what sweet Meditations should we have of Gods Mercy Love thankfulness and praise should be our daily exercise Had we Davids heart what Songs of praise would the consideration of Gods Mercy teach us to indite How affectionately should we recount the Mercies of our youth and riper years Yea of every state and condition we have been in to the honour of our great Benefactor But especially if God hath touched our hearts with his saving grace if he hath effectually called us and inabled us to repent of our sins and believe in his Son O then how should we bow down our heads and adore his free grace as the cause thereof If we have received any grace tending to our own sanctification or the edification of others Let us say as Paul did 1 Cor. 15.20 By the grace of God I am that I am Thirdly The meditation of Gods goodness and mercy to us should possess us with a superlative love to God Most certainly the prevailing love of God is the surest evidence of true sanctification He that hath most love has most grace And if you truly love God you will be loath to offend him The love of God doth not reign in that soul where the love of the World or of the Flesh or Pleasure reigneth Fourthly The Mercy of God should teach us to imitate him in this Attribute We should labour to be mercifull as our Heavenly Father is mercifull that is as to the manner though we cannot reach to the measure The goodness of God should possess us with a desire to be conformed to his goodness in our measure Summae Religionis est imitari quem colis Now God is mercifull two ways especially in Giving Forgiving First In Giving O how does the Lord supply our wants daily Let us therefore shew mercy to those that want our help Secondly In Forgiving O what a vast number of debts does the Lord forgive us Gods mercy to us layes the greatest Obligation imaginable upon us to forgive others (c) A Christian may remember offences in cautelam though not in vindictam Matth. 18.23 Shall not we forgive an Hundred Pence who have had Ten Thousand Talents forgiven unto us Fifthly We should especially observe and take notice of the mercy of God so highly manifested in the design of our Redemption 1 Joh. 4.10 Here is love not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be a propitiation for our sins Was there ever Mercy like this We have reason to cry out O the depth of the riches of the mercy of God! O Lord what is man that thou art so mindful of him or the Son of man that thou thus visitest him with thy favour and mercy Sixthly Gods goodness and mercy should encourage our Souls to trust in him How many friends have some men with whom they dare trust their Estates or Lives because they are confident they truly love them And shall we not trust God who is love it self 1 John 4.16 I come now to the last of Gods communicable Attributes which I shall speak unto which is His faithfulness in keeping of his Covenant and Promises V. God is Faithful Faithful One letter of Gods glorious Name is abundant in truth or faithfulness The Scriptures abundantly bear Testimony unto this Deut. 7.9 Know therefore that the Lord thy God he is God the faithfull God which keepeth Covenant and Mercy with them that love him and keep his Commandements to a Thousand Generations Isai 49.7 The Lord who is faithfull Rom. 3.4 Let God be true that is owned and acknowledged for such though all mankind should be false and deceitful Now Gods Faithfulness is manifâ—sted Two ways In fulfilling his promises In accomplishing his Threatnings God cannot in any case fail of his word It is impossible for him to lie Heb. 6.18 Tit. 1.2 As God is light and in him there is no darkness 1 Joh. 1.5 So he is truth and in him there is no falshood The strength of Israel will not lye 1 Sam. 15.29 And Numb 23.19 God is not a man that he should lye God hath promised to them that repent and believe in his Son that they shall be saved He hath promised to give his Holy Spirit to them that ask him Luk. 11 9. And we have reason firmly to believe these promises As for Temporal things he hath not promised them to any of his Children absolutely but with a tacit condition if he in his infinite Wisdom see it good and expedient for them So that as to these we must humbly refer our selves to his infinite Wisdom 'T is true we are required to pray for these Temporal things in faith but not with an assured particular perswasion that God will give us the very particular things we ask but with a faith of dependance on God and submission to his Holy will When we act faith on the All-sufficiency and Power of God and humbly resign our selves to his Holy will we may be said to pray in faith I come now to the Lessons which we are to learn from the consideration of this Attribute First We should learn from hence that the commands of God are serious and his promises and threatnings will certainly be accomplished There is nothing of reason or sence can be spoken against an Holy life by any one who believes the veracity and faithfulness of God and the truth of his Word Hath God said and do you believe it that he will come in flaming Fire to take vengeance on all them that know not God and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ 2 Thess 1.8 And can you continue in ignorance and disobedience Hath he said that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God 1 Cor. 6.9 And can you continue in unrighteousnâ—ss Hath he said Heb. 12.14 Without Holiness no man shall see the Lord and can you slight Holiness And mock at serious Piety If you believ'd God to be faithfull and his Word true how could these things be so Secondly Gods faithfulness is a great aggravation of the heinousness of the sin of unbelief He that believeth not God hath made him a lyer faith the Apostle 1 Joh. 5.10 And this is the rather to be heeded that we may stir up in our selves a diligent watchfulness against this sin which with many is accounted but a meer infirmity O what matter of humiliation doth our proneness to this sin namely to distrust God justly minister unto us Many men hardly trust the promises of God so much as they would the word of a mortal man whom they account honest and just Certainly Gods faithfulness and truth should teach us to hate every motion to unbelief Vnbelief is the very bane of all Religion so far as it prevails Let it be our great care therefore to extirpate all remainders of this sin of Infidelity out of our hearts Thirdly If God be faithful this should be a great encouragement to us to trust in him and
A SUPPLEMENT TO Knowledge AND PRACTICE Wherein the main things necessary to be known and believed in order to Salvation are more fully explained and several new Directions given for the promoting of real Holiness both of Heart and Life To which is added a serious Disswasive from some of the reigning and customary sins of the Times viz. Swearing Lying Pride Gluttony Drunkenness Vncleanness Discontent Covetousness and Earthly-mindedness Anger and Malice Idleness By Samuel Cradock B. D. late Rector of North-Cadbury in Somerset-Shire Useful for the Instruction of private Families Quod de Scripturis authoritatem non habet pari facilitate rejicitur qua accipitur Hieron LONDON Printed for Thomas Simmons at the Princes Arms in St. Pauls Church-yard 1679. To the INHABITANTS of NORTH-CADBURY in SOMERSETSHIRE My Loving Friends SOme years since when I stood in the Relation of a Pastor to you I wrote my Book of Knowledge and Practice aiming therein more especially at your benefit Which Treatise I hope through the Lords blessing hath been of some use to you I have since thought that it would not be a service unacceptable to you to add by way of Supplement a more full explication of the Main Principles of the Christian Faith and some Further Directions for regulating of your Practice and to send them unto you to supply my Personal absence God only knows whether I shall ever see your Faces again in this World Providence having fixed my Habitation at so great a distance from you However my hearts desire and prayer to God for you is that you may be saved and if this poor Book may in any measure contribute thereunto I shall heartily rejoyce The holy Apostles no doubt in writing their Epistles aimed at the Spiritual good of the Church in general yet we may well suppose that those particular Churches to whom their Epistles were directed read them with more especial regard and possibly reaped more signal benefits by them than others did So though I design these instructions for your Spiritual good and benefit of all those into whose hands they shall come Yet I hope they shall be more especially minded and regarded by you to whom they are particularly directed and in contemplation of whose necessities and with an aim at whose benefit they were particularly framed I know many of you are such of whom the Apostle speaks Heb. 5.12 Who have need that one teach you the first Principles of the Oracles of God and have need of milk and not of strong meat I should be glad to have you all rightly instructed in the main fundamentals of Christianity and that not for your sakes only but for my own that I may give up my account with joy and not with grief Heb. 13.17 But yet I must tell you that it is not enough to save any of you that you are of the true Religion except you be true to it and live agreeably thereunto God hath indeed made sufficient provision by the obedience and death of his Son to save Mankind But you must earnestly leg of God to inable you to do your part which is unfeignedly to repent of all your sins savingly to believe in Christ and to accept him for your Lord and Saviour and to deliver up your souls to him that you may be pardoned through the infinite merit of his active and passive obedience and sanctified by his Spirit and inabled by his grace to lead a holy and good life And as I earnestly desire you all to have an especial care of your own Souls so do I with some importunity intreat all that are Parents or Masters of Families among you that they would take great care to instruct their children and servants in the main Principles of the Christian Religion I have often thought that if ever real Piety and Christianity flourish in England more must he done by Parents and Masters in instructing those under their care than is now ordinarily done I hope this short Treatise may with the blessing of God something assist and help you in performing that part of your duty May the God of all grace lead you and guide you in ways of truth and holiness and inable you to live in love and peace one with another And though I should never see you again in this life yet may the Father of Mercies through his infinite goodness grant that I may meet your Souls in Heaven This is the earnest desire and prayer of him who was once your unworthy Pastor and is still your very loving and affectionate friend Wickham brook Novemb. 6. 1678. SAM CRADOCK The CONTENTS of the FIRST PART CHAP. I. Of God SECT 1. Of the Nature of God and his Divine Attributes page 1. SECT 2. Of the Trinity of persons in the unity of the Divine Essence page 18. SECT 3. Of the works of God page 31. 1. Creation where Of good Angels page 32. Of evil Angels page 40. 2. Particular page 48. CHAP. 2. Of Man Page 62 SECT 1. Of the happy State wherein Man was created and the Covenant of Works made with him in that State p. 62. SECT 2. Of his Fall and the consequents thereof p. 66 SECT 3. Of the Covenant of Grace made with Man immediately after his Fall which shews the only way of his recovery to be by Jesus Christ p. 73 CHAP. 3. Of Jesus Christ Page 80 SECT 1. Of his Titles which in the Creed are four 1. Jesus p. 80 2. Christ where of his three Offices Prophet p. 83 Priest p. 86 King p. 88 3. His only Son p. 91 4. Our Lord p. 93 SECT 2. Of his Natures Divine and Humane p. 95 SECT 3. Of his birth p. 96 SECT 4. Of his Life p. 100 Here a short and methodical History of our Saviours Life is exhibited and the particular Times in which he instituted Baptism and the Sacrament of his Supper are pointed at Vpon both which Sacraments there are distinct discourses added at the end SECT 5. Of his Death and Burial p. 137 SECT 6. Of that Article in the Creed He descended into Hell page 131 SECT 7. Of his Resurrection and ten several appearings after it in the space of forty dayes he continued on the earth p. 143 SECT 8. Of his Ascention and sitting on Gods right hand p. 149 SECT 9. Of his coming to judg the World p. 154 CHAP. 3. SECT 1. Of the Holy Ghost p. 162 SECT 2. Of the Catholick Church 166 SECT 3. Of Communion of Saints p. 175 SECT 4. Of forgiveness of sins p. 178 SECT 5. Of the Resurrection of the body p. 193 SECT 6. Of Life everlasting Of Baptism p. 200 Of the Lords Supper p. 205 Of the Lords Prayer p. 220 The second part contains a serious disswasive from some of the reigning and customary sins of the Times viz. Swearing Lying Pride Gluttony Drunkennness Vncleanness Discontent Covetousness and Earthly-mindedness Anger and Malice Idleness ERRATA IN page 267 after the eighth Direction add Ninthly Take heed of saying â—s
so do ye Vpon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store as God hath prospered him that there be no gatherings when I come He ordains that their Collections for the poor Saints and oblations should be on that day And St. John sayes Rev. 1.10 I was in the Spirit on the Lords day Thus the observation of the seventh day of the week which the Jews kept did cease and was buried with our Saviour And the observation of that day on which the Son of God rose by the practice of the blessed Apostles was transmitted to the Church of God and so hath continued in all ages of the Church ever since As God spake by Moses to the Israelites Exodus 31.13 Verily my Sabbaths ye shall keep for it is a sign between me and you viz. that you profess your selves to be my people in an especial manner So they that belong to the Church of Christ are known by observing the first day of the week on which he arose and by this mark among others are distinguished from such who own not Christ nor his Gospel 6. And lastly Let us consider the ends for which Christ arose And those were such as these 1. for our justification Rom. 4.25 He was delivered for our offences and rose again for our justification 2. To assure us of our resurrection If Christs body had not been raised how could we have expected the Resurrection of our bodies The Resurrection of the members depends upon the Resurrection of the Head 2 Cor. 4.14 3. That he might be declared to be the Son of God with power Rom. 1.4 by his Resurrection from the dead Therefore says the Apostle Acts 13.32.33 We declare unto you glad tidings how that the promise which was made unto the Fathers God hath fulfilled the same unto us their Children in that he hath raised up Jesus again as it is also written in the second Psalm Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee Christ was the Son of God before but then he appeared so to be against all contradiction For he arose by his own divine power which no meer man ever did or shall do 4. He rose again to encourage us firmly to believe in him as a most perfect Redeemer Our Surety is released and set free therefore Gods Justice is satisfied and so we are begotten unto a lively hope of eternal life by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the Dead 1 Pet. 1.3 5. By his Resurrection he hath shewed us how we ought to imitate him and to rise from the death of Sin to the life of Grace This the Apostle intimates to us Rom. 6.4 Therefore we are buried with him by Baptism into death that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father even so we also should walk in newness of life Let us consider therefore and seriously examine our selves whether we be risen with Christ or no Are our affections set on things above Acts 3.2 Do we delight in the Ordinances of God They that have a spiritual life will delight in that food whereby that spiritual life is maintained Do we delight in communion with God and exercise our selves in frequent meditation and the believing views of the Glory of the other life Those who are risen with Christ seek the things that are above SECT VIII Of our Saviours Ascension and sitting on Gods right Hand He ascended into Heaven THe words of the Creed are these He ascended into Heaven and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty In treating of this Article I shall first shew that the promised Messias was to ascend into Heaven 2. That our Jesus did really and truly ascend thither 3. I shall shew what Heaven it was he ascended into 4. The reasons of his Ascension 5. The time when he ascended 6. The place from whence he ascended I begin with the First namely that the promised Messias was to ascend into Heaven This was typified of him by the High Priests going once a year into the Holy of Holies Heb. 9.11 which was a type of Heaven The High Priest when he had slain the Sacrifice did with the blood thereof enter into the Holy of Holies So the Messias having offered up himself a Sacrifice to God for us with his own blood went into the Holy of Holies viz. into Heaven there to intercede for us by the virtue and merit of that blood And as this was typified so it was also prophesied of the Messias Psal 68.18 compared with Ephesians 4.8 Thou hast ascended up on high thou hast led Captivity Captive thou hast received gifts for men He was to conquer Sin and Death and Hell and triumphing over them he was to ascend to the highest Heaven and thence to send the precious and glorious gifts of the Spirit unto the Sons of Men. And accordingly he himself did foretell his Ascension John 6.62 and John 20.17 2. This was not only foretold of the Messias but really performed by him He who was the Eternal Son of God and by his Divinity present in Heaven while here upon the Earth did by local translation of his humane nature really and truly ascend from this earth below into the Heavens above as is sufficiently testified by these following Scriptures Mark 16.19 Luke 24.50 51. Acts 1.9 10. Christs Ascension was visibly performed in the sight of his Apostles They saw him when he ascended the holy Angels there present bearing also Testimony unto it Acts 1.10 11. 3. Let us consider the place he ascended unto which was the Heaven of Heavens he passed through all the regions of the air through all the coelestial Orbs till he came to the Heaven of Heavens the most glorious presence of the Majesty of God He ascended far above all visible Heavens to the third Heaven 2 Cor. 12.2 that he might fill all things that is fulfill all things prophesied of him 4. Let us consider the reasons why he ascended 1. Having finished the work of our Redemption it was meet he should return thither from whence he came John 16.28 John 17.4 5. 2. After his Humiliation his Exaltation was to follow The first step of which was his Resurrection and his Ascension another step of it 3. Christ by his Ascension manifested his victory over Sin Satan and Death 4. He Ascended to make intercession for us Rom. 8.34 1 Joh. 2.1 Heb. 9.24 5. That he might send down a more plentiful effusion of the gifts and graces of his Spirit And accordingly he tells his Apostles John 16.7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth it is expedient for you that I go away for if I go not away the Comforter will not come unto you John 7.38 39. He that believeth on me as the Scripture hath said out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water But this spake he of the spirit which they that believe on him should receive for the Holy-Ghost was not yet
Resurrection of the just John 6.39 And this is the Fathers will which hath sent me that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing but should raise it up again at the last day verse 40. And this is the will of him that sent me that every one which seeth the Son and believeth on him may have everlasting life and I will raise him up at the last day 1 Thes 4.14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him Verse 15. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep verse 16. For the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout with the voice of the Arch-Angel and with the trump of God and the dead in Christ sholl rise first Let us now consider what improvement we should make of this doctrine 1. Let us take heed of erring about this doctrine Let us take heed of the leven of the Sadducees who said there was no resurrection Acts 23.8 There are two sorts of persons that exceedingly erre about this doctrine 1. Those that affirm that there is no other Resurrection but that which is Spiritual viz. that of the soul from the death of sin This was the error of Hymenaeus and Philetus 2 Tim. 2.17 18. They acknowledged no other Resurrection but the renovation of the mind which passes upon a man in this life Now this Spiritual Resurrection is limited only to true Believers but the Corporal belongs to all that are in the Graves of whom our Saviour says John 5.29 They shall all come forth some to life and some to damnation which cannot possibly be meant of the Spiritual Resurrection and therefore there is another besides that 2. Those that say the same numerical body that died shall not rise again but some new airy body not flesh and blood bones and sinews as ours are made up of But this is a great error For 1. If the same bodies do not arise then 't is not a Resurrection but a new Creation I acknowledge 't is not necessary they should arise with every parcel and particle of flesh they ever had or had when they dyed but they shall rise with so much of their bodies as shall make them the same numerical bodies that died As a man in the Wars if he lose an arm or a leg yet we say and say truly he is the same man still that he was before So the dead shall rise with so much of their bodies as shall when reunited to their souls make them the same persons they were before 2. Our Saviour sayes all that are in the Graves shall come forth that is surely the same bodies that lay there and not other bodies for them Rev. 20.13 'T is said the Sea shall render up its dead surely not new bodies but the old bodies that were buried there 3. The Bodies of true Believers as well as their Souls are united to Christ and thereby made the Temples of the Holy Ghost as the Apostle assures us 1 Cor. 6.19 And can you think Christ will lose any one of his members he assures us to the contrary John 6.39 r 40. 4. The Apostle tells us this corruptible this mortal shall put on incorruption and immortality 1 Cor. 15.53 Therefore the same bodies that are now mortal and must die shall be raised And indeed the Apostle plainly shews all along in that excellent discourse of the Resurrection that he intends that the same body that dyed should rise again 5. It seems most agreeable to the Justice of God that it should be so viz. that the same numerical body that was the souls instrument either in good or evil actions either in works of Righteousness or Sin should partake with the Soul also in its rewards or punishments shall they that beat down their bodies and bring them into subjection or suffer Martyrdom in their bodies for the cause of Christ be rewarded in other bodies than those that thus suffered Or shall that body and flesh of a wicked man which was so great an instrument of his soul in sinning against God and dishonouring of him and hurting others be dissolved into dust and shall another body be framed for that miserable soul to suffer with it those exquisite torments that the damned must suffer for ever Surely this cannot be Therefore it seems most agreeable to the Justice and Providence of God that every one should receive either reward or punishment in his own body which he had here in this life 6. Christ himsâ—lf did rise with his own body viz. with that body that had been crucified And others that had slept in their Graves did come forth thence at our Saviours Resurrection and surely they came forth with those very bodies that slept there and not with new bodies Matth. 27.52 53. * We have here the first fruits of the resurrection to confiâ—m our faith And so much of the first use 2. Let us labour to strengthen our Faith in the belief of this Article And in order hereunto let us consider 1. This Article was that which many faithful Christians were ready to suffer Martyrdom for and to seal with their own blood 1 Cor. 15.29 else what shall they do or what shall become of them that are baptized that is that suffer Martyrdom * For so the word to be Baptized signifies sometimes as Mark 38. and the praepos 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies for Acts 9.16 See Apost hist page 182. for the dead namely for professing to believe the Resurrection of the dead And why stand we in jeopardy every hour viz. of the like Baptism for the same profession either from persâ—cuting Sadducees who allow no Resurrection or from the furious Jews who deny Christ to be risen 2. This Article is a great foundation of a Christians hope 1 Pet. 1.3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead For if in this life only we had hope we were of all men most miserable 1 Cor. 15.19 3. This Doctrine tends much to the illustrating the infinite wisdom power justice and mercy of God 4. It teaches us how much we owe to our Lord and Saviour who hath redeemed our bodies as well as our souls and will save our bodies as well as our souls 3. If there will be a Resurrection let us not bewail the death of our pious friends with too much sorrow or concernment Their bodies are but laid up for a glorious Resurrection 4. The consideration and belief of the Resurrection should strengthen us against the fear of our own death As God said to Jacob Gen. 46.3 4. Fear not to go down into Egypt for I will go with thee and bring thee
in his promises It should be the solid ground of our faith the stay of our Souls the foundation of all our hopes Faith is animated by Gods veracity and truth and from thence all other graces are excited in us O Christians what life should it put into our hopes to think that all those words that God hath spoken are most certainly true that all those descriptions of the everlasting Kingdom all those exceeding precious promises that concern this life or that which is to come will certainly be made good that all those expressions of the exceeding love of God to his poor Servants are certain and sure O how should our faith live upon this truth of God and by it be daily more and more strengthened And particularly that none of his promises concerning his Church will fail or fall to the ground Fourthly How thankfull should we be to God for giving us such gracious promises to encourage us in the ways of our obedience He has promised that he will never never leave nor forsake those that are in Covenant with him Heb. 13.5 We have good assurance That all things shall work together for good to them that love God Rom. 8.28 That he will give grace and glory and no good thing will he with-hold from them that walk uprightly Psal 84.11 And what can we desire more Fifthly We should labour to get an interest Christ in whom all the promises of God are Yea and Amen 2 Cor. 1.20 That is have their foundation firm establishment and unalterable ratification Sixthly We should learn the Divine art of living upon the promises of God and fetching comfort for the support of our lives from them Most men live on their present enjoyments not on Gods promises Whereas the Prophet tells us Habak 2.4 The Just shall live by his Faith Certainly nothing makes us so humble lowly and puts us into so much ease and quietness of mind as to live by Faith on God Isai 26.3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stay'd on thee because he trusteth in thee Seventhly The truth and faithfulness of God should engage us to be true and faithfull to him Have we not ingaged in our Baptism to forsake the Devil the World and the Flesh and to devote our selves to the sincere service and worship of God the Father Son and Holy Ghost Are not his Vows upon us that is Vows to serve him faithfully Psal 56.12 And shall we be like those false Israelites of whom 't is said Psal 78.36 37. Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth and they lied unto him with their Tongues For their heart was not right with him neither were they steadfast in his Covenant And have we not in the course of our lives made many particular promises to God in our particular distresses And shall we expect that God should perform his promises to us when we take no care to perform ours to him Shall we expect that God will perform his promise of pardon to us when we take no care to perform the conditions required of us upon the performance of which we may comfortly expect to have the Divine promises made good to us Eighthly We should endeavour to imitate God in this Attribute of his faithfulness Let us be true to God and true also to man Remember you serve a God of truth and 't is the glory of his servants to be like him The Devil indeed is the Father of lyes but God hates all lying as contrary to his Holy Nature If you would be like God labour to imitate him in his truth and faithfulness SECT II. Concerning the Trinity of Persons in the Vnity of the Divine Essence TO prevent all misapprehensions concerning God and the Divine Nature it will be requisite that we carefully attend unto the Declaration or Revelation that God hath been pleased to make of himself in the Holy Scriptures For surely we have all the reason in the World to assent to those assertions or testimonies that God is pleased to give unto us concerning himself and that according to their natural and genuine sence The Sum then of this Revelation held forth to us in Holy Scriptures is this That God is one That this one God is Father Son and Holy Ghost That the Father is the Father of the Son and the Son the Son of the Father and the Holy Ghost the Spirit of the Father and the Son and by reason of their mutual respects and relations to each other and their peculiar properties arising from those particular relations they viz. Father Son and Holy Ghost are distinct each from other This one God is set forth to us in the Scriptures as the only true God whom we are to believe in adore worship and obey This is the first cause Soveraign Lord and ultimate end of all For the proof hereof we shall produce Divine Testimonies whereon Faith may safely rest And first we shall prove God to be one Secondly The Father to be God the Son to be God the Holy Ghost to be God Thirdly We shall shew that the explanations usually made of this Doctrine are accordiâ—g to truth though we make use of some words or expressions which are not literally or Syllabically contained in the Holy Scriptures but are such as do not teach any other Doctrine than what is therein contained and are to our apprehensions fairly expository of them And surely if Ministers may not set forth the sence of the words of Scripture in such expressions as they apprehend do most clearly convey the true and genuine meaning of them to the People to what end serves that great Ordinance of preaching the Word I shall begin therefore with the Original Revelation and shew you what is delivered to us by Divine Testimony and this I shall give you in these particulars following First We are assured by Divine Revelation that God is one Deut. 6.4 Hear O Israel the Lord our God is one Lord. Isai 44.6.8 Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel and his Redeemer the Lord of Hosts I am the first and I am the last and besides me there is no God Is there any God besides me Yea there is no God I know not any Isai 45.5 I am the Lord and there is none else there is no God besides me 1 Cor. 8.4 As concerning therefore the eating of things Offered in Sacrifice unto Idols we know that an Idol is nothing in the World and that there is none other God but one Secondly That the Father is God He is often so called only in reference to his Son And if he had an eternal Son as we shall prove presently He is an Eternal Father and his Paternity was from Eternity co-existent with his Deity The Father is a person subsisting of himself This is denied by none Eph. 1.3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all Spiritual blessings in Christ Luk. 23.34 Then said Jesus Father forgive
them for they know not what they do Eph. 3.14 For thâ—s cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ 1 Cor. 8.6 To us there is but one God the Father of whom are all things and we in Him Joh. 17.5 And now O Father glorifie thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the World was Joh. 3.16 For God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son That whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life Joh. 20.17 Jesus saith unto her Touch me not For I am not yet ascended to my Father Thirdly That Jesus Christ is God the Eternal Son of God and did prae-exist in the form or Essence of God having all the properties of the Deity before his Incarnation which was effected by voluntary actings of his own which could not be without a prae-existence in another Nature Let us consider the Divine Testimonies whereby this truth is confirmed and established Psal 45.6 Thy Throne O God is for ever and ever The Scepter of thy Kingdom is a right Scepter This is applied unto Christ Heb. 1.8 But unto the Son he saith Thy Throne O God is for ever and ever c. Psal 102.25 26 27. Of old thou hast laid the Foundation of the Earth and the Heavens are the work of thy hands They shall perish but thou shalt endure yea all of them shall wax old like a Garment as a Vesture shalt thou change them and they shall be changed But thou art the same and thy years shall have no end This is declared by the Apostle to be meant of the Son of God Heb. 1.10 And Thou Lord in the beginning hast laid the Foundation of the Earth And the Heavens are the works of thine hands c. Prov. 8. from the â—2 to the 31. The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way before his works of old I was set up from everlasting from the beginning or ever the Earth was When there were no depths I was brought forth When there were no Fountains abounding with Water Before the Mountains were setled before the Hills was I brought forth * He is called the only begotten Son of God Joh. 1.14 Angels and Adam were the Sons of God by Creation The Worshippers of the true God are called the Sons of God by profession Gen. 6 1. All true Believers are his Children by Adoption Joh. 1.12 But Christ is the Son of God by Nature by Eternal Generation Whilst as yet he had not made the Earth nor the Fields nor the highest part of the dust of the World When he prepared the Heavens I was there When he set a compass upon the face of the Depth When he established the Clouds above When he strengthened the Fountains of the Deep When he gave to the Sea his Decree that the Waters should not pass his Commandment When he appointed the Foundations of the Earth Then I was by him as one brought up with him And I was daily his delight rejoycing always before him Isai 9.6 For unto us a Child is born unto us a Son is given and the Government shall be upon his shoulder And his Name shall be called Wonderful Counsellour The mighty God The everlasting Father The Prince of peace Jer. 23.5 6. Behold the days come saith the Lord that I will raise unto David a righteous branch and a King shall reign and prosper and shall execute Judgment and Justice in the Earth In his days Judah shall be saved and Israel shall dwell safely And this is his Name whereby he shall be called The Lord our Righteousness Joh. 1. v. 1. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God v. 2. The same was in the beginning with God v. 3. All things were made by him and without him was not any thing made that was made v. 14. And the Word was made Flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory the glory as of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth v. 18. No man hath seen God at any time the only begotten which is in the bosom of the Father he hath declared him Joh. 3.13 And no man hath ascended up to Heaven but he that came down from Heaven even the Son of man which is in Heaven Act. 20.28 Take heed therefore unto your selves and to all the Flock over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you Overseers to feed the Church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood Rom. 9.5 Whose are the Fathers and of whom as concerning the Flesh Christ came who is over all God blessed for ever Amen Col. 1.15 Who is the Image of the invisible God the first born * As being from all Eternity begotten of the Father before any Creature was made or created and so Lord and Heir of all the Creatures as the First-born was among his Brethren Gen. 49.3 of every Creature v. 16. For by him were all things Created that are in Heaven and that are in Earth visible and invisible whether they be Thrones or Dominions or Principalities or Powers All things were created by him and for him v. 17. And he is before all things and by him all things consist 1 Tim. 3.16 And without controversie great is the Mystery of godliness God was manifest in the Flesh justified in the Spirit seen of Angels preached unto the Gentiles believed on in the World received up into Glory 1 Joh. 5.20 And we know that the Son of God is come and hath given us an understanding that we may know him that is true And we are in him that is true even in his Son Jesus Christ This is the true God and Eternal life And thus much of the Divine Testimonies that prove that Christ is God The Socinians indeed acknowledge that Christ is God but they say he is not so by Nature but by Office They say He is not the most high Eternal God This therefore we shall labour to prove by several arguments First He had a Personal prae-existence unto the whole Creation And nothing can prae-exist * Quod ante omnem creaturam suisse dicitur simpliciter aeterrum est Gloss to all Creatures but in the Nature of God which is Eternal In the beginning the Word was God and so continues unto Eternity Joh. 1. â—â— In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God Yet he was so God that he was distinct in something from God the Father by whom afterwards he was sent into the World The Word was with God and so distinct from him and was God and so one with him And he was so from the beginning before the Creation that he made all things even the World viz. All things in Heaven and Earth To which we may add our Saviours own Words Joh. 17.5 And now O Father glorifie thou me with the glory I had
made man after his own Image I come now Secondly to shew what Laws he gave him The Law given to Adam in innocency was tâ—â—fold 1. Naturall which was written or imprinted upon his Soul in his first Creation 2. Positive given as is probable by some external discovery or revelation and imposed on man to try whether he would be obedient to his Creator or no. The Law of Nature as subjected in mans mind consists in certain practical Notions or Rules about good and evil right and wrong true and false just and unjust honest and dishonest And mans will was dispos'd and inclin'd to conform to the Dictates of this Law So that these Natural Laws by which Man was to be governed and which were at first stamped on his Soul were such as were exceeding agreeable to his Reason and sutable to the inclinations of his will and not at all contradicted or opposed by any principle within him which might make him doubtful about his duty or disincline him to the performance of it So that Adam in innocency was indued with sufficient ability to conform to the whole Law of God both Natural and Positive He was furnished with particular Principles inclining him to comply with whatsoever the Law of Nature prescribed and with a general Principle disposing him to yield obedience to whatsoever any positive Law as the declared will of God should injoin Thus much of the Law of Nature I come now to shew what positive Law God gave Adam in innocency Of the Covenant of Works God having placed our first Parents in Paradise besides the Law of Nature which he wrote on their hearts he gave them also a positive command to assert his right and dominion over them as their Creator that they might be obliged to do something because it was their Creators will as well as other things because they appeared in their own Nature reasonable and fit to be done Something 's God commands because they are in themselves and in their own Nature just and fit to be done and other things are therefore fit to be done because God commands them God therefore gave Adam a positive Law as a test or proof of his obedience and to try him how he would behave himself towards his Maker Gen. 2.16 17. And the Lord God commanded the man saying of every Tree of the Garden thou mayest freely eat but of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it for in the day that thou eatest thereof of thou shalt surely die In these words is contained the Covenant that God made with man at first and which is commonly called the Covenant of Works or Covenant of Nature being made with man in the time of his innocent Nature And this is contradistinguished to the Covenant of Grace which was made with man after the Fall of which we shall speak more afterwards Now a Covenant between God and man is not to be considered as between man and man where consent is mutually requisite For man was bound to accept the terms God offered him being in themselves exceeding reasonable God is an absolute Lord and hath full power in his hands to give and impose what Laws he pleases on his Creatures and to require what duties and impose what conditions he sees good and man is bound to accept and submit unto the Law or Covenant so propounded and imposed And in a dutiful performance of the conditions on his part required he may expect the benefits promised Here therefore it will be requisite 1. To shew that this was a Covenant 2. To shew the Nature of it Now that the command included in a Covenant may appear 1. Because God promises Adam life if he obey As if he should have said Till the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely live So much must needs be included 2. He threatens him with death if he disobeyed In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely dye 3. We find our first Parents did so understand it by Eve's words to the Serpent Gen. 3.2 3. The woman said unto the Serpent We may eat of the fruit of the Trees in the Garden But of the fruit of the Tree which is in the midst of the Garden God hath said Ye shall not eat of it neither shall ye touch it lest ye die 4. He appointed the Tree of life as a Sacrament * Erat homini in lignis aliis alimentum in hoc vâ—ro Sacramentum Aug. de Gen. or Symbol of this Covenant Gen. 2.9 Which Tree did signifie to them that they should always enjoy that happy estate in which they were made upon condition of their obedience viz. A most blessed life free from all misery and flowing with all manner of good things that were agreeable to the Soul and Body of man in that perfect state Having thus shewed that those words Gen. 2.16 17. contained a Covenant we come now to consider 1. The Nature and Tenour of this Covenant And for the clearing of that let us observe these particulars 1. The great honour that God put upon man by entring into Covenant with him 'T is a great honour to a mean man to have a King enter into Covenant with him How much greater honour is it unto Man to have the great God of Heaven and Earth to enter into Covenant with him 2. Observe the great goodness of God in laying upon man no harder a command then the forbearing of one Tree which he must needs judge easie and reasonable 3. Obâ—erve Mans great advantage by this Covenant Before this God had not engaged himself to man to continue him in that happy estate in which he had made him Nothing hindred but he might have annihilated him But by this Covenant God freely bound himself and gave man a right to expect the things promised in this Covenant God now promises to continue mans life and happiness if man continued his obedience 4. Under this Covenant man was furnished with sufficient ability to stand but was left in the hand of his own counsel He was left in a mutable state he might stand or he might fall 5. Observe Gods great care of man in arming his mutable will against falling both by promises and threatnings He encourages him to obedience by the reward promised he deters him from disobedience by the danger threatned What greater good could man expect than what was here promised What greater evil could he fear than what was here threatned 6. This Covenant required on mans part perfect personal and perpetual obedience as the condition of it It required perfect obedience to the moral Law stamped on mans heart and to this pâ—sitive precept which God had given him A curse and death was to be the wâ—ges of the least transgression thereof But if he were obedient he might expect a reward answerable to his works and thereupon it was called a Covenant of works 7. Under the Covenâ—â—t man had no need of a Mediator Till man
5.6 and unable to come up to the obedience the Law requires of us 6. Mans carnal mind is said to be enmity against God Rom. 8.7 For 't is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be till it be effectually changed Secondly Observe by what terms the Scripture expresses mans recovery out of this sad estate 1. 'T is called Regeneration Tit. 3.5 Joh. 3.3 5. 2. A Spiritual Resurrection A quickning and raising from the death of sin to the life of grace Joh. 5 24 25. Eph. 2.1 3. A new Creation and Gods own Workmanship Eph. 2.10 By all which it may appear that though mans misery be from himself yet his help is only from the free grace of God It remains now that we inquire what use we are to make of this Doctrine of our Fall in Adam 1. This should humble us for our Original Apostasie from God the Apostasie of our Head 2. We should take heed of imitating our first Parents in their disobedience and Apostasie Pride undid them and undid the Angels that fell let us take heed of falling into the condemnation of the Devils 1 Tim. 3.6 Therefore our blessed Saviour who came to undo the works of the Devil comes in the lowest humility imaginable even in the form of a Servant 3. A Third instruction we may gather from the consideration of the instrument of our first Parents disobedience The Devil having Apostatized himself from God was restless till he had drawn our First Parents into the like Apostasie and Rebellion While we live let us take heed of the Company of Apostates and such as are fallen off from God and the practice and profession of true Piety 4. If our first Parents fell from God by disobedience in Paradise how should we tremble that walk in a corrupt World and carry corrupt hearts about us How ought we to cease from trusting in our selves and to put all our trust and confidence in God If the Devil prevailed over Adam how much more easily may he prevail over us If he could deceive by a Serpent how much more easily may he deceive when he uses men for his instruments that are like our selves And this is further to be observ'd that the more godly any are the more will the Devil labour to foil them For if he can foil one of them he blurs their profession and by such a scandal makes others shy of it Oh do you not see will the World then say what kind of Saints these are They are all such Saints in profession but Hypocrites at the heart And thus by the falls of Professors the Devil mightily advances his own Kingdom 5. Seeing we were all involved in the guilt of our first Parents disobedience and seeing we have received from them by our immediate Parents a corrupt and depraved Nature let us consider that this is no estate to be rested in If we rest and abide in our natural and corrupt estate let us remember that the wrath of God abideth on us Oh let us think seriously on this and lay it to heart Joh. 3.3 Sayes our Saviour Except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God If death seize thee before thou art regenerate and born again better thou hadst never been born 'T is not enough believe it to be a civil honest man or woman to live neighbourly and friendly though that is in it self indeed very commendable but I say that is not enough to secure our Souls against the Justice of God By Nature we are all Children of wrath bond-slaves of Satan and a great change must pass upon us if ever we intend to come to the Kingdom of God 6. Let all Parents and Masters of Families labour to convince those under their charge of their miserable condition by Nature and let them endeavour faithfully to acquaint them with the way and means how they may escape out of it Let them shew them that seeing they are undone by the First Adam they must labour to recover themselves by the Second 7. Seeing Christ hath done so much to redeem us let us consider how greatly our Damnation will be aggravated if we neglect the great Salvation tendred by him in the Gospel I come now to the Third thing to be considered concerning man and that is 3. The way and means of his recovery by Christ Man by his fall having made himself uncapable of life by this first Covenant viz. The Covenant of Works it pleased the Lord to make a Second Covenant with him namely the Covenant of Grace Of the Covenant of Grace wherein he freely offers unto sinners life and Salvation by Jesus Christ requiring they should repent of their sins and believe in him that they may be saved In treating of this Covenant that I may proceed more methodically I shall 1. Compare these two Covenants viz. of works and grace together and shew wherein they agree and wherein they differ 2. I shall open more particularly the Nature of the Covenant of Grace First I shall shew wherein they agree 1. They agree in the Author God is the Author of them both 2. They agree in the parties concerned God and men are the Parties concerned in both Covenants 3. They agree in this that in both there is a promise of life and blessedness 4. In both Covenants there is a condition required on our parts for the obtaining the blessedness promised Neither of the Covenants promise life and blessedness absolutely whether we obey or no whether we beleive or no but under the condition of Obedience and Faith 5. B th Covenants require a perfect Righteousness of us if we intend to obtain the blessedness promised No blessedness is promised in either Covenant but upon condition of bringing in a perfect Righteâ—usness either of our own or anothers And these are the things wherein thâ—y agree In the next place let us consider wherein they dâ—ffer 1. They differ in the condition required One requires Works the other Faith The one sayes do this and live The other believe in the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved Acts 16.31 In the Covenant of Works there was indeed an act of Faith required viz. that God would give the blessed life promised upon mans performance of his duty and obedience but it was not such a Faith as is required in the Covenant of Grace which is the receiving and apprehending and trusting our Souls on the righteousness which is wrought for us by the active and passive obedience of Christ The â—ovenant of Grace also requires Works For the Grace of God that bringeth Salvation teacheth us to deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live Righteously Soberly and Godlily in this present world c. And Christ gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto himself a peculiar people Zeal us of good works Tit. 2.11 12 14. But it doth not require works from the same principle that the Covenant of Works does
That requires works to be performed by our own strength and ability received at our creation whereby we were sufficiently inabled to do the things required of us But the Covenant of Grace requires works to be done by the assistance of the Spirit of Christ Phiâ— 4.13 I can do all things sayes the Apostle through Christ that strengthneth me Therefore the obedience of the Gospel is called the obedience of Faith Rom. 16.26 as following Faith and springing from it Repentance and Faith are not so in mans power now as Obedience was under the Covenant of Works And secondly it doth not require works for the same end For the Covenant of Works requires works as the way and means of our standing right before God But the Covenant of Grace doth not require works as the matter of our Righteousness and Justification before God but that thereby we should glorify God in this World be fitted for Heaven and should evidence and testifie our renewed nature 2. In the Covenant of Works there was no Mediator But in the Covenant of Grace there is Therefore the one is called Foedus amicitiae the other Foedus misericordiae 3. One sin broke the Covenant of Works but in the Covenant of Grace there is pardon obtainable for multiplied transgressions Isa 55.7 Let the wicked man forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon 4. The Covenant of Works gave unto man some occasion as it were to glory if he had stood But the Covenant of Grace cuts off from Man all pretence to glory in himself and engages him to give all the glory intirely unto God So saith the Apostle Rom. 3.27 Where is boasting then It is excluded By what Law of Works Nay But by the Law of Faith And 1 Cor. 1.31 The Apostle tells us Christ is made unto us Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption He that glorieth let him glory in the Lord. So Eph. 2.9 By grace are ye saved through Faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God not of Works lest any man should boast Having thus shewed the agreement and difference between these two Covenants I come now to speak more particularly of the Covenant of Grace Concerning which let us observe these things 1. The Covenant of Grace was for substance one and the same in all ages of the Church though diversly administred before and after the coming of Christ From Adam to Noah from Noah to Abraham from Abraham to Moses from Moses to David and so on from David to Christ and from Christ to the end of the World the Covenant of Grace hath been one and the same without change or alteration Yet it was administred in a different manner under the Old and New Testament and thence it had the denomination of Old and New Covenant Yet both did agree in many things As Of the old administration of the Covenant of Grace of the new 1. They both lead to one and the same Mediator by and through whom the blessings promised are to be expected Christ at his Resurrection raised up together with himself many of the Saints who died under the former Covenant as we read Mat. 27.52 Whereby he shewed that the benefit of his Mediation Death and Resurrection did belong to them under the old Covenant as well as to us under the new But some will perhaps say that Christ is called the Mediator of the New Testament Heb. 9.15 Answ He is so in respect of actual and personal confirmation of it by his own blood which was not done in the old Covenant But he was Mediator of the old Covenant as may appear by the types that did prefigure him and in respect of the vertue and efficacy of his blood which was to be shed which did take away the sins committed under the old Covenant as to them that truly believed in him Hereunto agrees that in Heb. 13.8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday and to day and for ever that is as to the vertue of his death 2. The same condition is required under both administrations namely Repentance and Faith in the Messiah 'T is true many of the Jews under the old Covenant sought Righteousness by the works of the Law and not by Faith in the Messiah but this was their error and sin It was not the true Doctrine of that Covenant 3. Under both there was the same Law and Rule of Life to walk by viz. the Moral Law Jam. 28. This Law is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Royal or a Kingly Law because it hath a Kingly and authoritative power over all Mankind 4. They both propound the same Salvation God would not have called himself the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob if they had not been saved Neither would the place of Rest haâ—e been called Abrahams bosome if Abraham himself had not had part in that place of Rest But some will object Heb. 8.8 9. Where 't is said the New Covenant is not as the Old I answer We must distinguish betwixt the substance of the Covenant and the manner of its dispensation In respect of the dispensation the new is not as the old though it be as to substance As Rebecca vailed and unvailed was the same woman and yet not the same The same in person not the same in habit and attire That which brought the blessing to Abraham was this that he believed on that seed which was to spring from him looking for Righteousness and Life by him So then the old Covenant spoken of in the old testament and the new which is now published in the Gospel are for substance one and the same without any essential difference between them But though they thus agreed yet in many things they differed As particularly 1. The old administration of the Covenant of Grace was more burthensome the new is more easie this the Apostle plainly intimates Acts 15.10 Now therefore why tempt ye God to put a yoke upon the neck of the Disciples which neither our Fathers nor we were able to bear And Gal. 4.3 Even so we when we were children were in bondage under the elements of the World There were required under the old Covenant Circumcision costly Sacrifices and Oblations tedious journeys to Jerusalem at the three solemn feasts restraint from many liberties which we enjoy under the new 2. The one was more dark the other is more clear Eternal life was not so clearly discovered in the old Testament as it is in the new 2 Tim. 1.10 Yea Christ himself and his offices and benefits were then but darkly revealed Hence the Gospel is called the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the World began Rom. 16.25 not that it was absolutely hid or kept secret but comparatively in respect of the more clear and plain discovery of it afforded to us in these dayes Hence that of our Saviour to
in Old time by the will of man But Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost 2. He taught himself in Person for the space of about Three years and a half John 12.49 For I have not spoken of myself but the Father which sent me he gave me a commandment what I should say and what I should speak Eph. 4.21 The Apostle tells the Ephesians they would not give themselves up to Licenciousness if so be they had been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus that is had received the Divine truth as it was preached by Christ himself and is delivered in his Gospel John 15.15 All things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you John 8.26 I have many things to say and he that sent me is true and I speak to the Word those things which I have heard of him And Vers 28. Then said Jesus unto them when ye have lift up the Son of man then shall ye know that I am he and that I do nothing of my self but as my Father hath taught me I speak these things Here let us observe 1. The Matter he taught which in general was what he had heard and received of his Father John 7.16 My Doctrine is not mine but his that sent me Joh. 17.8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me and they have received them and have known surely that I came out from thee and they have believed that thou didst send me In particular he taught both Law and Gospel The Law he vindicated from the corrupt glosses of the Pharisees who placed the observance of it in outward acts But he shews that the Law forbids not only outward acts but in-ward lusts also And besides the Law he preached also the Gospel as you may see Joh. 6.40 And this is the will of him that sent me that every one that seeth the Son and believeth on him may have everlasting life and I will raise him up at the last day And John 3.16 God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life 2. Let us observe also the places where he taught 1. In the Synagogues Mark 6.2 2. In the Temple Matth. 26.55 3. In the Cities and Villages Mark 6.6 Luke 8.1 4. By the Sea-side and out of a Ship Mark 4.1 Matth. 8.2 5. In Houses and Streets c. John 13. Chap. 14. Chap. 15. Chap. 16. Luke 13.26 6. On the Mount Matth. 5. Chap. 6. Chap. 7. 3. Let us observe the manner of his teaching which was frequently by Parables and Similitudes and he spake with Authority 4. Let us observe how he confirmed his Doctrine with sundry Miracles which were real plain open and visible to Multitudes of Spectators and Witnesses Matth. 11.4 5. 3. He taught also by his Apostles Evangelists and Ministers giving them extraordinary gifts and stirring up some of them to write Books by the inspiration of his Holy Spirit for the Churches use Eph. 4.11 12. 4. He now teaches outwardly by those Pastors and Teachers and Ministers of his word whom in all ages he raises up for that purpose And thus much of his outward Teaching As for his inward Teaching he performed that of Old and so does also now by his Holy Spirit 1 Pet. 1.10 11. Of which Salvation the Prophets have enquired and searched diligently who Prophesied of the grace that should come unto you Searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signifie when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow John 16.13 14. Howbeit when he the Spirit of Truth is come he will guide you into all truth for he shall not speak of himself but whatsoever he shall hear that shall he speak and he will shew you things to come He shall glorifie me for he shall receive of mine and shall shew it unto you It remains now that we consider what improvement we are to make of this Doctrine that Christ is a Prophet Let us learn these Lessons from it 1. If Christ be so great a Prophet and teaches now by his Ministers then they should be listned to as Dispensers of his Mysteries 1 Cor. 4.1 2. Let a man so account of us as of the Ministers of Christ and Stewards of the Mysteries of God c. 2. We should pray to Christ that he would please to teach us inwardly by his holy Spirit * The Spirit teaches by inlightning the minde and inclining the heart and bowing the will to obey 3. We should labour to be humble For the humble he will teach 2. Christ was a Priest Christ was a Priest There are Two parts of his Priest-hood Oblation Intercession 1. Oblation We were all liable by reason of our sins to eternal punishment from which we could not be freed except our sins were remitted Now without shedding of blood there was no remission Heb. 9.22 It was therefore necessary that Christ should appear to put away sin by the Sacrifice of himself Heb. 9.26 2. When Jesus had offered up himself a Propitiatory Sacrifice for our sins He ascended up on high and entred into the Holy of Holies to make intercession for us Rom. 8.34 Who is he that condemneth It is Christ that died yea rather that is risen again who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us Heb. 7.25 He ever liveth to make intercession for us In the time of the Old Levitical Priest-hood the High-Priests Office had two Parts 1. Oblation to offer up Sacrifice 2. Presentation of it in the Holy of Holies with prayer and intercession unto God to accept it for the sins of the People See Levit. 16 from 11 to 17. Now in answer to this Type there are two distinct parts of Christs Priest-hood 1. The offering up himself a Sacrifice on the Cross for us Heb. 9.26 which answers to the killing of the Sacrifice without the Holy of Holies 2. He carried this his Blood virtually into the Holy of Holies namely into Heaven Heb. 9.12 where he appears and there also prays and intercedes for us in the virtue and merit of that Blood And the Type of those prayers was the Cloud of Incense made by the High Priest Both these parts of his Priesthood the Apostle mentions 1 Joh. 2.2 Where he calls Christ a Propitiation or a Propitiatory Sacrifice for our sins and an Advocate to the Father for us Christ therefore offered a Satisfactory Sacrifice to God for us on the Cross and now intercedes for us in Heaven The virtue of Christs Priest-hood began with the first sinner that was pardoned By him alone all that are pardoned are accepted and without him none ever were or will be accepted His blood was reputed by God as shed from the time that the first Promise of the Covenant of Grace was
to the Jews But now is my Kingdom not from hence Rom. 14.17 For the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink but righteousness and peace and jâ—y in the Holy Ghost In the Kingdom of Christ 1. The King is Spiritual the Lord from Heaven 2. The Subjects are Spiritual those that are regenerated 3. The Laws are Spiritual reaching the inward man 4. The Priviledges are Spiritual Justification Adoption Sanctification Glorification Now Christ's solemn inauguration into this His Kingly Office was at his Ascention into Heaven and sitting on the right hand of the Father Not but that he was a King by right before but he entred on the ful and publick execution of this his office when God raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand in heavenly places far above all Principalities and Powers Eph. 1.20 21. Then He whose name is the word of God had on his vesture and on his thigh a name written King of Kings and Lord of Lords Rev. 19.13 16. Let us now consider what improvement we ought to make of this Article that Christ is a King 1. If Christ be a King we should daily pray that his Kingdâ—m may come that is His Kingdom of Grace into the hearts of men We should all earnestly desire and pray that he may reign in our hearts and the hearts of others by his holy Spirit 2. This may shew us the blessedness of those that are his Subjects They are under a powerful Protector 3. We should all examine our selves whether his Kingdom beset up in us or no. Christ is sometimes called the Head of the Church Eph. 1.22 23. Let us seriously consider whether we are guided and governed by him as the members of the body are by the Head and whether we do receive life and influence from him 4. If Christ be a King then we may assure our selves that he is able to defend his Church and subdue the enemies of it though they be never so strong or subtil 5. If Christ be a King then we should acknowledge his Soveraignty The Apostle tells us Phil. 2.10 11. That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in Heaven and things in Earth and things under the Earth And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father To bow at the name of Jesus is to confess his Soveraignty to submit to his power and to humble our selves before him 6. If Christ be a King We should pray that the Kingdoms contrary to his Kingdom may be subverted viz. the Kingdom of Sin Satan and Anti-Christ And thus much of Christs three-fold Office We come now to speak of the third Title given him in the antient Creed which is His only Son Christ is the only Son of God Thus Nathanael the true Israelite makes his confession of him John 1.49 Rabbi thou art the Son of God thou art King of Israel Thus Martha expresses her Faith concerning him John 11.27 I believe that thou art the Christ the Son of God which should come into the World This was the famous confession of Peter John 6.69 His only Son We believe and are sure that thou art that Christ the Son of the living God Mat. 16.16 And Simon Peter answered and said Thou art Christ the Son of the living God And the Gospel of John was written that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God John 20.31 Now Christ is so the Son of God as no other is or was or ever can be He is his only Son his only begotten Son This I shall further explain by these particulars following 2 Our Saviour had a real being and existence before his conception here on Earth and distinct from that being which he assumed here John 8.58 Before Abraham was I am Yea he had a Being before the Flood 1 Pet. 3.18 19. For Christ also hath once suffered for sins the Just for the unjust that he might bring us to God being put to death in the flesh but quickned in the Spirit By which also he went and preached to the Spirits now in prison who were disobedient in the days of Noah Yea he had a being before the World began for the World was made by him so the Apostle tells us Heb. 1.2 God hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son whom he hath appointed Heir of all things by whom also he made the Worlds Col. 1.17 He is before all things and by him all things consist 2. The being which he had before his conception was not a created being but the Divine Essence he was truly God John 17.5 And now O Father glorifie thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the World was See more in the third Section of the first Chapter 3. The Divine Essence which he hath was eternally communicated to him from the Father who was always Father as well as always God And this is called his Eternal Generation And therefore he is called the only begotten Son of God John 3.16 For God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son That whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life And thus he is distinguished from the Holy Ghost who proceeds from the Father and the Son and from the Adopted Sons of God being his Eternal Son by eternal and ineffable Emanation Joh. 7.29 I know him that sent me says Christ for I am from him Joh. 1.18 No man hath seen God at any time the only begotten Son which is in the bosom of the Father he hath declared him Bâ—t some will possibly here object God the Father says of Christ Psal 2.7 Act. 13.30 33. Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee To which we answer God speaks not there of Christs Generation but of the manifestation of it which was accomplished at the time of his Resurrection by which he was mightily declared to be the Son of God Rom. 1.4 And though he was then declar'd to be so yet his Generation was Eternal The Grave is as the Womb of the Earth Christ when he was raised from the dead was as it were begotten to a new life and on this account God who now raised him is stiled his Father But some will further Object Christ is called The first Born of every Creature Col. 1.15 How can he then be the Eternal Son of God I answer he is call'd The first born of every Creature because he was begotten of God as the Son of his love antecedently to all other Emanations from him and before any thing was framed or created by him And thus much for the Explication of this Article Let us now consider what improvement we should make of it 1. This should shew us the excellency and dignity of the Person of the Messias and should assure us of the infinite value of his active and passive obedience As our offences are aggravated
22. to the end Mat. 9. from 18. to 27. 21. He restores two blind men to their sight Mat. 9. from 27. to 32. 22. He casts a Devil out of a man which made him speechless Mat. 9. from 32. to 35. 23. He teaches now at Nazareth his Countrey where he is despised Mark 6. from 1. to 7. Mat. 13. from 54. to 59. 24. He hath compassion on the multitude who were as Sheep without a Shepherd and exhorts his Disciples to pray that Labourers may be sent into the Harvest Mat. 9. from 35. to 39. 25 He sends out his twelve Apostles to Preach and to work Miracles he giveth them their Charge and Commission and fortifieth them against persecutions and promises a blessing to those that receive them Mat. 10. from 1. to 43. Mark 6. from 7. to 12. Luke 9. from 1. to 7. 26. The Apostles depart and Preach up and down and cast out Devils and anoint such as were sick with Oyl and recover them Mark 6. from 12. to 14. Matth. 11.1 27. John Baptist is now beheaded by Herod and his body buried by his Disciples Mark 6. from 17 to 30. Mat. 14. from 3. to 13. 28. Herod hearing of the fame of Christ thinks him to be John Baptist risen from the Dead others think him to be Elias or one of the old Prophets Mat. 14.1 2. Mark 6. from 14 to 18. Luke 9. from 7. to 10. 29. The Apostles having preached up and down return to their Master and give him an account of their Labours He takes them with him into a desert place whither a great Multitude followed him of about five thousand men whom he feedeth with five loaves and two fishes Mark 6. from 30. to 45. Mat. 14 from 13. to 22. Luke 9. from 10. to 18. John 6. from 1. to 14. 30. The People are so affected with this Miracle that they would forthwith have made him King but he withdraws himself to avoid it and sends his Disciples to Sea in the mean time retires himself to the Mountain to pray then he cometh to his Disciples they being in a great Tempest walking on the Sea Peter desires leave from him that he may come to him on the water which being granted Peter being afraid beginneth to sink but is saved by him He stilleth the Tempest whereby he is acknowledged to be the Son of God He comes again into the Land of Genezareth and heals many sick persons John 6. from 14. to 22. Mark 6. from 45. to 57. Mat. 14. from 22. to 37. 31. The multitude that had been miraculously fed by him follow after him and find him at Capernaum He reproves them for following him for loaves and admonishes them to seek for incorruptible food which is to be obtained by Faith in him He shews that Faith in him comes from the Father He declares himself to be the Bread of life to true Believers that his Flesh is meat indeed and his Blood drink indeed which must be eaten and drunken Spiritually to obtain eternal life At this Doctrine several of his Disciples stumbled he instructs them concerning the right sence of his words Many of his Disciples forsake him Peter and the other Apostles confess that he hath the words of eternal life and abide with him He declareth that one of them is a Devil John 6. from 22. to the end The fifth part of our Saviours life from the third Passeover after his Baptism to the fourth containing the Acts of the third year of his publick Ministry In which we have these particulars 1. Our Saviour now goeth up to the Passeover at Jerusalem and making there but a short stay returns into Galilee John 7.1 2. Certain Scribes and Pharisees come thither to him from Jerusalem and quarrel with him because his Disciples did eat with unwashen hands He reproves their Hypocrisie and Transgressing of Gods Commandments through their Traditions instancing in the Fifth Commandment Then he sheweth what it is that truly defileth a man viz. that which cometh from within out of the heart Mat. 15. from 1. to 21. Mark 7. from 1. to 24. 3. He now retires himself into the borders of Tyre and Sidon where he casteth out a Devil out of the Daughter of a Canaanitish woman highly commending the strength of her Faith who would not be discouraged though he called her Dog Mat. 15. from 21. to 29. Mark 7. from 24. to 31. 4. He healeth one deaf and dumb putting his fingers into his ears and saying Ephatha and touching his Tongue Mark 7. from 31. to 38. 5. He goeth up into a Mountain and there he heals all manner of diseased People brought unto him Mat. 15. from 29. to 32. 6. He feeds four thousand men with seven loaves and a few little Fishes Mat. 15. from 32. to the end Mark 8. from 1. to the 10. 7. He refuses to give the Pharisees and Sadduces any new Sign from Heaven but refers them to what was prefigured by the rising of Jonah out of the Whales belly Mark 8. from 10. to 13. Mat. 16. from 1. to 5. 8. He warneth his Disciples of the leaven and corrupt Doctrine of the Pharisees Sadducees and Herodians Mark 8. from 13. to 22. Mat. 16. from 5. to 13. 9. At Bethsaida he restores a blind man to his sight Mark 8. from 22. to 27. 10. Divers opinions of the people concerning him Peters confession of him to be the true Messiah whom he commendeth and promiseth upon the rock of that truth to build his Church which he will govern by the Ministry of his Apostles and his other Servants that shall succeed them giving them the Keys of his Kingdom He foretelleth his Death and Resurrection and rejects the evil Counsel of Peter disswading him from dying and suffering He requires of all that would be his Disciples to be willing to bear the Cross and to be ready to lay down their lives for him He gives them an intimation that some of them there present should see a Type and resemblance of his second coming in the destruction he should bring upon Jerusalem and the Jewish Nation by the Romans for their obstinacy Mat. 16. from 13. to 29. Mark 8. from 27. to the end Mark 9.1 Luke 9. from 28. to 28. 11. He taketh Peter James and John into an high Mountain and is transfigured before them Moses and Elias appearing to them from Heaven he is declared to be the Son of God He teacheth that John is that Elias that was to come Mat. 17. from 1. to 14. Mark 9. from 2. to 14. Luke 9. from 18. to 37. 12. He casteth out a Devil that inflicted dumbness and deafness on a Lunatick which his Disciples were not able to do the cause whereof is declared as also the power of Faith quickned by Fasting and Prayer Mat. 17. from 14. to 22. Mark 9. from 14. to 30. Luke 9. from 37. to 43. 13. He again foretelleth his Death and Resurrection Mark 9. from 30. to 33. Mat. 17. from 22.
they had performed whom he teacheth to be humble and wherein they ought most to rejoyce He giveth thanks to his Father who hath hid Mysteries of Salvation from the wise of the World and hath revealed them to despised little ones He sheweth from whom saving knowledge cometh He declareth them happy whose eyes have seen the Messiah in the flesh whom many Prophets and Kings desired to see and saw not Luke 10. from 17. to 25. 25. He answereth a Doctor of the Law inquiring what he must do to inherit Eternal Life and shews him who is his Neighbour by a similitude of one fallen among Thieves and pitied by a Samaritan Luke 10. from 38. to 43. 26. He is now entertained at Bethany by Martha and Mary where he commends the Godliness of Mary above the Carefulness of Martha Luke 10. from 38. to 43. 27. He now a second time prescribes unto his Disciples that fâ—rm or pattern of Prayer which he gave them in the Sermon on the Mount He stirs them up to fervency and importunity in Prayer from the Parable of a Friend coming to his Friend at midnight and especially to pray for the Holy Spirit which the Father will not deny to them that ask him Luke 11. from 1. to 14. 28. He casteth out a dumb Devil and confutes the Blasphemy of those who said he did it by Belzebub He shews by a Parable the miserable state of that man into whom the unclean spirit returns again after ejectment Luke 11. from 14. to 27. 29. He sheweth to a woman who pronounced the womb blessed that bare him that they are blessed that hear the word of God and keep it Luke 11. from 27. to 29. 30. He testifies that no other sign shall be given to those unbelieving Jews than that signified by Jona's rising out of the Whales belly that is the wonder of his Resurrection He opposeth to their stifneckedness the example of the Queen of the South and the men of Nineveh He teacheth by the similitude of a Candle that the light of the Gospel must not be hid He shews why that generation continued so blind namely because the eye of their mind was darkned Luke 11. from 29. to 37. 31. He is invited to dinner by a Pharisee He complies not with them in washing before dinner He there reprehends the Pharisees Scribes and Lawyers for their Hypocrisie Ambition and Cruelty against those sent to them from God and threatneth the Judgment of God unto them They lay new snares to catch him but fail of their expectation Luke 11. from 37. to the end 32. He warneth his Disciples of the Leaven and corrupt Doctrine of the Pharisees he exhorts them to do all things uprightly seeing all things shall be brought to light and not to be fearful of men in publishing his Doctrine but to depend on God's care of them he exhorts them to own and profess him before men and he will own them at the day of Judgment He shews the horrible danger of Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost and exhorts them not to be solicitous how to answer when they are brought before Councils seeing they shall then be instructed what to say by the Holy Ghost Luke 12. from 1. to 13. 33. He refuseth to arbitrate a difference about an Inheritance between two Brethren and upon that occasion he dehorts them from covetousness by the Parable of a rich man who would needs build his Barns bigger He disswades them from being over-careful and solicitous about earthly things and by the example of the Ravens and Lillies he shews that the care of this life should be committed unto God and that his Kingdom and the Righteousness thereof should be sought in the first place He exhorts to give Alms and so to deposite their riches in Gods hand and to lay up Treasure in Heaven To watch for his coming the time of which is uncertain like the coming of a Thief in the Night And if they approve themselves vigilant Servants they shall be rewarded He shews that his Ministers are diligently to look to their charge which if they do they shall be highly recompensed but if they prove slothful negligent and tyrannize over their fellow Servants they shall be severely punished He forewarns them of persecution and trouble He shews them that he himself came to suffer and to bring fire on Earth He exhorts the People to discern take notice of and improve the season of grace and merciful visitation afforded to them for it is a dreadful thing to die without reconciliation with God Luke 12. from 13. to the end 34. From the report of certain Galileans whose blood Pilate mingled with their Sacrifices and from the example of the eighteen on whom the Tower in Siloam fell He takes occasion to exhort the Multitude to repent and to that end propounds the Parable of the barren Fig-tree Luke 13 from 1. to 10. 35. He healeth a Woman on the Sabbath day that had been bowed together Eighteen Years and justifieth the same against the Ruler of the Synagogue He compares his Kingdom to a Grain of Mustard-seed and Leaven shewing thereby the power of his word and spreading Nature of his Evangelical Doctrine Luk. 13. froÌ„ 10. to 22. 36. He comes to Jerusalem at the Feast of Dedication and being compassed about with the Jews he is asked by them whether he be the Christ He affirms it and proveth it by his works He tells them the reason why they believe not in him namely because they are not of his Sheep Those that are his Sheep believe in him and they are kept by him and his Father to eternal life Upon this the Jews would have stoned him as a Blasphemer but he proves by Scripture and by his works that he did rightly call himself the Son of God They attempt to seize on him but he escaped out of their hands Luke 13. vers 22. John 10. from 22. to the end 37. Being asked whether few should be saved he exhorts them to enter in at the strait Gate and to take the present season of grace from the Parable of a man that had invited guests and admitted those who came in due time but shut out the Loyterers He shews that the Gentiles shall receive and imbrace the Gospel and shall enter into the Kingdom of God whilst they for their impenitency shall be cast out Luke 13. from 23. to 31. 38. He tells the Pharisees who warned him of the great danger he was in from Herod that he feared him not for he knew he must die at Jerusalem and then he passionately complains of the cruelty and stifneckedness of the People of Jerusalem and foretels their ruine Luke 13. from 31. to 36. 39. He now cures one that had the Dropsie on the Sabbath-day and justifies the same He reproves the ambition of the Pharisees striving for the upper-most Seats at Feasts and exhorts them to humility He exhorts them also to feast the Poor who cannot requite them Luke
Church is a company professing the Faith in some particular place Thus we read of the seven Churches of Asia Rev. 1.7 that is Churches that were in seven Cities in Asia as appears verse 11. Yea we read of Churches in particular houses as in the house of Aquila and Priscilla Rom. 16.5 and in the hâ—use of Nymphas Col. 4.15 The universal Church is the whole company of Believers that profess Faith in Christ throughout the world All Christians as Christians who profess and hold the essentials of Christianity are the Catholick or universal Church And all Congregations consisting of lawful Pastors and Christian people associated for personal communion in the worship of God and holy living are particular true Churches though they may also much differ in degrees of purity This is the universal Church as upon earth Otherwise as I said before the universal Church comprehends both the Saints on Earth and the Saints in Heaven The Church of Rome most absurdly affects to be called the Catholick Church yea Roman Catholick Cathotholick imports the universal Church and Roman but a particular The Church of Rome was once indeed an eminent part yet but a part of the Catholick or Vniversal Church But now she is so degenerate and corrupt that she is termed Babylon Rev. 1.7 And the people of God are commanded to come out of her Rev. 18.4 And I heard another voice from Heaven saying come out of her my people that ye be not partakers of her sins and that ye receive not of her plagues Did the Church of Rome in the Apostles dayes worship Images Did it pray to Saints Did it pray for the Dead Did it perform its Divine Worship in an unknown tongue Did it withhold the Cup from the Laity Was this the Primitive practice of the Church of Rome I suppose the Romanists themselves will not assert it We can make it appear that we hold the same Faith that was of old delivered to the Saints and that we have not departed farther from the Church of Rome than they have departed from this Faith and the truth of Christianity Yet the Papists notwithstanding use to ask us where was your Religion before Luther To which we answer wherever there were any true and real Christians before Luther among them was our Church This is the Church we profess our selves of And surely there were many more more Christians at that time in the world then those that were in the Cummunion of the Church of Rome 'T is true Christianity that makes any to be Christians and members of the Catholick Church it is not every inferiour truth that doth so neither doth every error cast a man out of it That Church then which comprehended all the true Christians in the World is the Church we were of before Luther We do not confine the Catholick Church to any Sect or Party Protestants we hold are the soundest part of this Church but not the whole Church All within the Communion of the Church of Rome that are true Christians we allow to be of this Church And the same we say of the Greeks Armenians Ethiopians Abyssines or any other professing Christianity And though the Papists talk much of Antiquity if they will try whether their Doctrine or ours be the sounder we are willing to appeal to Antiquity Let the eldest way of Religion carry it We are of a Religion that is not less then sixteen hundred years old For we hold the Doctrine delivered by Christ and his Apostles which they have shamefully departed from But the Papists farther ask us If their Church be not the true Church what is become of our Fore-fathers who died in the Communion of their Church We answer They might live and die in the Communion of that Church and yet be free from many of the gross errors in it And God might graciously pass by their ignorance and weakness who had not so great a light as we have to shew them the error of the Romish Church We do therefore in Charity think that some of our Ancestors formerly and some of the Papists at this day who hold and believe the main Articles of the Christian Faith and do live good lives according to their knowledge may be saved but not by their Popery but by their Christianity And thus much of the distinctions of the Church 4. I come now in the last place to speak of the notes of the Church which are these three 1. True and sound Doctrine preached 2. Right administration of the Sacraments For as those are more or less purely administred so the Church is more or less pure 3. Obedience to Christ and his Doctrine Discipline indeed is necessary for the preservation of the Church in purity of Doctrine and Manners yet it belongs not to the very being but to the well being of it But here a question may arise How is the Church said not to erre Answ 1. The whole doth not erre though some particular Church may 2. The Church doth not erre universally though in some points of Doctrine it may which are not essential or fundamental to Salvation Let us now consider what improvement we are to make of this Article 1. This shews us the admirable priviledge of every truly regenerate sanctified person who is most certainly a member of the true Catholick Church All true Christians are Catholicks in a better sense than the Romanists use that word But whosoever is wicked and prophane let them talk they are for the Church c. 't is manifest they are not members of Christs Holy Catholick Church 2. All that are true members of the Catholick Church should keep close to the Catholick Rule of Faith and Life which is the will of God revealed in the holy Scriptures 3. They should labour for a Catholick Spirit and Catholick affections which may incline them 1. To love all Christians as Christians for Christs sake though they may differ from them in some particulars A true Catholick Spirit is for union among all the People of God 2. To compassionate all real Christians in their sufferings and afflictions Rom. 12.15 16. 3. To pray earnestly for the prosperity of the Catholick Church and to be solicitous and much concerned touching the welfare thereof And all true members of the Catholick Chhurch may comfort themselves with this consideration that they have a share in the paayers of this Catholick or Vniversal Church now Militant upon the Earth SECT III. Of the Communion of Saints the Communion of Saints COncerning this Article we shall inquire 1. Who may truly be called Saints and wherein the true nature of Saintship doth consist and how the Saints are distinguished from others 2. Who are those persons with whom these Saints have Communion For the first 1. By the tenure of the Gospel we shall find that those are truly and properly Saints who being called with an holy calling have not been disobedient to it but are indued with a holy faith uniting them to
But does not the annexing of such a condition as this unto forgiveness lessen the grace and bounty of it Answer No in no wise For consider these things 1. The dispensing of pardon and forgiveness upon such a condition as faith in Christ which includes Gospel obedience is one of the most effectual means to introduce sanctity and holiness into the World For what more effectual way can there be to do it than to make it conditionally necessary to justification and salvation 2. Gods immutable holiness and justice is hereby made more illustrious and his solemn hatred and dislike of sin is more manifested For hereby 't is evident that God will save no man in his sins but from his sins Whom he justifies he will sanctify No mans sin is so forgiven that the least allowance is vouchsafed to it None but such as are sanctified can be accepted of him 3. Whatever is by the Gospel conditionally required of us is fully and freely given us Faith and every other grace is the gift of God We perform the condition required of us solely by the power of his grace freely given unto us And all the rewards of the Gospel are but the gracious remunerations of Gods own gifts and graces Free grace and divine bounty is the root that bears all And therefore the holiest men on earth have the greatest cause to be most humble For having received most they ought most to abase themselves 4. 'T is fit that all who shall be saved should be rationally satisfied of the excellency of that life the Gospel calls them unto For the precepts of the Gospel are framed and calculated for our advantage and benefit The commands of Christ are in no wise grievous to any man truly and rationally informed of his own interest The Gospel commands us to be sober righteous and godly and 't is rationally best for us so to be both in order to our own good and the good and benefit of others among whom we live And therefore 't is fit we should make a solemn choice of this life for our selves and seriously resolve as men of truth and fidelity to pursue it There ought to be sincerity of intention and endeavour in us to live this life though we do not arrive at perfection of action We should therefore examine what is the deliberate choice of our wills whether to be Sanctified by the Spirit of Christ as well as to be justified by his merits Christ will not judge of us by a suddain passionate choice but by our rational and advised choice And we must especially take heed of all degrees of insincerity and hypocrisie which of all sins under the Gospel does most dangerously border on a breach of the condition required Believe it those things that keep people usually from the good things of the Gospel are either a direct refusal of Christ or a sloathful carelesness unconcerned neglect of him or a prevailing falseness in the course of Gospel obedience I shall conclude all that I shall say upon this argument with these four particulars 1. Our Lord and Saviour did certainly perform all things that were required to be performed by him as our mediator 2. By reason of the high dignity of his person his obedience and sufferings are of more value and worth than the obedience and sufferings of all mankind would have been 3. These things being performed by him in our nature and wholly upon oâ—r account God accepts them for us though not as done by us and reckons all the benefits and advantages of them to us 4. If we desire to partake of the benefits of Christs active and passive obedience we must sincerly believe in him and take him for our Lord and Saviour and if our Faith be a true justifying Faith it will purify our hearts and reform our lives Having thus explained this Doctrine of the forgiveness of sins let us now consider what improvement we should make of it 1. Let us admire the infinite goodness of God that there is a possibility of pardon for the children of men who are naturally under wrath There is none for the Angels that fell 2. Let us often meditate upon and admire the way of it 1. No pardon to be obtained for man without a Mediator And where could fallen man have found a Mediator that would have undertaken his cause 2. No ordinary Mediator would suffice If all the holy Angels had joyned together it would have not been sufficient Only the eternal Son of God could effect it 3. Let us consider that Christ obtained our peace not by a bare mediation but by paying a price for us and making full satisfaction to the Will and Justice of God by his obedience and sufferings 3. Let us often admire the benefits of it 1. It is not only a great mercy in it self but the foundation of all other mercies 'T is the Queen of mercies that hath a glorious train of other mercies attending it Psal 32.1 Blessed is the man whose sins are forgiven whose iniquities are covered to whom the Lord imputeth not transgression None of the antient Philosophers ever gave such a definition of happiness 2. The sense of this mercy makes all afflictions more easie to be born What can hurt us if God be reconciled to us 3. Pardoning mercy brings healing with it unto the Soul Christ Sanctifies those by his Spirit whose pardon he procures by his Merits 4. It affords great comfort against death which is otherwise terrible of terribles 4. If pardoning mercy be so great a mercy let us often consider how vile and wretched those persons are who slight this mercy But who are they 1. All careless ones who neglect this great salvation and prefer the things of the World before it 2. All wicked and prophane ones who go on daily increasing their guilt not minding to make peace with God 3. All that rest on any thing besides Christs righteousness and intercession for the procuring their pardon with God 5. Let us all examine our selves whether we have obtained this blessedness or no. Many content themselves with weak grounds on which they build their hopes of pardon 1. They are not so bad as others They think they are sinners yet guilty but of few sins in comparison of what others are guilty of I answer Possibly they may not be so bad as others yet they may be in a very bad condition for all that out of which if they do not get they will be everlastingly miserable 2. Others think well of them Be it so But we shall not stand or fall by mans Judgment 3. They live civilly so they may do and yet be unconverted and without true conversion and regeneration no salvation is to be expected 6. Seeing God is ready to forgive let us all endeavor to secure this blessedness to our selves 1. Let us seek it as earnestly as ever we sought any thing in the World 2. those that must shortly be arraigned If a guilty Malefactor knew
that the Assizes drew nigh at which he could not expect but to be condemned surely above all things in the world he would endeavor to get his pardon 3. Let us seek it as those who are not content to be put off with any thing else besides it And to encourage us hereunto let us consider 1. God is ready to pardon He hath sworn that he delights not in the death of a sinner 2. Christ died for this very purpose to redeem us and when he was on the earth he complained that people would not come to him and believe in him that by him they might have life 3. All means of grace afforded to us are intimations that God intends us mercy if we be not wanting to our selves 4. All good motions and stirrings of the Spirit of God in our hearts are significations of his good will towards us 5. And lastly As vile or viler sinners then we are have obtained pardon and why then should not we encourage our selves to seek after pardon while it may be obtained SECT V. Of the Resurrection of the Body The Resurrection of the Body THis is one of the Principles of the Doctrine of Christ Heb. 6.2 'T is set before the Eternal Judgment which will adjudge men to their eternal state because 't is previous to it The Scripture speaks of a two-fold Resurrection 1. A Metaphorical Resurrection viz. that of the Soul out of the state of Sin and Spiritual Death Of this the Apostle speaks Ephes 2.1 Ye that were sometimes dead in Sins and Trespasses and Col. 2.13 You that were dead in your sins hath he quickned Grace Righteousness and Holiness is the Spiritual life of the Soul and where these are wanting there must needs be a spiritual death in sin Rom. 8.6 to be carnally minded is death but the Spirit is life because of Righteousness verse 10. that is the Soul is alive Spiritually when it is partaker of righteousness and grace Our Souls therefore must first rise from their state of death in sin to the new life of grace if we desire to have a part in the glorious Resurrection of the body to eternal life of of which I am to speak afterward and as the Apostle sayes Rom. 6.4 As Christ was raised from the dead so must we be raised from the death of sin that we may walk in newness of life 2. The Scripture speaks of a real Resurrection viz. of our bodies namely of the same body that died which shall be raised again and re-united to the same soul that at death departed from it This resurrection of the body is that which we profess to believe in this Article And to confirm our faith therein let us consider these two things 1. God can do it He can raise our bodies when dead to life again 2. He has declared he will do it 1. God can do it For he is Omnipotent Therefore saith our Saviour to the Sadducees who denied the Resurrection * Acts 26.8 Luke 18 27. Eph. 1 1â—.13 Ye do erre not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God Mat. 22.29 And the Apostle Acts 26.8 reasons thus Why should it be thought a thing impossible that God should raise the dead He that could make this World out of nothing at first undoubtedly can raise up mans body again which though it have suffered many changes and transmutations yet is not turned into nothing Though the parts of mans body be dissolved yet they perish not The first dust out of which man was made was as far from being flesh as any ashes or dust now can be And God who is Omniscient knows how to distinguish the dust of one mans body from anothers And being Omnipotent can give to every body what belongs to it to make it the same numerical Body again This he can do according to the mighty working That Parable Ezekiel 37. Where by reviving dead bones is shewed that God would certainly restâ—re the pâ—ople of Israel out of captivity that Parable I say supposes the Resurrection of the Dead as a thing well known and certainly believed by that people whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself Phil. 3.21 Abraham thought it possible Heb. 11.18 19. When he really intended to Sacrifice his Son Isaac accounting that God was able to raise him up even from the Dead Job not only thought it possible but firmly believed it and spake of it with assurance Job 19. verse 25. For I know that my Redeemer liveth and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth verse 26. And though after my skin worms destroy this body yet in my flesh shall I see God verse 27. Whom I shall see for my self and mine eyes shall behold and not another though my reins be consumed within me Martha doubted not of it John 11.24 For speaking of her brother Lazarus then dead She said I know that he shall rise again in the Resurrection at the last day And indeed there are many things in nature that seem to carry a resemblance of it When we go to sleep solemnly commending our selves to Gods pardoning mercy in Christ and to his gracious protection we do as it were lye down in our graves our sleep is a great resemblance of death and our rising in the morning of the Resurrection The Sun sets every night and disappears yet rises joyfully in the morning The Seed that we sow first dies before it be quickned 1 Cor. 15.56 The earth receiveth the bare seed and by corrupting it restoreth it in a better fashion than she took it in The Seed sâ—wn is so far from perishing that it rises up far more beautiful Whereas it was sown dry and hard it springs up fresh and green So why should it seem incredible that our bodies shall rise from corruption with far more excellent qualities than they had before God can raise them that is our first Argument 2. God hath declared that he will do it and that is abundantly sufficient to induce us to believe it Observe these Scriptures for the proof of it Dan. 12.2 And many * That is all shall arise and they will be many not a few For many is not opposed to all here but to few Romans 5.19 By the disobedience of one man many i. e. not a few were made sinners For all were made sinners of them that slept in the dust of the earth shall awake some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt John 5.28 29. Marvel not at this for the hour is coming in which all that are in the Graves shall hear his voice and shall come forth they that have done good unto the Resurrection of life and they that have done evil unto the Resurrection of damnation Acts 24.15 And I have hope towards God which they themselves also allow that there shall be a Resurrection of the dead both of the just and unjust Luke 14.14 Thou shalt be recompenced at the
up again So a dying Saint may say to his body fear not to go down into the grave into the dark and dismal vault my dear Redeemer will bring thee up again Death to the Righteous is but like the pulling down of an old ruinous house to build it again in a more excellent and glorious manner 5. If God can and will raise the dead it should strengthen our Faith in Gods power that he can raise us up out of any affliction into which we are at any time fallen and that he can raise up his own interest in the World or in any Nation though it be never so low See Rom. 4.17 21. What cannot that God do who quickneth the dead 6. It should teach us not to set too high a price or value upon our own lives when we are called to expose them for the cause of Christ or for our Countreys good Every faithful servant of Christ that so loses his bodily life takes the best course to have it restored to him with advantage And in this sense our Saviour sayes he that loseth his life shall save it that is shall not only recover it again at the Resurrection but shall over and above also be rewarded with eternal life in glory John 12.25 He that loveth his life shall lose it and he that hateth his life in this World shall keep it unto life eternal If God therefore call thee to expose thy body to death for him fear not to do it He will raise it up again in a more glorious manner 'T is said of those Worthies Heb. 11.35 that were wracked and tormented for professing the truth that they refused to be delivered viz. to the prejudice of their Consciences expecting a better Resurrection than that now offered them viz. to be delivered or raised up from their present pains and sufferings They expected a Resurrection of their bodies to eternal glory 7. This should deterr us from sinning with our bodies which must be raised again and if we die in our sins must suffer with our souls everlasting punishment Let us take heed of imploying our bodies as instruments of sin Remember O sinner that wretched body of thine which thou hast so often debauched by drunkenness and polluted and defiled by uncleanness it must rise again to damnation except thou repent that tongue of thine with which thou hast so often lyed cheated scoffed at serious piety and dishonoured God by swearing cursing ribbaldry backbiting c. shall be tormented in that same flame that Dives was tormented in Luke 16. As Christ said of Judas it had been better for him he had never been born so we may say of some men It were better for them they might not rise again But as the Soul and Body sinned together so they must suffer together And as they inticed one another to sin so they must be together for ever miserable 8. And lastly Let us labour to be united unto Christ by a lively faith that he may raise us up as our Head He will raise the wicked as their Judge He is Lord both of dead and living and so hath right by that dominion to raise the dead Rom. 14.9 and will accordingly do it And some he will raise to suffer everlasting punishment and others to a glorious everlasting life And of such as these the Apostle speaks John 11.25 Whoso believeth on him shall never die that is eternally so as to suffer everlasting punishment It now only remains that I should answer three questions and then I shall shut up this discourse 1. Seeing men return to the earth at several ages the Infant at one age and the man at another it may be questioned whether they shall arise in the same age and disproportions of age and stature which they had whilst they lived Answer Augustine * Restat ergo ut quisque suâ—m habeat mensuram vel quam habuit in juventute vel quam haiturus esset si vixisset August de civ lib 22. c. 13. resolves it negatively and determines it thus That we shall all of us be raised in that proportion of strength which men attain to commonly at their best estate And this resolution of the case the Apostle doth seem to favour when he saith that though the body be sown in weakness in the weakness of old age or infancy yet it shall be raised in power All imperfections and deformities shall be taken away For neither is it likely that Infancy being imperfection and old age being corruption can stand with the estate of a glorified body Quest 2. How can there be a Resurrection seeing the Apostle tells us that flesh and blood shall not enter into the Kingdom of God 1 Cor. 15.50 Answ Our Bodies shall be fitted for that glorious state by the mutation of their qualities See Apost Hist pag. 183 and 184. Our bodies shall not enter into Heaven vile * The Apostle tells us the body shall be raised a Spiritual body that is a body endued with Spiritual qualities free from carnal desires and wholly subject to the Spirit as now they are but shall be changed As mens hearts are changed here by regeneration so their bodies shall be changed in the Resurrection changed in qualities not in substance As a corn of grain that is sown is raised in substance and kind the same but divers in qualities rising up with blade and ear and corn in it It doth not rise in just the same figure in which it was sown but with advantage So it will be in the Resurrection Quest 3. What shall become of them that shall be found alive at Christs coming Answ They shall not dye but shall be changed suddenly from a mortal into an immortal state See 1 Cor. 15.51 52. 1 Thes 4.15 17. SECT VI. Of Life everlasting And the life everlasting IN treating of this Article which the Nicene Creed calls the life of the World to come I shall first shew that both the old and new Testament bear witness to it and give us sufficient ground to believe it Dan. 12.2 Many of them that sleep in in the dust of the earth shall awake some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt God plainly shewed to those who lived under the old Testament that there is an everlasting life in the world to come by the examples of some whom he took and translated out of this world into the other without death intervening Enoch who lived before the giving of the Law and Elijah who lived after are both instances of this Gen. 5.24 Enoch walked with God and he was not for God took him Heb. 11.5 By Faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death and was not found because God had translated him And so Elijah was carried up in a fiery Chariot and by a whirlwind into Heaven 2 Kings 2.11 After Abraham Isaac and Jacob were dead God stiled himself their God Exod. 3.6 Moreover he said I am the God
of thy Father the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Now Christ told the Sadducees that God is not the God of the dead but of the living Matth. 22.32 God so stiling himself their God sheweth that their souls did still live though separated from their bodies and also that their bodies should be raised again and both souls and bodies being re-united should live for ever * Deus est Deus Abrahae sâ—il totius God is the God of the whole man and not a part only And thus much for the proof of this Article out of the old Testament But the new Testament doth more clearly assert this Doctrine life and immortality being in a more evident manner brought to light by the Gospel as the Apostle tells us 2 Tim. 1.10 To give some few places of many that might be brought for the proof hereof Matth. 25.46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment but the Righteous into life eternal John 3.16 36. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life Mark 10.30 But he shall receive an hundred fold now in this time and in the world to come eternal life John 12.25 He that loveth his life shall lose it and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal 1 Thes 4.17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the Clouds to meet the Lord in the Air and so shall we ever be with the Lord 2 Cor. 5.1 For we know that if our earthly house of this Tabernacle were dissolved we have a building of God an house not made with hands eternal in the heavens John 17.27 Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me Having thus shewed that everlasting life is plainly asserted both in the old and new Testament I come now to shew that there are three degrees of this everlasting life held forth to us in the Scriptures 1. There is a life eternal Initial which is the life of grace John 3.36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life that is hath it begun in him hath the earnest of it in his Soul 2. There is a Partial life eternal which is the life which belongeth to the Soul when it is separated from the body 'T is the happiness which the souls of the Righteous enjoy between the time of death and the day of Judgment The Scripture is abundant in asserting this kind of life eternal which the separated soul injoys in the other world Eccles 12.7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was and the Spirit shall return unto God who gave it Matth 10.28 Fear not them which kill the body but are not able to kill the Soul but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in Hell Luke 12.4 Be not afraid of them that kill the body and after that have no more that they can do But I will forewarn you whom you shall fear Fear him who after he hath killed hath power to cast into Hell yea I say fear him Heb. 12.23 To the general assembly and Church of the first-born which are written in Heaven and to God the Judge of all and to the Spirits of just men made perfect Luke 23.43 Our Saviour said to the penitent Thief To day thou shalt be with me in Paradise Luke 23.46 And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice he said Father into thy hands I commit my Spirit and having said thus he gave up the Ghost Acts 7.59 And they stoned Stephen calling upon God and saying Lord Jesus receive my Spirit Phil. 1.23 For I am in a strait betwixt two having a desire to depart and to he with Christ which is far better 1 Pet. 3.19 By which also he went and preached to the Spirits now in Prison Rev. 6.9 10. And when he had opened the fifth Seal I saw under the Altar the Souls of them that were slain for the word of God and for the Testimony which they held And they cried with a loud voice saying How long O Lord holy and true dost thou not judge and revenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth 3. There is a life eternal Perfectional which shall be conferred on the Saints after the re-union of their Souls and Bodies Matth. 25.34 46. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the World Then shall the Righteous go into life eternal Now this perfectional life everlasting which will be the portion of the Saints at the last day is such a life as shall be free from all evil and full of all good 1. Free from the evil of sin The Souls of the Just shall then be made perfect 2. The evil of temptation There was a Tempter in Paradise there will be none in Heaven 3. The evil of affliction All tears shall be wiped from your eyes Rev. 7.17 2. This life shall be full of all good 1. Their Vnderstandings shall have a clear knowledge sight and vision of God 2. Their Wills shall be perfected and adorned with an absolute and indefective holiness 3. Their Affections shall be set right with an unalterable regularity 4. They shall injoy an uninterrupted communion with God 5. They shall be blessed in their company 6. And lastly They shall have this blessedness secured to them without fear of ever losing it or being deprived of it But though the Saints shall enjoy such an eternal life in bliss as we have before described yet it shall not be so with the wicked Eternal life in misery will be their portion They shall be tormented 1. With the pain of loss 2. With the pain of sense 3. With the worm of Conscience a tormenting reflection on their former folly 4. With despair of ever coming out of that woful misery which is the very Hell of Hell But of these things I have spoken more largely in the former Treatise pag. 130. It remaines therefore now that I shew what improvement we are to make of this Article and then I shall shut up this discourse 1. We may from hence learn how inexcusable they are who hazard and expose their souls and bodies to eternal torments for a short satisfaction of their bruitish lusts 2. We should consider that there is no concern we have in the World that should lie so near our hearts as the making our peace with God upon sure and safe grounds 3. From hence we may learn how highly we ought to prize the blood of Christ and his undertaking by which alone we can escape the wrath that is to come 4. It may shew us how we ought to pity those who are running on in a full carreer
this Lamb except they rid themselves of their Leven Leven it swells the mass and sours it Pride makes the heart swell and malice soures it search therefore O Sinner to find out thy leven when thou thinkest of approaching to this holy Table Search every corner of thy heart as with a candle and when thou hast found out thy sins manifest thy hatred and loathing of them Never think to be pardoned except thou part with thy sins Never think to be saved except thou be sanctified 9. They were to eat it with their loins girt and staves in their hands and shooes on their feet shewing themselves thereby to be in a posture of readiness to be gone out of Egypt and to seek the promised Land Which may intimate to us that we must receive this blessed Sacrament with intention to leave the dominions of Pharaoh the Kingdom Service and bondage of sin and Satan and to march on towards our heavenly Canaan People would fain escape damnation yet are loath to leave their pleasing and profitable sins No coming to Canaan except you leave Egypt 10. When they had eaten of the roasted Lamb if any thing thereof remained it was to be burnt with fire and not left till the morning This may shew us that Sacramental elements are not Sacramental * Nihil habet ratione Sacramenti extra usum legitimum Sacramentalem but in their use only and while they are used As Bread and Wine in this Sacrament and Water in Baptism after the Sacramental use are no longer Sacramental A stone is boundary in its use and place Remove it 't is a meer stone no boundary 11. Two sorts of persons were barred from eating the Passover 1. The uncircumcised the stranger and foreigner Exod. 12.43 48. Such as are not initiated into Christs Family the Church by the first Sacrament of Baptism cannot regularly be admitted to the Lords Table 2. unclean persons though circumcised or such as were in a journey were to be put off to the Passover of the second moneth being not cleansed for the present according to the purification of the Sanctuary 2 Chron. 30.18 19. Numb 9.10.11 This shews us that some persons who are within the communion of the Church may be unfit at some particular times to come to the Lords Table yea though believers may at such times eat and drink unworthily 12. After the Paschal Lamb was eaten on the next day viz. on the fifteetnh day of the first moneth began the Feast of the Passover or feast of unlevened bread It continued seven dayes and no levened bread was to be eaten during that time and of those seven dayes the first and last only were holy Convocations or Sabbaths wherein they might do no servile work Exod. 12.15 16. Levit. 23.5 6 7. Numb 28.16 17 18. The Apostle alludes hereunto 1 Cor. 5.7 Christ our Passover is Sacrificed therefore let us keep the feast As if he should have said those for whom Christ our Passover is Sacrificed on whâ—sâ— consciences his blood is sprinkled ought to be a holy people not levened with sin and wickedness and to walk before God in sincerity and truth living all their dayes in a holy rejoycing and thanksgiving Thus much of the first Passover as instituted and observed in Egypt some of the Ceremonies whereof were proper to that Passover and not intended for any other following And accordingly in after times they were not observed As particularly 1. The Paschal Lamb was afterwards to be slain and eaten only at Jeâ—usalem Deut. 16.5 6. The place which God had chosen for his publick worship 2. They did not observe the taking up of the Lamb four dayes before 3. Nor the sprinkling the door posts with blood 4. Nor staying within and not going out of the house that night For our Saviour and his Disciples did go out after Supper 5. Nor eating it in a travelling posture For we find our Saviour and his disciples eating it in a posture of discubiture or leaning on beds From whence we may take notice that we are not bound to observe all occasional or local circumstances or customs belonging to a Sacrament nor to follow our Saviour and his Apostles in those particular circumstances of eating the Lords Supper late at night or in a leaning posture or in an upper Chamber no woman being present c. Let us look to the substance end and intent of the Sacrament and chiefly mind that Having spoken thus much of the Passover I think it will not be amiss for the clearer understanding of the original institution of this Sacrament of the Lords Supper to insert a short description of the method and order of the Paschal Supper with the principal rites thereunto belonging which were then either all or most of them as it seems in use among the Jews as they are delivered to us by their own writers much after this manner consisting in several Cups or drinkings of Wine and two breakings of bread Some of which rites we shall shew that our Saviour took and ordained them to a new Evangelical use and mystical signification 1. When all things appertaining to the Feast were prepared and all persons belonging to that Company that were to eat together were ready the chief man of the company who was as it were the Priest among them takes a cup of Wine and blesses it in some such words as these Blessed be thou Lord who hast created the fruit of the vine and blessed be thou for this good day and this holy convocation c. Compare with this custome our Saviours words Luke 22.17 He took the Cup and gave thanks and said take this and divide it among you 2. Then the Table was furnished with provisions of several sorts viz. bitter herbs the unlevened bread the body of the Paschal Lamb roasted whole and so brought up 3. The chief man of the company takes the sower herbs and blesses them in some such words as these Blessed art thou O Lord who createst the fruits of the earth c. and then eats of them the quantity of an Olive at least and distributes to the rest uttering some such sentence as this These bitter herbs we eat in token that the Egyptians made the lives of our Fathers bitter in Egypt 4. Then he takes the dish or Charger which held the unleavened bread or Cakes and laying by a piece thereof to be eaten afterwards with the Paschal Lamb at the close of the Supper he blessed the bread in some such words as these blessed art thou O Lord who bringest forth bread out of the earth c. Then he breaks it and eats of it 5. When this is finished he begins the second Cup of Wine and the rest follow him Then their Children brought in were made to ask what is the reason that this night differs so much from other nights instancing in many particulars of the festival solemnities Then the master of the feast begins a a narrative how
things of the flesh sayes the Apostle Rom. 8.5 There are some who too much delight in eating and feeding making their belly their God like Philoxenus who wished he had the neck of a Crane that he might have the longer delight in swallowing and tasting his meat and drink These people should remember that the flesh is one of the enemies they are engaged by their baptism to fight against and therefore should not pamper it unto wantonness 2. Want of due understanding what is truly conducing to health and to the furthering of us in our duty towards God and man A decaying body ought carefully to be supported but an unruly body ought carefully to be subdued And they that do not duly consider their own constitution and what is the duty incumbent upon them in reference to their particular Temper and the state of their bodies will be apt to erre in this matter 3. Making appetite the rule and measure of our eating and drinking whereas appetite was given to us to make that grateful to us which reason bids us to eat and not to be our measure Many a mans appetite is stronger than his concoction and many healthful people have an appetite to more than they ought to eat or than nature can well digest We see in Swine and many greedy Children that they would many times even kill themselves with eating if they had not the reason of others to govern them Appetite therefore is not to be our rule either for quantity or quality of meats but reason in this as in other things is to be our guide and governor When reason hath nothing against it then appetite sheweth what is most agreeable to nature and what the Stomach is like best to close with and digest But God hath given us reason as well as appetite and though as the common saying is * Venter non habet aures the belly and the appetite hath no ears yet reason should make them hear yea and obey too 4. The exceeding deliciousness and pleasantness of some meats tempts the appetite to desire more than nature requires So the quality oftentimes tempts and invites to an excess in quantity 5. The evil custom of urging and importuning others to eat more than they have a desire unto This is many times a great cause of Gluttony We are all more prone to exceed than to fall short and we need no incitation to eat our own appetite is apt to incite us too much But many people think it a piece of civility to urge importune and almost force their friends to eat though they will not urge them in the like kind to drink more than they have a mind unto And so much of the causes of Gluttony 3. I come now to the third thing I propounded to speak to namely the great evil and danger of this sin And this I shall shew in sundry particulars 1. 'T is a great enemy to the Body Plures gula * Quicquid avium volitat quicquid pisâ—ium natat quicquid ferarum discurrit nostris sepelitur ventribus Sen. quam gladius The throat hath killed more than the sword Many men dig their graves with their teeth and dye because they put not the knife to the throat (a) Prov. 23.1 Pone cuâ—trum i. e. modum adhibe gulae tuae eamque velut cultro gutturi infixo refraena Menech How hard soever it hath gone with some people in the World at some particular times yet more have been killed by their own Gluttony than ever were starved to death through want It may well be supposed that a little more than half the quantity of meat and drink which many people take would afford them as lasting and as healthful a state of body as the over measure they ordinarily use Intemperate men are Valetudinis suae proditores as he said betrayers of their own health For Gluttony though it kills not suddenly yet it doth it surely and certainly like the Dropsie of which 't is said it killeth as it filleth that is by degrees and insensibly Gluttony fills the body with crudities which are the root of most sicknesses There are few diseases but are the effects of Gluttony or excess in drinking 't is excess that commonly breeds them and layes the matter and foundation of them And if this were well understood I wonder that wicked men if they do not believe a life to come yet should not be affraid of shortning this their present life by their intemperance 2. 'T is a great enemy to the mind and to all the exercises operations and imployments of it both religious and civil It makes men heavy drousie dull and shathfull The body ought to be the instrument of the Soul in the service of God But Gluttony makes it a clog to the Soul and exceedingly indisposes it for the duties we owe either to God or man 3. Gluttony is a great symptom of a carnal mind and a carnal mind is enmity against God as the Apostle tells us Rom. 8.7 And that which opposes God is sure to be destroy'd And the spirit of God further assures us at the thirteenth verse of that Chapter that they that live after the flesh shall dye and that not only a temporal death but except they be converted an eternal death also 4. It breeds lust and furthers the power of concupiscence As dunging the ground makes it fruitful especially in weeds so Gluttony fills the mind with the weeds of filthy thoughts filthy desires and inclinations and thence come filthy words and filthy actions He therefore that feeds his body high does plainly and evidently pamper his enemy but he that beats down his body and keeps it in subjection as the Apostle speaks 2 Cor. 9.27 by fasting and abstinence takes a right course to mortifie the lusts of the Flesh 5. 'T is a shameful abuse of Gods good creatures which are given us for our use Would you not think those men exceeding blame-worthy who should take good and wholsome meat and throw it into the channel or sink Gluttons by their great excess do that which is much worse For they not only abuse Gods good creatures by their exâ—ess and riot but they thereby hurt their own bodies also 6. 'T is a most ungrateful sin It carries Gods good provisions over to his enemy even to the strengthning of fleshly lusts and turneth them all against the giver of them Is it not a horrible disingenuous thing so to provoke and dishonour God with his own mercies Pride Idleness fullness of Bread and hard-heartedness to the poor were the provoking sins of Sodom Ezek. 16 49. 7. 'T is a kind of idolatry to mind the belly inordinately The Apostle tells us of some Phil. 3.19 whose belly was their God And such persons worship a craving God that will not let them alone except they serve him 8. A gluttonous appetite maketh our very table become a snare to us Deut. 6.11 12. When thou hast eaten and art full
of Oppression Extortion Cheating Lying Theft False-witness-bearing breach of Promise c. It occasions a great deal of trouble to the World by Quarrelling Contention Law-Sutes and the like He whose affections are inordinately set on money will not stick at the breach of any of Gods commandments There is scarce any sin so base and vile but he that is under the power of Covetousness will venture to commit it for gain and advantage * Avaritia Christum vendidit Therefore Davids prayer was Psal 119.36 Incline mine heart to thy testimonies and not to covetousness He might have said and not to lust or not to pride but it seems he looked on Covetousness as a Mother-sin which was like to produce many other sins wherever it prevailed 2. 'T is a very close sin 'T is a sin hardly discerned and so more hardly cured 'T is a secret subtil sin that hides it self under the cloak of frugality and good husbandry A man may be free from unlawful getting from deceit and injustice and yet be earthly-minded for all that If God should suffer a Professor to fall into drunkenness or uncleanness his conscience would be sure to flye in his face and severely talk with him But people that are Covetous and Earthly-minded hardly discern themselves to be so or think it no crime to be so though the Apostle 1 Cor. 6.10 reckons the Covetous among those that shall not inherit the Kingdom of God 3. 'T is a very insnaring sin They that will be rich sayes the Apostle that is that are resolved so to be either by hook or by crook fall into temptation and a snare 1 Tim. 6.9 Such persons will not stick at any thing that may promote their gain They will not care to make shipwrack of their consciences to gain the world And therefore Covetousness is many times the root of Apostacy Demâ—s hath forsaken me sayes the Apostle 2 Tim. 4.10 having embraced the present world Luke follows a suffering Paul but Demas through the love of the world forsakes him 4. 'T is a great dishonour to the Christian Profession What shall they that have Heaven set before them for a reward dote upon the earth Shall they that pretend to understand the surpassing excellency of the things above have their hearts and affections set on things below The Psalmist sayes Psal 135.15 The Idols of the Heathen are silver and gold 'T is a shame that silver and gold should be the Idols of Christians Therefore the Apostle writing to the converted Colossians Chap. 3. v. 1 2. tells them that if they be risen with Christ they must set their affections on things above and not on things on the earth 5. It much hinders profiting by the Woâ—d The Cares of this life choak the Word Matth. 13.23 There are many come to hear the word and sit before the Lord as his people whose hearts go after their Covetousness Ezek. 33.31 and so the word profits them not 6. It unfits a man to be a good Magistrate or a good Minister A Magistrate should be a man fearing God and hating Covetousness Exod. 18.21 A Gospel Minister should not be greedy of filthy lucre 1 Pet. 5.2 If either of them be under the power of Covetousness they are never like to discharge their duties faithfully 7. 'T is a very disquieting sin It disquiets the hearts of men and deprives them of inward peace They that covet after money pierce themselves through with many sorrows sayes the Apostle 1 Tim. 6.10 It creates also a great deal of trouble and disquiet to particular Families He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house sayes Solomon Prov. 15.27 A covetous Master of a Family will make his Children and Servants very slaves and drudges and will hardly allow them things necessary and Convenient 8. It exceedingly hinders a due preparation for death They that have their hearts over-charged with Covetousness and the cares of this life seldom take their latter end into due consideration How hardly sayes our Saviour shall they that have riches enter into the Kingdom of God Math. 10.23 that is that have their hearts set on their riches and trust in them Corpulent birds seldom flye high Neither do they whose great care is to load themselves with thick Clay Heb. 2.5 6. mind Heaven or the things of the other life And so much of the evil of Covetousness 6. I come now to give some directions and to prescribe some remedies against it 1. Labour to understand wherein the true happiness of man consists Riches and wealth are not the distinguishing marks of the favour and love of God Men may have them and yet be of the number of them who have all their portion in this life Psal 17.14 God indeed does sometimes give riches to his own children that they may appear to be his blssiengs And to many of his own children he denies them that they may appear not to be his chief blessings The true happiness of man consists in reconciliation with God in conformity of his nature to him in having his Spirit dwelling in him and in being serviceable to him in his generation He that hath these is truly rich though he be poor in this World And he that wants these though he flow in riches and wealth yet I am not affraid to tell him he is for the present but a miserable man and in an unsafe condition 2. Consider the people of God ought to have a great confidence in Gods Fatherly care over them We are much pressed in Scripture to cast our care on God Psal 55.22 Cast thy burden on the Lord and he shall sustain thee 1 Pet. 5.7 Cast all your care on him for he careth for you Matth. 6.31 Take no thought for your life whaâ— you shall eat or what you shall drink or for your body what you shall put on but seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you What makes children and servants less solicitous and anxious less careful and covetous in their Parents and Masters house than when they are for themselves Why they depend on their Parents and Masters to provide for them and that sets them at ease as to that particular And should not we then depend on the care and providence of our heavenly Father Why should we not trust God for our bodies as well as for our souls considering the many gracious promises he has made to take care of us The Apostle uses this as a great argument against Covetousness and that we should be content with such things as we have because God hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee Heb. 13.5 3. We should labour to moderate our affections to the things of this World Holy Agurs prayer was Prov. 30.8 Give me neither Poverty nor Riches but feed me with food convenient for me Our Saviour tells Martha Luke 10.42 that one thing is necessary 'T is not necessary we
more charitable one towards another than usually we are But 't is a vain thing to complain in this matter I shall rather turn my complaint into a fervent prayer unto God that he would please by the all-powerfull influence of his grace to change the hearts of men and to give them a better frame of Spirit 14. Let not anger rest in your bosom lest it putrify and turn into malice and hatred Anger resteth in the bosom of fools sayes Solomon Eccles 7.9 Anger lodged in the heart all night is very like to become malice by the morning Anger kept in the heart till next day doth putrify and corrupt like Manna save only that Manna corrupted not at all and anger doth most of all if kept to the next Sabbath Therefore sayes the Apostle Let not the Sun go down on your wrath neither give place to the Devil You need not open the door to him who is so apt to intrude himself Take heed therefore that thine anger by continuance do not turn into hatred For hatred is nothing but an old anger or grudge arising from several provocations and continuing long Anger is a sudden Passion and hath many times but a short course but hatred is more durable and lasting Anger often flies at the offence not at the person but hatred flies at the person whose hurt it earnestly desires 15. Take heed especially that your anger do not sour into revenge God challenges revenge as peculiarly belonging unto himself Vengeance is mine I will repay saith the Lord. Rom. 12.19 For a creature to avenge himself is a plain intrenchment upon Gods Prerogative For he is the Judge as well as the Creator of the World Remember we all stand in need of Gods pardon and forgiveness and except we forgive we cannot expect to be forgiven Mat. 6.14 15. If ye forgive men their trespasses your heavenly Father will also forgive you but if ye forgive not men their trespasses neither will your Heavenly Father forgive you There are some men that are slow to anger but being once incensed are hardly ever reconciled An irreconcileable temper is a dangerous sign or mark that a man is in a bad state towards God I have heard of a man lying upon his death-bed whom his Minister perswaded to be reconciled unto and to forgive a person whom he knew he had a great displeasure against The sick man answered yea I forgive him with all my heart if I dye but if I live I will be revenged of him I wish this wretched man did not speak the sense of too many others Our Saviour Mat. 18.23 shews us the necessity of forgiving one another by the Parable of a Servant to whom his Lord had forgiven Ten thousand Talents and yet took his fellow-servant by the throat for an hundred pence at which his Lord was wroth and delivered him to the tormentors till he should pay all that was due Even so likewise sayes our Saviour shall my Heavenly Father do unto you if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his Brother their trespasses One of the Ancients upon this Parable makes this remark Servi Parabolam utinam nos non faceremus historiam I wish sayes he that this that is related of the Servant in the Gospel were only a Parable and that our practice did not give too much occasion to have it related of us as a true history and a thing really done by us 16. Take heed of envy Be not angry or displeased at the prosperity * Nunquam erit foelix qnem torquebit foelicior Sen. of others To be pleased with another mans happiness is to increase our own But envy is as rottenness to the bones Prov. 14.13 17. Represent to thy self what a beauty and amiableness there is in meekness Divines speak of a three-fold meekness 1. Natural springing from a good temper 2. Moral springing from a good education 3. Gracious which is a fruit of the Spirit Gal. 5.23 Now this gracious meekness hath reference either to God or Man Meekness towards God consists in patiently submitting to his will without murmuring or repining Meekness towards Man consists in having a heart ready to pass by offences to forgive wrongs and injuries and to do good against evil And there is not a greater magnetism or attractive in nature than such a frame of Spirit The great amiableness of meekness will appear to us if we consider these particulars 1. Meek persons are like unto our Lord and Saviour who expressed his great meekness in submitting to his Fathers will without any repining and in bearing patiently great injuries from men Mat. 11.29 Learn of me for I am meek and lowly of heart Our Saviour seems to say to us as Gideon to his followers Judges 7.17 Look on me and do as ye see me do And accordingly the Apostle 2 Cor. 10.1 obtests and beseeches the Corinthians by the meekness and gentleness of Christ which he uses as a powerful motive to them that they would not interpret his humble and mild carriage among them otherwise than they ought 2. Gracious meekness doth plainly shew the soul to have been under the forming and workmanship of the Spirit of God We may by the work know the workman 3. 'T is a temper highly prized by God himself 1 Pet. 3.4 A meek and a quiet Spirit is in the sight of God of great price Moses's meekness exalted him so highly that God spake unto him face to face as a man speaketh to his friend Exod. 33.11 4. 'T is a temper that much adorns our Christian Profession 'T is a walking worthy of our high calling Eph. 4 1â— I Paul beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called with all lowliness and meekness and long-suffering forbearing one another in love and Verse 31 32. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice and be ye kind one to another forgiving one another even as God for Christs sake hath forgiven you The Apostle also expresses himself to the same purpose Col. 3.12 13 14 15. 5. 'T is a temper to which many gracious promises are made Psal 25.9 The meek will he guide in judgement the meek will he teach his way and Mat. 5.5 The meek shall inherit the earth that is they shall enjoy that which God gives them here with much more Peace Quietness and Comfort than others do Meek persons are not given to Lawing and quarrelling as other men are if they be oppressed at any time God does usually interest himself in their quarrel Prov. 16.7 When a mans wayes please the Lord he maketh his very enemies to be at peace with him And if God does sometimes for gracious ends suffer the meek to be oppressed namely for the exercise of their faith and patience he will recompence them abundantly in the other life 6. 'T is a temper of great benefit and advantage to the life of man It
takes the edge off from sufferings that they cannot wound and hurt us Whereas he that frets and rages makes that troublesome to him which else would not be so As in case of reproachful words which in themselves neither hurt our bodies nor lessen our estates but the great danger of them is if they drive us into anger For then our anger may run us into abundance of other sins Whereas he that meekly passes them by is never the worse for them nay the better as God orders it For he shall be rewarded for his Patience And so much of the excellency and benefits of meekness 16. Another Direction is this Be humbled seriously before the Lord for all former irregular and exorbitant Passions thou hast been guilty of and seek pardon of them in the blood of Christ and pray earnestly unto the Lord to keep thee from falling into the like again and to give thee the wisdom which comes from above which is first pure then peaceable gentle and easie to be intreated and full of good fruits And when thou art surprized on a sudden with any unexpected accident or violent temptation that is apt to disorder thee then send up a fervent ejaculation to heaven as a speedy messenger for help and succour in that time of danger 17. Lastly Set a high price and value upon quietness meekness and a calm frame of Soul 1 Thes 4.11 Study to be quiet and to do thy own business And so much of the directions for the right regulating of our anger 4. I come to consider the excuses * Vitia nostra quia amamus defendimus malumus ea excusare quam excutere Sen. that those that are prone to be angry do use to make for themselves 1. They are ready to say that their afflictions are so great and so heavie that they cannot bear them with any patience And therefore they may say as Jonah did that they do well to be angry and that it is better for them to dye than to live Answ Be silent all flesh before God What art thou O Man O Worm that thou repliest against God Aaron had two Sons destroyed at one stroke by fire from Heaven And they both dyed for ought appears to the contrary in their sin and that is a sharper affliction than ever thou mettest with And yet the text sayes Lev. 10.3 Aaron held his peace he uttered not one word of murmuring or discontent against the Almighty To murmur against God is to throw a stone upward that will be sure to fall on his head that threw it Take heed therefore of inward repining or outward murmuring against the Almighty how heavy soever his hand be upon thee Shall a living man complain sayes the moanful Prophet Lam. 3.39 Man suffereth for his sin God is alwayes just though his wayes to us are sometimes amazing and past our finding out 2. They are ready to say that the provocation upon which they were angry was so great that flesh and blood could not bear it Answ Flesh and blood neither in a natural nor a moral sense except it be changed can enter into the Kingdom of God 1 Cor. 15.50 And the Apostle tells us that they that live after the flesh shall die Rom. 8.13 and that not a temporal death only but an eternal And Gal. 5.24 He tells us that all that are Christs have in some good degrees though not all equally crucified the flesh with its corrupt affections and lusts * Sanabilibus aegrotamus malis Sen. 3. They are ready to say that they are Cholerick by nature and therefore they cannot help falling into Passion Alas how can they will they say except God give them patience Answ A Cholerick temper I confess may strongly dispose them to anger but cannot necessitate them to it And if they did pray earnestly to God for the assistance of his grace and set a watch over themselves they might bring themselves into better order But some people seem to expect that God should do all for them and neither earnestly beg grace from him to help them nor endeavour seriously in the power he vouchsafes to them to mortify the corruptions of their hearts If a great reward were propounded to a Cholerick man on condition he abstained from falling into any unseemly passion for one day whatever provocation were offered him surely he would do it And if a man may by great watchfulness abstain one day for a temporal reward why should he not do it the next day and the next after that out of obedience unto God There are several gracious Christians that are not easily frequently or furiously angry nor mis-behave themselves in their anger by word or deed Do you endeavour to do so likewise 4. They are ready to say that such a man was excessively hot and angry with them and why should not they be so with him Ans No man must go about to cure an evil with an evil or to correct a vice by a vice fire is not quenched by fire nor anger with anger 'T is more Christian-like to give place to wrath and and overcome evil with good CHAP. X. Of Idleness THE Prophet Ezekiel Chap. 16.49 tell us that this was the iniquity of Sodom Pride fulness of bread and abundance of Idleness neither did she strengthen the hands of the Poor I wish abundance of Idleness were not at this day a sin found in England as well as in Sodom and that among the wealthiest and those of the best rank and quality in the Nation whose education one would think should have taught them better things Seneca complained of old that men spent their time either in nihil agendo or aliud agendo or male agendo either in pure idleness and doing nothing or doing things of small moment and consequence or in doing things evil and wicked I wish this were not too true of many among us in these dayes who either idle and squander away their precious time or unusefully and impertinently imploy it or else imploy it in sin and wickedness little considering that diligence in doing evil is but a making haste to hell A discourse therefore that tends to shew people how necessary it is to their happiness that they should well imploy their time and not foolishly and carelesly squander it away I hope cannot be unseasonable The Apostle Ephes 4.15 16. makes circumspect walking and redeeming time to be the great Character to distinguish those that are wise from those that are foolish See that ye walk circumspectly sayes he not as fools but as wise redeeming the time This is the Subject therefore that I shall now speak to and in the handling of it I shall shew 1. What is meant by redeeming time 2. For what purposes especially it is to be redeemed 3. From what we must redeem it 4. What are the reasons and motives that should press this duty upon us 5. I shall give some directions as to the manner how we should redeem it