Word and Son of God for his Natures God and Man for his Offices Prophet Priest and King His Work of Redemption hath two Parts 1. His Humiliation 2. His Exaltation in his Resurrection Ascension Session at his Father's right-hand and investiture with all power in Heaven and Earth whereby he is made Lord and Judge of the World The Application whereby we are made partakers of the Benefits of Christ's Redemption is made by the Spirit and Word working Faith whereby sinful men are made Members of Christ and of the Universal Church which is the society of Saints The benefits of this Redemption applyed and whereof the Church is partaker are Remission of sins Resurrection and Life Everlasting Amongst many other Forms of Confessions § V and Creeds delivered by the Ancients I thought good to pitch upon one in Tertullian especially that in his Prescriptions against Hereticks where we read thus REgula est autem Fidei ut jam hinc quod credamus profiteamur illa seilicet qua Credimus Vnum omnino Deum esse nec Alium prater Mundi Conditorem qui universa de Nihilo produxerit per Verbum Suum primo Omnium â—missum Id verbum Filium ejus appellatum in Nomine Dei variè visum Patriarchis in Prophetis semper auditum Postremo delatum ex Spiritu Dei Patris et virtute in Virginem Mariam Carnem factam in utero ejus et ex eâ natum Hominem et esse Jesum Christum exinde Praedicasse Novam Legem et Novam Promissionem Regni Coelorum virtutes fecisse Fixum cruci Tertiâ Die Resurrexisse In Coelos ereptum Sedere ad Dextram Patris Misisse Vicariam Vim Spiritus Sancti qui Credentes agat Venturus cum Claritate ad Sumendos Sanctos in Vitae aeternae et Promissorum Coelestium Fructum et ad Prophanos judicandos igni perpetuo facta utriusque Partis Resusâ—itatio ne cum Carnis Resurrectione Haec Regula à Christo ut probabitur instituta The reason why I propose this § VI is because its the most full and perfect form of Confession both in Irenaeus and Tertullian Concerning which several things are observable 1. That it agrees with all the rest for Matter and Method 2. It 's most exactly Consentaneous to plain and clear Scripture 3 The Method is grounded upon our Saviours Creed 4. It more fully and perfectly out of the Scriptures informs us of the Person and Natures of Christ and so of his Incarnation For that Word by which the World and so man was created was made flesh 5. As in it we have God the Father creating the World by his Word and the same Word by the Spirit assuming flesh redeeming man so we have the same God by his Spirit sanctifying man more expresly delivered then in any of the rest 6. We may observe that that Word which was first uttered and spoken in the Creation before any thing could be created was uttered and produced from everlasting as a lively Representation of God himself to himself 7. That as the Spirit so the Word was in the Prophets as Prophets as without neither of which they could have been Prophets 8. The Government of God Redeemer is therein more expresly declared then in most of the other Forms For the Government of Creation being presupposed 1. The manner of acquiring a New Power by the Humiliation of the Word made flesh 2. His Investiture with this Power in his Exaltation 3. The Exercise of it 1. In giving the New Law with a Promise of Heaven's Kingdom 2. In adjudging men either Prophane to everlasting fire or Holy unto the enjoyment of Life everlasting upon the Resurrection of both in the last and Universal Judgment are in these few Words delivered plainly and clearly 9. This Form was received by the Church from the Apostles and by the Apostles from Christ. 10. That not any but Hereticks did question any thing in this Creed 11. Seeing these Hereticks professed themselves Christians and did acknowledge Christ and this had continued from Christ and the Apostles Universally and without controversie before these Hereticks did arise therefore it did sufficiently prescribe against all Heresies which different from it did arise afterwards The Analysis of these Creeds § VII and Confessions according to the ensuing Discourse intended takes in the matter and method in general of the former yet is delivered in other expressions To understand it the better you must observe 1. That it presupposeth the principal Subject of the Holy Scriptures to be the Kingdom of God and that the Doctrine thereof is contracted in the Ancient Creeds and Forms of Confession 2. That in a Kingdom or Government there must be a King or Governour invested with Power which is 1. Acquired 2. Exercised It 's exercised 1. In constituting a Common-Wealth 2. In the Administration of the same The Common-wealth is administred by Laws and Judgments Laws determine the Duties and Dues of men Judgment renders the Dues of Rewards or Punishments according to the observation or violation of the Laws These things observed We have in this Kingdom 1. The KING 2. His Government The King is God the Father Son and Holy Ghost who alone is worthy of all honour glory power and dominion for evermore His Government presupposeth his Power which is 1. Acquired 2. Exercised It 's acquired by Creation as it is continued by Preservation For immediatly upon the Creation he became the Supream Universal and Absolute Lord and continues so for evermore by his perpetual Preservation For seeing he made all things even Men and Angels of nothing and they do always for ever wholly depend upon him therefore he must needs have an absolute full and perpetual Propriety in and Dominion over them and they must needs be his Servants and Vassals This Power thus acquired began to be exercised immediatly upon the Creation 1. In the general Government of all things 1. By a constitution of an Order amongst them 2. By a Direction of them according to that Order to their ends 2. In the special Government of the immortal and intellectual Creatures who alone were capable of Laws Rewards and Punishments These speciall Creatures were Angels and Men. Amongst the Angels he 1. Established an Order 2. According to that Order he doth govern them and exercise his Power 1. In giving them Laws 2. In judging them according to those Laws Some of the Angels continued loyal and obedient and were confirmed in perpetual estate of Holiness and Happiness which was their Reward The disloyal and Apostate Angels were cast down from Heaven and reserved in everlasting Chains under Darkness unto the Judgment of the great day Jude v. 6. This was their Doom and the judgment of God upon the Angels The Government of Men is two-fold The first of Justice The second of Mercy Of Justice in the first Adam of Mercy in the second In the first after God became his Lord and Man his Subject in a special manner he
gives him Laws both Moral and Positive and whilest man is obedient his estate is comfortable But this not continuing long he is tempted sinneth and so is judged yet so that the Sentence in part might be reversed the Eternal Punishment deserved was made upon certain conditions avoidable and might be prevented And least man should perish everlastingly this Government is altered and God acquires a new power by the work of Redemption and doth exercise it by the Redeemer The Redeemer is the Word who was God and the Son of God made flesh and anointed with the Holy Ghost by whom he was conceived to be a Prophet Priest and King As Priest he offers himself a Sacrifice upon the Cross satisfies God's justice merits mans salvation and his own eternal glory and upon his Resurrection he is invested with that glory and power which he had merited and God by him begins to exercise his new acquired power 1. By constituting a new Kingdom whereof the Head must be his Son at his right hand and the Church his body Politick 2. By the administration of this kingdom with victorious power unto the end For Christ must reign till his enemies be made his footstool In this Administration he 1. Appoints officers who must Publish the Laws of his Kingdom and endues them with the Holy Ghost from Heaven Their doctrine toâ—ether with the Power of the Spirit is made known and effectuall in all Nations and some believe some love darknesse rather then light The Believers make up the Body of the Church Unbelievers constitute the body both of Rebels and Enemies and both are the subject of the judgment of God Redeemer by Christ. This judgment is executed in Rewards and Punishments in this life upon particular persons severally and successively considered and is fully consummate upon the Resurrection at the Universall or generall Assizes when the Wicked with the Angels shall be cast into everlasting fire and the Righteous shall be rewarded with eternall glory The punishments determined by this Judgment as also the rewards shall be perpetuall And in all this there is in the matter or the method no difference or variation from the Ancient Creeds or in the expressions from the holy Scriptures Before I conclude this Chapter § VIII I will say something though briefly 1. Of the name of Creed and Confession 2. Of knowledge and Obedience 3. Of faith in Particular 1. These Sums and Methods are called Creeds because the matter of them is Credenda things or rather truths concerning things to be believed And Confessions because the Truths believed in the heart must be Confessed with the mouth For with the heart man believeth unto Righteousnesse and with the mouth Confession is made to Salvation Rom. 10. 10. 2. If we consider the Doctrine of the Holy Scriptures contracted in these Confessions in respect of mans duty all things therein are proposed 1. As Truths 2. Some things as Commands or Laws As Truths mans duty is to believe them as Commands to obey them Thence that distribution of Divine and Saving Doctrine into Faith or Obedience The truths and so the knowledge and unbelief of them are first in order And because the matter of some truths are commands therefore Commands and Obedience follow as the second in order Both are contained in the Scriptures expresly In the Creeds the Commands and Obedience are implied Yet lest we mistake we must distinguish between the knowledge and obedience of Angels and the knowledge and obedience of man And both these may be considered in respect of man innocent man fallen man under the Law man under the Gospell For in all these respects they are different as will appear hereafter 3. Mans knowledge especially since the fall is imperfect and is not so evident as demonstrative and intuitive knowledge is and therefore called Faith which cannot perceive the things known cleerly or immediately but by vertue of a Testimony To define which faith in general it must needs be proper unto Logick which is the rule of mans understanding whereof faith is an act and in general that which we call assent allowing the connexion of the termes of a proposition and yeilds unto it as true Yet this Assent though firm and certain is not so perfect as that which is grounded upon immediate Evidence of the things represented by the Termes Therefore Lincolniensis makes the Genus of it to be Opinion and saith that fides est opinio And that faith which is grounded onely upon probable reasons can be no more then Opinion which alwayes is an Assent yet not firm and certain as this Faith we speak of must be For it is divine and immediately grounded on the testimony or word of God certainly known to be such It 's not the word of God immediately to me as spoken by man either fallible or infallible but either as attested outwardly by miracles or gifts of the Holy Ghost or some other way or inwardly by some real effects of the Spirit writing this word in mans heart powerfully to affect it and incline it to obedience A Speculative and general assent without any Saving effects the Devils may have The Tradition of the Church or testimony of any man cannot possibly represent the word of God as the word of God immediately to the Soul The Practical divine assent is a great part of our Regeneration and the Principle of all divine and noble actions as it is of all Spiritual Solid Comfort CHAP. IV. Of the Divine Essence and Attributes in General IN the Kingdom of God § I the Scriptures represent unto us 1. The King 2. His Government The King must be considered 1. In himself 2. In his Legal Capacity or as King As in himself he is God the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost The term or word GOD puts us in mind of the Essence and being of this King and the terms Father Son and Holy Ghost of his acting in himself and those Wonderful and hidden productions Whence arise severall Relations and Relative properties But before I proceed to speak of these deepest Mysteries I must say something of our knowledge of God and the way how he doth represent himself unto us so that we may understand some little of him in the darknesse of the World till we see him face to face and more fully and clearly in Eternal Glory Such is the excellency of this King and such the brightnesse of his Glory that it denies any near accesse to Silly mortal man who must not curiously Pry into these Secrets but humbly adore and at a great distance That God is most intelligible in himself is certain For the perfect Being is the most perfect object of understanding But it 's one thing to be so clearly visible in himself another to be so to us An Infinite and Eternall Being must needs be far above a finite and limited understanding Such especially ours now is For our Capacity is Shallow and Narrow
face of God have free accesse unto and stand before the throne of the Eternall King Their glory peace and joy are never interrupted by feares troubles grief And though their confirmation be not expressed or expresly delivered yet its severall wayes implyed For we never read that any of them sinned or fell from God since the time of their first trial That they are called the Holy and Elect Angels That they are Angels of Heaven of light and not of darknesse that they do his Commandements hearkening to the Voice of his Word Psal. 103. 20. That they ever praise God that they protect the heirs of Salvation and are Ministring Spirits for their good that they execute Gods judgments and are his Servants and Ministers in the government of the World and are subject and obedient unto Christ now glorified and all this may amount to a Confirmation Yet their reward may seem as yet enjoyed onely in part and not consummate neither shall be till the last Judgment For as yet the work is not finished all enemies are not subdued the date of Christs Commission is not expired the number of the Saints is not yet finished the dead not raised and therefore neither they nor Saints are fully glorified nor compacted into one intire body under Christ their heâ—d and one day they shall be when the Sun of glory shall shine upon them in his full strength and perpetually abide in his Meridian Gods will is that they should not be perfect without us That these Angels continued in obedience it 's an excellent example to perswade us after we are once converted and born from Heaven to Persevere unto the end The race is not long and the Prize is incomparable We shall be as they are Their Confirmation and Assurance of eternal glory and full blisse may much encourage and comfort us and so much the more because they rejoyce at our conversion are Ministring Spirits for our good pitch their tents about us have a charge to keep us protect and guard us in all our wayes And they will do what they can and much they can do to promote our eternall Salvation and the least and meanest of Gods Saints is not without a guard of Angels That they continued Loyall and obedient was not from themselves but from God who made them and did assist and strengthen them so as to prevent their fall And their confirmation and glorious reward issued from Gods free love Therefore they are bound to give all Glory Praise Honour and thanks to him that sits upon the Throne and lives for ever and ever That their fellow Angels sinned it was not from any desertion of God but their own free will and choice CHAP. XI Of the special Government of Man AS God Created the Angels before he made man § I so he began to govern and order the Angels before he began to govern man and therefore this government follows the former and is partly the same partly differenâ— though after the last judgment when they shall be united in one body it shall be more the same then now it is They are both of them the Subject of Gods speciall Ordination They are both intellectual Creatures They are both endued with Free-will and so capable of Lawes punishment reward they are both ordinable to an immortal estate They have both the pure moral Laws and rules of Judgment Yet as they differ much in themselves to the Ordination of them is different in many particulars Angels are Spirits without bodies Men are bodies with spirits And according to this difference the government was different as shall appear hereafter This government of man as it is the principal Subject of the Scriptures so it shall be of this discourse and takeup the rest of the Doctrine following wherein I shall be far larger then formerly I have bin This special government of man is twofold § II 1. That wherein God exerciâ—ed his power acquired by Creation 2. That wherein he exercised his power acquired by Redemption or more briefly it 's The Government of God as Creatour Redeemer As God by Creation became an absolute Lord and had an unlimited power so he reserved the same in part both in the government of Angels and men For though he bounded and limited them yet he sometimes exerciseth an Arbitrary power above his Laws and hath bound himself onely by his promises And therefore when men had Violated the order and Laws of Creation he was at liberty and took occasion to alter and new model his goverment And hence the twofold government of man which take up the greatest part and in some respect the whole book of God in the Historicall the Doctrinall and the Propheticall parts thereof And hereafter I will call the one the first the other the second government or ordination of man This government is neither the naturall government § III which hath the same rules of generall Providence which that of other Creatures hath so far as it agrees with them Neither is it the government wherein Angels have power over men and are used as Ministers by God nor that civil goverment whereby man as God's Vicegerent ruleth over man as his Subject but it considers him in his spirituall capacity as he is ordinable to an immortall estate It 's true it presupposeth the three former ordinatious and makes use of them all especially the Civil as subordinate unto it It 's certain that mankind once 〈◊〉 and divided into severall societies could not long continue in any tolerable condition without some order of government in Families Vicinities and greater Communities Therefore as God assigned them their severall habitations upon the â—ace of the Earth and divided them in severall tribes and Societies according to their Vicinities so he ordained an order of superiority and subjection amongst them and communicated some portion of his power to some in which respect they become Gods deputies and are called Gods and subjected others unto them alwayes reserving a Power to himself to caâ—â— down one and â—et up another and sometimes one or more out of the dust from the Dunghill and of the basest of the People For the Crowns and Scepters of the World are in his hand and he disposeth them at his Will and Pleasure Besides He hath given them certain rules of Wisdom and Justice together with a great strength and power of the â—woâ—d whereby they are enabled to Model and Administer Common-Weales of great extent makes Lawes and Officers and execute Judgment And the end of all this is Peace and Concord that men may serve that God in obeying the Laws of this Spiritual eternal Kingdom and attain a more glorious and excellent estate of eternall felicity The differences between these two governments are many For in the Civil the Governour is man his power reacheth onely the body and temporall estate His wisdom and justice is imperfect his immediate end is justice and honesty amongst men for temporall Peace His Laws
that we shall rise again to glory For if the Spirit of him that raised up Christ from the dead dwell in us He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken our mortall bodyes by his Spirit that dwelleth in us Rom. 8. 11. The manifestation was full and clear § VI and for this end he stayed 40. dayes on earth after his resurrection His body was now become spirituall and could appear when and to whom he pleased And he appeares 1. To Mary Magdalene 2. To two Disciples going to Emaus 3. To Cephas 4. To the twelve 5. To 500 Brethren together 6. to James 7. To all the Apostles and that severall times Thomas must not onely see him but with his hands and fingers feel the print of the nailes and the scars of his wounds They eat and drink with him receive instructions and commissions from him and see him taken up into Heaven Steeven Paul and John the Divine see him after he was ascended into Heaven The Souldiers who were set to guard the Sepulcher are forced to be witnesses as of death so of his resurrection The comming down of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles the miracles done the gifts of the Spirit received in his name the Faith of the world in him do testifie the same So that there can be no reason in the world to doubt of this Resurrection The persons to whom he most of all appeared were the Apostles to whom he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs being seen of them 40. dayes and speaking of the things pertayning to the Kingdome of God Act. 1. 3. And the reason hereof was this that they might be witnesses to him both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and in Samaria and unto the uttermost parts of the earth verse 8. And its remarkable that he severall times appeared on the first day of the week as though he intended not onely by his Resurrection but his several apparations to consecrate and honour that day After that Christ was risen § VII and had continued fourty dayes on earth he takes with him to Mount Olivet his Disciples gives them commission to go to all Nations promiseth the Spirit blesseth them and in their sight from that place ascends into Heaven in a cloud For the Angels which appeared unto them in the likenesse of two men in white apparell told them that he was taken up into Heaven Act. 1. 10 11. This Ascension added nothing to his power though it might be a part of his Glory and Honour The place from whence he ascended was the Mount of Olivet at the foot whereof he suffered so much in his bitter Agony where he was betrayed apprehended deserted The place to which he did ascend was Heaven the highest and most glorious place in the world For he ascended far above all Heavens to fulfill all things Eph. 4. 19. The manner of this Ascension was glorious and by way of Triumph For accompanied with Angells he led captivity captive and gave gifts to men Psal. 68. 18. And no doubt hee made open shew of the Principalityes and Powers of Hell which he had conquered It was the greatest and most stately Triumph that ever was in the World Great was the joy of Angells and the Honour of that day wherein the Son of God mounted in his triumphant charior a bright and glorious cloud ascended into that glorious place where in his Fathers presence he after his biter sufferings hath fullnesse of joy and pleasures for ever more Where he hath taken possession of those blessed mansions of eternall rest not onely for himself but in our behalf And Oh that our minds were lifted up above the world and our affections so placed that we might seek those things above where he sitteth at his Fathers right hand that we might have a certain hope that one day he would descend from that holy place and take us with him that we might be where he is and so behold his Glory and be eternally freed from all sin and sorrow And surely if we believe him it was expedient he should depart and leave this Earth not onely for his own Glory but for our comfort that he might send down his Spirit to sanctify comfort and guide us into all truth Daniel saw in his Night-Vision behold one like the Son of man came in the clouds of Heaven and approached to the ancient of dayes and the Angells brought him neer before him This Vision was fulfilled in this Ascension Dan. 7. 13. The Heaven of Heavens was the fittest place not onely for his enjoyment of eternall pleasures but it was a stately Pallace from whence he might exercise his universall Power and administer his eternall Kingdom and be ettended and guarded by the heavenly powers For the Chariots of God are twenty thousands even many thousands and he is in the midst of them as in Sinai even in the holy place Psal. 68. 17. There he as a Priest for ever liveth to make intercession for us and continues our Advocate to plead our cause and make it good before his Fathers Tribunal After that Christ ascended into Heaven § VIII God set him at his right hand For God said unto him Sit thou at my right hand till I make thine Enemies thy Foot-stool To sit at God's right Hand is to reign as King So the Apostle expounds it 1 Cor. 15. 25. Therefore by those words we understand that the highest degree of Honour and Power next unto God was solemnly conferred upon him and he was instantly to begin to exercise the same The Angells and all things were subjected unto and put under his power and he became Administrator-Generall of this spirituall and everlasting Kingdom This Power was given him before For he said that All Power in Heaven Earth was given him whilst he was on Earth Yet now in Heaven he receivs full Possession and was solemnly crowned and enthroned before all the Angells and the Host of Heaven by vertue of these Words Sit thou at my right Hand He was made Law-giver and Judge and could bind men to obedience or punishment and judge them accordingly and determine of their final and eternal estates so as to give them eternal rewards or afflict them with eternal punishments This was part of Daniel's Vision For when one like the Son of Man was brought neer before the ancient of days 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 pass away and His Kingdom that which shall not be destroyed The success and issue of His Administration was a final Victory over all Enemies and a total subduing of all opposite and contrary Powers and also the Eternal Peace and Felicity of His loyal and obedient Subjects As upon His Entrance into the glorious place of Heaven His everlasting Kingdom was established in His hands so His Priest-hood was made
Promises and Threats he hath dealt not onely with private Persons but Kingdoms and States For he hath blessed such as did observe the Sabbath and cursed such as did prophane it This is evident not onely from the History of the Scriptures but from his Judgments in all Times We might easily by observation understand it in our Times It 's somewhat remarkable and not altogether to be neglected that even in this Nation upon the publike allowance of Sports and Recreations upon the Lords Day which is our Christian Sabbath Civil and Bloody Wars and ruine of the Royal Family should so shortly follow and that the hand of God should be most against those who by Writing Words or Practise had maintained the lawfulness of that Doctrine I forbear to cite the particular places of Scripture whence these Reasons are taken and the Examples of God's Judgments because this is done already by many others who have written of the Sabbath Before I conclude this Doctrine of the Sabbath § XVII it will be expedient to say something of the Lords Day which we Christians observe and as Christians are bound to sanctifie These things I suppose will be granted by rational and impartial men 1. That we under the Gospel are as much bound to serve and worship God as the Jews were under the Law 2. That the Lords-Day is as necessary for the preservation and continuance of Religion as the Jewish Sabbath was 3. It 's as fit and as due proportion of time as theirs was For our condition in respect of the business and necessities of this life did not differ from theirs but is the same 4. It 's as useful and conducing to our Spiritual good and the attaining of our Eternal Sabbath as theirs 5. It 's the 7th part of our time and a 7th day in order as theirs also was and so consecrates no less time to God but so much as the Commandement requires 6. The morality of the Commandement and the principal thing therein aimed at is not this or that 7th day but this or that 7th day which God shall determine for Sanctification 7. As God set a Character upon their Day so He hath upon ours Upon the 7th Day He rested from the great Work of Creation and therefore sanctified and blessed it and honoured it above other days and in remembrance of the great and glorious Work of Creation He commanded the Day to be observed So upon the first Day of the Week when Christ had finished His great Work of Redemption He began His Everlasting Sabbath For upon this Day He rose again upon this Day He sent down the Holy Ghost and by these two glorious Works He honoured this Day above all others even above their Sabbath The Creation was a glorious Work the Redemption is more glorious The Creation is a great benefit the Redemption is greater And if we must remember the former we must much more remember the latter If the Day whereon He rested from the former be fit to be observed much more is the Day wherein He rested from the latter The Resurrection of the Son of God made Man and the sending down of the Holy Ghost are never to be forgotten but eternally to be remembred by Christians For upon them depend our Eternal Salvation and without them we cannot attain unto or enter into our Everlasting Rest. And he is unworthy the Name much more the Priviledges of a Christian that will not remember these things And we can hardly find any to have dis-esteemed or neglected this Day but they were either prophane Wretches or giddy Sectaries and Hereticks For the alteration of the Day to be sanctified § XVIII there was great reason For 1. Seeing Christ did not rise again nor send down the Holy Ghost upon the Iewish Sabbath but upon the first day of the Week there was more reason to observe this our first then that their last Day of the Week And surely seeing Christ could have risen upon their Sabbath and sent down the Holy Ghost upon that Day and yet did not either of them upon the same nor any other Day of the Week there was some reason in it And by singling out this time for those Blessed Works He did intimate that this should be His Day wherein all Christians should honour Him to the end of the World and that the former Sabbath was to be laid aside 2. The former Sabbath did several ways respect the Jews in particular 1. As having the Ceremonial Law annexed unto it the Services and Rites whereof were to be observed in the Tabernacle and Temple upon this Day 2. It was a Sign between God and them that they might know that it was the Lord which did sanctifie them Exod. 31. 13 17. Ezek. 20. 12. So that it was part of that Partition-Wall whereby they were separated from the Gentiles Therefore after that Christ was risen the Holy Ghost given from Heaven upon this Day the Apostles received Commission to preach unto all Nations and God taking away the Partition-Wall made of both one Body-Politick in Religion it was though altogether convenient to surrogate the Lords-Day in the place of the former Sabbath and upon these grounds the first day of the week began to be observed in the days of the Apostles and had the name of the Lords-Day and both the observation and the name have universally amongst Christians continued since that time By laying aside the former Day was signified that the Covenant with the Fathers which had this Sabbath annexed was now with that Day expired and abolished by a more excellent time which succeeded it which being sanctified by us doth distinguish us from the unbelieving Jew in all Nations For by it we profess our Belief of Christ's Resurrection and our Sanctification by the Holy Ghost sent down from Heaven Many remain to this day unsatisfied § XIX and doubt of the Morality of the fourth Commandement and if it were Moral by what Authority the Sabbath of the Jews determined in that Commandement of the Moral-Law given unto them could be altered For the Morality of it we must observe as before 1. That some Commandements were primitively some derivatively moral so that there were degrees of morality in that Law which is called Moral and in that respect though they were all moral yet there is a great inequality in their morality 2. This Commandement as some others have something positive in it 3. This Commandement was positive in respect of the time For neither time in general nor this or that particular time nor this or that portion of time as a day one day in seven this or that 7th day are moral They are not intrinsecally good nor have any connexion inseparable with the last end and felicity of man 4. This Commandement derives its morality ab extrinseco from the Divine Determination of the time and the Rest for Sanctification commanded in that time The Sanctification of one 7th determinate day every week
just Judge and that is either by their own righteousnesses and perfect obedience or by the mercy of this eternall Judge propitiated pardoning their disobedience upon a certain condition By the former way the Blessed Angels were but man cannot be justifiable or justified 3. It 's man as a Believer For though every man that 's justifiable and justified is a sinner and may be so considered specificative as the School-men speak yet as a sinner for maliter et reduplicative he cannot be justifiable For then every sinner should be justified Therefore it is so often said that man a sinner is justified by Faith 4. To be a Believer so as to be justifiable presupposeth Christ 1. As Propitiatour and Intercessour 2. Faith in him as such It 1. Presupposeth Christ who Christ is what his person natures with the union and distinction of them and his offices be Who sent him and upon what inward motive and to what end he was sent what his work was what the immediate effects and the mediate of the redemption applied were you have heard before and all these things must be understood believed and remembred But the principall thing here to be considered is how Christ made God propitious and placable and how he procures actuall remission That which made God propitious and mercifull to sinfull man was his great Sacrifice That which obtaines actuall remission is his intercession Both these are proper acts of him as Priest and Mediatour For mediatour and Priest the Apostle takes to be the same as if you consider you may observe Heb. 7. 25. 8. 6. 9. 15. He may be called a Mediatour Nuntius inter Deum hominem A messenger between God and Man as Moses was between the Lord and Israel as a third person really and essentially distinct from both Gal. 3. 19. So Christ never was Or he may be a Mediatour participating in nature with both being God with God and Man with Man But though it 's true that Christ may be called Mediatour in these two respects yet where doth the Scripture call him so in either way The man Christ Jesus is the one mediatour between God and Man as giving himself a ransome for all that is as a Priest 1 Tim. 2. 5 6. That He as Priest is the propitiation for our sins through his blood is expresse Scripture Rom. 3. 25. For by his own blood entring once into the holy place he obtained eternal Redemption or Remission for ever Heb. 9. 12. For as the High Priest in the Sacrifice of the great and generall expiation when the Sacrifice was slain enters with the blood thereof into the holiest place and presents and sprinkles it before the throne of God and then comes out again So Christ having suffered and shed his blood being slain presently enters into the Holy place of Heaven and presents his soul as separated from his body and so himself as having suffered and so the propitiation and the eternal expiation was made And to signifie this instantly the Vail of the Earthly Sanctuary was rent from top to bottome that men might know that the great High Priest was entred the eternall Sacrary of Heaven to appear before the Tribunall of the great Judge This Sacrifice was truly propitiatory and by the eternall spirit being offered without spot to God had power to purge the conscience from dead works to serve the living God in the Heavenly Temple to confirme the everlasting Covenant to consecrate the Sanctified for ever Heb. 9. 14 15. 10. 14. And He that knew no sin was made sin that is a Sacrifice for sin for us that we might be the righteousnesse of God through him 2 Cor. 5. â—1 He knew no sin for he was holy and without sin in his Conception Birth Life Death And perfectly obeyed all the Commandements of God Otherwise he could not have offered himself without spot Heb. 9. 14. Nor have been an offering and sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling Savour as he was Ephes. 5. 2. Without this purity this sacrifice could have had no expiatory and redemptory power So that we might be Redeemed from our vain conversation with his blood as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot 1 Pet. 1. 19. And as without this spotlesse purity He could not have offered this spotlesse Sacrifice so though He was pure yet without this sacrifice and death He could not have bin a propitiation for sinfull man So that purity and death must both concur to satisfie Gods justice and make sin pardonable Yet sinne can never be actually pardoned nor immediately pardonable to any particular person except this propitiation is made and accepted be pleaded in Heaven by him that was consecrated by Death constituted upon the Resurrection and confirmed upon his Assension to be the High Universal and Eternall Priest in Heaven after the order of Melchizedeck For if we have sinned as who hath not we must have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous who is the propitiation for ours sins c. 1 John 2. 1 2. This Christ and Son of God is King and Prophet yet neither as King or Prophet doth He either make propitiation or intercession but only as a Priest and after His first service of sacrifice was finished and He made immortall and set at His Fathers right hand He begins this second service of His Priest-hood and shall continue it till all His Saints be fully justified for ever And oh How happy are they that have Him Advocate in the Heavenly Court Though Christ hath done all things § III to make sin pardonable and is ever ready to procure actuall pardon this yet is not sufficient except the sinner to be pardoned doth believe in him both as propitiating and pleading his propitiation And here it 's to be noted that He makes intercession in Heaven only for penitent and believing sinners for whom alone His intercession is effectuall For though He died for man as a sinner to make his sin pardonable yet He pleads only for a sinner believing to obtain actuall pardon He ever liveth to make intercession for such as come to God by Him Heb. 7. 25. Where we must observe 1. That the place speaketh of Christ as a Priest 2. Such a Priest as having offered the great Sacrifice of expiation is risen again and entered into the Temple of Heaven 3. Such a Priest as hath obtained an unalterable Priest-hood confirmed to him by the Solemn Oath of the eternall God 4. Such a Priest as is immortall and ever liveth 5. This Priest doth make perpetuall intercession 6. Those for whom he makes intercession are such as come to God by Him 7. To come to God is to present our selvs before His Throne of grace and sue for pardon and Salvation 8. To come to God by Him is to sue for these in His Name by Faith in Him For otherwise there is no accesse for guilty persons to the Throne of grace Therefore is He
THEO-POLITICA OR A Body of Divinity CONTAINING The Rules of the special Government OF GOD According to which He orders the immortal and intellectual Creatures Angels and Men to their final and Eternal Estate Being a Method of those saving Truths which are contained in the Canon of the Holy Scripture and abridged in those words of our Saviour Jesus Christ Go and teach all Nations Baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost Which were the Ground and Foundation of those Apostolical Creeds and Forms of Confessions related by the Ancients and in particular by Irenaeus and Tertullian BY GEORGE LAWSON Rector of More in the County of Salop. LONDON Printed by J. Streater for Francis Tyton and are to be sold at his Shop at the Sign of the Three Daggers in Fleet-street MDCLIX THE EPISTLE TO THE READER Christian Reader I Will not trouble thee with any tedious Preface or Epistle Dedicatory but onely in a few words acquaint thee 1. With the subject of this Treatise 2. The manner how it s handled 3. The use that be made of it I. The Subject is noble and excellent it is that glorious Kingdom and special Governmentt of the Supream Universal and Eternal King which is the principal if not the adoquate subject of the Holy Scriptures which were revealed from Heaven and without which neither Men nor Angels could have known much of it For as it is the Kingdom of God so the Word of God must inform us of it Angels Prophets Apostles and Christ himself spake of it and it was the principal matter of the Doctrine This Government was contrived before the World was and after time began it was one of his principal Works wherein once made known by Revelation we may read more of God of his deepest Counsels and of his perfections then in the vast Volume of Heaven and Earth The Doctrine thereof doth so much concern sinful Man that upon the knowledge thereof depends his Eternal Salvation This Kingdom should be the chiefest subject not onely of our most serious and retired Thoughts but of our Discourse that it might be made known to the following Generations till time shall be no more and it will be the matter of that Heavenly Musick and Melody which Saints and Angels shall make in the Temple of Eternal Glory For all thy Works shall praise thee O Lord and thy Saints shall bles thee They shall speak of the Glory of thy Kingdom and talk of thy power To make known unto the sons of men His mighty Acts and the glorious Majesty of thy Kingdom Thy Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom and thy Dominion endureth throughout all Generations Psal. 145. 10 11 12 13. This Kingdom did commence upon the Creation of Angels and of Men whom both He governed according to different Rules especially after the Fall and Promise of a Redeemer for then He new-modelled the Government of Mankind and of that new Model there were three degrees The first continued from the times of Adam till the exaltation of Christ at His Fathers right hand The second which is more excellent began to be administred by Christ glorified and shall not determine till all Enemies even Death the last shall be destroyed The third which is most glorious shall commence upon the final Judgment and shall be of endless date This is the subject II. For the manner of handling of it the Language is plain and rather rude then polite and more Grammatical then Rhetorical for my desire was to be understood I had no design to please the curious but by plain Doctrine to inform the Vnderstanding by clear Method to help the Memory and by the divine and excellent matter rather than by excellency of words to work upon the affection and wind into the heart The very Subject being a Kingdom did dictate the Method and the Scripture furnished me with suitable Expressions I do not proceed by way of Dialogue or of Catechisms or of Probleme or of Systems or of Sermons I thought good and took the liberty to deliver positive Doctrine in a continued Discourse yet in a certain method and so to draw on the Reader from one head to another and from one part of this Government to another till he come to the beginning of that perfect and most glorious degree wherein God shall be all in all In some particulars I deliver my opinion yet with submission to the judgment of the more Learned and Judicious I desire no man to believe any thing delivered in this Treatise which shall not be found agreeable to the Holy Scriptures To seduce and mislead the meanest Christian would trouble me much If the more understanding discover my imperfections I desire him to pardon them if any passages be amiss to correct the mistakes and not too rigidly censure the Author We all have much of Man in us we are yet in the flesh and many are our imperfections and mine more then those of others And if every Reader shall remember himself to be a man as yet in the flesh I shall do well enough Let none impute to me the Errata of the Press though some few may be gross for I was for the time of Printing at a great distance Some things in this work I onely touch intending a more distinct discussion in another Book which is an Exposition of the Epistle to the Hebrews This for the manner of handling III. The use of it may be the same with that of other Systems and larger Catechisms What it may adde I leave to others for to judge It may serve to acquaint us more particularly with the nature of that Kingdom whereof many speak and which few do understand It may help to improve our Knowledge of the Principles to understand the Scriptures more clearly to direct younger Students who intend the Ministery to bring some Controversies to an Issue It may give occasion to men of more excellent gifts out of Scriptures to improve the Body of saving Doctrine And for the present it may testifie that notwithstanding all our Divisions and Alterations the substance of the Ancient and Apostolical Doctrine remains amongst us I desired to do some good unto this poor Church and if any good be done it is not I but the Grace of God in me who desired to serve in this as in other things the great and glorious Monarch of this Kingdom To whom be glory everlasting Amen Thine to serve in the Lord GEO LAWSON THE ARGUMENT AND CONTENTS OF The several Chapters LIB I. CHAP. I. THe Subject and Rule of the whole Treatise both in the First and Second Book CHAP. II. The Mind of God concerning His special Kingdom 1. Known unto Himself 2. Revealed 1. To Man immediately by inspiration 2. Communicated by Man to Man by Word and Writing and both Infallibly As written in Hebrew Chaldee Greek it makes up the Canon of the Scripture which is the most excellent Monument in the World and
things By whom he made the Worlds who was the brightness of his Fathers glory and the express Image of his Person Heb. 1. 2 3. He was more excellent then the Angels then Moses then all the Prophets He was the great Prophet acquainted with his Fathers secrets taught the Doctrine of Eternal Life confirmed the same by his Holy Life his glorious Miracles and sealed it with his bloud Besides God spake by the Apostles and especially after they had received the Holy Ghost sent down from Heaven by Christ glorified according to his Promise These made up the Canon of the New Testament 2. They taught Doctrine that for the matter was new For besides the Morals formerly known and other Points revealed in the Old Testament they did declare and write by the infallible direction of the Holy Ghost That Jesus of Nazareth born at Bethlem crucified at Jerusalem was the Son of God was risen again from the dead ascended into Heaven made Universal King and an everlasting Priest makes intercession in Heaven That remission of sinnes and eternal life upon condition of Faith in him as glorified was promised and to be preached to all Nation 〈◊〉 the Jew first and then unto the Gentiles 3. Because these things though not contrary to Reason yet far above Reason were New and tended to the alteration of the former administration of God's Kingdom and many former Laws given by God unto the Fathers and the abolition of Religion that was then established in all Nations therefore it was confirmed by the new and excellent gifts of the Apostles the great and glorious miracles done in the Name of Christ the gifts of the Holy Ghost from Heaven upon such as heard and received this Doctrine by the conversion of Jews and Gentiles and this by mean and contemptible men These were special Works of the Supream and Eternal Providence and such as the like had not been done since the Creation nor ever since the times of those Apostles who could speak in the Languages of all Nations to whom God sent them so as the unlearned might understand them These taught first by word of mouth and then by Writing till the Canon of the New Testament was finished and the Originals of their Writings were kept in the Churches they planted and after composed in one body Thus far God spake to man § 10 by man infallibly inspired both by word of mouth and by Writing He speaks also to man by ordinary men who are not immediatly infallible but onely so far as their Doctrine shall agree with the former Inspirations and Revelations For the Word of God was always in the Church and his Divine Revelations were always the Rule of ordinary Teachers And in matter of Religion they had no Warrant to teach any thing but according to that Rule These ordinary Teachers were Fathers Masters of Families every Neighbour and Brother which had ability and opportunity Amongst the Jews the ordinary Prophets Scribes Lawyers who were learned in the Law of God Priests and Levites But the principal amongst these are the Learned who have taken that charge upon them according to a Lawful Call make it their chief business to whom maintenance by God's institution is due These in the New Testament are called Pastours Teachers Bishops Elders Ministers who take charge of mens souls This distinction of Teachers in the times of the Gospel may be grounded on that Text When Christ ascended up on high he led Captivity captive and gave gifts to men And he gave some Apostles some Prophets some Evangelists some Pastours and Teachers Ephes. 4. 8 11. The extraordinary were Apostles Prophets Evangelists The ordinary were Pastours and Teachers And these later as well as the former were given for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministery for the edifying of the body of Christ ver 12. These also may teach the mysteries of God's Kingdom by word and by writing Yet neither their words nor writings were of equal authority with the words and writings of the Prophets and Apostles For the Authority of their Doctrine presupposeth that it is contained in the Holy Scriptures and that the Holy Scriptures are the Word of God and that those which they affirm to be the Holy Scriptures are so indeed This gives occasion to examine what force may be in the Tradition of the Church to prove the Scriptures to be the Word of God This cannot be done to purpose except we know 1. What Tradition is 2. What the Church 3. What the Holy Scriptures be as most understand them in this point 1. Tradition in this particular is nothing but a Testimony which as such hath no force in it to prove any thing but that which is borrowed from the party testifying or the thing testified or from some other thing Therefore it is called Argumentum artificiale assumptum because it assumeth force from some other Reason or Argument A Testimony is either Divine or Humane For here I will say nothing of the Testimony of Angels The Divine Testimony is infallibly and necessarily true yet not as a Testimony but as the Testimony of God whose Veracity is such that he cannot dâ—â—ive or be deceived He is true and Truth it self The testimony of man may be and is many times false for he is subject unto Errour and may be deceived because his knowledge is imperfect He may also deceive for want of fidelity and integrity There is no necessary and inseparable Connexion between his testimony and the truth because he himself as testifying and truth are separable This is the reason why testimonies in judgment are confirmed by Oath And for this cause the Doctrine of the Apostles so far as it was new was attested from Heaven 2. The party testifying in this particular is the Church as a Collective Body By Church may be understood either a particular Church or Churches or the Universal made up of all the Particulars This Universal Church is either the present Universal Church or the same considered as successively continued since the time of the Apostles or as including John the Baptist Christ and his Apostles or the Church of all times since the Beginning Again the present Universal Church of any time may be considered either as properly Universal or as representatively such in a general Council 3. The thing testified is that the Holy Scriptures are the Word of God And by Holy Scriptures we may understand the whole Body of the Canon and the several Books of the Old and New Testament and the same in such a certain number as to exclude or include the Books called Apocrypha And these may be considered either in the Original Copies or in Transcripts or in Translations or else we may understand the principal matters of the Scripture concerning Faith in Jesus Christ and obedience unto his Commands After this explication given some things are to be observed 1. Concerning the thing testified and to be believed 2. Concerning the
World to come According to it he must be judged and sent to Heaven or Hell and made eternally happy or miserable All errours and false notions contrary unto it must be rased out of the mind All inordinate affections and unruly passions must be subdued For we must lay apart all filthinesse and Superfluity of naughtinesse and receive with meeknesse the pure and genuine word of God which is able to save our souls Jam. 1. 24. And we must lay aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisies and envies and evil speakings and as New-born babes desire the Sincere milk of the Word c. 1 Pet. 2. 1 2. We must make our minds like blank Paper and in our hearts we must be like little Children otherwise the Heavenly Doctrine cannot make so liâ—ely impressions upon us 2. When the heart is thus prepared we must hear and read attentively consider what is heard or read that we may understand it We must apply it and lay it close unto our own hearts and pray for the Spirit to make it powerful and effectual within us As it is Wisdom first to teach so it is first to learn the Principles and to understand them well and being once in these well grounded they will not be so subject either to be seduced or waveâ—ing in their judgment and it will be a great advantage to improve their knowledge And when once they understand the truth it will discover their woful condition to humble them and their Saviour to raise them up again It 's a part of the duty of every one that is a Scholler in this School not onely to understand the truth but also to endeavour the practise thereof out of an earnest desire of Salvation And if a man neglect the means use not the power that God hath given him and seriously intend the principal end it will be just with God to desert him and deny his grace unto him Practice must be the principal design and Knowledge so far as conducing thereunto If the man being taught § XVI be diligent and willing for to learn both to know and do that which is known and that with a prepared heart and desire of God's Blessed Spirit to teach him inwardly and effectually then God will remember his Promise and will give him a new Heart and a new Spirit he will put in him and will take the stoney heart out of his flesh and give him an heart of flesh He will put his Spirit within him and cause him to walk in his Statutes and keep his Judgments to do them Ezek. 36. 26 27. For this is a Promise of the Gospel and the New Covenant I will put my Laws into their mind and write them in their hearts Heb. 8. 10. And as man teacheth outwardly God teacheth inwardly yet he never writes his Word in an unprepared heart neither doth he write any thing within but that which is taught outwardly out of the Scriptures And as the Minister must teach so the People must hear and heed otherwise God will deny his Spirit Man cannot speak unto the Soul immediatly but by the outward and inward Senses God speaks immediatly unto the Soul pierceth deeply into it writes clear and lively Characters upon the mind and makes strong impressions upon the heart When the Ministers Doctrine is thus accompanied with the Power of God and brought home not onely unto but also into the Soul then the Teacher is a Minister not onely of the Letter but also of the Spirit and the Word is the Word of God indeed formally and properly when God thus speaks it immediatly himself and it will manifest it self by the Heavenly Light Power of Sanctification and Consolation following thereupon And then man knows the Word read or heard preached out of the Scripture to be from Heaven and God's Voyce and that upon better grounds then any Tradition possibly can be By the same Word we are begotten and born anew By the same we must grow and tend unto perfection the Spirit concurring with it And the Spirit by Divine Institution and God's Promise goes along with it except man by his neglect of the means or some other demeâ—it give caâ—â—e to God to deny it The sum of all this is § XVII 1. That the Doctrine of the Scriptures is the Rule whereby we are directed in the knowledge of God's Kingdome 2. This Doctrine was in the mind of God and known onely to himself before he communicated it to Men and Angels 3. He did make this known by immediate Inspiration to the Holy Prophets and Apostles 4. By them he communicated it to others both by Word and Writing in both which they were directed by him infallibly 5. The Originals therefore were immediatly of Divine Authority and most worthy to be believed and the Transcripts and Translations so far as they agreed with the Originals 6. The Tradition or Testimony of the Church may declare this yet as a Testimony it can satisfie no man fully 7. God communicates this Doctrine unto men by ordinary Teachers not immediatly inspired 8. The Scripture is the standing Rule to direct these ordinary Teachers And so far as they follow this Rule so far their Doctrine is good and no further 9. The people taught are bound to hear those Teachers with prepared hearts and in that manner as God requireth 10. If they hear in this manner God according to his Promise will make it effectual to convert justifie and comfort them 11. This Spirit testifying by real effects the matter of the Scripture to be Divine is not a private Spirit but the publique Spirit of Christ in the Universal Church and the thing testified by this Spirit is the Publique Doctrine believed and professed by the Vniversal Church It 's true that it 's testified to a private Man and in that respect it is not Publique 12 By this manner of ordinary teaching with the concurrence of the sanctifying Spirit God works ordinarily a Divine Faith in the hearts of men and not by the Vniversal Tradition of the Church 13. The Tradition of the Church so far as it may be known concerning the Divine Authority of the whole Canon is a ground of a probable Faith against which No rational man as rational can except CHAP. III. Concerning the ancient Creeds and Confessions and of Faith in general HItherto § I of the Original the Nature and Qualities of the Holy Scriptures which must be the Rule of the ensuing Discourse concerning God's Kingdom But before I proceed to the particular Explication of this excellent Subject it will not be amiss to enquire Whether the principal subject of the Scripture may not be reduced to a method or Whether some parts or passages of Scripture will not give a sufficient light and direction to this method if there be any such thing Many School-men and some Modern Authors of Theological Systems following the Rules of the great Philosopher have attempted to reduce the Doctrine contained in God's Book into
the form of an Art or Science as some use to speak They determine the Subject of it to be Man Quatenus Beatificabilis as capable of Spiritual and Eternal Happiness The Object of it must be Deus quatenus Beatificans God as the Fountain and Cause of Eternal Bliss And the end is to direct the Spiritual Acts and Operations of the Immortal Soul so that by them well regulated and fixed upon their due Object man may tend unto and in the end attain the full fruition of that Eternal Being in whom he shall be for ever blessed According to this determination some reduce the Doctrine of the Scriptures to Truths Promises Duties yet this is imperfect Others make three Heads of this Doctrine 1. The first is the Being and Perfection of God in himself 2. The second the Works of God 3. The third His Commands Yet this as the former proves defective and no ways exact Others tell us that the Scriptures represent God to us 1. As to be known And 2. As to be worshipped And so make the Parts of this Divine Doctrine to be 1. Knowledge 2. The Worship of God And this hath much affinity with that Distribution of Theologie into Faith and Obedience that is the Rule of Faith and Obedience These conceive all things in the Scripture especially conducing to Salvation to be credenda or agenda The things to be believed the Object of Faith the things to be done and performed the Object of Obedience For this they think that they have a sufficient ground in the Mandate and Commission of our Blessed Saviour Go 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 Math. 28. 19 20. And that of the Apostle seems to confirm this Hold fast the form of sound words which thou hast heard of me in faith and love 2 Tim. 1. 13. I will not examine these distinctions now but onely say this much That Faith and Obedience or Observancy as some call it according to the intended sense of these two places are onely Duties to be performed by sinful man Redeemed and Called according to the Commands of their God-Redeemer and so do not reach the utmost bounds of this Heavenly Doctrine And even in this respect they refer to Government and belong onely to that One Head and part thereof The Commands and Laws of God Redeemer requiring obedience And Faith it self is but one part of this obedience as it is a Duty So that these things may be some ways true but no ways accurate and perfect And if they may be allowed mine intended method I hope may pass without any harsh censure For I know no reason to the contrary seeing it's evident that the Principal if not the adaequat subject of the Holy Scriptures is the Kingdom and Government of God The Doctrine whereof is methodically contracted in ancient Creeds and Confessions which take in the Agenda or things to be practised as well as the Credenda things to be believed Of these ancient Confessions it may be observed that 1. Though they differ in words and expressions § II as may appear by the several forms thereof some more brief some more large especially in Irenaeus and Tertullian yet they agree in the matter and the principal method 2. That divers of the Ancients inform us that the first Planted Churches received the Forms of Confession though different in some words and expressions yet the same for matter and the general and principal method from the Apostles the Apostles from Christ Christ from God Thus amongst others Tertullian 3. They were received from Christ 1. In that Mandate and Commission to the Apostles Go and teach all Nations baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost 2. By Inspiration of the Holy Ghost 4. In those Words we have 1. God the Father Almighty making Heaven and Earth by his Word 2. This Word and Son made flesh redeeming sinful man 3. The Holy Ghost by whom Christ was conceived and anointed the Prophets inspired the Church sanctified unto Eternal Glory For so the Ancients understood it being directed by the Apostles 5. This Form thus understood was 1. A Tradition unwritten and of Divine Authority as taught by Christ and his Apostles before it was written But 2. Being written and more fully explained in the Canon of the New Testament it can be no longer an unwritten Tradition And whosoever reading the New Testament doth not find and that in several places both the matter and method of the ancient Confessions understands little 6. No particular form of Confession considered as a Tradition of the Church since the time of the Apostles can be of equal authority with the Scriptures 7. That which we call the Apostles Creed which we find in the Works of Cyprian and Russinus with an Exposition is no more nor so much the Apostles Creed as some ancient Creeds in form differing from it 8. Those words of our Saviour and his Rule of Doctrine concerning the Father Son and Holy Ghost with the three glorious Works of Creation Redemption Sanctification is a divine and wonderful Abridgment of all the Doctrine of the Scripture especially of that which is necessary to Salvation The Confession and Creed of the Patriarchs § III in particular of Enoch was thus God is and he is a Rewarder of them who diligently seek him Heb. 11. 6. For they believed That there was one God most glorious and blessed in Himself who by his Wisdome and Power made preserved and governed the World and especially Mankind For to Reward is an act of judgment Judgment presupposeth Laws Laws a Governour a Governour Subjects made and to be governed So that in their ancient Creed we have God considered 1. In Himself 2. As a Governour of the World made by him and especially of Men and Angels and that by Laws and Judgments The obedience to these Laws is to seek God diligently according to the direction of those Laws and the reward of this Obeâ—ience is Eternal Life as the punishment of Disobedience is Eternal Death And after the Fall of Man no man in himself was capable of this Eternal Liâ—â— because all were guilty Therefore they sought this glorious Reward by Châ—iâ—â— to come whom all their Ilastical Sacrifices did typifie as they sought their God by Him The ordinary Analysis of that which we call § IV The Apostles Creed as delivered by more understanding Catechists and Authors of Theological Systems is this God being the Subject of that Confession is considered 1. In himself as God the Father Son and Holy Ghost 2. As in his Works 1. Of Creation 2. Of Providence Providence preserves and governs all things created especially Man Man made righteous holy happy 1. Falls 2. Is restored He is restored by Redemption and the Application of it The Redeemer for Person is the
Creatures Yet God is so One that there are no other Gods though there be other Beings Some things are so one as that there are not actually any other of that kind So there is one Sun one Moon one World one Heaven one Earth yet there may be and might have been more if it had pleased God to make them But God is so one as that there is not there cannot be another God Therefore he is onely one and takes up the Deity so fully as that he can admit no fellow That God is onely One the Scriptures testifie Is there any God besides me Yea there is no God I know not any Isa. 44. 8. Thou art God alone is the confession of the Psalmist Psal. 86. 10. and of Christ himself This is Life Eternal to know thee the onely true God These and many other places represent Him not onely as One but as the onely One so that there cannot be another He was alone and the onely One without Superiour Inferiour equal God Nay without any Being but his own Eternal Being before the World was This Unity was manifested in the Creation and Government of the World For as He was the onely one Being in Himself from Everlasting so He is the onely one Creatour the onely one Governour Vniversal and Supream and shall be so to Everlasting He is the onely one Redeemer and Sanctifier from whom the streams of everlasting Bliss do and shall for ever issue This Truth concerning God's Unity was so imprinted in the very hearts of the Heathen that though they did acknowledge and worship many gods yet they believed that there was onely one Supream God who was King and Lord of all the rest The infiniteness of God § IV is that whereby He is without all Bounds of Being in respect of extent or duration Hence arise two Attributes Immensity Eternity All Creatures have their Bounds within the compass whereof their Being is confined Neither Angels nor the Heaven of Heavens are infinite or boundless But great is our Lord and great is his Power his understanding is infinite Psal. 147. 5. The Power and Understanding of God are God They are not accidents and extrinsecal to his Being but they are his Being And if his Power be great and his Understanding infinite so that there is no number of it then his Being is infinite There is no searching of his Understanding saith the Prophet Isa. 40. 28. In which Chapter from ver 22. to 26. is described and that in most stately terms and expressions the greatness of God The terms indeed are suitable to our capacity and may inform us That he is far greater then we can possibly conceive And this Being is in some measure manifested to be infinite and unmeasurable by the great abundance and unsearchable depth of his Wisdom in his Judgments and his ways of special Providence Rom. 11. 33. The Creatures even all and every one of them yea the World it self have their utmost Circumference of space and the periods and terms of their Duration The space which they take up is finite so is the Duration of their Being though drawn out in greatest length Space of place and length of time with their Periods do measure all Yet this Being is beyond the Circumference of the World and the Periods of Time Neither Time nor Place can circumscribe or measure him that is Absolutely every way infinite For he is Immense Eternal His Immensity is that § V whereby he is beyond all measure of space or place Bodies have their Dimensions of length breadth thickness or depth And the Being of Spirits is confined The World and the Heaven of Heavens have their utmost Bounds and therefore are measurable But this glorious Lord and King hath no Dimensions and therefore is immense or unmeasurable The understanding of the Angels perhaps knows the measure and utmost bounâ—s of all things created even of the Heaven of Heavens yet never knew or can know any out-most circumference of the Divine Being God alone doth comprehend himself and is comprehended of himself Because this God is immense therefore he is incomprehensible and omnipresent Hence his Incomprehensibility Ubiquity or Omnipresence His Incomprehensibility is that whereby he cannot be contained of any thing but containeth all things God saith Heaven is my Throne and the Earth is my Foot-stool Isa. 66. 3. And again by another Prophet Do not I fill Heaven and Earth Jer 23. 24. And Solomon confesseth unto God 1 King 8. 27. That the Heavens of Heavens do not contain him The first place informs us that God is so in Heaven that He is on Earth so on Earth that He is in Heaven and in both at the same time Yet Because one may be in some part of Heaven and some part of the Earth at one and the same time yet not in every part of both The second Scripture tells us that He filleth Heaven and Earth and takes up both wholly Yet Lest we should think the outmost circumference of Heaven to be the outmost bounds of his Being and Presence The third place signifies plainly that He is not confined within those Bounds so that He must needs be beyond all place and imaginary space This Incomprehensibility of God's Being though not in it self absolute yet is represented unto us by the largest extent of things created yet so as that his Presence extends beyond the World which cannot contain him but He contains it and therefore is called Hamakom the Place From his Immensity follows also his Ubiquity § VI which is called also his Omnipresence whereby he is in every place This is described also in respect of place and signifies the presence of God and the extent thereof which is so vast that there can be no place where God is not yet no place where God is in it as containing him The words of the Prophet I fill Heaven and Earth do prove this For by Heaven and Earth is signified the whole World beyond which there is no place And to fill the World is not onely to be in some or many parts thereof but to be in all and every part so that no part can be empty of God who is where anything is He takes up the whole vast space of the great Body yet he can neither be in any part or in the whole so as to be contained or concluded in it The Scripture â—ets forth this Attribute by an enumeration of places affirming God's presence in every onâ— Whither shall I go saith the Psalmist from thy Spirit Whither shall I fly from thy presence c. That is If I go into Heaven into Hell into the utmost parts of the Sea into darkness or the most secret places of the World there shall I find thee and meet with thee The Philosophers tell us that everything is in some place either circumscriptively as Bodies or definitively as Spirits so that both are limited yet God is so in all places at all times
produceth an infinite and Eternal Knowledge of himself as most perfect and most excellent Thus he cannot know himself and be known of himself But he must love himself and be infinitely and eternally enamoured with his own Beauty which is sufficient sully and perpetually to satiate and content himself within himself And hence ariseth his full happiness For he is fully happy to all Eternity without any Man Angel without Heaven Earth the World or any Creature by acting thus upon himself Therefore perfect and full happiness is accounted one of the Attributes of God And if he were not happy he could not make the intellectual Beings for ever happy by a more full communion with him and enjoyment of him From these immanent acts of the Deity upon himself some conceive arise the Relations of Father Son and Holy Ghost and that stupendious and profound mystery of the glorious Trinity The Doctrine whereof is so far above Natural Reason improved to the highest pitch that the greatest Wits in the World have been confounded in the search thereof and many have denied and are offended with the Terms of Trinity and Persons as not found in the Holy Scriptures But first let us hear what the Scripture saith of this great mystery The Apostles Commission and Charge from Christ was To teach or Disciple all Nations baptizing them in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost Math. 28. 18. And there are Three which bear Record in Heaven the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost 1 Joh. 5. 7. In the former place we may observe § II 1. One Name of three the Father Son and Holy Ghost And whether we take the Name for the Eternal Deity as the word in the Hebrew sometimes signifies or for Worship or for Power yet there is but one Name one Worship one Power of the Father Son and Holy Ghost 2. The Father Son and Holy Ghost are three 3. That the Father is the first the Son the second the Holy Ghost the third in order 4. That the Father as the Father is not the Son nor the Holy Ghost nor the Son as Son either the Father or the Holy Ghost nor the Holy Ghost as the Holy Ghost either of them 5. The Father hath relation to the Son as the Father of the Son the Son as the Son of the Father to the Father and the Holy Ghost being the Breath and Spirit of the Father and the Son hath relation to both and both to Him 6. Here are three distinct Relatives and three distinct Relative Properties 7. The Father as God hath no relation to the Son but as the Father noâ— the Son as God to the Father but as the Son And so the Holy Ghost not as God but as the Holy Ghost to them boâ—h as breathed by and proceeding from both In the latter place 1 Joh. 5. 7. we may observe 1. That there be three the Father Son and Holy Ghost 2. That the Father is first the Son is second the Holy Ghost is third in order as before 3. He that in the former place was called the Son is here called the Word 4. That the Word was in the beginning was with God was God and by it all things were made And by the Son it 's said All things were created and all things consist by him Col. 1. 15 16. From whence it follows That the Father and the Son are but one Creatour and so but one God together with the Holy Ghost to whom the incommunicable Perfections and Works of the Deity are attributed For as the Spirit of Man is the same Substance and Being with man and knows the things of man so the Spirit which searcheth and knoweth the deep things of God must needs be one and the same Substance and Being with God The Father was the Father before he created the World or sent his Son The Word and Son of God was the Word and Son beâ—ore the Word was made Flesh And the Holy Spirit was the Spirit before he sanctified either Man or Angel Yet the Father was more clearly manifested to be the Father by sending his Son into the World and the Son to be the Son by the incarnation and work of Redemption And the Holy Ghost to be the Holy Ghost by the Work of Sanctification The Word which was made flesh was coeternal and coequal with the Father though the Humane Nature assumed by the Word was neither coequal nor co-eternal These Three are called Persons § III by some of the Greek Fathers and most of the later Latine Christian Writers A Person was defined long ago by Occam to be Suppositum intellectuale an individual intellectual Substance subsisting by it self And in this strict Sense three Persons as three Angels three men are three distinct individual Substances But thus the Father Son and Holy Ghost are not Three Persons for then there should be three Gods whereas they are but one God and one Divine Substance though they be considered as they are represented according to these three distinct Relations and Relative Properties These three are so intimately united that they are but one individual substance And this Unity of three is called by the Greeks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the Latines Circumincession So that there can be no inequality amongst them in respect of Time Power Dignity or any other ways One may be considered before another in respect of order or origination as some of the School-men speak The Generation of the Son and the Spiration of the Holy Ghost which are wonderful and to us unsearchable had no beginning of Time nor can have end of Duration for they are Eternal In these high and glorious Productions the Essence cannot properly be said to be communicated Some of the Ancients § IV and many of the Modern Writers have denyed the Trinity of Persons and the Deity of the Son and Holy Ghost The Socinians argue against both 1. Against the Trinity of Persons alleaging that three Persons are three individual distinct Substances and thence they infer that if there be three distinct Persons in the Deity then there are three distinct Gods In this Argument they take for granted that in this great mystery the word Person is taken properly and strictly which no understanding Christian ever thought And this is gross and intolerable especially in men otherwise learned and judicious 2. Against the second they argue That because the Father in some places is said to be the onely true God therefore neither the Son nor Spirit can be properly Summus ille Deus that Supream God For example Crellius one of the most learned and judicious of them from those words of our Saviour This is life Eternal to know thee the onely true God argues to this purpose That if the Father be the onely true God then the Son and the Holy Ghost cannot be God This is so unworthy that it deserves no answer In that place the Son is considered as Man and flesh
and the other parts no matter immediately capable of a â—orm to be either introduced into it or educed out of it by any agent but by God So that God supplyed wholly all the causes And when we say that God Created all things either mediately or immediately of nothing the word Nothing doth neither signifie the matter nor properly the term of that act but is a Negative and denyes all pre-existent matter in the first part of Creation Neither doth the word Create in Ancient authors signifie to make a thing of nothing as some think it doth Therefore we must learn what Creation is from the Scripture not from this or that word God by this Act did so clearly manifest his eternall power and God-head that it 's evident that he alone is the efficient cause and Maker of the World and that without the advice or assistance of any others and also without any tool or instrument It was a frâ—e act of God For he was no wayes necessitated to make the World or to make it before or after or at that time when he did make it or to produce it in this or that order or manner rather then another For he Created all things and for his pleasure they are and were Created Rev. 4. 11. He Created Heaven and Earth in the beginning The word may signifie the Beginning of time as its the measure of things existing and standing out of their causes in their proper entity Or it may referr to the first part of the Creation teaching us That in the beginning and first of all God created Heaven and Earth which was voyd and without form and afterwards he made Light the Firmament and other things or it may referr unto the whole Creation and signifyes unto us that the first Work of God was the Creation of the World in six dayes And in this sense Creation was the first issuing-forth of his Almighty Power to make and do some things out of Himself This was the Act of Creation § XI and the Effects were all things Created All things joyntly taken together are the World and the principall parts thereof are Heaven and Earth And because Heaven and Earth are not Vacant places as it is written that the Heavens and the Earth were finished with all the Host of them Gen. 2. â— Where the word Host signifies all things in Heaven and Earth And these are called The Host of them 1. Because they are Many 2. Because they were all Created in an excellent order So Paraeus on the place 3. Because they were the Ornament and beauty of Heaven and Earth Thus the Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 uâ—ed by the Sepruaguit doth signifie By Heaven and Earth some understand by a Metonymie and Synechdoche all things Created as though these first words of the Scripture were an abridgement of the first Chapter of Genesis Others and upon better grounds do interpret Heaven to be the Heaven of Heavens and the Host thereof which is the innumerable multitude of Angells And Earth to be the Masse which was voyd and without form and the first rudiment and Seminary of all things Created-afterwards The first works of Creation therefore were Heaven and Angels The Scriptures tells us that there is an Heaven of Heavens which is sometimes called the Throne and Temple of God the third Heaven the place into which Christ ascended and where he will keep his residence till he come to judge the World No doubt its a Stately Glorious piece a place of Beauty and incomparable delight and therfore called Paradise In it are many Mansions where the Saints of God shall ever rest and enjoy their most excellent Inheritance Yet this highest place which is the Circumference of the World was not Created without the Host thereof which is the innumerable company of Angels These were concreated with the Heavens and are called the Angells of Heaven and by Creation as the Heavens so they are incorruptible and immortall Spirits which once began but shall never cease to live They are endued with a most piercing understanding free-Will and an admirable executive and active Power They were all at first righteous and holy like unto their God and had been for ever blessed as now the Holy Angels he if they had continued subject and obedient to the everlasting King who made them They were made and that in the Beginning as appeares from Psal. 104. 4. They were made before the foundation and Corner-stone of the earth was â—ay'd Job 38. 7. That they were Created long before the World was Jeroms groundlesse conceit And it was Austins fancy to think God made them when he said Let there be Light The Heaven of Heavens with their Host § XII was Created in the Beginning and with them the earth as co-aeval and concreated By Earth as appeares from the Text Gen. 1 2. was not meant this lowest part and Basis of the World as now it is for that was Created the third day but if we may so speak that first draught and imperfect Beeing which was as it were the rudiment and Seminary of this Lower world as distinct from the Heaven of Heavens and all things therein And if any thing may be called the first matter this surely is it which was so imperfect that only the skill and power of God could inform it And he did inform it and out of it made first the Elements and out of them all Mixt bodyes The first Elements was light which may be called the fire which is the purest the most subtil and active of all the rest and soared aloft into the highest place and the nature of it such that it hath great affinity with a Spirit and is next unto it The next was the Firmament which we call the Ayr And it was spread like a Curtain round about the Globe of the Earth and Water and takes up the space between them an the Aethereal light or fire a fit receptacle or subject to receive the Beames of light and being transparent to transmit them to the earth The third was the Water which first covered the earth and stood above the Mountaines but afterwards by the mighty power of God was reduced to the fluid substance which now we see it to be and gathered together into deep and Vast Channels of the earth whence the main Ocean and the narrow Seas and it s diffused into every part of the Earth through secret subterraneal Passages as through so many veines And hence our Springs Rivers Lakes The last the lowest and the dullest Element was the Earth And with it were created Minerals and Vegetables as Grasse Hearbs Plants and all Manner of Trees And with these he first furnished and beautified the earth the third day The Fourth he returns unto the Aetherial Part and creates the Sun Moon and Stars The two first as greater Lights the one for the Day the other for the Night together with the Stars These are the Lights and Lamps placed under the
Positive And both may be considered as a rule of Mans Obedience Gods Judgment I mean by Moral such as are contayned in the Decalogue and tend more immediately unto Righteousnesse and holinesse and issue more immediately from the Love of God and our Neighbour which are the Principall dutyes of that eternall Law Positive are such as require obedience in things intrinsecally neither good nor evill but indifferent That there were Morall Lawes given to Adam no man can doubt because he was certainly bound to continue Righteous and holy as God made him and to love his God and his Neighbour and to performe such acts as were intrinsecally and necessarily just That he was bound by Positives is clear and evident as appeares by the Prohibition to eate of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil The morall precepts required the continuance of mans Fealty and Subjection and prohibited Revolt Rebellion and Apostacy in the first place and in the next place Obedience to all other dutyes depending upon and derived from that loyalty and fidelity and forbad all other disobedience The Positive law was not merely concerning a solemn rite for confirmation of the Covenant as some do conceive but 1. To signifie the absolute Power of God whereby he could bind man to obedience even in things indifferent whereof man knew no reason of obedience from the thing but meerly from the Will and Pleasure of God 2. To try mans heart and whether he would deny his own understanding and renounce his own Will wholly resigne up himself to the Wisdome Will of God and in these two respects the breach of a Positive law may prove most heynous Mans dominion over the Creatures and giving them names and Marriage are rather reducible to the more generall Providence though the dutyes following upon Marriage and required in the Use of the Creatures may have their place amongst the Moralls of this speciall government What other Positivâ—s besides these concerning the Tree in the mid'st of the garden is not easily determined neither is it needfull to know them if there were any other But these Moralls and Positives were the rules of mans obedience in respect of the precepts and prohibitions The one bound man unto good and so to conform to the Will of God The other bound him not to do evill or any thing that God did not approve These Lawes are a rule of Gods judgement in respect of the Promises § VIII Comminations By Promises God bound himself to Man to reward and blesse him for his encouragement to obedience and the reward being sweet excellent and very desireable was a mighty Motive unto Performance of duty By the Commination he made man liable to punishment if once he disobeyed and death was so terrible that to the rationall Creature it was a mighty and strong restraint The thing promised was Life and the same not onely bodily and spiritual but eternall Yet this life was not a new being but the happinesse of the former Being And this happinesse was not meerely a continuance of that present estate he enjoyed in Paradise but a farr higher condition which might reach Heaven and come neere the blisse of Angels This seemes to be intimated because the Tree of Life is used by the Spirit to signifie that Eternall Life which is to be enjoyed in the Heavenly Paradise Rev. 2. 7. Death which was threatened was not onely a dissolution of Soul and Body begun in the miseryes of this Life but also spirituall and eternall punishments For it 's opposed to that eternall Life we obtayne by Jesus Christ Rom. 5. 21. and 6. 23. Without this Promise man could not have had upon his obedience any right unto or certain hope of eternall Life and that felicity which was suitable to his intellectuall and immortall being And if man obeyed God was absolutely bound by this promise to reward If he disobeyed Man was liable to be punished though God was not absolutely bound to Punish Yet to vindicate the honour of his Law his will was that some punishment must be suffered before he would Pardon and Save CHAP. XII Of Sin in generall and the first Sin in particular AFter that God had given man Lawes § I and man began to observe or violate the same God began to exercise his universall and supreme jurisdiction not by Delegates and inferiour Judges but by Himself The proper subject of this judgment was man as subject to Gods Power under his Laws and observing or violating the same For As the Law determins jus observandum and so prescribes mans duty So judgement considers jus aut Observatum aut Violatum as Observed or Violated already The Act of this judgement was to render to man according to his Works in generall and in particular as mens workes are good or bad agreeable or disagreeable to his Laws to reward or punish For judgement is a Retribution and the end of it is justice in the execution of his Laws for the happinesse or misery of Man according to his doings And here by the way we may observe that as the Law is de actibus futuris of future works So judgment is of Acts past And here it may be doubted Whether God gave any command of Habits And this is easily resolved for God bound man to habituall righteousnesse and holinesse so farr as Habits did depend upon Acts For as an habit is acquired by Acts and former habits strengthened and improved and demerit prevented so by disobedient Acts the Active Power to righteousnesse is not only Weakened but in danger upon demerit to be taken away by the just Judge God gave man sufficient power to continue such as he made him and to perform perfect obedience if he by sin did not deprive himself of that Power According to mans obedience § II first and then his disobedience God proceeded to judgement first in rewards then in punishments For man did not sin instantly and immediately upon his Creation but continued subject and obedient for a certain time But how long we cannot punctually determine But long it was not before he was tempted and did transgresse Whilst he performed his duty and observed his Creator's Laws his condition according to Gods promise was very comfortable His Dominion over the Creatures was continued Paradise his habitation the holy Angels his Friends the Creatures his Servants He had free accesse to the Tree of Life enjoyed sweet Communion with his God who continued his Sanctifying Spirit in him and all necessary assistance unto him His peace joy content hope were excellent He was free from that fear shame misery pain curse and punishment which followed upon his Sin and happy he and his had been if he had walked constantly with his God And thus whilst he was innocent without any fault and obedient without any sin God dwelt with him and made him happy without any misery Only this was wanting that as he had not perfected his obedience so he was not confirmed
too For he doth not say to our first Parents Go ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels But you shall suffer Temporal punishments yet so that through my Grace and sanctifying Spirit they shall be Corrections and Chassisements for Humiliation Mortification and Reformation and you shall be banished out of Earthly Paradise and from this Tree of Life that you may more earnestly long after and seek the Paradise and Tree of Life in Heaven For you shall know that it 's a bitter thing to forsake your God and disobey his Command Yet this was the great punishment that the Spirit of Sanctification and Comfort was departed and no ways to be recovered but by Jesus Christ the great Redeemer as a gift of Free-grace And now consider all Mankind in Adam as innocent and obedient they are innocent and obedient Consider them in him as sinful guilty convicted they are sinful miserable convicted and in a lost condition Consider them in him as receiving the Promise of Christ they are in a possibility of Salvation and Deliverance And all such as are born in the Bosome of the Church and under the means of Conversion are in a better condition then such as are strangers from the Covenants of Promise as all Children or Apostlates are Yet we must understand and take special notice of it that after the Fall there is not any thing in man tending either to holiness or happiness or the abatement of sin or misery but from the mere mercy of God which doth shine forth most clearly in two things The first is the giving of Christ or the Promise to give him and this was not upon any merit no nor of Christ himself And howsoever all other Spiritual Mercies may be promised and given for and in respect of the satisfaction and merit of Christ yet the gift of Christ was from purest love without any respect to any merit at all The second is in calling wherein he prevents both by giving the means of Conversion and the grace of his Spirit to make them effectual Therefore the Scripture so much magnifies God's abundant love and free grace manifested in both 1. For the first it 's said God so loved the World that he gave his onely begotten Son Joh. 3. 16. And God commendeth his love towards us in that Christ died for us while we were yet sinners Rom. 5. 8. And in this was manifested the love of God towards us because that God sent his onely Begotten Son into the World that we should live by him Herein is love not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins 1 Joh. 4. 9 10. For some mercies we receive from God loving us before we love him as these two Some after we begin to love him 2. For the second we read that 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 by grace we are saved and hath raised us up together and made us sit together with Christ Jesus in Heavenly places Eph. 2. 4 5 6. Yet this latter is merited by Christ. Besides the manifestation of these Attributes it 's remarkable that God exercised his transcendent and absolute power above his Law For to reverse the Law of Works to require and accept satisfaction and the same made by another even Christ and not the Delinquents and thereupon to promise Pardon and Eternal Life upon condition of Faith were acts of Him as above his Law and dispensing with it in his judicial proceedings For if he had according to his ordinary power made the Law of Works requiring perfect and perpetuall obedience as the onely condition of life the rule of judgment he could have done none of the fore-mentioned Acts but must have condemned man unto Death and punished him according to the demerit of his sin which if he had done neither Adam nor any Son of Adam could have had the least possibility of Salvation So that in this Judgment the Foundation of the second Government of greatest mercy was laid and then even then God began to constitute another Form of Government over Man and to administer the same And the former continued but a little while and the latter hath continued long and shall be An everlasting Kingdom The Second Scheme Acquired by the Word made Flesh by His Conception Birth Anointed King Priest Prophet in His Humiliation taking upon Him the form of a servant being obedient unto Death which presupposing His former Holiness and Obedience was an act of Obedience unto the great Command of His Father accepting Him as the Surety and Hostage of Mankind laying on Him the iniquities of us all a Sacrifice offered to God as Supream Judge to expiate the sin of Man and being accepted did satisfie Divine Iustice offended merit for Himself Eternal Glory and Power sinful Man immediately the Abrogation of the Law of Works Covenant of Grace Power of the Spirit to enable Him to keep it These Effects formally include exclude no person mediately upon the Covenant observed Iustification Glorification Exercised in the Constitution which determines the Sovereign God-Redeemer Administrator-General Christ at the right hand of God Enemies Devils Men Rebels Apostates Subjects men who being reduced by Vocation according to Predestination do voluntarily submit and that sincerely to God-Redeemer their Soveraign Administration considered in general according to the degrees alterations from the time of Adam till the Commencement of that glorious Reign wherein God shall be all in all special in giving Laws which being Moral considered as given to Adam Innocent continued to Gentiles Iews Christians with the different Obligations thereof determines man's duty to God Creator Redeemer Man Positive in Ceremonies especially Sacrifices Ilastical Eucharistical Sacraments of the Law extraordinary ordinary Gospel Baptism Eucharist an Examination by whom to whom How these may be admiâ—â— are a rule of Man's duty in Precepts Prohibitions God's judgment in Promises Threatnings Iudgment particular in Punishments Temporal Spiritual in this life upon single persons Societies Ecclesiastical Civil after Death before the Resurrection Rewards Temporal Spiritual in this life Conversion Iustification begun continued in the state thereof after Death before the Resurrection Universal determining and rendring the Eternal Punishments Rewards of Men Angels THE DOCTRINE OF The Kingdom of God OR The Government of God-Redeemer The Second BOOK CHAP. I. Concerning the Power of God-Redeemer and by whom it was acquired WHen the first Government did determine § I the second did begin For after the Fall of two of God's most noble Creatures there followed a great alteration in the World and such that if God had followed strictly the Rules of his former Government all Mankind must needs have perished But this his Mercy could not suffer therefore his Divine Wisdom contriveth a way how to recover Man fâ—llen and began to govern him according
Circumincession the nearest Union that can be with any distinction in the World In the Natures § VI we must consider 1. The number 2. The union 3. The distinction of them The Natures are two 1. Divine 2. Humane The Divine is He was the Word The Humane as He was Flesh. For if He was that Word which was in the beginning with God and was God so that all things were created and upholden by Him He must needs be God as the Father is God yet not the Father yet one God with the Father If He be Flesh He must needs be Man As God and the Word He is Eternal as Flesh and Man He is not Eternal That Jesus Christ was Man and that such a man there was both Jews and Mahumetans confess Yet Orthodox Christians onely acknowledge him to be God and that according to the Scriptures which in these great Mysteries are the onely infallible Rule And in them we do not read that ever the Word assumed the Nature of any irrational Creature nor of any of the Intellectual but the Nature of Man For he took not on him the Angels or the Nature of Angels but he took on him the Seed of Abraham Heb. 2. 16 For the Children being 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 For 1. He redeemed not Angels 2. He redeemed Men. 3. He redeemed them Onely 4. He redeemed them by Death 5. Because the Word as the Word could not dye therefore the Word was made Flesh that he might dye This seemed good unto the Divine Wisdom and this was determined in the secret Counsel of the Eternal Deity The Union of these two Natures is personal § VII The Person and one Nature was Divine The other Nature was Humane This Union was by assumption the Person assuming was the Word the Nature assumed was that of Man This Assumption was begun in Conception consummate in Birth As His Birth was both mean on Earth and glorious from Heaven so his Conception was wonderful For He was so conceived that He had a Mother and the same a Virgin in her Conception yet he had no immediate Father who begot him and because his Mother was descended from David and Abraham therefore in respect of his Humane Nature he was the Son of David the Son of Abraham according to Divine Prediction and Promise and the Seed of the Woman in a special manner Concerning this Conception we are informed That the Virgin Mary after she was espoused and before she and Joseph came together was found with child of the Holy Ghost and to satisfie him an Angel was sent from Heaven to signifie unto him that that which was conceived in her was of the Holy Ghost and that according to a Prophesie Behold a Virgin shall conceive Math. 1. 18 20 22. And we read in another Evangelist that an Angel answered to this Blessed Virgin demanding how she should conceive such a Son seeing she was a Virgin and knew no man That the Holy Ghost should come upon her and the power of the Highest should over-shadow her therefore that Holy Thing which should be born other should be called the Son of God Luke 1. 34 35. So that this Conception was singular extraordinary and supernatural and no ways to be paralleâ—d And there was a two-fold end why it pleased God to have him thus conceived 1. That he should be holy 2. That he should be called the Son of God And certainly these two things followed upon it 1. He was holy and so free from Original Corruption either as considered in it self or as a punishment for the first sin For this Originall Sin was prevented 1. By the Sanctification of the Spirit 2. By this extraordinary Propagation For two things concur to this Native Corruption 1. That the man be in Adam as sinning and so sentenced for sin 2. And also descend from him by naturall propagation But neither of these did agree to him For though he was the Son of Adam and the seed of the Woman yet he was not in Adam sinning nor the Son of Adam in that manner as all other men were 2. He was called the Son of God not onely because he was conceived in a divine manner by the Holy Ghost but also as the Word was the Son of God and had that relation to his Father so this Nature assumed being personally one with this Word must have the same relation to the father too This incarnation of the Word and Son of God is a great mystery That Jesus Christ is the Word and not only flesh and not onely the Word but the Word made flesh is plain and expresse Scripture But the manner of this union is unsearchable And we must simply believe what is plain that it is so not curiously enquire how it is for that 's above our capacity Aquinas contra Gentes endeavours to exemplify this by the union of the Soul and body As the body is the instrument of the Soul and supposeth an universall reason or intellect which assumes and unites it self to the nature of man so as to use it as a Proper instrument as the hand is to the body and by the same worketh divine works proper to God and that not sometimes transiently but after the manner of a constant and permanent Act. This is the Sum of his exemplification which as he confesseth is very imperfect and farr too short This assumption was an act ad extra and therefore both Father Word and Spirit must concur in it yet so that the Word did in a special manner assume and was the proper terme of this Act. And that word in which was life which life was the light of men in the Creation did assume possesse dwell in and act by the Soul and body of man so as to be a Fountaine of Life and Spiritual light to man for ever This Word § VIII so became and was made flesh as that he assumed not onely the body but the Soul of man even whole man and the same at first subject to frailtyes and infirmityes to violence and death yet without sin And this union was indissoluble for ever And many were the consequents of this union as 1. The communication of Idioms in predication So that because the Word which was God was flesh and word and flesh are one therefore what is true of the word may be affirmed of that flesh and that which was properly true of that flâ—sh might be truly affirmed of that Word which was God So that it may be truly said That the flesh and man did that which God did and God might be said to suffer that which the flesh did suffer and that by a Metonymy and such as no Rhetorick ever taught us 2. A neare relation between the Word and that flesh and such as is not to be found in all the world 3.
The excellency and dignity of that Nature and flesh not onely above all men but all Angels 4. The concurrence of the Word and flesh in the acts of Redemption and the same singular and extraordinary But whether the gifts of the Spirits confirmation in holinesse universall power glory and happinesse which Christ attayned did necessarily and instantly follow upon this Union may justly be doubted That the redeemer should be the Word and so God and Flesh too One and the chief Reason was the Wisdome and Will of God And other reasons not clearly contayned in Scripture are better forborne then mentioned After the number and union follows the distinction of the two Natures § IX for although they were personally united which union is extrinsecall yet they remained really distinct The Word was not changed into flesh nor flesh into the Word but the Word is the Word still and flesh flesh still and that essentially It 's true the word before the conception of the humane nature was not flesh but then it was flesh yet so that it continues the Word Neither was there any mixture or composition of these two to make one substance different from both nor any such union of both that so a third thing should arise by way of resultancy except we may say and that according to the Scripture that the word and flesh were so united that thence did arise a third thing which we call Christ and some call God-Man Yet still he was so God that he was Man and so man that he was the Word and God and so shall continue blessed for evermore Jesus Christ our Lord is the word made flesh § X and this is the definition that the Scriptures give of him That which followes is his office as he is Redeemer An office is a derivative power and therefore cannot be supreme but subordinate and as an officer by commission with a Mandate receives his power so he is liable to account In this respect and for this cause it is that though Jesus Christ of Nazareth be the Word and so God yet as God he cannot be an officer as flesh and man he may be and was such This the Scripture teacheth plainly when it saith that he was sent received commandement from his Father was sealed annoynted with the Holy-Ghost and with power did not glorifie himself that his Father gave him power over all flesh and that all power in Heaven and earth was given him all these things are true of him only as man His office was the greatest and highest that ever was Because he was supreme and universall governour above the Angels and all other creatures next unto God Therefore his place upon his investitute and solemn inauguration was at the right hand of the eternal Throne of God And in this particular Joseph advanced by Pharoah was a lively type of him In him as an officer we may consider 1. His Ability 2. His power and Authority His Ability is expressed in that metaphor of being annoynted with the Holy Ghost for he was endued with all the gifts of the Holy Ghost and in the highest degree that any creature was capable of therefore it is said God giveth not the Spirit in measure unto him Joh. 3. 34. but in fullnesse So that of his fullnesse we all have received grace for grace Joh. 1. 16. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him the spirit of Wisdome and understanding the spirit of counsail and might the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord Isay. 11. And at his Baptism the Heavens were opened and the Holy-Ghost was seen in the likenesse of a Dove to descend and rest upon him These gifts and endowments he received with a power to communicate in a certain measure unto others The Spirit in this fullnesse was given him not only to sanctifie him but to enable him for the undertaking managing and accomplishing the great work of Redemption which was committed unto him Besides these Abilityes he received power and authority accordingly and so had plain right to do such things as neither men nor Angels had right to do He had power to command all the Angels of Heaven the Devils and all Creatures and they must obey him because they were subject unto him And because he must discharge this Office for that end was required an high degree of wisdom and the knowledge of the deep and secret Counsels of God especially concerning the Eternal Salvation of sinful man whose Nature he had taken upon him Therfore he must be a Prophet able fully infallibly and with Power and Majesty to declare the Mind and Will of God In which capacity and faculty he was more excellent then all the Prophets then Moses then the Angels who have the Spirit of Prophesie as being in the Bosome of the Father and more intimate then the Angels were And he could reach men not onely outwardly but inwardly and speak by the Spirit immediately unto the Souls of men and that not onely ordinarily by imprinting the Doctrines of the Scripture outwardly upon the Tables of the Heart but also extraordinarily by Inspiration and immediate Revelation of the Mysteries of Gods Kingdom Thus he taught Apostles Prophets Evangelists And he is the Head and Lord of all Prophets and all Angels Prophets Apostles Pastours Teachers are his Servants and subject unto him as a Prophet and his Doctrine must be heard believed obeyed and he that will not submit unto it must be cut off and everlastingly accursed Because Man is guilty § XI and God angry and Justice requires Eternal Punishments to be executed if not prevented therefore there must be some to interpose between the just God and unjust Man and make satisfaction unto justice procure his favour and plead the cause of penitent sinners before the Throne of God in the Heavenly Temple Therefore Christ if he will be a Redeemer must do all this and be a Priest and as a Priest offer a Sacrifice for the Eternall expiation of sin and as an Advocate plead his bloud and sacrifice before his Father for all such as come to God by him And he must not onely be a Priest but an Universal and Eternal Priest holy without any sin who may have free and immediate access to the Throne of God and such who is sensible of the Peoples misery and in that respect willing and ready to make reconciliation for their sin Such a Priest Christ and onely Christ Jesus of Nazareth is made so by God and now confirmed by Oath to minister in the Heavenly Tabernacle there to appear before God for us Therefore he is more excellent and above all other Priests even Aaron nay above Melchizedeck one of the greatest Priests on Earth and also above the Highest Priests of Angels if there be any Priest-hood amongst them Besides because he must have Subjects of all Nations in times successively unto the end of the World and He and His shall have many Enemies both Men and Devils
mortifie corruption the very root of sin in us The death of Christ should be the death of sin in us and the remembrance of his sufferings should break our hearts humble us and separate us from sin That Christ should die and we should live and his death should be our life was often signified by the ancient Sacrifices wherein the bloud and death of the thing sacrificed was a kind of expiation of the sin of man Man sins and Beasts suffer to signifie that there must be a far better Sacrifice to purge away the sin of Man and purifie his Conscience Therefore Order requires that we consider the death of the Cross so willingly suffered as a Sacrifice And if it was a Sacrifice as no doubt it was we must observe 1. The Priest 2. The thing offered 3. The Party in whom it was offered 4. The Parties to be sanctified by this Offering The Priest is CHRIST The Sacrifice HIMSELF The Party to whom it was offered GOD. The Parties to be sanctified SINFVL MEN for whom He suffered That Christ was a Priest the Apostle proves Heb. 5. 6. For there he first describes a Priest to be a Mediatour between God and Man in matters of Religion and in his Offerings and Prayers represents the People In blessing of the People He represents God though of this He saith nothing in that Chapter yet in the 7th in Melchizedeck blessing and tithing Abraham he implies that in both these Acts a Priest represents God And because a Priesthood is an Office and a Priest and Officer in Religion and things pertaining to God he informs us that very one cannot be a Priest but one taken from amongst men and ordained for men And as an Officer is made by the Will and Commission of the Supream Power and must not presume upon and usurp the Office therefore Christ did not glorifie himself but was chosen called ordained a Priest and that immediatly by God And his Commission he finds in Psal. 2. 7. 110. 4. And his Priesthood was powerful most excellent personal immutable made so by Oath and Eternal and he himself holy without sin He must minister in the Heavenly Tabernacle and his Ministery must be Spiritual and himself the Mediatour of the New Testament to procure and dispose of the Spiritual and Eternal Blessings promised in the same Amongst many other Services to be performed by a Priest one and a principal was Sacrifice and in the Levitical Service that of Expiation yearly offered on the 10th day of the 7th Month was most eminent and this the Apostle singles out as the most excellent Sacrifice to typifie the death of Christ as far more excellent then that Sacrifice of the Levitical High-Priest Chap. 9. Therefore the death of Christ was a Sacrifice Ilastical and Propitiatory His willing-suffering of death was the Offering the Thing offered was Himself For he offered himself without spot The Party to whom he offered himself was God considered 1. As Law-giver offended 2. As Judge who had power to refuse or accept the Offering and upon the same accepted to pardon sin and give Eternal Life The Parties to be sanctified by this Offering were sinful and guilty Persons acknowledging Christ alone to be the Priest and this Death the full and onely expiation of sin and resting in the same alone So that this Sacrifice so was offered unto God and this Offering was an Act of Christ as a Priest and in particular it was an Act of Obedience to that great and transcendent Command of His Heavenly Father that He should suffer death for the sin of Man and the intention of it was to take away and expiate the sin of Man and in this respect it 's said that by His own blood He entred in once into the Holy Place and obtained Eternal Redemption or Remission Christ entred two several times into Heaven 1. Immediately upon His Death when His Soul separated from His Body was received into Paradise 2. When He was risen He ascended both Soul and Body as immortal into the Heaven of Heavens where He doth and shall continue until the time of the Restitution of all things The first entrance seems to be that which obtained Eternal Redemption For as the High-Priest presently upon the slaying of the Sacrifice takes the blood and enters into the Holy Place and appears before the Mâ—rcy-Seat and when that was done the expiation of the sins of the People was finished So Christ being slain and dying upon the Cross His Soul enters the Holy Place of Heaven as separated from the Body and so presented himself before the Throne of the Eternal Judge as having suffered death as God commanded humbly demands that which God had promised and so speeds For He obtained Eternal Redemption And lest this Death of Christ should seem to be an ordinary thing The Sun was darkened the Earth did tremble the Rocks were torn asunder the Veil of the Temple was rent from the top to the bottome and all this to signifie that the Great High-Priest was entered by His Death and blood into the Holy Place of Heaven and had obtained Eternal Remission the great Encounter between the Son of God and the Prince of Darkness was past and Christ obtained the Victory and the sin of Man was now punished in the Surety and Hostage of Mankind and the greatest Execution in the World was ended and by the same an entrance was made into the place of Glory After that it hath been made evident § IV that this Suffering of Christ was an Act of Obediâ—nce unto the Death of the Cross and a Sacriâ—ice â—he next thing in the second place to be inquired is what the effects of this Sacrifice were And they are of two sorts 1. Immediate 2. Mediate Immediate are reduced to two The First is called satisfaction The Second Merit And both these in respect of man are called Propitiation yet the immediate effect in respect of Christ is Merit and onely Merit In respect of man it 's written That God set forth Christ the Propitiation for our sins by Faith through His Blood Rom. 3. 25. And He is the Propitiation for our sins and the sins of the whole World 1 Joh. 2. 2. And that God did manifest His love in sending His Son to be the Propitiation for our sins 1 Joh. 4. 10. To be a Propitiation is to make God offended propitious unto guilty Man This Propitiation therefore in respect of sin which is also called Redemption may be truly said to be Satisfaction made to the Supream Judge offended so as to free the party guilty from the obligation unto punishment Neither need we scruple the word Satisfaction as not found in Scripture for it 's expresly used by our Translators Numb 35. 31. Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a Murtherer that is guilty of death c. The word in the Original is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 turned by the Septuagâ—◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
his sin confess it be sensible of it hate it resolv against it return unto his God rely upon his Saviour who must plead his cause with his own blood and the sinner must be washed in that blood and sanctified by his Spirit before he can be admitted to the Throne of Grace and have accesse unto and acceptation with his God And he must be cleansed fully from all sin before he can enter into Glory and no man must expect eternall life upon other Terms The Mercy § XI Love and free Grace of God appears in that he was willing to save man though a grievous offender that he would transfer the punishment due to us and deserved by us upon another and he must be his onely begotten that must bear it that he doth all this freely when there was nothing out of himself to move him of merit it for us That he should do thus for unworthy Wretches enemies ungodly miserable base polluted deserving to be cast out of his presence and condemned to eternall death Upon the very foresight of our sin and misery he out of love decrees to send his Son and give him unto death and in him elects us and predestinates us unto eternall Glory When man was created had sinned he promiseth Christ renews this promise often in fulnesse of time he sends him and severely punisheth our sins in him accepts his suffering and sacrifice as a sufficient satisfaction for all our sins and meritorious of Remission and eternall life He reveales him in the Gospell offers him unto us calls us gives his Spirit and with patience and long-suffering waits for our Repentance abrogates the law of works and promiseth eternall life anew upon fairest terms constitutes him an High-Priest in Heaven and ever hears his Intercession which he ever lives to make for us Nay upon this suffering of Christ foreseen and fore-accepted he gives his Spirit who justifies and saves all Believers of the World who lived before his Incarnation and the finishing the work of Redemption When we cry to him with penitent and believing hearts and come unto our Saviour our sins though many and grâ—evous are pardoned and Christ hath a charge given him to receive us have a care of us protect us guide us raise us up at the last day and give us everlasting life Angells must be ministring Spirits to guard us all things must work together for our good And this is strange The Son of God must be punished that we might be spared must be condemned that we may be justified dy that we may live be humbled very low that we may be exalted very high endure most bitter pains that we may enjoy eternall pleasures and be miserable that we may be for ever happy But what Tongue of Men or Angells is able to expresse the exceeding greatnesse of his Love to us which was the greatest that ever God did manifest Who is able to number and reckon up the particular mercyes and benefits which Christ did merit and we receive by him This Mercy in Christ is to be remembred not onely on earth but to be matter of eternall praise and thanksgiving in Heaven The subject of this discourse is the Acquisition of a new Power § XII and by all this dâ—th appear not onely that another power is acquired and added to that of Creation and preservation but also that it was acquired by the humiliation of the Son of God made Man And now man in respect of his spirituall capacity and eternall estate is wholly Gods and subjected to him anew and now are we not our own for we are bought with a price 1 Cor. 6. 19 20. And Christ hath given himself a Ransome for us 1 Timothy cap. 2 ver 6. And we are redeemed by his pretious Blood as of a Lamb without blemish and immaculate 1 Pet. 1. 19. And as God acquired a new right unto us by Redemption so likewise by Regeneration which is a new creation so that our spirituall being is wholly his and he hath acquired a new power to dispose of us and give us laws and bind us to obedience and his service upon another account For wee are delivered out of the hands of our enemies to serve him without fear in holinesse and righteousnesse before him all the dayes of our life This power being acquired we must consider to whom it was acquired and to whom it was communicated God acquired this power unto himself and he communicates it to Christ as man so farr as he is capable That God did acquire it 't is evident for he sent Christ he gave him he transferred the punishment of our sins upon him he accepted his death and sacrifice as a full propitiation He regenerates and renews us by his spirit and gives us our new being And if althese be his works then the Power as also the Glory is his and he hath a new propâ—iety inus For the Word made flesh was his son The work of Redemption and Humiliation of this son was his work Therefore we are said to be purchased by his Blood his own Blood Act. 20. 28. We are said to be his workmanship created anew in Christ Jesus Ephes. 2. 10. All that we are in respect of our spirituall estate we are wholly wholly his and al things that we have as New-creatures are from him who quickned us raised us up set us in heavenly places in Christ Jesus Though it be said that Christ is our Lord § XIII our Head our Saviour who hath washed us in his blood redeemed us out of all Nations made us Kings and Priests to God for ever and reconciled us to the Father so that whether we live or dy we are the Lords because to this end Christ both died and revived and rose again that he might be Lord both of the living and the dead Rom. 14. 8 9. Yet God did all this likewise and put him to death and raised him up again and made him Lord and King This power therefore is Christs but so as that it is derived and communicated unto him from his heavenly Father For he gave him power as he himself confesseth over all flesh he exalted him and gave him a name above all names he by his mighty power raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand in heavenly places farr above all principality power and might and Dominion And though he had all power in heaven earth yet he acknowledgeth it as given him The son hath an universal jurisdiction yet all judgment was committed unto him Joh. 5. 22. so that he hath it by commission From all this it 's evident that God acquired this power and Christ acquired it God hath it Christ hath it God hath it originally and primitively Christ hath it derivatively as man and by commission God is the principall cause of the work of Redemption Christ as man united to the Word is the ministeriall agent And as God by Christ did
for an Act of Divine Power as it is a cause of subjection which must â—o before admission To understand this we must consider the Subject of it and that is Man as sub alienâ potestate under the power of Sin and Sathan and so out of God's Kingâ—om and as an Alien to this Heavenly Common-wealth and such is every one by Nature as he is out of Jesus Christ. Yet there are degrees of this distance some are further off some nearer to this Kingdom This is evident from the condition of Jews and Gentiles in former times and always especially since the times of the Gospel Because all men are either in the visible Church or out of it And men may be out of the Church two ways 1. As never admitted into the same Or 2. Such as being in the Church prove Apostates The Gentiles once were not Gentiles For their first Apostate Fathers were in the Church and the Jews in former times were God's people but for their unbelief are cast out and continue LO-AMMI none of God's people and this shall be their condition till such time as the fulness of the Gentiles be come in And we must distinguish of such as are in the visible Church for some are sincerely subjected unto God-Redeemer according to their Allegiance Some are Subjects onely by Name and Profession and by their ignorance unbelief disobedience are little better then Heathens and Aliens Some are subject in some measure but come short of that degree which is required to admission All these excepting one sort are out of this Kingdome as it consists of reall Saints and living members of Christ. Apostates shall never be called much lesse admitted if they be personally and wilfully such For if we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth there remaineth no more Sacrifice for sins Heb. 10. 26. and if no more Sacrifice then calling is in vain and to no purpose Yet the posterity of Apostates may be and have been called And if once God vouchsafe the meanes of conversion to Idolators who have forsaken not only God as their Redeemer but as Creatour and Preserver he requires of them to renounce the Devil and turn from their Idols to the living God first and then unto him as Redeemer by Jesus Christ. They which have forsaken Jesus Christ or deny him as their Saviour and yet acknowledge and worship God alone as the Creatour of Heaven and Earth the Preserver and Governour of the World as Turks all Mahumetans and the unbelieving Jews do at this day are bound to acknowledge Christ as their Saviour and Redeemer and sure his incarnation and glorification as already come into the World The case of the Jew in the times of Christ and the Apostles was singular For the sincere Proselyte and Jew had onely this to do to believe in Christ already come as before they believed in him to come and so they became compleat members of the Church Christian and perfectly subjects of the Kingdome of Christ glorified The Ignorant and Prophane as also the Hypocrits must forsake their wicked wayes and sincerely submit themselves Yet none of these things can be done without a power from Heaven and a Vocation which is a gracious work of God Redeemer wherein he by his Word and Spirit reduceth man to subjection so that he is fitted to be a subject of his Blessed Kingdome For by Calling we are delivered from the power of darknesse and translated into the Kingdome of His Dear Son Col. 1. 13. Therefore said to be called out of darknesse into his marveylous light 1 Pet. 2. 9. And upon this they who were not a people are made the people of God verse 10. For God will put his lawes into their mind and write them in their hearts and thereupon He will be their God and they shall be to him a People Heb. 8. 10. In all these Passages and many more it 's evident 1. That by nature and as born of sinfull Adam we are in darknesse out of Gods Kingdome none of Gods People 2. That we passe out of darknesse into light and into Christs Kingdom 3. This is not a work of our own merit or power For it 's God that delivers us translates us writes his lawes in our hearts and this of his free mercy and by his great and wonderfull power 4. By this we become Gods people and subjects of Christ's Kingdom And all this is said to be by calling For he called us out of darknesse into his marvaylous light All these particulars are expressed or implyed in those words of the Apostle who signifies that God would send him to the Gentiles to open their eves and to turn them from darknesse to light and from the power of Sathan unto God that they may receive remission of sins and as inheritance among them which are sanctifyed by saith in Christ Act. 26. 17 18. This Vocation § VII as it is an act of power and great mercy and free grace for by grace we are saved so it s a work which is effected by the Word and Spirit For as we are regenerate so we are called and we are regenerate 1. By the Word 2. By the Spirit By the Word For of his own will he begat us with the word of truth Jam. 1. 18. By the Spirit For except a man be born again of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdome of God Joh. 3. 5. In the Word God commands and promiseth The command binds man to submit The promise is a motive to enforce the performance of the precept This we maâ— understand and observe in the Call of Abraham For 1. He is commanded to get him out of his Countrey and from his kindred and from his Fathers house unto a land that God would shew him and to perswade him God promiseth to make him a great nation and to blesse him c. But the principall promise was that in him all the familyes of the earth should be blessed Gen. 12. 1. 2 3. This precept implyes that man is under the domiâ—ion of sin and Sathan and therefore commands him to forsake his sin and Sathan and turn from Satan unto God In this God makes use of the Doctrine of the fall of Adam and the Morall Law as given unto him and binding him to perfect and perpetual obedience and upon disobedience threatning Death And by the precept is discovered mans sin and by threatning his misery to humble him break his heart make him weary of sin and desirous of deliverance and willing upon any termes to accept a Saviour Yet this gives him no Comfort nor any Power to do that which is his duty though God make use of it to prepare mans heart The first dutyes commanded are 1. A sight of sin as sin in our selves whereby we are miserable The 2. Is saith whereby we believe that God being satisfyed and attoned by the blood of Christ will be mercifull and pardon sin This faith
an everlasting Priest-hood and confirmed upon Him by a Solemn Oath For God sware unto Him and would not alter That He should be a Priest for ever after the Order of Melchizedeck So that now He is made Vniversal Supream Eternal King and Priest and as He is next unto God by Personal Union so He is by Power Ten dayes were spent in this Solemnity and the Preparation for the Administration of this Kingdom and upon the 10th day after His Ascension the Holy Ghost was sent down from Heaven upon the Apostles and the Son of God made Man having by Death acquired this Power and now received it began by the Holy Ghost to exercise the same After that Christ was exalted § IX and thus glorified the Administration differed much For Christ as King sends down the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles and so makes New Officers new Laws and executeth judgment accordingly As Prophet reveals clearly and fully the great Mystery of the Gospel As Priest begins His intercession in Heaven He begins this Administration in Jerusalem and the first tender of Eternal Life by Him as Saviour is made to the Jew For the Rod of His Power must go out of SION So it was prophecied of old He abolisheth the Temple-Worship and for the sin of that People destroys the Temple and the City and both lye desolate to this day And He not onely took away the Customs and Rites of Moses but all mystical and typical Ceremonies and Sacrifices used from the times of Adam and also the Sacraments of Circumcision and the Passover The Levitical Priests and Ministers and all such as served in the Temple or in the Tabernacle He removed In stead of the Sacraments of Circumcision and the Passover He instituted the Sacrament of Baptism and the Supper of the Lord Of Baptism as a Solemn Rite of Regeneration and admission into His Kingdom the Lords Supper as a Rite of Commemoration of the great Sacrifice of His Death and of the continuance of their subjection unto Him and communion amongst themselves His Territory is enlarged For He takes in the Gentiles and all Nations unto the ends of the Earth The Synagogue Woâ—ship in Word and Prayer and other Moral-Services remained yet this was to be performed unto God in the name of Christ glorified And now they were neither bound to worship in the Land of Canaan nor in Jerusalem nor in the Temple according to the words of our Saviour to the Woman of Samaria Believe me the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this Mountain nor in Jerusalem worship the Father Joh. 4. 41. Therefore we may worship and pray every where lifting up holy hands without wrath doubting 1 Tim. 2. 8. The Officers in stead of the former Priests and Prophets ordinary and extraordinary are Apostles Prophets and Evangelists Pastours and Teachers The extraordinary besides Prophets and Evangelists were the Apostles who being Universal Officers invested with transcendent power laid the Foundation of the Church-Christian not onely amongst the Jews but the Gentiles and finished the Canon of the New-Testament which is the perpetual â—â—le of Doctrine-Worship and Discipline unto the Worlds end To this purpose they were endued with extraordinary gifts of Knowledge Wisdom Languages power of doing Miracles and by imposition of hands of giving the Holy Ghost The ordinary Officers are Pastours and Teachers These succeed the Apostles in their ordinary power both of Teaching Praying Administration of the Sacraments and the exercise of Discipline so far as Christ hath left power in the Church For their Associates or Assistants and their Order and imparity in the use of the Keyes this is no place to speak of particularly So that now by Christ glorified all Laws are made and published all judgment exercised all Officers ordained By Him as a Priest all Petitions Thanksgivings Praises Doxologies Services are presented to the Father and to be performed in His Name Nay Glory and Worship are given by the Universal Church to God and the Lamb Rev. 5. 13. 7. 10. By Him all Pardons and Spiritual Blessings are dispensed and disposed of and all the Promises are performed by Him and in His Name and for His merit No man can come unto the Father but by Him nor any service be accepted but for His sake By Him we have access into His Fathers presence and by Him we come with boldness and confidence unto the Throne of Grace And this Administration shall not be altered but shall continue till Death shall be destroyed and then Christ shall deliver up this Commission and God shall be All in All. CHAP. VI. Concerning the Parts of the Administration and the Laws THE Administration in particular follows and it refers either to Enemies § I or Subjects In respect of the end of this Administration and the ultimate Effect it 's safety and preservation and the same in the end is full and everlasting Peace The Church which is the number and Society of God's loyal and sincere Subjects hath always had Her Enemies How else could she be militant And if not first militant how could she prove in the end victorious and triumphant The principal Enemy is the Devil the old Serpent ever since God put emnity between him and the Seed of the Woman His design is their Temporal and Eternal Ruine and his opposition is very terrible and so violently managed with such power and policy that nothing but destruction could be expected but that God is our defence and by Jesus Christ our General will not onely defend us but dash in pieces all his power His Instruments and Agents are wicked men without or Hypocrites within the Church The one are like Forreign the other like Domestick and Intestine Foes The one by Persecution without and the other by Heresies Schisms and Scandals within assault us Both these have a great advantage because of our corruptions in our Bowels The greatest hurt God suffers them to do us is to chastise us and exercise our Spiritual Graces and Heavenly Vertues And Death it self whether Natural because of the first sin or violent from them can but destroy our bodies for a time which God will raise again but they cannot take away our Eternal Estate nor deprive us of Eternal Glory Nay such is the Wisdom of God that He can order all their opposition so as it shall further and not hinder our Salvation and such will be His care of us out of His dear and tender love unto us that it shall actually tend unto and end in our everlasting peace And in the end all Enemies shall be subdued Death the last Enemy shall be destroyed The Devil and all his Angels with all his Agents shall be cast into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone there to be tormented for evermore This shall be done in Justice and in Judgment And after this follows our Eternal Peace and Triumph and we shall be Kings and Priests and reign with God for ever This emnity and the
was an universal cause and occasion and the same perhaps not bad in it self but accidentally through the corruption of man and the suggession of the Devil abused God gâ—ve unto the Israelâ—â—es the Ark a sign of his speciall presence yet not to be Worshipped Abraham Isaac and Jacob whilest Pilgrims and Sojourners erected their Altars in such places as God appeared unto them and there did worship And it might be that the Patriarchs before the flood had some visible signs of Gods special presence yet afâ—erwards abused to Idolatry and superstition From this Laban and others might take occasion to make their Teraphims and other signs of the presence of the true God first then of their false gods and in the end made them as gods or objects of Worship and so much the rather because the Devils did â—ometimes appear near unto and sometimes spake out of thâ—ir Images being consecrated And this was suffiâ—ient to perswade the more intelligent that their God was near unto or in the image and the simple people that the Image was a God if once consecrated so that to them the image was the body and the Devil the soul of their cursed Deity Whether these things be so or no it 's certain man naturally desires the presence of his God or some visible or evident sign thereof at least not onely to help his memory but to affect his heart and strengthen his hope And it 's in vain to worship that God which either is not or cannot be present virtually at least unto his suppliant and devoâ—ed Servant And the Worship of that man who hath no assurance of the presence of his God must needs be cold defective and uncertain Neither can a Rational man believe effectually that he is a God indeed which cannot be present in the time of need To return to the Words of the Commandement The first thing in them is the Prohibition § III and therein we must consider the thing prohibited which is 1. The making of images 2. The worshipping and serving of them In both these we have 1. The image or likenesse of any thing 2. The acts about these objects which are making worshipping serving An image or likenesse is 1. Something in it self absolutely considered 2. Something in relation to another thing whereof it is an Image or likenesse which is represented by it For the form of an image or likenesse as such is to represent some other thing This image is Quid fusile tornatile sculptile 1. Something cast in some mould when the matter whereof it is made is melted Such are all images made of mettal 2. Something framed by the Turner and this kind is usually made of wood 3. Something carved or engraven in stone or wood And this is the word here used when it is saâ—d Thou shalt not make to thy self any graven image The word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is used often by the Septuagint in Greek to signifie Pesel and sometimes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and in this place they turn it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And lest we should think that this Pesel is onely some rude matter of woo mettal stone the word Likenesse is added to let us understand that the matter is molded and râ—ceives the figure and shape of some other thing as being made to repreâ—ent it which it cannot do without some likenesse This likenesse may be either more perfect as an image or lesse perfect and hidden as in Hieroglyphicks And some do observe that every image is a likeness but every likenesse is not an image The word likeness which in Latine is turned Simulachrum may be added also to signifie that the subject of this Commandement was not onely Statues or standing Images but pictures and all other resemblances Now this Image or likenesse must be visible and represent some other visible things These Visible things which might be represented viâ—bâ—y are reckoned by induction from the place to be things in Heaven in the earth in the waters And these are reall things made by God And lest any should find some colour of exception it s added of any thing Thou shaâ—t not make the image or likenesse of any thing that is in theâ—e three places These things are ennumerated more particularly man beasts fowl creeping things fish Sun Moon Stars and the host of Heaven Deut. 4. 16 17 18 19. Among thâ—se there is no mention of God Angels the Spirits of men for these are 〈◊〉 visible Yet because these have appeared unto men in some bodily form or figure assumed men have devised how to resemble them at the second hand according to the figures assumed though not immediately as they are in themselve Yet because this appearance was never made but in the likenesse of some of the forementioned things therefore these images and likenesses must needs be here included The first act in respect of the Images § IV and resemblances of those things which is prohibited is to make them to or for our selves Not that it is unlawfull to make the Image or likenesse of any thing For Moses and Solomon had warrant to make the likenesse of Cherubins Palm-Trees and other things to beautifie the Tabernacle and Temple And there were the Molten Images of Oxen made to support the great Laver and brasen Sea in the Temple and of Lyons on either side his Throne out of the Temple And Orthodâ—x Christians who detest Image-worship make no scruple to draw Pictures and make Statues The meaning therefore is that we must not make these or cause them to be made or use them being made in or for religious Worship For we must observe that the subject of the first 4. Commandements is Cultus Dei the Worship of God and to understand this making to our selves without reference to this is to mistake 1. Therefore these Images and Likenesses must not be made to represent the true eternal and invisible God For this cause Moses saith That Israel saw no similitude in the day that the Lord spake unto them out of the mid'st of the fire Deut. 4. 15. Whereby it was implyed 1. That no religious worship was due to any but God 2. That no similitude must be made to represent him After that God in high and stately termes had set forth his glorious eternall and incomprehensible Mâ—jesty he adds To whom will ye liken God or whâ—t likenesse will ye compare unto him Esay 40. 8. Neither ought we as the Apostle saith to think that the God-head is like unto Silver or Gold or stone graven by art and mans device Act. 17. 29. For the matter of these Images is mettal oâ— stone or wood and this is naturall The form of them as Images is artificiall from the art and device of man the reâ—igious form is to represent a Deity after the false conceit of mans corrupt heart It 's true that every creature made by God doth speak Gods wisdome and power and the
Heavens and in them the Sun declares the glory of God in an eminent manner and measure And the Souls of men and the Angels those glorious and immortall Spirits resemble him most of all his works Yet these stand at an infinite distanâ—e below his Majesty and God did never command man to Worship him in or by these more lively Images and resemblances of â—is infinit excellency Surely iâ— we have not farr higher apprehensions and more excellent notions of him we cannot possibly worship him aright How therefore should the Image or visible likenesse of any bodily and visible being molded and fashioned by the hand or art of man represent him so glorious The stock is a Doctrin of vanityes Jer. 10 8 In this respect the Molten Image is a teacher of lyes Hab. 2. 19. It 's falshood Ier. 10. 14. 2. As an Image must not be made to represent God lest our conceits and worship oâ— him be base and corrupt so we must not think that there is any Divine power in an Image made and consecrated by man or at the appointment of man For the power of things made by Gods own hand must needs be farr more excellent then the power and vertue of any thing made by Man For the works made and consecrated by God are as far more excellent as the Heaven is above the Earth Yet there is no Divinity nor divine power in them no not in the Angels of Heaven Images may indeed be conceived by some to have some strange power when the Devil 's in them or by them or near unto them work some strange effect But these are but the Delusions of the Vnclean Spirits and the cheats of his damned Flamins and Priests The Image it self can do nothing neither could the Brazen Serpent for it was God that healed such as being stung with fiery Serpents looked upon it 3. We must not think that any Image or any other thing made by man without warrant direction command and promise from God can be a sign of his special presence as the Ark the Tabernacle the Temple were God may voluntarily bind himself to be present in a speciall manner in some special place to his people worshipping him in that place according to his commandement But it 's not in the power of any Man or Angel either to tye God's special presence to any Image or to any place The Devil if God permitted it might by compact with the cursed Conjuring Priests bind himself to be in an hollow Image to speak out of it or appear or do some strange thing near unto it Thus the Heathen no doubt were deluded and confirmed in their Image-worship And its lamentable that Christians should be thus inchanted and bewitched by their jugling Priests 4. We must not make an Image or similitude in Belief that it wil help or further our religious Worship or make it more acceptable to God neither must we use them or rather abuse them to that end To worship the true God in or by an Image is a Corruption of his Service as any rational impartial man may easily understand Therefore Moses said to Israel Take heed therefore unto your selves for you saw no manner of similitude on the day the Lord spake unto you in Horeb out of the mid'st of the fire lest you corrupt your selves and make you an Image c Deut 4. 15 16. 5. We must not think either that an Image consecrated or the use of it in religious Worship hath any sanctifying power For nothing can be effectual in this kind or conducing to mans spiritual good which is not instituted by God with a promise of his concurrence thereunto The second act or acts prohibited are § V Bowing down unto an Image or serving it These imply that the former act of making these Images and resemblances is here forbidden as relating to religious worship 1. To bow down is an act of Worship and Adoration wherein by some outward gesture or carriage of the body before the thing to be worshipped we testifie the inward acknowledgment of the excellency of that thing and our submission to it These outward reverentiall acts are testifications of the inward deportment of our Soules and they are specified not meer from the object but the inward recognition of the Soul Some of these are common so that the same outward acts may be performed to God or man the inward cannot For they must of necessity be either Civil or Religious One and the same cannot be both If it be the custome of any people or nation or persons to make some of these outward acts and testifications proper unto a Diety and to be performed thereunto then to use them to any thing else is Idolatry These are many â—s bowing the head kissing the hand kneeling prostrating the body and such like all signified here by the word Bowing 2. The other act here mentioned is so serve or worship and so sometimes may be the same with the former But it 's here understood as distinct to signifie Sacrificing Burning Incense Praying and the like Both these acts are usually tendred to and before Images and that several way 1. To the Images as gods endued with a Divine Power able to hear Man's Prayer bless him and deliver him and this is directly to terminate the Worship upon it as a god against the former Commandement 2. Some direct this Worship to the Image as representing some other thing besides and the same more excellent then it self The thing represented may be either the true God or some Saint or Angel or Soul of Man departed or the Devil yet not conceived to be the Devil or some other thing 1. To perform any Worship any ways unto the Devil is abominable 2. To direct Divine and Religious Worship to and terminate it upon any thing but the true God is Idolatry 3. To terminate Worship any ways upon an Image is not onely unlawful but irrational and absurd for an Image is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a thing made by the Art and Device of Man and there is no excellency in it to make it a fit Object of Worship 4. To terminate Worship partly upon the Image as a partial Object and partly upon the thing represented is impossible if the act of Worship be one and the same individual Act. 5. If any perform the Worship onely before the Image without any thoughts of the Image and terminate it onely and merely upon the thing represented it is to make no use at all of the Image as altogether needless and vain to that act Yet thus to do hath a colour of Superstition if not of Idolatry and can no ways be excused because that Image was no sign of God's special presence by Institution or Promise from God 6. To worship God in or by an Image made by the hand and art of man must of necessity be a corruption of that divine performance and there is no Warrant or Command from God to make or
do Christians though the seventh day of the Jewes was the last as Christians is the first of the week as our weeks are now reckoned And if any people in the world then surely Jewes and Christians had their warrant for the observation of holy times from Heaven What the Patriarchs from Adam to Moses did in this particular we cannot so clearly determin because the Scripture in this point is silent That God set a special Character upon the seventh day of creation is evident Gen. 2. 2. 3. Because having finished his glorious works in six dayes he rested the 7th and blessed and hallowed that day and so he did none of the rest Some take it for certain that God even then insâ—ituted the Sabbath and others do think it probable that God from the beginning required of man the 7th part of his time and the 10th part of his goods for his service and reserved both as a chief rent to be paid to him as chief Lord in acknowledgment of his supreme dominion If reason were consulted it could not deny but that these are due to God especially if he require them by a command If Scripture which is a rule above humane reason some think it might be demonstrated that God did command Man to gave both in all times Yet to give both is not moral but positive That is properly Moral which is intrinsecally good just necessary and such as directly and immediately makes a man better and that which is good in this manner cannot any wayes be performed by a wicked man or an hypocrite Yet the tenth of a mans goods and the 7th of his time may be given to God by a Cain by an hypocritical Pharisee tho with an heart rightly qualified they cannot be offered to God by such kind of persons whose very hearts are corrupt and depraved That which is just and holy in it self and renders a man acceptable to God is of universal and perpetual obligation from the beginning If any particular duty afterwards become such by vertue of Gods command though the matter of the duty and the thing commanded in it self be not intrinsecally just then that duty is not moral but positive and receives its morality ab extrinseco from Gods Command not from the nature of the thing In respect of this Morality not onely the Sabbath but the Sacraments and the precept concerning the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil may be said to be moral and so moral and ceremoniall Lawes which are really difâ—erent should be consounded Yet if any will call such commands Positively moral I will not wrangle about words Yet I must say that term Positively moral is not proper nor accurate As in Grammer there be words which derive their signification and in Logick arguments which receive the force of arguing from Primitive so even in this decalogue which we call the moral law there be Commandements which derive their morality from others and all from the first Yet this is the diâ—ference between such Commandements and others which are purely positive or ceremonial That these derivatives have a nearer connexion with pure morals and conduce more effectually to pure justice and holinesse then these positives do whose matter in it self is indifferent and no better The end of this Commandement § III in the third place is to preserve Religion and the Worship of God which without the observation of set and determinate times would soon decay and determine And we find that they who usually neglect Sabbaths and Sanctified Times are prophane and irreligious Wretches God knew this better then we do and therefore so strictly required the Sanctification of the Sabbath Persons who take liberty in their own Families to neglect the constant times of Prayer and serving their God in private and are left to their liberty â—or publick Worship in a short time prove little better then Heathens The end of the Sabbath to the Jew was constantly to worship God in remembrance of Creation and deliverance out of Aegypt Deut. 5. 15. and to distinguish them from the Heathen who had forsaken that God who created Heaven and Earth and worshipped Idols and their Sabbath tended and did conduce to these ends The Christian observes his Sabbath in remembrance of Christ's Resurrection and his Deliverance from Eternal Death thereby and consecrates himself in that day the more solemnly unto that God who hath not onely created but redeemed him And take away their Sabbath-Christian their Religion is not likely to continue long To enter upon the Commandment It 's Affirmative and includes a Negative § IV and in the same we have 1. The Commandement it self 2. The Explication of it The Commandement it self is brief and delivered in few words The Explication is large The words are these Remember the Sabbath-Day to keep it holy Exod. 20. 8. Keep the Sabbath-Day to sanctifie it Deut. 5. 12. Remember in the former place is explained in the latter by the word Keep which word according to the Hebrew Chaldee and the Versâ—on of the Septuagint sometimes signifies to have a special care to keep or observe a thing and the Arabick word Natar is of the same signification And the meaning of it is Have a care and take special heed to sanctifie the Sabbath For when we are forgetful of a thing we neglect it To remember a thing is sometimes to do it if it be a thing to be done as when God saith He will remember His Covenant it 's meant he will be careful to keep and perform it Gen. 9. 15. God had a special reason to prefix this word which signifies or imports special care and heed 1. Because Religion did so much depend upon the Sanctification of the Sabbath and man's Salvation upon Religion 2. I believe the Israelites in Aegypt had much neglected the Sabbath and Holy Times neither if they had been careful could they so well observe them because of their cruel Bondage 3. Some of these Israelites contrary to God's Command went out upon the Sabbath to gather Manna as though that had been an ordinary 〈◊〉 and God did signifie himself much herewith displeased Exod. 16. 26 27. 〈◊〉 hence no man can conclude an higher degree of Morality in this 〈◊〉 then in others For of the four first it 's least Moral Thus far it is 1. As it 's commanded by God 2. As requiring a special and more solemn performance of Moral Duties 3. As necessary for preservation of Religion amongst men The Sabbath-Day The word § V Remember take care and heeâ— is but general though a special Item yet here it 's specified by the Object The Sabbath-Day and the end the Sanctification of it For the thing to be remembred and so carefully observed was the Sanctification of that time The word Sabbath taken from the Hebrew Language and used in many Languages of the World signifies 1. By it self Rest. 2. Joyned with the word Day a time of Rest. 3. A certain determinate time
for the worship of the true and living God as it was a fit proportion of man's time and excellent means for the preservation and continuance of Religion had some connexion with the supream end and did conduce to the attaining of it The Divine Determination of that time for that end signified by a Command added did plainly make it moral For the alteration of the day it 's certain 1. That if God had in the beginning determined one and the same 7th Day to be of perpetual and universal obligation § XX then it could not be justly and by any sufficient Authority altered 2. It 's certain that the day prescribed to the Jew in time of the servitude and bondage of the Law was altered and another substituted and observed in the place thereof 3. This was altered after Christ's Incarnation and Glorification sending down of the Holy Ghost the Revelation of the Gospel preached to Jew and Gentile and in the Apostles days according to an Order given by them to the Churches planted by them 1 Cor. 16. 1 2 4. The day substituted was the first day of the week ibid. and the Lords Day and was so called and observed universally by Christians from that time to our days 4. In that one day in 7 as also this or that 7th day were positive and not moral therefore the 7th formerly observed by the Jew was alterable considered in it self 5. The 4th Commandement given to the Jew did not say that that 7th day determined then by Him should never be altered but be the Sabbath to Jew and Gentile to the end of the World 6. There were as you heard before great and weighty Reasons why the Apostles not onely might but should aâ—ter it For if the Character set upon it by the Work of Creation and the deliverance of Israel out of Aegypt the separation of them from all Nations till the exhibition of the Messias was a reason and ground to God for to institute and for them to observe them much more was the Character set upon the first day of the week by Christ's Resurrection the general manifestations and apparitions of him rise uon that day and the coming of the Holy Ghost as far greater blessings to sinful man then Creation and deliverance out of Aegypt was a sufficient ground and reason to lay aside the former day as joyned with the Ceremonial Law the Covenant with their Fathers in the Wilderness and the separation of the Jews from all other Nations and to institute and observe the first day unto God-Redeemer by Christ exhibited as the former was observed to God-Creatour and Deliverer of one Nation out of Aegypt Neither was there any need of a new express Precept seeing to the Apostles the Reasons for the alteration were so weighty clear and evincing For the former Sabbath being joyned with the Ceremonial Law given to the Jew did presuppose the Church confined to a Nation the Gentiles excluded the people of God in minority and servitude under a Tutor and Christ fo come therefore for the positive part it was to cease with the legal dispensation And as there followed a new manner of Worship and a new Administration so there must be a new day The Commandement it self requires one day in seven and if so then no day could be so fit as the day of Resurrection and the coming down of the Holy Ghost from Heaven By the observation of this we acknowledge the Levitical Priesthood and Service to be abolished Christ exhibited the Work of Redemption finished and that Jesus of Nazareth who was born at Bethlem brought up at Nazareth crucified at Jerusalem rose again the third day ascended into Heaven hath sent down the Holy Ghost is the Son of God and Saviour of the World CHAP. XI The Fifth Commandement BEfore I enter upon the words of this Commandement § I Something must be said in general 1. Concerning the difference 2. The order of these two parts of the Law For our Saviour reduceth the whole Law to two heads 1. Of the Love of God 2. Of our Neighbour And as God and our Neighbour differ and that very much so the dutyes of this latter part differ from those of the former for as the former have God for their object so these have Man The former respect our communion with God the latter our communion with our Neighbour The former presents the dutyes of men as subjects to be performed to their Soveraign the Great and everlasting the latter commands dutyes to be performed to man who is the fellow-Subject The former give morality to the latter The latter receive morality from the former and depend upon them and are so far good as they agree with the former The former have more connexion with as they conduced more immediately unto the last end Gods glory and Mans happinesse So that the difference between them is very great According to this difference there is an inequality It 's true that they are equall as they are commands and also commands of God and bind unto obedience unto God and the matter of both is just Yet their inequality is great because the dutyes of the former according to the object are far more excellent and if they come in competition with these of the second Table they must be preferred Yet we must make a distinction For in both parts of the Law there be some dutyes morall some positive and one and the same duty is in some respect moral in another positive This therefore is the certain rule that moralls of the first part or Table as some call it are to be performed beâ—ore the morals of the second Table and positives of the first before positives of the second Upon this account if the love of Father and Mother a moral duty of the latter part come in competition with the love of God required in the first part then its true our Saviour â—aith He that loveth Father or Mother more then God or hateth not Father and Mother for Christs sake is not worthy of Christ. In this respect obedience to our lawfull superiours inconsistent with our obedience to God is unlawfull for we must obey God rather then man the supreme Lord before the subordinate But if we compare positives of the first Table with morals of the second the morals of the second must be prefer'd before the positives of the first Therefore we may intermit the outward solemne worship of God upon the Sabbath day to save the life of a Beast or much more of a man though the work should take up the whole time of one Sabbath or more This lesson our Saviour taught us when he proved that it was lawfull to heale on the Sabbath This inequality is implyed in the words of our Saviour to the Scribes and Pharisees when he not onely reproves them but denounceth a judgement against them in that they pay'd tith of Mint and Annise and Cummin and omitted the weightyer matters of the Law
help and comfort and upon the Fall Per accidens the avoiding of Fornication One effect and that a principal one is That the Wife hath not power of her own body but the Husband and likewise also the Husband hath not power of his own body but the Wife and this is the reason why Adultery is so grievous a sin and a just cause of dissolution because the party committing it doth give that body which is anothers and not their own unto a third party contrary to Gods institution the Covenant and the principal end of marriage Amongst Christians this Marriage doth resemble that spiritual and blessed union of Christ and the Church begun on Earth to be consuâ—mate in Heaven and should be entred upon and continued so and also observed in that holy manner as that it may be a furtherance not an hinderance to that more Heavenly bond and society We should first give our selves to be married to Christ before we give our selves to be married one unto another For Redemption did not abolish but perfect Marriage It 's not made necessary to eternal life for as we may be married and not saved so we may be unmarried and yet Married to Christ and Saved Yet all Christians should marry in the Lord Though the Marriage of Heathens as Marriage is lawfull and their children born in Marriage are legitimate By these things premised concerning Marriage § II we may easily understand what Adultery is It is the defiling of the Marriage-bed The Apostle saith Let Marriage be honourable in all and let the bed be undefiled Heb. 13. 4. That the words are a dehortation appeareth from the context The sin dehorted from is Adultery which is a dishonouring of Marriage and a defiling of the Marriage bed This Adultery is opposed to chastity and fidelity in married persons The sense is Let all that are married preserve the honour of Marriage and preserve the Marriage-bed pure This Adultery is committed three wayes 1. When the Adulterer is single and the Adulteresse Married 2. When the Woman is single and the Man or Adulterer Maâ—ried 3. When both the parties are Married When one party onely is Married and the other single one bed onely is defiled but when both the parties are Married two Marriage-beds are defiled by one act This Commandment followeth the former in order For the best and nearest thing is Mans life the next is his Wife who by Gods institution and solemn contract is one Person and one flesh with him And for an Husband or Wife to commit this sin is a wrong unto their bodies which is of more account then their goods can be And Adultery is a wrong more heynous than Theft and next to that of Murther Some have observed that the sixth and seventh Commandement are fitly joyned together because Adultery and Murther often go together And we must avoid Adultery the cause that we may avoid Murther which is often committed to conceal Adultery as in the example of David who having committed Adultery with Vriah's Wife caused him to be slain lest his Adultery should be discovered Others consent to murder that they may enjoy one another more freely Thus Adulterous Wives conspire with their Paramours to poyson or secretly murder their Husbands Adultery in either Party is a grievous sin but especially in the Wife because it may bring in a Bastard and a spurious brood to inherit her Husbands estate This sin appears to be heinous many wayes § III and therefore ought with the greater care to be avoided and abhorred It 's contrary to Gods institution to the sacred and solemn contract of the Married parties it 's a dishonour of the body For every one should know how to possesse his Vessell in Sanctification and honour 1. Thâ—ss 4. 4. This Vessel is the body the Sanctification and honour is chastity Which implies that Adultery as also fornication is the dishonour and slain of the body In this respect it may be said that he that committeth Fornication sinneth against his own body It 's a disgrace to the Children a blot upon the Family the cause of wofull discord the dissolution of the sacred bond the ruine of Families and the â—ource of many miseries This is farther evident from the Penalty determined by God against this sin which was death The Man that committeth Adultery with another Mans wife even he that committeth Adultery with his Neighbours Wife both the Adulterer and Adulteresse shall surely be put to death Levit. 20. 10. Judah adjudgeth his daughter in Lâ—w Thamar to the fire for Adultâ—ry Many Heathen States made it Capital The King of Babylon condemned Ahab and Zedechiah to be burnt for this sin Jer. 29. 22 23. The Tribe of Benjamin was almost destroyed for the same Judg. 19 20. Chapters David commits Adultery in secret and his own Concubines are defiled by his own Son in the sight of the Sun and all Israel And for this sin God was so incensed with the Men of Judah that he saith Shall not I visit for these things Shall not my Soul be avenged on such a Nation as this Jer. 5. 8 9. Diseases and beggery with perpepual inâ—amy and sometimes death follow by Gods just Judgments upon the Parties guilty of this Crime Again this society of Marriage being ordained for propagation is the Seminary of Church and state and if it be stained by Adultery both are stained And to multiply a Bastard brood for the beginning of a Civil or Ecclesiasticall association is to be abhorred by all Wise and honest much more by Religious Persons It 's a curse and dishonour to any people to be derived from any such spurious spawn Therefore all well-ordered states have made strict Laws concerning Marriages and most civilized Nations have their Rites and Customs for the more solemn Celebration of the same Christians appointed the Publication of the Banns and the solemnization of the Marriage it self was to be performed in the open Congregation with holy instructions exhortations and Prayers All this was done to prevent Fornication uncleannesse and Clandestine Marriages Again this Crime amongst Christians is more hainous because our bodies are the members of Christ the Temples of the Holy Ghost and are bought with the price of Christ's blood 1 Cor. 6. 15 16 17 18 19 â—0 This is a sin that shuts out of Heavens Kingdome Chap. 16. verse 9. 10. For this sin as for others the wrath of God comes upon the Children of disobedience Ephes. 5. 6. And Whoremongers and Adulterers God will Judge Heb. 13. 4. And he will punish them not onely with temporall but if they repent not with eternall punishments Though Adultery § IV as most pernicious to humane Society be onely forbidden expresly yet implicitly many other sins come under this Prohibition And for the better understanding of this commandement as of some others we must take notice of some Rules given by Catechists Casuists and Expositors viz. That where one sin is forbidden all of that
Summons to Arrest Attach serve Writs make true returnes content themselves with such fees as are due by Law and execute the Commands of superiour Magistrates and the Judgements of the Judges and honestly and conscionably do all things the Law requires of them in their places But great is the iniquity of many of this kind of Officers To conclude all persons that have any thing to do in judgment should do their best endeavour to advance justice otherwise where innocent just persons should expect right and protection they will find iniquity and the greatest oppression And with the Wise-man of old we shall see under the Sâ—n the place of judgment that wickednesse is there and the place of righteousnesse that iniquity is there Eccles. 3. 16. And in many States we may observe such corruption in all Courts of judgement that the foundations of Laws and justice are overthrown and the righteous have no place of sanctuary on earth but must appeale to God who is in his holy Temple whose Throne is in Heaven Psal. 11. 3. 4. There be many Cases of Conscience reducible to this Commandement wherein such as desire to be satisfied must either consult with the Casuists or with such as are well studied in that kind of learning There be many and weighty reasons given in Scripture § XI to perswade and incline us to the obedience of this Commandement For it 's full and frequent in Prohibitions Reproofs Threatnings against this kind of injustice And we have many examples of Gods judgements severely executed upon Delinquents in this kind Paul condemns it as a sin in Christians to go to Law one with another especially before Heathen Judges and signifies that they should rather suffer themselves to be defrauded 1 Cor. 6. 7. By which words he implyes that Christians should give no cause and that if cause be given we should rather suffer them sin and contend in Law because it gives offence and opens the mouths of prophane persons against our profession of piety and purity in practise And because a false Witnesse perverts judgment leads the Judge aside and wrongs our Neighbour and disappoints him of that right he expected God commanded that a false witnesse should be punished with that punishment the party litigant if condemned should have suffered The Judges must make diligent inquisition and behold if the Witnesse be a false witnesse and hath testified falsly against his Brother then they must do unto him as he had thought to have done unto his Brother so they should put evill from amongst them And those which remaine should hear and feare and from henceforth commit no more any such evill amongst them And their eye shall not pitty but life must go for life eye for eye tooth for tooth hand for hand and foot for foot Deut. 19. 18 19 20 21 For a false-witnesse forsweares himself and so dishonours God wrongs his innocent Neighbour blinds the Judge and so perverts judgement and there is a complication of sins in this one of false witnesse All pâ—rsons that concur any wayes especially willingly make themselves guilty either of dishonour of superiours or Murder or Adultery or Theft as the cause unjustly determined shall be To justifie the Wicked and condemn the innocent are most heynoâ—s crimes and most fearfull woes are denounced against such persons as shall either out of covetousnesse or fear or favour or hatred judge unjustly If either false witnesse or perverting of law or unjust judgement may be suffered no man can be safe or secure of his credit his life his Wife or estate When the administration of justice is neglected much more when Tribunals and Courts of judgement which should be sacred are corrupted with partiality bribery or any other way there must needs follow a liberty to sin impunity in wickednesse the ruine or oppression of the weak the poore the just and innocent and a great confusion thereupon This kind of injustice is contrary to Gods institution of all government and the commission whereby he hath derived jurisdiction unto men and trusted the sword of justice in their hand For it was given unto man to protect the innocent and take vengance on evill doers The effects of it are sad and the event through Gods just judgment is the ruine of many and great familyes the alienation and consumption of many goodly estates the desolation of whole Nations and Kingdomes By receiving false accusations and passing unjust sentence Jesus Christ the Son of God was put to death Steven stoned James slain with the sword and many thousand Saints cut off and others of Gods just ones cruelly persecuted This is reckoned amongst others as a crying sin which brought famin pestilence sword Captivity upon the Jews and the desolation of their goodly City Temple and Kingdome How heavy was the hand of God upon the Jews who so earnestly pressed Pilate to condemn Christ unjustly Neither did Pilate who hearkened unto them escape the hand of God for he murdered himself Rash and unjust censures and judgment extrajudiciall shall not go unpunished All these things briefly mentioned may be sufficient to cause any man to hate this sin and detest to be a false witnesse or an unjust Judge or any wayes concur to pervert judgment If the fear of Gods judgments § XII the love of God and the detestation of unjust judgment cannot disswade us from this and restrain us yet let the commands of God his commendation and approbation of this justice the promises of rewards and the blessed consequents of this virtue move all men to have a speciall care of keeping the affirmative part of this precept As God hath commanded and commended it so hath he promised many mercyes to such as do their duty in this particular desiring endeavouring thirsting after distributive and judiciall righteousnesse Hearken what he saith to the Jews Learn to dowell seek judgment relieve the oppressed Judge the Fatherlesse plead for the Widdow Come now and let us reason together saith the Lord Though your sins be as Scarlet they shall be white as Snow though they be red as Crimson they shall be as Wool If ye be willing and obedient ye shall eat the good of the land But if ye refuse and rebell the sword shall devour you For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it Esa. 1. 17 18 19 20 Where we may observe that this justice in judgment prevents or averts judgments and renders men capable of mercy peace and plenty It 's a protection to innocency and piety the scourge of sin the purity and honour of a Nation the love and joy of all good people a meanes to preserve peace and safety the terrour of wicked men the support and pillar of Thrones and Kingdomes CHAP. XVI The Tenth Commandment THis is the last § I though not the least Commandement of this Eternal Law It 's the greateâ—â— of the Second Table as the first is the greatest of the First Table So our Blessed Saviour informed us
impetuous stream did carry all before them This was the judgment of the Eastern and Southern Christians invaded by the Saracens and possessed by them from beyond Babylon and Arabia unto Barbary and Spain where they met the Northern Barbarians In these latter days How many Churches Christian are swallowed up by the Turkish Empire These were not meerly temporall judgments but spirituall Because the enemies did not onely invade and possesse their Countryes but in many places deprive them of their Teachers and the Gospel the glorious light whereof is mightily darkened as in â—ormer times so in these latter dayes by that Smoak and mist of Hell the doctrine of the Alcoran and that in many places of the World This is a just judgment of God which Christ avert from us because they walked not in the light of the Gospel when it so clearly shined upon them And its one of the most feafull punishments of Christians to be delivered up to believe lyes and false doctrine in matters of Salvation Yet Turks and other Mahumetans do not professe themselves Christians as we in this Western Corner of the World do But amongst us there be such as professe their faith in Christ who yet are in the just judgment of God delivered up to superstition Idolatry and most dangerous doctrines which have formerly been and now are dispersed into severall Nations We read That because men received not the Love of the truth that they might be saved for this cause God shall send them strong delusions that they should believe a Lie 2 Thes. 2. 10 11. Where we may observe 1. The sin which is Not to receive the love of the truth that they might be saved 2. The Punishment God shall send them strong delusions that they should believe a lye For when God doth take away his Spirit from such as enjoy the word of God which they will not believe and practise it 's an easy thing for the Devil to delude the wisest and most learned in matters of Religion and then there is no Doctrine so false and absurd which man so deluded will not believe This hath been confirmed by experience of former times especially in that Temple or Church wherein the Son of Perdition shall exalt himself above all Civil and Ecclesiasticall powers The seat of this Wicked one must be some eminent City so the Scripture tells us and this City shall be called Babylon in a mystery and stand built upon seven hills Some say that Constantinople which was called New-Rome is so Yet that cannot be it Because it must be that City which did Reign over the Kings of the Earth when John received the Revelation from Heaven and that was not Constantinople which was obscure at that time The Character of this Whore was 1. That She made the Nations of the Earth drunk with her cup of fornication And 2. She Her self was drunk with the blood of the Saints and the Martyrs of Jesus Fornication is Superstition Image-worship and Idolatry The drinking of the blood of the Saints is the persecution and murder of all such Christians as shall refuse to acknowledge Her power and to receive Her abominable and Idolatrous worship Lest any therefore should be ignorant what City this is The spirit informs us 1. That it 's a City which professeth Christ. 2. It 's the seat of the Son of Perdition arrogating Supreme power not only in temporals but spirituals 3. It 's Idolatrous and Superstitious worshiping of Images 4. It sheds the blood of such Christians as will not acknowledge Her power and drink of Her cup of fornication 5. It 's a City that was built and once stood upon seven hills 6. It Reigned over the Kings of the Earth in the times of John the Divine 7. It 's a City that boasts of many lying signs and wonders and believes lies receives false Doctrine That this City and the man of sin therein should continue so long have so great power delude so many Nations inâ—atuate them seem to be holy profess her self the Mother of all Christian Churches the Temple of God infallible and that society out of which there is no salvation is a spirituall judgment from Heaven and far greater then the Iâ—vasion of the Saracens and Barbarous Nations yea then the damned Doctrine of the Alcoran For that in many things is grosse ridiculous and absurd In this Mysticall Babylon the grossest errours put on the Vizard of saving and infallible truth the most abominable superstition of zealous devotion the greatest pride of deepest humility and he that beareth the title of Servant of Servants will be the Lord of Lords Besides all the transcended perogatives of this Church as of Supremacy Infallibility Authority above Scripture are maintainâ—d by the choisest wits of greatest Schollars And their Sophisms are so effectuall that not only the ignorant sort of people and silly women but persons of greatest power the Princes and Potentates of the Earth men of most excellent parts profoundest Learning and Policy are enchanted and bewitched by this great City This is one of the greatest trialls of Christians and the Church of God that ever came upon the World And if we Seriously consider we may easily understand that it 's God alone who preserves us in the truth And all such as love the truth and endeavour to practise it according to the plainnesse and simplicity of the Gospel may expect this blessing from Heaven even in the midst of these most dangerous times This is a fair warning to us all who enjoy the Scriptures and therein the word of God to take heed least we live unprofitably through our own neglect under the means of salvation For if we do not seriously attend unto the saving doctrine of the truth and give all diligence to practise it so far as we know it it will be just with God to suffer Sathan to delude us be a lying spirit in the mouths of our Prophets and to give us over to believe lyes errours heresies as we see it come to passe with many amongst us at this day By the former sins and neglect of our duty we do not only lose all the benefits and comforts which God hath promised and we might enjoy in a well constituted Church reformed in Doctrine Worship Discipline according to the word of God but also make our selves liable to the former punishments and all others which God hath threatned against us in his Book It 's the great and unspeakable mercy of God § XII which signifies his tender care oâ— our poor souls that he will make known unto us what glorious rewards we upon obedience to his Laws may expect from him and what fearfull punishments will follow upon our disobedience and impenitency The Law-givers and Rulers of the World think it sufficient to publish their Laws once enacted and to leave every man to take notice of them or neglect to do so at their perill But our gracious and most mercifull Lord sends his
Messengers continually time after time to teach us his Laws to call them to remembrance often and by them to reprove our sins exhort us to obedience and repentance and daily to set life and death before us So unwilling he is to punish so willing to reward And the use we are to make of all the punishments recorded in Scripture both as threatned and executed we may learn from the Apostle For what he saith of the judgments executed upon Israel is true not only of all the rest written in Scripture but of all those which we ourselves both hear of and see and of those we read of in other Histories They all happened unto them for ensamples and they are written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the World are come 1 Cor. 10. 11. God by them speaks unto us in this manner Avoyd such sins and you shall escape such punishments But if you will sin as they did ye shall suffer as they did And we upon whom the ends of the World are come should be more carefull to avoid sin because as we have more examples to warn us So if we sin our guilt will be the greater and our punishment the heavier And though these punishments be a reason yet they are not the principall why we should take heed of disobedience For a wicked man may fear to sin because he fears to suffer But such is the love of God of goodnesse justice virtue in the regenerate that they hate sin because it 's so base and unjust in it self and so offensive to their Heavenly Father CHAP. XXI Some Rewards tendred by God before the Vniversall Judgment as taking out Stony Hearts Writing his Laws in them c. THe Scriptures many times speak of rewards before Punishments § I especially in such places as describe the finall Doom yet here I have changed the order and that for severall reasons and have first declared the punishments and now proceed to the rewards And in this place I take Reward for any mercy and blessing of God which follows by Divine ordination according to promise upon the performance of any duty required by the Laws of God-Redeemer And as the proper and formall object of punishment is disobedience to the Law of Redemption So reward looks at obedience performed according to that Law and the subject immediately capable thereof is the penitent believer Yet no man by obedience faith repentance can merit any thing at God's hands For all rewards given to sinfull man are merited by Christ and onely upon his merit and Gods promise the obedient derive their right unto them God cannot be bound to reward either man or Angel though innocent and perfectly obedient except by promise he bind himself How then can he any other way be bound to sinfull man So that it 's hence Consequent that though man perform his duty yet the reward is free These rewards are either Temporall or Spirituall For as you heard before Godlinesse hath the promises that is the rewards promised of this life and that which is to come whether they be deliverances or blessings We may understand by the holy Scriptures that God did not onely promise but gave unto his obedient Children in all times even Temporall rewards and not onely blessed them with earthly blessings and upon their prayers delivered them out of afflictions and their enemyes hand but also upon their repentance either removed or diverted by way of prevention Temporal judgments And because these are many and may be easily understood by the promises I passe them by forbearing all further mention of them in this place either as they are proper to single persons or to Societies For so Cityes civil have their proper blessings if they be just and well ordered as safety peace plenty prosperity victory over their enemyes and help and comfort from their confederates and allyes Neither will I enlarge my discourse with a debate whether heathens and others out of the Church may not obtaine from God temporal rewards for their moral Virtues That God doth blesse them Temporally for their justice and other deeds virtuous in that low degree is evident Neither will I enquire how far Ahab and other unregenerate persons by their humiliations and repentance such as they are may prevail with God to avert or put off judgments It 's very certain he is mightily inclined to mercy and will encourage the lest degree of goodnesse in any Person He prevents us with many blessings and doth many things even to the great sinners which he was in no wise bound unto He is willing that sinfull man should love him and live for he takes no pâ—easurâ— in our ruine and misery for that 's his strange work and not so suitable to his gracious disposition Rewards spirituall are the principall § II and to these I proceed whether they be proper to single persons or societies and Churches There be some indeed which a society as such may enjoy for a society doth add unto our happinesse both on earth and in heaven If a Church as a Church shall be obedient her reward no doubt will be Gods speciall protection the continuance of the meanes of conversion and confirmation plenteous store of the gifts of the Spirit and other speciall favours To know these we must consider the promises God hath made to the Church as a Church and especially a Church obedient The principall whereof may be observed in his promises to the seven Churches of Asia For there is hardly any Church that is not fearfully degenerate but may be found in the same condition and case with some of them Yet because most of the rewards there promised are such as single persons regenerate may enjoy I therefore single out some of the principall of them Before I can enter upon particulars § III because it 's properly a reward that follows upon duty performed I must shew what is necessarily required and to be presupposed before the performance of any spirituall duty For there is some mercy wherein God must of necessity prevent us before we can serve and obey him so as to be capable of a spirituall reward God made men and so Angels at the first righteous and holy before they could do any acts of righteousnesse And when God at the first promised Christ and commanded men to repent and believe in him in that very promise was included a promise of the meanes of conversion without which man could never have believed so as to have benefit by Christ. It 's true that man by a demerit antecedent may lose these as the first Apostate Gentiles and afterwards the unbelieving Jew caused God to take these from them But no man by any duty prayer or such meanes can merit them no nor obtaine them For God in these mercyes must prevenâ— man because without them it 's not possible for any especially such as have wholly lost them to perform any spirituall duty in this case God must needs say I
much agitated and to speak distinctly and pertinently We may consider faith in Christ alone propitiating and interceding for sinful man as a duty and as a duty 1. In generall commanded by God Redeemer 2. As this particular duty receiving Christ as Priest in this matter But neither of these wayes considered is it a receiving Christ as Lord and King but presupposeth him as so received For so to receive him is the act of submission or subjection which is necessarily antecedent to the performance of any particular obedience to any particular command as this faith in Christ is Submission hath for object the power of the supreme Lord Duty looks at the command of the Lord acknowledged 2. Faith this faith may be considered as looking back upon the command or forward at the benefit In the former respect it 's a duty properly in the latter respect it 's a condition the performance whereof leads unto the receiving of the benefit 3. Faith may look at the command or at the promise both parts of the Law and it 's justifying as looking at the promise not as resting in the performance of the duty though without the performance it cannot be justifying For these things which God hath joyned together no man must put asunder 4. Faith may be considered as having connexion with the reward and benefit of justification or as having an aptitude for the connexion The connexion with the benefit is not Physicall that 's certain but it 's morall and divine and ariseth from Christs merit and Gods promise with respect unto the merit If Christ had not merited God had never promised If God had never promised justification had never followed upon this faith For let a man believe with the highest degree of â—aith in Christ and in the greatest sincerity yet justification had never followed thereupon nor could have been expected with any certainty except God for Christ's sake had promised that upon such a duty performed justification should have followed So that the indissoluble connexion of this faith and justification is from Gods institution whereby he had bound himself to give the benefit upon the performance of the duty to him that performeth it Yet there is an aptitude in this duty in this faith to be made a condition and have connexion and such an aptitude as can be in no other duty For no other duty commanded by God-Redeemer nor any other act of faith but this can receive Christ as Priest propitiating and pleading the propitiation and the promise of God for his sake as such to give the benefit As receiving Christ and the gracious promise in this manner it acknowledgeth mans guilt and so renounceth all righteousnesse in himself acknowledgeth God the Father and Christ the Son the onely Redeemer and so gives God the greatest glory of justice wisdome mercy and free grace and doth virtually acknowledge it self to be a gift and performed by the Spirit of God Redeemer and that as a duty a work an act of obedience it cannot challenge any right to justification This no other duty no other act of faith no good works can do Therefore God in his infinite Wisdome thought good to pitch upon this and make it the meanes the only meanes whereby justification both for the right unto it and the possession of it should be derived from Christ meriting and himself promising for Christs merit This aptitude is intrinsecall to the duty it self the connexion is extrinsecall for Christs merit and Gods promise This act of faith must look not only at the promise but at Christ not onely at Christ but the Promise too It must look at Christ as sufficiently and abundantly meriting and that without any Promise and at the Promise as grounded upon Christs merit not adding any Meritorious Vigour unto it but as added for mans sake that when the benefits were merited already man might know them have some hope of them and a remote conditional right unto them Christ is the speciall object of our faith and He is so not onely in respect of His Person Natures Acts but also of His Offices For He is King Priest and Prophet and faith receives Him in all His Offices But this act of saith as a duty presupposeth Him as you heard before received as King or else this act is no duty no obedience and as Prophet or else this act could not be a belief of the truth revealed and taught by him infallibly as a Prophet Yet if we consider the matter of this particular act believed formally and properly it 's Christ as a Priest Now let us abstract though not seperate the generall nature of this act as it is a duty and a belief according to both which though not without either because presupposed both must be it cannot be justifying faith then it will appear that it 's properly particularly justifying as receiving Christ as a Priest and as having formerly received Him as King and Prophet For there can be no justification of sinful man if we believe the whole tenour of the Gospell but as merited by Christ alone and promised as merited and procured by Him alone But it s no wayes merited and procured by Him but as a Priest And if it be so represented ex parte objecti it must be so received by this act of faith ex parte subjecti As the act must be conformable so it must be commensurable to the object represented it must neither exceed and be greater nor contract and be lesse If it be not conformable it 's irregular if not commensurable it 's either imperfect and defective or or else falls and fancy But the truth is it 's impossible for an act to exceed its object as its object To say that faith as a duty is justifying will bring in all other good works and duties to share with it in justification But this act of faith truly understood renounceth all good works even at the last judgment as giving any right unto justification and eternall life It annihilates all righteousnesse merit confidence in it self or any other thing but Christ It rests in Christ alone and pleads for pardon only in his name and urgeth Gods promise as made only for his sake It s the most glorifying and magnifying act that ever was performed by Man or Angel It glorifies Gods mercy and free grace in the highest degree It acknowledgeth on Earth as it will be perpetually acknowledged in Heaven that the whole Salvation of sinfull man from the very First beginning unto the Last degree thereof whereof there shall be no end is from God's freest love Christs merit and intercession his own free and gracious promise and the power of his own holy spirit And since the first sin and fall of man it could not be otherwise For man lost all power to save himself forsook the fountain of his happinesse made himself a slave to Sathan his deadly enemy and deserved eternall death This is the duty which qualifyes the
subject § VI and makes the subject capable of the reward according to the eternall and unchangeable Laws of God-Redeemer It doth not justify but makes us justifiable To justify must be an act of the Judge To believe is the duty of the Subject To the duty man is bound by the command to render the reward God is bound by his promise But faith doth not only make him capacable and a fit subject to receive justification but upon it by vertue of the promise made in the blood of Christ the party thus as thus believing hath a right unto it The foundation of this right or the title which is sometimes taken for the right sometimes for the foundation of this right is faith but not faith as a duty performed or such a duty in particular but as it is specified and made a condition in the grant and promise made for Christs sake For a donation essentially includes the Donour the Donee and the Consideration if there be any as if it be nudum pactum there is none In this Grant God is Donour sinfull man believing the Donee the Consideration is the blood of Christ. If Christ have made no purchase there is nothing to be granted If He have purchased and there be no grant there is no conveyance If Christ hath purchased and God hath granted and yet the Donee be not specifyed it 's no grant no donation But in this donation man is the Donee and is specifyed as a Believer Yet the party doth not only believe but in and by the power of this faith doth confesse pray vow and Christ an Advocate in Heaven doth plead The Devil accuseth chargeth the sinner desires justice to be done upon the guilty wretch For why should he himself be guilty being condemned and punished and man being guilty as he is go unpunished Here Christ comes in confesseth his client guilty in himself yet just another way and though he deserve to be punished yet by law he ought not to be punished He Pleads three things 1. His own propitiation made 2. Gods promise as part of his Law 3. His clients unfeigned faith By this plea the charge of the Devil is make void the cause of his client made good and the judge effectually moved to pardon This pleading and intercession of Christ is necessary not onely because God ordained and required it but also because our prayer and pleading is very imperfect and His perfect And happy is he that hath such a Counsellour and Advocate in Heaven who is ever ready day and night before his Fathers Throne taking care of the cause of all his Clients pleading GRATIS without any Fee and ever carrying the cause Yet a sinner may be justifiable and yet not instantly actually justifyed For the sentence may be delayed for a certain time But this is the comfort of a true believer that the sentence will certainly be passed in Gods due time which in his wisdome he knoweth to be best Thus you have heard 1. Who is the Judge § VII 2. Who is the party judged Now 3. It 's high time to say something of the judiciall act which is the principall thing But before I proceed to unfold the nature of it I must digresse a little and examine the different opinions of men in this point For some question whether it be a sentence properly or no and if it be a sentence properly when and where it 's passed and if it be passed whether it be a bare sentence without any execution or with some execution 1. That t is a sentence most will grant but some distinguish of Sententia Legis and Sententia judicis The one is not the other is properly a sentence and this no doubt is an act of judgment not of Legislation For if it be an act of Legislation it 's then onely promise and that looks at none in particular but all in generall to whom the promise is made and presupposeth a duty to be performed But justification presupposeth a particular person a particular cause a duty performed and the performance as already past is pleaded and the Judge sollicited to passe judgment accordingly But let it be a sentence and that properly and of the Judge as it is When and where is it passed For passed if properly a sentence it must be For it 's not a sentence as conceived in the breast of the Judge but as judicially pronounced It 's not Sententia mere concepta sed prolata some wayes declared Whether for the time is it passed in eternity before time or in time For the place whether is it passed in man or out of man If out of man whether in Heauen or in Earth If on Earth whether by God and Man If by God whether by the promise of the Law that whosoever believeth is not condemned or some other thing If by man whether by the Minister or the Church binding or loosing so on earth as to be bound and loosed in Heaven If it be whether it be an act of conscience or the blessed spirit If the spirit whether it be by inspiration and enthusiasm or by some real operation Thus the wit of man forsaking the rule of Gods word will wander and ignorance joyned with curiosity will start many doubts puzzle a clear truth infinitely multiply questions not so much for edification as destruction and distraction 1. The sentence was not passed in eternity and onely manifested in time for if it were passed then and onely manifested now it might from hence be argued that the world was created from eternity and so is eternall and the glorious work of creation in the beginning had only been a manifestation of that which was from everlasting And how absurd if not blasphemous must such a fancy be It is trâ—e that as God before the foundation of the World did decree all things to be done in time so he decreed to passe this sentence But the decree it self without the issuing out and exercise of an almighty executive power is no sentence In eternity before time no man was created no sin committed no Saviour promised no law published no duty of faith performed no person convenâ—ed no promise pleaded and therefore no sinner believing justified 2. For the place 1. It 's not passed in Heaven and only there for no Scripture saith so neither is there any meanes discovered how the poor guilty sinner should know whether it be past or no and if past when and so till it be known to be passed and that certainly the believer must alwayes be in doubt The cause indeed is pleaded in Heaven by the great High Priest and his plea is effectual But that the sentence is always passed presently upon the cause pleaded cannot be proved It 's true that if a man doth certainly know his faith and the sincerity thereof he may certainly know his right unto justification and so he knows his cause to be good in Law He is justified in law-title that is he
or disquiet us then our peace must needs be great This love of God is manifested to us many ways As 1 By Trials Chastisements Corrections which are bitter for the present sweet in the end so that we know God in these was not angry but did love us 2 By strange and wonderful Deliverances wherein his Power his Wisdom and special love unto us do evidently appear 3 By the return of our prayers which is many times such as that we certainly know that we were heard in Heaven and God did far more for us then we desired or could have desired 4 And most of all when we find our Faith strengthned our Graces increased our Power over Sin improved For by these things we know assuredly that God by the Spirit of Christ dwells in us and we are very sensible of his powerful presence in our Souls as in his Temple By these things when we look back we begin to discover God's everlasting love in Predestination and those stable and unchangeable Decrees made in Christ before the Foundation of the World And when we look forward we see Heaven open Christ our Saviour at his Fathers right hand making intercession for us our Eternal Mansions there by him prepared and an excellent estate of glory ready for us as reconciled and adopted to this estate And upon our Prayers our Eyes are enlightned so that we gain a further knowledge of the hope of his Calling and the Riches of the glory of his Inheritance in his Saints and of the exceeding greatness of his power towards us The more we do good and suffer ill for his sake the greater and more certain our hope of eternall glory is And though we live by hope and see somewhat dimly our heavenly Country afar off and have but some glimmerings of the eternal light that there doth ever shine yet for the present Faith is the substance of these things hoped for and the evidence of these things that are not seen nor enjoyed These imperfect Representations and apprehensions of this glorious estate do inflame our hearts with vehement desires of nearer approaches to our God cause us to presse with all our power towards our heavenly Prize and warmes our hearts with unspeakable joy because we know one day we shall have full Communion with our God and shall never be in danger to sin again Yet this joy § XIV and Peace may be interrupted much abated and sometimes seem to be extinct for a while For according to our neglect and abatement in the exercise of that Sanctifying Power God hath given us and the use of those meanes and our opportunities he hath afforded so our peace and joy abate And much more are they lessened and abated by our grievous sins As by word and prayer this heavenly fire was first kindled so by these it 's kept alive and increased Fervent and frequent prayers serious meditations upon Gods holy Precepts and his gracious Promises with constant practise are like fewel to this fire and like Bellows to stirr it up and cause it burn with a clearer and more ardent flame and so improve this joy unto an high degree But as when we either withdraw the fewel or powre water upon the fire it 's abated and ready to be quenched so by neglect of the former duties and especially by grievous sins we grieve and offend the blessed spirit of joy peace comfort and so he begins to withdraw himself Therefore let us not with Ephesus fall from our first love nor with Laodicea cool in our zeal nor with David contract the guilt of haynous Crimes For we must know that the most just God will judge his own people according to their Works and so reward or punish them If we neglect to walk with Him in the light of holinesse He will refuse to give us the light of joy and comfort When we either abate in our performances or fall into grievous sins our God either by afflictions or admonitioâ—s and reproofs or by the working of the blessed Spirit or by some or all these doth cause us to see our guilt and make us sensible of our sins and so bring us back again And upon our serious return our joyes are revived and our peace restored And great and wonderfull is his care over his Children in this kind for as he prevented them with his grace at first to convert them that he might make them his Children much more when they are his Children and do fall will he prevent them by his grace to raise them up again and revive the sparks of fire remayning He will not suffer them to dye He will punish them that He may Reward as He afflicted the offending Corinthians with sicknesse and some of them with death and so judged and chastened them that they should not be condemned with the World Lest this first Regeneration and title to the eternal inheritance should be in vain He will keep them by his power through faith unto salvation which is ready to be revealed in the last time 1 Pet. 1. 3 4 5. And if his power should not preserve their Faith as well as their Persons they must needs perish He hath signified that the Connexion between their Faith Love Patience and eternall glory is indissoluble For the patience and faith of the Thessalonians in all their persecutions and tribulations they endured were a manifest token of the Righteous judgment of God That they might be counted worthy of the Kingdome of God for which they did suffer 2 Thes. 1. 4 5. For if we suffer with Christ we shall be glorified with him Rom. 8. 17. 2 Tim. 2. 11 12. And this is a faithfull saying These things being so there was little reason why the Remonstrants in their Synodaâ— Acts and Writings should so mince the matter as though they were afraid to give any advantage to the Truth Upon the 5th Article of Perseverance they say that God 1 According to his absolute Power not according to the Law of Grace 2 In an extraordinary not an ordinary way 3 May reward not will reward 4 Not constantly but sometimes 5 Not all his Children but some long and much exercised in Piety and tried in Afflictions with the grace of not failing Perseverance 6 This they will not determine but leave indifferent How this can consist with the Scriptures I know not As there be Spiritual Rewards in this life § XV so there be after Death and before the Resurrection As for the Body because it hath been the Tabernacle of a Regenerate and sanctified Soul and with it a Temple of the Holy Ghost Therefore though it be separated from the Soul and turned into Dust yet it 's laid down in certain hope of the Resurrection For if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the Dead dwell in us then He that raised up Christ from the Dead shall also quicken our Mortal Bodies by his Spirit which dwelleth in us Rom. 8. 12. Besides it 's freed
second thing that follows is the confirmation of the continuance of this Covenant and that is in these words This is my Body c. This is the New Covenant or Testament in my Blood c. The thing confirmed is the continuance of the Covenant of Grace in the Bloud of Christ. The Confirmation and so the Solemn Engagement is two-fold 1. On God's part 2. On Man's part 1. On God's part by giving the Blessed Bread and Cup to be eaten and drunken 2. On Man's part by taking and eating the Blessed Bread and drinking the Blessed Cup. By Giving God doth testifie and assure man that He continues the same firm in the Covenant and is ready to give a further increase of Graces and a greater measure of Mercy for the merit of Christ dying and upon the same tearms the Covenant was made and confirmed at first For the Condition then was not onely to begin but continue Faith and Obedience and God by this Sacrament doth renew His Promise that man may renew his Faith Man presupposed to continue in this Covenant doth solemnly by receiving and eating this Bread in remembrance of the Body of Christ broken and offered and by receiving and drinking the Cup in remembrance of the bloud of Christ testifie and engage himself to continue in thta Covenant expecting Remission and Eternal Life upon no other tearms but Faith in Christ dying for him Yet because a Mist is cast upon these words This is my Body This is my Blood I must clear them that this Confirmation may be the more evident To this end I must shew 1. What is meant by THIS 2. How THIS Whatsoever it be may be said to be the Body of Christ And how the second THIS may be affirmed to be the Bloud of Christ. By THIS in the former place is meant Bread the blessed and consecrated Bread For 1. It was Bread that Christ took 2. It was Bread Christ blessed 3. It was Bread Christ broke 4. It was Bread Christ gave 5. It was Bread which Christ cmomanded them to take and eat 6. The Apostle calls this Bread three several times 1 Cor. 11. 26 27 28. But How is this Bread Christ's Body It 's not the Body of Christ by Transsubâ—antiation nor Consubstantiation For both these are contrary to Reason to Sense to the Nature of all Religious Rites and Sacraments to all Miracles For there never was Miracle that did delude the Senses For the Water turned miraculously into Wine appeared to be Wine and tasted as Wine and was Wine indeed as it appeared That many of the Fathers seem to affirm it to be the Body of Christ is nothing for as many call it Bread and a Sign and Figure of Christ's Body To this purpose you may read the Learned Dr. Crakenthorpe against Spalatensis in the Controversie of Transubstantiation where ye shall find a multitude of Councels and Fathers exactly quoted to this purpose The word Transubstantiation was not known till latter times The thing signified by it cannot be certainly defined For the greatest School-men and subtilest Wits differ amongst themselves both in the Definitions and the Explication of their Definitions Besides there is some reason to think many of them do not believe it For some of them amongst us have refused to take it upon their Salvation that after a due Consecration according to their Rules any such change of the Elements is made But suppose the change and that it 's certain to what end doth it serve For it 's confessed that wicked men may receive the Body of Christ in the Eucharist and yet be damned neither doth it profit any man who receives it without Faith THIS therefore that is said to be Christ's Body is Bread and at the first Institution it must needs be so for then Christ's Body was not broken neither did Christ then give it The second Question therefore is How Bread may be said to be Christ's Body if not really and by Transubstantiation or Consubstantiation or some such way The Answer is That it 's His Body 1. By Representation because it 's a Sign and Figure of his Body as many of the Ancients expresly affirm and if any of these say it 's Christ's Body in proper sense as they of the Church of Rome would make us believe they do then they must needs contradict themselves And this is proper to all Religious Rites to signifie something invisible and many times the name of the thing signifyed is given to the Sign it self As Circumcision is said to be a token of the Covenant Gen. 17. 2. and afterwards it is called the Covenant My Covenant shall be in your flesh ver 13. whereas it was the token of the Covenant that was in their flesh The reason of this expression is the similitude and agreement between the sign and the thing signifyed In this respect Christ calleth His Flesh Bread not that it was Bread but because it was like to Bread And that place of John the 6th where He calls Himself and His Flesh Bread is alleadged to proveâ—t is change yet if the Expression and Predication were proper that place might prove that Christ's Body was changed into Bread and not Bread into His Body as will easily appear to any Intelligent and impartial Reader Yet to be a bare Sign is not all but to be a Sign so by Divine Institution as to confirm the Promise of the Covenant and assure the worthy Receiver that as certainly as He gives him that Bread so certainly will God give him the benefits merited by the Death of Christ. By this time we may understand what is signifyed by these words This is my Body But what is meant by the latter words This is the Covenant in my Blood and This is my Blood of the Covenant For the sense of these there can be no doubt but by THIS is meant 1. The Cup For 1. Christ took the Cup. 2. Said This Cup is the New Testament or Covenant 3. It 's called three times by St. Paul the Cup. 2. By cup is meant the Wine in the Cup. 3. This Wine blessed and consecrated according to Christs institution This Cup is said to be the new testament that is the sign whereby it 's confirmed in this Sacrament and as it were a pledge given by God and received by man of remission of sin merited by the blood of Christ and for his sake promised to us Whereas Mathew and Mark relate that Christ said This is my blood it 's meant that the Wine in the Cup was a token and sign of his blood given and received to confirm the new Testament or Covenant Thus Circumcision was a Sign and Seal of the Righteousnesse of faith to Abraham as this Cup is a sign to signify and a Seal to confirm the righteousnesse of faith and remission of sins in the blood of Christ. As for the real presence of Christ in this Sacrament it 's certain that his glorifyed body is in Heaven Yet he
is here Virtually and Really present by his Spirit in this Sacrament as in all other his Ordinances and in a speciall manner and the same powerfull and comfortable to the worthy receiver The Papists have put a difference between the Sacrifice of the Masse § XVII and the Sacrament of the Eucharist and for the former Service they have their direction from the Missal for the Later from the Rituall Yet Christ did but institute a Sacrament and not a Sacrifice and in the same the bread and wine is commanded to be used in blessing the giving and receiving of both and not the offering of the body and blood of Christ for that offering was once made never to be made again And whereas they do affirm that the Sacrifice of the Masse is properly a Sacrifice Propitiatory for the Sins of the living and the dead and the same with that Sacrifice which Christ offered upon the Crosse it cannot be true neither can it be credible to any rationall unprejudiced person For a Sacrifice properly so taken especially ilasticall or propitiatory is essentially bloody as wherein the thing Sacrificed is first slain then offered But the Sacrifice of the Crosse as they themselves confesse is INCRUENTUM unbloody and therein is no death of the thing Sacrificed Neither can it be the same with that which Christ offered upon the Crosse For to that it was essential that Christ's body should be broken and the blood shed and offered unto God without spot by the eternall Spirit and without this Death and offering it could not have bin this Sacrifice at all and this Sacrifice was but offered once and once offered was never to be offered again For once in the end of the World hath he appeared to put away sin by the Sacrifice of himself Heb. 10. 14. So that we have here but one Sacrifice and the same once offered yet of eternall vertue If this Sacrifice of the Masse were the same which they affirm with the Sacrifice upon the Crosse it must needs be granted that it is propitiatory But they confesse 1. That it is incruentum 2. That it is not Expiatorium Redemptorium 3. That it 's only Commemoratorium Applicatorium By the First they grant that it 's not essentially the same By the Second that it 's not effectively the same By the Third that it 's only a Commemoration and a meanes of the Application of the same And if they would lay aside the Sacrifice of the Masse and acknowledge the Sacrifice of the Crosse and celebrate the Sacrament as it was instituted by Christ We should easily grant that therein there is a Commemoration of Christ's death and Sacrifice once offered and that this Sacrament is a meanes whereby that Sacrifice is applied Before I conclude this Doctrine of the Sacraments § XVIII I will examine 1. Who have power and right to administer them 2. To whom they may lawfully be administred 3. Whether they are to be administred according to humane judgment which is fallible or divine judgment which is infallible For the first of these Who have power to administer That 's easily and briefly determined For they who are trusted with the word and have Commmission to preach the Gospel they have power to administer these Sacraments This in respect of Baptism appears in the mission of the Apostles into all Nations For by that Commission they who must teach must baptize And we never read of any Commission given to any others either to baptize or administer the Lords supper And the constant practice of the universall Church so far as known to us hath bin conformable to this Commission What may be done in case of necessity which God not man hath brought us unto is another thing For in such cases God dispenseth with many things required in his own Institution As for the second question § XIX To whom may they be administred The answer in generall is 1. They may be administred to such as have a right unto them who are Christ's disciples and may be judged fit to be members of the Church visible and in the number of Christians 2. We must distinguish between the subjects who have a right to the actuall participation of Baptism and such as have aright to the actual participation of the Lords supper 3. Of such as may be subjects capable of Baptism some are Adulti and these if they be disciples and manifest themselves to be such they no doubt may be baptized But all the controversy in our unhappy dayes is Whether Infants of Christians and believing Parents may be baptized or no In this controversy I shall deliver my knowledge and judgment as briefly as may be 1. Infants as Infants and Children of Turks Pagans unbelieving Jews are not capable of Baptism neither as Infants nor Infants of such Parents 2. Infants as Infants and considered Physically as distinct persons from their Parents are not capable of or have any right to Baptism 3. The Infants of Christian Parents so considered as distinct persons from their Christian Parents as Christians have no right unto it 4. The Infants of Christian and believâ—ng Parents considered as one person with them as Christians and believers have right to Baptism For if they be one person with them as Christians they must needs have some kind of right to Baptism as their Parents have 5. They have not this right from them by Nature nor humane Laws for so they only receive their humane nature from them as their Parents have humane nature and this naturally and if their Parents be free or noble by humane Laws they derive freedom or nobility 6. That they derive this right from their Parents as Christians it 's from Gods free mercy and gracious ordination which includes the Children in Covenant with the Parents 7. Children are one person with their parents both by the Law of God and the Laws of Men and that in many things and especially in Obligations in Priviledges in rewards and punishments By the Laws of men in civill matters we know that SUI HEREDES as the Civilians call them derive a right unto their Parents estate though there be no Testament or if a Testament and the same they be excluded because the Law grounded upon nature considers them as one person with their Parents or next kindred deceased If the Father be a subject of a free State and so bound to subjection unto the Laws the Son born of him as a subject of that State is bound to the Lawes and derives that obligation from his Father as one person with him neiâ—her is it materiall whether the Father was a subject naturall or naturaliz'd If the Father dye indebted and the Heir enter upon the estate by vertue of that Will He by the civill Law falls under the same obligation as one with the Father and is bound to discharge the debts Paul was born a Roman Act. 22. 28. and all the Priviledges of a Roman he had by birth