grace to repent For the better conceiving of this point two questions are to be answered The first is wherein stands Satans cunning that he thus betrayes man to lie and continue in the pleasure of sin I answer Satans cunning standeth in this that by his false deceiving envious light the free act of the naturall love and pleasure of man to apprehend the object of his pleasure is extended to the pleasure of pride that is to say by Satans false deceiving envious light the formall naturall act of the will which worketh by love and is naturally good is strained and extended to the formall morall evill act of the will and to the height of pride by continuance in actuall sin For all continuance in actuall sin is originally from pride and pride from the devils darknes And this is the reason that actuall sin is called Idolatry for pride in the pleasure of sin is the Idol of the heart resisting all command of the Law of faith To make this appear by one example which shall serve for all It is in the free act of the naturall will of man which works by the love of man to the sensitive object of his pleasure to drink a cup of wine sometimes for his health but while his love and desire to wine by Satans false deceiving envious light is so continued as he hateth all company but only such as love that which he loveth For in this union standeth the pleasure of sin because by this multiplied union the strength of the pleasure of sin is multiplied and extended to such a height as it doth resist all power of command of the Law For the drunkard out of his pride hates all light which is averse to his filthy pleasure And this is the old Serpents sting of enmity whereby he stings wretched man to such a height of unlawfull pleasure which doth beget sin upon sin as by daily experience is seen in the drunkard And this is the Devils cunning in all actuall sin whatsoever for by his false deceiving envious light he doth incense the good naturall act of the concupiscence of man to the pleasure of pride which is Idolatry and in this only sense the act of the concupiscence 1 Tim. 6.10 is said to be the root of all evill which is otherwise good by nature The second question may be moved Doth Satan by his false envious deceiving light thus enlighten all the severall sensitive objects of the naturall love and pleasure of man this were an endlesse work for Satan I answer Satan either by his own immediate suggestion by enlightening the species of some former sensitive object in the phansie or by the help of his instruments doth actually enlighten all the severall externall sensitive objects of the naturall love and pleasure of man by his false envious deceiving light and these instruments be such as Satan by the sowing of his cursed seed of enmity baited by his false lying deceiving naturall light hath begotten his children in a manner from the cradle who by their so often swallowing of the pleasing bait are become as cunning and expert in the faculty of tempting as Satan himself in so much that there is not that severall naturall pleasure proceeding from the love of man to the exernall sensitive object which is not incensed by some or other of Satans instruments who swarm so in all places as an honest Christian hath much ado to avoid the danger of their cunning such is their audacious officiousnesse to invite the naturall love and pleasure of man to sin and mischief And these are the old roaring Lions welps and the false deceiving lights of the Devils lanthorn that leads the hopefull youth of this Kingdome from one consuming place of filthy pleasure to another till their hearts are so incensed with the pride of pleasure as all is so spent and consumed that for the most part the poor wretches are necessitate to such wants as without the preventing mercy of God they must either starve or take some such desperate course to supply their wants as they are brought to a shamefull end to the shamefull scandall of the Church of God while under the Law of Grace the hopefull plants of his Church are by this miserable means brought to despair of all Grace What hard hearted Christian is not sensible of this misery But all are at their wits end how to remove the cause of the misery such is the hellish power of this cursed brood Let the morall power therefore of the slaming sword of the Word be put in the right hand and neither the Devill or his instruments shall have such domineering power For by the slaming light of the Word the most rebellious roaring rakeshame is either conformed to the command of the Law of faith or by the stroke of the sword cut off from being such a foul scandall to the Church and without repentance and submission banished the Kingdome So by this means such wilde Boars of the forrest shall not have such power to root up the hopefull plants of the Lords Vineyard and as for such plants as these wilde Boars did so labour to root up out of the Lords Vineyard and are brought to such a low ebbe let never their case seem desperate either to themselves or to us while as they are sensible of the shame that they are brought unto by the pride of sin for shame for the the pride of sin is the first grace that the Lord doth confer upon those whom he hath predestinate to be made like to the Image of his Son for such the Lord doth enable with patience to indure his hand till they be throughly humbled for their pride and then they are fitted for the grace of spirituall preferment For God doth give his spirituall grace to the humble but he doth resist the proud and therefore it is said Isai 40.4 every valley shall be exalted and every high mountain which is the mountain of pride shall be brought low for the Lord never leaves his own till by their humiliation they be brought so low as they are fitted with patience to wait upon his prefixed time for their spirituall calling that by the grace of his spirituall light that they may be led by the hands of faith to lay such fast hold on the Lords merit as all their actuall sins are covered which was the cause of their shame and afflictions And that by the power of his merit that as the Lord hath removed the cause of their shame so he is able even in this life to raise and exalt them from the greatest affliction or if for the continuance of their obedience they are not totally freed in this life yet their comfort is that their greatest scarlet sins shall never have power to condemn them the reason is because their spirituall faith and the Lords merit are really and spiritually one whereby they are justified by the Law and who is he that dare condemn them for it is the
from the redemption of man from the curse of the Law and from his fulfilling of the Law for man by his bloody rest was likewise infinit By the power of whose infinit merit by the Lords daies Evangelicall rest as it is the word of the eternall life and rest of man the formall worship of the Lords day is commanded in spirit and truth And therefore the Lord told the Samaritan woman The houre commeth and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father and consequently the Son and holy Spirit in Spirit and truth For God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and truth By which words the formall Evangelicall worship of the Lords day is both set downe and commanded by the Lord of the Lords day For first the Lord told the Samaritan woman commanding her to beleeve that the houre should come which is the houre of the Lords day which was then to come Secondly the Lord commanded the Samaritan woman to beleeve that God is a Spirit and must be worshipped in Spirit and truth that is in the Spirit of faith in the truth of his Evangelicall rest fâ—om the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed Which is the formall Evangelicall commanded worship of the Lords day which must be sanctified by man after that formall manner in the Spirit of faith in the truth of the Lords merit by his Evangelicall rest as he hath manifested himselfe to man by the day of his resurrection to wit Lord God and man in the three coessentiall distinct Persons of the glorious Trinity Thirdly whereas the Lord told the Samaritan woman that God must be worshipped in Spirit and truth and that the Father requireth such worship The formall Evangelicall worship of the Lords day is immediatly commanded by the Lord of the Lords day for Gods will and requiring of man by his word is the Lords immediate command to man Fourthly whereas the Lord said to the Samaritan woman the houre is in these words the Lords last will testament to be executed after the testators death is fully implied for in the commanded worship of the Lords day the whole Evangelicall morall Law of God which is the whole Evangelicall word is necessarily implied Fiftly while as the Lord saith to the Samaritan woman the houre cometh when ye shall neither worship the Father in this Mountaine or at Jerusalem By these words the formall ceremoniall worship of the propheticall Sabbath implying the whole propheticall ceremoniall Law is actually determined by the actuall immediate commanded Evangelicall worship of the Lords day to the great comfort of both Jewes and Gentiles in tâ—eir freedome from the sore yoake of the ceremoniall Law Conclusion 11. All propheticall ceremoniall worship is barred from the truth of the Lords commanded worship for by such ceremoniall worship the truth of the Lords fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed is belied and necessarily denied by the will worship of man Conclusion 12. All ceremoniall pretended worship of God by any maner of carved or painted Image objectively representing to the eyes of man the Son of God as he is man is contradictory to the truth of the Lords commanded worship by his Evangelicall rest from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed as he is God and man For first by this ceremoniall pretended worship God is immediatly worshipped as he is man Secondly by the intervening of the sensitive object between the Lord and his worship the Lords worship is necessarily interrupted and consequently the worship a false faithles idolatrous worship necessarily denying the truth of the Lords commanded worship Conclusion 13. All mediate pretended worship of God by invocation of Angels or Saints departed this life is repugnant to the Lords infinit merit by the truth of his Evangelicall rest For first by the immediate object of such worship intervening between the worshipper and the Lord as by his infinit merit he is eternall life rest the infinitnes of his merit is confined Secondly prayer being a most essentiall part of Gods immediate worship by such invocation of the object to which the prayer is directed the worship of God is necessarily interrupted while as man by the Lords owne immediate command is commanded to call upon the Lord himselfe immediatly in the day of trouble and neither upon Saint or Angel And consequently such mediate pretended worship of God equall idolatry with the former Conclusion 14. As all men for their first sinne in Adam as head were condemned to the curse of eternall death and darknes So by the infinit powâ—â— of the Lords merit all men were redeemed in Adam as head from the curse of eternall death and from eternall naturall and spirituall darknes shuâ— up its â—â—mâ—orall spirituall darknes called unbeleefe and originall sinne for â—he infinit good of man Conclusion 15. As by the perfection of the redemption of man by the power of the Lords infinit free merit all men are freed from the curse of eternall naturall morall and spirituall death and from the eternall curse of naturall morall and spirituall darknesse though shut up in temporall spirituall darknes So all men by the redeemed free power of the word in the heart as they are naturall men are restored to the free grace of naturall and morall life and light without any manner of necessitating the act of the understanding will or senses either naturally or morally Conclusion 16. All men redeemed from the curse of the Law by the eternall decree of predestination being concluded in spirituall darknes called unbeleefe and originall sinne all naturall men comming to actual morall understanding and action before they be regenerate are necessarily dead in actuall sinne by their transgression of the Law of faith Conclusion 17. By the redeemed word of the Law in the heart of man man is the Image of God in his Son Christ Jesus as he hath revealed himselfe by the light of the word of the Lords day truth love and mercy First therefore the naturall man by the power of the redeemed word of the Law written in his heart is enabled to produce the workes of truth love and mercy morally though not spiritually which are the workes of morall faith Secondly and consequently by the reall unity of the power of light and command of the word of the Law in his heart with the light and command of the Lords day the naturall mans heart is morally moved to assent and to beleeve the truth of the Lords day and to give morall obedience to the command of the Law implied in the Lords day Thirdly and consequently by the power of the redeemed word in the heart man is enabled to morall repentance which doth necessarily proceed the act of morall faith Conclusion 18. All tenents and assertions denying the universall grace of the redemption of all men from the curse of the Law for their sinne in Adam shut up in spirituall darknes called unbeleefe and sinne
his spirituall understanding did perfectly apprehend God to bee the Creator of Heaven of earth of man of the creatures and that by the immediate eternall blessing of the first seventh dayes rest of God the world man and the creatures were continued and preserved in the perfection of their created estate And upon the immediate command of the word of the first seventh dayes rest implying the command of the whole law of righteousnesse the first Covenant was made with man afterward to be declared As Adam by the spirituall light of his understanding really one with the spirituall light of the word of the seventh dayes rest did perfectly understand God as God revealed himselfe to Adam by the word of his first seventh dayes rest wherein the perfection of Adams understanding of God did consist so Adam by the created perfection of his spirituall action of holinesse did adequate the perfection of the command of the Law as Adam was first obliged to the Law of God for if Adams spitituall action of holinesse had not been of equall power with the perfection of the command of the Law which is in the spirituall command and the first Covenant being established upon the immediate command of the word of the first seven dayes rest of the Law both upon the eternall blessing of the first seven dayes rest and upon the curse of eternall death Adam could never have fulfilled the perfection of the command of the Law but must have necessarily fallen under the curse of eternall death which had been most high injustice in God in binding and obliging his intellectuall creature man to a law upon the curse of eternall death above the power of his obedience by his spirituall action of holinesse for it was only by Adams spirituall action of holinesse that the law was to be fulfilled for though Adam was created with the power of morall action yet while Adam stood in his state of perfection Adams morall action was not actuall neither could his spirituall action of holinesse be called formally and properly morall which denomination is extended both to the obedience and transgression of the Law as hath been formerly declared Adams morall action therefore was not actuall till the Law of righteousnesse was transgressed by Adam and then Adams morall action was actuall and formally morall and morally evill and the greatest evill that ever was or can be committed by man Now as Adam by the perfection of his spirituall understanding of the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousnesse did perfectly understand God as God revealed himselfe to be honoured and worshipped by his rest from the works of the Creation So Adam by the perfection of his naturall understanding must needs apprehend the being power perfection goodnesse life light knowledge understanding wisdome in himselfe and the creatures to flow from the infinite perfection of the Creator whereby Adam was led in the understanding of the essentiall Attributes of God which essentiall understanding of God in Adam must be imperfect God as he is essentiall being infinite and incomprehensible Adams perfect understanding of God therefore was perfected by the perfection of his spirituall understanding of the word of the first seventh dayes rest as God did manifest himselfe to man to be understood and worshipped by man for God can no otherwise be comprehended by the act of the understanding of man or Angel but after that formall manner that God doth minifest himselfe to be understood and worshipped by either And so much briefly of the created naturall and spirituall perfection of man with whom the first Covenant was made by God which is the contents of the first part of the first Book Before we come to the second part an objection must be removed CHAP. V. Of a threefold comparison between the created naturall and spirituall perfection of the first Adam with the naturall and spirituall perfection of the second Adam IT is said That the first Adam was made a living soule a naturall man and from the earth earthly 1 Cor. 15.45 46 47. Adam therefore was not created in the state of naturall and spirituall perfection neither could he be created the image of righteousnesse and holinesse or a true spirituall man I answer briefly to the Objection The Apostle in these three verses of this chapter doth make a threefold comparison between the first and second Adam The first is in the 45. verse the sense whereof is this The first Adam was made a living soule to wit to live the perfect life of righteousnesse necessarily implying the perfection of his naturall life but the second Adam was not only made a living soule but likewise a quickning spirit where the power of the naturall and spirituall life of the first Adam is compared with the power of the naturall and spirituall life of the second Adam The first Adam by the power of his naturall and spirituall life was not able to quicken himselfe or any man else being dead but the second Adam by the power of his naturall life in sustaining the cursed death of the Crosse did redeem the first Adam and all men condemned and dead under the curse of the Law by eternall death in Adam their head for the transgression of the Law by Adam and by the infinite power of his Resurrection from the dead did raise up Adam and all men condemned and dead in Adam their head quickning and reconciling all men by the price of his blood to the love and favour of God for that first sinne The first Adam therefore notwithstanding of his naturall and spirituall perfection in respect of the second Adam may be truly said to be but a living soule and not a quickning spirit The second comparison is in the 46. verse where the spirituall perfection of the first Adam is compared with the spirituall perfection of the second Adam the sense of the words is this Though the first Adam was created in such spirituall perfection yet his spirituall perfection was not essentiall but habituall and conditionall But the spirituall perfection of the second Adam the Lord Jesus Christ is Essentiall and therefore the first Adams spirituall perfection in respect of the second Adams essentiall perfection was but the perfection of a naturall man as the spirituall perfection of the second Adam was the essentiall perfection of an essentiall spirituall man the eternall Sonne of God begot of the seed of the woman in time The third comparison is in the 47. verse where the humane sensitive nature of the first Adam is compared with the humane sensitive nature of the second Adam The sense of the words is this The first Adam as he is man sensitively was created of earthly principles immediately and therefore from the earth earthly But the second Adam as he is man sensitively Christ Jesus the naturall Son of God was begot of the sanctified seed of the woman immediately and every way from the heaven heavenly in respect of whose humane
in the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge being eaten to produce such perfection as was suggested by the Serpent As there was vertue in the fruit of the Tree of Life for the eternall preservation of man as he is man whereof Eve was to eate at her pleasure which was no small reason for Eve to be induced by the words of the Serpent that there was such vertue in the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge and now by the glosse of this great false light of Satan Eves naturall love and desire began to be so incensed as she was moved to take a review of the fruit which Eve had formerly so often past with abstinence out of her religious love and feare to the command of her gracious Creator And having received the fruit enlightned by Satans false suggestion the goodnesse beauty and excellencie of the fruit did seem in Eves conceipt and apprehension to promise no lesse vertue and perfection then was suggested by the Serpent as mâ—y appeare by her words So the woman seeing that the fruit was good for meat to wit both of the soule and body by eating thereof to live eternally and that it was pleasing to the eyes that is to the eyes of the understanding and to the eyes of the sensitive body and therefore to be desired to get understanding that is for the attaining to the perfection of such understanding as was equall to the understanding of God and consequently for attaining to the perfection of such independent action as was equall to the perfection of such understanding free from all feare of death threatned by the Covenant Now the species of the sensitive object of the beautifull fruit of the Tree of knowledge thus actually and satanically enlightned being received in Eves understanding her incensed naturall and morall love and foule desire to eate of the forbidden fruit and by eating thereof to be equall to God arising like a great dark cloud dispersing it selfe thorow all the intellectuall and sensitive parts of her soule and body Eves spirituall light and thankfull obliged love to God was so quite darkned and obscured as Eve did greedily and most unthankfully grasp the fruit and eate thereof And no doubt Eve did finde the taste and rellish of the fruit answerable to the beauty of the fruit by eating whereof Eve secured her selfe to become equall to God by the time that the suggested power and vertue of the fruit should by opperation produce the expected effect By the way the Reader may here observe first the reason that Satan is called that old serpent in the Scripture Rev. 20.11 Satan is called a serpent from the subtilty of his temptations as he windes in at every externall sense of man by his false deceiving light And Satan is called the old serpent from this first temptation of man Secondly the reason may be observed that Satan is called a lyer from the beginning Joh. 8.54 for this was the first lye that ever entred in the world whereby Satan most impudently and most audaciously did belye the majesty of God that Satan might work his malice upon innocent man for Satan by this false lye did most trecherously procure the fall of man Thirdly the reason may be observed wherefore Satan is called the flower of discord for by Satans false suggestion that man by eating of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge should become God Eve began to fall at variance with God for commanding man upon the paine of death not to eate of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge Here a question may be moved Eve being created in the state of naturall and spirituall perfection did not Eve perfectly know that the Serpent was but a sensitive creature and that the actuall words uttered by the Serpent could not be the serpents words but that it may be rather conceived that Eve by hearing of the Serpent thus speaking as man might have been afraid and run away from the Serpent To this I answer It is without all doubt that Eve did perfectly know that the Serpent was but a sensitive creature and the rather that this creature which is called the Serpent was more conversant with Eve then any other of the sensitive creatures which shall plainly appeare hereafter And there is no question but Eve did perfectly apprehend that the words were not the naturall words of the serpent And it is most certaine that Eve could not imagine that the actuall words did proceed from satan in the serpent of whose bewitching â—emptations Eve before that time had no manner of experience But Eves understanding and judgement â—y her foule incensed love and desire to eate of the forbidden fruit that she might be equall to God was quite darkned and obscured such is the power of sinne and evill when it is once conceived and harboured in the heart of man But as for Eves feare of the Serpent thus speaking Eve in her state of perfection could feare nothing but God alone for servile humane feare is since the fall and redemption of man arising from the distrustfulnesse and unbeleefe of man and yet in this condition of man under the evangelicall Law of grace both men and women induced by the great promises of Satans false deceiving light are not afraid while Satan many times doth appeare in deformed shapes But there was no such deformednesse in this sensitive creature which is called the Serpent for it was a most comely lovely handsome sensitive creature waiting as it were upon Eve Thus Eve in the confidence of her new expected state and felicity by the operation of the vertue of the fruit which she had eaten joying in her heart with what a booty she should present Adam out of her deare love and affection that as Adam was owner of her love so he might be partner of her new expected transcendent felicity Eve did take of the fruit and carry to Adam CHAP. IX Adams Fall MOses being to set down the History of the Creation and of the Fathers in the small Tractate of Genesis untill his owne time containing the History of 2000. yeares though Moses for brevity hath set downe the truth of Adams fall without expressing of the severall circumstances and conference which past between Adam and Eve before Adam did receive and eate of the forbidden fruit yet it is not to be imagined that Adam in the prime of his spirituall perfection and wisdome for all his intimate love and affection to Eve could be so easily induced by Eve to eate of the forbidden fruit that of necessity there must passe some serious discourse between Eve and Adam for without all doubt Eve by her gracefull delivery must acquaint Adam with all that passed betweene her and the Serpent and with the weighty reasons that moved Eve to eate of the fruit and with her owne confidence that by eating of the fruit she should bee equall with God and it is most certaine that Eve out of the sincerity of her affection to have Adam
faith be as necessarily commanded to be produced according to the formall command of the law as the faith of man is obliged by covenant to live the life of righteousnesse of faith as he is inabled by the power of the redeemed word of the law written in his heart For as the commanded worship of the seventh day is the great command of the Law necessarily implying the lesser command all the workes of faith are necessarily commanded as hath been formerly and necessarily demonstrate All the workes of man therefore be they never so morally good according to the literall command of the law are not able to merit the pardon of the least actuall sin of man committed against the law of righteousnesse of faith much lesse able to merit tâ—â— salvation of man from the second death but quite contrary by the intervention of the presumptuous merit of man between his faith and the Lords merit his vain faith is utterly destroyed 10. Though originall sin doth descend upon all men redeemed in Adam the redeemed head of man yet originall sin is no manner of cause of actuall sin For first originall sin is immâ—diately from God the eternall Father of the immortall spirit of man by the essentiall union of the intellectuall spirit of man to the vitall spirits of the heart of the Infant in the wombe So soon therefore as the Infant is man and the son of Adam the childe is concluded in originall sin in Adam the redeemed head of man and so brought forth man by man female the mother Secondly actuall sinne is from the devill and neither from God or from the parents for the generation of man by man male and female and the production and bringing forth of man by man female as it is the naturall action of man the humane intellectuall good creature of God is a good naturall action without any actuall sinne for it is not the naturall or the voluntary action of man simply that is sinne but it is the voluntary action of man as it is formally morall And so much for the redemption of man from the curse of the Law for the sinne of Adam as it doth concerne both the old and new Covenant The redemption of man is the next to be declared as it doth concerne the old Covenant CHAP. XV. Adams arraignment by God for his transgression of the Law of righteousnesse obliged by the first Covenant AS the act of the redemption of man from the curse of eternall death and darknesse doth concerne the old Covenant it doth necessarily presuppose the arraignment of our first parents and the censure of God for their transgression of the Law which in the infinite mercy of God is onely temporall in this life First therefore of the arraignment of our first parents as it is set downe by Moses so farre briefly thereof and of the censure as both doe concerne the subject in hand In the araignment of the parties delinquents for the transgression of the Law God doth beginne with the examination of the last delinquent but God doth beginne his censure where the sinne did first beginne The last delinquent by the transgression of the law of righteousne obliged by the first Covenant made by God with man was Adam God therefore as may appeare Gen. 3.9 doth first graciously call Adam by his word who hearing the voyce of God hid himselfe with Eve amongst the trees of the garden flying from the presence of God and from his gracious calling by his Word How fearfull is the voyce of God by his Word calling a sinner to account for the transgession of his Law as he is a naturall man For so soon as Satan doth induce the naturall man to sin by the transgression of the command of God by his Word as it is his Law commanding man Satan doth perswade the naturall man to flye from the gracious calling of God by his Word yet God according to his eternall purpose Psal 119.176 will finde out both Adam and Eve God therefore doth first call Adam saying Adam Where art thou as if the Lord had not knowne where Adam was O infinite mercy of God to man though man had lately committed high treason against God yet God mercy it selfe doth call Adam by his sacred Word graciously to repentance Who art thou therefore that wilt despaire of the infinite mercy of God in his Son Christ Jesus calling thee so graciously by his word to repentance while Adam who had committed the greatest sin that ever was or can be committed against God by man was graciously called by God Here a Question may be moved Was not the sin of our first parents for their first transgression of the Law freely pardoned by the eternall Decree of God by predestinating the only Son of his love Christ Jesus as he is man to the cursed Altar of the Crosse for that first sin wherefore then doth God call Adam or Eve to repentance for that first sin I answer first This was more then was knowne to our first parents till the promise of the blessed seed was made Secondly all the punishments inflicted upon our first parents for the transgression of the Law are only temporall in this life and all inflicted by God to put all men in continuall remembrance of the infinite love and mercy of God in his Son Christ Jesus for the redemption of man by the cursed death of his onely Son as hee is man without whose cursed death all men must have dyed eternally under the fearfull curse of the Law by eternall death and darknesse and so to returne to Adams examination The words set downe by Moses are emphaticall as if they had been set downe after this manner Adam Where art thou This is strange that thou shouldest flye from my presence who have dealt so graciously with thee where it may appeare that God was then conversant with our first parents before their fall even by externall apparition Adam by his answer to Gods calling like a naturall man most ungraciously in stead of the humble acknowledgement of his horrible fact doth goe about to shift his accusation for hiding himselfe by pretending his shame by his nakednesse saying Gen. 3.10 I was afraid to come into thy presence because I was naked Naked indeed both internally and externally which is the true effect of sin Adam and Eve were both ashamed of their deformed estate to which they were brought unto by the base foil which they received by believing the Serpent both were sensible of their misery but both as yet insensible of their sin which was the cause of their misery such is the nature of sin till the sinner be spiritually called by God Now did Adam and Eve begin to feel the evill which they did so long to know and now was the perfection of our first parents understanding brought to such a passe as they knew not which way to begin to cover so much as their externall nakednesse but were fain to make a poor
God is mystically signified by the woman the reason whereof is the twofold naturall conception of the woman which is as it were the embleme of the twofold conception of the morall and mysticall members of the Lord Jesus Christ which are brought forth by the Church For as the morall conception of the naturall man by morall faith by the preaching and sowing of the seed of the Word doth resemble the seminall and first conception of the woman So doth the spirituall conception of the regenerate man by the Church resemble the second conception of woman For though the regenerate man be spiritually enlightned by the immediate light of the holy Spirit yet that spirituall light is the spirituall light of the Word which is the seed of the Church and the regenerate man is enlightned thereby as he is a member of the Church which is the body of our Lord Jesus Christ The third main fundamentall point to be observed in this gracious promise is the immediate cause of the Lords love to his militant Church For the immediate sole efficient cause of his love to the Church is the essentiall union of this divine and humane nature of the Word As the immediate cause of this essentiall union is the Lords infinite love to all men eternally condemned to the curse of eternall death for the sin of Adam Whence the infinit joy and gladnesse of the sacred Trinity did arise to rest eternally upon the essential union of which essentiall union and unction doth arise the Lords love to his Church by his sacred Word as his Word by his love is the Image of this essentiall union For as by the literall light of his Word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousnesse of faith proceeding from his love which is of one reall light with the redeemed word in the heart of man the naturall man is morally led to the Lords merit So by the Spirituall light of the Word proceeding from his spirituall love which is the spirituall light of his holy Spirit the regenerate man is spiritually led to the Lords merit and spiritually mystically and indivisibly united to his mysticall head For by this spirituall love all the regenerate are coupled and united joynt to joynt one to another and all indivisibly to their mysticall head whence the spirituall joy and gladnesse of the regenerate doth arise which is called the joy of the Holy Ghost for this spirituall union and unction is really one in the head and members but it is essentiall in the head and spirituall in the members spiritually flowing from the essentiall union and unction of the head and this is the reason that it is said by the Prophet David prophecying of this union and unction Psal 45.7 Thou hast anointed him with the oil of gladnesse above his fellowes Whose fellows are his mysticall brethren begotten of the same Father for both the head and the members are the sons of God the head essentially and therefore the naturall Son of God the members spiritually and therefore the spirituall and adopted sons of God in their mysticall head who are therefore predestinate to be made like to his Image that he might be the first born Son amongst many brethren And in this sense our Saviour is called Luke 2.7 The fiâ—st born Son of the Virgine the woman in respect of his mysticall members who are begot of the woman the Church Though the spirituall joy therefore of the regenerate doth many times ebbe and flow yet the spirituall love whereby they are spiritually united to their mysticall head whence this spirituall joy doth arise is indivisible in the head and members It is as impossible therefore for the regenerate to fall totally and finally from the grace of their spirituall love whereby they are indivisibly united to their mysticall head As for the humane nature of the word to fall from the divine nature and alone For the essentiall union of the divine and humane nature of the Word is the sole immediate efficient cause of this indivisible union and must mutually stand together By this spirituall union and unction whereby the regenerate are indivisibly united to the truth of the Lords merit the regenerate man is so armed with the spirituall valour of patience as he is enabled to resist the strongest temptation of the Devill and of his powerfull instruments and to stand to the Lords truth even the losse of his naturall life by which spirituall valour the regenerate man doth overcome the power of Satan and of all his cruell crue in this life For this spirituall valour doth proceed from the decreed victory of this irreconcileable bloody war to the seed of the woman For the seed of the woman must break the head of the Serpent and the head of the Serpents seed though the victory be not without temporall danger and afflictions as may appear by the mysticall sense of the third branch of the censure next to be declared CHAP. XXII The mysticall sense of the third branch of the censure SAtan and his cursed bloody brood by the mysticall sense of the first branch of the censure being necessitate to hate the truth and the professors of the truth who are the Church of God and to induce all others to his power to hate and persecute the Church Satan first by the mysticall sense of this third branch of the censure is limited how far his power shall extend mystically signified by the word Heel which is the lowest part of man as he is man intellectuall and sensitive whereby the sensitive power of man as he is man is signified Satan therefore by his cursed sting of enmity hath the power to sting and bite man as he is a naturall man intellectuall and sensitive but no wayes as he is a spirituall man For Satan with all his power cannot sting the regenerate man not so much as to induce him to commit the least actuall sin For the regenerate man is born of God 1 John 3.9 and cannot sin as he is a spirituall man And therefore the Apostle Paul Rom. 7.17 18. doth disclaim his actuall sins to be his to wit as he is a spirituall and a regenerate man but doth attribute his actuall sins to his rebellious flesh as he is a naturall man and the old man corrupted by Satan and his wicked instruments even in a manner from the cradle Secondly by the mysticall sense of this word His Satan and his cursed brood according to the eternall Decree of God is permitted first to sting the Word the blessed seed made flesh of the seed of the woman whom that old murdering blood-hound and his cursed bloody brood did sting most cruelly to the cursed death of the crosse Secondly by the word His Satan and his seed is permitted to sting and bite the heel of the Lords mysticall members who are predestinate to be made like to the Image of their mysticall head that they may taste of the cup of his afflictions in this
blessing of his cursed death did belong to Adam and to all men naturally descended and to descend of Adam to the end of the world according to the promise made to Adam And therefore upon the day of his resurrection from the grave both the Jews and Gentiles were graciously called to whose faith the blessing of the promise made to Abraham was freely offered by the new covenant by means whereof the promise made to Abraham that in his seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed was graciously and faithfully fulfilled And this is the reason that the Apostle saith Heb. 9.8 that while the first Tabernacle was standing the second Tabernacle could not be opned for all the nations of the world could not be blessed in this promise till our Saviour did first suffer though his suffering was first and immediately for the Jews which was prefigurate by the Levitical high Priests brest-plate Exod. 39.8.14 wherein the names of the twelve Tribes of Israel were written while he was to offer up the sacrifice of the altar whereby it was signified that our Saviour was first and immediatly to be offered in sacrifice for the Jews and therefore it is said John 4.22 that Salvation is from the Jews Thus have we briefly declared that in the three first ages of the Church the formall propheticall ceremoniall Law was really one and the same obliging of the Fathers before any part of the promise of the blessed seed was fulfilled So by the Tabernacle and Temple which our Saviour calls his body whereby both the promise made to Abraham and the promise made to Adam were prefigurate it was signified that the same formall obligement of the Law did continue from Moses till our Saviours coming in the world and from his coming till the day of his resurrection from the grave which is to be declared in the third Book of our Theologicall key in the mean time for a conclusion to this second Book certain materiall objections are to be answered against the perfection of the redemption of man which doth concern both that which hath been delivered in this second Book and likewise that which is to be delivered in the third CHAP. XXXII Satans cunning by his tempting of man by the sensitive naturall object of his understanding FIrst it is objected Satan hath the power to unite the free love of man so inseparably to the sensitive object of his pleasure as man doth necessarily produce his action contrary to the Law of faith Satan therefore hath the power to necessitate the free will of man to disobedience contrary to the declaration of the perfection of redemption I answer The inference is fallacious For though Satan hath the power by his false envious deceiving light to unite to the love and desire of man to the object of his sensitive pleasure yet it is by the free act of the love of man that man is induced to that union and not by Satans necessitating of his will I cleer the point by Satans cunning in tempting of man Satan doth tempt man to disobedience both by the naturall and morall object of the understanding of man First of Satans cunning in tempting of man by the naturall object and next of his cunning in tempting man by the morall object of his understanding By the naturall externall sensitive object of mans understanding I understand all things in nature whereby the understanding and will of man is produced in act by the mediate senses all which things are the proper objects of the five externall senses of man These severall sensitive objects Satan by himself and his instruments doth so continually and actually enlighten with his false envious deceiving naturall light as the species of these sensitive objects thus Satanically enlightened being received in the understanding the love of man is so incensed to unite it self to the object of its pleasure as it doth hate all things that doth resist the union by which miserable union these fearfull effects are produced First by this foul incensed love and desire of man to apprehend the sensiâ—ive object of his pleasure slaming in the heart of man the light of the redeemed word of the Law written in the heart is so obscured and darkned as wretched man doth greedily grasp the sensitive object without all respect to the Law of faith and this is the first degree of actuall sin which is by the darkning and obscuring of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of Righteousnesse of faith whereby the works of faith are formally commâ—nded for the light of the word of the Law in the heart which is really one with the light of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of Righteousnesse of faith being obscured the light of the word of the seventh dayes rest is necessarily obscured and darkned And therefore this false envious deceiving light of Satan is called the Devils darknesse and the works produced by this false deceiving light are called the works of darknesse Secondly the incensed naturall love and pleasure of man and the sensitive object of his pleasure being once actually united such continuall fewell is added to this incensed fire by Satan and his instruments as wretched man doth lie and continue in his filthy love and pleasure and hate all things which doth resist the enjoying of his foul desire And this is the reason that the Lord saith John 3.20 he that doth evill doth hate the light which is the light of the command of the Law of faith For by the command of the Law of faith all such continued filthy pleasure is condemned And this is the second degree of actuall sin which is by continuance in sin Thirdly by this false envious deceiving light of Satan whereby the love and desire of man and the object of his pleasure are so united the more that wretched man is pressed with the command of the Law the more strictly doth he unite himself to the object of his pleasure by resisting all command of the Law and the pressure of the command And this Medea could see while as she saith we presse against what is forbidden and still affect what is denied And this the third degree of actuall sin while by the continuance of man in actuall sin the long patience of God leading him so graciously to repentance is contemned with such a high hand as God doth justly give him over to such a reprobate minde as he cannot repent though he hath all the dayes of his life to repent For by this means that morall power of repentance which wretched man hath by the redeemed word of the Law and life of Righteousnesse of faith written in his heart is taken away and this is the reason that it is said Luke 19.26 from him that hath not that which he hath shall be taken away that is to say because wretched man will not repent having morall grace to repent therefore he shall be deprived of the power of morall
Lord that doth justifie them by his merit And therefore though it be the Lords pleasure for their triall to keep them in some measure under the yoak of affliction in this life yet they are enabled with patience to bear his hand till in his good time he determine their afflictions by calling them to himself where they shall be exalted to an incorruptible crown of glory and in their mysticall head enabled to tread on the neck of the old roaring Serpent and upon the neck of his cursed brood to their eternall confusion for betraying them by the pride of sin to the shame and afflictions of this life And now to conclude this point of Satans cunning by this tempting of man by the naturall sensitive object Of all the temptations of Satan his accusing of man whom he hath betrayed to such long continuance in actuall sin is the most fearfull And from this fearfull accusing of man Satan is called the Devill and in this diabolicall faculty stands the master-piece of the Devils cunning For when the Devill doth once begin to accuse wretched man for his continuance in unrepented sin the fearfull severity of Gods justice for the high contempt of the Law of faith and the impossibility of his mercy to such high continued contempt is so continually suggested by Satan as he never leaves night and day racking and torturing of the guilty conscience of the wretched sinner till his spirit be so insupportably wounded as he is induced to believe that all repentance comes too late and to despair of all mercy and unlesse by the Lords unexpected concursive grace the fearfull blow be prevented such is the insupportable wounded spirit of the wretched sinner by the Devils continuall accusation as the Devill doth easily induce the tortured restlesse desperate man to lay violent hands on himself as a present remedy for his torture and pain O that the wretched sinner would in time but by morall repentance accuse and condemn himself for his obstinate continuance in actuall sin as he is morally inabled thereto by the perfection of his redemption and then he shall prevent the Devils cunning For by that happy means the Devils fearfull accusation should come too late for there is alwayes such mercy in store to the least repenting sinner as there is no place for the Devill to plead at the barre of the Lords mercy and to accuse man for actuall sin I next proceed to the declaration of Satans cunning in his betraying of man by the morall object of mans understanding CHAP. XXXIII Satans cunning by his betraying of man by the morall object of mans understanding BY the morall object of mans understanding I understand the word of the seventh dayes rest implying the command of the whole Law whereby man from the beginning by every severall covenant is formally obliged to produce his action according to the formall command of the Law as he is actually enabled to produce that formall action by the power of the Word of the Law and life of Righteousnesse written in his heart This light of the word of Law in the heart Satan from the beginning hath and doth obscure by a false deceiving morall light contradictory to the light of the word of the seventh dayes rest By the obscuring of which light of the word of the Law written in the heart the light of the word of the seventh dayes rest is necessarily obscured and darkned by means whereof man doth produce his action without all respect to the formall command of the Law By this false morall deceiving light as Satan from the beginning did obscure the light of the Law of God totally and in generall so by his false deceiving morall light Satan doth now obscure and darken the light of the Law of faith in particular by his obtruding and suggesting false fundamentall particular points of faith whereby the Church of God hath been so miserably distracted in all ages So Satan by his false deceiving morall light did betray our first parents to transgresse the Law of God For while God by his first covenant had obliged man to fulfill the command of his Law by his Word commanding man to abstain from eating of the fruit of the tree of knowledge upon the curse of a dying death Satan by the Serpent did suggest a false morall deceiving light contradictory to the light of the command of God which was that by eating of the forbidden fruit our first parents should not only be freed from all fear of any dying death by covenant but that by eating of the fruit they should be equall to God himself by which false great suggested morall light the hearts of our first parents was so incensed to such a height of pride to be equall to God as they did greedily grasp the fruit without all respect to the command of God by his Word commanding man which was the command of the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the Law of Righteousnesse For by the foul incensed desire of our first parents to be equall to God flaming in their hearts the light of the Word in their hearts was obscured and darkned by obscuring whereof the light of the word of the first seventh dayes rest was so totally obscured and darkned as the whole Law was transgressed whereby Adam the created head of man and all men naturally to descend of the head were condemned to the curse of the Law of Righteousnesse by the first covenant So after the second covenant was made in the promise of the blessed seed by the promised rest of the propheticall Sabbath and after the word the blessed seed was born man of the seed of the woman and after he did manifest himself to the Jews by his glorious works wonders and miracles that he was that promised blessed seed of the woman and the eternall Son of God by whom they were to enjoy the promised rest of their propheticall Sabbath extending his love and mercy so generally towards all by curing of all sensitive diseases incurable by nature and the diseases of the souls of many whereby he did so ingage the reverend love and fear of all leading the world so by that glorious light that happy was he that could but touch the Lord of Life In so much that the glory of his light was such as the Jews began to be possest with a jealousie that by this great glorious light the glory of their great propheticall Sabbath should be obscured whereby they were so famous above all nations and that the honour and dignity of the Leviticall Priesthood and the great preferment which they did hold by the Priesthood should be quite taken away from them At this jealousie of the Jews the Devill takes occasion to suggest a remedy for this fear and that was that they should kill the Word which did so gloriously shine amongst them though this suggestion of Satan was but a cloak to colour his own fear lest the head of the Serpent should
shew mercy and wil deny his mercy to whom he will deny his mercy for in this case Gods love and mercy in his Son Christ Jesus is free and not obliged to any redeemed man naturally descended or to descend of Adam I say to any redeemed man because this promise of spirituall faith in the blessed seed was made to Abraham and his seed in his redeemed state And because the grace of spirituall faith is the free gift of God God did decree from all eternity that Jacob and not Esau should be heir of the spirituall promise And therefore God decreed from all eternity that the blessed seed should not descend of Esaus line for God in his eternall prescience did foresee that Esau would sell his birthright without any manner of morall reason to necessitate his ungracious sale For though the spirituall promise was never intended to Esau yet it was more then Esau knew who by his ungracious sale did contemn and misregard the spirituall promise made to his father Isaac and therefore it was said of the children before they were born Rom. 9.12 The elder shall serve the younger which was afterwards accomplished For the Edomites were expelled the Land of Edome and overrun and subdued by the Israelites And this is the reason that David saith Psal 108.9 Over Edom will I cast my shooe whereby the trampling down and subjection of the Edomites is mystically signified Of this example of Jacob and Esau set down by the Apostle two speciall points are to be observed First Paul having to do in this ninth Chapter with the bragging Jews who did brag that they were heirs of the spirituall promise made to Abraham because they were the naturall seed of Abraham and because the Oracles of the propheticall ceremoniall Law was committed to them the Jews therefore secured themselves that by the performing of the ceremoniall works of the Law that they were heirs of the spirituall promise Paul therefore brings in the example of Jacob and Esau to check the Jews of their arrogancie and tels them plainly that though they were the naturall seed of Abraham and had the Oracles of the Law yet they were never the neerer because the spirituall promise is according to election by him that calleth by faith and not by the works of the Law and that the Jews by their ceremoniall works of the Law did utterly overthrow all faith by which they were called The Apostle therefore to the end of the Epistle out of his true love to the Jews doth exhort the Jews now under the Evangelicall Law of faith to leave off the ceremoniall works of the Law if they intended to be heirs of the spirituall promise which is by faith of him that calleth and to bring forth the works of faith by repentance and amendment of life that by continuation in their morall obedience till Gods prefixed time of spirituall calling they might be spiritually called whereby they should be assured that they were heirs of the spirituall promise made to Abraham The second point to be observed of the words is this that in the order of cause the redeemed estate of man from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam shut up in spirituall darknesse called unbelief and originall sin is the immediate object of Gods election For though this estate of man doth necessarily presuppose both the condition of man created in the state of naturall and spirituall perfection in Adam the head and the state of man condemned to the curse of the Law by eternall death and darkness for the sin of Adam the head yet neither of both the states of man in the order of cause can be the immediate object of Gods election for it is impossible that the state of naturall and spirituall perfection wherein man was created can be the immediate object of Gods election in the order of cause For the Law by which man was obliged by the first covenant was the Law of Righteousnesse and not the Law of righteousnesse of faith Now by the Law of Righteousnesse the eternall blessing of the first seventh dayes rest was due by the Law immediately to the works of mans obedience whereby man was enabled to live eternally upon earth in the state of perfection and felicity wherein he was created while man therefore did stand in the perfection of his obedience there was no place or need of Gods eternall purpose of election by him that calleth to wit by spirituall faith For the period of Gods election by his calling by spirituall faith is that man may be crowned with an incorruptible crown of glory after this life while man in the state of perfection was to live eternally upon earth in that state of felicity wherein he was created And as the eternall blessing of the first seventh dayes rest was due by the Law immediatly to the works of mans obedience so upon the last merit of mans disobedience man was inevitably condemned by the Law to the eternall curse of the Law to the actuall inflicting of which curse God according to his decree from all eternity did so bind and oblige himself by covenant as there was no mercy to be shewed to man For in this case man being condemned by the Law to the curse of eternall death by the first covenant it had been all one for God not to be God as not to inflict the actuall curse of the Law upon man For by this means Gods truth and justice had been overthrown His truth had been overthrown by the breach of his covenant and his justice by disabling the power of his Law There was no place therefore for God to shew mercy or not to shew mercy by his Decree of election in the condition of man created in the state of naturall and spirituall perfection either to the merit of mans obedience or to the merit of mans disobedience It was likewise equally impossible in the order of cause for the state of man actually condemned by the curse of the Law to eternall death and darknesse to be the immediate object of Gods election For first Gods eternall fiery wrath proceeding from the curse of the Law to which man was eternally condemned and Gods mercy by his election doth stand at an eternall distance and opposition without a mediator by whose mediation in satisfying the transgressed Law for man and in reconciling of man to the love and favour of God there may be place for the freedome of Gods mercy by his election Secondly if this state of man actually condemned under the eternall curse of the Law in the order of cause should be the immediate object of Gods election then the elect only and not all men fallen under the curse of the Law in Adam the head for the sin of Adam should be redeemed contradictory both to the old and new covenant and to the whole current of Scripture Thirdly the Potter of Righteousnesse is said to make and temper the lump and masse of man whereof he
new covenant he that doth believe and shall be baptized shall be saved It is neither by the preaching of the Word or by the exâ—ernall administration of the Sacraments but it is by the immediate faith of man in the Lords merit that man is saved from the second death Thus having declared the perfection of the redemption of man from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam shut up in spirituall darknesse called unbelief and originall sin according to the eternall Decree of God as the act of the redemption doth concern all men in generall male and female created in Adam naturally to descend of Adam to the end of the world And having answered and determined the most materiall objections against the declaration thereof we now proceed to the third Book THe Author of this small Tractate having fully ended it did intend to fit it for the Presse as soon as conveniently he could but being at London about his other occasions he did accidentally come into the company where some worthy Gentlemen were earnestly in discourse about some points of Religion After which conference he did resolve at his coming home to draw his Book into as short and plain a way as possibly he could for the Readers better understanding And thus far he went and then it pleased God to take him to himself before he could write one word of the third Book which he did intend to contract very much because he had spoke so much of the Lords day before But I not knowing how to get it done according to his mind and being loth to mangle so excellent a Work have rather thought good to set forth this third Book word for word as it was in his first method and to venture the censure of some rather then to keep it in any longer being exceedingly troubled in mind that it hath been kept almost this six yeeres from the publike view The third Book of the Theologicall Key containing the third Covenant made by God with man CHAP. I. Christ manifesting of himself at his coming in the world WE are now according to our Method to declare such acts of the blessed seed as they are set down in his sacred Word performed by him while he was personally upon earth Christ Jesus the eternall Son of God made flesh of the seed of the woman in time according to the Decree of God from all eternity as he is the first begotten Son of the most High by his birthright Prophet Priest and King so by the execution of his threefold office Christ Jesus did manifest himself Prophet Priest and King First therefore of the execution of his Propheticall office Secondly of his Priestly and Thirdly of his Kingly office The execution of Christs Propheticall office while he was personally upon earth was by the immediate power of his Word as he himself was the promised rest of the seventh day of the Propheticall Sabbath Christ Jesus the Word as the redeemed Word his Image is internally written in the heart of man his Word is the redeemed light and life of man And as his Word is externally objected to the externall senses he is the continuation of the redeemed life and light of man His Word under the propheticall obligement of the Law was the word of the seventh day of the propheticall Sabbath implying the whole propheticall Law and the whole old Testament As the life and light of the promised Sabbaticall rest did proceed from his love to man so Christ Jesus at his being personally in the world did manifest himself light love and life to man His light was in the sound of his Word and by the power of his Word his miracles were wrought and this was the light which did gloriously shine amongst the Jews while he was personally conversant with the Jews This glorious light by the sound of his Word did shine to the Jews first and immediatly by his own immediate Word And secondly by the commanded ministry of the Apostles By the light of his immediate Word first the understanding of the Jews was enlightned in the prophesies prophecying of the coming of the blessed seed from the foundation of the world Mat. 4.17 Mar. 1.21 Luke 4.21 Ioh. 3.13 whereby our Saviour did manifest himself to the Jews that he was the promised rest of their Sabbath and that he was the seed of the woman who must die for the sins of man and rest after his death upon the Sabbath for the recovering of the eternall rest of the first seventh day lost by Adam and that he it was that must rise again to break the head of the Serpent for the betraying of man All which was so many prophesies of himself whereby Christ did discharge his propheticall office Joh. 3.14 as he did likewise prophesie his death by the lifting up of the brazen Serpent and his resting in the grave Mat. 12.40 by Jonas rest in the Whales belly and both his death and resurrection in saying Joh. 2.19 Destroy this Temple and in three dayes I will raise it again So did he prophesie of the destruction of Jerusalem Luke 21.6 So his second coming and the day of judgement and many such like Secondly by this glorious shining light by the sound of his Word our Saviour Mat. 5.20 did cleer the obscured light of the Law corrupted by the false glosse of the Scribes and Pharisees arising from the Devils darknesse Thirdly as Christ Jesus while he was personally in the world by the light of the sound of his Word the Jews understanding was inlightned to know that he was the promised blessed seed So by the light of the power of his Word by his wonders and miracles he did manifest himself to be the eternall Son of God With the glorious fame of whose wonders and miracles the whole world was filled and amazed insomuch that the Jews were constrained to acknowledge the Lord of life to be the Son of God though the Jews darknesse led by the Devils false deceiving light could not comprehend that glorious shining light Fourthly at this glorious light did proceed from the love of the Lord of life to man by his promised Sabbatical rest So he did manifest his love while he was personally upon earth to man in curing of all manner of incurable sensitive diseases of the body and the diseased souls of many by the pardoning of sin None were denied the blessing of his rest who came to him by the light of his love As this glorious light did shine to the Jews immediatly by Christ himself as he was the promised rest of the propheticall Sabbath day so this glorious light did shine immediatly by the ministry of the Apostles whom our Saviour did send abroad Mat. 10.7 to preach and teach this glorious shining light shining from the Son of God whom likewise before his death and resurrection he authorized to preach and to teach the Evangel and to administrate the Sacrament of Baptisme as John did first before Christs manifesting
the mysticall members of his body spiritually and indivisibly united to their mysticall head by his indivisible love As for the Analogie between the sacrifice offered up by the Leviticall high Priest and the sacrifice prefigurate thereby it did likewise consist in three speciall points First as the blood of the Leviticall sacrifice of the brazen altar was first shed and then laid upon the brazen altar So the sacred blood of the Son of God was shed first by his crowning with a crown of sharp prickly thornes causing streams of blood to besmeare his glorious face and body Secondly by his cruell scourging which was a most c uell kinde of bloody punishment according to the manner of the Jews Thirdly by the flood of blood by reason of the great boysterous nails to hold his body fast to the cursed altar of the crosse prefigurate by the brazen altar The Analogie of the second point between the two sacrifices was that both was an Holocaust sacrifice For as the Leviticall sacrifice of of the brazen altar was wholy burnt up and consumed by the fire which came down from heaven so the sacrifice of the Lord of life as he is man was burnt up and consumed by the fire of Gods wrath which came down frâ—m â—eaven for the actuall curse of the Law for the sin of Adam to which Câ—â—st did oblige himself to sustaine for wretched unthankfull man by whose to fed death all men are redeemed from that curse The third point of the Aâ—alogie of the two sacrifices was Levit. 4.12 that as the ashes of the whole burnt sacrifice of the brazen altar was taken from the brazen altar and carryed in ash-pans and laid apart from the altar in a clean place So the blessed body of our Saviour Joh. 19.38 39 40 41. was taken down from the cursed altar of the crosse by Joseph of Arimathea Nicodemus and others of that religious company prefigurate by the ash-pans and carried and laid in a new sepulchre wherein no man was formerly laid Because the point of this declaration is in the sacrifice of our blessed Saviour the declaration thereof shall be discharged in these two heads First our Saviours cruell cursed death by the cursed altar of the crosse shall be declared And secondly the place where the Lord was laid prefigurate by the ashes of the sacrifice of the brazen altar which were carried apart from the altar and laid in a clean place Because the sacrifice of our Saviour is plainly set down in the Scripture we will first only make a brief and summary relation of the severall pasges thereof and next certain mysticall concerning points shall be observed of the death and suffering of our Saviour Of all the stratagems of Satan by his false deceiving bewitching light his incensing of miserable men with such bloody cruell hands to crucifie the Lord of life was most admirable and strange For first the power of actuall freedome of naturall and morall gâ—ace which they then enjoyed by the redemption of man from the curse of the Law by the eternall Decree of God though to be performed in time was such as Satan and all the created powers of God could not necessitate the will of man to any morall evill but that man must be willingly and freely led and induced to commit that evill Secondly the propheticall Sabbath was the glory of the Jews nation whereby the Jews were so eminent and had such great preferment above all the nations of the earth which glory and great preferment the Jews did then enjoy by faith in the blessing of the promised rest of the blessed seed prophesied by the propheticall Sabbath as it was the seventh day of the propheticall ceremoniall Law which was then the immediate object of the Jews faith And though our Saviour did manifest himself to the Jews that he was that blessed seed which was prophesied by the propheticall Sabbath shining then so gloriously amongst the Jews by his gracious light leading them to his love which was freely extended towards all rich and poor in his curing of all manner of sensitive incurable diseases of the body and the diseased souls of many engaging thereby so the generall love of all that happy was he who could but touch the Lord of life to none was his love and help denyed who were led to him by this gracious light of the sound of his Word who by the power of his wonders and miracles did manifest himself to be the Son of God ingaging the reverend fear of all by the convincing power of whose wonders and miracles the wretched Jews were constrained to acknowledge so much yet that Satan by his false deceiving light should notwithstanding so induce the unthankfull Jews not to suppresse but with such bloody hands to extinguish the light of their own eternall life and rest it cannot but amaze the heart of man though all was by the hand of Gods permissive power For though the power of Satans false deceiving light be wonderfull yet Satan with all his power must work all his mischief only by the betraying of the willing consent of man to have man to effect what he would of whose help Satan himself did then stand in great need for this miserable act of Satan was not so much out of his malice to man as out of Satans own fear For by the greatnesse of this glorious light of the promised blessed seed Satan began to be afraid that the head of his power must be broke by the seed of the woman and therefore it did stand Satan in hand in time to prevent this so great and eminent danger which that false Serpent did by suggesting such a light of apparent fear to the Priests Scribes and Pharisees of the utter losse of their glorious Sabbath and of the Leviticall dignity means and preferment if they should give way to this glorious light to shine amongst them whereby the world was so led and carried by which false suggested fear of Satans false deceiving light the Scribes and Pharisees and the rest of that rablement were furiously incensed with all greedy desire not to suppresse but extinguish the light it self whereby both might rest secure from any such fear which this barbarous crue did with most cruell bloody hands effect though while their cruell hands were in externall action their hearts were internally pricked with the power of this light as may appear by the sacred History from the first point to the last For first while the Scribes and Parisees did hire their Helhounds to apprehend the Lord of life the Lord told the Helhounds John 18.5 6.12.13 that he was the man whom they did seek And though by the power of his Word they fell back to the ground yet up again and to the Lord they went And though Malcomes eare Luke 22 50 51. being struck off was miraculously cured by our Saviour a glim of the light of the rest of their glorious Sabbath yet such was the power of the
and resurrection from the grave the naturall mans understaning is morally enlightened So by the power of the redeemed Word of truth written in the heart the naturall man is morally enabled to believe these twelve fundamentall points of faith And therefore by the new covenant all men are obliged and commanded to believe these tweâ—ve fundamentall points of faith upon the twofold reward of the law By this literall light therefore of the sound of the truth of the Evangelicall word of the Lords day the judicious Reader is enabled with all boldnesse to condemn all tenents and assertions of faith repugnant to the truth of this light for false adulterous tenents and assertions And with the like boldnesse to condemn all pretended worship of God repugnant to the truth of the Lords Evangelicall commanded worship in spirit and truth for a false adulterous worship of God arising from the false light of error This false light from whence this adulterous worship of God doth arise is the ceremoniall light of some sensitive visible object whereby the understanding is produced in act by the mediate sense of seeing which for the most part is the sensitive objective carved or painted image of the eternall Son of God as he is man which is a most faithlesse false adulterous and idolatrous worship It is faithlesse because faith is by hearing of the Word the Image of God in his Son Christ Jesus and not by the seeing of the Image of our Saviour in his humility as he is man It is false worship because it doth belie the truth of the Lords glorious resurrection it is an adulterous worship because it is repugnant to the truth of the light of the Lords commanded Evangelicall worship in spirit and in truth It is an adulterous worship because the sensitive visible object doth interveen between the Lord and his worship and in this sense a lier is called an Idolater because the falshood which the lier doth maintain doth interveen between the lier and the light of the Word of truth love and mercy in his heart which is the Image of God obliging the heart of the lier to declare and witnesse the truth which is called the light and law of conscience and so is the covetous man under which name the lier hypocrite coozener cheater extortioner briber whoremaster drunkard murderer and in a word the foul malitious cruell affection of man for by all such foul desire of the covetous man the light of the word of truth love and mercy in the heart redeemed by our Saviours sacred blood is belied darkned and obscured and the foul desire worshipped as an Idol contrary to the light of the command of the word of the seventh day of the law really one with the literall light of the law written in the heart of man And though our Saviours bloody rest be necessarily implied in the Lords Evangelicall rest yet his bloody rest is not to be represented by any sensitive visible object to the sense of seeing but by the light of the sound of the commanded word of truth to wit the Lords day to the sense of hearing preached by the faithfull Minister of the Word Neither must any man excuse the hanging up of our Saviours Image in his humility as he is man pretending that he hath the Image objected to his eyes only to put him in minde of our Saviâ—â—â— love by his death To whom I answer that by this manner of putting thee in minde of our Saviours love thou putst the Lord in minde of his fearfull wrath against thee For first it is by the Lords Evangelicall rest that thou art immediatly saved the truth whereof thou art commanded to worship in the Spirit of faith upon the mercilesse curse of the law Secondly the species of the sensitive Image doth interveen between thy mind and the Lords worship whom thou art commanded to worship immediatly and consequently thy putting in minde an Idolatrous mentall worship for preventing of which Idolatrous worship the faithfull Minister by the sound of the word is commanded to instruct the people committed to his charge at his peril for by the new covenant the Apostles are immediately commanded to teach and to preach the truth of the Lords Evangelicall worship to all the Nations of the world as the Lord hath revealed himselfe by the Evangelicall rest of the Lords day And in the Apostles the Apostolicall successors the Ministers of the word are commanded to the like teaching and preaching of the truth of the Lords Evangelicall commanded worship to the people committed to their charge The new Covenant therefore being commanded as well upon the mercilesse curse of the Law of faith as upon the blessing of the Lords Evangelicall rest It doth stand the Ministers of the Sacred word in hand to look to the faithfull discharge of so strict an imposed task Now though in the commanded Evangelicall Sacraments implying the Lords whole last Will and Testament which is the Evangelicall word the word be objectively presented to the sense of seeing touching tasting and smelling as by the light of the sound of the word it is objected to the sense of hearing that man as he is man may receive the word sacramentally that is by faith in the word represented by the externall elements Yet this sacramentall object doth not represent the object of faith to wit the Word Jesus Christ the Son of God to come and to suffer for the sins of man but doth represent him by his cursed death of the Crosse by his bloudy rest in the grave and by his Resurrection from the grave to be received sacramentally by faith in his merit by his cursed death of the Crosse by his bloudy rest in the grave and by his Resurrection and rest from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed which both the Sacraments doe most lively signifie for the better conceiving whereof it is to be understood that the Sacraments were not delivered in the primitive Church but to such as were come to actuall naturall and morall understanding and action First therefore in the Sacrament of Baptisme by the baptizeds ducking and as it were drowning in the water according to the manner of the primitive Câ—â—â—ch the party to be baptized freed from the curse of the Law 〈◊〉 â—n of Adam is signified to be drowned and dead in actuall sin by 〈◊〉 â—â—anâ—gression of the â—aw of faith as by his arising out of the water his rising 〈◊〉 the death of actuall sin to the new life of faith and that his actuall â—â—ns arâ—â—â—â—ffied â—waâ— by his faith in the Lords merit which is the water of eternall life purchased by the water and bloud issuing from our Saviours â—eaâ—â— represented by the sacramentall water So in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper by the sacramentall bread the bread of life is signified whereby the baptizeds faith is nourished and preserved as by the naturall bread his naturall life is maintained and continued By the breaking of
Lord God and man And consequently the three coessentiall distinct Persons of the Trinity Lord God and man The second thing to be observed in the words is that by the things in Heaven the Saints departed this life and the blessed Angels are to be understood for as the Saints in Heaven doe with all humility acknowledge their glory and heavenly felicity to the only merit of the Lord Jesus Christ So doe the Angels with all humility acknowledge the conserved grace of their created perfection to the merit of the Lord Jesus Christ to whom his merit doth extend who are conserved as ministring spirits for man First for man Christ Jesus while he was personally upon earth that his fooâ—e should not dash against a stone Luke 4.10 and secondly they are ministring spirits for his mysticall members that the foot of their fayth shall not be dashed totally and finally against the stony temptation of Satan and his instruments in this life The third thing to be observed is that by things upon earth man and the sensitive and insensitive creatures created for man are to be understood and by things under or within the earth the waters mineralls and other things created for the use of man which as they were all cursed for man so they are all redeemed from the curse with man in whose behalfe man is to bend the knees of his heart with all thankefulnesse to the Lord Jesus Christ and to testifie his thankfulnesse by his thank-worship of the Lords day as the Lord hath revealed himselfe by the Lords dayes Evangelicall rest Lord Jesus Christ God and man in the three coessentiall distinct persons of the glorious Trinity And so much for the declaration or the Evangelicall Word as it is the word of the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall Law Next according to our methode the Evangelicall Word is to be declared as it is the word of promise and new Covenant made by God with man CHAP. XIV The Evangelicall Covenant made by God with man in his Son Christ Jesus called the new Covenant The Evangelicall Word of the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall Law of righteousnes of faith the Evangelicall Word of promise and new Covenant are really one but of a formall difference First of the reall unity of both and next of the formall difference The reall unity of both doth consist in this that the word of promise and new Covenant which is the Lords merit of eternall life by his resurrection and rest from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed is the blessing of the Lords day For by the Lords infinit merit by the Lords daies Evangelicall rest the Lords day is blessed sanctified and commanded for the seventh day of the Evangelicall Law implying the command of the whole Evangelicall Law of faith And consequently the word of promise and new Covenant and the word of the Lords day really one for the one is necessarily implied in the other as may appeare by the severall names of the new Covenant First the new Covenant is called the Covenant of grace because the Lords merit of eternall life by the Lords dayes Evangelicall rest from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed which is the blessing of the Lords day is freely offered to all beleevers by the new Covenant without all respect to the merit of any man naturally descended of Adam whereby all beleevers are saved from the second death which is the curse of the Law of faith And consequently the word of promise and the word of the Lords day are really one Secondly the new Covenant is called the Covenant of truth because the Lord by his Evangelicall resurrection and rest from the faithfull fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed upon his blessed day did manifest himselfe truth to man by the truth of whose infinite merit by his Evangelicall rest the Lords day is blessed sanctified and commanded Which blessing of eternall life is word of promise and new Covenant and consequently the word of promise and the word of the Lords day really one Thirdly the new Covenant is called the Covenant of mercy because as the Lord by his Evangelicall rest did manifest himselfe truth to man so in that truth the Lord by his infinite merit did manifest himselfe love and mercy to man for as by his cursed death of the Crosse our Saviour did merit the salvation of all men from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam So by his bloudy rest in the grave by his fulfilling of the law in the seventh day of the last Sabbath the eternall life and rest lost by Adam from the first seventh day of the law was due to the Lords merit whereby all beleevers are saved from the second death extending his twofold love and mercy to all men by the new Covenant whose mercy according to the truth of his infinite merit being likewise infinite The Lords gracious armes of mercy are outstretched to the penitent sinner for all the daies of this life by the new Covenant And this is the reason that wretched men do so insult upon the Lords infinite mercy by their continuance in sin and wickednesse because they see the daily love and mercy of God extended to all men in this life whose Sun doth shine and his rain doth fall both upon the just and the unjust Mat. 5.45 And this is likewise the reason that many though most unjustly do grudge the temporall blessings of God to the wicked who though they do enjoy the temporall blessings of the Lords merit by his Evangelicall rest yet they are far from the spirituall blessing of the Lords merit whereby man is only saved But the Lord hath thus graciously obliged himself by the new covenant first that wretched man should not dispair of the Lords mercy while he hath all the dayes of this life to repent him of his actuall sins Secondly that the wicked may be excuselesse For though God willeth that all men should be saved 1 Tim. 2.4 by testifying of their thankfulnesse for their redemption by the works of truth love and mercy to which they are morally enabled by the redeemed word of the law written in their heart yet while the wicked man without any created power to necessitate his morall disobedience doth by his obstinate continuance in sin and wickednesse make himself the cursed seed of Satan The Lord doth justly give him over to a reprobate minde and doth most justly will his condemnation where by the way the difference between the first and second covenant is to be observed for the least transgression of the law by the first covenant was without all revealed hope of mercy or time of repentance but the second covenant both Prophetically and Evangelically is with all hope of mercy by repentance for all the days of this life Fourthly the new covenant is called the covenant of faith because the Lords merit of eternall life by his Evangelicall
rest which is the blessing of the Lords day is the immediate object of faith and therefore the Evangelicall law is called the law of righteousnesse of faith though the works of faith which are the works of truth love and mercy are equally commanded in the command of faith which is the necessary sole immediate efficient cause of the works of faith and therefore necessarily commanded in the command of faith while the Apostle therefore doth affirm that man is justified by faith without the works of the law we must understand that the works meaned by the Apostle are the ceremoniall works of the Propheticall law and not the Evangelicall works of faith to which works the Apostle doth exhort both the Jews and Gentiles and therefore the Apostle James saith shew me thy faith by thy works Now the Lords merit of eternall life which is the blessing of the Lords day being really one the word of promise and new covenant and the word of the seventh day of the Evangelicall law are really one and so much for the reall unity of both next of the formall difference The formall difference of both doth consist in this that by the new covenant God and man are mutually obliged in the Evangelicall word of the Lords day For as God by his new covenant doth formally oblige man to believe the truth of his fulfilled promise of the blessed seed by his Evangelicall rest So the Lord doth mutually oblige himself by the truth of his merit by his Evangelicall rest to save the believer from the curse of the second death obliging likewise the unbeliever and finall contemner of his free gracious offer to the mercilesse curse of the law of faith But by the Evangelicall word of the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall law the Lord doth formally command man to testifie his beliefe to the word of eternall life as the Lords Word is his law to man The chief precept of whose law is the commanded worship of the Lords day in which commanded worship the whole Evangelicall law of righteousnesse of faith as formally and necessarily commanded commanding the faith of man in the originall which is the love of the heart where the redeemed word of the law is written really one with the Evangelicall word of the seventh day of the law the Lords day by the power of which redeemed word in the heart which is the Image of God in his Son Christ Jesus truth love and mercy it self all men are morally enabled by the works of truth love and mercy to give morall obedience to the command of the Evangelicall law which are the works of faith the chief work whereof is the truth of the commanded worship of the Lords day whereby the Lord by his Evangelicall rest hath manifested himself truth love and mercy to man The judicious Reader therefore may plainly perceive that though there be a formall difference between the word of the seventh day of the Evangelicall law and of the word of promise and the new covenant yet they are really one and the one necessarily implyed in the other For as hath been formerly declared God cannot morally command man to his new covenant but by the immediate command of the word of the seventh day of the law implying the command of the whole Evangelicall law which is the Evangelicall word of the Lords day For there is neither life light or the power of command in any precept of the Evangelicall law of righteousnesse of faith but by the only immediate commanded worship of the Lords day in that commanded worship implying the command of the whole law And therefore the blessing of the Lords merit by the Lords dayes Evangelicall rest is only and immediatly due by the law to the faithfull worship of the Lords day for the fulfilling of the whole law which is fulfilled by faith in the Lords infinite merit by whose infinite sanctified merit by his Evangelicall resurrection and rest from the fulfilling of his promise the Lords day is the word of eternall life and the immediate object of Christian faith without the command therefore of the Lord day as it is his law to man there is neither life or light for man or any law or new covenant or any object for the faith of man dead in actuall sin as all men freed from the curse of the law for the sin of Adam are before they be regenerate by their transgression of the law of faith And therfore as our Saviour by his bloody rest in the grave by his fulfilling of the command of the seventh day did fulfill the whole law as our Saviour was oblieged to the law for man to whose merit the eternall life and rest lost by Adam is due by the law so the Lord Iesus Christ eternall life and rest by his resurrection and rest from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed upon the day of his resurrection did obliege all men again to his new Covenant by the immediate command of the Lords dayes commanded worship blessed and sanctified by his merit to believe in his fulfilled promise of the blessed seed to whose faith the blessing of his merit of eternall life is due by the law which is commanded in the cōmanded worship of the Lords day as may appear by the word of promise new covenant Go and teach preach the Evangel to all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Spirit Mar. 16.15 16. he that shal believe shall be saved but he that wil not believe shall be condemned The sense of the word of the covenant is this Go and preach the Evangel that is go and preach proclaim the glad tidings of my resurrection and rest this day from the fulfilling of my promise of the blessed seed which is the summe of the whole Evangel implied in the Lords day by the Lords Evangelicall rest go therefore preach the Evangel to all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Spirit as my my resurrection and rest this day from the power of sin Satan hell eternall death the curse of the law and the power of the grave I have manifested my self by mine own infinit immediate power Truth to man by the fulfilling of my promise and in that truth love and mercy to man and in that truth love and mercy God and man in the three coessentiall distinct persons of the Trinity whosoever shall believe in me to wit eternall life and rest by the power of my infinit merit by my Evangelicall rest shall be saved from the curse of the second death for the transgression of the law of faith as by my bloody rest in the grave from the cursed death of the crosse all men are saved from the curse of the law for their transgression of the law in Adam which is the first death he that will not believe in me shall be condemned to
is that iâ— our ascending from the Covenants with the resolutâ—â—â— when weâ— come to the third mediate cause in both the Covenants as they are referred to God we must stop from ascending with our resolution till by resolving of the Covenants as they are referred to man wee meet with the like collaterall causes which will be in all foure in number And then we ascend from these foure causes as they are effects produced by one and the same next and immediate superiour cause till we come to the supreame indemonstrable case of all To begin therefore with the first Covenant First as the Covenant is referred to God and next as the first Covenant is referred to man God by his first Covenant doth first oblige himselfe to Adam and to all men created in Adam naturally to descend of Adam to the eternall continuation of the naturall and spirituall perfection of man and the felicity wherein he was created by the blessing of his first seveth dayes rest Secondly God by his first Covenant doth mutually reoblige Adam and all men naturally to descend of Adam to the eternall continuation of the perfection of Adams obedience to the command of his law both upon the eternall blessing of his first seventh dayes rest to Adams obedience and upon the eternall curse of the law to Adams disobedience From this reobliging of man by God to his Covenant the word Religion doth take the name implying the whole obedience of man to the law of God To come therefore to the resolution of the first Covenant first as the Covenant is referred to God The last and lowest effect of the first Covenant as the Covenant is referred to God is Gods obliging of man to the obedience of the command of his law upon the eternall blessing of his first seventh dayes rest and upon the eternall curse of the law by the first Covenant The immediate cause of this obliging of Adam by God in his state of perfection was Gods eternall purpose to manifest himselfe to man in his attribute of justice by rendring the reward of the law according to the merit of man The immediate cause whereof was Gods enabling of Adam with such naturall and spirituall perfection as was equall to the perfection of the command of the law whereby Adam was enabled to merit the continuation of the perfection and felicity wherein he was created eternally upon earth whose standing or falling was left to the freedome of Adams election by the first Covenant The immediate cause of Gods thus enabling of Adam was the perfection of Adams creation we must stop our resolution at this cause till we have the like collaterall cause arising from the first Covenant as it is referred to man The first Covenant as it is reffered to man must be resolved both as the first Covenant was fulfilled by Adam while Adam stood in the state of perfection and likewise as the first Covenant was broke and transgressed by man The last and lowest effect of Adam as hee was obliged by the first Covenant while Adam stood in his state of perfection was his perfect worship of the first seventh day for in the fulfilling of the seventh day the whole law was fulfilled by Adam by fulfilling whereof Adams faith and the eternall blessing of the first seventh dayes rest were actually but not eternally united for the continuation of the blessing of the first seventh dayes rest to Adam was according to the continuation of the perfection of his obedience The immediate cause of Adams fulfilling of the command of the law while Adam stood in his state of perfection was Adams saith in the eternall continuation of his eternall rest by God which was due to his obedience by the law and promised by Covenant to which God obliged himselfe The immediate cause of Adams faith was Adams love to spirituall righteousnssse that is to God spirituall righteousnesse it selfe his gracious Lord God and Creator The immediate cause of Adams spirituall love was the spirituall sanctifying light of the holy Spirit enlightning Adams intellectuall soule in the understanding of the law as the law is spirituall The immediate cause of this spirituall perfection of spirituall light and love in Adam was the perfection of his creation as he was created in the perfection of a spirituall man and in the lively Image of God And here we meet collaterally with the first cause as the first Covenant is referred to God and so we have two of the foure causes but we must not proceed to make the other two causes arise from the new Covenant till we resolve the first Covenant as it is referred to man by Adam transgressing of the lâ—w obliged by the first Covenant The lowest and last effect therefore of Adams breaking of the first Covenant was Adams transgression and contempt of the command of the Law which is sin by which transgression Adam and all men created in Adam naturally to descend of Adam were eternally united to the curse of the law by the first Covenant whereby all men were condemned to eternall death and darknesse for the curse of the law the transgression of man by the first Covenant was peremptory without all time of repentance or hope of revealed mercy The immediate cause of Adams transgression of the law was the suggested vertue of the objective forbidden fruit offered by Eve by eating whereof Adam did apprehend himselfe that he should become like God Where by the way the Reader may observe that the immediate cause of Adams fall was externall to Adam which was the forbidden fruit and Eves suggestion of the vertue of the fruit The immediate cause of Eves presenting of the fruit and of her suggestion of the vertue of the fruit of Adam was here deere love to Adam to have Adam equall to God himselfe as Eve did apprehend her selfe to be by the vertue of the fruit which she did first eate The immediate cause of Eves eating of the forbidden fruit was her ambicious desire to have her selfe equall to God and to be freed from that dying death threatned by the Covenant The immediate cause of Eves foule desire was the false suggestion of the Serpent in suggesting such admirable vertue in the fruit To the eating whereof without all doubt Eve was the more easily enduced to beleeve the Serpents suggestion of the vertue of the fruit of the tree of knowledge because there was such vertue in the fruit of the tree of life for by eating thereof the sensitive nature of man was eternallv preserved and therefore after the fall both Adam and Eve were excluded from Paradise The immediate cause therefore of Eves fall was the Serpent and the beautifull objective fruit of the tree of knowledge and the suggested vertue of the fruit which were all externall to Eve Next before wee arise with the resolution to the supreme cause of all the new Covenant is first to be resolved both as the new Covenant is referred to God and as it is