fection defcrib'd in holy fcripture hiftorically, legiflatively and prophetically, as to the fyftem of creation and providence regarding man. Where,

by laying the foundation in moral-virtue, it has the præeminence in ftrength and dignity, as being the older habit and the caufal has the middle place and the vital tri-union or executive virtue the third and laft place in ftrength and dominiYet all fubfift in one fubftantial undivided mind and therein conftitute living-goodness wife and powerful, living-wifdom good and powerful, living-power good and wife; original and eternal in God, deriv'd of God in fucceffive duration in the beatified creature.

on.

The following Paraphrafe and Comparison of the Apofiles and Nicene Creeds are alfo thought needful, to illuftrate and establish what is affirm'd concerning them in p. 9. & 10. of the foregoing Difcourfe

The APOSTLES-CREED Paraphras'd.

I

Believe [as a foundation for suitable practice in my Catechumen-ftate of outward works in the porch of the temple or fpiritual building, i. e. as a member of the vifible church in God [all-perfect fount of free-federal-dominion] the Father almighty [fupreme generator and regene rator of the divine-life in all his obedient people; fo as to conftitute them his freely-imitative fons, in the ftate of the Faithful, where they thall be drawn by the cords of love in the invifible-churchmembership, paternal on the part of God, filial on the part of his church (private in the breast or heart of every true chriftian, publick in the invifible fociety of all the true members of Chrift's myftical-body) being no longer in bondage to

out

2.

outward co-ercive rewards and punishments forc ing an unwilling compliance with the divine will' or the laws of God. Here perfect love casteth out fear I John iv. 18]; maker of heaven and earth [. e. the whole vifible creation] and in 3. Jefus Chrift his only Son our Lord [whom we are to obey with abfolute fubmiffion; as being the vifible and only perfect exemplar of the diVine-life and regeneration procefs neceffary for its acquifition, and therefore alone capable to give us full inftruction as our spiritual phyfician], who was conceived by the Holy-ghoft [as to the generation of his incarnate-life, being the 2d Adam. In like manner was the 1ft Adam made Godlike by the operation of the holy spirit of God: Gen. i. 2-27], born of the virgin Mary [who knew none other operator; with whom She did co-operate in the incarnation of Christ, bringing Him forth and nurfing His incarnate-life, by ufing powers receiv'd of the fame holy fpirit, who had imprægnated Her; and who alfo imprægnates every chriftian foul and every chriftian church with divine gifts and graces, that, like Her, chaftely adheres to him alone]; fuffered un- 4. der Pontius Pilate [thereby giving us an example, to become perfect thro' fufferings; Heb. ii. 10], was crucified, dead and buried, He defcended into Hell [or Hades, i. e. the invisible state of fouls feparated from their vifible bodies or incarnationftate thereby teaching his followers, that all the croffes and adverfities they meet with in this life, even death it felf and the burial of the finful body, are neceffary in order to falvation: for, flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, neither can corruption inherit incorruption, 1 Cor. xv. ro] The 3d day He rofe again from the 9. dead, He afcended into heaven, and fitteth at the right hand of God the Father almighty [all

vifibly

vifibly to chofen incarnate witneffes (Mat. xxviij. Mar. xvi. Luk. xxiv. John xx. 21. Acts i, 1-11 vii. 55, 56-60); that his followers may be affur'd, by fufficient teftimony, of the perpetuity of his fupreme dominion next under God the . Father]; from thence He fhall come to judge the quick and the dead [allo vifibly; Acts i. 11. Rev.i.7.Mat. xxiv. 3—30, 31,-42. 1 Thefiv.16.] 7. I believe in the Holy-ghoft [as the operator in the Godlike regimen of the visible Chriftianchurch] [ Cor. xii. 1-3-13, &c. xiii]; 8. the holy Catholick-church [vifible, united in regiminal co-operation by powers receiv'd of the 9. Holy-ghoft]; the communion of faints [in mutual communication of all vifible good-offices and temporal fuperfluities to each other, as need re10. quireth, in vifible-church-membership]; the forgivennefs of fins [against each other mutually as God, for Chrift's fake, forgives the fins of every true penitent in the vifible-church, reftoring him to Church-membership] [Mat. vi, 121.15]; the refurrection of the body [vifibly, in the vifible Church; as Chrift rofe vifibly. I Cor. 15]; 12. and the life everlasting [in that refurrection-body immortal, fpiritual, powerful,incorruptible, 1 Cor. xv. 42.-45. Rev.xx.6.] Amen [faith the faithful and true witness, Chrift Himself, Rev, iii. 14].

I

The NICENE-CREED Paraphras'd.

Believe [in order to fuitable practice in the ftate of the Faithful; which, by faithful spiritual works building up the Holy-place or middle- ftate in the fpiritual temple or inward Kingdom of God (ie. the invifible church within), goes on conquering and to conquer its spiritual enemies. Rev. vi. 2. xix. 8-11-14] in t. God [fontal one only felf-exiftent all-perfect free

ruler]

ruler] the Father-almighty [the one only fupreme generator and regenerator of the divinelife in all his obedient people; fo as, &c. as in the Apostles-creed paraphras'd above], maker 2. of heaven and earth [both this vifible world inhabited by man, with its atmosphæric heaven; and the invifible political or fpiritual heaven and earth alfo belonging to mankind generated or regenerated Godlike, i. e. the legislative and executive systems in political-life; the caufal and viral fyftems in private-life. For the legal fyftem or legal tri-union in publick politicallife, and the moral-fyftem in private-life;

that part of the divine life deriv'd of God as Father-Almighty], and of all things vifible and invifible [. e. creator and fupreme ruler of all other beings, whether material or immaterial, active or paffive, free or enflav'd, upright or lapfed thro' abuse of liberty] [hence this creed is throughout to be understood of the invifible life and church-ftate, as well as of the visible].

AND in one Lord [abfolute ruler over his fervants, or abfolute mafter over his difciples] Jefus Chrift [anointed with fulness of spiritual gifts and graces of the Holy-fpirit in his human-nature, to qualify him for being vifible Saviour of the world vifible, and invifible or inward Saviour of the invifible-world], the only begotten Son of God [as to his invifible divine-nature manifefted to the invifible world, thro' the eye of the mind or understanding, by his doing the works of his Father, fuch divine-works as none other man ever did. John i. 8. xv. 24. x. 25. ix. 32, 33. xiv. 11], begotten of his Father before all worlds [A, i. e. divine difpenfations gene rative or regenerative of the divine-life in the creatures. Heb. i. 1, 2, &c.] [Mat. xxii. 44],

God

God of God [paternal to the inward invifible kingdom of God. Heb. i. 3-6—8. ii. 13], light of light [filial-divine to the inward invifible kingdom of God John i. 1—4—12— 14], very God of very God [fpiritually operative in the fame inward invifible kingdom of God. John i, 18-23-27-33, 34. xiv. s], begotten, not made [out of nothing, by creative power exerted in place and time; as the creatures were], being of one fubftance with the [invifible] Father [John i. 1-3—18. xiv. 7. x. 30], by whom all things [vifible and invifible] were made [John i. 1-3]: who for us men [as to our temporal welfare in this vifible world], and for our falvation [as to our eternal welfare in the inward invifible world] came down from Heaven] 1 Tim. iv, 8-10. John vi. 5157], and was incarnate by the Holy-ghoft of the Virgin Mary [in both the vifible and invifible worlds; Luke i. 31-35. Gal. iv. 19], and was made man [in both visible and invifible worlds; I Cor. xv. 21, 22--44, 45. 1 Pet. iii. 18, 194. 22], and was crucified alfo for us under Pontius Pilate [both vifibly and invifibly; on the crofs, and by affaults of the invifible powers of darkness: Luk. xxii. 40-42-44-53. xxiii. 33, &c]. He fuffered and was buried [1 Cor. 5. xv. 3, 4, &c.], and the 3d. day He rofe again according to the fcriptures [both as to his outward vifible lite, and inward invifible understood by the eye of faith or intellectual-vifion; z Cor. iv. 10-14-18], and afcended into Heaven, and fitteth on the right-hand of the Father [both visibly to incarnate bodily eyes; Acts i. 9. vii. 56. and invifibly to them, tho' feen intellectually by the effects of his fupreme dominion foretold in the Apocalypfe and fince ful6. fill'd]. And He fhall come again with glory

to