Selected quad for the lemma: father_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
father_n	holy_a	manner_n	son_n	14,262	5	5.8799	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A64622	A body of divinitie, or, The summe and substance of Christian religion catechistically propounded, and explained, by way of question and answer : methodically and familiarly handled / composed long since by James Vsher B. of Armagh, and at the earnest desires of divers godly Christians now printed and published ; whereunto is adjoyned a tract, intituled Immanvel, or, The mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God heretofore writen [sic] and published by the same authour.; Body of divinity	Ussher, James, 1581-1656.; Downame, John, d. 1652.	1645 (1645)	Wing U151; ESTC R19025	516,207	504

the unity of the Godhead But doe you not beleeve the Godhead is to be divided whilst you beleeve that in one God are three persons No not divided into divers essences but distinguished unto divers persons for God cannot be divided into severall natures nor into severall parts and therefore must the persons which subsist in that one essence be onely distinct and not separate one from another as in the example of the Sun the beames and the heat What be those resemblances that are commonly brought to shadow out unto us the mystery of the Trinity First the Sun begetteth his own beams and from thence proceeds light and heat and yet is none of them before another otherwise then in consideration of order and relation that is to say that the beams are begotten of the body of the Sun and the light and heat proceed from both Secondly from one flame of fire proceed both light and heat and yet but one fire Thirdly in waters there is the well-head and the spring boyling out of it and the stream flowing from them both and all these are but one water and so there are there persons in one Godhead yet but one God Fourthly in man the understanding cometh from the soul and the will from both May it be collected by naturall reason that there is a Trinity of Persons in the Vnity of the God-head No for it is the highest mystery of Divinity and the knowledge thereof is most proper to Christians for the Turkes and Jewes doe confesse one God-head but no distinction of persons in the same How come we then by the knowledge of this mystery God hath revealed it in the holy Scriptures unto the faithfull What have we to learn of this That those are deceived who think this mystery is not sufficiently delivered in the Scripture but dependeth upon the tradition of the Church That sith this is a wonderfull mystery which the Angels doe adore we should not dare to speak any thing in it farther then we have warrant out of the word of God yea we must tye our selves almost to the very words of the Scripture lest in searching we exceed and goe too farre and so be overwhelmed with the glory How doth it appear in the holy Scripture that the three Persons are of that divine nature By the divine names that it giveth to them as Jehovah c. By ascribing divine attributes unto them as Eternity Almightinesse c. By attributing divine works unto them as creation sustentation and governing of all things By appointing divine worship to be given unto them What speciall proofes of the Trinity have you out of the old Testament First the Father is said by his word to have made the world the Holy Ghost working and maintaining them as it were sitting upon them as the hen doth on the egges she hatcheth Gen. 1. 2 3. Gen. 1. 26. The Trinity speaketh in the plurall number Let us make man in our Image after our likenesse Gen. 19. 24. Jehovah is said to rain upon Sodom from Jehovah out of heaven that is the Sonne from the Father or the Holy Ghost from both 2 Sam. 23. 2. The Spirit of Jehovah or the Lord spake by me and his Word by my tongue there is Jehovah the Father with his Word or Sonne and Spirit Prov. 30. 4. What is his name and what is his Sonnes name if thou canst tell Isa. 6. 3. The Angels in respect of the three Persons doe cry three times Holy Holy Holy Isa. 42. 1. Behold my servant whom I uphold mine elect in whom my soule delighteth I have put my Spirit up on him Hag. 2. 5. The Father with the Word and his Spirit make a Covenant What are the proofes out of the new Testament As all other doctrines so this is there more cleare as Matth. 3. 16. 17. at the Baptisme of Christ the Father from heaven witnesseth of the Sonne the Holy Ghost appearing in the likenesse of a Dove John Baptist saw the Sonne in his assumed nature going out of the water there is one Person he saw the Holy Ghost descending like a Dove upon him there is another Person and he heard a voyce from heaven saying This is my beloved Son there is a third Person Matth. 17. 5. At the transfiguration the Father in like manner speaketh of his Son Matth. 28. 19. We are baptized into the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost John 14. 16. 26. 15. 26. 16. 13 14 15. The Father and Son promise to send the Holy Ghost Luke 1. 35. The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the Highest shall over-shadow thee therefore that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God Acts 2. 33. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost he hath shed forth this which you now see and heare 2 Cor. 13 14. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all Gal. 4. 6. God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts Tit. 3. 4 5 6. God saved us by the washing of the new birth and renewing of the Holy Ghost which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour What clear proof have you that these three are but one God and so that there is a Trinity in Vnity 1 Joh. 5. 7. It is expresly said there are three that bear Record in heaven the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost and these three are one What learn you of that the Apostle saith they are three Wee learne that the word Trinity although it bee not expresly set down in the word yet it hath certaine ground from thence What learn you of that that they are said to be three witnesses The singular fruit that is in the Trinity of persons in one unity of the Godhead whereby great assurance is brought unto us of all things that God speaketh in promise or threat seeing it is all confirmed by three witnesses against whom no exception lyeth What are they said here to witnesse That God hath given eternall life unto us and that this life is in that his Sonne 1 John 5. 11. How are these being three said to be but one They are one in substance beeing or essence but three persons distinct in subsistence Acts 20. 28. 1 Cor. 12. 4 5. Deut. 6. 4. Mark 12. 32. 1 Cor. 8. 4 5 6. Joh. 14. 16. 15. 26. 17. 1. If three persons among men be propounded whereof every one is a man can it be said that these three are but one man No but we must not measure Gods matters by the measure of reason much lesse this which of all others is a mystery of mysteries For the better understanding of this mystery declare unto me what a person is in generall and then what a person in the Trinity is

Secondly in men the thing which is understood and the understanding it self is not all one but in God it is all one What reason have you for this The reason is because only God is altogether life and his life is altogether understanding and his understanding is the highest degree of life and therefore he hath his conceiving and begetting most inward of all What mean you when you say most inward of all I mean that the Father conceiveth of himself and in himself and his conceiving is a begetting and his begetting abideth still in himself because his understanding can no where meet with any thing but that which he himself is and that is the second subsistence in the Trinity which we call Everlasting Son of God Now let me hear what the holy Ghost is and how he proceedeth from the Father and the Son For the understanding of this matter wee must consider two things First that in the essence of God besides his understanding there is a will Secondly what be the properties of this will in God Esa. 46. 10. What are the properties of Gods will First it applieth his power when where and how he thinks good according to his own mind Secondly it worketh everlastingly upon it self as his understanding doth What doe you gather by this That because it hath no other thing to work upon but it self it doth delight it self in the infinite good which it knoweth in it self for the action of the will is delight and liking And what of that That delight which God or his will hath in his own infinite goodnesse doth bring forth a third Person or subsistence in God which we call The holy Ghost What is that same third subsistence in God The mutuall kindnesse and lovingnesse of the Father and the Son What mean you by this mutuall lovingnesse and kindnesse The Father taketh joy and delight in the Son or his own Image conceived by his understanding and the Son likewise rejoyceth in his Father as he saith himself and the reason thereof is this the action of the will when it is fulfilled is love and liking What resemblance can you shew thereof in some thing that is commonly used amongst us When a man looketh in a glasse if he smile his image smileth too and if he taketh delight in it it taketh the same delight in him for they are both one If they be all one then there are not three beeings The face is one beeing the image of the face in a glasse is another beeing and the smiling of them both together is a third beeing and yet all are in one face and all are of one face and all are but one face And is it so in God Yea for even so the understanding which is in God is one beeing the reflection or image of his understanding which he beholdeth in himself as in a glasse is a second beeing and the love and liking of them both together by reason of the will fulfilled is a third beeing in God and yet all are but of one God all are in one God and all are but one God Which of these three is first There is neither first nor last going afore or comming after in the essence of God but all these as they are everlasting so they are all at once and at one instant even as in a glasse the face and the image of the face when they smile they smile together and not one before not after another What is the conclusion of all As we have the Son of the Father by his everlasting will in working by his understanding so also we have the holy Ghost of the love of them both by the joint working of the understanding and will together whereupon we conclude three distinct Persons or in-beeings which we call the Father the Son and the holy Ghost in one spirituall yet unspeakable substance which is very God himself But what if some will be yet more curious to know how the Son of God should be begotten and how the holy Ghost should proceed from the Father and the Son how may we satisfie them Well enough for if any will be too curious about this point we may answer them thus Let them shew us how themselves are bred and begotten and then let them aske us how the Son of God is begotten and let them tell us the nature of the spirit that beateth in their pulses and then let them be inquisitive at our hands for the proceeding of the holy Ghost And what if they cannot give us a reason for the manner of their own beeing may they not be inquisitive for the manner of Gods beeing No for if they must be constrained to be ignorant in so common matters which they daily see and feel in themselves let them give us leave to be ignorant not only in this but in many things moe which are such as no eye hath seen nor ear hath heard nor wit of man can conceive Let us now hear out of the Scriptures what the holy Ghost is He is the third Person of the Trinity by communication of essence eternally proceeding from the Father and from the Son Are you able to prove out of the Scripture that the holy Ghost is God Yes because the many properties and actions of God are therein given to him as to the Father and to the Son Let us hear some of those proofs 1t. Gen. 1. 2. the work of Creation is attributed to the Spirit of God 2ly Esa. 61. 1. the Spirit of the Lord God is said to be upon Christ because the Lord anointed him c. 3ly 1 Cor. 3. 17. and 2 Cor. 6. 16. Paul calleth us Gods Temples because the Holy Ghost dwelleth in us Saint Augustine in his 66. Epistle to Maximinus saith it is a cleare argument of his God-head if we were commanded to make him a Temple but of timber and stone because that worship is due to God only therefore now we must much more think that he is God because we are not cōmanded to make him a temple but to be a temple for him our selves What other reason have you out of the Scripture Peter reproving Ananias for lying to the Holy Ghost said that he lyed not to men but to God Acts 5. 3 4. Have you any more reasons from the Scripture Yea two more one from Saint Paul and another from Saint Paul and Esay together What is your reason from Saint Paul When he sheweth how many sundry gifts are given to men he saith that one and the selfe-same Spirit is the distributer of them all therefore he is God for none can distribute those gifts which Paul speaks of but God 1 Cor. 12. ver 6. 11. What is your reason from Esay and Saint Paul together Esay saith in the Chapter 6. 9. I heard the Lord speaking which place Paul expoundeth of the Holy Ghost Acts 28. 25. But how can you prove out of the Scriptures that the Holy Ghost is God proceeding from

the Father and the Sonne First John 15. 26. When the Comforter is come whom I will send unto you from the Father even the spirit of truth which proceedeth from the Father he shall testifie of me That he proceedeth from the Father is here expresly affirmed that hee proceedeth from the Sonne is by necessary consequence implyed because the Sonne is said to send him as John 14. 26. The Father is said to send him in the Sonnes name by which sending the order of the persons of the Trinity is evidently designed because the Sonne is of the Father and the Father is not of the Sonne therefore we find in Scripture that the Father sendeth his Sonne but never that the Sonne sendeth his Father In like manner because the Holy Ghost proceedeth from the Father and from the Son we find that both the Father and the Son doe send the Holy Ghost but never that the Holy Ghost doth send either Father or Sonne Secondly John 16. 15. the Sonne saith of the Holy Ghost all things that the Father hath are mine therefore said I that he shall take of mine and shall shew it unto you All things that the Father hath the Sonne receiveth from him as coming from him and so whatsoever the Holy Ghost hath he hath it not of himselfe vers 13. but from the Sonne and so from the Father as a person proceeding as well from the one as from the other Thirdly Gal. 4. 6. God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Sonne into your hearts As the Holy Ghost is called the Spirit of the Father Esa. 48. 16. The Lord and his Spirit hath sent me so is he here also called the Spirit of the Son and Rom. 8. 9. the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ. Now if the spirit of man in whom there is no perfection be all one with man much more the Spirit of the Father is all one with the Father and the Spirit of the Sonne is all one with the Sonne and so the Holy Ghost with the Father and the Sonne is the same in deity dignity eternity operation and will Why is the third Person called the Spirit Not onely because he is a spirituall that is an immateriall and pure essence for so likewise is the Father a Spirit and the Sonne as well as he but first in regard of his person because he is spired and as it were breathed both from the Father and the Sonne that is to say proceedeth from them both Secondly in regard of the creatures because the Father and the Sonne doe work by the Spirit who is as it were the breath of grace which the Father and the Sonne breatheth out upon the Saints blowing freely where it listeth and working spiritually for manner means and matter where it pleaseth John 20. 22. Psal. 33. 6. John 3. 8. Acts 2. 2 3 4. 1 Cor. 2. 12 13. Why is he called the Holy Ghost Not onely because of his essentiall holinesse as God for so the Father and the Sonne also are infinitely holy as he but because he is the authour and worker of all holinesse in men and the sanctifier of Gods children Why doth not the Father and the Sonne sanctifie also Yes verily but they doe it by him and because he doth immediately sanctify therefore he hath the title of Holy What other titles are given unto him in the word of God The Holy Ghost who is the Spirit of the Father speaking in the old Testament hath these names and properties First the good Spirit because he is the fountain of goodnesse Psal. 143. 10. Secondly the Spirit of God because he is God 1 Sam. 11. 6. Thirdly the finger of God because God worketh by him as a man by his hand Luke 11. 20. Fourthly the Comforter because he strengthneth the weak hearts of his Saints John 20. 26. Fiftly the spirit of Adoption because he assureth our hearts that we be the adopted Saints of God Rom. 8. 15. Sixtly the spirit of love power sobriety wisdome c. because it worketh all these things in us 2 Tim. 1. 6 7. Esa. 11. 2. What are the speciall comforts which the children of God receive from the holy Ghost He is in their hearts the pledge of Christs presence Ioh. 14. 16 17 18. 26. The witnesse of their Adoption Rom. 8. 15 16. The guide of their life Joh. 16. 13. The comforter of their soule Joh. 14. 26. 15. 26. 16. 13. The seale of their Redemption Eph. 1. 13. 4. 30. And the first fruits of their salvation Rom. 8. 23. But how are you assured that you have the Spirit Because it hath convinced my judgement Joh. 16. 18. converted my soul Act. 26. 18. Esa. 61. 1. and having mixed the word with my faith Heb. 4. 2. it is become as life to quicken me Joh. 6. 63. as water to cleanse me Ezek. 36. 25. as oyle to cheer me Heb. 1. 9. as fire to melt and refine me Mat. 3. 11. And how may you keep the Spirit now you have it By nourishing the good motions and means of it 1 Thess. 5. 17 18. 20. being fearfull to grieve quench resist or molest it Eph. 4. 30. 1 Thess. 5. 19. Acts 7. 51. and carefull to be led by it and shew forth the fruits of it Rom. 8. 1. 14. Gal. 5. 18. 22. Thus much of the three Persons severally what now remaineth more to be spoken of the mystery of the Trinity To set down briefly what be the things common wherein the three Persons agree and what be the things proper to each of them whereby they are distinguished one from another What are the things wherein the three Persons doe communicate They are considered in regard either of themselves or of the creatures What are they in regard of themselves They agree one with another in nature beeing life time dignity glory or any thing pertaining to the divine Essence for in all these they are one and the same and consequently Co-essentiall Co-equall and Co-eternall What mean you when you say they be Co-essentiall That they be all the self-same substance or beeing having one individuall essence or deity common to them all and the self-same in them all VVhat mean you when you say they be Co-equall That as they agree in deity so they agree in dignity being of one state condition and degree and the one having as great excellency and Majesty every way as the other therefore their honour and worship is equall and alike and one of them is not greater nor more glorious then another John 5. 18. 23. Apoc. 5. 12 13. What mean you when you say that they be Co-eternall That one was not before another in time but that one hath been of as long continuance as another and all of them have been and shall be forever as being all of one self-same everlasting continuance How prove you this John 1. 1. In the beginning was the word c. and at that

time the three Persons spake Gen. 1. 26 Let us make man c. Heb. 13. 8. Jesus Christ yesterday to day and the same for ever How can there be this equality betwixt the three Persons of the Trinity seeing the Father is the first the Sonne the second the Holy Ghost the third Because every one of them is perfect God who is infinite eternall and incomprehensible Have they all three one will likewise They have and therefore they will all one and the same thing without any crossing contradiction or varying in themselves as the Sonne himselfe said John 8. 29. I doe alwayes those things that please him viz. the Father Is there nothing else to be said of the Communion of the three Persons betwixt themselves Yes that first one is in another and possesseth one another the Father remaineth with the Sonne the Sonne with the Father the Holy Ghost in and with them both Prov. 8. 22. John 1. 1. 14. 10. 14. 20. They have glory one of another from all eternity John 17. 5. They delight one in another and infinitely rejoyce in one anothers fellowship the Sonne being the delight of his Father the Father of the Sonne and the Holy Ghost of both Prov. 8. 30. What things have they common in regard of the creatures All outward actions as to decree to create to order govern and direct to redeem to sanctifie are equally common to the three Persons of the Trinity for as they are all one in nature and will so must they be also one in operation all of them working one and the same thing together Gen. 1. 26. John 5. 17. 19. What are the things proper to each of them They likewise are partly in regard of themselves and partly of the creatures whereby the distinction of them is conceived partly in relation and order of subsistence betwixt themselves and partly in order and manner of working in the creatures What things are proper to each of them in regard of themselves First in manner and order of beeing the Father is the first Person having his beeing from himself alone and is the fountaine of beeing to the other Persons the Sonne is the second having his beeing from the Father alone and in that respect is called the Light the Wisdom the Word and the Image of the Father The Holy Ghost is the third having his beeing from them both and in that respect is called the Spirit of God of the Father and of Christ. Secondly in their inward actions and properties the Father alone begetteth and so in relation to the second Person is called the Father the Sonne is of the Father alone begotten the Holy Ghost doth proceed both from the Father and the Sonne What is proper to each of them in regard of the creatures First the originall of the action is ascribed to the Father John 5. 17. 19. the wisdome and manner of working to the Sonne John 1. 3. Heb. 1. 2. the efficacy of operation to the Holy Ghost Gen. 1. 2. 1 Cor. 12. 11. Secondly the Father worketh all things of himselfe in the Sonne by the Holy Ghost the Sonne worketh from the Father by the Holy Ghost the Holy Ghost worketh from the Father and the Sonne Having spoken of the first part of Divinity which is of the nature of God it followeth that we speak of his Kingdome which is the second What is the Kingdom of God His universall dominion over all creatures whereby he dispenseth all things externally according to his own wisdome will and power or an everlasting Kingdome appointed and ruled by the counsell of his own will Luke 1. 33. Esa. 9. 7. Dan. 2. 44. Es. 40. 13. Psal. 99. 1. 115. 3. Rom. 11. 34 35 36. Eph. 1. 11. Esa. 44. 24. 45. 27. Wherewith doth he reign and rule Principally by his own powerfull Spirit which none can resist What end doth he propound unto himselfe in his Kingdome His own glory Rom. 11. 36. Psal. 97. 6. Esa. 48. 11. Eph. 1. 12. 14. What is that about which his Kingdome is occupied All things visible and invisible When shall it end Never either in this world or in the world to come Psal. 145. 13. What manner of Kingdome is it A righteous Kingdom Psal. 45. 6 7. 97. 2. What instructions are you to gather out of the doctrine of the Kingdome of God They are expressed in the 99. Psalme in the beginning whereof the Prophet speaketh in this manner 1. The Lord reigneth which teacheth us that God alone hath and exerciseth soveraign and absolute Empire over all and that he admitteth no fellow-governour with him Let the people tremble shewing that all nations and sorts of people should tremble forasmuch as he alone is able to save and to destroy for if men tremble under the Regiment and Kingly rule of men how much more ought they to tremble under the powerfull Kingdome of God which hath more power over them then they have over their Subjects This trembling doth it stand onely in feare No but in reverence also that that which we comprehend not in this Kingdome with our reason we reverence and adore What learn you thereby That we submit our selves to his Kingdome erected amongst us That we presume to know nothing but that he teacheth us to will nothing but what he biddeth us to love hate feare and affect nothing but what he requireth What doth follow in this 99. Psalme Vers. 1 2. He sitteth between the Cherubims let the earth be moved the Lord is great in Sion and he is high above all the people Whence we learn that although all the world roare and fret yet we should not feare because the Lord is greater Ps. 39. 1. 4. 97. 1. Vers. 3. They shall praise thy great and fearfull name for it is holy which sheweth that God ought to be magnified because he is great and fearfull and yet holy and holinesse it selfe Ver. 4. The Kings strength also loveth Judgment Thou dost establish Equity Thou executest Judgement and Righteousnesse in Jacob whereby we learn this comfort from Gods reigning that when we are wronged and oppressed by tyranny of men we may have our recourse to the just and righteous Judgment of God which is the righteous Judge of the world Eccl. 5. 7 8. Vers. 5. Exalt ye the Lord our God c. out of the might and Majesty and holinesse of the Lord we should learn to extoll him with praises Ps. 145. 11 12. Seeing God is without beginning what did he in that infinite space which was ere the world was made it being unbeseeming the Majesty of God to be idle and unoccupied all that time It behoveth us to think that he did things agreeable to his divine nature but we should be evill occupied in the search of them further then himselfe hath made them known which made an ancient Father to give this answer to a curious inquirer of Gods doings before he made the world That he was making

himself he can doe nothing but sin Jer. 13. 23. neither is there any thing pure unto him Tit. 1. 15. What is Originall sin It is a sin wherewith all that naturally descend from Adam are defiled even from their first conception infecting all the powers of their souls and bodies and thereby making them drudges and slaves of sin for it is the immediate effect of Adams first sin and the principall cause of all other sins How is this sin noted out unto us In that other sinnes have their speciall names whereas this is properly called sinne because it is the puddle and sinke of other sinnes and for that also the more it is pressed the more it bursteth forth as mighty streams are that cannot be stopped till God by his holy Spirit restrain it Wherein doth it specially consist Not only in the deprivation of justice and absence of good but also in a continuall presence of an evill principle and wicked property whereby we are naturally inclined to unrighteousnesse and made prone unto all evill Jam. 1. 14. Rom. 7. 21. 23. For it is the defacing of Gods Image consisting chiefly in wisdome and holiness whereof we are now deprived and the impression of the contrary image of Satan John 8. 41 c. called Concupiscence Rom. 7. 7. Jam. 1. 14. consisting first in an utter disability and enmity unto that which is good Rom. 7. 18. 8. 7. Secondly in pronenesse to all manner of evill Rom. 7. 14. which also every man hath at the first minute and moment of his conception contrary to the opinion of the Pelagians who teach that sinne commeth by imitation Is the Image of God wholly defaced in man No if we take it in a large acception For man remaineth still a reasonable creature and capable of grace having the same parts and faculties he had before and in them some reliques of Gods Image Gen. 9. 6. Jam. 3. 9. As in the understanding some light John 1. 9. in the conscience sometimes right judgement Rom. 2. 15. in the will some liberty to good and evill in naturall and civill actions Rom. 2. 14. and freedome in all things from compulsion c. Is there not a power left in man whereby he may recover his former happinesse Man hath still power to perform all outward actions but not to change himselfe untill he be changed by the grace of God Is man then able to perform the Law of God perfectly They that are not born again of God cannot keep it all nor in any one point as pleasing to God thereby in respect of themselves For except a man bee borne of God hee cannot see the Kingdome of heaven nor enter therein neither can he keep the Commandements of God Moreover all men by nature being conceived and born in sinne are not onely insufficient to every good thing but also disposed to all vice and wickednesse Can man in this estate doe no good thing to please God to deserve at least something of his favour We have lost by this sinne all the righteousnesse we had in our creation so as now if God should say to us Think but a good thought of thy selfe and thou shalt be saved we cannot but our nature is as a stinking puddle which within it selfe is loathsome and being moved is worse But doth not God wrong to man to require of him that he is not able to performe No for God made man so that he might have performed it but he by his sins spoiled himselfe and his posterity of those good gifts Is this corruption of nature in all the children of Adam Yea in all and every one that are meer men none excepted Rom. 3. 10. 5. 15. All children since Adams fall being begotten in it Ps. 51. 5. How then doth the Apostle say that holy parents beget holy children Parents beget children as they are by nature not as they are by grace How is originall sin propagated and derived from the Father to the Sonne Wee are not to bee so curious in seeking the manner how as to marke the matter to bee in us even as when a house is on fire men should not be so busie to enquire how it came as seeing it there to quench it But this we may safely say that what effect the committing of the first sinne wrought in the soule of Adam the same it doth by the imputation of it work in the soules of his posterity as therefore the committall of that sin left a staine behind it in his nature being like a drop of poyson that being once taken in presently infecteth the soundest parts or like the dead flye that marreth the most precious ointment of the Apothecary so in the creation and infusion of our soules into our bodies God justly imputed the same transgression unto us the same corruption of nature as the just punishment of that sin must ensue in the like manner Hath this inbred sin wherein every one is conceived equally polluted all men Yes though not altogether alike for disposition and motion to evill for experience teacheth us that some are by nature more milde courteous and gentle then others which difference notwithstanding is not so much in the natures of men as in the Lord who represseth these sins in some which he suffereth to rise up in others In what part of our nature doth this our corruption abide In the whole man from the top to the toe and every part both of body and soule Gen. 6. 5. 1 Thess. 5. 23. Like unto a leprosie that runneth from the crowne of the head to the sole of the foot but chiefly it is the corruption of the five faculties of the soule which are thereby deprived of that holinesse wherein God created them in Adam Is not the substance of the soule corrupted by this sinne No but the faculties onely depraved and deprived of originall holinesse For first the soule should otherwise be mortall and corruptible Secondly our Saviour took our nature upon him without this corruption To come then to the speciall corruptions of the five faculties of the soul. Then first how this sin is discerned in the Vnderstanding The mind of man is become subject to blindnesse in heavenly matters First Darknesse and ignorance of God of his will and of his creatures 1 Cor. 2. 14. Eph. 4. 17 18 19. Rom. 8. 5. Secondly uncapablenesse unablenesse and unwillingnesse to learn though a man be taught Rom. 8. 7. Luk. 24. 45. Thirdly unbeleefe and doubting of the truth of God taught and conceived by us Fourthly vanity falshood and error to the embracing whereof mans nature hath great pronenesse Esa. 44. 20. Jer. 4. 22. Prov. 14. 12. 16. 25. What use make you of this corruption of the understanding That the originall and seeds of all heresies and errors are in mans heart naturally without a teacher and therefore we should distrust our own knowledge to lead us in the matters of God and Religion and

above and his Israel lying here below are conjoyned together and the onely ladder vvhereby Heaven may bee scaled by us is the Son of man the type of whose flesh the veile vvas therefore commanded to bee made vvith Cherubims to shevv that wee come to an innumerable company of Angels when wee come to Jesus the Mediatour of the New Testament who as the Head of the Church hath power to send forth all those ministring spirits to minister for them who shall bee Heirs of salvation Lastly wee are to take into our consideration that as in things concerning God the main execution of our Saviours Priesthood doth consist so in things concerning man hee exerciseth both his Propheticall Office whereby hee openeth the will of his Father unto us and his Kingly whereby hee ruleth and protecteth us It was indeed a part of the Priests office in the Old Testament to instruct the people in the Law of God and yet were they distinguished from Prophets like as in the New Testament also Prophets as well as Apostles are made a different degree from ordinary Pastours and Teachers who received not their doctrine by immediate inspiration from Heaven as those other Holy men of God did who spake as they were moved by the holy Ghost Whence S. Paul putteth the Hebrews in minde that God who in sundry parts and in sundry manners spake in time past unto the Fathers by the Prophets hath in these last dayes spoken unto us by his Son Christ Jesus whom therefore hee stileth the Apostle as vvell as the High Priest of our profession who was faithfull to him that appointed him even as Moses was in all his house Now Moses wee know had a singular preheminence above all the rest of the Prophets according to that ample testimony which God himself giveth of him If there bee a Prophet among you I the Lord will make my self known unto him in a vision and will speak unto him in a dream My servant Moses is not so who is faithfull in all mine house with him will I speak mouth to mouth even aparently and not in dark speeches and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold And therefore wee finde that our Mediatour in the execution of his Propheticall office is in a more peculiar manner likened unto Moses which hee himself also did thus foretell The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee of thy Brethren like unto mee unto him yee shall hearken According to all that thou desiredst of the Lord thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly saying Let mee not heare again the voyce of the Lord my God neither let mee see this great fire any more that I dye not And the Lord said unto mee They have well spoken that which they have spoken I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren like unto thee and will put my words in his mouth and hee shall speak unto them all that I shall command him And it shall come to passe that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which hee shall speak in my Name I will require it of him Our Prophet therefore must bee a Man raised from among his Brethren the Israelites of whom as concerning the flesh hee came who was to perform unto us that which the Fathers requested of Moses Speak thou to us and wee will heare but let not God speak with us lest wee die And yet that in this also wee may see how our Mediatour had the preheminence when Aaron and all the children of Israel were to receive from the mouth of Moses all that the Lord had spoken with him in Mount Sinai they were afraid to come nigh him by reason of the glory of his shining countenance so that hee was fain to put a vaile over his face while hee spake unto them that which hee was commanded But that which for a time was thus made glorious had no glory in respect of the glory that excelleth and both the glory thereof and the vaile which covered it are now abolished in Christ the vaile of whose flesh doth so overshadow the brightnesse of his glory that yet under it wee may behold his glory as the glory of the onely begotten of the Father yea and wee all with open face beholding as in a glasse the glory of the Lord are changed into the same Image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord. And this is daily effected by the power of the Ministery of the Gospel instituted by the authority and seconded by the power of this our great Prophet whose transcendent excellency beyond Moses unto whom in the execution of that function hee was otherwise likened is thus set forth by the Apostle Hee is counted worthy of more glory then Moses in as much as hee who hath builded the house hath more honour then the house For every house is builded by some one but hee that built all things is God And Moses verily was faithfull in all his house as a servant for a testimony of those things which were to bee spoken after but Christ as the Son over his own house This house of God is no other then the Church of the living God whereof as hee is the onely Lord so is hee also properly the onely Builder Christ therefore being both the Lord and the Builder of his Church must bee God as well as Man which is the cause why wee finde all the severall mansions of this great house to carry the title indifferently of the Churches of God and the Churches of Christ. True it is that there are other ministeriall builders whom Christ employeth in that service this being not the least of those gifts which hee bestowed upon men at his Triumphant Ascension into Heaven that hee gave not onely ordinary Pastours and Teachers but Apostles likewise and Prophets and Evangelists for the perfecting of the Saints for the Work of the Ministery for the edifying of the body of Christ. Which what great power it required hee himself doth fully expresse in passing the graunt of this high Commission unto his Apostles All power is given unto mee in Heaven and in Earth Goe yee therefore and teach all Nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and lo I am with you alway even unto the end of the World Amen S. Paul professeth of himself that hee laboured more abundantly then all the rest of the Apostles yet not I saith hee but the grace of God which was with mee And therefore although according to that grace of God which was given unto him hee denyeth not but that as a wise Master-builder hee had laid the foundation yet hee acknowledgeth that they upon whom hee had

It should seeme by that speech that there are more powers in God then one That we may rightly understand what power is in God it were very requisite that we did first consider hovv many vvays this vvord Povver is taken in the Scriptures Declare then how or in what sense it is taken in the Scriptures In the Scripture this vvord Povver is taken tvvo vvays or in two senses sometimes for authority which is grounded upon law by which authority one may doe this or that if he be able to doe it sometimes it is taken for might and strength or ability to doe a thing if one hath authority to doe it and these are distinguished by two vvords amongst the Grecians and the Latins For vvhen the Grecians speak of power that signifieth authority and right Mat. 28. 18. then it is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when they take povver for strength then it is termed by them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 amongst the Latines being taken the first vvay it is called potestas being taken the second vvay that is for might or strength it is called potentia and in English vve call them both povver It seemeth by your speech that they are not onely distinguished but that they may also be separated the one from the other It is true for so they are as for example a King may have great force and strength and by his great povver he may be able to overthrow and destroy a vvhole Country or Kingdome over vvhich he hath no authority Again some King hath power that is authority over his rebels and yet hath not power that is strength enough to subdue them so some perhaps have might and strength enough to govern and rule another mans wife another mans children or another mans servant over which he hath no power that is authority And again fathers have authority over their own children all husbands over their own wives and all masters over their own servants and yet all have not power that is strength and ability to rule them I perceive by this which you have said that in creatures these two may be separated one from the other and many times are but what are they in God In God they are not divided but distinguished for he hath all power that is all authority over all things and he hath all power that is all strength force might and ability to doe all things with all things at his good pleasure and this power is not given him but he hath it in himself and of himself most perfectly absolutely and eternally But of what power doe we speak when we say that God is almighty whether doe you mean his right and authority or his strength and ability or both Both are in God essentially but when the Scripture speaketh of Gods omnipotency it meaneth and so doe we his strength and ability whereby he is able to doe whatsoever he will not excluding his right If all power or might be in God tell me how manifold is this power which is attributed to God in the Scriptures To speak simply the power of God is but onely one and a most simple and single thing which is his essence and substance yet for divers respects it is said to be manifold and it may be considered tvvo wayes As it worketh always and can work in God himself for God in himself doth always understand will love c. As it worketh out of God himself in the creatures as when he created all things and doth now work in governing all things and can work if it please him infinite things and of this vvorking of Gods power do the Scriptures properly speak when they call God almighty How many ways may Gods power be considered as it worketh in himselfe Two ways First as it is common to all the three Persons in the Trinity that is a power whereby God the Father the Son and the holy Ghost doth understand himself love himself and work in himself and these actions doe not differ from the essence of God for that in God there is nothing which is not his substance Secondly the other working in God himself is that by which the Father doth beget eternally a Son of his own nature and substance equall to himself and this power of begetting the Son of God is proper onely to the Father and not to the Son and holy Ghost How many ways do you consider the power of God working out of himselfe That power which hath relation or respect to things created is twofold the first is a power absolute whereby he is able to doe whatsoever he will the other is a power actuall whereby he doth indeed whatsoever he will Where doth the Scripture speak of the absolute power of God by which he can doe more then he doth if he would Yea of such a power speaketh our Saviour Christ I could pray to my Father and he could give me more then twelve Legions of Angels but he would not ask it and his Father would not give it see Mat. 26. 53. Phil. 3. 21. How doth the Scripture speak of Gods actuall power Of this power the Prophets and Apostles make mention when they join his power and his promises together that is when they say he is not onely able to perform but doth and will perform indeed whatsoever he hath promised and of this power Paul doth speak when he saith That God will have mercy upon whom he will and every where in the Scriptures we read that God hath done what he would given to whom he would whereby we see that God could and can doe more then he would or will Psal. 135. 6. How great is this working or mighty power of God It must needs be high and very great for it is infinite hath no end Declare how it is infinite It is infinite two ways or in two respects First in it self and of it self it is infinite Secondly as it is extended to the creatures which may be called the object of Gods power it is also infinite Why doe you say it is infinite in it self or of the own nature Because the power of God is nothing else but his divine essence and the essence of God is of his own nature by it self and of it self infinite Shew how Gods power is infinite as it is extended to the creatures Because the power of God doth extend it self to infinite things therefore we say that it infinite Declare how that is I mean the things which God can perform or bring to passe by his power are infinite and therefore his power is infinite for God never made so many nor so great things but he could have made more and greater if he would as for example he adorned the Firmament with an innumerable company of Stars and yet he could have decked it with more and to speak in a word God can always perform infinite things more then he doth if he will and therefore both in it self and out of

mercy in God doth spring out of his free love towards us Why doe you say out of the free love of God are there more loves in God then one There are two kinds of love in God one is wherewith the Father loveth the Son and the Son the Father and which the holy Ghost beareth towards both the Father and the Son and this love I call the naturall love of God so that the one cannot but love the other but the love wherewith he loveth us is voluntary not being constrained thereunto and therefore is called the free love of God and thereof it commeth to passe that mercy is also wholly free that is without reward or hope of recompence and excludeth all merit How prove you that the mercy of God ariseth out of his love That the love of God is the cause of his mercy it is manifest in the Scriptures 1 Tim. 1. 2. Paul saluteth Timothy in this order Grace mercy and peace from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ to shew that that peace which the world cannot give the mercy of God is the cause of it and the cause of his mercy is his grace and his grace is nothing else but his free favour and love towards us The same order doth Paul observe in Titus 3. 4 5. where he saith when the goodnesse and love of God our Saviour appeareth not by the works of righteousnesse which we had done but according to his mercy he saved us First he sets down the goodnesse of God as the cause of his love Secondly his love as the cause of his mercy And thirdly his mercy as the cause of our salvation and our salvation as the effect of all and therefore there is nothing in us which may move the Lord to shew mercy upon us but only because he is goodnesse it self by nature and to this doth the Psalmist bear witnesse Psal. 100. 5. saying that the Lord is good his mercy is everlasting and his truth is from generation to generation Towards whom is the mercy of God extended or shewed For the opening of this point we are to consider that the mercy of God is twofold First generall Secondly speciall God as a God doth shew mercy generally upon all his creatures being in misery and chiefly to men whether they be just or unjust Psal. 140. 147. and so doth succour them either immediately by himself or else mediately by creatures as by Angels or Men by the Heavens by the Elements and by other living creatures and this generall mercy of God is not extended to the eternall salvation of all but is only temporary and for a while Of this read Luk. 6. 36. What say you to the speciall mercy of God That I call the speciall mercy of God which God as a most free God hath shewed to whom he would and denyed to whom he would and this pertaineth only to the elect and those which fear him Psal. 103. 11. for he sheweth mercy upon them to their eternall salvation and that most constantly while he doth effectually call them unto himself while he doth freely and truly pardon their sins and justifie them in the bloud of the Lamb Jesus Christ while he doth sanctifie them with his grace and doth glorifie them in eternall life and of this speciall mercy we may read in Eph. 2. 4 5 6. How great is the mercy of God It is so great that it cannot be expressed nor conceived of us and that is proved by these Scriptures following Ps. 145. 9. James 2. 13. 1 Cor. 11. 32. Psal. 57 10. How long doth the mercy of God continue towards us Although the mercy of God be great and infinite in Christ yet for that mercy which pardoneth our sins and calleth us to faith and repentance by the Gospel there is no place after death but onely while we live in this world which is warranted by these places ensuing Gal. 6. 10. Let us doe good whilest we have time to shew that a time will come when we shall not be able to doe good Apoc. 7. 17. Be faithfull unto the death and I will give thee a Crown of life to shew that the time which is given unto death is a time of repentance and of exercising of faith and of works but after death there is no time but to receive either an immortall Crown if we have been faithfull or everlasting shame if we have been unfaithfull Besides these see Apoc. 14. 13. Mark 9. 45. Esa. ult 24. Luk. 16. 24 25 26. Mat. 15. 11 12. John 9. 4. What uses may we make of Gods mercies First it serveth to humble us for the greater mercy is in God the greater misery is in us Secondly we must attribute our whole salvation unto his mercy Thirdly we must flee to God in all our troubles with most sure confidence Fourthly we must not abuse it to the liberty of the flesh to sin although we might find mercy with God after death for the mercy of God specially appertains to those that fear him Psal. 103. 11. Fiftly the meditation of Gods mercies towards us should make us to love God Psa. 116. 1. Luk. 7. 47. fear God Psa. 130. 4. praise God Ps. 86. 12 13. 103. 2 3 4. Sixtly it must make us mercifull one to another Luk. 6. 36. Matth. 18. 32 33. What is the justice of God It is an essentiall property in God whereby he is infinitely just in himself of himself for from by himself alone and none other Psalm 11. 7. What is the rule of this justice His own free will and nothing else for whatsoever he willeth is just and because he willeth it therefore it is just not because it is just therefore he willeth it Eph. 1. 11. Psal. 115. 3. Mat. 20. 15. which also may be applied to the other properties of God Explain this more particularly I say that God doth not always a thing because it is just but therefore any thing is just that is just because God will have it so and yet his will is joyned with his wisdome as for example Abraham did judge it a most just and righteous thing to kill his innocent son not by the law for that did forbid him but only because he did understand it was the speciall will of God and he knew that the will of God was not only just but also the rule of all righteousnesse That wee may the better understand this attribute declare unto mee how many manner of wayes one may be just or righteous Three manner of ways either by nature or by grace or by perfect obedience How many ways may one be just by nature Two ways First by himself and of himself in his own essence and beeing thus we say that in respect of this essentiall righteousnesse there is none just but God onely as Christ saith none is good but God only Secondly derivatively by the benefit of another to be either made righteous or born just and in

In generall a person is one particular thing indivisible incommunicable living reasonable subsisting in it selfe not having part of another Shew me the reason of the particular branches of this definition I say that a person is first one particular thing because no generall notion is a person Indivisible because a person may not be divided into many parts Incommunicable because though one may communicate his nature with one he cannot communicate his person-ship with another Living and reasonable because no dead or unreasonable thing can be a person Subsisting in it self to exclude the humanity of Christ from being a person Not having part of another to exclude the soule of man separated from the body from being a person What is a person in the Trinity It is whole God not simply or absolutely considered but by way of some personall proprieties it is a manner of being in the God-head or a distinct substance not a quality as some have wickedly imagined for no quality can cleave to the God-head having the whole God-head in it Joh. 11. 22. 14. 9. 16. 15. 1. 17. 21. Col. 2. 3. 9. In what respect are they called Persons Because they have proper things to distinguish them How is this distinction made It is not in nature but in relation and order Declare then the order of the persons of the blessed Trinity The first in order is the Father then those that come from the Father the Sonne who is the second and the holy Ghost who is the third person in Trinity How are these three distinguished by order and relation The Father is of himself alone and of no other the Son is of the Father alone begotten the holy Ghost is of the Father and the Son proceeding and the Father is called a Father in respect of the Son the Son in respect of the Father the holy Ghost in respect that he proceedeth from the Father and the Son but the one is not the other as the fountain is not the stream nor the stream the fountain but are so called one in respect of another and yet all but one water What then is the Father The first person of the Trinity who hath his beeing and foundation of personall subsistence from none other and hath by communication of his essence eternally begotten his only Son of himself Joh. 5. 27. 14. 11. 20. 17. Psal. 2. 7. Heb. 1. 3. How is it proved that the Father is God By expresse testimonies of the Scriptures and by reason drawn from the same What are those expresse testimonies John 17. 3. This is life everlasting to know thee to be the only God Rom. 1. 7. Grace and peace from God the Father Eph. 1. 3. Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ c. What are the reasons drawn from the word of God That we are bidden to pray to him Mat. 6. 6. 9. that he revealeth the mysteries Mat. 11. 25. 27. suffereth his Son to shine c. Mat. 5. 45. How is it shewed that he begat his Son of himself In that he is called the brightnesse of his glory and the engraven form of his person Heb. 1. 3. and in that his generation being from eternity there was no creature who might beget him In what respects is he called the Father 1t. In respect of his naturall Son Jesus Christ begotten of his own nature and substance Mat. 11. 27. 1 Joh. 1. 14. 1 Joh. 4. 14. whence he is called the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Eph. 1. 3. 2ly In respect of his adopted sonnes whom he hath chosen to be heirs of heaven through the mediation of his naturall Son Jesus Christ Ephes. 3. 14. John 1. 12. Rom. 8. 14 15. Mat. 6. 9. for as he is by nature the Father of Christ so is he by grace to us that beleeve our Father also What learn you from hence To honour and obey him as a Father and to be followers of God as dear children Mal. 1. 6. 1 Pet. 1. 14. Eph. 5. 1. What other names are given in the Scripture to the first Person The Father spake most commonly in the old Testament for in these last times he hath spoken by his Son and he is called by these names Jehovah that is I am that I am without beginning or ending Esa. 42. 8. Elohim that is mighty and strong Adonah that is Judge or in whose Judgement we rest Lord of Hosts because he hath Angels and men and all creatures at command to fight for him 1 Kings 19. 14. The God of Jacob or of Israel because he made a promise to Abraham that he would be his God and the God of his seed and the Israelites were the seed of Abraham Act. 3. 13. Hitherto of the Father doe the other Persons that are of the Father receive their essence or Godhead from him They doe for howsoever in this they agree with the Father that the essence which is in them is of it selfe uncreated and unbegotten yet herein lieth the distinction that the Father hath his essence in himself or originally and from none other the Son and the holy Ghost have the self-same uncreated and unbegotten essence in themselves as well as the Father otherwise they should have had no true Godhead but not from themselves Essentia Filii est à seipso hac ratione dici potest Autotheos persona tamen Filii non est à seipso ideoque non potest hac ratione dici Autotheos persona enim ejus genita est à Patre accipiendo ab eo essentiam ingenitam that is the essence of the Son is of himself and for this cause he may be said to be God of himself notwithstanding the person of the Son is not of himself and therefore for this cause he cannot be said to be God of himself for his person is begotten of the Father by receiving from him an unbegotten essence If these Persons that come from the Father have a beginning how can they be eternall They have no beginning of time or continuance but of order of subsistence and off-spring and that from all eternity Are you able to set down the manner of this eternall off-spring We find it not revealed touching the manner and therefore our ignorance herein is better then all their curiosity that have enterprized arrogantly the search hereof for if our own generation and frame in our mothers womb be above our capacity Ps. 139. 14 15. it is no marvell if the mystery of the eternall generation of the Son of God cannot be comprehended And if the winde which is but a creature be so hard to know that a man knoweth not from whence it commeth and whither it goeth John 3. 8. it is no marvell if the proceeding of the holy Ghost be unsearchable Thus much in generall touching the Persons which come from the Father Now in speciall what is the Son The second Person of the Trinity having the foundation of

personall subsistence from the Father alone of whom by communication of his essence he is begotten from all eternity Joh. 5. 26. Psalm 2. 7. Prov. 8. 22 c. Prov. 30. 4. What names are given unto him in this respect First the only begotten Son of God Joh. 1. 14. 3. 18. because he is only begotten of the nature and substance of the Father Secondly first-begotten Heb. 1. 6. Rom. 8. 29. not as though the Father begat any after but because he begat none before Thirdly the Image and brightnesse of his Fathers glory Heb. 1. 3. because the glory of the Father is expressed in the Son But why is he called the Word 1 Joh. 5. 7. John 1. 1. He is called the Word or speech for so doth Logos more properly signifie First because as speech is the birth of the mind so is the Son of his Father Secondly as a man revealeth the meaning of the heart by the words of his mouth so God revealeth his word by his Son Joh. 1. 18. Heb. 1. 2. Thirdly he is so often spoken of and promised in the Scriptures and is in a manner the whole subject of the Scriptures Joh. 1. 45. How prove you that the Son is God He is in the Scriptures expresly called God and Jehovah and likewise the essentiall properties the works actions of God are given to him Esa. 9. 6. 25. 9. Zach. 2. 10 11. Prov. 1. 22. Joh. 1. 1. 20. 28. Rom. 9. 5. Phil. 1. 6. Heb. 1. 8. 10. 1 John 5. 20. How doe you prove it by his Works His works were such as none could doe but God for he made the world which none could doe but God Heb. 2. 2. He forgave sins which none can doe but God Mat. 9. 2. He giveth the holy Ghost which none can do but God Joh. 15. 26. He maintaineth his Church which he could not doe if he were not God Eph. 4. 11 12. Can you prove the Son to be God by comparing the old Testament and the New together Yes for what the old Testament speaks of Jehovah which is God that the new Testament applieth to Christ as First David saith Jehovah went up on high and led Captivity captive Psal. 68. 16. Paul applieth it to Christ Eph. 4. 18. Secondly the Psalmist saith Jehovah was tempted Psalm 95. 9. which Paul applieth to Christ 1 Cor. 10. 9. Thirdly Esay saith Jehovah is the first and the last Psal. 41. 4. this is also applied to Christ Apoc. 21. 6. Fourthly Esay saith Jehovah will not give his glory to any other then to himself Esa. 42. 8. but it is given to Christ Heb. 1. 6. therefore Christ is Jehovah For the understanding of the generation of the Son shew me the divers manners of begetting There is two manners of begetting the one is carnall and outward and this is subject to corruption alteration and time the other is spirituall and inward as was the begetting of the Son of God in whose generation there is neither corruption alteration nor time Declare then after what manner this spirituall generation of the Son of God was and yet in sobriety according to the Scriptures For the better finding out of this mystery we must consider in God two things First that in God there is an understanding Psal. 139. 2. Secondly we must consider how this understanding is occupied in God Declare after what manner it is in God This understanding is his very beeing and is everlastingly and most perfectly occupied in God Whereupon doth Gods understanding work Upon nothing but it self and that I prove by reason for God being infinite and all in all it cannot meet with any thing but himself What work doth this understanding in God effect It doth understand and conceive it self for as in a glasse a man doth conceive and beget a perfect image of his own face so God in beholding and minding of himself doth in himself beget a most perfect and most lively image of himself which is that in the Trinity which we call the Son of God Where doe you finde that the Sonne is called the perfect Image of God Heb. 1. 3. He is called the brightnesse of his glory and the engraven form of his Person which is all one What mean you by engraven Image That as wax upon a seal hath the engraven forme of the seal so the Sonne of God which his Father hath begotten of his own understanding is the very form of his Fathers understanding so that when the one is seen the other is seen also Why then he is Vnderstanding it self for so is his Father Yea he is so and he saith so of himself I have Counsell and Wisdome I am Understanding Prov. 8. 14. But where finde you that he was begotten He saith so himself in the name of Wisdome in these words When there was no depths then was I begotten before the Mountains and Hils were setled was I begotten Prov. 8. 24 25. Yea he was made the Son of God when he was born of the Virgin Mary was he not He was indeed then the Son of God but he was not then made the Son of God When then was he made the Son of God He was never made in time for he was begotten of the substance of his Father from all eternity without beginning or ending How prove you that the Son of God was not made but begotten eternally of the substance of his Father I prove it first by scripture for he saith no lesse himself I was set up from everlasting from the beginning and before the earth Prov. 8. 23. and therefore he prayed that he might be glorified of his Father with the glory which he had with his Father before the world Secondly I prove it by reason for Gods understanding is everlasting therefore the second Person which it begetteth is so too for the Father in his understanding did not conceive any thing lesse then himself nor greater then himself but equall to himself Although the Sonne of God be from everlasting yet he is not all one with the Father is he Yes that he is and yet not joyned with his Father in heaven as two Judges that sit together on a Bench or as the seal and the wax as some doe grosly imagine but they are both one without parting John 10. 30. or mingling whereupon I conclude that whatsoever the Father is the Son is the same and so consequently that they be co-eternall co-equall and co-essentiall Men by reason doe conceive and beget reason what difference is there between the conceiving of understanding in men and the conceiving of understanding in God There is great difference for first this conceiving in men proceedeth of sense or outward imagination which is an outward thing for reason to work upon as wood is to fire but God the Father of himself begetteth and conceiveth himself and still in himself as John saith the only begotten Son which is in the bosome of the Father Joh. 1. 18.

mercy of God in Christ whereby grace reigneth unto life through the obedience of one which is Jesus Christ. Rom. 5. 21. For there being three persons of the Trinity the Father sent his Son to accomplish the work of our Redemption and both of them send the Holy Ghost to work saving grace in our hearts and apply unto our soules the holinesse purchased by the Son of God What is promised therein The favour of God and everlasting salvation with the means thereof as Christ and in him Conversion Justification and Sanctification What is the condition on mans part The gift being most free on Gods part nothing is required on mans part but the receiving of grace offered which is done in those that are of capacity by Faith in Christ John 1. 12. 14 15. Acts 16. 31. whence followeth new obedience whereby the faithfull walk worthy of the grace received and this also is by Gods grace What then is the summe of the Covenant of grace That God will be our God and give us life everlasting in Christ if we receive him being freely by his Father offered unto us Jer. 31. 33. Acts. 16. 30 31. John 1. 12. How doth this Covenant differ from that of works Much every way for first in many points the Law may be conceived by reason but the Gospell in all points is farre above the reach of mans reason Secondly the Law commandeth to doe good and giveth no strength but the Gospell enableth us to doe good the Holy Ghost writing the Law in our hearts Jer. 31. 33. and assuring us of the promise that revealeth this gift Thirdly the Law promised life onely the Gospell righteousnesse also Fourthly the Law required perfect obedience the Gospell the righteousnesse of Faith Rom. 3. 21. Fifthly the Law revealeth sin rebuketh us for it and leaveth us in it but the Gospell doth reveale unto us the remission of sins and freeth us from the punishment belonging thereunto Sixthly the Law is the ministery of wrath condemnation and death the Gospell is the ministery of grace Justification and life Seventhly the Law was grounded on mans own righteousnesse requiring of every man in his own person perfect obedience Deut. 27. 26. and in default for satisfaction everlasting punishment Ezek. 18. 14. Gal. 3. 10. 12. but the Gospell is grounded on the righteousnesse of Christ admitting payment and performance by another in behalfe of so many as receive it Gal. 3. 13 14. And thus this Covenant abolisheth not but is the accomplishment and establishment of the former Rom. 3. 31. 10. 4. Wherein doe they agree They agree in this that they be both of God and declare one kind of righteousnesse though they differ in offering it unto us What is that one kind of righteousnesse It is the perfect love of God and of our neighbour What thing doth follow upon this That the severe Law pronounceth all the faithfull righteous forasmuch as they have in Christ all that the Law doth aske But yet those remaine transgressors of the Law They are transgressors in themselves and yet righteous in Christ and in their inward man they love righteousnesse and hate sin What are we to consider in the Covenant of Grace The condition 1. Of the Mediatour 2. And then of the rest of mankind In the former consisteth the foundation of this Covenant The performance whereof dependeth on Christ Jesus Acts 10. 43. 3. 24. Rom. 1. 3. 4. To the latter belongeth the application thereof for salvation unto all that will receive it 2 Cor. 5. 20. Mat. 6. 33. When was the Mediatour given 1. If we regard Gods decree from all eternity Eph. 1. 4. 2. If the vertue and efficacie of his Mediation as soon as need was even from the beginning of the world Rev. 13. 8. 3. If his manifestation in the flesh in fulnesse of time Gal. 4. 4. 1 Tim. 2. 6. from whence we reckon now 1643. yeares Who is this Mediatour between God and man Jesus Luk. 2. 11. Mat. 1. 21. 1 Tim. 2. 5. the Son of the Virgin Mary the promised Messias or Christ whom the Fathers expected the Prophets foretold John 1. 45. 8. 56. Whose life death Resurrection Ascension the Evangelists describe Joh. 1. 1. Act. 1. 1. Whose word preached unto this day subdueth the world 1 Tim. 3. 16. 2 Cor. 10. 4. 5. Finally whom wee look for from heaven to bee the Judge of quick and dead Acts 10. 42. What doe the Scriptures teach us touching Christ our Mediatour Two things first his person Joh. 1. 14. 3. 33. Secondly his office Esa. 61. 1 2. Luk. 4. 18. What is his Person The second Person in the Godhead made man John 1. 14. What have we to consider herein First the distinction of the two natures Secondly the hypostaticall or personall union of both into one Immanuell What be those two natures thus wonderfully united in one person First his divine nature or Godhead which maketh the person Secondly his humane nature or Manhood which subsisteth and hath his existence in the person of the Godhead and so we beleeve our Saviour to be both the Son of God and the son of man Gal. 4. 4. Luk. 1. 31 32. Rom. 1. 3 4. 9. 5. 1 Tim. 3. 16. Mat. 26. 24. What say you of him touching his Godhead I beleeve that he is the only begotten Son of the most high and eternall God his Father His Word Wisdome Character and Image begotten of his substance before all worlds God of God Light of Light very God of very God begotten not made finally God coessentiall coeternall and coequall with the Father and the Holy Ghost Why call you him the onely begotten Sonne of God Because he is the alone Son of God by nature even the onely begotten of the Father full of grace and truth John 1. 14. 3. 18. For though others be the Sons of God by Creation as Adam was and the Angels Job 1. 6. Others by Adoption and Regeneration as the Saints and the man Christ Jesus in another respect by hypostaticall union yet none is his Son by naturall generation but the same Christ Jesus and that in regard of his Godhead not of his Manhood according to the Apostle who saith that he is without Father according to his Manhood and without Mother according to his Godhead Heb. 7. 3. But it seemeth that he is called the Sonne of God in respect of the generation of his humane nature wherein it is said that the Holy Ghost did that which Fathers doe in the naturall generation especially seeing he is therefore said to be the Sonne of the Highest Luk. 1. 35. He is the naturall Sonne of God onely in regard of the eternall generation otherwise there should be two Sonnes one of the Father and another of the Holy Ghost but he is therefore called the Sonne of the Highest for that none could be so conceived by the Holy Ghost but he that is the

naturall Son of God How is he said to be conceived by the Holy Ghost Because the holy Ghost by his incomprehensible power wrought his conception supernaturally which Fathers doe naturally in the begetting of their children not that any of the substance of the Holy Ghost which is indivisible came to his generation in the womb of the Virgin Why is he called the Word John 1. 1. As for other reasons declared in the doctrine of the Trinity so also because he is he whom the Father promised to Adam Abraham and all the holy Patriarchs to make his promises of salvation sure unto them as a man that hath ones word thinketh himself sure of the matter that is promised Why is the Word said to have been in the beginning Joh. 1. 1. Not because he began then to be but that then he was and therefore is from all eternity What gather you of this that he is the Wisdome of God That our Saviour is from everlasting as wel as his Father for it were an horrible thing to think that there were a time when God wanted Wisdome Why is he called the Character or Image of his Father Because God by him hath made himselfe manifest to the world in the Creation and especially in the Redemption of it What learn you from hence That whosoever seeketh to come to the knowledge of God must come to it by Christ. How is the Godhead of Christ proved Not onely by abundant testimonies of Scripture Esa. 7. 14. 9. 6. 25. 9. John 1. 1. 20. 28. Rom. 9. 5. 1 Joh. 5. 20. But also by his miracles especially in the raising of himselfe from death Rom. 1. 4. together with the continuance and conquest of the Gospell Acts 5. 39. and that not by carnall power or policie but onely by the power of his Spirit Zach. 4. 6. and patient suffering of his Saints Rev. 12. 11. Why was it requisite that our Saviour should be God Because first none can satisfie for sin nor be a Saviour of soules but God alone Psal. 49. 7. 1. Thess. 1. 10. For no creature though never so good is worthy to redeem another mans sin which deserveth everlasting punishment Secondly the satisfaction for our sins must be infinitely meritorious otherwise it cannot satisfie the infinite wrath of God that was offended therefore that the work of our Redemption might be such it was necessary our Saviour should be God to the end his obedience and sufferings might bee of an infinite price and worth Acts 20. 28. Heb. 9. 14. Thirdly No finite creature was able to abide and overcome the infinite wrath of God and the sufferings due unto us for our sins Therefore must our Saviour be God that he might abide the burthen of Gods wrath in his flesh sustaining and upholding the man-hood by his divine power and so might get again and restore to us the righteousnesse and life which we have lost Fourthly our Saviour must vanquish all the enemies of our salvation and overcome Satan Hell Death and Damnation which no creature could ever doe Rom. 1. 4. Heb. 2. 14. Fifthly he must also give efficacie to his satisfaction raising us up from the death of sin and putting us in possession of eternall life Sixthly he must give us his Spirit and by it seale these graces to our soules and renew our corrupt nature which only God can doe What comfort have we then by this that Christ is God Hereby we are sure that he is able to save by reconciling us to the Father And what by this that he is the Sonne That uniting us unto himselfe he may make us children unto his heavenly Father Heb. 2. 10. Being God before all worlds how became he man He took to himselfe a true body and a reasonable soule being conceived in time by the Holy Ghost and born of the Virgin MARY Heb. 1. 6. Joh. 1. 14. Matth. 1. 18. 20. Luk. 1. 31 32. 2. 7. and so became very man like unto us in all things even in our infirmities sin onely excepted Heb. 5. 7. In which respect he hath the name of the Sonne of man given unto him Matth. 26. 24. because he was of the nature of man according to the flesh and the Sonne of David Mat. 9. 27. because he sprang of the linage and stock of David How doth it appeare that he was true man Besides manifold predictions and cleare testimonies of Scripture Gen. 3. 15. Heb. 2. 17. 1 Tim. 2. 5 c. it is abundantly proved by plentifull experiments especially by his partaking of humane infirmities his Conception Birth Life and Death 1 Pet. 3. 18. Joh. 4. 6 7. Luk. 1. 31. 2. 7. Heb. 2. 9. 14 15. How by his Conception Because according to the flesh he was made of a woman and formed of her onely substance she continuing still a pure Virgin by the power of the most High Rom. 1. 3. Gal. 4. 4. Luk. 1. 34 35. Why is he said to be born Mat. 2. 1. To assure us of his true humanity even by his infancie and infirmitie Luk. 2. 7. Why was he born of a Virgin Luk. 1. 27. That he might be holy and without sin the naturall course of originall corruption being prevented because he came not by naturall propagation What learn you from hence That God is faithful as well as merciful ever making good his word by his work in due season Luk. 1. 20. 45. Act. 3. 18. 24. Why is there mention of the Virgin by her name Mary Luc. 1. 27. For more certainty of his birth and linage Mat. 1. 16. Heb. 7. 14. 2 Tim. 2. 8. as also to acquaint us with his great humility in so great poverty Luk. 2. 24. compared with Lev. 12. 8. What gather you from hence The marvellous grace of Christ who being rich for our sakes became poor that we through his poverty might be made rich 2 Cor. 8. 9. Did he not passe through the Virgin Mary as some say like as saffron passeth through a bag and water through a Pipe or Conduit God forbid he was made of the seed of David and was a plant of the root of Jesse for he took humane nature of the Virgin and so the Word was made flesh If he was only made flesh it would seem that the Godhead served instead of a soul unto him Flesh is here taken according to the use of Scripture for the whole man both body and soul otherwise our Saviour should not have been a perfect man and our souls must have perished everlastingly except his soul had satisfied for them Was not the Godhead turned into flesh seeing it is said he was made flesh In no wise no more then he was turned into sin or into a curse because it is said He was made sin and made a curse for us 2 Cor. 5. 21. Gal. 3. 13. If the Godhead be not changed into the Manhood is it not at least mingled with it Nothing lesse for then he should be

Or thus It is the holy request of an humble and sanctified heart together with thanksgiving Phil. 4. 6. offered by the power of the spirit of Prayer Rom. 8. 26. as a speciall service unto God Psal. 50. 15. in the name of Christ John 14. 14. in behalfe of our selves and others Ephes. 6. 18. with assurance to be heard in what wee pray for according to the will of God 1 Iohn 5. 14. Iames 1. 6. Why doe we call it a request with thanksgiving Because in all our Prayers there must both petition of the good things we need and thankfull acknowledgment of those things we have obtained 1 Thess. 5. 17 18. As for those formes which containe neither supplication nor giving of thanks as the Articles of the Beleefe the Decalogue c. they may and ought for other good purposes be committed to memory and rehearsed Deut. 6. 7. but to use them as Prayers savoureth of deep ignorance if not of superstition Matth. 6. 7. Why doe you call it the request of the heart Not to exclude the use of bodily gesture much lesse of the voice and tongue in the action of Invocation therefore called the Calves of the Lips Hosea 14. 2. but to shew first that the heart is on our part the principall mover and speaker in prayer from whence both voice and gesture have their force and grace 1 Cor. 14. 15. Psal. 45. 1. 108. 1. Secondly that Prayer on sudden occasions may be secretly and powerfully offered and is of God heard and accepted when neither any voice is uttered nor any bodily gesture employed Exod. 14. 15. Nehem 2. 4. Why doe you adde Of an humble and sanctified heart Because as in generall none can pray or doe any thing acceptable Psal. 109. 7. but such as are truely regenerate and sanctified unto this and every good work Psal. 51. 15. so in speciall and for the present action of prayer it is required as the summe of all sacrifices that the heart be humble and contrite Psal. 51. 17. acknowledging it owne unworthinesse by reason of sinne Dan. 9. 8 9. feeling the want of Gods grace and mercy Psal. 143. 6. and submitting it selfe unto him willing to be beholding for the least degree of favour Luke 15. 18 19. What then is required of us that our prayers may be holy 1. That we pray with faith and assurance that God for Christ sake wil heare us 2. That we pray with feare and reverence of God 3. That we pray with humility and a lively sense of our owne unworthinesse to obtaine any thing at Gods hands 4. That we pray with a true feeling of our owne wants and an earnest desire to obtaine those things for which we pray 5. That our affections be agreeable to the matter for which we pray 6. That we purpose to use all good meanes for the obtaining of those things for which we pray In brief these be the speciall properties of true prayer It must be 1. In faith without wavering Iames 1. 6. 2. In truth without faining Psal. 145. 18. 3. In humility without swelling Luke 18. 13. 4. In zeale without cooling Iames 5. 16. 5. In constancy without fainting Luke 18. 1. What learne you hence That even they which are most frequent and fervent in this duty had need to pray God to forgive their prayers in conscience of their owne frailties and infirmities Esa. 38. 14 15. Psal. 77. 9 10. 32. 3 5. What is the spirit of Prayer An especiall grace and operation of the holy Ghost Iude 20. called therefore the spirit of grace and supplication Zachary 12. 10. enabling us to powre out our soules unto the Lord Psalme 62. 8. with sighes that cannot be expressed Romanes 8. 26. For the holy Ghost must bee our helper in prayer to teach us both what to pray and how to pray Rom. 8. 26. To whom must we pray To God alone and to none other For 1. He alone is the searcher of the hearts heareth the voice and knoweth the meaning of the spirit of prayer Psal. 65. 2. Rom. 8 27. 2. He is able to grant whatsoever we demand Eph. 3. 20. 3. He challengeth our faith and confidence without which we cannot pray Rom. 10. 14. Wherefore seeing he alone heares all prayers heales all sins knowes all suiters Jer. 31. 18. 2 Chron. 7. 14. 6. 30. 1 Chro. 28. 9. Psal. 44. 21. He alone hath love enough to pitty all and power enough to relieve all our wants and necessities to him alone we are to pray and to none other What learne you hence That seeing the Scripture forbiddeth us to communicate Gods honour to any other Isa. 42. 8. 48. 12. such as pray either to Saints or Angels Col. 2. 18. have forgotten the name of their God Psal. 44. 20. which condemneth those of the Church of Rome who would have us to pray to Angels and Saints departed Whether must we direct our prayers to the Father or the Sonne or to the Holy-Ghost We must pray to the Trinity of Persons in the Vnity of the Godhead that is to say to our God in Trinity In whose name or for whose sake must we pray to God In the only name and for the only sake of his Sonne our Lord Iesus Christ Dan. 9. 17. Iohn 16. 23 24. the alone Mediator between God and man 1 Tim. 2. 5. As of propitiation so or intercession 1 John 2. 1 2. Rom. 8. 34. who through the vaile of his flesh and merit of his bloud hath prepared for us a new and living way whereby we may be bold to enter into the holy place Heb. 10. 19. in whom alone we are made the children of God and have liberty to call him Father Gal. 4. 5. Finally in with and for whom God giveth all things that be good to his Elect Rom. 8. 32. Who are condemned by this Doctrine They of the Church of Rome who teach us to pray in the name of Saints and make them to be our Mediators between God and us For whom are we to pray For our selves and others us and ours in a word for all men 1 Tim. 2. 1. even our enemies Mat. 5. 44. because they beare the common Image of God Jam. 3. 9. and bloud of mankinde whereof we are all made Act. 17. 26. unlesse it be apparent that any one hath committed the unpardonable sin 1 John 5. 16. But principally for such as are our brethren in Christ and of the houshold of faith Eph. 6. 18. Gal. 6. 10. Secondly for all sorts and degrees of men especially publick persons as Rulers and such as are in authority 1 Tim. 2. 2. Ministers that watch over our soules Eph. 6. 19. Col. 4. 3 c. What assurance have we that we shall be heard in what we pray for 1. Because we pray to that God that heareth prayers Psal. 65. 2. 2. And is the rewarder of all that come unto him Heb. 11. 6. and in his name to whom

to be honoured 1 Thes. 5. 18. 3. It is a duty of Saints and Angels both here hereafter Luke 2. 13 14. 4. It spreadeth abroad Religion magnifieth and sanctifieth him that is most high and most holy Psalme 145. 1 2 3. Esa. 8. 13. 5. It keeps the heart from swelling and the soule from surfeiting with Gods blessings 6. It fits the heart for further graces and provokes the Lord to fresh mercies What be the speciall signes and markes of one that desires to be thanksfull and unfeignedly to praise God in all things 1. Contentednesse Psalme 4. 11. 2. Cheerfulnes in the use of Gods blessings Deut. 26. 11. Psal. 63. 5. 3. Faithfulnesse in our duties both of our persons and places 4. Readinesse to draw others into the fellowship of Gods praise Psal. 66. 16. 135. 1. 5. Rejoycing in God even in the middest of many crosses Job 1. 6. Fruitfulnesse in good words and works John 15. 8. 7. A conscionable carefulnesse to take all occasions and use all means to seale up our love and set forth Gods glory So much of the principall parts of Invocation Petition and Thanksgiving Are we limited and bound in certaine words how and wherein to pray No verily but we have a prescript rule and perfect patterne of Prayer of all kindes left us in that prayer which our Saviour Christ taught his Disciples and in them all succeeding ages called the Lords Prayer What is the Lords Prayer It is an absolute Prayer in it selfe and a Prayer giving a perfect direction to frame all others prayers by It is thought by some not to be a Prayer but onely a platforme to direct all our Prayers by It is both a prayer which we both may and ought to pray and also a platforme of Prayer whereunto we are to conforme and by which we ought to square all ours and therefore as St. Matthew biddeth us pray after this sort Matth. 6. 9. so St. Luke biddeth us say Our Father c. Luke 11. 2. the one propounding it as the most perfect platforme to be imitated the other as the most excellent forme to be used of all Christians What is the platforme propounded in this Prayer whereunto we ought to looke It teacheth us both the manner how to pray and the matter for which to pray It teacheth us in all our prayers to whom and through whom and for what to pray Also what difference to make of the things we aske and with what affection we are to come unto God in Prayer What are the words of the Lords Prayer They are thus set downe in the 6. of Matth. 9. After this manner therefore pray yee Our Father which art in heaven c. What doe you observe here in generall That Prayer is to be made in a language which we understand for our Saviour Christ taught his Disciples here in a Tongue which they understood and not in an unknowne Tongue which condemneth the practice of the Church of Rome which teach the people to pray in an unknowne Tongue contrary to Christs practice here and the will of God who commandeth us to serve him with all our hearts and therefore with our understanding as well as our affection What are the parts of this prayer They are three 1. A Preface of compellation for entrance into prayer in the first words Our Father which art in heaven c. 2. A body of Petitions containing the matter of Prayer in the words following 3. A conclusion for shutting up for confirmation and close of prayer in the last words For thine is the Kingdome c. What gather you of this that there is a preface That Christian men are not to come malapertly or rashly without preparation Eccles. 5. 1. Psalme 26. 6. Exod. 3. 5. for the Angel of the Lord standeth at the entry to strike with hardnesse and blindnesse c. those that come not with preparation And if we make preparation before we come to an earthly Prince and bethink us of our words and gesture how much more ought we to doe it when we come before the Prince and Lord of heaven and earth How are we to prepare our selves Not onely to put off our evill affections 1 Tim. 2. 8. but even our honest and otherwise in their due time necessary cogitations as the cares and thoughts of our particular vocations as of house family c. What doth the preface put us in mind of 1. Of him to whom we pray 2. Of our owne estate in prayer that we come unto God as to our father with boldnesse and yet with reverence of that Majesty that filleth the heavens What are we taught concerning him to whom we must pray That God and God onely not any Saint or Angel is to be prayed unto Rom. 10. 14. Psal. 73. 25 For although there be other Fathers besides God and others in heaven besides him yet there is none which is our Father in heaven but God alone Besides that this being a perfect platforme a patterne of all prayer it is evident that all prayers as in other things so in this must be framed unto it Why doe you here name the Father Because discerning the Persons we pray to the Father secretly understanding that we doe it in the mediation of the Son by the working of the holy Ghost and so come to the first person in the Trinity by his Son through the holy Ghost which forme is to be kept for the most part although it be also lawfull to pray unto Christ or to his blessed Spirit particularly Acts 7. 59. 2 Cor. 13. 13 14. if so be that in our understanding we doe conjoyn them as those which cannot be separated in any actions either belonging to the life to come or pertaining to this life Why must we pray to the Father in the mediation of Jesus Christ his Sonne Because God being displeased for sin we can have no dealing with him but only by the means of his Son in whom he is well pleased Mat. 3. 17. and in whom alone we have liberty to call him Father Gal. 4. 5. Why is it required that we pray by the working of the Holy Ghost Because the Holy Ghost assureth us that he is our Father And whereas we know not what to pray nor how to pray the Holy Ghost doth teach us both What must we be perswaded of and how must we be affected in Prayer Partly concerning Our selves 1. We must be truly humbled which is wrought in us with a certaine perswasion 1. Of our sinfull misery and unworthinesse to be helped 2. Of the glorious Majesty of God in heaven that must help us 2. We must have a certain confidence we shall be heard and this is wrought in us by faith being perswaded that 1. God loveth us as his owne children in our Lord Iesus Christ. 2. Our Father being God Almighty he is able to doe whatsoever he will in heaven and in Earth Others 1. That all Gods people

pray for us 2. We must be perswaded that it is our bounden duty to pray for others as well as for ourselves Why doth our Saviour direct us to give such Titles unto God in the beginning and entrance of our Prayers That thereby we may testifie increase and strengthen our faith in God considering what he is to us to whom we are about to pray Heb. 11. 6. What are we taught to consider from this that we are taught to call God Father That God in Christ is become our Father and giveth us both the priviledge John 1. 12. and spirit of sons Gal. 4. 6. so to call him What ariseth from hence First confidence in his fatherly love and compassion towards us as his children Psalme 103. 13. with assurance of obtaining our suites and desires 1 Iohn 5. 14 15. For as young children desire to come unto their Fathers bosome or to sit upon the knee or in the Mothers lap so we by prayers doe creep into the Lords bosome and as it were doe stand between the Lords legges Deut. 33. 3. comming with boldnesse unto him as unto our mercifull Father whose bowels are larger in pittifull affection then any parents yea then the Mothers towards the tendrest childe if we come with faith and affiance that he will grant what we require For if parents will give good things to their children when they aske them much more will the Lord give his spirit to them that aske it of him without doubting Mat. 7. 11. Luke 11. 13. and this doubting is the cause why many goe away so often from prayer without profit and comfort Iames 1. 5. which overthroweth the long and idle prayers of the Papists who have not assurance of Gods love towards them in the thing they demand Secondly necessity of duty on our parts that we both reverence Mal. 1. 6. and imitate him Mat. 5. 45. as our Father Eph. 5. 1. 1 Pet. 1. 17. Thirdly that to come in any other name then our Saviour Christs is abominable which was figured in Moses Exod. 24. 2. 20. 19. and Aaron Levit. 16. 17. But is notably set forth of the Apostle 1 Tim. 2. 5. therefore it is abominable to come by Saints as in Popery they doe What is to be considered by this that we are directed to call him our Father The nature of faith which is to apply it home to himselfe John 20. 28 Gal. 2. 20. Matth. 27. 46. Also that our Saviour Christ is the naturall Son and we his Sons by grace and adoption May not a man say in his prayer My Father Yes verily and that with warrant of our Saviour Christs example Matth 27. 46. Why then are we taught here to say Our Father As the word Father directeth us to meditate upon the relation between God and our selves so the word Our directeth us to meditate upon the relation between our selves and so many as are or may be the children of the same father with us What doth this put us in mind of That we must at all times maintain or renew love and peace one with another but especially when we make our prayers we must come in love as one brother loveth another and therefore reconcile our selves if there be any breach 1 Tim. 2. 8. Esa. 1. 15. Matth. 5. 25 c. Secondly that we are bound to pray and to be suitors to our God and Father one for another as well as for our selves James 5 16. That every one praying for all and all for every one we may jointly encrease and enjoy the benefit of the common stock of prayers laid up in the hands of God Whereto doe the words following direct us when we say Which art in heaven To the meditation of the glory powerfull providence wisdome and holinesse of God in which regard he is said to dwell in the high and holy place Psalm 11. 4. Esa. 57. 15. not that he is excluded from earth or included in heaven or any place who filleth all places Jer. 23. 24. yea whom the heaven of heavens is not able to containe 1 Kings 8. 27. But first because his wisdome power and glory appeareth most evidently in the rule of the heavens as of the most excellent bodily creatures by which inferiour natures are ruled Psal. 19. 1 c. 8. 3. 103. 9. Secondly for that in heaven he doth make himselfe and his goodnesse knowne to the Angels and blessed Spirits of men immediately and without the helps and aids which we have Thirdly because he communicateth himselfe and his goodnesse more powerfully to them then to us and so God is said to be present in the Temple and in the Elect. Fourthly because there and not on earth we should now seek him Psalm 123. 1. Col. 3. 1 2. where also we hope another day to dwell with him in the same happy fellowship which now the holy Angels and blessed soules doe enjoy which teacheth us not to have any fleshly conceit but to have our cogitations above any worldly matter Fiftly to teach us that as we come boldly to him as to a Father so also we are to come with humility and reverence of his Majesty who is so high above us we wretched men being as wormes crauling upon the earth and he sitting in great Majesty in the highest heaven Eccles. 4. 16. 5. 1. Sixtly to teach us to pray not onely reverently but also fervently before him so directing and lifting up our hearts to Almighty God that our prayers may ascend into heaven 2 Chro. 32. 20. Seventhly to encrease our confidence in him who is both ready and able to doe all things for us that acknowledging him to ride on the heavens for our help able as in heaven to doe for us whatsoever as a father he will Psal. 115. 3. we may with full confidence in his power and love ask every good thing of him Psalm 2. 8. Luke 11. 13. Thus much of the preface Now are we to come to the prayer it selfe What is generall unto it That our affections with zeale and earnestnesse ought to wait and attend on prayer which appeareth by the shortnesse of all the petitions What is declared hereby The great affection we should have to the things we come for which giveth a check to our cold prayers where the understanding is witho●● the affection and as it were the sacrifice without the heavenly fire ●o lift it up and make it mount into heaven both in publike and private prayers So much of attention generall to the Prayer What are the parts ther●of A forme of Petition and of Thanksgiving What is taught hereby First that whensoever we come unto God in Petition we are 〈…〉 give him thanks Phil. 4. 6. Luke 17. 17 18. things not to be 〈…〉 meanes to make way for further graces and benefits to be obtain●● Secondly that it is a fault of us when we are distressed in 〈…〉 to come unto God in Petition but not to return Thanksgiving

to our weaknesse 3. What miserable men they are that refuse the Sacraments Repeat the principall ends for which God hath instituted the Sacraments To help our insight as cleare glasses to releeve our memories as lasting monuments and to confirme our faith as most certain seales and pledges from whence they become our bonds of obedience and the markes and badges of our profession so the ends for which they are appointed are these foure 1. The clearing of our knowledge 2. The helping of our memories 3. The strengthening of our faith 4. The quickning of our obedience How may we more clearly consider of those things which are ministred in the Sacraments By considering distinctly the things given and received and the persons giving and receiving What are the things given and received They are partly outward and partly inward What are the outward The visible creatures ordained for signes and figures of Christ as under the time of the Gospel Water Bread and Wine Why hath God made choice of these creatures Both in respect they are for their naturall properties most fit to represent the spirituall things as also for that they are most generally used of all Nations of the world What are we to learne from hence The wonderfull wisdome of God that hath chosen base and common things for so high and singular mysteries whereas he might have chosen things more rare and of greater price to set out such excellent benefits as are offered to us in the Sacraments wherein there is great difference between the time of the Law and of the Gospel What are the inward things The invisible and spirituall graces namely Christ with all his benefits What learne you of this Not to stick to the outward elements but to lift up our hearts unto God accounting the elements as a Ladder whereby to climb up to those celestiall things which they represent So much of the things what are the persons The Giver and Receiver How many Givers are there Two the outward giving the outward and the inward giving the inward things Who is the inward giver God himself even the holy Trinity God the Father God the Son and God the holy Ghost What are the actions of God in a Sacrament They are principally two 1. To offer and reach forth Christ and his graces 2. To apply them to the hearts of the faithfull Communicant Who are the outward Givers The Ministers especially representing unto us the Lord whose Stewards they are 1 Cor. 4. 1. What is the Ministers office herein To consecrate the elements and then to distribute them Wherein consisteth the consecration of the elements Partly in declaring the institution of the Sacraments and partly in going before the Congregation in prayer unto God First in praising God who hath ordained such means for the reliefe of our weaknesse Then in suing to God that he would be pleased to make those meanes effectuall for which end they were ordained Is not the substance changed of the elements by this consecration No verily onely the use is altered in that they are separated from a common to a holy use which change and alteration continueth onely while the action is in hand Doth the Minister with the signe give the thing signified also No he onely dispenseth the signes but it is God that giveth and dispenseth the things signified Matth. 3. 11. Is God alwayes present to give the thing signified to all them that the Minister giveth the signe No not to all for some in receiving the signes receive together with them their owne judgement 1 Cor. 11 29. yet he is alwayes ready to give the thing signified to all those that are fit to receive the Sacraments and to such persons the signes and things signified are alwayes conjoyned Who are the persons that are to receive the Sacraments All Christians that are prepared thereunto Is there any speciall preparation required to the receiving of the Sacraments Yes verily for seeing men ought to come with preparation to the hearing of the Word alone they ought much more to come when the Sacraments are administred also wherein God doth offer himselfe more familiarly and visibly to us What is the preparation that is required in them that come to receive the Sacraments There is required in those that are of yeares of discretion to a worthy participation of the Sacraments knowledge faith and feeling both in the Law and in the Gospel Seeing no man is able to attaine to the knowledge of the Law and the Gospel perfectly much lesse the simple and common people tell me how farre is this knowledge faith and feeling necessary First concerning the Law it is necessary that the receiver of the Sacraments be able to understand and beleeve the common corruption of all men both in the bitter root of originall sinne and in the poysoned fruits thereof together with the curse of everlasting death due thereunto and that he be able to apply both these that is the sinne and wages thereof to himselfe Secondly concerning the Gospel that he be able in some measure to understand the Covenant of Grace which God in Christ hath made with the sons of men and then that by faith he be able in some measure to apply the same to himself VVhat ariseth from this knowledge faith and feeling to a further preparation thereunto A true and earnest desire to be made partaker of the Sacraments with a conscionable care to performe speciall duties in and after the action of receiving VVhat duties in the action of receiving are to be performed First a grave and reverent behaviour befitting such holy Mysteries Secondly an attentive heedfulnesse in comparing the outward signes and actions in the Sacraments with the inward and spirituall things which they betoken VVhat duties are to bee performed after the partaking of the Sacraments If we have a sense and feeling of the gracious work of God by them we are to rejoice with thanksgiving if not we are to enter into judgment with our selves and to humble our selves for our want thereof And though we ought to be humbled if we feel not the work of God in us in or after the Sacraments as that which argueth want of preparation before or attention in receiving of them yet ought we not therefore to be altogether dismayed for as the sick man feeleth not the nourishment of his meat because of his malady and yet notwithstanding is nourished so it is in such faithfull ones as doe not so sensibly feel the working of God in and by the Sacraments through the weaknesse of their faith and although wee cannot feele it immediately yet after by the fruites thereof wee shall bee able to discern of our profiting thereby Hath the administration of the Gospel been alwaies after the same manner For substance it alwayes hath been the same but in regard of the manner proper to certain times it is distinguished into two kindes the Old and the New Heb. 11.

discharge in the least measure His surety therefore being to satisfie in his stead none will bee found fit to undertake such a payment but he who is both God and Man Man it is fit he should bee because Man was the party that by the articles of the first Covenant was tyed to this obedience and it was requisite that as by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one man likewise many should be made righteous Again if our Mediatour were onely God he could have performed no obedience the Godhead being free from all manner of subjection and if he were a bare man although he had been as perfect as Adam in his integrity or the Angels themselves yet being left unto himselfe amidst all the temptations of Satan and this wicked world he should be subject to fall as they were or if he should hold out as the elect Angels did that must have been ascribed to the grace and favour of an other whereas the giving of strict satisfaction to Gods justice was the thing required in this behalf But now being God as well as Man he by his own eternall Spirit preserved himself without spot presenting a far more satisfactory obedience unto God then could have possibly been performed by Adam in his integrity For beside the infinite difference that was betwixt both their Persons which maketh the actions of the one beyond all comparison to exceed the worth and value of the other we know that Adam was not able to make himselfe holy but what holinesse he had he received from him who created him according to his owne image so that whatsoever obedience Adam had performed God should have eaten but of the fruit of the vineyard which himselfe had planted and of his own would all that have been which could be given unto him But Christ did himself sanctifie that humane nature which he assumed according to his own saying Joh. 17. 19. For their sakes I sanctifie my self and so out of his own peculiar store did he bring forth those precious treasures of holy obedience which for the satisfaction of our debt he was pleased to tender unto his Father Againe if Adam had done all things which were commanded him hee must for all that have said I am an unprofitable servant I have done that which was my duty to doe whereas in the voluntary obedience which Christ subjected himself unto the case stood far otherwise True it is that if we respect him in his humane nature his Father is greater then he and he is his Fathers servant yet in that he said and most truly said that God was his Father the Jews did rightly infer from thence that he thereby made himself equall with God and the Lord of Hosts himselfe hath proclaimed him to bee the man that is his fellow Being such a man therefore and so highly born by the priviledge of his birth-right hee might have claimed an exemption from the ordinary service whereunto all other men are tyed and by being the Kings Son have freed himself from the payment of that tribute which was to be exacted at the hands of Strangers When the Father brought this his first-begotten into the world he said Let all the Angels of God worship him and at the very instant wherein the Son advanced our nature into the highest pitch of dignitie by admitting it into the unity of his sacred Person that nature so assumed was worthy to be crowned with all glory and honour and he in that nature might then have set himself down at the right hand of the throne of God tyed to no other subjection then now he is or hereafter shall be when after the end of this world he shall have delivered up the kingdome to God the Father For then also in regard of his assumed nature he shall be subject unto him that put all other things under him Thus the Son of God if he had minded onely his own things might at the very first have attained unto the joy that was set before him but looking on the things of others he chose rather to come by a tedious way and wearisome journey unto it not challenging the priviledge of a Son but taking upon him the form of a mean servant Whereupon in the dayes of his flesh hee did not serve as an honourable Commander in the Lords host but as an ordinary soldier he made himself of no reputation for the time as it were emptying himself of his high state and dignity hee humbled himself and became obedient untill his death being content all his life long to be made under the Law yea so farre that as he was sent in the likenesse of sinfull flesh so he disdained not to subject himself unto that Law which properly did concern sinfull flesh And therefore howsoever Circumcision was by right appliable onely unto such as were dead in their sins and the uncircumcision of their flesh yet he in whom there was no body of the sins of the flesh to be put off submitted himself notwithstanding thereunto not onely to testifie his communion with the Fathers of the old Testament but also by this means to tender unto his Father a bond signed with his own bloud whereby he made himself in our behalf a debtor unto the whole Law For I testifie saith the Apostle to every man that is circumcised that he is a debtor to the whole Law In like manner Baptisme appertained properly unto such as were defiled and had need to have their sins washed away and therefore when all the land of Judea and they of Jerusalem went out unto John they were all baptized of him in the river Jordan confessing their sinnes Among the rest came our Saviour also but the Baptist considering that he had need to be baptized by Christ and Christ no need at all to be baptized by him refused to give way unto that action as altogether unbefitting the state of that immaculate Lambe of God who was to take away the sinne of the World Yet did our Mediatour submit himself to that ordinance of God also not onely to testifie his communion with the Christians of the new Testaments but especially which is the reason yeelded by himselfe because it became him thus to fulfill all righteousnesse And so having fulfilled all righteousnesse whereunto the meanest man was tyed in the days of his pilgrimage which was more then he needed to have undergone if he had respected only himself the works which he performed were truly workes of supererogation which might be put upon the account of them whose debt hee undertook to discharge and being performed by the Person of the Son of God must in that respect not onely be equivalent but infinitely over-value the obedience of Adam and all his posterity although they had remained in their integrity and continued untill this houre instantly serving God day

of bloud nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God Now as our Mediatour in respect of the Adoption of Sons which he hath procured for us is not ashamed to call us Brethren so in respect of this nevv birth whereby hee begetteth us to a spirituall and everlasting life he disdaineth not to own us as his Children When thou shalt make his seed an offering for sin he shall see his seed saith the Prophet Esaias A seed shall serve him it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation saith his Father David likewise of him And he himself of himselfe Behold I and the children which God hath given mee Whence the Apostle deduceth this conclusion Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and bloud he also himselfe likewise took part of the same He himself that is he who was God equall to the Father for who else was able to make this new creature but the same God that is the Creator of all things no lesse power being requisite to the effecting of this then was at the first to the producing of all things out of nothing and these new babes being to be born of the Spirit who could have power to send the Spirit thus to beget them but the Father and the Son from whom he proceeded the same blessed Spirit who framed the naturall body of our Lord in the womb of the Virgin being to new mould and fashion every member of his mysticall body unto his similitude and likenesse For the further opening of which mystery which went beyond the apprehension of Nicodemus though a master of Israel wee are to consider that in every perfect generation the creature produced receiveth two things from him that doth beget it Life and Likenesse A curious limmer draweth his own sons pourtraicture to the life as we say yet because there is no true life in it but a likenesse onely he can not be said to be the begetter of his picture as he is of his Son And some creatures there be that are bred out of mud or other putrid matter which although they have life yet because they have no correspondence in likenesse unto the principle from whence they were derived are therefore accounted to have but an improper and equivocall generation Whereas in the right and proper course of generation others being esteemed but monstrous births that swarve from that rule every creature begetteth his like nec imbellem feroces Progenerant aquilae columbam Now touching our spirituall death and life these sayings of the Apostle would be thought upon We thus judge that if one died for all then were all dead and that he died for all that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves but unto him which died for them and rose again God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in sins hath quickned us together with Christ. And you being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh hath he quickned together with him having forgiven you all trespasses I am crucified with Christ. Neverthelesse I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me From all which we may easily gather that if by the obedience and sufferings of a bare man though never so perfect the most soveraign medicine that could be thought upon should have been prepared for the curing of our wounds yet all would be to no purpose we being found dead when the medicine did come to be applyed Our Physitian therefore must not onely be able to restore us unto health but unto life it selfe which none can doe but the Father Son and holy Ghost one God blessed for ever To which purpose these passages of our Saviour also are to be considered As the Father hath life in himself so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself As the living Father hath sent me and I live by the Father so he that eateth me even he shall live by me I am the living bread which came down from heaven if any man eat of this bread he shall live for ever and the bread that I will give is my flesh which I will give for the life of the world The substance whereof is briefly comprehended in this saying of the Apostle The last Adam was made a quickening spirit An Adam therefore and perfect Man must he have been that his flesh given for us upon the Crosse might bee made the conduict to convey life unto the world and a quickening spirit he could not have been unlesse hee were God able to make that flesh an effectuall instrument of life by the operation of his blessed Spirit For as himself hath declared It is the Spirit that quickneth without it the flesh would profit nothing As for the point of similitude and likenesse we read of Adam after his fall that he begat a son in his own likenesse after his image and generally as well touching the carnall as the spirituall generation our Saviour hath taught us this lesson That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit Whereupon the Apostle maketh this comparison betwixt those who are born of that first man who is of the earth earthy and of the second man who is the Lord from heaven As is the earthy such are they that are earthy and as is the heavenly such are they also that are heavenly and as wee have borne the image of the earthy we shall also bear the image of the heavenly We shall indeed hereafter bear it in full perfection when the Lord Jesus Christ shall change our base body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself Yet in the mean time also such a conformity is required in us unto that heavenly man that our conversation must be in heaven whence we look for this Saviour and that we must put off concerning the former conversation that old man which is corrupt according to the deceitfull lusts and be renued in the spirit of our mind and put on the new man which after God is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse For as in one particular point of domesticall authority the Man is said to be the image and glory of God and the Woman the glory of the Man so in a more universall manner is Christ said to bee the image of God even the brightnesse of his glory and the expresse image of his person and we to be conformed to his image that he might be the first-born among those many brethren who in that respect are accounted

wrought were Gods building as well as Gods husbandry For who saith hee is Paul and who is Apollo but Ministers by whom you beleeved even as the Lord gave to every man I have planted Apollo watered but God gave the increase So then neither is hee that planteth any thing neither hee that watereth but God that giveth the increase Two things therefore wee finde in our great Prophet which doe farre exceed the ability of any bare Man and so doe difference him from all the Holy Prophets which have been since the World began For first wee are taught that no man knoweth the Father save the Son and hee to whomsoever the Son will reveale him and that no man hath seen God at any time but the only begotten Son which is in the bosome of the Father hee bath declared him Being in his bosome hee is become conscious of his secrets and so out of his own immediate knowledge inabled to discover the whole will of his Father unto us Whereas alother Prophets and Apostles receive their revelations at the second hand and according to the grace given unto them by the Spirit of Christ. Witnesse that place of S. Peter for the Prophets Of which salvation the Prophets have enquired and searched diligently who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you searching what or what manner of time THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST WHICH WAS IN THEM did signifie when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow And for the Apostles those heavenly words which our Saviour himself uttered unto them whilst hee was among them When the Spirit of Truth is come hee will guide you into all truth for hee shall not speak of himself but whatsoever hee shall hear that shall hee speak and hee will shew you things to come Hee shall glorifie mee for hee shall receive of mine and shew it unto you All things that the Father hath are mine therefore said I that hee shall take of mine and shall shew it unto you Secondly all other Prophets and Apostles can doe no more as hath been said but plant and water onely God can give the increase they may teach indeed and baptize but unlesse Christ were with them by the powerfull presence of his Spirit they would not bee able to save one soule by that Ministery of theirs Wee as lively stones are built up a spirituall house but except the Lord do build this house they labour in vaine that build it For who is able to breathe the Spirit of life into those dead stones but hee of whom it is writen The houre is comming and now is when the dead shall hear the voyce of the Son of God and they that heare it shall live And again Awake thou that sleepest and arise from the dead and Christ shall give thee light Who can awake us out of this dead sleep and give light unto these blinde eyes of ours but the Lord our God unto whom wee pray that hee would lighten our eyes lest wee sleep the sleep of death And as a blinde man is not able to conceive the distinction of colours although the skilfullest man alive should use all the art hee had to teach him because hee wanteth the sense whereby that object is discernible so the naturall man perceiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishnesse unto him neither can hee know them because they are spiritually discerned Whereupon the Apostle concludeth concerning himself and all his fellow-labourers that God who commanded the light to shine out of darknesse hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ but wee have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may bee of God and not of us Our Mediatour therefore who must bee able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him may not want the excellency of the power whereby hee may make us capable of this high knowledge of the things of God propounded unto us by the ministery of his servants and consequently in this respect also must bee God as well as Man There remaineth the Kingdom of our Redeemer described thus by the Prophet Isaiah Of the increase of his government and peace there shall bee no end upon the Throne of David and upon his kingdom to order it and to establish it with judgement and with justice from henceforth even for ever And by Daniel Behold one like the Son of man came with the clouds of Heaven and came to the Ancient of dayes and they brought him neer before him And there was given him Dominion and Glory and a Kingdom that all People Nations and Languages should serve him His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not passe away and his kingdome that which shall not be destroyed And by the Angel Gabriel in his ambassage to the blessed Virgin Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb and bring forth a Son and shalt call his name Jesus Hee shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest and the Lord God shall give him the Throne of his Father David And hee shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever and of his kingdom there shall bee no end This is that new David our King vvhom God hath raised up unto his own Israel vvho vvas in Truth that which hee was called the Son of Man and the Son of the Highest That in the one respect wee may say unto him as the Israelites of old did unto their David Behold wee are thy bone and thy flesh and in the other sing of him as David himself did The Lord said unto my Lord Sit thou at my right hand untill I make thine enemies thy footstoole So that the promise made unto our first Parents that the seed of the Woman should bruise the Serpents head may well stand with that other saying of S. Paul that the God of peace shall bruise Satan under our feet Seeing for this very purpose the Son of God was manifested in the flesh that hee might destroy the works of the Devil And still that foundation of God will remain unshaken I even I am the Lord and beside mee there is no Saviour Thou shalt know no God but mee for there is no Saviour beside mee Two speciall branches there bee of this Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour the one of Grace whereby that part of the Church is governed which is Militant upon Earth the other of Glory belonging to that part which is Triumphant in Heaven Here upon earth as by his Propheticall office hee worketh upon our Minde and Understanding so by his Kingly hee ruleth our Will and Affections casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth it self against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity

true God and entertaining him in all the powers of the soule Com. 1. Honoring him with that worship which is to be given from men to him Every day as occasion requireth either in Solemne worship prescribed in the 2. Com. Glorifying his name in the common course of our life in the 3. Com. One day certain in the week prescribed in the 4. Com. Man respecting Such acts as are joyned with advised consent in duties which we owe unto Speciall persons in regard of some particular relation which we beare unto them prescribed in the 5. Com. All men in generall for the preservation of their Safety in the 6. Com. Chastity in the 7. Com. Goods in the 8. Com. Good name in the 9. Com. The first thoughts and motions of evill towards our neighbour that doe arise from the corruption of our nature in the 10. Com. Exercise thereof Repentance Fruits thereof in Resistance of sinne by Christian warfare where of the spirituall Armour Conflict with the World Flesh Devill in prosperity adversity here of bearing the crosse Abounding in good workes especially towards God in Praier the rule whereof is contained in the Lords Prayer wherein are to be considered the 1 Preamble 2 Petitions 3 concerning Gods glory 3 touching our necessities 3 The Conclusion and there of thanksgiving Fasting Our brethrens Edification in respect of their soules Almsgiving for the good of their bodies 3 Meanes whereby they are called The outward ministery of the Gospell wherein consider 1 Minister 2 Parts of the ministery Word Seales annexed thereunto viz. Sacraments for confirming the promises to the obedient which are either of Initiation or Admission into the Church Continuall nourishment Censures for ratifying of threatnings towards the disobedient in Word by admonition Deed by Suspension Excommunication 3 The kinds thereof namely the Old ministery before Christ called The old Testament where of the 1 Word of the Gospell more sparingly and darkly delivered 2 Types and Ceremonies 3 Sacraments Initiation Circumcision Nourishment Paschall Lambe New from the comming of Christ unto the end of the world called The new Testament wherein is to be considered the cleernes and efficacy of the Word Sacraments Initiation Baptisme Nourishment The Lords Supper 4 Divers states of the Church The world to come by the sentence of a twofold Iudgement Particular upon every soule as soon as it departs from the body Generall upon all men at once both in soule and body therein is to be considered 1 Iudge Christ comming with the glory of his Father 2 Parties to be judged Quick of whom there shall be a change Dead of whom there shall be a resurrection 3 Sentence and execution thereof where of the The torments of the Damned The joyes of the Blessed THE HEADS OF THE BODY OF DIVINITY DIVIDED INTO Two and fifty Heads 1. OF Christian Religion and the grounds thereof Gods Word contained in the Scriptures 2. Of God and his Attributes Perfection Wisdome and Omnipotency 3. Of Gods Goodnesse and Justice and the Persons of the Trinity 4. Of Gods Kingdome and the Creation of all things 5. Of the Creation of man in particular and the Image of God according to which he was made 6. Of Gods Providence and continuall government of his creatures 7. Of the good Angels that stood and the evill Angels that forsooke their first integrity 8. Of the Law of nature or the Covenant of works made with man at his Creation and the event thereof in the fall of our first Parents 9. Of Originall and Actuall sinne whereunto all mankind by the fall is become subject 10. Of Gods curse and all the penalties due unto sinne whereunto man is become subject as long as he continueth in his naturall estate 11. Of the Covenant of Grace and the Mediator thereof Jesus Christ our Lord his two distinct natures in one Person together with his Conception and Nativity 12. Of the state of Humiliation and Exaltation of our Saviour his office of Mediation and calling thereunto 13. Of his Priestly office and the two parts thereof Satisfaction and Intercession 14. Of his Propheticall and Kingly office 15. Of the calling of men to partake of the grace of Christ both outward and inward and of the Catholick Church thus called out of the world with the members and properties thereof 16. Of the mutuall donation whereby the Father giveth Christ to us and us unto Christ and the mysteriall union whereby we are knit together by the band of Gods quickning spirit with the Communion of Saints arising from thence whereby God for his Sons sake is pleased of enemies to make us friends 17. Of Justification and therein of justifying faith and forgivenesse of sinnes 18. Of Adoption whereby in Christ we are not only advanced into the state of friends but also of sons and heires and therein of the spirit of Adoption and Hope 19. Of Sanctification whereby the power of sin is mortified in us and the image of God renued and therein of love 20. Of the direction given unto us for our sanctification contained in the Ten Commandements with the rules of expounding the same and of distinction of the Tables thereof 21. The first Commandement of the choice of the true God and the entertaining him in all our thoughts 22. The second Commandement of the solemn worship that is to be performed unto God and therein of Images and Ceremonies 23. The third of the glorifying of God aright in the actions of our common life and therein of swearing and blaspheming 24. The fourth of the certain time set apart for Gods service and therein of the Sabbath and Lords day 25. The fift of the duties we owe one unto another in regard of our particular relation unto such as are our Superiours Inferiours and equals 26. The sixt of the preservation of the safety of mens persons and therein of peace and meeknesse 27. The seventh of the preservation of chastity and therein of temperance and mariage 28. The eight of the preservation of our own and our neighbours goods and therein of the maintaining of justice in our dealing one with another 29 The ninth of the preservation of our own and our neighbours good name and the maintaining of truth in our testimony and truth 30 The tenth of contentednesse the first motions of concupiscence which doe any way crosse that love we owe to our neighbour whereto for conclusion may be added the use of the Law 31 Of Repentance 32 Of the spirituall warfare and Christian armour 33 Of resistance of the temptations of the Devill 34 Of resisting the temptations of the world both in prosperity and adversity and here of patient bearing of the Crosse. 35. Of resisting the temptations of the flesh 36. Of new obedience and good works and necessity thereof 37. Of Prayer in generall and

of the people into the Land of promise that all strangers might reade and know what Religion the children of Israel professed and hee commanded that it should bee writen well and plainly or cleerly Deut. 27. 8. which could not bee performed except it were writen with the vowelling points vvhereunto also belong all those places of Scripture which testifie of the cleernesse and certainty of the Scripture which could not at all bee if it lacked vowels What are the books of the Old Testament The books of Moses otherwise called the Law and the Prophets for so are they oftentimes divided in the New Testament as Mat. 5. 17. 7. 12. 22. 40. Luk. 16. 29. 24. 27. Joh. 1. 45. Act. 13. 15. 24. 14. 26. 22. 28. 23. Where it is to bee understood that the Law is taken for the vvhole Doctrine of God delivered by Moses which containeth not only the Law but also promises of mercy in Christ as hee himself saith Joh. 5. 46. If yee did beleeve Moses you vvould also beleeve me for Moses wrote of me and vvhereas our Saviour Christ Luk. 24. 44. unto the Law and the Prophets addeth the Psalmes which are a part of the Prophets it is because they were most familiar to the godly and generally known of the people by the daily exercise of them the former division notwithstanding being perfect Which are the books of Moses Five in number vvhich are called Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomie How are the books of these Prophets distinguished Into Historicall and Doctrinall the former vvhereof contain the explication of the Law by practise principally the latter by Doctrine chiefely How many Historicall books bee there Twelve in number viz. the book of Joshua the book of Judges the book of Ruth the two books of Samuel the two books of Kings the two books of Chronicles the book of Ezra the book of Nehemiah and the book of Ester How are the Doctrinall books distinguished Into Poeticall and Prosaicall which distinction is thought of many to bee observed by our Saviour Christ Luk. 24. 44. where he under the name of Psalmes comprehendeth all those books that are writen in the holy Poeticall style Which are the Poeticall books Such as are writen in Meeter or poesie containing principally wise and holy sentences whence also they may bee called Sententiall and they are five in number viz. The book of Job the Psalmes and Solomons three books the Proverbs Ecclesiastes and the Canticles Which are the Prosaicall books Such as are for the most part writen in prose and foretell things to come whence also more especially they are termed Propheticall or vaticinall of which kinde are sixteen writers in number foure whereof are called the greater Prophets viz. Isaiah Jeremiah to whose prophesies is annexed his book of Lamentations though writen in Meeter Ezekiel and Daniel and twelve are called smaller Prophets viz. Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zacharie Malachi which twelve of old were reckoned for one book and therefore Act. 7 42. Stephen citing a place out of Amos 5. 25. useth this forme As it is writen in the book of the Prophets Bee there no other Canonicall books of the Scripture of the Old Testament besides these that you have named No for those other books which Papists would obtrude unto us for Canonicall are Apocryphall that is to say such as are to lye hid when there is proof to bee made of Religion How prove you that those Apocryphall books are no part of the Canonicall Scriptures First they are not writen first in Hebrew the Language of the Church before Christ which all the books of the Old Testament are originally writen in Secondly they were never received into the Canon of the Scripture by the Church of the Jews before Christ to whom alone in those times the Oracles of God were committed Rom. 3. 2. nor read and expounded in their Synagogues See Josephus contra Appion lib. 1. Eusebius lib. 3. cap. 10. Thirdly the Jews were so carefull to keep Scripture intire as they kept the number of the verses and letters within which is none of the Apocrypha Fourthly the Scripture of the Old Testament was writen by Prophets Luk. 24. 27. 2 Pet. 1. 19. But Malachi was the last Prophet after whom all the Apocrypha was vvriten Fifthly they are not authorised by Christ and his Apostles who doe give testimony unto the Scriptures Sixthly by the most ancient Fathers and Councels of the primitive Churches after the Apostles both Greek and Latine they have not been admitted for tryall of Truth though they have been read for instruction of manners as may appear by Euseb. lib. 6. cap. 18. out of Origen the Councell of Loadicea Can. 59. vvhich is also confirmed by the sixt generall Councell of Constantinople Can. 2. and many other Testimonies of the ancient Fathers Seventhly There is no such constant Truth in them as in the Canonicall Scriptures for every book of them hath falsehood in Doctrine or History Shew some of those errors in the particular books In the book of Tobie the Angel maketh a lie saying that hee is Azariah the son of Ananias Tob. 5. 12. which is farre from the Spirit of God and the nature of good Angels that cannot sin There is also the unchaste Devill Asmodeus the seven Angels which present the prayers of the Saints Tob. 12. 15. and the magicall toyes of the fishes heart liver and gall for driving away of Devils and restoring of sight not savouring of the Spirit of God Judith in her prayer commendeth the fact of Simeon Gen. 34. which the Holy Ghost condemneth Gen. 49. 5. and prayeth God to prosper her feigned tales and lies Jud. 9. 13. 18. Baruch saith hee wrote this book in Babylon Chap. 1. whereas it appeareth by Jeremiah 43. 6. that hee was with Jeremiah at Jerusalem and went not from him Likewise hee writeth for offerings and vessels after the Temple was burned and in the 6 Chapter v. 2. Jeremiah writeth that the continuance of the Jews in Babylon shall bee for seven Generations whereas the Canonicall Jeremiah Prophesieth but of 70. yeers Chap. 29. 10. For ten yeers cannot make a Generation neither is it ever so taken in the Canonicall Scriptures The story of Susanna maketh Daniel a young childe in the dayes of Astyages and to become famous among the people by the judgement of Susanna whereas Daniel himself writeth otherwise of his carriage into Babylon in the dayes of Jehoiakim under Nebuchadnezzar and of the means by which hee was known first to bee a Prophet Dan. 1. 2. The story of Bell and the Dragon speaks of Habakkuk the Prophet in the dayes of Cyrus who prophesied before the captivity of Babylon which was 70 yeers before Cyrus The first book of Maccabees writing an History of things said and done doth not much interlace his own judgement and therefore doth erre the

so full of Parables and Allegories as they are The whole Doctrine of salvation is to be found so plain that it needeth no Commentary and Commentaries are for other places that be dark and also to make more large use of Scripture then a new beginner can make of himself which we see necessary in all humane Arts and Sciences Further though speech of Scripture seem hard at first yet by custome it becommeth easie as reading doth to children Obj. 4. The godly Eunuch could not understand the Scripture without an Interpreter Acts 8. 31. Though he understood not some harder places yet that hindered him not from reading plainer places Obj. 5. The multitude of learned men that fall into heresies which they labour to confirm by Scripture proveth that the Scripture is dark It is their naughty hearts that come not with an humble and godly affection that maketh them doe so Obj. 6. But now we see by experience that there are many that daily reade the Scriptures and yet understand not the thousandth part of them They reade them not with care and conscience with prayer and study but like the women who are always learning but never come to the knowledge of the truth 2 Tim. 3. 7. Obj. 7. If the Scriptures then be so plain and perspicuous what need is there of an Interpreter First to unfold obscure places Acts 8. 31. Secondly to inculcate and apply plain Texts 2 Pet. 1. 10. 1 Cor. 14. 3. Why did God leave some places obscure in the Scriptures First that we might know that the understanding of Gods Word is the gift of God and therefore might beg it of him by continuall prayer Secondly lest we should flatter our wits too much if all things could presently be understood by us Thirdly that the Word for the high and heavenly mysteries contained therein might be accompted of which for the plainnesse might be lesse esteemed Fourthly that prophane dogs might be driven away from these holy mysteries which are pearls prized highly by the Elect alone Matth. 13. 45. but would be trodden down by swine Mat. 7. 6. Fiftly that wee might be stirred up to a more diligent search of the same Sixtly that we might esteem more of the Ministery which God hath placed in the Church that by the means thereof we might profit in the knowledge of these mysteries What assurance may be had of the right understanding of the Scriptures For the words it is to be had out of the originall Text or Translations of the same for the sense or meaning onely out of the Scriptures themselves Nehem. 8. 8. which by places plain and evident doe expresse whatsoever is obscure and hard touching matters necessary to eternall salvation Why must the interpretation of words be had out of the originall Languages Because in them onely the Scriptures are for the letter to be held authenticall and as the water is most pure in the Fountain by the springing thereof so the right understanding of the words of the holy Scriptures is most certain in the originall tongues of Hebrew and Greek in which they were first written and delivered to the Church out of the which Languages they must be truly translated for the understanding of them that have not the knowledge of those tongues What gather you from hence That all Translations are to be judged examined and reformed according to the Text of the ancient Hebrew and originall Chaldee in which the old Testament was printed and the Greek Text in which the new Testament was written and consequently that the vulgar Latin Translation approved by the Tridentine Councell for the onely authenticall Text is no further to be received of true Christians then it agreeth with the originall of the Hebrew and Greek Text. But what say you of the Greeke Translation of the old Testament commonly called the Septuagint approved by the Apostles themselves The same as we say of other Translations for although the Apostles used that Translation which was commonly received and read among the Gentiles and Jews that dwelt amongst them where it differed not in sense from the true Hebrew yet where it differed from it they left it as by many examples may be confirmed vide Hieron Prolog in Matth. How can the certain understanding of the Scriptures be taken out of the originall tongues considering the difference of reading in divers Copies both of Hebrew and Greek as also the difficulty of some words and phrases upon which the best Translators cannot agree Although in the Hebrew Copy there hath been observed by the Nazarites some very few differences of words by similitude of letters and points and by the Learned in the Greek tongue there are like diversities of reading noted in the Greek Text of the new Testament which came by fault of writers yet in most by circumstance of the place and conference of other places the true reading may be discerned and albeit in all it cannot nor the Translator in all places determine the true interpretation yet this diversity or difficulty can make no difference or uncertainty in the sum and substance of Christian religion because the Ten Commandements and the principall Texts of Scripture on which the Articles of our faith are grounded the Sacraments instituted the form of prayer taught which contain the sum or substance of Christian religion are without all such diversity of reading or difficulty of translating so plainly set down and so precisely translated by consent of all men learned in the tongues that no man can make any doubt of them or pick any quarrell against them Why must the true sense or meaning of the Scriptures be learned out of the Scriptures themselves Because the Spirit of God alone is the certain interpreter of his Word written by his Spirit for no man knoweth the things pertaining to God but the Spirit of God 1 Cor. 2. 11. and no prophesie of Scripture is of any mans own interpretation for prophesie was not brought by the will of man but the holy men of God spake as they were led by the holy Ghost 2 Pet. 1. 20 21. The interpretation therefore must be by the same Spirit by which the Scripture was written of which Spirit we have no certainty upon any mans credit but onely so far forth as his saying may be confirmed by the holy Scriptures What gather you from hence That no interpretation of holy Fathers Popes Councels Customs or practise of the Church either contrary to the manifest words of the Scriptures or containing matters which cannot necessarily bee proved out of the Scriptures are to bee received as an undoubted Truth How then is Scripture to bee interpreted by Scripture According to the Analogie of Faith Rom. 12. 6. and the scope and circumstance of the present place and conference of other plain and evident places by which all such as are obscure and hard to bee understood ought to bee interpreted for there is no matter necessary to eternall

What is Reprobation It is the eternall predestination or fore-appointment of certain Angels and men unto everlasting dishonour and destruction God of his own free-will determining to passe them by refuse or cast them off and for sin to condemn and punish them with eternall death Prov. 16. 4. Exod. 9. 16. Rom. 9. 17. 22. 2 Tim. 2. 20. Mat. 25. 41. Is not sin the cause of Reprobation No for then all men should be reprobate when God foresaw that all would be sinners but sin is the cause of the execution of Reprobation the damnation whereunto the wicked are adjudged being for their own sin Is there no cause then of Reprobation in the Reprobate None at all in that they rather then others are passed by of God that is wholly from the unsearchable depth of Gods own free-will and good pleasure But is not God unjust in reprobating some men and electing others when all were alike No for he was bound to none and to shew his freedome and power over his creatures he disposeth of them as he will for his glory as the Potter is not unjust in making of the same clay sundry vessels some to honour and some to dishonour Doth Predestination only come within the compasse of Gods decree and not the means also of accomplishing the same Yes the means also comes within this decree as the Creation and the fall of the reasonable creatures If God hath decreed the works of the wicked must not he of force be the author of sin and evill God is not the cause of sinne and evill which he forbiddeth and condemneth but Satan and man yet God in his secret will hath justly decreed the evill works of the wicked for if it had not so pleased him they had never been at all for most holy ends both of his glory and their punishment as may be seen in the Jews crucifying of Christ Acts 2. 23. and Josephs selling into Egypt Gen. 45. 7. 50. 20. For the thing that in it self by reason of Gods prohibiting of it is sin in respect of Gods decreeing of it for a holy end comes in the place of a good thing as being some occasion or way to manifest the glory of God in his justice and mercy for there is nothing sin as God decreeth it or commandeth it neither is there any thing of it selfe absolutely evill 1 Pet. 3. 17. But because God hath forbidden it therefore it is evill and only unto them unto whom God hath forbidden it as Abraham killing of Isaac being commanded of God was to be obeyed and sin it were to have disobeyed it which otherwise by reason of Gods commandment forbidding to kill was a sin for God forbiddeth not things because they are of themselves and first evill but therefore are they to man evill because God hath forbidden them for all sin is a transgression of a law and God doth in heaven and in earth whatsoever pleaseth him neither is there any greater then he to command him So much of the decree or purpose of God what is the execution of it It is an action of God effectually working all things in their time according to his decree Eph. 1. 11. Acts 4. 28. What are the parts of the execution Creation and Providence Psal. 33. 6 7. 9. 10 11. 146. 6 7. Jer. 10. 12. What is Creation It is the execution of Gods decree whereby of nothing he made all things very good Gen. 1. 1. 7. Heb. 11. 3. How many things in generall are you to know concerning the Creation The causes and the adjuncts in the former whereof we are to consider the authour or efficient cause the matter the form or manner and the end in the latter the goodnesse of the creatures and the time of their Creation Who is the Authour of this wonderfull work God alone How doth that appear Not only by the plain and manifold testimonies of holy Scripture but also by light of reason well directed for reason teacheth that there must needs be a first cause of all things from whence they proceed not only as they are this or that but simply as they are that all perfections which are in other things by participation should be in it essentially and that the same must be of infinite wisdome in that all things are made and ordered unto so good purposes as they are none of which things can agree to any but to God alone whence it is that the Apostle Paul Acts 14. 15. 17. 24. doth point out God to the Heathen by his work above other Is not Creation then an article of faith above reason Yes in regard of the time and manner of it as likewise in respect of a full and saving assent unto it with comfort Is the Father alone to be held the Creator of all things No but together with him the Son also and the holy Ghost for so S. John testifieth that by Christ the eternall Word and Wisdome of God al things were made without him was made nothing Joh. 1. 3. In like manner S. Paul teacheth that by him all things were created in heaven and in earth both things visible and invisible whether they be Thrones or Dominions or Principalities or Powers by him and for him they were all created Col. 1. 16. Moses also declareth that the Spirit of the Lord moved upon the waters sustaining and holding up and as it were brooding for that metaphor he useth the unformed matter to bring forth the most comely and beautifull forms of all things Gen. 1. 2. Did not the Angels create some creatures at the beginning or cannot Man or the Devils now create creatures No Creation is a work of God which only he is able to doe and therefore whatsoever the Devill or Judges like the Sorcerers of Egypt seem to doe it is nothing but a delusion of the senses as the Devill himself confesseth Mat. 4. and the Sorcerers Exod. 4. What was there not something before the Creation as the first matter of all things or space or the time in which this world was made No for then there should be something eternall as well as God Whereof then were all things made Of nothing that is of no matter which was before the Creation How doth that appear Because they are said to have been made in the beginning Gen. 1. 1. that is when before there was not any thing but God the Creator and before which there was no measure of time by men or Angels How and in what manner did God create all things By no means or instruments which he needeth not as man doth but by his powerful word that is by his only will calling those things that are not as though they were Heb. 11. 3. Rom. 4. 17. Ps. 148. 5. Was that Word by which he made all things Christ his Son All things indeed that were made were made by the Son the second Person of the Trinity Joh. 1. 3. Col. 1. 16. Heb. 1.

of him before he was how much more now he is What note you thereof That man hath not to boast of his antiquity all the creatures being made before him even to the vilest worm What is to be observed in his creation That here for the excellency of the work God is brought in as it were deliberating with himselfe the Father with the Sonne and the Holy Ghost and they with him the whole Trinity entring into a solemn counsell to make man after their Image Gen. 1. 26. which is not said of any other creature for whereas the other creatures were made suddenly man was as we shall see not so but with some space of time hitherto also belongeth that the Holy Ghost standeth longer upon his creation then upon the rest What learn you from hence That we should mark so much the more the wisdome and power of God in the creation of him thereby to imitate God in using most diligence about those things which are most excellent What parts doth he consist of Of two parts of a body and a soule Gen. 2. 7. Job 10. 11 12. Whereof was his body made Of the very dust of the earth Gen. 2. 7. in which respect the work of God in making him is set forth by a similitude of the potter which of his clay maketh his pots Rom. 9. 21. and the name of Adam is from hence in the Hebrew given unto man to put him in mind not to bee proud nor to desire to be like God which God foresaw he would doe through Satans temptations What learn you from hence That seeing it pleased God to make mans body more principally of the basest Element that thereby he would give man to understand of what base matter his body was framed that so hee might have occasion of being lowly and humble in his owne sight according as the Scripture it self directeth us to this instruction Gen. 18. 27. Jer. 2. 2. 29. What else learn you The absolute authority that God hath over man as the Potter hath over his pots and much more Rom. 9. 21. How was the soul made His soul was made a spirituall substance which God breathed into that frame of the earth to give it a life whereby man became a living soul Gen. 2. 7. Mal. 2. 15. Why is it called the breath of God Because God made it immediately not of any earthly matter as he did the body nor of any of the elements as he did the other creatures but of a spirituall matter whereby is signified the difference of the soul of man which was made a spirituall and divine or everlasting substance from the soul or life of beasts which commeth of the same matter whereof their bodies are made and therefore dieth with them whereas the soul of man commeth by Gods creation from without in which respect God is said to be the Father of our spirits Heb. 12. 9. and doth not rise as the soul of beasts doe of the temper of the elements but is created of God free from composition that it might be immortall and free from the corruption decay and death that all other creatures are subject unto and therefore as it had life in it self when it was joyned to the body so it retaineth life when it is separated from the body and liveth for ever What other proofs have you of the immortality of the soul besides the divine nature thereof Eccl. 12. 7. It is said that at death the dust shall return to the earth as it was and the spirit unto God who gave it Our Saviour Christ Luk. 23. 46. and his servant Stephen Acts 7. 59. at their death commend their souls unto God Luk. 23. 43. The theeves soul after separation from the body is received into Paradise Mat. 10. 28. The soul cannnot be killed by them that kill the body Psal. 49. 14 15. Mat. 22. 32. Rev. 6. 9. 7. 9. The guiltinesse of the Conscience and feare of punishment for sin proveth the same Otherwise all the comfort of Gods children were utterly dashed for if in this life only we have hope in Christ we are of all men most miserable 1 Cor. 15. 15. Why is it said that God breathed in his face or nostrils Gen. 2. 7. more then in any other part To put man in mind of his frailty whose breath is in his nostrils Esay 2. 22. Because the soul sheweth her faculties most plainly in the countenance both for outward senses and inward affections But is the head the seat of the soul It is thought that in regard of the essence of it all of it is over all and every part of the body as fire is in hot iron but howsoever the severall faculties thereof appear in the severall parts of the body yet the heart is to be accompted the speciall seat of the soul not only in regard of life being the first part of man that liveth and the last that dieth but for affections also and knowledge as appeareth by 1 Kings 3. 9. 12. Mat. 15. 18 19. Rom. 2. 15. 10. 10. 1 Pet. 3. 4. Is there many or one soul in man There is but one having those faculties in it of vegetation and sense that are called souls in plants and beasts What reason have you for this saying Otherwise there should be divers essentiall forms in man God breathed but one breathing though it be called the breathing of lives Gen. 2. 7. for the divers lives and faculties In all Scripture there is mention but of one soul in man Mat. 26. 38. Acts. 7. 59. When may the soul be truly said to come or be in the body of a child When in all essentiall parts it is a perfect body as Adams was when God gave him his soul. What be the faculties of the soul The Understanding under which is the Memory though it be rather one of the inward senses then one of the principall faculties of the soul and the Conscience The Will under which are the Affections So there be five speciall faculties What is meant by the image of God after which man was made Gen. 1. 26 27. Not any bodily shape as though God had a body like man but the divine state wherein his soul was created How many ways is the image of God taken in Scripture Either for Christ as Col. 1. 15. Heb. 1. 3. Joh. 12. 45. 14. 9. or for the glory of mans lively personage as Gen. 9. 6. or for his authority over the woman as 1 Cor. 11. 7. or for the perfection of his nature indued with reason and will rightly disposed in holinesse and righteousnesse wisdome and truth and accordingly framing all motions and actions both inward and outward Col. 3. 9 10. Eph. 4. 24. How is it here then to be taken It may be taken either strictly and properly or more largely and generally What is the strictest and most proper acception of it When it is taken for that integrity of nature which was

wombe of a Virgin without the help of man by the immediate power and operation of the holy Ghost forming him of the onely substance of the woman and perfectly sanctifying that substance in the Conception Luk. 1. 34 35. 42. So was hee borne holy and without sinne whereunto all other men by nature are subject VVhy was it necessary that Christ should bee conceived without sinne First because otherwise the God-head and Man-hood could not be joyned together for God can have no communion with sinne much lesse bee united unto it which is sinfull in a personall union Secondly being our Priest he must be holy harmlesse undefiled and perfectly just without exception Heb. 7. 26. 1 Joh. 3. 5. For if he had been a sinner himselfe he could not have satisfied for the sinnes of other men neither could it be that an unholy thing could make us holy VVhat fruit then and benefit have we by his originall righteousnesse First his pure Conception is imputed unto us and the corrupruption of our nature covered from Gods eyes whiles his righteousnesse as a garment is put upon us Secondly our originall sinne is hereby dayly diminished and fretted away and the contrary holinesse increased in us VVhat is his actuall holinesse That absolute obedience whereby he fulfilled in act every branch of the Law of God walking in all the Commandements and perfectly performing both in thought word and deed whatsoever the Law of God did command and failing in no duties either in the worship and service of God or duty towards men Matth. 3. 15. Rom. 5. 18. 4. 8. VVhat benefit have we hereby 1. All our actuall sins are covered while we are cloathed by faith with his actuall holinesse 2. We are enabled by him dayly to dye unto sinne and more and more to live unto righteousnesse of life But receive we no more by Christ then those blessings which we lost in Adam Yes we receive an high degree of felicity by the second Adam more then we lost by the first Rom. 5. 1. for being by faith incorporated into him and by communication of his Spirit unseparably knit unto him we become the children and heires of God and fellow-heires with Christ Jesus Gal. 4. 6 7. 1 Cor. 12. 12 13. Rom. 8. 9 10. who carrieth us as our head unto the highest degree of happinesse in the Kingdome of heaven where we shall lead not a naturall life as Adam did in Paradise with meat drink and sleep but a spirituall life in all unspeakeable manner and glory There remaineth yet the second part of Christs Priesthood namely his Intercession what is that It is that work whereby he alone doth continually appeare before his Father in heaven to make request for his elect in his own worthinesse making the faithfull and all their prayers acceptable unto him by applying the merits of his own perfect satisfaction unto them and taking away all the pollution that cleaveth to their good works by the merits of his passion Rom. 8. 34. Heb. 9. 24. 12. 24. 1 Joh. 2. 1 2. 1 Pet. 2. 5. Exod. 28. 36 37 38. In how many things doth his intercession consist In five 1. In making continuall request in our name unto God the Father by the vertue of his own merits Secondly in freeing us from the accusations of our adversaries Thirdly in teaching us by his Spirit to pray and send up supplications for our selves and others Fourthly in presenting our prayers unto God and making them acceptable in his sight Fifthly in covering our sins from the sight of God by applying unto us the vertue of his mediation What fruit then have we by his intercession 1. It doth reconcile us to the Father for those sins which we doe dayly commit 2. Being reconciled in him we may pray to God with boldnesse and call him Father 3. Through the intercession of our Saviour Christ our good works are of accompt before God How are we made Priests unto God by our communion with Christ Being sanctified by him and our persons received into favour Ephes. 1. 6. we have freedome and boldnesse to draw neare and offer our selves soules and bodies and all that we have as a reasonable sacrifice to God the Father and so we are admitted as a spirituall Priesthood 1 Pet. 2. 5. to offer up the sacrifices of our obedience prayers and thanksgiving which howsoever imperfect in themselves Esa. 64. 6. and deserving rather punishment then reward Psalm 143. 2. Tit. 3. 5. are yet as our persons made acceptable unto God and have promise of reward Matth. 10. 41 42. by the onely merit and intercession of the same our high Priest So much of our Saviours Priestly-office which is exercised in things concerning God how doth he exercise his office in things concerning man By communicating unto man that grace and redemption which he hath purchased from his Father Rom. 5. 15. 17. 19 Joh. 5. 21. 17. 2. 6. Luk. 4. 18 19. What parts of his office doth he exercise therein His Propheticall and Kingly office Acts 3. 22 23. Psal. 2. 6 7 8. What is this Propheticall office The office of instructing his Church by revealing unto it the way and meanes of salvation and declaring the whole will of his Father unto us in which respect he was he is and ever shall be our Prophet Doctor or Apostle Esa. 61. 3 4. Psal. 2. 6. 7. Luk. 4. 18. Mat. 17. 5. 23. 8 9 10. Heb. 3. 1 2. For what reasons must Christ be a Prophet First to reveale and deliver unto his people so much of the will of God as is needfull for their salvation Secondly to open and expound the same being delivered Thirdly to make them understand and beleeve the same Fourthly to purge his Church from errors Fifthly to place Ministers in his Church to teach his people In what respect doe you say that he is the onely teacher of his Church 1. In that he only knowing the Fathers as his Sonne hath the prerogative to reveale him of himselfe and others by him to us for no man knoweth the Father but the Sonne and he to whom the Sonne will reveale him Mat. 11. 27. 2. In that he is onely able to cause our hearts to beleeve and understand the matter he doth teach and reveale What were then the Prophets and Apostles They were his Disciples and servants and spake by his Spirit 1 Pet. 1. 10 11. 3. 19. Nehemiah 9. 30. Eph. 2. 17. What difference is there between the teaching of Christ and of the Prophets and Ministers sent from him 1. Christ taught with another authority then did ever any other Minister before or after him Mat. 5. 22. 28. 32. 34. 44. 7. 28 29. Mark 1. 22. 2. By vertue of his Propheticall office he did not only bring an outward sound unto the eare but wrought as he did before his comming and as he doth now by the ministery of his word an alteration of the mind so farre as

to the clearing of the understanding How then doth our Saviour perform his Propheticall office Two wayes outwardly and inwardly How inwardly By the teaching and operation of his holy Spirit Ioh. 6. 45. Act. 16. 14. How outwardly By opening the whole will of his Father and confirming the same with so many signes and wonders How did he this Both in his own person when he was upon the earth Heb. 2. 2 3. as a Minister of the circumcision Rom. 15. 18. but with the authority of the Law-giver Mat. 7. 29. and by his servants the Ministers Mat. 10. 40. Luk. 10. 16. from the beginning of the world to the end thereof before his incarnation by the Prophets Priests and Scribes of the old Testament Heb. 1. 1. 1 Pet. 1. 11 12. 3. 18 19. 2 Pet. 1. 19. 20 21. Hos. 4. 6. Mat. 2. 5. 6. 17. 23. 37. And since to the worlds end by his Apostles and Ministers called and fitted by him for that purpose 2 Cor. 4. 6. 5. 19 20. Eph. 4. 8. 11 12 13. How doth it appeare that he hath opened the whole will of his Father unto us Both by his own testimony Joh. 15. 15. I call you no more servants because the servant knoweth not what his Master doth but I call you friends because all which I have heard of my Father I have made knowne unto you and by the Apostles comparison Heb. 3. preferring him before Moses though faithfull in Gods house In what respect is our Saviour preferred before Moses 1. As the builder to the house or one stone of the house 2. Moses was only a servant in the house our Saviour Master over the house 3. Moses was a witnesse only and writer of things to be revealed but our Saviour was the end and finisher of those things What learn you from hence 1. That it is a foul errour in them that think of our Saviour Christ so faithfull hath not delivered all things pertaining to the necessary instruction and government of the Church but left them to the traditions and inventions of men 2. That sith our Saviour was so faithfull in his office that he hath concealed nothing that was committed to him to be declared the Ministers of the word should not suppresse in silence for feare or flattery the things that are necessarily to be delivered and that are in their times to be revealed 3. That we should rest abundantly contented with that Christ hath taught rejecting whatsoever else the boldnes of men would put upon on us Did he first begin to be the Prophet Doctor or Apostle of his Church when he came into the world No but when he opened first his Fathers will unto us by the ministery of his servants the Prophets 1 Pet. 1. 10 11. 3. 19. Heb. 3. 7. Is his Propheticall office the same now in the time of the Gospell that it was before and under the Law It is in substance one and the same but it differeth in the manner and measure of revelation for the same doctrine was revealed by the ministery of the Prophets before the Law by word alone after by word written and in the time of the Gospell more plainly and fully by the Apostles and Evangelists What have we to gather hence that Christ taught and teacheth by the Prophets Evangelists and Apostles 1. In what estimation we ought to have the books of the old Testament sith the same Spirit spake then that speaketh now and the same Christ. 2. We must carry our selves in the hearing of the word of God not to harden our hearts Heb. 3. 8. 15. For as much as the carelesse and fruitlesse hearing thereof hardeneth men to further Judgement for it is a two-edged sword to strike to life or to strike to death it is either the favour of life to life or the savour of death to death 2 Cor. 2. 16. How doth the Apostle presse this Heb. 3. verse 8 9 10. c. First he aggravateth the refusall of this office of our Saviour against the Israelites by the time forty yeares by the place the wildernesse and by the multitude of his benefits then he maketh an application thereof verse 12 13. consisting of two parts 1. A removing from evill 2. A moving to good What comfort have we by the Propheticall office of our Saviour 1. Hereby we are sure that he will lead us into all truth revealed in his word needfull for Gods glory and our salvation 2. We are in some sort partakers of the office of his prophecie by the knowledge of his will for he maketh all his to prophecie in their measure enabling them to teach themselves and their brethren by comforting counselling and exhorting one another privately to good things and withdrawing one another from evill as occasion serveth Acts 2. 17 18. So much of the Propheticall office of our Saviour Christ what is his Kingly office It is the exercise of that power given him by God over all Ps. 110. 1. Ezek. 34. 24. and the possession of all Mat. 28. 18. Psalm 2. 8 c. for the spirituall government and salvation of his elect Esa. 9. 7. Luk. 1. 32 33. and for the destruction of his and their enemies Psalm 45. 5. For what reasons must Christ be a King 1. That he might gather together all his Subjects into one body of the Church out of the world 2. That he might bountifully bestow upon them and convey unto them all the aforesaid meanes of salvation guiding them unto everlasting life by his Word and Spirit 3. That he might appoint Lawes and Statutes which should direct his people and bind their consciences to the obedience of the same 4. That he might rule and governe them and keep them in obedience to his Lawes 5. That he might appoint officers and a setled government in his Church whereby it might be ordered 6. That he might defend them from the violence and outrage of all their enemies both corporall and spirituall 7. That he might bestow many notable priviledges and rewards upon them 8. That he might execute his judgements upon the enemies of his subjects How doth he shew himselfe to be a King By all that power which he did manifest as well in vanquishing death and hell as in gathering the people unto himselfe which he had formerly ransomed and in ruling them being gathered as also in defending of them and applying of those blessings unto them which he hath purchased for them How did he manifest that power First in that being dead and buried he rose from the grave quickned his dead body ascended into heaven and now sitteth at the right hand of his Father with full power and glory in heaven Act. 10. 30. Eph. 4. 8. Secondly in governing of his Church in this world 1 Cor. 15. 25 26 27 28. continually inspiring and directing his servants by the divine power of his holy Spirit according to his holy word Esa. 9. 7. 30. 21. Thirdly by his

the world Esa. 9. 7. What fruit receive we by the Kingly office of our Saviour Christ By it all the treasures brought in by his Priestly and Propheticall office are dealt to us continually For from it all the means of applying and making effectuall unto us Christ and all his benefits doe come yea without it all the actions of his other offices are to us void fruitlesse and of none effect What comfort have we by this Hereby we are assured that by his Kingly power we shall finally overcome the flesh the world the devill death and hell To whom will this blessed King communicate the means of salvation He offereth them to many and they are sufficient to save all mankind but all shall not be saved thereby because by faith they will not receive them Matth. 20. 16. Joh. 1. 11. 1 Joh. 2. 2. Are not the Faithfull in some sort also made partakers of this honor of his Kingdome Yes verily For they are made Kings to rule and subdue their stirring and rebellious affections and to tread Satan under their feet Rom. 6. 12. 16. 20. Rev. 1. 6. 5. 10. You have spoken of the two natures and three offices of our Saviour Shew now in what state did Christ God and man perform this three-fold office In a two-fold estate 1. Of abasement and humiliation Phi. 2. 7 8. 2. Of advancement and exaltation Ph. 2. 9. Col. 2. 15. Eph. 1. 20 21. In the former he abased himself by his sufferings for sin whereof we have heard largely in the declaration of his Priesthood In the latter he obtained a most glorious victory and triumphed over sin thereby fulfilling his Priesthood and making way to his Kingdome What was his estate of Humiliation It was the base condition of a servant whereto he humbled himself from his Conception to his Crosse and so untill the time of his resurrection Phil. 2. 7 8. Wherein did this base estate of the Son of God consist In his Conception Gestation and Birth and in his Life diversly as in his Poverty Hunger Thirst Wearinesse and other Humiliations even unto death of which heretofore hath been spoken What learn you from this that Christ first suffered many things before he could enter into his Glory Luk. 24. 26. 46. That the way to reign with Christ is first to suffer with him and such as bear the Crosse constantly shall wear the Crown eternally Rom. 8. 17 18. 2 Tim. 2. 12. 4. 8. James 1. 12. What is his estate of Exaltation His glorious condition Phil. 2. 9. Heb. 2. 9. beginning at the instant of his Resurrection Acts 2. 24 31 36. and comprehending his Ascension Eph. 4. 8. Acts 2. 34. Heb. 9. 24 25. Sitting at the right hand of God his Father Psal. 110. 1 2 5 6. Mark 16. 9. 1 Pet. 3. 22. and the second comming in glory to judge the world Mat. 25. 31. What is the first degree of this estate His glorious Resurrection for after he had in his manhood suffered for us he did in the third day rise again by his own power from the dead Eph. 1. 19. Luc. 24. 7. 1 Cor. 15. 4. What it needfull that Christ being dead should rise again Yes it was for his own glory and our good Acts 2. 24. 1 Cor. 15. 21 22. How for his glory That being formerly abased as a servant and crucified as a sinner he might thus be declared to be the Son of God and exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour Phil. 2. 7. Luc. 23. 33. Esay 53. 12. Rom. 1. 4. Act. 5. 30 31. How for our good That having paid the price of our redemption by his death we might have good assurance of our full Justification by his life 1 Pet. 1. 19. Acts 20. 28. Rom. 4. 23. 1 Cor. 15. 17. What speciall comfort ariseth from this that the Lord of life is risen from death 1. It assureth me that his righteousnesse shall be imputed unto me for my perfect Justification that he that had the power of death is destroyed Heb. 2. 14. his works dissolved 1 Joh. 3. 8. and that all our misery is swallowed up in Christs victory 1 Cor. 15. 54. 2. It comforteth me because it doth from day to day raise me up to righteousnesse and newnesse of life in this present world 3. It ministreth unto me a comfortable hope that I shall rise again in the last day from bodily death What fruits then are we to shew from the vertue of his resurrection We are to stand up from the dead to awake to righteousnesse to live unto God and dying in him or for him to look for life again from him Eph. 5. 14. 1 Cor. 15. 34. Rom. 6. 4. 11. Phil. 3. 20. 1 Thes. 4. 14. 1 Cor. 15. 22. Col. 3. 4. Why is Christ said to raise himself To let us know that as he had power to lay down his life so he had also to take it up again Joh. 10. 18. What gather you hence That being Lord both of quick and dead he can and will both quicken our souls here to the life of grace and raise our bodies hereafter to the life of glory Rom. 14. 9. John 5. 21. Phil. 3. 21. Why did he rise the third day Because the bands of death could no longer hold him this being the time that he had appointed and the day that best served for his glorious resurrection Act. 2. 24. Mat. 20. 17. 12. 40. Why did he not rise before the third day Lest rising so presently upon his death his enemies might take occasion of cavill that he was not dead Mat. 27. 63 64. 28. 13 14. And why would he not put it off untill the fourth day Lest the faith of his Disciples should have been weakned and their hearts too much cast down and discouraged Mat. 28. 1. Luc. 24. 21. What gather you hence That as the Lord setteth down the tearm of our durance so doth he chuse the fittest time of our deliverance Rev. 2. 10. Mat. 12. 40. Dan. 11. 35. Hosea 6. 2. What is the second degree of his Exaltation His Ascension Mark 16. 19. Ephes. 4. 8 9. For we beleeve that Christ in his humane nature the Apostles looking on ascended into heaven What assurance have you of Christs Ascension The evidence of the Word the testimony of heavenly Angels and holy men Luc. 24. 51. Acts 1. 9. Wherefore did Christ ascend into heaven Because he had finished his Fathers work on earth Joh. 17. 3 4 5. and that being exalted in our nature he might consecrate a way prepare a place Joh. 14. 2 3. and appear in the presence of God to make intercession for us Heb. 4. 29. 9. 24. VVhat benefits did he bestow upon his Church at his Ascension He triumphed over his enemies gave gifts to his friends and taking with him a pledge of our flesh he sent and left with us the earnest of his Spirit Eph. 4. 8. Heb. 10. 12. 20. 2

Cor. 5. 5. Acts 2. 33. VVhat comfort doth hence arise to Gods children 1. That our head being gone before we his members shall follow after Christ having prepared a place for us in heaven which now we feel by faith and hereafter shall fully enjoy Eph. 1. 22 23. 1 Cor. 15. 49. Joh. 14. 3. 13. 23 24. 2. That having such a friend in heaven we need not fear any foes on earth nor fiends in hell Heb. 7. 25. Phil. 1. 28. Rom. 16. 20. Acts 20. 24. Rev. 2. 10. What fruits are we to shew in our lives from the vertue of his Ascension in our hearts 1. To have our conversation in heaven whilest we be on earth placing our hearts where our head is Col. 3. 1 2. Phil. 1. 23 3. 20. 2. To look for the presence of Christ by faith not by sight in spirituall not in carnall things Mat. 28. 20. 2 Cor. 5. 7. Joh. 6. 63. What is the third degree of his Exaltation That he sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty Mar. 11. 19. Eph. 1 20 21 22. What is meant by this That Christ in our nature is worthily advanced by the Father to the height of all Majesty Dominion and Glory having authority to rule all things in heaven and in earth Eph. 4. 10. Heb. 1. 3 4 5. 8. 13. Mat. 28. 18. How may this appear Because he is hereby exalted to be the Kings of Saints Rev. 15. 3. the Judge of sinners Act. 17. 31. the Prince of our salvation Act. 5. 31. and the high Priest of our profession Heb. 8. 1. What comfort ariseth hence to all true Beleevers That 1. as our King he will govern us Heb. 1. 8 9. Luc. 1. 33. and that from him we shall receive all things needfull for us under his gracious government 2. As our Judge he will avenge us Rev. 6. 10. 16. 5 6. and as our Prince defend us Dan. 12. 1. subduing all our enemies by his power treading them under our feet 3. As our Priest he will plead our cause and pray for us Heb. 7. 25. Rom. 8. 34. Why is he said in the Creed to sit at the right hand of God the Father Almighty That we may know he enjoyeth both the favour and power of God in full measure the Father having committed all Judgement to the Son Heb 1. 13. Mat. 28. 18. Joh. 5. 22. What duties are here required To honour the Son as we do the Father to cast our Crowns at his feet stoop to his Scepter live by his Laws so to follow him here that we may sit with him in his throne hereafter Joh. 5. 23. Rev. 4. 10. Psal. 2. 10. Jam. 4. 12. Rev. 3. 21. Doth he not now thus reign for the raising of his friends and the ruine of his enemies Yes he doth graciously by his Word and Works Heb. 1. 8. Rom. 10. 15 16. But he shall more gloriously when he commeth again to judge the quick and the dead 2 Thess. 1. 10. Rom. 14. 9. Having thus declared that which concerneth the Mediatour of the New Testament what are you now to consider in the condition of the rest of mankind which hold by him Two things 1. The participation of the grace of Christ and the benefits of the Gospel 2. The means which God hath ordained for the offering and effecting of the same To whom doth God reveal and apply the Covenant of Grace Not to the world but to his Church called out of the world John 14. 22. 17. 9. Mat. 11. 25. 1 Cor. 2. 8. c. that is not to the reprobate appointed from everlasting to be vessels of wrath but to the Elect and chosen For howsoever the light is come into the world yet most men rather love darknesse then light Joh. 1. 5. And though the proclamation of Grace be generall 1 Tim. 2. 4. yet most men refuse or neglect Gods goodnesse by reason of the naughtinesse of their hearts neither are any saved but such as God draweth to imbrace his mercy and casteth as it were into a new mould Joh. 6. 44. It would seem by this that the most part of the world be in no better estate then the Devill himself Most men questionlesse abide without recovery in the state of sin and death 1 Joh. 5. 19. because the Lord doth not grant unto them the benefit of Redemption and grace of Faith and Repentance unto life but suffers them to run on in sin deservedly unto condemnation How doth God suffer them to run into Condemnation In a divers manner some Reprobates dying infants other of riper years of which last sort some are not called others called How doth God deal with Reprobates dying infants Being once conceived they are in the state of death Rom. 5. 14. by reason of the sin of Adam imputed and of originall corruption cleaving to their nature wherein also dying they perish as for instance the children of Heathen Parents for touching the children of Christians we are taught to accompt them holy 2 Cor. 7. 14. How doth God deal with those of riper years uncalled Being naturally possessed with ignorance and vanity Eph. 4. 18 19. he giveth them up to their own lusts to commit sin without remorse with greedinesse in a reprobate mind Rom. 1. 26. 28. untill the measure of sin being fulfilled they are cut off Gen. 15. 16. Ps. 69. 27. How doth God deal with such Reprobates as are called He vouchsafeth them outward means of salvation Heb. 4. 1 2. 1 Cor. 10. 1 2. c. giving farther to some of them some illumination Heb. 6. 4 5. A temporary faith Acts 8. 13. some outward holinesse and tast of heaven whom he yet suffereth to fall away and the means of grace to become a favour of death unto them 2 Cor. 2. 16. yea some of these doe fall even to the sin unpardonable Heb. 6. 6. So much of the company of the Reprobates which are not made partakers of the benefit of Redemption what is the Church of Christ which enjoyeth this great benefit A company of men and women called out of the world to believe and live in Christ and indued accordingly with spirituall graces for the service of God Gal. 3. 26 27 28. John 1. 12. 17. 14 16. Eph. 2. 10. 1 Tim. 3. 15. Tit. 2. 14. or rather the whole number of Gods elect which are admitted into fellowship with Christ Jesus for all these being taken together are called the Church that is Gods assembly or congregation which in the Scripture is likened to the Spouse of Christ Cant. 4. 9. Eph. 5. 32. 25. which in the Creed we professe to believe under the title of The holy catholick Church Heb. 12. 22 23. Eph. 5. 27. Doe you beleeve in the Catholick Church No I believe that God hath a certain number of his chosen children which he doth call and gather to himself that Christ hath such a flock selected out of

all nations ages and conditions of men Eph. 5. 23. Ioh. 10. 16. Gal. 3. 28. Rev. 7. 9. 17. and that my self am one of that company and a sheep of that fold Why say you that you beleeve that there is a Catholick Church Because that the Church of God cannot be alwayes seen with the eyes of man Why is this Church called holy Because she hath washed her robes in the blood of the Lamb and being sanctified and cleansed with the washing of water by the word is presented and accepted as holy before God Rev. 7. 14. Eph. 5. 26 27. Col. 1. 21 22. for though the Church on earth be in it selfe sinfull yet in Christ the head it is holy and in the life to come shall be brought to perfection of holinesse What learn you hence That if ever we will have the Church for our Mother or God for our Father we must labour to be holy as he is holy What is meant here by catholick Church The whole universall company of the elect that ever were are or ever shall be gathered together in one body knit together in one Faith under one Head Christ Jesus Eph. 4. 4 5 6. 12. 13. Col. 2. 19. Eph. 1. 22 23. For God in all places and of all sorts of men had from the beginning hath now and ever will have an holy Church that is Gods whole or universall Assembly because it comprehendeth the whole multitude of all those that have doe or ever shall believe unto the worlds end Doe all those make one body The whole number of believers and Saints by calling make one body the Head whereof is Christ Jesus Eph. 1. 10. 22 23. Col. 1. 18. 24. Having under him no other Vicar and so the Pope is not the Head of the Church for neither property nor office of the head can agree unto him What is the property of the Head To be highest and therefore there can be but one even Christ. What is the office of the Head First to prescribe lawes to his Church which should bind mens consciences to the obedience of the same and of such law-givers there is but one James 4. 12. Secondly to convey the powers of life and motion into all the members by bestowing spirituall life and grace upon them For the naturall members take spirit and sense from the head so the Church hath all her spirituall life and feeling from Christ who is only able and no creature beside to quicken and give life Thirdly to be the Saviour of the body Eph. 5. 23. But Christ Jesus only is the Saviour of the Church whom by this title of the head of the Church Paul lifteth up above all Angels Archangels Principalities and Powers And therefore if the Pope were the successour of Peter and Paul yet should he not therfore be the head of the Church which agreeth to no simple creature in heaven or under heaven So much of the Head where be the members of this holy Catholick Church Part are already in heaven triumphant part as yet militant here upon earth VVhat call you the Church triumphant The blessed company of those that have entred into their Masters joy Heb. 12. 23. Rev. 7. 14. 16. waiting for the fulfilling of the number of their fellow-members and their own consummation in perfect blisse Rev. 6. 7. VVhy is it called Triumphant Because the Saints deceased have made an end of their pilgrimage and labours here on earth and triumph over their enemies the world death and damnation Are the Angels of the Church triumphant No First because they were never of the Church militant Secondly because they were not redeemed nor received benefit by the death of Christ and therefore it is said that He took not on him the nature of Angels but the seed of Abraham Heb. 2. 16. VVhat is the speciall duty which the Church triumphant in heaven doth perform Praise and thanksgiving to God VVhat is the Church militant It is the society of those that being scattered through all the corners of the world are by one faith in Christ conjoyned to him and fight under his banner against their Enemies the World the Flesh and the devill continuing in the service and warfare of their Lord and expecting in due time also to be crowned with victory and triumph in glory with him Rev. 1. 9. 12. 11. 2 Tim. 4. 7 8. Who are the true members of the Church militant on earth Those alone who as living members of the mysticall body Eph. 1. 22 23. Col. 1. 18. are by the Spirit and Faith secretly and inseparably conjoyned unto Christ their head Col. 3. 3. Psalm 83. 3. In which respect the true militant Church is both visible Mat. 16. 18. and invisible Rom. 2. 29. 1 Pet. 3. 4. the elect being not to be discerned from the reprobates till the last day But are none to be accompted members of this Church but such as are so inseparably united unto Christ doubtlesse many live in the Church who are not thus united unto him and shall never come to salvation by him Truly and properly none are of the Church saving only they which truly beleeve and yeeld obedience 1 John 2. 19. all which are also saved howbeit God useth outward meanes with the inward for the gathering of his Saints and calleth them as well to outward profession among themselves as to inward fellowship with his Sonne Act. 2. 42. Cant. 1. 7. whereby the Church becommeth visible Hence it commeth that so many as partaking the outward means doe joyn with these in league of visible profession Act. 8. 13. are therefore in humane judgment accompted members of the true Church and Saints by calling 1 Cor. 1. 2. untill the Lord who only knoweth who are his doe make known the contrary as we are taught in the Parable of the tares the draw-net c. Mat. 13. 24. 47. Thus many live in the Church as it is visible and outward which are partakers onely outwardly of grace and such are not fully of the Church that have entred in but one step Cant. 4. 7. Eph. 5. 27. 1 John 2. 19. That a man may be fully of the Church it is not sufficient that he professe Christ with his mouth but it is further required that he believe in him in heart These doe the one but not the other or if they believe in heart they believe not fully For they may generally believe indeed that Christ is the Saviour of mankind but they know not whether themselves have part in him yea by their works they disclaim any interest in him VVhat say you then of such They are partakers of all good of the outward or imperfect Church and therefore their children also are baptized and admitted as members of Christs Church These are like evill citizens as indeed the Church is Gods city who are in truth but citizens in profession and name only For they as yet want the chiefest point which onely maketh a

it is a judiciall sentence opposed to condemnation Rom. 8. 34 35. Who shall lay any thing saith Paul to the charge of Gods elect It is God that justifieth who shall condemn Now as to condemn is not the putting any evill into the nature of the party condemned but the pronouncing of his person guilty and the binding him over unto punishment so justifying is the Judges pronouncing the Law to be satisfied and the man discharged and quitted from guilt and judgement Thus God imputing the righteousnesse of Christ to a sinner doth not account his sins unto him but interests him in a state of as full and perfect freedom and acceptance as if he had never sinned or had himselfe fully satisfied For though there is a power purging the corruption of sin which followeth upon justification yet it is carefully to be distinguished from it as we shall further shew hereafter This for the name of Justification but now for the thing it selfe what is the matter first of our justification The matter of justification or that righteousnesse whereby a sinner stands justified in Gods sight is not any righteousnesse inherent in his own person and performed by him but a perfect righteousnesse inherent in Christ and performed for him What righteousnesse of Christ is it whereby a sinner is justified Not the essentiall righteousnesse of his divine nature but First the absolute integrity of our humane nature which in him our head was without guile Heb. 7. 6. Secondly the perfect obedience which in that humane nature of ours he performed unto the whole law of God both by doing whatsoever was required of us Mat. 3. 15. and by suffering whatsoever was deserved by our sins 1 Pet. 2. 24. for he was made sin and a curse for us that we might be made the righteousnesse of God in him What is the forme or being cause of our justification and that which makes this righteousnesse so really ours that it doth justifie us The gracious imputation of God the Father accounting his Sons righteousnesse unto the sinner and by that accounting making it his to all effects as if he himselfe had performed it But how can Christs righteousnesse be accompted ours is it not as absurd to say that we are justified by Christs righteousnesse as that a man should be wise with the wisdom of another or live and be in health by the life and health of another No doubtlesse because this righteousnesse is in Christ not as in a person severed from us but as in the head of the Church the second Adam from whom therefore it is communicated unto all who being united as members unto him doe lay claim thereunto and apply it unto themselves Rom. 5. 19. Rom. 10. 4. For if the sin of Adam were of force to condemn us all because we were in his loynes he being the head of our common nature why then should it seem strange that the righteousnesse of our Saviour Christ both God and man should be availeable to justifie those that are interessed in him especially considering that we have a more strict conjunction in the Spirit with him then ever we had in nature with Adam And though it be not fit to measure heavenly things by the yard of reason yet it is not unreasonable that a man owing a thousand pound and not being able to pay it his creditor may be satisfied by one of his friends If Christ have paid our debt how are we then freely justified by grace It is of grace that Christ is given unto us and also that his righteousnesse apprehended by faith is accounted ours It is true that the justification of a sinner considering the case as it is between the Father and Christ no man dare call it free no the price of our Redemption was the deepest purchase that the world ever heard of but what ever it cost Christ it cost us nothing and so to us it is freely of grace from Christ yea and to us it is freely grace from God the Father too not because he acquits us without a full satisfaction to his Justice or accepts that for perfect righteousnesse which is not perfect righteousnes but because he receives full satisfaction from the hands of a surety and that surety being his own Son when as he might have challenged the uttermost farthing at our hands which were the principals and then there had been no possibility for us to have been delivered What gather you from this doctrine of Justification by Christs righteousnesse 1. To condemn the proud opinion of Papists who seek Justification by their owne workes and righteousnesse inherent in themselves whereas though being accepted we must in thankfulnesse doe all we can for God yet when all is done we must acknowledge our selves unprofitable servants the onely matter of our joy and triumph both in life and death must be the imputation of Christs righteousnes not our persons nor the best actions of the holiest men dare appeare in Gods presence but in his name and merit who consecrates all the Lords Jesus 2. We may here take notice that there is no comfort to a Christian soule like that which floweth from this Well of salvation this sweet doctrine of Justification 1. Here we have assurance of the sufficiencie of our Redemption that soule must be throughly acquited that is stated in such a righteousnesse that debt must be fully discharged that hath such a price laid down for it our sinnes though never so great cannot weigh down his righteousnesse and merit Rom. 8. 33. and God having accepted his Sons righteousnes for us will not hold us any longer trespassers but he disables his own Justice from making any further demand 2. Hence there is nothing comes upon the Saints from Gods revenging Justice but all our corrections are medicinall from Gods Fatherly love to purge out that sin out of our nature which he hath already pardoned to our persons 3. Lastly this doctrine may be great comfort to weak Christians in the midst of their troublesome imperfections and sense of their weak measures of Sanctification To consider that the righteousnesse that is inherent in themselves is not the matter of their Justification or that which must appear before Gods presence to be pleaded the righteousnesse of Christ is compleat and perfect that is our main joy and crown of rejoycing to be found in Christ not having our own righteousnesse but that which is in him and made ours by Gods gracious account But how is this great benefit of Justification applyed unto us and apprehended by us This is done on our part by faith alone and that not considered as a vertue inherent in us working by love but only as an instrument or hand of the soule stretched forth to lay hold on the Lord our righteousnesse Rom. 5. 1. 10 10. Jer. 23. 6. So that faith justifieth onely Relatively in respect of the object which it fasteneth on to wit the righteousnesse of Christ by which

duty and carelesnesse in sinning when as they willingly commit themselves into the snare of the Devill 1 Cor. 15. 33. There remaineth now the breach of this Commandement in act and deed What is that Fleshly pollution and impurity in action of which the unlawfull vowes of continency are nurses Heb. 13. 4. 1 Tim. 4. 1 3. What is the contrary vertue The possessing of our vessels in holinesse and honour 1 Thes. 4. 4. For the preservation of which purity holy wedlocke is commanded to such as have not the gift of continency 1 Cor. 7. 9. How doth a man exercise uncleannesse in Act Either by himselfe or with others How by himselfe By the horrible sin of Onan Gen 38. 9. lustfull dreames and nocturnall pollutions Deut. 23. 10. rising from excessive eating and uncleane cogitations or other sinfull meanes 2 Pet. 2. 10. Gal. 5. 14. Col. 3. 5. How is it with others Either in unlawfull conjunction or unlawfull separation What be the kinds of unlawfull Conjunction It is either with those that are of a diverse or of the same kind What is the filthinesse which consisteth in the conjunction of divers kinds It is either Bestiall or Diabolicall VVhat is the Bestiall When a man or woman committeth filthinesse with a beast which is a most abominable confusion Lev. 18. 23. 20. 15 16. VVhat is the Diabolicall When a man or woman hath company with an uncleane spirit under the shape of a man or woman Thus Witches sometimes prostrate their bodies to the Devill who to fulfill their lusts doth present himselfe unto them in an humane forme How is this sin committed betwixt those of the same kind When men doe carnally company with others out of Marriage or otherwise then the Lawes of holy Marriage doe require What is common to those unlawfull mixtures That they be all either voluntary in both or by force in the one To the former may be referred the maintenance of Stewes which are permitted and defended in Popery to the latter the case of Rape How doe you prove the unlawfulnesse of Stewes 1. They are so far from being the remedies of uncleannesse that they be the speciall nourishers thereof For the acting of sin doth not extinguish but increase the flame of concupiscence 2. They are expresly forbidden in the Law of God Levit. 19. 29. Deut. 23. 17. 3. The Kings are commended in Scripture who tooke away such filthinesse out of their Land 1 Kings 15. 12. 2 King 23. 7. 4. By them not Fornication only but Adulteries yea Incests also were committed when as both married and unmarried came thither and oftentimes some of the same bloud and Affinity committed villany with one whore Ezek 22. 11. What doe you say to the case of Rape Herein the party forced is to be holden guiltlesse but the offence of the other is highly aggravated hereby Deut. 22. 25 26. 2 Sam. 13 14. Of how many sorts are those unlawfull mixtures They are either of one sex with the same sex or of both sexes the one with the other VVhat is that of one sexe with the same sexe Sodomy or Buggery when man with man or woman with woman committeth filthinesse Lev. 18. 22 29. 20. 13. Deut. 23. 17. Rom. 1. 26 27. VVhat be the unlawfull mixtures of both sexes the male and the female together They are either more unnaturall or lesse contrary to nature VVhat are the more unnaturall 1. When a man doth keep company with his own wife or other women when it is with them according to the manner of women Lev. 18. 19. and 20. 18. Ezek. 18. 6. 22. 10. 2. When there is a mixture of those bodies that are within the degrees of kindred or alliance forbidden by the Law of God Lev. 18. 6 c. whether it be in Marriage or otherwise 2 Sam. 13. 14. Gen. 38. 16. which sinne is called Incest Of what sorts are Incests They are either in degrees of Consanguinity or Affinity VVhat is the Incest of Consanguinity Confusion of blood either in the right line upward as father with daughter Collaterall as brother with sister or overthwart and oblique as sonne with Aunt daughter with Vnckle May Cousin germans being in the second degree marry by the Law of God Yea but in divers respects it is unnecessary and inconvenient VVhat are the Incests of Affinity There is the same prohibition of Affinity as of Consanguinity as for a man to have his Sister in Law c. VVhat use make you of this It condemneth the Pope who dispenceth with the degrees prohibited by God and prohibiteth many degrees which God alloweth making that to be sin which is no sin and that which is no sin to be sin What be the unlawfull conjunctions of man and woman that are lesse contrary to nature They are either betwixt strangers or betwixt man and wife What be the kinds of the former Fornication and Adultery Heb. 13. 4. What is Fornication When two single persons come together out of the state of Matrimony Deut. 22. 28. Eph. 5. 3. What is Adultery When a man or a woman wherof the one at least is contracted in marriage commit filthinesse together How manifold is this Adultery Either single or double What call you single Adultery When the one person is single and the other married or espoused What is the double When two persons married or contracted doe company together which is a most high degree of offence as being committed against foure persons What is the unlawfull conjunction betwixt man and wife It is either betwixt one and many or betwixt one and one What is the former Polygamy and the having of many wives at once which was ever unlawfull in conscience howsoever for a time it was borne with of God in regard of the increasing of the World and Church and not punished by the positive Law Gen. 4. 23. Levit. 18. 18. Malach. 2. 15 16. 1 Cor. 6. 16. and 7. 2. What is the latter When the holy Lawes of Matrimony and the order which God hath appointed in his Word are observed What be those Lawes and Orders They doe either concerne the entrance into Marriage or the holy use thereof after it is consummated VVhat is required in the entrance 1. That the persons to be joyned in wedlocke meditate of the ends of Matrimony that it is ordained for procreation sake and for their owne mutuall comfort and preservation not for fulfilling of lust only 2. That they use Prayer for a blessing upon them 3. That they looke to the degrees of Consanguinity and Affinity prescribed 4. That they looke that either of them be free from any former Contract 5. That they be of the same Religion 6. That they have consent of Parents and those which have charge over them for Parents have as great interest in their children as in any of their goods 7. That there be due consent and liking betwixt themselves where Parents must

because it is impious for 1. He that loveth the world loveth not God 1 Joh 2. 15. James 4. 4. neither can we serve God and Mammon Matth. 6. 24. 2. Because a lover of money is an Idolater Eph. 5. 5. For that is our God on which we set our hearts Fourthly because it is pernicious For he that soweth unto the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption Gal. 6. 8. and their end is destruction who minde earthly things Phil. 3. 19. 1 Tim. 6. 9. Fiftly because the love of money is the root of all evill and exposeth men to all tentations 1 Tim. 6. 9 10. What is the second speciall vertue here commanded Selfe-contentednesse when a man is contented with that estate and condition which God in his wise providence hath allotted unto him And doth not covet either that which is another mans or that which is unnecessary and superfluous Phil. 4. 11 12. And this springeth partly from the neglect of money and contempt of worldly things and partly from our affiance in God resting it selfe upon his promises providence goodnesse and all-sufficiency What motives may induce us to embrace this vertue 1. By the consideration of the vanity of worldly things and the profit which ariseth from piety and the love of divine excellencies 1 Tim. 6. 6 7 8. Godlinesse is great gaine with contentation For this abundantly supplyeth all our wants 1 Tim. 4. 8. Psal. 34. 10 11 37. 16. Mat. 6. 33. Prov. 15. 16. Better is a little with the feare of the Lord then great treasures and trouble therewith 2. Of Gods providence who is our provident and loving Father And therefore seeing we are his sonnes wee ought to bee content with our portion which our gracious Father hath allotted unto us and to say with David Psal. 16. 6. The lines are falne unto me in pleasant places For he best knoweth what we stand in need of Mat. 6. 32. Goe let us submit our selves to his will and providence Thirdly let us meditate on Gods promises Heb. 13. 5 6. Be content with such things as you have for he hath said I will never leave nor forsake thee And therefore let us cast our care upon God for he careth for us 1 Pet. 5. 7. Psalme 55. 22. Cast thy burthen upon the Lord and he shall sustain thee c. VVhat is the vice opposite to this vertue Not to be contented with our present state and condition but immoderately to desire more and greater things and to afflict our selves with distracting and carking cares in getting and compassing them VVho are most addicted to this vice Those who will not live according to the proportion of their meanes which God hath given them for these wanting more then is needfull their ordinary commings in and lawfull meanes doe not suffice them but they desire and seek things superfluous by unlawfull meanes as food and raiment above their state and ability But is it then unlawfull in a meane and poore condition to use meanes to improve and better our estate Our affiance in God and selfe contentednesse doe not hinder us from using all lawfull meanes to better our condition nor make us slothfull in our callings so that our desires be moderate and the meanes wee use bee lawfull we in the meane time resting upon Gods just and wise providence with contentation VVhat is the third internall duty respecting the lawfull getting and possessing of earthly things The lawfull measuring of our appetite and the moderating of our concupiscence For all appetite and desire is not unlawfull but that onely which is inordinate and immoderate for that desire which tendeth to the neeessary sustentation of our selves and others is commendable What things are here considerable Two things First what is necessary Secondly when the appetite is lawfull Concerning the former things are said to be necessary in respect of the necessity either of our selves or others What things are to be reputed necessary in respect of our selves There may be a three-fold necessity as either in respect of Nature Person or Estate What in respect of Nature Those things which are required to the sustaining of nature as we are men that is food and raiment 1 Tim. 6. 8. What is necessary in respect of Person When we have sufficient for our selves and those that belong unto us 1 Tim. 5. 8. What is necessary in respect of State When we have that which is sufficient to maintaine us according to our ranke place and calling whether it be Magistrates Ministers or ordinary men What is necessary in respect of others It is either private or publick VVhat is that necessity which respecteth the private When we have wherewith to relieve the necessities of private men after which ability all ought to labour Eph. 4. 18. Prov. 4. 15 16. For it is a more blessed thing to give then to receive Acts 20. 35. VVhat in respect of the publick It either concerneth the Church or Common-wealth unto both which we must be serviceable as being borne not onely for our selves but also for them Therefore we may justly desire and labour after such abilities as that we may not be wanting to either of them when their necessities require our helpe When is the Appetite lawfull When it is ordinate and moderate When is it ordinate When it is subordinate to our study and desire of Gods glory and our owne salvation Matth. 6. 33. and contrariwise it is inordinate and preposterous when earthly things are more affected and desired then heavenly Who doe sinne in this kinde Those who seek worldly things by sinfull and unlawfull meanes to the hazzard of their soules and their eternall salvation such are more foolish then Esau that sold his Birth-right for a messe of Pottage Mark 8. 36. What is a moderate Appetite or Desire When we desire onely things necessary and these also so as that we can be content though we cannot get them Phil. 4. 11 12. An example whereof we have in Paul Phil. 4. 11. 12. and in Agur Pro. 30. 8. And Christ hath taught us to pray Give us this day our dayly bread that is food convenient and necessary VVhat are the extreames opposed hereunto They are two The first is voluntary affectation of poverty as the begging Friars among the Papists commending that for a vertue and a degree of perfection which the Spirit of God hath taught us to pray against Proverbs 30. 8. And hath enjoyned us not to begge but to labour with our hands that we may be helpfull unto others Eph. 4. 18. What is the other extreame The immoderate affectation of riches and honours and that in a greater measure then is needfull for us The former we call Covetousnesse the other Ambition VVhat is Covetousnesse An immoderate desire of Riches in which these vices concurre 1. An excessive love of Riches and the fixing of our hearts upon them 2. A resolution to become rich either by lawfull or unlawfull

23. And first that it doe not admit any evill concupiscence Secondly that if it be admitted it be not retained And this care must be taken both when wee be awake that we keep our mindes intent unto lawfull and good things Matth. 12. 44. And when we goe to sleep that by hearty prayer we commend them to Gods keeping But what if the heart have admitted evill concupiscences We must strive and fight against them and never be at rest untill we have cast them out and extinguished them What further is required to the conserving of the heart in purity In the third place we must observe our sences that they doe not bring into our mindes such objects as being apprehended will stirre up in us evill concupiscence Gen. 3. 6. 6. 2. Josh. 7. 21. 2 Sam. 11. 2. Matth. 5. 28. Job 31. Psal. 119. 37. What are the speciall meanes to suppresse or take away the concupiscence of the eyes First we must mortifie selfe-love and not seek our owne but every man anothers wealth 1 Cor. 10. 24. Secondly we must pull out the eyes of envy Thirdly we must labour after contentation Phil. 4. 11. And to this end consider First how many want those good things which thou enjoyest who are farre more worthy of them Secondly thine owne unworthinesse of the least of Gods benefits Thirdly meditate on Gods providence and fatherly care who provideth all things necessary for thy good and salvation What doe you learne from this Commandement thus expounded That it is most impossible for any man to keep it For who can say that his heart is cleane from the first motions of sinne and concupiscence that goe before consent Prov. 20. 9. To what purpose serveth the knowledge of this impossibility To humble us in the sight and sense of our sinnes which have made us subject to the wrath of God and the curse of the Law that so despairing in our owne merits we may be driven out of our selves and with more ardent desire flye unto the mercies of God in the satisfaction and obedience of Iesus Christ. What other use are we to make of it That being by Christ freed from the curse of the Law we study and endeavour to conforme our selves our soules and lives according to the prescript rule of this holy and most perfect law Matth. 5. 48. and that mortifying the flesh with all the carnall concupiscences and lusts of it we be dayly more and more renewed unto the Image of God in all holinesse and righteousnesse and walke worthy of our high calling as it becommeth Saints Eph. 4. 1. Hitherto we have treated of the rule and square of our Sanctification viz. The ten Commandements Now wherein is the effect or exercise of Sanctification seene IN unfeigned repentance and new obedience springing from thence For the fruits of Sanctification are First inward vertues whereby all the powers of the minde are rightly ordered Secondly the exercise of the same by putting those heavenly and sanctified abilities to holy use and service If then the exercise of Sanctification be first seen in repentance what is repentance An inward and true sorrow for sinne especially that we have offended so gracious a God and so loving a father together with a setled purpose of heart and a carefull endeavour to leave all our sinnes and to live a Christian life according to all Gods Commandements Psalme 119. 57. 212. Or a turning of our selves to God whereby wee crucifie and kill the corruptions of our nature and reforme our selves in the inward man according to Gods will What is it to crucifie the corruption of our nature It is freely and with all our heart to be sorry that we have angred God with it and with our other sinnes and every day more and more to hate it and them and to flye from them How is this wrought in us It is wrought in us partly by the threatning of the Law and the feare of Gods judgements but especially increased by feeling the fruit of Christ his death whereby we have power to hate sin and to leave it For when the sinner is once humbled with the terrours of the Law he flyeth to the comforts of the Gospell and he there seeth in Christ Crucified not onely the mercy of God discharging him of all his sinnes but also how deep the wounds of sin are wherewith he hath pierced his Saviour Zach. 12. 10. and how severe the wrath of God is against sin even to the slaughtering of his owne Son and hence 1 Peter 4. 1. commeth he to hate his sins Psalme 97. 10. as God hateth them and to look backe thereon with godly sorrow 2 Cor. 7. 10. resolving for ever after to forsake them all How is the reformation of our selves newnesse of life wrought in us Onely by the promise of the Gospel whereby we feele the fruit of the rising again of Christ. What doth ensue hereof Hereby we are raised up into a new life having the Law written in our hearts and so reforme our selves Wherein then doth repentance properly consist In a thorough changing of our purpose and desires from the evill which Gods Word rebuketh in us to the good which it requireth of us Rom. 12. 1 2. Esa. 1. 16 17. What is required in respect of the evil we turne from First knowledge of the evill then a condemning of the same together with a judging of our selves for it and then with godly sorrow for that which is past a hatred of it for ever and all this because it is sin and displeaseth our God What is required in regard of the good we turne unto First a knowledge and approbation of good to be done with a purpose of heart to doe it then an earnest love of the same shewed by care desire and endevour Can men repent of themselves or when they list No for it is the gift of God given unto them that are born againe Is it sufficient once to have repented No we must continue it alwayes in disposition and renew it also in act as occasion is given by our transgressions and Gods displeasure for there is none of Gods Saints but alwayes carrying this corruption about them they sometimes fall and are farre from that perfection and goodnesse which the Lord requireth and therefore stand in need of repentance so long as they live When then is this repentance to be practised of us The practice of repentance ought to be continually an abhorring of evill and cleaving unto that which is good Rom. 12. 9. for as much time as remaineth in the flesh after our conversion 1 Pet. 4. 2 3. yet at times there ought to be a more speciall practice and renewing thereof as after grievous falls Psal. 51. in feare of eminent judgements Amos 4. 12. Gen. 33. 2 3 c. or when we would fit our selves to receive speciall mercies Gen. 35. 2 3 c. In what manner must the especiall practice of repentance in such

Christians enabled by understanding and grace to judg and aright to performe this weighty duty Zach. 12. 12 c. unlesse any be exempted by present debility Matth. 12. 7. 1 Sam. 14 29 30. but differently according to the divers occasions of fasting and the kindes thereon depending whereof before hath been spoken May those that are under the government of their Parents or Masters fast without leave of them No but in the publike all may fast Are all persons meet for this exercise of fasting By the unfitnesse of his owne Disciples for it our Saviour Christ teacheth that they that are meet for this exercise must not be Novices in the profession of the truth no more then hee that is accustomed with the drinking of old wine can suddenly fall in liking of new wine Luke 5. 33. Is it so hard a matter to abstaine from a Meales meat and such bodily comforts for a small time which the youag sucking babes and the beasts of Nineveh did and divers beasts are better able to performe then any man No verily but hereby appeareth that there is an inward strength of the mind required not onely in knowing of our behaviour in this service of God but also of power and ability to goe under the weight of the things we humble our selves for which strength if it be wanting the fast will be to those that are exercised in it as a peece of new cloath sewed into an old garment which because it is not able to beare the stresse and strength of hath a greater rent made into it then if there were no peece at all What gather you hereof That it is no marvell that where there is any abstinence and corporall exercise in Popery yet that the same makes them nothing better but rather worse having not so much as the knowledge of this service of God much lesse any spirituall strength and ability to performe it with What then are the parts of a true Christian Fast They are partly outward partly inward 1. Bodily exercises serving to the inward substances 1 Tim. 4. 8. 2. An inward substance sanctifying the bodily exercise and making it profitable to the users What is the bodily exercise in fasting It is the forbearing of things otherwise lawfull and convenient in whole or in part for the time of humiliation so as nature be chastised but not disabled for service and the delights of the sense laid aside but yet without annoyance and uncomelinesse What are those outward things that are to be forborne during the time of fasting First food Esther 4. 16. Ionah 3. 7. from whence the whole action hath the name of Fasting and the word doth signifie an utter abstinence from all meats and drinkes and not a sober use of them which ought to be all the time of our lives Wherefore this outward exercise is thus described Luke 5. 33. The Disciples of John and the Pharisees fast but thine eat and drinke What is here to be considered A charge upon Popery For the greater sort of people amongst them in the day of their Fast fill their bellies with bread and drinke and the richer sort with all kinde of delicates flesh and that which commeth of flesh onely excepted So that the fasting of the one and the other is but a fulnesse and the latter may be more truely said to feast then a fast It seemeth you make it unlawfull for those that fast to eat any thing during their fasting Not so if for help of weaknesse the taking of meat be moderately and sparingly used as before hath been observed What other things are outward The ceasing from labour in our vocations on the day of the Fast Num. 29. 7. to the end wee may the better attend to the holy exercises used in fasting in which respect such times are called Sabbaths Levit. 23. 32. The laying aside of costly apparell or whatsoever ornaments of the body and wearing of homely and courser garments Exodus 33. 4 5. Jonah 3. 5 6. The forbearing of Sleep Musicke Mirth Perfumes c. Dan. 6. 18. 10. 2 3. And this abstinence is required of all that celebrate the Fast But of married persons there is further required a forbearance of the use of the marriage bed and of the company each of other 1 Cor. 7. 5. Joel 2. 16. What is the meaning of the abstinence from these outward things By abstinence from meat and drinke by wearing of courser apparell by ceasing from labour in our Callings and by separation in married persons for the time wee thereby professe our selves unworthy of all the benefits of this present life and that we are worthy to bee as farre underneath the earth as wee are above it yea that we are worthy to be cast into the bottome of hell which the holy Fathers in times past did signifie by putting ashes upon their heads the truth whereof remaineth still although the ceremony be not used What is the spirituall substance of duty whereto the bodily exercise serveth It is an extraordinary endevour of humbling our souls before the Lord and of seeking his face and favour Ezra 8. 21. wherein that inward power and strength whereof we speak is seen Wherein doth it consist 1. In the abasing of our selves Joel 2. 13. by examination confession and hearty bewailing of our own and the common sins Ezra 9. 3 4. Neh. 9. 1 2 c. Dan. 9. 3 4 5 c. 2. In drawing near unto the Lord by faith Luk. 15. 18 21. and earnest invocation of his name Iona. 3. 8. Esa. 58. 4. The former is grounded upon the meditation of the Law and threats of God the later upon the Gospel and promises of God touching the removing of our sins and Gods judgments upon us for them How agreeth this with the Popish Fast It faileth in both parts for in stead of humbling themselves and afflicting their soules they pride themselves and lift up their mindes in thinking they deserve something at Gods hands for their fasting which is great abomination Neither have they upon the dayes of their Fast any extraordinary exercise of prayer more then upon other dayes of all which it may appeare how small cause they have to boast of their fasting which in all the warp thereof hath not a thread which is not full of leprosie What is required in our humiliation Anguish and grief of our hearts conceived for our sins and the punishment of God upon us for which we ought to be humbled in fasting For the effecting whereof we are to set before our eyes 1. The glasse of Gods holy Law with the bitter curses threatned to the breakers thereof 2. The examples of vengeance on the wicked 3. The judgments now felt or feared of us 4. The spirituall contemplation of our blessed Saviour bleeding on the Crosse with the wounds which our sinnes have forced upon him Zach. 12. 10 c. What is required in our drawing neare unto the Lord by Faith Not onely

wee see that wee need no more but to bee born and then to have this life preserved The Sacrament of Baptisme sheweth us the first the Sacrament of the Lords Supper the second Therefore those five other Sacraments of Confirmation Penance Matrimony Orders and extreame Unction joyned by the Papists are superfluous because some of them have no warrant at all out of the Word of God and God hath not promised a blessing upon the using of them others of them though they bee agreeable to the Word yet are without the nature and number of the Sacraments What is Baptisme It is the first Sacrament of the New Testament by the washing of water Ephes. 5. 26. representing the powerfull washing of the blood and spirit of Christ 1 Cor. 6. 11. Heb. 10. 22. and so sealing our regeneration or new birth our entrance into the Covenant of Grace and our ingraffing into Christ and into the body of Christ which is his Church Joh. 3. 5. Tit. 3. 5. Act. 8. 27. The word Baptisme in generall signifieth any kinde of washing but here it is specially taken for that sacramentall washing which sealeth unto those which are within Gods Covenant their birth in Christ and enterance into Christianity How was this Sacrament ordained and brought into the Church in the place of Circumcision At the Commandement of God Joh. 1. 33. by the Ministery of John therefore called the Baptist Matth. 3. 1. after sanctified and confirmed by our Saviour Christ himself being baptized by John Mat. 3. 13. and giving commission to his Apostles and Ministers to continue the same in his Church unto the end Mat. 28. 18. Why call you it the first Sacrament Because Christ gave order to his Apostles that after they have taught and men beleeve they should baptize them that so they might bee enrolled amongst those of the houshold of God and entered into the number of the Citizens Burgesses of the heavenly Jerusalem What abuse doth this take away That which sometimes the ancient Church was infected withall namely that they baptized men at their death and let them receive the Lords Supper twice or thrice a yeer whereas this is the first Sacrament of the Covenant What are the essentiall parts of this Sacrament of Baptisme As of all other Sacraments two the outward signes and the inward things signified where also is to bee considered the proportion and union which is between those two parts which is as it were the very form and inward excellency of a Sacrament What are the outward signes in Baptisme They are the outward element of water and the outward sacramentall actions performed about it What are those Sacramentall actions First the Ministers blessing and consecrating the water And secondly the right applying it so consecrated to the party to bee baptized May none but a lawfull Minister baptize No for baptism is a part of the publique Ministery of the Church and Christ hath given warrant and authority to none to baptize but those whom hee hath called to preach the Gospel Goe Preach and Baptize Matth. 28. 29. those onely may stand in the roome of God himself and Ministerially set to the seale of the Covenant And it is monstrous presumption for Women or any other private persons who are not called to meddle with such high Mysteries nor can there bee any case of necessity to urge as will appeare afterwards Touching the first action of the Minister how is hee to blesse and consecrate the water First by opening to them that are present the Doctrine of Baptisme and the right institution and use of it what inward mysteries are signified and sealed up by those outward signes So did John when hee baptized hee preached the Doctrine of Repentance and taught the people the inward baptisme of the Spirit signified by his baptizing with vvater Matth. 3. 11. Secondly by acknowledging in the name of the congregation mans naturall pollution that vve stand in need of spirituall vvashing by giving thanks to God the Father for giving his Sonne for a propitiation for our sins and appointing his blood to bee a fountain to the house of Israel to wash in and for ordaining of this service to bee a Sacrament and seale of so great a mystery Thirdly by making profession of Faith in Gods promises in that behalf and praying that they may bee made good unto the party that is to receive the seale thereof for as every thing is sanctified by the Word of God and prayer so in especiall manner the Sacramentall water in baptisme is blessed and consecrated by the Word of institution and prayer to God for a blessing upon his own Ordinance What is the second Sacramentall action The action of washing that is of applying the Sacramentall water unto the party to be baptized diving or dipping him into it or sprinkling him with it In the name of the Father the Son and of the holy Ghost Is the action of diving or dipping materiall and essentiall to the Sacrament or is there absolute ground and warrant for sprinkling which is most commonly practised with us in these cold Countries Some there are that stand strictly for the particular action of diving or dipping the baptized under water as the onely action which the institution of this Sacrament will bear and our Church allows no other except in case of the childes weaknesse and there is exprest in our Saviours baptisme both his descending into the water and rising up so that some think our common sprinkling to bee through ease and tendernesse a stretching the liberty of the Church further then either the Church would or the symbolicalnesse of the outward sign with the thing signified can safely admit it typifying our spirituall buriall and resurrection Rom. 6. 8. Others conceive the action of sprinkling of water upon the face of the baptized very warrantable especially in young children to whom further wetting may bee dangerous and the grounds are these First it seems that neither dipping is essentiall to the Sacrament of Baptisme nor sprinkling but onely washing and applying water to the body as a cleanser of the filth thereof Secondly then as in the other Sacrament a spoonfull of wine is as significant as a whole gallon so here a handfull of water is as significant as a whole river Thirdly the action of sprinkling beares fit resemblance with the inward grace as well as dipping and hath authority in the Scriptures read 1 Pet. 1. 2. and Heb. 12. 14. there is speech of the sprinkling of the blood of Christ and the blood of sprinkling speaks better things then the blood of Abel Fourthly it is not unlikely that the Apostles baptized as well by sprinkling or powring upon as by diving and dipping into sith wee read of divers baptized in houses as well as others in rivers However the washing the body by water is essentiall Ephes. 5. 26. though whether way it bee done seem not to bee essentiall so water bee applyed to the body

for the cleansing of it Thus much of the Sacramentall element and Sacramentall actions which are the outward part of baptism What now is the inward part Those spirituall things which are signified and represented and exhibited in and by the outward element and actions as the water signifies the blood of Christ the Ministers consecrating the water signifies God the Fathers setting apart his Son for the expiation of the sins of the world by his blood the Ministers applying the water to the body of the baptized to cleanse it signifieth Gods applying the blood of his Son to cleanse the soule for justification and remission of sins and not onely to signifie but to seale up unto the beleever that the inward part is effected as well as the outward How come these visible things to signifie such invisible mysteries First there is a naturall fitnesse and aptnesse in the outward things to expresse the inward as for water to bee a resemblance of the blood of Christ thus they agree First water is a necessary element the naturall life of man cannot be without it and the blood of Christ is as necessary to his spiritual life Secondly water is a comfortable element as the Hart panteth after the water brooks Psal. 42. 1. The thirst of the body cannot bee quenched but by water hence the heighth of misery is described by a barren and dry ground where no water is Psal. 63. 1. so the thirst of the soule cannot bee quenched but by the blood of Christ Joh. 4. 13. Thirdly water is a free element as it is necessary usefull and comfortable so it is cheap and easie to come by without cost so is the blood of Christ Esa. 55. 1. Hoe hee that thirsteth come and drink freely Fourthly water is a common element none are barred from it any may go to the river and drink and the blood of Christ is offered as generally to all rich and poore high and low bond and free every one may lay claim unto him come have interest in him Joh. 1. 12. Who ever receiveth him who ever beleeveth the proposall is without restraint none can say I am shut out or excepted Fifthly water is a copious and plentifull element there is no lesse in the river for thy drinking of it there is enough for all men so is the blood of Christ all-sufficient it can never bee drawn dry of his fulnesse wee may all receive and yet hee bee never the more empty hence the Scripture speaks of plenteous redemption Sixthly lastly and especially water is a cleansing and a purifying element and it resembles the blood of Christ fitly in that for 1 Joh. 1. 7. The blood of Christ cleanseth us from all sin And here we may also observe the symbolicalnesse betwen the Sacramentall action of washing and the inward grace signified First nothing is washed but that which is unclean even so the Sacramentall washing implies our naturall pollution whosoever submits to this Sacrament of Baptism doth by so doing acknowledge himself to bee defiled whoever brings a childe to bee baptized doth by so doing make confession of originall corruption and sinfulnesse as Johns hearers were baptized of him in Jordan confessing their sins Mat. 3. 6. Secondly as the applying of the water to the body washeth and cleanseth so it is with the blood of Christ it cleanseth not the soule but by being applyed to it in the merit and efficacy of it by the sanctifying Spirit of which the outward ministeriall washing is a sign and seale 1 Cor. 6. 11. What is there besides the naturall fitnesse of the outward things to expresse the inward 2. There is also considerable Gods divine institution ordaining and appointing these things to typifie to the soule Christ crucified in his cleansing quality for otherwise though there were never such aptnesse in the creature yet it hath nothing to do to meddle with a Sacrament unlesse the Lord do specially appropriate it to serve for such a purpose and then with Gods institution there goeth a blessing and a speciall vertue and power attends on a divine Ordinance that which makes the outward signs significant is Gods Word and appointment But is Christ and the cleansing power of his bloud only barely signified in the Sacrament of Baptisme Nay more the inward things are really exhibited to the beleever as well as the outward there is that sacramentall union between them that the one is conveyed and sealed up by the other hence are those phrases of being born again of water and of the holy Ghost Joh. 3. 5. of cleansing by the washing of water Eph. 5. 26. so arise and be baptized and wash away thy sins Acts 22. 16. so Rom. 6. 3. we are buried with Christ by baptisme c. the Sacraments being rightly received doe effect that which they doe represent Are all they then that are partakers of the outward washing of baptisme partakers also of the inward washing of the Spirit Doth this Sacrament seal up their spirituall ingraffing into Christ to all who externally receive it Surely no though God hath ordained these outward means for the conveyance of the inward grace to our souls yet there is no necessity that we should tie the working of Gods Spirit to the Sacraments more then to the Word the promises of salvation Christ and all his benefits are preached and offered to all in the ministery of the Word yet all hearers have not them conveyed to their souls by the Spirit but those whom God hath ordained to life so in the Sacraments the outward elements are dispensed to al who make an outward profession of the Gospel for in infants their being born in the bosome of the Church is in stead of an outward profession because man is not able to distinguish corn from chaffe but the inward grace of the Sacrament is not communicated to all but to those onely who are heirs of those promises whereof the Sacraments are seals for without a man have his name in the Covenant the seal set to it confirms nothing to him What is the advantage then or benefit of baptisme to a common Christian The same as was the benefit of Circumcision to the Jew outward Rom. 2. 28. Rom. 3. 1 2. there is a generall grace of Baptisme which all the baptized partake of as a common favour and that is their admission into the visible body of the Church their matriculation and outward incorporating into the number of the worshippers of God by externall communion and so as Circumcision was not onely a seal of the righteousnesse which is by faith but as an overplus God appointed it to be like a wall of separation between Jew and Gentile so is Baptisme a badge of an outward member of the Church a distinction from the common rout of Heathen and God thereby seals a right upon the party baptized to his ordinances that he may use them as his priviledges and wait for an inward blessing by them yet

the bloud of Christ himselfe Thus much of the matter of this Sacrament wherein consisteth the forme thereof Partly in the outward actions both of the Minister and of the receiver partly in the inward and spirituall things signified thereby these outward actions being a second seale set by the Lords owne hand unto his covenant What be the Sacramentall actions of the Minister in the Lords Supper Foure First to take the bread and wine into his hand and to separate it from ordinarie bread and wine What doth this signifie That God in his eternall decree hath separated Christ from all other men to be our Mediator and that he was set apart to that office and separated from sinners Exod. 12. 5. Heb. 7. 26. What is the second To blesse and consecrate the bread and wine by the Word and Prayer What doth that signifie That God in his due time sent Christ into the world and sanctified him furnishing him with all gifts needfull for a Mediator How are the Bread and Wine to be blessed and consecrated By doing that which at the first institution Christ did What is that 1. He declared the Doctrine of the mystery of the Sacrament unto his Apostles which received it by teaching the truth of that which these outward signes did signifie 2. He thanked his heavenly Father for that he had so loved the world that he gave him which was his only Son to die for it through the breaking of his most holy Body and the shedding his most precious bloud Also he gave him thanks for that he had ordained these outward elements to seale our spirituall nourishment in Christ. 3. By a trope of the chiefe part of Prayer which is Thanksgiving for the whole the Evangelist giveth to understand that our Saviour Christ sued to God his heavenly Father that his death in it selfe sufficient to save might by the working of his holy Spirit be effectuall to the elect and that those outward signes of bread and wine might through the operation of his holy Spirit be effectuall to the purposes they were ordained unto How shall it be knowne that he gave thanks and prayed for these things seeing there is no mention of these things in the Evangelists 1. The very matter it selfe that is handled doth guide us to the knowledge of these things 2. The like manner of speech in other places of Scripture where there being no mention what words he used yet must needs be granted that he gave thanks and prayed proportionably to the prayer and thanks here used For taking the Barley loaves and Fishes and giving thanks what can be understood but that he giving thanks to God that had given those creatures for their bodily nourishment prayed that he would blesse them and make them effectuall to that purpose and end Mat. 14. 14. and 15. 36. John 6. 11. And as it is not lawfull to eat and drinke the common meat and drinke without such prayer and thanksgiving so is it not lawfull to communicate these elements without thanksgiving and prayer So much for the second Action which the Minister indeed performeth with the Communicants but yet as chiefe in the action What is the third To breake the Bread and poure out the Wine What doth it signifie The passion and sufferings of Christ with all the torments he endured for our sins both in body and soule his blessed body being bruised and crucified his precious bloud shed trickling and streaming downe from him to all parts of the ground and his righteous soule powred out unto death Isa. 53. 5. 10. 12. Heb. 9. 14. That Christ himselfe of his owne accord offered his body to be broken and his bloud to be shed upon the Crosse And that as the Bread nourisheth not if it remaine whole and unbroken so there is no life for us in Christ but in as much as he died What is the fourth To give and distribute the Bread and VVine to the Receiver What doth that signifie That God giveth Christ and Christ himselfe to us That Christ Iesus with all his merits is offered to all sorts of Receivers and that God hath given him to the faithfull Receivers to feed their soules unto eternall life John 3. 14 15. 6. 50 51. What be the Sacramentall Actions of the Receivers They be two First to take the bread and wine offered by the Minister What doth that signifie The receiving of Christ into our soules with all his benefits by faith That they and only they have benefit by Christ crucified which thus apply Christ to themselves by a true and lively faith John 1. 12. What is the second To eat the bread and drinke the wine receiving them into the body and digesting them 1 Cor. 11. 26. VVhat doth that signifie Our uniting to Christ and enjoying of him that we must with delight apply Christ and his merits to all the necessities of our soules spiritually feeding upon him and groaning by him For the eating of the bread to strengthen our nature betokeneth the inward strengthening of our soules by grace through the merit of the breaking of Christs body for us and the drinking of the wine to cherish our bodies betokens that the bloud of Christ shed upon the Crosse and as it were drunke by faith cherisheth our soules And as God doth blesse these outward elements to preserve and strengthen the body of the receiver so Christ apprehended and received by faith doth nourish him and preserve both body and soule unto eternall life John 6. 50 51. 1 Cor. 10. 3. 11. 16 17. Is Christs body and bloud together with the outward elements received of all Communicants No for howsoever they be offered by God to all Matth. 26. 26. yet are they received by such alone as have the hand of faith to lay hold on Christ and these with the bread and wine doe spiritually receive Christ with all his saving graces As for the wicked and those that come without faith they receive onely the outward elements 1 Cor. 11. 27. and withall judgement and condemnation to themselves verse 29. So much for the matter and forme Shew now the speciall ends and uses for which the Lords Supper was ordained 1. To call to minde and renew the memory and vertue of Christs death 1 Cor. 11. 24. 2. To encrease our faith begotten by the Word preached and to confirme unto us our nourishment onely thereby by the means of Christs death 3. To encrease our love 4. To encrease our joy in the holy Ghost our peace of conscience our hope of eternall life and all other graces of God in us 5. To stirre us up with greater boldnesse to professe Christ then heretofore we had done 6. To quicken our hearts to all holy duties 7. To shew our thankfulnesse to God for his mercie bestowed upon us in Christ. 8. To make a difference betwixt our selves and the enemies of Christ. 9. To knit us more neere in good will one to

nature onely which is the remainder of the morall Law written in the hearts of our first parents and conveyed by the power of God unto all men to leave them without excuse or that written Word of God vouchsafed unto the Church in the Scriptures first of the old and after also of the new Testament as the rule of faith and life 2. By the evidence of every mans conscience bringing all his works whether good or evill to light bearing witnesse with him or against him together with the testimony of such who either by doctrine company or example have approved or condemned him Shall there be no difference in the examination of the Elect and the Reprobate Yes for 1. The Elect shall not have their sinnes for which Christ satisfied but onely their good works remembred 2. Being in Christ they and their works shall not undergoe the strict triall of the Law simply in it self but as the obedience thereof doth prove them to be true partakers of the grace of the Gospel Shall there be any such reasoning at the last judgement as seemeth Matth. 7. 25 No but the consciences of men being then enlightned by Christ shall cleare all those doubts and reject those objections and excuses which they seem now to apprehend How shall the sentence be pronounced By the Iudge himselfe our Lord Iesus Christ who according to the evidence and verdict of conscience touching workes shall adjudge the Elect unto the blessing of the kingdome of God his Father and the Reprobates with the Devill and his Angels unto the curse of everlasting fire Shall men then bee judged to salvation or damnation for their workes sake 1. The wicked shall be condemned for the merit of their workes because being perfectly evill they deserve the wages of damnation 2. The godly shall be pronounced just because their workes though imperfect doe prove their faith whereby they lay hold on Christ and his meritorious righteousnesse to be a true faith as working by love in all parts of obedience Hitherto of the act of judgement What are we to consider in the third and last place The execution of this judgement Christ by his almighty power and ministery of his Angels casting the Devils and the reprobate men into hell and bringing Gods Elect into the possession of his glorious kingdome wherein the Reprobates shall first be dispatched that the righteous may rejoice to see the vengeance and as it were wash their feet in the bloud of the wicked What shall be the estate of the Reprobates in hell They shall remaine for ever in unspeakable torment of body and anguish of minde being cast out from the favourable presence of God and glorious fellowship of Christ and his Saints whose happinesse they shall see and envie into that horrible Dungeon figured in Scripture by utter darknesse blacknesse of darknesse weeping and gnashing of teeth the Worme that never dieth the fire that never goeth out c. What shall be the estate of the Elect in heaven They shall bee unspeakeably and everlastingly blessed and glorious in body and soule being freed from all imperfections and infirmities yea from such Graces as imply imperfection as Faith Hope Repentance c. endued with perfect Wisdome and Holinesse possessed with all the pleasures that are at the right hand of God seated as Princes in Thrones of Majesty crowned with Crownes of Glory possessing the new Heaven and Earth wherein dwelleth Righteousnesse beholding and being filled with the fruition of the glorious presence of God and of the Lambe Iesus Christ in the company of innumerable Angels and holy Saints as the Scripture phrases are What shall follow this Christ shall deliver up that dispensatory Kingdome which hee received for the subduing of his enemies and accomplishing the salvation of his Church unto God the Father and God shall be all in all for all eternity Amen What use may we make of this Doctrine concerning this generall end and finall judgement First it serveth to confute not onely heathen Philosophers who as in other things so in this concerning the worlds continuance became vaine in their imaginations and their foolish heart was full of darknesse Rom. 1. being destitute of the Word of God to guide them but also to confute many prophane Atheists in the Church of God who doe not believe in their hearts those Articles of the Resurrection and of the generall judgement it is much indeed that there should bee Atheists in the Church of God and none in hell that any should deny or doubt of that which the devills feare and tremble at But sure the Apostle Peters prophesie is fulfilled 2 Pet. 3. 3. there shall come in the last dayes scoffers walking after their owne lusts and saying Where is the promise of his comming for since the fathers dyed all things continue alike from the beginning of the creation and as they would perswade themselves so they shall for ever And answerable their lives are to such conceits Eccl. 11. 9. But if neither the light of reason it being impossible that the truth and goodnesse and justice of God should take effect if there were not after this life a doom and recompence 2 Thes. 1. 6. Nor secondly the light of Conscience which doubtlesse with Felix Acts 24. 25. makes them tremble in the midst of their obstinate gain-saying Nor thirdly the light of Scripture can convince and perswade men of this truth then we must leave them to be confuted and taught by woefull experience even by the feeling of those flames which they will not beleeve to bee any other then fancies and by seeing the Lord Iesus come in the Clouds when all nations shall weep before him and these Atheists especially lament their obstinate infidelity with ever dropping teares and ever enduring misery And this Doctrine may be terrour to all gracelesse and wicked livers to consider that the wrath of God shall be revealed from heaven against all ungodlinesse and unrighteousnesse of men 2 Thes. 1. 6. when all the sweetnesse of their sinfull pleasures shal be turned into gall and bitternesse for ever Wis. 5. 6 7 8. How may the consideration of this Doctrine touching the end of the world and the day of Judgement be usefull to the godly First it should teach us not to seek for happinesse in this world or se our affections on things below for this world passeth away and the things thereof Secondly here is a fountaine of Christian comfort and a ground of Christian patience in all troubles that there shall be an end and a Saints hope shall not be cut off If in this life onely we had hope we were of all men most miserable 1 Cor. 15. 19. But here is the comfort and patience of the Saints they wait for another world and they know it is a just thing with God to give them rest after

read definition p. 232. l. 31 read you shall no more call for me in Baal p. 245. l. 13. for private good read private prayer p. 254. l. 2 for preferring read preserving p. 255. l. 15. for revile read reveale p. 262. l. 21. for towards them read before them p. 272. l. 37. for owne read very p. 277. l. 43. for commended read commanded p. 289 l. 3. for goe read and therefore p. 293. l. 10. for retained read received l. 11. for retaine read receive p. 301. l. 5. read the publike are either p. 314. l. 32. for thirst read Christ. p. 323. l. 11. leave out other p. 364. l. 36. for proposeth read purposeth p. 374. l. 13. for hands read hearts p. 405. l. 34. for of read and. p. 417. l. 41. read now in the time p. 420. l. 10. read But where God denieth p. 421. l. 17. leave out but. p. 423. l. 36. for which we have alone read which we have not p. 427. l. 47. for groaning read growing p. 435. l. 45. for examination read Excommunication IMMANUEL OR THE MYSTERY OF THE INCARNATION OF THE SON OF GOD UNFOLDED By JAMES VSHER Archbishop of Armagh JOHN 1. 14. THE WORD WAS MADE FLESH LONDON Printed by M. F. for RICH. ROYSTON and are to bee sold at his shop at the sign of the Angel in Ivy-Lane MDCXLV THE MYSTERY OF THE Incarnation of the SON OF GOD. THE holy Prophet in the Book of the Proverbs poseth all such as have not learned wisdome nor known the knowledge of the holy with this Question Who hath ascended up into heaven or descended who hath gathered the wind in his fists who hath bound the waters in a garment who hath established all the ends of the earth What is his name and what is his SONS name if thou canst tell To help us herein the SON Himself did tell us when hee was here upon earth that None hath ascended up to heaven but hee that descended from heaven even the Son of man which is in heaven And that wee might not bee ignorant of his name the Prophet Isaiah did long before foretell that Vnto us a Childe is born and unto us a Son is given whose name shall bee called Wonderfull Counseller The Mighty God The Everlasting Father The Prince of Peace Where if it bee demanded how these things can stand together that the Son of man speaking upon earth should yet at the same instant bee in heaven that the Father of Eternity should bee born in time and that the Mighty God should become a Childe which is the weakest state of Man himself wee must call to minde that the first letter of this great Name is WONDERFULL When hee appeared of old to Manoah his name was Wonderfull and hee did wonderously Judg. 13. 18 19. But that and all the wonders that ever were must give place to the great mystery of his Incarnation and in respect thereof cease to bee wonderfull for of this work that may bee verifyed which is spoken of those wonderfull judgements that God brought upon Aegypt when hee would shew his power and have his name declared throughout all the earth Before them were no such neither after them shall bee the like Neither the creation of all things out of nothing which was the beginning of the works of God those six working dayes putting as it were an end to that long Sabbath that never had beginning wherein the Father Son and holy Ghost did infinitely glorifie themselves and rejoyce in the fruition one of another without communicating the notice thereof unto any creature nor the Resurrection from the dead and the restauration of all things the last works that shall goe before that everlasting Sabbath which shall have a beginning but never shall have end neither that first I say nor these last though most admirable peeces of work may bee compared with this wherein the Lord was pleased to shew the highest pitch if any thing may bee said to bee highest in that which is infinite and exempt from all measure and dimensions of his Wisdome Goodnesse Power and Glory The Heathen Chaldeans to a question propounded by the King of Babel make answer that it was a rare thing which hee required and that none other could shew it except the Gods whose dwelling is not with flesh But the rarity of this lyeth in the contrary to that which they imagined to bee so plain that hee who is over all God blessed for ever should take our flesh and dwell or pitch his tabernacle with us That as the glory of God filled the Tabernacle which was a figure of the humane nature of our Lord with such a kinde of fulnesse that Moses himself was not able to approach unto it therein comming short as in all things of the Lord of the house and filled the Temple of Solomon a type likewise of the body of our Prince of Peace in such sort that the Priests could not enter therein so in him all the fulnesse of the Godhead should dwell bodily And therefore if of that Temple built with hands Solomon could say with admiration But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth Behold heaven and the heaven of heavens can not contain thee how much lesse this house which I have built of the true Temple that is not of this building wee may with greater wonderment say with the Apostle Without controversie great is the mystery of Religion God was manifested in the flesh Yea was made of a Woman and born of a Virgin a thing so wonderfull that it was given for a signe unto unbeleevers seven hundred and forty yeers before it was accomplished even a signe of Gods own choosing among all the wonders in the depth or in the heighth above Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a signe Behold a Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son and shall call his name Immanuel Esa. 7. 14. A notable wonder indeed and great beyond all comparison That the Son of God should bee made of a Woman even made of that Woman which vvas made of by himself That her womb then and the heavens now should contain him vvhom the Heaven of Heavens can not contain That hee who had both Father and Mother whose pedegree is upon record even up unto Adam who in the fulnesse of time vvas brought forth in Bethlehem and when hee had finished his course was cut off out of the land of the living at Jerusalem should yet notwithstanding bee in truth that which his shadow Melchisedec was onely in the conceite of the men of his time without Father without Mother without pedegree having neither beginning of dayes nor end of life That his Father should bee greater then hee and yet hee his Fathers equall That hee is before Abraham was and yet Abrahams birth preceded his wel-nigh the space of two thousand

yeers And finally that hee who was Davids Son should yet bee Davids Lord a case which plunged the greatest Rabbies among the Pharisees who had not yet learned this wisdome nor known this knowledge of the holy The untying of this knot dependeth upon the right understanding of the wonderfull conjunction of the divine and humane Nature in the unity of the Person of our Redeemer For by reason of the strictnesse of this personall union whatsoever may bee verifyed of either of those Natures the same may bee truely spoken of the whole Person from whethersoever of the Natures it bee denominated For the clearer conceiving whereof wee may call to minde that which the Apostle hath taught us touching our Saviour In him dwelleth all the fulnesse of the Godhead bodily that is to say by such a personall and reall union as doth inseparably and everlastingly conjoyn that infinite Godhead with his finite Manhood in the unity of the self-same individuall Person Hee in whom that fulnesse dwelleth is the PERSON that fulnesse which so doth dwell in him is the NATVRE Now there dwelleth in him not onely the fulnesse of the Godhead but the fulnesse of the Manhood also For wee beleeve him to bee both perfect God begotten of the substance of his Father before all worlds and perfect Man made of the substance of his Mother in the fulnesse of time And therefore wee must hold that there are two distinct Natures in him and two so distinct that they doe not make one compounded nature but still remain uncompounded and unconfounded together But Hee in whom the fulnesse of the Manhood dwelleth is not one and hee in whom the fulnesse of the Godhead another but hee in whom the fulnesse of both those natures dwelleth is one and the same Immanuel and consequently it must bee beleeved as firmly that hee is but one Person And here wee must consider that the divine Nature did not assume an humane Person but the divine Person did assume an humane Nature and that of the three divine Persons it was neither the first nor the third that did assume this Nature but it was the middle Person who was to bee the middle one that must undertake this mediation betwixt God and us which was otherwise also most requisite as well for the better preservation of the integrity of the blessed Trinity in the Godhead as for the higher advancement of Mankinde by means of that relation which the second Person the Mediator did beare unto his Father For if the fulnesse of the Godhead should have thus dwelt in any humane person there should then a fourth Person necessarily have been added unto the Godhead and if any of the three Persons beside the second had been born of a woman there should have been two Sons in the Trinity Whereas now the Son of God and the Son of the blessed Virgin being but one Person is consequently but one Son and so no alteration at all made in the relations of the Persons of the Trinity Againe in respect of us the Apostle sheweth that for this very end God sent his own SON made of a Woman that WE might receive the adoption of SONS and thereupon maketh this inference Wherefore thou art no more a servant but a SON and if a SON then an HEIRE of God through Christ intimating thereby that what relation Christ hath unto God by Nature wee being found in him have the same by Grace By nature hee is the onely begotten Son of the Father but this is the high grace hee hath purchased for us that as many as received him to them hee gave power or priviledge to become the Sons of God even to them that beleeve on his Name For although hee reserve to himselfe the preheminence which is due unto him in a peculiar manner of being the first born among many brethren yet in him and for him the rest likewise by the grace of adoption are all of them accounted as first-bornes So God biddeth Moses to say unto Pharaoh Israel is my Son even my first born And I say unto thee Let my son goe that hee may serve mee and if thou refuse to let him goe behold I will slay thy son even thy first born And the whole Israel of God consisting of Jew and Gentile is in the same sort described by the Apostle to bee the generall assembly and Church of the first born inrolled in heaven For the same reason that maketh them to bee Sons to wit their incorporation into Christ the self-same also maketh them to be first-bornes so as however it fall out by the grounds of our Common Law by the rule of the Gospel this consequence will still hold true if children then heirs heirs of God and joynt-heires with Christ. And so much for the SON the Person assuming The Nature assumed is the seed of Abraham Heb. 2. 16. the seed of David Rom. 1. 3. the seed of the Woman Gen. 3. 15. the WORD the second person of the Trinity being made FLESH that is to say Gods own Son being made of a Woman and so becomming truely and really the fruite of her wombe Neither did hee take the substance of our nature onely but all the properties also and the qualities thereof so as it might bee said of him as it was of Elias and the Apostles that hee was a man subject to like passions as wee are Yea hee subjected himself in the dayes of his flesh to the same weaknesse which we find in our own fraile nature and was compassed with like infirmities and in a word in all things was made like unto his brethren sin onely excepted Wherein yet wee must consider that as hee took upon him not an humane Person but an humane Nature so it was not requisite hee should take upon him any Personall infirmities such as are madnesse blindenesse lamenesse and particular kindes of diseases which are incident to some onely and not to all men in generall but those alone which doe accompany the whole Nature of mankinde such as are hungring thirsting wearinesse griefe paine and mortality Wee are further here also to observe in this our Melchisedec that as he had no Mother in regard of one of his natures so he was to have no Father in regard of the other but must bee born of a pure and immaculate Virgin without the help of any man according to that which is writen The Lord hath created a new thing in the earth A woman shall compasse a man And this also was most requisite as for other respects so for the exemption of the assumed nature from the imputation and pollution of Adams sin For sin having by that one man entred into the world every Father becommeth an Adam unto his childe and conveyeth the corruption of his nature unto all those whom hee doth beget Therefore our Saviour assuming the substance of our nature but

not by the ordinary way of naturall generation is thereby freed from all the touch and taint of the corruption of our flesh which by that means onely is propagated from the first man unto his posterity Whereupon hee being made of man but not by man and so becomming the immediate fruit of the womb and not of the loyns must of necessity bee acknowledged to be that HOLY THING which so was born of so blessed a Mother Who although shee were but the passive and materiall principle of which that precious flesh was made and the holy Ghost the agent and efficient yet cannot the man Christ Jesus thereby bee made the Son of his own Spirit Because Fathers doe beget their children out of their own substance the holy Ghost did not so but framed the flesh of him from whom himself proceeded out of the creature of them both the handmaid of our Lord whom from thence all generations shall call blessed That blessed womb of hers was the Bride-chamber wherein the holy Ghost did knit that indissoluble knot betwixt our humane nature and his Deity the Son of God assuming into the unity of his person that which before he was not and yet without change for so must God still bee remaining that which hee was whereby it came to passe that this holy thing which was born of her was indeed and in truth to bee called the SON of GOD. Which wonderfull connexion of two so infinitely differing natures in the unity of one person how it was there effected is an inquisition fitter for an Angelicall intelligence then for our shallow capacity to look after to which purpose also wee may observe that in the fabrick of the Ark of the Covenant the posture of the faces of the Cherubims toward the Mercy-seat the type of our Saviour was such as would point unto us that these are the things which the Angels desire to stoope and look into And therefore let that satisfaction which the Angel gave unto the Mother Virgin whom it did more specially concern to move the question How may this bee content us The power of the Highest shall overshadow thee For as the former part of that speech may informe us that with God nothing is impossible so the latter may put us in minde that the same God having overshadowed this mystery with his own vaile wee should not presume with the men of Bethshemesh to look into this Ark of his lest for our curiosity wee bee smitten as they were Onely this wee may safely say and must firmely hold that as the distinction of the Persons in the holy Trinity hindreth not the unity of the Nature of the Godhead although every Person intirely holdeth his owne incommunicable property so neither doth the distinction of the two Natures in our Mediatour any way crosse the unity of his Person although each nature remaineth intire in it self and retaineth the properties agreeing thereunto without any conversion composition commixtion or confusion When Moses beheld the bush burning with fire and yet no whit consumed he wondred at the sight and said I will now turn aside and see this great sight why the bush is not burnt But when God thereupon called unto him out of the midst of the bush and said Draw not nigh hither and told him who he was Moses trembled hid his face and durst not behold God Yet although being thus warned we dare not draw so nigh what doth hinder but we may stand aloof off and wonder at this great sight Our God is a consuming fire saith the Apostle and a question wee finde propounded in the Prophet Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire who amongst us shall dwell with the everlasting burnings Moses was not like other Prophets but God spake unto him face to face as a man speaketh unto his friend and yet for all that when hee besought the Lord that he would shew him his glory hee received this answer Thou canst not see my face for there shall no man see me and live Abraham before him though a special friend of God and the father of the faithfull the children of God yet held it a great matter that he should take upon him so much as to speak unto God being but dust and ashes Yea the very Angels themselves which are greater in power and might are fain to cover their faces when they stand before him as not being able to behold the brightnesse of his glory With what astonishment then may wee behold our dust and ashes assumed into the undivided unity of Gods own Person and admitted to dwell here as an inmate under the same roofe and yet in the midst of those everlasting burnings the bush to remain unconsumed and to continue fresh and green for evermore Yea how should not wee with Abraham rejoyce to see this day wherein not onely our nature in the Person of our Lord Jesus is found to dwell for ever in those everlasting burnings but in and by him our own persons also are brought so nigh thereunto that God doth set his Sanctuary and Tabernacle among us and dwell with us and which is much more maketh us our selves to be the house and the habitation wherein he is pleased to dwell by his Spirit according to that of the Apostle Yee are the Temple of the living God as God hath said I will dwell in them and walk in them and I will be their God and they shall be my people And that most admirable prayer which our Saviour himself made unto his Father in our behalf I pray not for these alone but for them also which shall beleeve on me through their word that they all may be one as thou Father art in me and I in thee that they also may be one in us that the world may beleeve that thou hast sent me I in them and thou in mee that they may be made perfect in one and that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me To compasse this conjunction betwixt God and us he that was to be our JESUS or Saviour must of necessity also be IMMANUEL which being interpreted is God with us and therefore in his Person to be Immanuel that is God dwelling with our flesh because he was by his Office to to be Immanuel that is he who must make God to be at one with us For this being his proper office to be Mediatour between God and men he must partake with both and being before all eternity consubstantiall with his Father he must at the appointed time become likewise consubstantiall with his children Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and bloud he also himself likewise took part of the same saith the Apostle We read in the Romane history that the Sabines and the Romanes joyning battell together upon such

an occasion as is mentioned in the last chapter of the book of Judges of the children of Benjamin catching every man a wife of the daughters of Shiloh the women being daughters to the one side and wives to the other interposed themselves and took up the quarrell so that by the mediation of these who had a peculiar interest in either side and by whose means this new alliance was contracted betwixt the two adverse parties they who before stood upon highest tearms of hostility did not onely entertain peace but also joyned themselves together into one body and one state God and we were enemies before wee were reconciled to him by his Son Hee that is to be our peace and to reconcile us unto God and to slay this enmity must have an interest in both the parties that are at variance and have such a reference unto either of them that he may bee able to send this comfortable message unto the sons of men Goe to my brethren and say unto them I ascend unto my Father and your Father and to my God and your God For as long as hee is not ashamed to call us brethren God is not ashamed to bee called our God And his entring of our apparance in his own name and ours after this manner Behold I and the children which God hath given mee is a motive strong enough to appease his Father and to turn his favourable countenance toward us as on the other side when wee become unruly and prove rebellious children no reproofe can bee more forcible nor inducement so prevalent if there remaine any sparke of grace in us to make us cast downe our weapons and yeeld then this Doe ye thus requite the Lord O foolish people and unwise Is not hee thy Father that hath bought thee and bought thee not with corruptible things as silver and gold but with the precious bloud of his own Son How dangerous a matter it is to be at ods with God old Eli sheweth by this main argument If one man sin against another the Judge shall judge him but if a man sinne against the Lord who shall plead or intreat for him and Job before him He is not a man as I am that I should answer him and we should come together in judgment neither is there any Days-man or Vmpire betwixt us that might lay his hand upon us both If this generall should admit no manner of exception then were we in a wofull case and had cause to weep much more then S. John did in the Revelation when none was found in heaven nor in earth nor under the earth that was able to open the book which he saw in the right hand of him that sate upon the Throne neither to looke thereon But as S. John was wished there to refrain his weeping because the Lyon of the tribe of Juda the root of David had prevailed to open the book and to loose the seven seals thereof so he himself elsewhere giveth the like comfort unto all of us in this particular If any sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and he is a propitiation for our sins and not for ours onely but also for the sins of the whole world For as there is one God so is there one Mediatour betweene God and men the man Christ Jesus who gave himself a ransome for all and in discharge of this his office of mediation as the onely fit umpire to take up this controversie was to lay his hand aswell upon God the party so highly offended as upon Man the party so basely offending In things concerning God the Priesthood of our Mediatour is exercised For every high Priest is taken from among men and ordained for men in things pertaining to God The parts of his Priestly function are two Satisfaction and Intercession the former wherof giveth contentment to Gods justice the latter soliciteth his mercy for the application of this benefit to the children of God in particular Whereby it commeth to passe that God in shewing mercy upon whom he will shew mercy is yet for his justice no loser being both just and the justifier of him which beleeveth in Jesus By vertue of his Intercession our Mediatour appeareth in the presence of God for us and maketh request for us To this purpose the Apostle noteth in the IIIIth to the Hebrewes I. That we have a great high Priest that is passed into the heavens Jesus the Son of God vers 14. II. That we have not an high Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities but was in all things tempted as we are yet without sin vers 15. Betwixt the having of such and the not having of such an Intercessor betwixt the heighth of him in regard of the one and the lowlinesse in regard of his other nature standeth the comfort of the poor sinner He must be such a sutor as taketh our case to heart and therefore in all things it behoved him to be made likeunto his brethren that he might be a mercifull and faithfull high Priest In which respect as it was needfull he should partake with our flesh and bloud that he might be tenderly affected unto his brethren so likewise for the obtaining of so great a sute it behoved he should bee most dear to God the Father and have so great an interest in him as he might always be sure to be heard in his requests who therefore could be no other but he of whom the Father testified from heaven This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased It was fit our Intercessor should be Man like unto our selves that we might boldly come to him and find grace to help in time of need It was fit he should be God that he might boldly goe to the Father without any way disparaging him as being his fellow and equall But such was Gods love to justice and hatred to sinne that he would not have his justice swallowed up with mercie nor sinne pardoned without the making of fit reparation And therefore our Mediatour must not look to procure for us a simple pardon without more adoe but must be a propitiation for our sinnes and redeem us by fine and ransome and so not onely be the master of our requests to intreat the Lord for us but also take upon him the part of an Advocate to plead full satisfaction made by himself as our surety unto all the debt wherewith we any way stood chargeable Now the satisfaction which our surety bound himself to perform in our behalfe was of a double debt the principall and the accessorie The principall debt is obedience to Gods most holy Law which man was bound to pay as a perpetuall tribute to his Creator although he had never sinned but being now by his own default become bankrupt is not able to

and night And thus for our main and principall debt of Obedience hath our Mediatour given satisfaction unto the Justice of his Father with good measure pressed down shaken together and running over But beside this we were lyable unto another debt which wee have incurred by our default and drawne upon our selves by way of forfeiture and nomine poenae For as Obedience is a due debt and Gods servants in regard thereof are truly debters so likewise is sinne a debt and sinners debters in regard of the penalty due for the default And as the payment of the debt which commeth nomine poenae dischargeth not the tenant afterwards from paying his yearly rent which of it self would have been due although no default had been committed so the due payment of the yearly rent after the default hath been made is no sufficient satisfaction for the penalty already incurred Therefore our surety who standeth chargeable with all our debts as he maketh payment for the one by his Active so must he make amends for the other by his Passive obedience he must first suffer and then enter into his glory For it became him for whom are all things and by whom are all things in bringing many sons unto glory to make the Captain of their salvation perfect that is a perfect accomplisher of the worke which he had undertaken through sufferings The Godhead is of that infinite perfection that it cannot possibly be subject to any passion He therefore that had no other nature but the Godhead could not pay such a debt as this the discharge whereof consisted in suffering and dying It was also fit that Gods justice should have been satisfied in that nature which had transgressed and that the same nature should suffer the punishment that had committed the offence Forasmuch then as the children were partakers of flesh and bloud he also himself likewise took part of the same that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death that is the Devil and deliver them who through fear of death were all their life time subject to bondage Such and so great was the love of God the Father toward us he spared not his own Sonne but delivered him up for us all and so transcendent was the love of the Son of God toward the sons of men that he desired not to be spared but rather then they should lie under the power of death was of himself most willing to suffer death for them which seeing in that infinite nature which by eternall generation hee received from his Father he could not doe he resolved in the appointed time to take unto himselfe a Mother and out of her substance to have a body framed unto himself wherein he might become obedient unto death even the death of the crosse for our redemption And therefore when hee commeth into the world he saith unto his Father A body hast thou fitted me Lo I come to doe thy will O God By the which will saith the Apostle wee are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all Thus we see it was necessary for the satisfaction of this debt that our Mediatour should be Man but he that had no more in him then a Man could never be able to goe through with so great a work For if there should be found a Man as righteous as Adam was at his first creation who would be content to suffer for the offence of others his suffering possibly might serve for the redemption of one soul it could be no sufficient ransome for those innumerable multitudes that were to be redeemed to God out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation Neither could any Man or Angel be able to hold out if a punishment equivalent to the endlesse sufferings of all the sinners in the world should at once bee laid upon him Yea the very powers of Christ himself upon whom the spirit of might did rest were so shaken in this sharp encounter that he who was the most accomplisht pattern of all fortitude stood sore amazed and with strong crying and tears prayed that if it were possible the houre might passe from him This man therefore being to offer one sacrifice for sins for ever to the burning of that sacrifice he must not onely bring the coals of his love as strong as death and as ardent as the fire which hath a most vehement flame but he must add thereunto those everlasting burnings also even the flames of his most glorious Deity and therefore through the eternall Spirit must he offer himself without spot unto God that hereby he might obtain for us an eternall redemption The bloud whereby the Church is purchased must bee Gods own bloud and to that end must the Lord of glory be crucified the Prince and author of life be killed he whose eternall generation no man can declare be cut off out of the land of the living and the man that is Gods own fellow be thus smitten according to that vvhich God himselfe foretold by his Prophet Awake O sword against my shepherd and against the man that is my fellow saith the Lord of hosts smite the shepherd and the sheep shall be scattered The people of Israel we read did so value the life of David their King that they counted him to be worth tenne thousand of themselves how shall we then value of Davids Lord who is the blessed and onely Potentate the King of kings and Lord of lords It was indeed our nature that suffered but he that suffered in that nature is over all God blessed for ever and for such a Person to have suffered but one houre was more then if all other persons had suffered ten thousand millions of years But put case also that the life of any other singular man might be equivalent to all the lives of whole mankind yet the laying down of that life would not be sufficient to doe the deed unlesse he that had power to lay it down had power likewise to take it up again For to be detained always in that prison from whence there is no comming out before the payment of the uttermost farthing is to lie always under execution and to quit the plea of that full payment of the debt wherein our surety stood engaged for us And therefore the Apostle upon that ground doth rightly conclude that if Christ be not raised our faith is vaine we are yet in our sinnes and consequently that as he must be delivered to death for our offences so he must be raised again for our justification Yea our Saviour himself knowing full well what he was to undergoe for our sakes told us before-hand that the Comforter whom hee would send unto us should convince the world that is fully satisfie the consciences of the sons of men

the glory of Christ. We read in the holy story that God took of the spirit which was upon Moses and gave it unto the seventy Elders that they might bear the burden of the people with him and that hee might not bear it as before hee had done himself alone It may bee his burden being thus lightned the abilities that were left him for government were not altogether so great as the necessity of his former imployment required them to have been and in that regard vvhat vvas given to his assistants might perhaps bee said to bee taken from him But wee are sure the case was otherwise in him of whom now wee speak unto whom God did not thus give the Spirit by measure And therefore although so many millions of beleevers doe continually receive this supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ yet neither is that fountain any way exhausted nor the plenitude of that well-spring of grace any whit impaired or diminished it being Gods pleasure That in him should all fulnesse dwell and that of his fulnesse all wee should receive grace for grace That as in the naturall generation there is such a correspondence in all parts betwixt the begetter and the Infant begotten that there is no member to bee seen in the Father but there is the like answerably to bee found in the Childe although in a farre lesse proportion so it falleth out in this spirituall that for every grace which in a most eminent manner is found in Christ a like grace will appeare in Gods Childe although in a far inferiour degree similitudes and likenesses being defined by the Logicians to bee comparisons made in quality and not in quantity Wee are yet further to take it into our consideration that by thus enlivening and fashioning us according to his own image Christs purpose was not to raise a seed unto himself dispersedly and distractedly but to gather together in one the Children of God that were scattered abroad yea and to bring all unto one head by himselfe both them which are in Heaven and them which are on the Earth That as in the Tabernacle the vail divided between the Holy place and the most Holy but the curtaines which covered them both were so coupled together with the taches that it might still bee one Tabernacle so the Church Militant and Triumphant typified thereby though distant as farre the one from the other as Heaven is from Earth yet is made but one Tabernacle in Jesus Christ In whom all the building fifty framed together groweth unto an holy Temple in the Lord and in whom all of us are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit The bond of this mysticall union betwixt Christ and us as elsewhere hath more fully been declared is on his part that quickning Spirit which being in him as the Head is from thence diffused to the spirituall animation of all his Members and on our part Faith which is the prime act of life wrought in those who are capable of understanding by that same Spirit Both whereof must bee acknowledged to bee of so high a nature that none could possibly by such ligatures knit up so admirable a body but hee that was God Almighty And therefore although wee did suppose such a man might bee found who should perform the Law for us suffer the death that was due to our offence and overcome it yea and whose obedience and sufferings should be of such value that it were sufficient for the redemption of the whole world yet could it not be efficient to make us live by faith unlesse that Man had been able to send Gods Spirit to apply the same unto us Which as no bare Man or any other Creature whasoever can doe so for Faith wee are taught by S. Paul that it is the operation of God and a work of his power even of that same power wherewith Christ himself was raised from the dead Which is the ground of that prayer of his that the eyes of our understanding being enlightned wee might know what is the exceeding greatnesse of his power to us-ward who beleeve according to the working of his mighty power which hee wrought in Christ when hee raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places far above all Principality and Power and Might and every Name that is named not onely in this World but also in that to come and hath put all things under his feet and gave him to bee head over all things to the Church which is his body the fulnesse of him that filleth all in all Yet was it fit also that this Head should bee of the same nature with the Body which is knit unto it and therefore that hee should so bee God as that hee might partake of our Flesh likewise For wee are members of his body saith the same Apostle of his flesh and of his bones And except yee eate the flesh of the Son of man saith our Saviour himself and drink his blood yee have no life in you Hee that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth in mee and I in him Declaring thereby first that by this mysticall and supernaturall union wee are as truely conjoyned with him as the meate and drink wee take is with us when by the ordinary work of Nature it is converted into our own substance Secondly that this conjunction is immediately made with his humane nature Thirdly that the Lamb slaine that is Christ crucified hath by that death of his made his flesh broken and his blood powred out for us upon the Crosse to bee fit food for the spirituall nourishment of our soules and the very well-spring from whence by the power of his Godhead all life and grace is derived unto us Upon this ground it is that the Apostle telleth us that wee have boldnesse to enter into the Holyest by the blood of Jesus by a new and living way which hee hath consecrated for us through the vaile that is to say his flesh That as in the Tabernacle there was no passing from the Holy to the most Holy place but by the vaile so now there is no passage to bee looked for from the Church Militant to the Church Triumphant but by the flesh of him who hath said of himself I am the way the truth and the life no man commeth unto the Father but by mee Jacob in his dream beheld a ladder set upon the Earth the top whereof reached to Heaven and the Angels of God ascending and descending on it the Lord himself standing above it Of which vision none can give a better interpretation then hee who was prefigured therein gave unto Nathaniel Hereafter you shall see Heaven opened and the Angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man Whence wee may well collect that the onely meanes whereby God standing

to his elect It hath three adjuncts or properties First it is free without desert Secondly it is great without comparison Thirdly it is constant without any end How is the love of God said to be free It is free two wayes first because nothing caused God to love us but his own goodnesse and grace and therefore Saint John saith that his love was before ours 1 John 4. 7. Secondly it is free because God in loving us did not regard any thing that belonged to his own commodity for as David saith he hath no need of our goods but onely to our owne salvation he loved us Psal. 162. Wherein doth the greatnesse of Gods love appear to his Elect It appeareth two wayes First by the meanes which God useth to save us by that is the death of his Son and so John setteth forth his love 1 John 3. 16. when he saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is as if he should say so vehemently so ardently so earnestly so wonderfully did he love us that for our salvation he spared not his own only begotten Son but gave him to the death of the Crosse for our salvation What else doth set forth the greatnesse of Gods love towards us The consideration of our own selves for he did not only give his only Son to death for us but it was for us being his enemies and this circumstance is used by the Apostle to expresse the same Rom. 5. 7 8. Where find you it written that Gods love is constant and perpetuall That is manifestly shewed in these Scriptures following Hos. 11. 9. John 13. 1. Rom. 11. 29. for God is unchangeable in his love which is his essence and nature and therefore is God called love in the Scriptures 1 John 4. 8. What use must we make of Gods love First it filleth our hearts with gladness when we understand that our God is so loving and love it self and what is this but the beginning of eternall life if eternall life consist in the true knowledge of God as our Saviour Christ saith John 17. 3 Secondly out of the knowledge of this love as out of a fountain springeth the love of God and our neighbour for S. John saith he that loveth not knoweth not God for God is love 1 Joh. 4. 8. Thirdly when we consider that God loveth all his creatures which he made it should teach us not to abuse any of the creatures to serve our lusts and beastly affections for God will punish them which abuse his beloved as he punished the rich glutton which abused the creatures of God Luk. 16. Fourthly we are taught to love all the creatures even the basest of all seeing that God loveth them and for the love he beareth to us he made them and we must if we love them for Gods sake use them sparingly moderately and equally or justly to this end we are commanded to let our cattell rest upon the Sabbath day as well as our selves to this end we are forbidden to kill the damme upon her nest and to this end we are forbidden to musle the mouth of the Oxe which treadeth out the Corn Deut. 25. 4. 1 Cor. 9. 9. Fiftly we are taught from hence to love mankind better then all other creatures because God doth so and therefore we must not spare any thing that we have that may make for the safety of his body and the salvation of his soul. And for this cause we are commanded to love our enemies and to do them good because our good God doth so Sixtly from Gods love we learn to preferre the godly brethren and those that professe sincerely the same religion that we professe before other men because Gods love is greater to his elect then to the reprobate and this doth the Apostle teach us Gal. 6. 10. Seventhly whereas Gods love is freely bestowed upon us this teacheth us to be humble and to attribute no part of our salvation to our selves but only to the free love of God Eightly from hence ariseth the certainty of our salvation for if Gods love was so free great when we were his enemies much more will it be so and constant also to us being reconciled to God by Jesus Christ Rom. 5. 10. What is the mercy of God It is his mind and will always most ready to succour him that is in misery or an essentiall property in God whereby he is meerly ready of himself to help his creatures in their miseries Esa. 30. 18. Lam. 3. 22. Exod. 33. 19. Why adde you this word meerly To put a difference between the mercy of God and the mercy that is in men for their mercy is not without some passion compassion or fellow-feeling of the miseries of others but the mercy of God is most perfect and effectuall ready to help at all needs of himself But seeing mercy is grief and sorrow of mind conceived at anothers miseries how can it be properly attributed to God in whom are no passions nor griefs Indeed in us mercy may be such a thing but not in God mercy was first in God and from him was derived to us and so he is called the Father of mercies 2 Cor. 1. 3. and when it came to us it was matched with many infirmities and passions but it is improperly attributed to God from our selves as though it were first in us Declare then briefly what things of perfection are signified by this word mercy in God By the name of mercy two things are signified in God properly First the mind and will ready to help and succour Secondly the help it self and succour or pity that is then shewed Where in the Scripture is mercy taken the first way Those places of Scripture are so to be understood wherein God doth call himself mercifull and saith that he is of much mercy that is he is of such a nature as is most ready to free us from our evils Where is it taken in the other sense for the effects of mercy In Rom. 9. 15. where it is said God will have mercy on whom hee will have mercy that is he will call whom he will call hee will justifie whom hee will hee will pardon whom he will and will deliver and save from all their miseries and evils whom he will and these be the effects of Gods mercies Again in Exod. 20. 6. it is so taken From whence springeth this mercy of God The essence and beeing of God is most simple without any mixture or composition and therefore in him there are not divers qualities and vertues as there be in us whereof one dependeth upon another or one differs from another but for our capacity and understanding the Scripture speaketh of God as though it were so that so we may the better perceive what manner of God and how good our God is Well then seeing the Scriptures doe speak so for our understanding let us hear whereof this mercy commeth The cause is not in us but only in God himself and