innocency I have proved in this Doctrine And yet Christ taking upon him our nature which was far inferiour to the Angels and uniting it personally to himselfe as he is the eternall Sonne of God hath dignified and exalted and crowned it with glory and excellency farre above all Angels Principalities Thrones and Dominions Hebr. 2. 7. so that the holy elect and blessed Angels exalted above their best naturall estate to the immutable estate of supernaturall life immortality and glory doe adore and worship him as David fore-told Psal. 97. 7. and the Apostle affirmes Heb. 1. 6. He is the head of all and they all are made subject to him 1 Pet. 3. 22. And so wonderfull is Gods bounty to man in Christ and so powerfull and excellent is Christs mediation for the elect of mankind that by Christs mediation concurring and working together with Gods bounty according to wisdome and for the satisfaction of Gods justice a ready way is made for them into the Holy of holies the Heaven of heavens and they are not onely exalted and elevated farre above their best naturall being unto the blessed state of the glorious Angels but also the holy Angels with whom they shine in heavenly glory hereafter in the life to come are made of God ministring spirits whom Christ hath procured to minister for their good here in this world in the state of grace so that upon him as upon the Ladder in Jacobs dreame the Angels of God descend from heaven to earth and ascend from earth to heaven and doe encamp round about them to save and deliver them as David saith Psal. 34. 7. Yea and when the evill Angels shall be judged at the last day they shall through Gods infinite bounty and for the merit and worthinesse of Christ be advanced to sit upon Thrones with him and to judge and give sentence against the Divell and all his Angels as wee reade 1 Corinth 6. 3. And therefore if wee had the tongues of men and Angels we are never able to utter or expresse the infinite excellency worth and dignity of the person and mediation of Christ nor sufficiently to extoll laud and magnifie the bounty of God to poore mankind in Christ. And here we see that truly verified which the Prophet fore-told Isa. 64. 4. And the Apostle proclaimed 1 Cor. 2. 9. that since the beginning of the world the eye of man hath not seen nor his eare heard neither hath it ever entered into the heart of man what good things God hath prepared for them that love him Thirdly this Doctrine serves to worke in us a true love and reverent respect of the Angels of God as being the chiefest of Gods creatures and by nature more excellent then man in his best naturall estate and great in power able to help us more then all other creatures when God offers occasion and opportunity and gives them charge over us Every man is bound to thinke better and more reverently of other men who are in any gifts more excellent then himselfe though they be all of one nature and kind and of the same flesh and bloud And God hath put upon the beasts of the field by nature a feare and respect of man because he is a more excellent creature Now the Angels are by nature and creation more excellent then man in his best naturall estate and man in the supernaturall estate of glory shall be but equall to the elect and holy Angels And therefore as we must ever labour to decline that servile superstition and base will-worship of Angels which is condemned Colos. 2. 18. and must beware of giving divine and religious worship to them which they themselves reject and refuse being our fellow-servants and have utterly detested and forbidden when it hath been offered as appeares Revel 19. 10. and 21. 9. so we must take heed that we doe not thinke meanly of them as if they were but our servants because they minister for our good For in guarding us and encamping about us and in ministring for us they are not our servants which owe us service neither have we power to command them nor ability to requite them for the least service but they are the servants of God and of our Lord Christ and fellow-servants with all Kings Prophets and Holy men of God and as Gods Embassadors and Princely Courtiers Ministers we ought to esteem and respect them with all love and hearty affection And as in all places where there are Embassadors and noble Princes and Courtiers of great Emperours and Monarchs men will have a care to beare themselves orderly and to doe all things decently and will be affraid and ashamed to commit any absurdity or beare themselves immodestly So let us in the publick assemblies of the Saints and in holy congregations of Gods-Church where Angels are supposed sometimes to guard us and to over-look us as the words of the Preacher seem to import Eccles. 5. 6. and of the Apostle also 1 Cor. 10. 11. beare our selves reverently and beware of all vaine words filthy behaviour and beastly drowzinesse and sleepinesse as if we came to the Church like uncleane dogges for company only or to lye snorting and sleeping which is the evill custome and practice of many carnall people Fourthly this Doctrine is matter of comfort to Gods poore despised servants in that it doth assure them that the Angels which love them and as friends rejoyce in their conversion and as guardians protect and watch over them are great excellent and glorious above all earthly men And therefore though the great men of the world scorne and despise them and among such they can find no favour help or defence yet let them comfort themselves and rejoyce in this that he who is higher then the highest hath a guard to whose care and charge he hath committed them and that not of mighty men in whom there is no help but of Angels which in power strength and glory far exceed the most excellent among the sons of men 2. Corollary Secondly in that Angels were created in and with the highest heaven to be the naturall inhabitants sutable to the place hence we may gather a definition of Angels to wit that Angels are heavenly Spirits or pure and entire spirituall substances created in the beginning by God after his owne image every one of which is distinct from another by a speciall existence or proper particular being of his owne which God hath given to have in himselfe for ever First in that Angels were not made and created out of the rude masse without forme and void which is called earth and the deep nor of any other matter before made by God but in the first beginning of all things were created perfect creatures in and with the highest heavens the lively and proper inhabitants of them Hence it necessarily followes that they are pure heavenly spirits and intire spirituall substances not parts of any body or person not compounded of any
for himself and them so far as was needfull in his kind and in that naturall estate and what was just for him to do and how to beare himself uprightly towards God and all his creatures That he had the knowledge and understanding of all these things sufficiently to make him perfect and happie in that estate and that there was no errour or ignorance in him of any thing which was meet for him to know appears most plainely by divers things First by Gods giving to man dominion and rule over all living creatures and puting him in the garden to dresse it and puting all the earth in Subjection to him which God would never have done being infinitly wise and just except he had knowne man to be one who understood and knew the nature of the earth and all Herbes Plants and Trees in it and by his reason wisdome and knowledge was able to rule all Creatures with discretion and to order them according to their severall natures and to dresse the garden and subdue the earth Secondly by Adams naming of all the Creatures every one by such a name as did shew the nature of it so that God did approve and confirme the names Gen. 2. 19 and every Creature did in all likelyhood come to Adam being called by that name Thirdly by the understanding which he had of the nature of the woman when God shewed her to be formed of his Rib and presently giving her the name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Woman or shee Man Gen. 2. 23. Fourthly by Adams free conversing with God and hearing of his voice without fear or dread which was a strong evidence of an upright heart and pure conscience and that he knew God and his goodnesse and that though God was greater then he could comprehend yet God would not hurt him but uphold him so long as he did obey Gods will revealed to him Secondly man did resemble God in the perfect liberty and freedome of his will and in the perfect conformity of it to the revealed and knowne will of God and in the readinesse and naturall forwardnesse of it to will whatsoever good was within his power and of himself to will nothing which was unjust and evill by these things he resembled the free will and liberty of God and his justice and equitie in all his doings That mans will was most free to good and that he had power of will to obey God appeares First by this that the Law of God was written in his heart as the rule of his life and actions and that so deeply that it remaines in the heart of his corrupt seed in some measure cannot be quite blotted out As he knew by his understanding and in his minde so he was willing in his heart to will and to do all accordingly of himself would never have fallen if the Devill that Spirituall wickednesse had not by the Serpent seduced and deceived him Secondly by the power and Dominion which God gave to him over all Creatures visible which he would not have done if man had not been as ready in will as perfect in knowledge to rule them aright It is not knowledge alone but uprightnesse of heart and will and power and freedome to will just things justly which God requires to make an able and sufficient Ruler as David testifieth in his last words Thirdly it is manifest by the commaundement which God gave to man to be obeyed under paine of death which he being a good God would never have imposed on man if mans will had not been free and upright for then he had laid a snare which man could not have avoided and had required more of man then man by his naturall power was able to performe Thirdly man was also conformable to God and to his just will goodnesse purity and happinesse in all the desires and affections of his heart and soule He of himself desired no more but that which God gave him and allowed him hee loved God as his Creatour and the author of all his good He did rejoice in Gods favour love and bountie He delighted himself in all the naturall gifts which God had given him and in the good creatures of God there was perfect Harmonie and sweet consent between his reason understanding will and his desires and affections whatsoever he knew to be good and just that he freely willed desired and affected there was no disorder discord or repugnancy and dissention in any power or faculty of Soule or Body no least cause of griefe but all joy and content And of himself he never would have desired more then God had given nor coveted an higher estate if Satan had not suggested such desire and seduced him This and indeed all the whole perfect uprightnesse of man in all the powers and faculties of his Soule in his understanding will desires and affections is most clearly confirmed by plaine testimonies of holy Scripture First by the last verse of this Chapter where it is said that when God had created man Male and Female and finished the Creation he saw every thing which he had made and behold it was very good If man was very good then was he upright in all the faculties of the Soule in his understanding will desires and affections and there could be no discord among them for that is evill and miserable Secondly we have the testimony of the wise Preacher Eccles. 7. 30. that God made man upright that is in Originall righteousnesse conformable in his upright reason understanding will and affections to the just revealed will of God Thirdly experience teacheth that the things which make man ashamed are ignorance and errour in mind and understanding perversnesse of will disorderly lusts and affections and deformity and distemper either in Soule or Body Now Man and Woman had no cause of shame in them neither were they ashamed when they were naked and went uncovered in all parts as wee reade Chap. 2. 25. and therefore in the state of innocencie all these causes of shame were far from him and he most free from them The Secondary conformity of man to God which is in man according to his Body consists in things which belong to the body and to the outward visible man First wee must not conceive that God is any kind of body or bodily substance as blasphemous Vorstius and other Arminians have written neither that God hath a forme and shape like a mans body as the Anthromorphites of old dreamed For it is manifest that in him who is infinit and so present in all places that he is in his whole essence in every place should have any difference or limitation or dimension or measure of severall parts which is necessarily required in the forme shape and substance of mans body and every bodily thing But yet because in the most wise and artificiall frame and naturall temper of mans body and the most fit disposition and order of all parts by which
giving of Christ his Son for a Redeemer aboundantly testifieth his infinite goodnesse and bounty his punishing our sins in Christ to the full shews his infinite Justice and his pardoning of beleevers by Christs satisfaction freely given and communicated to them shewes his infinite mercy and free grace as the Scriptures often testifie and our own consciences within us do witnesse and our daily sense and experience do proove And in our Redemption and application of it we see discovered the Trinity of Persons in one God And while wee in these things as in a glasse behold the glory of God with open face the vaile of ignorance being remooved we are changed into the same Image from glory to glory and so come to have communion with God and the fruition of him 2 Cor. 3. 18. The seventh and last Branch sets before us the utmost end of all Gods outward works to wit the eternall blessednesse of the elect by the communion vision and fruition of God in all his glorious attributes as wisedome power goodnesse mercy justice and the rest The Text it selfe intimates this Truth to us saying that all these workes of God proceed from his good will and pleasure For the good pleasure and will of God consists chiefly and principally in willing that his elect shall be brought to perfect communion of himselfe and of his glory for their eternall happinesse And what God willeth according to his owne good pleasure and doth because he is pleased so to do it must needs aime at the blessednesse of his elect by the sight and fruition of him and his glory Now therfore all Gods outward workes proceeding fiem Gods pleasure must needs tend to this end and this is confirmed Rom. 8. 28. 1 Cor. 3. 21 22 23. where we read that all things worke together for good to them that love God and are the called according to his purpose and that all things are the elects the world life and death things present and things to come and they are Christs and Christ is Gods also Col. 1. 16. all things visible and invisible were created as by Christ so for him that they might serve him for the salvation of his elect and for this end and purpose Angells principalities and powers are said to be made subject to Christ 1 Pet. 3. 22. And their office and ministery and the great wonders which God doth by them are said to be for them who shall be heires of salvation Heb. 1. 14. To these testimonies many reasons might be added I will onely call to mind that which I have else where abundantly declared and prooved to wit that for this end the world is upheld by Christ and for his sake and through his mediation ever since mans fall and for this end the wicked live even the barbarous and savage nations either that they may serve for some use to Gods people or for the elects sake whom God will raise up out of them or that God may shew his justice and power on them being sitted for destruction to the greater glory of his elect even the judgements of God on the wicked and their damnation serve for this end to increase the blessednesse of the Saints The doctrine of this description serves for to stirre us up in imitation of God our Creator not to content our selves with saying purposing and promising or with making a shew of doing good workes but to be reall true constant and faithfull in performance of them I or so doth God whatsoever he promiseth or purposeth or is pleased to doc that he doth in Heaven and Earth Sluggards who delight in idlenesse doing nothing and Hypocrites who say and promise and make great shew of doing but are barren of the fruites of good workes as they are most unlike to God and contrary to him so they are hatefull and abhominable in the sight of God and they onely are accepted of God who are active Christians alwayes doing good and abounding in the worke of the Lord their labour shall not be in vaine but every one shall receive reward according to his workes which are evidences of his communion with Christ and of his faith justification and sanctification wherefore seeing God is alwayes reaching forth his mighty hand to worke in Heaven in Earth in the Sea and all deep places for our profit let us be alwayes doing and studying to do good for his glory Secondly it serves to move and direct us in and through the outward workes of God to see and behold the infinite eternall and omnipotent God and his divine power and Godhead and in the unity of Gods essence the sacred Trinity of persons because all the persons have a hand in every worke and that one God who is three persons is the author and worker of every divine outward worke as this doctrine teacheth It is a common custome among men when they see and behold the handy worke of any person to remember the person to bee put in minde of him by the worke especially if he have knowne the person before and beare the love and affection to him of a friend and a beloved one So let it be with us so often as we see and behold the visible outward workes of God let us in them behold the face of God and remember his glorious attributes Let us in the great workes of Creation behold the wisedome and power of God the Creator in the worke of Redemption the mercy bounty and love of God in our Sanctification the love and the holinesse of God and in them all let us behold the three glorious Persons in that one God who worketh all things after the counsell of his owne will The Father by his eternall Word and Spirit creating all things The Sonne sent forth by the Father in our nature and sanctified by the Spirit redeeming us and paying our ransome The Holy Ghost shed on us by God the Father through the Sonne Christ in our regeneration And all three conspiring together to purge sanctifie and justifie us and to make us eternally blessed in our communion with them and in our fruition of God in grace and glory And let us take heed and beware of idle and vaine speculation of Gods great workes which shew his glory and proclaime his glorious Attributes Wisdome Power and Goodnesse lest by such idle negligence wee become guilty of taking the name of the Lord our God in vaine Thirdly from this description we may easily gather and conclude that sinnefull actions as they are evill and sinnefull are not Gods workes for God is pleased with those things which he doth and his workes are according to his pleasure but God is not pleased with sinnefull actions and evill workes he hath no pleasure in iniquity Psal. 5. 4. If any aske How then can it be done if he will not and be not pleased I answer That in them there is to be considered 1. A naturall motion or action proceeding from some created power
given to all mankind in the creation so marriage which God appointed for the increase of men on earth is by the law of God which is written in mans heart and engraven in mans nature free for all Men and Women to whom God hath given ability and strength of body for procreation and fruitfulnesse for increase of mankind As the text here openly expresseth so much so in all the Scriptures wee have examples of holy men of all sorts even of Priests and Prophets not onely allowed but also commanded by God to take Wives and beget children as Isaiah cap. 8. 3. Ezechiel chap. 24. Hosea chap. 1. And the Apostle commends it as honourable in all Hebr. 13. 4. And the Apostles who were most devoted to Christ and to his worke did lead about Wives with them 1 Cor. 9. 5. And although in times of great trouble and persecution raised up against Christianity Wives are a great burden and breed much care and griefe to preachers of the Gospell especially who must bee ready to run and flee whithersoever God cals them and therefore in such cases the Apostle by reason of the urgent and pressing necessity holdeth it better for continent and chaste Men and Women to remaine unmarried 1 Cor. 7. 26. And our Saviour doth approve and well like it in case when a mans heart and affection is so extraordinarily taken up with the love of the Kingdome of heaven that hee is like an Eunuch without any desire of affection of marriage Matth. 19. 12. Yet wee have no word or precept in all the Scripture to restraine any Persons of any order or calling from liberty of marriage Saint Paul affirmes that he and Barnabas had power and liberty in this kind though they used it not 1 Cor. 9. 5. The consideration whereof serves First to teach Men and Women of all sorts to maintaine and retaine that liberty which God had given them from their first creation and to admonish them to beware that neither Satan by his suggestions nor any of his wicked instruments by their cunningly devised fables nor any misconceipt of their owne hearts doe lay a needlesse snare upon their consciences and possesse them with a false opinion concerning that liberty which God hath written in mans heart in the state of innocency which cannot bee taken away without violence offered to nature They who are thus instructed and fully perswaded if they doe marrie they may have comfort in this assurance that they are not out of Gods high-way neither in this have swerved from his perfect law and rule of liberty If they find many crosses in the married life yet let them know that they are not curses laid on marriage for an unlawfulnesse of it If they doe live single to avoid worldly cares and to devote themselves wholly to heavenly thoughts and spirituall cares for the Kingdome of heaven they have more cause to rejoyce and glory in the aboundance of Gods speciall grace to them in that hee hath given them an heart to forsake lesser blessings for the gaining of greater and bringing of more glory to God Secondly this sheweth that the Popes prohibitions of Priests marriage and the absolute vowes of virginity and single life taught and imposed by the Church of Rome are cursed and corrupt inventions of men and diabolicall devices yea damnable haeresies as the Apostle calleth them 1 Tim. 4. 1. and 2 Pet. 2. 1. For though divers holy Men of God to whom God gave power over their owne wils and the gift of continency to stand steadfast in their owne hearts have strongly resolved to keepe their virginity and to live single that they might apply themselves to the service of God and his Church with greater freedome from worldly eares and have steadfastly held their resolution proving themselves such as our Saviour and his Apostle doe commend Matth. 19. 12. and 1 Cor. 7. yet wee never read in Scripture that they were commanded by God or that they did bind themselves voluntarily by an unchangable vow or under any execration to abstaine from marriage and from procreation of children therein but alwayes without any absolute necessity imposed on them remained at liberty to marry if just occasion were offered If our adversaries object that the law of nature must give place to the Evangelicall law which hath greater promises and tends to lead men to supernaturall and heavenly happinesse and that for Christs sake and his Churches good wee must renounce liberty of nature I answere that the Evangelicall law doth not offer violence to the law of nature neither doth it abolish any part thereof but rather doth perfect it by giving men grace willingly to neglect naturall liberty for the gaining of a better estate As for example the law of nature requires that men love Fathers Mothers Wives Children and their owne lives and gives them liberty to hold lands and houses but yet when the case so stands by reason of tyrannie and presecution raging that a man must either forsake all these or deny Christ and renounce Christian religion here a man ought to forgoe all for Christ as the Gospell teacheth And yet the Gospell never commandeth us to renounce Father or Mother or Houses or Land and the like and to expose our selves to death when we may together with Parents Wives Children and Life still cleave to Christ and enjoy him for salvation yea it were frensie and fury for any Church to impose lawes on men for the hating of Parents Wives and Children forsaking houses and lands and giving themselves to death voluntarily when there is no inevitable necessity laid on them but they may live good and faithfull Christians and yet love Parents Wives and Children possesse lands and houses and live in safety Wherefore though wee highly commend them who more zealously follow Christ and forsake the World and make small account of naturall blessings in comparison of spirituall but doe as Saint Paul did who made the Gospell free and did not use lawfull liberty and power yet wee cannot but count them execrable who tyrannize and lay cruell snares upon mens consciences and impose lawes and vowes upon themselves or others to forsake and renounce utterly their lawfull liberty and to bind them by that law and vow which either they must breake or else fall into many wofull inconveniencies and abominable evils and mischiefes as wee see in the Popes lawes and vowes which have proved causes and occasions of secret Whoredomes publike Stewes many Rapes and Murders of innocents to the staining and defiling of the whole Land Thirdly we hence learne that our first parents in the state of innocency had in them both the affection and naturall desire to bring forth children and to increase mankind with all convenient speed God so commanding them also they had all strength and ability of body to beget and bring forth and there was in them no defect to hinder procreation for a moment The words of the
Prov. 12. 24. and makes their substance precious Verse 27. and their soules fat Prov. 13. 4. and causeth even women to bee praised in the gates Prov. 31. And that man is by nature active and cannot brooke idlenesse it appeares plainely by the stirring nature of children who are never quiet nor content unlesse they bee busied one way or other and by the restlessenesse which is in wicked men who devise mischiefe on their beds and have working heads and cannot cease from doing something rather evill exercises then bee idle Now this being a manifest truth may justly provoke and stirre us up to loath and abhorre idlenesse sloth and lazinesse as speciall marks and igominious brands of naughty persons miserably degenerated from humane nature and from the frame and disposition wherein they were at the first created by God It was not good for Adam in innocency to live idly and without exercise but hee must bee busied as in mind by contemplation on Gods works so in body by ruling the creatures dressing and keeping the garden when aboundance of all things flowed to him without toile or labour much more will it be hurtfull dangerous and pernicious to us who are a people corrupted and in our whole frame out of order perverse and froward If wee give way to sloth and idlenesse for if wee labour not wee cannot have what to eat but poverty will come upon us like an armed man If wee bee idle and negligent in honest and good labour our perverse rebellious and restlesse nature will lead us into evill exercises and wicked works As standing lakes of water grow corrupt stinking and unwholesome and ground not laboured stirred up and tilled will bring forth corrupt stinking weeds bryars thornes and thistles So our corrupt nature if it bee not exercised and busied about vertuous actions and profitable labours will grow more corrupt noysome and filthy and will carry us away into frowardnesse vanity and sinfull practises which will make us loathsome to God and men and will speedily plunge us into misery and eternall perdition Thirdly wee here see and are plainely taught that man in innocency had aboundance of all good things needfull for profit pleasure and full contentment and wanted nothing which could bee required for earthly happinesse to make him blessed in this World and fully content with his estate and condition First his reason and understanding could not conceive neither did hee know any good which hee wanted and did not possesse whereof hee was by nature capable all wordly goods hee had at will and of heavenly and spirituall good which was supernaturall hee had no knowledge nor understanding Secondly hee had all provocations to move him to serve God and all bonds to tye and knit his heart in love to God and to make him wholly obedient to God and dutifull and serviceable to him in his whole heart and soule body mind and strength Hee had food at will most sweet wholesome and delicate in all variety and aboundance without any care toile or labour the Earth brought it forth of her owne accord the wholesome and pure aire did cherish it and the Sun and Heavens by their warme influence did ripen perfect and prepare it to his hand Hee had a most pleasant dwelling a garden beautified with all earthly ornaments and a Paradise of pleasure and delight Hee was high in honour dignity and promotion above all living creatures both by Sea and Land and had rule and Dominion over them all His exercise was without toile labour or paine sweet and pleasant Hee had for the exercise of his minde all Gods works the contemplation whereof might fill his soule with delight and joy in God his Creatour and for the exercise of his bodily strength and activity hee had the dressing and keeping of the garden which was a worke of pleasure and delight not of paines and labour for it needed no digging planting culture or tillage his businesse also was without care and feare for there were no theeves to annoy him no evill beasts to hurt and spoile his garden and to trouble waste his habitation so that without further proofe this Doctrine is most cleare in and from the text The consideration whereof is of excellent use to confirme us in this assurance perswasion and beliefe that God in no respect any cause or Author of mans sin and fall neither did give him the least occasion of discontent with his present estate that by seeking to soare up higher hee should catch a fearefull downefall into sin and bring himselfe in bondage to death Hell and the Divell For wee see God gave him all occasions and aboundance of blessings as strong provocations to provoke him to love his heavenly Majesty and as firme bands to bind and tye him to obedience It was the Divell who first breathed pride into man to aspire and soare above his estate and suggested into his heart evill surmises and thoughts of God that God did seeke to keepe him from a better estate by restraining him from the tree of knowledge which by eating of the fruit thereof hee might obtaine and become like to God Wherefore let no man charge God with giving the least occasion of discontent to man to provoke him to sin but let us bee humbled with the sight of our owne mutability frailty and vanity who in our first Parents and best estate were so fragile and mutable and much more now being corrupted and made subject to vanity and slaves of corruption CHAP. XV. Of the image of God on man in innocency Sundry opinions of it What the word signifieth Zelem and Demuth Image of God naturall and supernaturall Differences betweene the image of the first and second Adam Images essentiall and accidentall Particulars of Gods image on Adam in soule and body Vses of all ANd God said Let us make man in our image after our likenesse Verse 27. So God created man in his owne image in the image of God created hee him Male and female created hee them The generall Doctrine of the creation of our first Parents in the image of God I have heretofore laid open out of these words It now remaines that I proceed to the Doctrine and Description of that image of God in the speciall and particular points thereof which I reserved to the last place because it is the maine thing which discovers to us the excellent state of man in innocency As for the blessing of fruitefulnesse for the increase of mankind and mans Dominion over the creatures plenty and variety of bodily food and a pleasant habitation the earthly Paradise they are but externabona outward benefits but the image of God containes in it internall blessings of the soule of the whole man as well as externall outward benefits therefore I have first dispatched them now come to that image of God in which did consist the highest pitch of mans naturall perfection felicity In