they discern not the spiritual man discerneth all things theâ—e are taught of God Secondly they erre not knowing Mat. 22. 29 Mat. 12. 24 the Scriptures as Christ said for which the Apostle Paul laboureth much in his Epistlâ—s as to the Romans in the first to the Corinthians to the Galathians Philippians c. to the Hebrews in the Epistle of John as knowing that then the spirit of Antichrist was busie and afterwards would be busie to puff men up with a conceit of themselves which corrupt man is prone unto that they are something and can do something of the Commandement before God yea some conceive they can do all as the ruler said to Christ all these have I kept Luke 18. 21. from my youth Yea some say they can do all by the help of God by the grace of Christ and by the power that God hath given them As the Pharisee I thank God I am not as other men extortioners unjust adulterers or as this Publican I fast often I pray I give tithe Luke 18. 11. of all I possess mark the Pharisee thanketh God for all these he did boast of surely he acknowledged he had power or grace or help from God in these performances and yet was less justified then he that confest he had done nothing or failed and sinned in all these And some thinking to modefie the injury to Christ say that though they do not the work of the Commandement alone yet they cooperate with Christ having a share in the work of the Commandement done which they ground much upon a saying of a Father in the Church which is God hath made thee without thy self but he hath not redeemed thee without thy self which saying is true thus man was not with God in the making of man but man was with God in his redeeming of man it was Emanuel that redeemed man For God did assume flesh Christ was made of a woman that the promise might be fulfilled The seed of the woman shall break the Serpents head But this doth not prove that man doth cooperate with Christ in his Redemption and performances to his peace with God to the remission of his sin justification and salvation O Israel saith God thy damationn Hos 13. 9. is of thy flesh thy salvation only of me The work of mans Redemption reconciliation to God and of Gods reconciliation to man of forgivness of sins his justification sanctification and glorification is all Christs wholly in himself no part there of is mans And whosoever denieth this denieth Christ to become in the flesh for to deny him in part of his work and performance is to deny him in all his work and performances To deny part of Christ is to deny whole Christ For Christ will have no partner 1 Cor. 1. 13 Collos 3. 11. 1 Cor. 12. 6 in his work Christ is all and in all and he walketh all in all saith the Apostle Quest How can all good performances to God and man approved in the holy Testament as faith love thankfulness joy humbleness reverence peace meekness all goodness as righteousness mercy gentleness patience temperance c. be wrought and made in man by the spirit that is the Holy Ghost in him when as these performances many of them are made to God alone How can the spirit pray to the spirit give thanks to the spirit beleeve in the spirit be humble to the spirit and the rest This holdeth forth absurdity that the same should perform to the same That a man should pray and request himself be humble to himself is absurd to affirm So to say the spirit maketh request to himself is thankful to himself is absurd Answ This is absurd indeed to them that consider of the spirit in the unity of the God-head But the spirit is to be considered as the third person of the God-head proceeding from the Father and the Sonne sent to Gods Elect by the Father and his Son Jesus Christ God and man from which Father the same spirit descending by a mighty voice from Heaven said This is my beloved Sonne being then a Mark 1. 1â— Messenger or Representative of the Father This spirit I say is also the Messenger or Representative of the Sonne Jesus Christ sent to the Elect for the comfort and behoof by the Father and the Sonne yet specially in the behalf and for the performing the gracious Offices of the Sonne So it plainly appeareth by the words of Christ I will pray saith Christ to the Father and he shall give you another comforter Iohn 14. 16 17. v. 26. even the spirit of Truth that he may abide with you for ever be in you and dwell with you The comforter the Holy Ghost which the Father will send in my name he shall teach you all things c. And again It is expedient for you that I go away for if I go not away the Iohâ— 16. 7 8 Comforter will not come unto you But if I depart I will send him unto you and he shall reprove the world of sin of righteousness and of judgment Now this spirit sent of the Father and the Sonne to the Elect to be a Representative of Jesus Christ after his going out of the earth from them for to do and perform for them that which they are not able to do and perform in their state of nothing to good as the Apostle saith of all If any man saith he is somewhat when as he is nothing Gal. 6. 3. he deceiveth himself Therefore as Jesus Christ had undertaken to do all for the Elect to the Father fore-past and to come and did all undertaken then to be done of him during his being upon earth as amongst the rest To pray to the Father for them to give thanks for them to believe for them to rejoyce for them to be humble and obedient to the Father for them So this was the gracious care of Jesus Christ to provide after his departure a Representative of himself for their comfort even his holy spirit to do all things for them and in them to the pleasure of the Father in his name and behalf making and fitting them in their several Members of soul and body to be instruments of such his performances As David said his tongue was made Psal 45. 1. the pen of a ready Writer we know the Pen is but the instrument of the writer no more was the tongue of David but the instrument of the Oracle that spake the spirit was the speaker And so when he said before his heart was inditing of a good matter he doth not say the inditer but inditing he mean th that his heart was the instrument of the spirit which was the inditer of the good matter his heart it self not the inditer of the good matter no more then his tongue was the writer thereof which was but only the instrument of the writer The of a good matter may ascribe and account the
9. 18 leaveth him in his owne hardnesse And all those doe shew that Iacob Esau Paul and the rest were in being before God in Gods Sight before the World although not in the sight of Men in being Whom God manifesteth in time to bee in Christ Loved Elected Aadopted Redeemed Called Justified and Glorified Those were all before the Foundations of the World before God and in Gods Sight Loved Elected Adopted Ordained to Eeternall Life Called Redeemed Justified and Glorified through Christ The Lambe staine from the beginning Rev. 13. 8. of the World unchangably Certainly those which God pleased to Love and Elect to bee adopted his children out of the company of the children of wrath before the World were of the company of the children of wrath in Gods Sight before the World God elected them then that hee pleased out of that company as Eph. 1. 4. Therefore that company of the children of wrath was then in Gods Sight The Scripture doth no where say that God would after Elect in the time of the World but saith hee did then Elect in Christ Paul and the rest before the World to be holy and without blame before him in Love to bee adopted Eph. 1. 4. through Christ And all this before the Foundations of the World although not yet to the Creature manifested Hence appeare the blinde Errours and false arguments of those which hold forth that there is no justification before God of or to any Man before Faith which is onely Gods gracious Evidence and manifestation to Man of his Election in Christ and justification and through Christ and his glorious performances imputed to his Elect and certainly acted in Gods Sight and account before the Foundations of the World as the Apostle defineth Faith Faith saith hee is the ground of things hoped for And the evidence or Heb 11. 1. manifestation of things that are not seene Againe Job saith God provideth for the Ravens and Christ Job 38. 41. saith Two Sparrowes are not sold for a Farthing and not one of them fall to the ground without the Father that is the Fathers providence yea the haires of your Head are numbred and Luke saith They are not forgotten of God Luke 12. 6 7. All these and many more Scriptures shew not onely all distinguished times by Men but also all deeds and things from the greatest to the least done and being in time diverse and different before Men in Gods Sight and to God were all present ab eterno and known certainly And that the Decrees of God unchangeable of all were his acts together of all before the World I know the holding forth and medling with Gods Foreknowledge Eternall Will and Decree his Predestination Ordination Election and the like have been and still is of many reputed and said to bee dangerous and uselesse to men And therefore some have said those of God and such like are that Face or Fore parts of God unto which God held his hand towards Moses that hee should not see the same Exod. 33. 2â— but said that Moses should see onely his back parts or hinder parts But I take it If God had held the same dangerous or uselesse to men to bee preached and held forth Hee would not have inserted them in the holy Scriptures inspired from above by the holy Ghost and commanded them the Foundation 2 Pet. 1. 21. of the Gospell to bee preached to all Nations as hee did Mark 16. 15. For are not Gods Foreknowledge Love Election in Christ Predestination Ordination to Eternall Life Adoption through Christ justification by Grace his good Pleasure Eternall Will Decree and Acts with and before himselfe unchangeable the Foundation of the Gospell of Jesus Christ. How should any Man bee built up in Jesus Christ that knoweth not the Foundation whereon hee is built And these are those back-parts or hinder parts of God which are revealed of God to Man in holy Scriptures that God said to Moses hee should see And the Secrets of God are the Face and foreparts of God not revealed of God which Moses might not see nor any man pry into God said by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many Isa 53. 11. And Christ said this is eternall Life that they might know thee to be the onely true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast Joh. 17. 3. sent And God said my people are gone into captivity or perish for want of knowledge Isa 5. 13. The Knowledge of God and his Christ is the evidence of justification and Eternall Life to Men. And the want of the same knowledge is the evidence of reprobation and destruction in the holy Scriptures account Who then may safely stop the Fountaine of these lively Waters The Philistians were blamed for stopping Jacobs VVell much more are these Gen. 26. 15. 18. stoppers blameable they know not God and his Christ that knew him not in all his Revelations Quest How was Paul Elected in Christ and Adopted through Christ before the World when as Paul had then no being Answ Paul was then in being before God in Gods Sight unto whom all things even being in the World and in eternity were present then although Paul was not then in being in the sight of Men. A Catechistical Dialogue Resolving Many subtil Questions raised and made by the Adversary for the deceiving of Gods Elect to the Propagation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ Quest WHat is God Answ God is a most pure Spirit Invisible Almighty Eternal Incomprehensible without Beginning in Himself yet the Alpha and Omega the beginning and the ending of all things and names except sin Q. How is God further manifested in the holy Scripture A. To be one in substance three in person Father Son and Holy Ghost or Spirit Q. How is the one God Father Son and Holy Spirit A. He is Father as Beginner Son as Worker Holy Ghost or Spirit as Finisher and Perfecter of all Q. Are the Knowledg of God his will his Purposes Decrees Predestination Election Ordination and Acts eternal with himself in his own respect A. Yes they are eternal with himself in his own respect for all that is in God and of God is inseparable from God God ever knew that he knoweth willed that he willeth purposed that he purposeth decreed that he decreeth predestinated that he predestinateth ordained that he ordaineth acted and did that he acteth and doth with Psa 135 6 and before himself howsoever and whensoever the same things be manifested to the Creature otherwise God could not call himself I am and again I am Alpha and Omega And again it could not be said in the Testament That God calleth things that are not meaning in manifestation as if they were in manifestation And that it Rom. 4 17 is said of the Son Jesus Christ yesterday and to day and for ever Q. Did God in his own Purpose and Decree make Man before the Heb. 13 8
preaching of the Law of Christ for the Government of his Church upon Earth unto them A. Yea the Gospel and the preaching thereof by those that are sent is for their everlasting comfort and good That setteth forth unto them the everlasting love mercy and free grace of God in his chusing them in Christ before the world unchangeably their ordination to eternal life their predestination to be the children of God for ever their calling thereto in the Image of his Son â—esus Christ their justification and glorification then before God to be manifested in fulness of time to the creature And clearly sheweth the way and work of all these by Christs undertaking with God to his satisfaction of justice in doing of his Will as the Lamb slain before him from the beginning and taking flesh upon him came into the world and performed the full righteousness of the Law of God in doing and suffering before men whereby they have deliverance from all sin and death by sin before God and are made coheirs annexed with Christ Jesus of all his riches triumph and glory in heavenly places And that Christ hath promised and sent his holy Spirit to them to do the spiritual work of the Law in them as he pleaseth for witness and comfortable assurance to them that they are Gods chosen children and therefore is called the Spirit of Adoption because he witnesseth the same Rest to the Souls of Believers GOd hath revealed himself unto man to be one eternal invisible incompr 〈…〉 ible essence in whom is all foreknowledg and will as he pleaseth all love almighty power wisdom justice goodness and mercy and in three persons in this one essence Father Son and Holy Spirit according to which eternal qualities of his eternal Deity he hath in his foreknowledg and foresight purposed predestinated and decreed all things according to his will and according to his Will Purpose and Decree made Heaven Hell Earth and all Gen. 1. Isai 30. 33 things therein And with his purpose to make man he also purposed to make a Covenant of works with man which works if he did he should have the promise and assurance of life for ever But if he did fail in the work and break the Covenant he should dye presently And God foreknowing that man would break the Covenant of his great and meer love of his free grace compassion and mercy to mankind did provide purpose and decree to give to mankind in Christ a Covenant of Grace or promise of grace which was to give his own only Son to be made of a woman by taking mans flesh upon him to be born and brought forth of a woman to take upon him the form of a servant to be of no reputation among men yet as a general person and undertaker for all intended of the Father in acceptance to full satisfaction to do and perform the full righteousness of the Covenant of Works Law and commandment therein and to pay the whole and uttermost debt of and for the transgression made or to be made by those of mankind which he purposed to make choyce of for the glory of his grace to be performed by his Son Christ Jesus and to be preserved by the power of his Spirit until Psa 37. 18 19 1 Thes 5. 17 Eph. 1. 4 they were presented blameless at his coming to Judgment And according to the purpose of the Father he did Elect some of mankinde before the foundations of the world were layd to be his vessels of honor life everlasting and immortal inheritance in and with his Son Jesus Christ which had undertaken in acceptance and to full satisfaction of God leaving the rest to the merit and punishment of their own transgression And having made Heaven and Hell he made also the Earth and all creatures therein in their kind And placing man his creature in Paradise there made and manifested his purposed and decreed Covenant of Works with man with condition of life and death when man was endued with full power and free will to stand or fall And mand did fall and break the Covenant of Works which in duty as the creature he ought to have kept and performed to the Creator having of him power and free-will given to him to hve performed and done same And although God did foreknow that man would fall and break the Covenant yet God did not decree that man should fall and destroy himself by falling neither having given unto him power and free-will to stand or fall had he resisted the Will of God if he had stood but by falling and so destorying himself he resisted the Will of God that would not the death of a sinner For there was Ezek 18 32 one and the same end in the intention of God of both the Covenants purposed towards man which was the life of man yea in his Covenant of Works he intended the life of man This do and thou shalt live saith God to man although he set before him life and Gen. 42. 18 Rom. 7. 10 death in that Covenant of Works And after mans fall and loss of all he was endued with all of God being yet in Paradise God manifested to his Elâ—ct of mankind his purposed Covenant of Grace in his Son Jesus Christ to be performed of him without any condition of any performance by man but in Christ now being without power of believing as appears in the words of the Promise or Covenant of Grace The seed of the woman shall break the Serpents heaâ— The seed of the woman was freely promised to do and perform all that was to be done and performed for mans salvation to the end to break the serpents head and to destroy the works of the Devil as the Apostle speaketh and all this grace to be manifested in time to those in particular which should 1 Joâ— 3. 8 in manifestation receive the Spirit of adoption and bear the fruits of the Spirit the believing in the Son of God Jesus Christ so that in the righteousness of his Son Christs doing the work of the Covenant in himself as an undertaker for and a representative of all his Elect in acceptance to the full satisfaction of God all the Elect might have this righteousness accounted imputed and so made theirs of God as if themselves had done the full work of the Law and Covenant of Works And by his paying of the full debt and price for their transgression they might be assured of the forgiveness of their sins past Isai 53. 6 1 Pet. 2 24 1 Joh. 1. 7 and to come as if there had been no transgression at all in them of the Law and Covenant of Works And that they thus being justified fully by the obedience and performance of Christ before God and freed by the full payment of the price and debt with Christs precious blood Gods Elect might know themselves to have an absolute discharge from the Law and Covenant of Works before God and
be without feare of the power doe well then So thou shalt have praise of the same that is not judgement of penalty but reward For he is the Minister or Instrument of Christ for thy wealth but if thou dost evill feare the penalty For hee beareth not the Sword for naught For hee is the Minister of God that is Christ that ordained him to take vengeance on him that doth evill Wherefore yee must bee subject not because of wrath onely but also for conscience sake For for this cause yee pay tribute for they are Gods that is Christs Ministers applying themselves for the same thing So that wee may see this Law given in grace in the hand of the Mediator the man Christ Jesus the bringer of his people out of all bondage manifested to his Church of Believers the Israelites with Thunder and Lightning Smoake and Fire and the sound of the Trumpet to incite the people to heare obey and doe the same in singlenesse of Heart And which was by Christ himselfe written in Tables of stone to shew the continuance thereof to men And was delived to Moses by Christ himselfe as his principall chosen and fitted Minister and instrument that hee as Christ the Mediator did indite and guide him might as the pen of Christ draw the branches of the whole body of the Law into such particulars and so many as were behovable and usefull for cleernesse and easinesse of understanding and doing thereof to weake and corrupted man And that Moses should call Aaron and his Sons and the seaventy of the chosen Believers of Israel to joyn and bee assistants to him in the Ministry thereof in the severall branches thereof for worship to God for Safety Society and Comfort of the people among themselves That is the Law Gal. 6. 2. Rom 3. 27 called the Law of Christ The Law of Faith The new Commandement love of one another Joh. 13. 34. This Law manifested then to this people by Christ to bee Ministred in his Church of Israel by such instruments as hee 1 Joh. 3. 8. 2 Joh 5. then particularly named was after held on in the Ministration thereof by and in the time of Joshua the believing Judges Kings Priests Prophets Yea and by and in the time of the Apostles of Christ still to be ministred heard and obeyed before men in singlenesse of heart and conscious eyes as before Christ himselfe of the whole Church of Christ upon Earth upon proportionable temporall praise and reward to bee certainly had of the conscionable observers And upon proportionall temporall penalty to bee certainly inflicted unlesse there be true Repentance upon the failing therein before men by the successive ordained powers instruments and Ministers of Christ for prayse and vengeance according And this Law to believers the Apostle Paul most cleerly holdeth forth for continuance thereof in his Epistle to the Church of Christ at Rome from the beginning of the twelfth Chapter to the end of his Epistle both for the duties therein and Ministry thereof but most cleerly in thirteenth Chapter It was onely the Church of Christ upon Earth that Paul had respect unto and a care of and not of those which were without the Church Neither did Christ intend and give his Law in grace but onely to those and in respect to those which the Father had chosen in him and given to him to redeem not to the least children of wrath Quest Hath repentance of the Elect place and power in the Law given in grace by the hand of the Mediator the man Christ Jesus to quit the transgressors thereof before men from the temporall penalty of that Law Ans Repentance which is true and Faithfull Repentance hath place in this Law and also power to quit the Believers which are transgression thereof before men as their transgression was transgression before men This is plaine and evident by the expressions of Moses in many branches of this Law indited by Christ himselfe where Restitutions Satisfactions and the like are admitted to quit the offender against the Law and respect thereof before men And the Prophets especially in the Prophet Ezechiel his 18. Chapter And John Baptist Mat. 3. 2. and Christ himselfe Mark 1. 15. and the Apostles all shew that Repentance hath place in this Law of Christ and power to quit offending believers from the transgression and the penalty of their transgression before men But this true and faithfull Repentance must alwayes have these foure a juncts godly sorrow for the Fault confessing amendment of Life and restitution with satisfaction to men before men Therefore the Apostle saith godly sorrow causeth-Repentance unto salvation or safety and the Apostle saith confesse 2 Cor. 10. Mat. 3. 8 your faults one to another And John Baptist preaching Repentance saith amend your lives And the Law of Christ was Luke 3. at large for restitution to the acquitting of the Theefe or like offenders Exod. 22. 3. 5 6. 12. And Zacheus when hee believed in Christ presently tendered restitution to all hee had taken any thing from wrongfully And who can thinke there can be true repentance without sorrow Luke 19. 8. and griefe for the offence whether it bee be in word or deed fore men who will thinke that hee repente th that goeth on still in his sinne and amendeth not at all and if Repentance would quit Theeves Deceivers and Robbers c. without Satisfaction and Restitution proud greedy Enemies and corrupt man would thinke Robbing Theeving Deceiveing yea Treason Murther Slandering and the like a good Trade But the good and gracious Law of Christ is cleer that although hee graciously admitteth of Repentance of sinnes in Believers to quit them of their sinnes before men yet it must be not onely with godly Sorrow Confession and amendement of Life but also with proportionable restitution and satisfaction to men to the uttermost of their abilities And to this purpose Augustine a renowned Father â—in Christs Church said non dimititur peccatum nisi restituatur oblatum That is sinnes not forgiven unlesse restitution be made And againe without satisfaction there is no salvation which is true thus If Christ hath not satisfied God for thy sinne Thou canst not have salvation before God And if thou doest not satisfie men their Trespasse Debt and Due to thy power Thou canst have no salvation or safety before men Thy repentance otherwise is not good but thou art liable to the proportion able penalty still And as it was a great Love and Grace of God to his Elect to admit of and to be pleased with his Christs performance and satisfaction for their acquittance of sinne and for their righteousnesse before God which they could no way have made or done and where Repentance had no place The Law being doe this and Live doe it not and Die Eternally So was it a great Love and grace yea great Mercy of Christ to his Elect Believers to make a way for and to admit