through the milleniary reign, and from thence Into the ultimate state of everlasting hlessedness and glory, and he for ever with the Lord. I will now proceed to state my views on the creatiOjS and fall of the Church, and the Church only, and not all mankind in Adam, and of her recovery and re- demption therefrom, by and in Christ the second Adam, as revealed and set forth in the sacred scriptures, and to make such observations by way of elucidation, as may be scripturally and correctly deduced and infer- red therefrom, comparing scripture with scripture, begging the Holy Ghost's gracious assistance. In the first chapter of Genesis, verse 26, God said "let ?^5— meaning JEHOVAH Father Son and Holy Ghost — make man, meaning Adam, as the first open man in nature in our image, after our likeness — presumed, to mean the image or likeness of Christ, deci^eed to he taken hy Him as God-Man Mediator, set up from everlasting spiritually, hut not in the flesh, as the elect head, hus- hand, and everlasting Father of the memhers 22 of his body, and bride the Church, chosen in him spiritually, from everlasting — so God created man in his own image, in the IMAGE OF God created he him — unquestion- ably a perfect man, and without sin, as one of Christ's mystical body, in which there could he no sin ; and therefore his seed in his loins, before he fell, like himself must also be holy, and without sin, comprising all the Church, and the Church only, then in and to descend from him as the distinct seed of the woman ; hut not comprising or in- cluding the seed of the serpent, which is positively declared not to he the same, but a distinct seed, (thy seed and her seed. Gen. iii. 15.) Cain being declared to be of the wicked one, 1 John, iii. 12; could not proceed from the loins of Adam, as his own natural seed, and from Eve as her own natural seed : for Cain and Abel, as two distinct seeds, (one of the woman, and the other of the devil,) could not have the same parents ; and Cain could not have two Fathers — " Male and Female created he them, and God bles- sed them." It is said, Gen. i. 26. Let us make man in our image, and Heb. i. 3. Christ i. e. the Son of God is said to be 23 ^'the Brightness of his Glory, '^ and, the *' express Image of his person ;" 50 that the Image of Father and Son, is the same : surely it cannot be believed, that Adam was created by God, in God's own, or our Image in a sinful fallen nature, because, had it been so, he and all the Church in his loins, before and when he fell, could not afterwards have fallen again by the temptation of the devil in the form of a serpent ; and on the other hand if Adam was created holy, [wliich I contend was unquestionably the case, see Luke iii. 38, where Adam is called " the Son of God," for othermse he could not have fallen ; and moreover it is said as above, God blessed them,^ in such case he and all the members of his body, the Church in his loins, must also have been holy ; and con- sequently they must all exclusively be born again, or quickened again in Christ, as a Holy Seed, when and as they individually are made willing by the invincible operation of God the Holy Gfiost in the day of His power. Ps. ex. 3. In the 2nd Gen. v. 7. the LORD GOD, i, e. JEHOVAH in his Trinity of Persons formed Man — (meaning his natural body) of the dust of the ground. 24 and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life — (N. B. In the original it is the breath of lives, meaning most clearly as I conceive, a natural animal life or soul of the body, and a spiritual or divine life of the soulj and man became a living soul ; meaning in his visible state as a statural man in the flesh, for his spiritual life 7vas invisible, 8th verse. And the Lord planted a Gar- den eastward of Eden, [considered to be paradise, a type of heaven, see Luke, xxiii. 43 ; '' this day shalt thou be with me in paradise," see also Rev. ii. 7. " To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, wliich is in the midst of the paradise of God,"] "and there he put the man, verses 16, 17. And the Lord God commanded the man saying, of everg tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat ; but of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil thou shalt not eat of it ; for in the day (the same day) thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die." The Tree of Life was not forbidden [query, bg way of observation, if the tree of life is not emblematical of the trinity planted in the midst of the street of it, and on each side of the river of life, Rev. xxii. meaning GOD 25^ THE FATHER in his Trinity of persons in the midst, and God the Holy Ghost and Christ in their Unity of persons, as Com- forter and Mediator on each side,) verses 23, 24, 25. ''The Lord made woman and presented her to Adam, wlio said, this is bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh, she shall be called "Woman," because she was taken out of man ; and it is added, the last verse, therefore shall a man leave father and mother and cleave unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh," clearly typical of Christ and his Church, see Eph. v. 22, to the end — Duty of wives and husbands, noticing " that the husband was the head of the Vvdfe, as Christ was the head of the Church ; and concluding this is a great mystery : but I speak of Christ and his Church;" 3rd chap, of Genesis, the serpent tempts Eve — man's fall — the serpent cursed — the promised seed (all noticed hereafter particularly.) Unto Adam and liis wife, God made coats of skin, (in a very old Bible, hreeches,) and clothed them, presumed to be emblems of Christ's right- eousness and garments of salvation, to cover the shame of their sinful nakedness — 22nd v. " AND THE LORD GOD Said, bchold the man is B 26 become as one of us to know good and evil ; and now lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the Tree of Life, and eat and live for ever." — I consider if this had been permitted after the fall, his living for ever could only have been in a natural sense, in a guilty fallen sinful lost state, no better than the fallen Angels, 23d verse ; " therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden to till the ground, and drove him out, and placed cherubims, and a flaming sword, which turned every way, to keep the Tree of Life, i. e. (as I take it) to preserve the Tree of Life for the everlasting spiiitual benefit and bles- sedness of Adam, and all the members of Christ's body the Church, who fell in him, as and when the Holy Ghost shall graciously be pleased to regenerate them ; from which time they are living on the fruits of this goodly tree, to wit, rigliteousness, and peace, and as- surance of eternal life and salvation in Jesus Christ. The fall of man, and the Churcli in him was most tremendously awful and wretched, but the redemption thereof by the obedience, sufferings, death, &c., of the Lord Jesus Christ was much more wonderfullv and 27 graciously beneficial and blessed, as thereby GOD THE FATHER'S love in sending his Son, the Son's love in coming, as the Christ and Son of God, and as the son of man in his mediatorial character to redeem his spouse the Cliurch, from the ruins of the fall, were manifested, and thereby the Church's personal interest, preservation, union, and everlasting safety, and salvation in Christ, as her glorious head were proved by the conde- scending grace, love, and testimony of God the Holy Ghost; and the GRAND WHOLE ultimately tending to the glory of JEHOVAH to the praise and glory of his grace, founded on the good pleasure of his will, (a most in- comprehensible mystery,) which he purposed in himself before the world began, Ephes. i. 9 ; Jesus tells Nicodemus " except a man be born again (meaning spiritually,) from above in the margin, evidently implying that he had been before, (i. e. in the flesh,) he cannot see the kingdom of God," John iii. 4 ; i, e. by any works or endeavours of liis own from his own exertions. The Holy Ghost by Saint Paul positively asserts, Eph. ii. 1. " You, meaning the Saints, &c, addressed in the first chapter — hath he quickened, who were 28 dead in trespasses and sins," and again Col. iii. 13, "and you being dead in your sins, and the uncircumcision of your flesh hath he quickened together with him having forgiven you all trespasses, &c." Thus I clearly infer, that this original spiritual life in Adam evidently did die or became extinguished, or rather suspended like a person in a fit or trance, or in a state of insanity or derange- ment, but nevertheless spiritually " preserved and hid with Christ in God," Col. iii. 3 ; and in this fallen state susceptible of being "born again," John iii. 3, 6, 7 — -or regenerated, re-kindled or " quickened," Eph. ii. 2 ; and " made willing by the operation of the Holy Ghost, in the day of his power," Ps. ex. 3 ; as it were like a candle or lamp, the light being put out, but capable of being re-kind- led. Our glorious Christ, as the head of his body the Church, addressed His divine father in the 18th Psal. v. 28, " thou wilt light my candle, the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness," signifying by the candle and darkness, that there was a dead or dark prin- ciple capable of receiving light or being kindled, as is the case in the regeneratiou of every member of Christ's mystical body 29 the Church, see also Prov^. xx. 27. " The Spirit of Man is the candle of the Lord." Adam's natural life or soul, and hodj, certainly did not actually die, for he lived to the age of 930 years, Gen. v. 5 ; nevertheless he lost his original nature or creature holi- ness, and became (i. e. his nature — constitu- tion in the flesh only) virtually all sin poisoned and totally corrupted therewith, " dead in trespasses and sins, alienated from the life of