in Shops he was to be skilled in the Military-art for the charge was given to Aaron the high Priest as well as unto Moses the Superiour Magistrate to number with careful inspection according to the Hosts of the several Tribes of Israel to muster the Army and to give orders for their Incamping and Marching according to their Ranks and Bodies who were to be in the Van and who in the Reer and so for the disposal of the Battel and the manner of fighting and the giving of the exhortation to encourage the Soldiers he was to be a spiritual Nightingal for modulation an expert Musician both for Voice and for Instruments a Singer a Trumpeter a Corneter an Harper a Violist a Lutenist an Organist a Cymbalist a Psalterist he was to approve himself an Artist in Architecture to see workmanships appointed to be framed exactly according to the platform'd Ideas and work-patterns of the Tabernacle and Temple were there need more might be added How learned an Artist in conference and in arguing should a Minister of Christ be by Scripture-arguments to stop the mouths of Philosophical gainsayers sometimes deceptory affectation of Humane Wisdom doth bewray it self in opponents by being carried beyond due limits when it would be judging of such cases and things according to the ordinary course of Nature and the power of a finite Agent which are to be determined and resolved by such Principles of Theologie and of Christianity as are far above and beyond those as if the question be Whether this World were from Eternity or Whether created in time Empty and fallacious Philosophy will affirm That this World was not created in time but that it was from Eternity deceiving and being deceived by this colour and shew of carnal Reason that out of nothing can nothing be made thus it doth mis-judge because the contrary affirmation is besides the common Agency and the usual efficacy of Natural Causes but the holy Scriptures do otherwise declare rightly informing us that all these things were spoken and made into a Being which had no existence before by the Omnipotency of Jehovah the Being of beings that All-glorious Self-being only by his own powerful Word So as the things we see were not made of things that do appear Faith acted aright doth take in this discovery By the word of Jehovah or in him who is the Word Jehovah the LORD Jesus Christ the heavens were made and by the breath of his mouth or in the Spirit of him who is the Fathers mouth to his people all the host of them he commanded and they were created Aelohim saith There shall be light and there was is and will be light who was it that did help the Spirit of Jehovah or the Spirit Jehovah or as a man of his Counsel gave him knowledge silly weak Creatures cannot work without some stuff and materials they must have their tools and other instruments to further what they are about to do and to form but the Almighty One doth not need any such foregoing matter or assisting help it is not impossible that that should be which before was not though the Believer only can rightly understand this here Humane Reason must stoop and Carnal Imagination must submit to Word wisdom and to Scripture-learning which has this mysterious secret treasured up in it the meanest proficient in Christ's School has more discerning in this than the learnedest Teachers and wisest Professors in such corrupt Philosophy If the question be Whether three Persons can be one in Essence who yet are each of them distinct Subsistences in themselves and Whether one in being can be three distinct several persons humane wisdom and the vain affecters of it will return this answer That a person is a living-understanding-nature subsisting by it self a prime or singular individual subsistence which is neither said of any subject neither is in any subject and therefore some of these Philosophets have affirmed that there are multitudes of Gods Whereas the Scriptures of Truth will inform us concerning this great Mystery that there is but one God for there can be but one only Being infinite eternal unchangeable perfection it self one only to exist of himself and by himself who gives existence unto all other things these undoubted Oracles of holy Scriptures will tell us that Jehovah the adored Almightiness of his people in Father Son and holy Spirit is one Jehovah he says of himself See now that I am be and there is no God with me Who saith the Psalmist is God besides Jehovah as long as it can be said as yet ever as yet so long Jehovah and he alone and no other but himself is such We know that there is no other God but one for albeit there be that are called Gods both in Heaven and upon Earth as there be in the vain wrong conceits of men who do seign such Idol gods and as some Creatures in some cases have somewhat of this honorary Title ascribed to them so far as by their Office and Call they do or shall represent the true God There is but one God the Father of whom are all things and we for him and one LORD Jesus Christ by whom are all things and we by him but in all in every one this knowledge is not it is specially revealed in the Word to and in such Believers and it is one of the greatest mysterious Truths of the Christian Doctrine There is one LORD one Faith one God and Father of all He that sets up many Gods doth withal set up many Faiths for every God would be calling for peculiar Faith to be given to him and every one would be severally believing in his several God In this most simple Essence and single Being there are three truly subsisting whereof every one is another from the other There are that do witness in heaven and they are three the Father the Word and the holy Spirit and these three are one If it be queried Whether one and the same person can be two distinct Natures of different kinds and Whether two such Natures can be in one Person Empty cheating Philosophy will wrongfully state this question and mis-resolve it thus That those things which are of disparate kinds cannot be predicated of one another nor united in the same suppositum whereas true pure Religion in the written Word doth give us to know that two distinct Natures as the Deity or Godhead and the Humanity or Mankind may be both of them united into one Christ In this wonderful one were both these inseparably knit together and yet they each one remain distinct from the other having several Natures Properties and Operations both making up one LORD Jesus Christ This word was made flesh this God hath been manifested in the flesh to the Godhead Christ took the seed of Abraham for so was he born according to the flesh as to his Humane Nature
an Edifice the Doors Ports Gates of an House are often treated of in Scripture and are applyed to many other things affording matter of profitable Meditation the Thresholds are here spoken of so are the Posts what shall I more say concerning the Carpentes Compass and the use of it concerning his Platforms with more that might be added upon this subject-matter if it were worth mine and the Readers while to heap up together all the proper materials relating unto this manual Art which those who would be curious therein and are more at leisure to search deeper and further into this inquiry in a Scripture-way may with study and diligence more furnish themselves withal in order to the Artificial Symmetrical joyning of Timber-pieces together into an exact Frame so that a raised heavenly mind would admire to see so much of this Fabril-Art so scattered up and down in the Word for it doth much commend the excellingness of Scripture-knowledge that in so great a part of it it doth teach divers things and several Truths at once O that I could prevail so far with the generous Minds and with the ingenuous Spirits of this age as that they would first of all after the prayer of Faith put up unto the LORD for being taught of him study the Scriptures upon the particular subject-matters which their inquiries are exercised about in any lawful Arts and Sciences and let Scripture-knowledge lead them as far as it will go if it were so that all were not there yet do not reject what is there and then improve it by drawing forth from thence what Jehovah hath put of it into Nature Seeing we are upon the advancement of useful Learning and somewhat is now to be written about the Augment and Restauration of the Geographick Chorographick and Topographick Science and Art I haue these few Queries to propound to the Studious in this kind of Learning Queries WHether it would not much promote Scripture-knowledge which is the best knowledge to have such Maps drawn of the Earth of Countries of Places of Distances and such like as do exactly agree with the Scriptures with those particular Scriptures that do relate thereunto and to have those Maps more common amongst the people to give them further insight and truer information in such passages of the World somewhat of this has been done already but we incourage perfecting work Q. Whether all the Books of Ethnick Philosophick Geography should not be corrected and reformed by Scripture-Geography in its description of the Earth of Countries of Cities and of other places which doth give us as the most ancient so also the only infallible and perfect Narration how the several parts of the Earth were inhabited and properly by the Sons of Noah and their Posterity Q. Whether the true Origination of the right Names of the several inhabited Nations were not derived from the proper Names of those of Noah's Posterity who were the first Possessors and Founders of Cities in those places and gave Names to those Countries and whether the Hebrew signification of those proper Names both of Persons and of Places would not bring more light to the true description of those Countries and of their situation than as yet any humane Geographies have discerned by Q. Whether the Original Names by which the several parts and Countries of the inhabited Earth are called in the Scriptures should not be revived and restored and used in the several Mother-Tongues and this not only in the Translation of the holy Scriptures into other Languages but also in all other Treatises that shall speak of those Countries Q. Whether seeing Noah's Ark did rest upon the Mountains of Ararat in the Eastern part of the dry Land where he and his Family did settle themselves for a while and from whence afterwards they and their Generations did spread themselves Whether Shem who removed Eastward being said to go East East did not possess and people America where divers Names of places are still retained much according to the Scripture-Hebrew and if so whether then the late Globes and Maps be drawn according to the Original Truth which do place America in such a quarter and coast of the Earth that yet received her first inhabitants from the East-borders of Asia as they now call it and which do leave such a vast Ocean of so many Leagues between Sinear and Anjan between the North-East parts of Asia and the North-West side of America as they commonly describe them and whether these be not continent at most but dis-joyned by some great River or narrow Channel of the Ocean As for Grammar-Learning relating to the Original Language in the Scriptures I have at present these considerations to propound unto the Ingenious and Ingenuous the Studious and the learned Linguists by way of further inquiry Queries WHether the design of this Treatise being the perfecting of the knowledge of all useful Arts and Sciences and the Restauration and advancement of Learning in a Scripture-way as the true the right the excelling the only way thereof whether therefore it were not a necessary and profitable work to compose a Grammar of the Original Language or Languages wholly according to Scripture and the Rules found there and no longer to make Scripture speak according to Philosophick Grammars and their Rules invented by men which Rules are often contradicted by particular Scripture-instances seeing that these Arts and Sciences are to be fetched out of the Original Language and not from Humane Authorities that so in these later days we may have a proper remedy against the confusion of Tongues Q. Whether in such a Scripture-Grammar great wisdom and diligence should not be used that the Orthoepick and Orthographick part of it be so accommodated to the Original Languages as that the Scripture-Tongues may be more purely spoken more correctedly written more speedily learned more exactly measured more sweetly sounded more rightly accented and more profitably improved Q. Whether the Etymological part of such a Grammar should not be so fitted to the real origination and the natural significancy of Scripture-words as that there may be a well-agreeing Analogy of all those words from the Root to the Branches throughout in one and the same common notion of meaning and with each other all the Scriptures through and with the persons or things which they do represent that words may be but the notes of true Essences and the interpretations of created Natures and that a complete Lexicon be framed to this purpose setting out the significant meaning and the proper intendment of the original Words themselves to be derived and deduced from created Existences having an innate Reason thereof in them and whether all other Languages are not Hebrew Dialects having cognation with this Original Tongue Q. Whether the Syntactical constructive part in the regimen of Original words when put together in Sentences should not be kept close unto in the very same order of the Words and Phrases in
over Q. Whether would not an exact literal version of the holy Scripture word for word as they are in their order into the several Mother-tongues without any the least adding to or substracting from it open much of many useful Truths and necessary Duties and of experimental Christianity as well as many other ways be very profitable for the promoting of peace and purity in the Churches of Christ Q. Whether is it not a Duty for the people especially such of them as have more opportunities and advantages for this to be able to read and to understand the Word in its Original-tongue And whether it would not be of singular use to have the young capable Children in all places to be taught this Q. How may such an Hebrew Lexicon be so composed for words and for phrases as to make Scripture knowledge to be much more easier and familiar to out common people in which they may find out all sorts of little Bibles well fitted to all particular cases where they may quickly see over what the whole scripture doth speak to any subject matter carrying Truth through all the Word Q. In what order of time in exact Chronology are the several Books of Scripture and the several passages in every such Book And how may such Geographical Tables of all the places of the inhabited Earth mentioned in the Scriptures be so suited as that time and place and inhabitants may be made obvious to every plain understanding Q. What is the New Testament spiritual signified part of all and every of the shadowy Figures Ceremonial signs and Typical patterns through the Old Testament Q. What is the Urim and Thummim And whether is there any Prophesie or Promise of either restoring of that or of setting up any thing else in the room of that How may we have such an Oracle revived as to have a certain visible audibles sensible answer from the LORD in weighty cases Q. Whether it be not one evidence of the fulness and perfection of the Word of Truth that even there where its speeches seem to be somewhat broken and abrupt it carries with it a secret supplement in experience directed to all practical cases concerned therein which nothing else of man's word can fill up And whether would it not be very profitable and acceptable to put together some of the more eminent remarkable Scriptures for the better evidencing of the Truth and usefulness of this discovery Q. How may a Believer get and keep life and power in the Word continued upon his heart Q. What Scripture grounds are here upon which to bottom Faith and Prayer that if there were a spirit of believing the LORD would still give miraculous access from Heaven whereby to give sensible demonstrations of the Truth and Goodness of his Word And how may the Doctrine and Practice of Miracles be revived Q. What is the method whereby to evidence the oneness and sameness the well agreeing consentingness and uniform harmoniousness of the Christian Religion throughout the whole Scripture for Truth for Laws and for Priviledges For Doctrines for Duties and for Graces Q. How may the plainest Scripture-Truths be raised to a greater height of spiritual advancement Q. Whether now that Scripture-knowledge is so abounding any one be so competently well gifted for and called to the Ministerial Office who doth not understand the Scriptures in their Original Language And how may hopeful growing young men be so bred up in the Scripture Arts and Sciences as thereby to be fitted for the Ministerial Office And what Scripture grounds are there to expect a more able faithful successful Ministery than is yet at this day Q. VVhether it be not one great Truth of this age that the holy Scriptures are the one and the only Rule to judge by in all cases And whether there be any other boundary to be set to mens pretended liberty of conscience Q. VVhat is there of the Doctrine-part as well as of the Duty-part contained in the Law of the ten VVords Q. In what Method and Order may the Holy Scriptures be best read to most spiritual profit Concerning present Providences and Works of Jehovah Aelohim Q. WHat may the Reasons and Ends be why the LORD in the present day doth seem so much to with hold his Spirit and the gifts and graces of that Spirit now that the longings and petitionings of his Churches and people are so much heightned and drawn out with expectations of his larger pourings out of his Spirit and Blessing upon his new Covenant people Q. What is more especially that Work which the LORD hath been and is still carrying on upon the Wheels of his providence in this Age Q. What is there of Prophetical Scripture fulfilled in the present day which doth make way for the further accomplishment of what Propheties are yet behind And what are those after Prophesies And in what order of Time are all these Prophesies Q. Whether though there have been some partial fulfillings of the Revelation in all Ages of the Church since John's time yet will not the whole of that Book of the Revelation be gone over in the latter days visibly and sensibly fulfilled what John had in Vision and by Voice And whether are there any beginnings of this in our Day and Time At least whether Christ's Calls and Counsels from his Father by his Spirit in that Word of the three first Chapters of that Book be not more especially and particularly to those gathered separate Churches who have someways withdrawn from the corruptions of the Romish Way more thorowly to Reform and to Refine and to be at perfecting Work As that which must lead the way to the bringing about of all the rest which doth follow after Q. What and how doth the LORD Christ in the way of his present Providential Acting reveal of the pattern and platform of his new spiritual House of the latter day-glory and of the Laws and Orders of that House And how is he now with his golden measuring reed and rod and line in his hand to try whether particular Churches and Disciples of his do square well and exactly to his Word-rule And how would he have such societies to be rightly constituted gathered admitted disciplin'd and orderly walking in all things that such Churches may be able to evidence to all the World that they are the true owned and approved Churches of Christ Q. How is Christ at work under this Providence to bring every Institution and Ordinance of his unto its Scripture purity and perfection that they may be felt and enjoyed more in the lively efficacy and saving power of them Q. How is Christ at work in this day to frame his Churches and people to be more of one heart and mind and lip and way in the Truths and things of God and to set them righter in the way of Sisterly association of such purer Churches And how may a Believer see full home to this thorow so much as is quite
and rejected by this Generation the springing Race in after-times will rejoyce when they shall reap and gather in use and injoy the good fruit of these honest labours Wordly advancement and a flattered name is the consulted project and the fore-casted contrivement of a low debased mind unbecoming that princely spirit in a Believer which has nobler designs and higher aims If this tractate be not exact yet the subject matter is excelling the Scripture-cause of word-learning is such that he who objecteth against it doth quarrel with the Author of it who wil have a time to make such to know whose word shall stand whether this of him or that of them when it will be manifest in the hearts of such that this design is not the product of a discontented mind or of humoursome censoriosness or of a grave affection or of a splenetick windiness Vulgar Prizers are no just valuers for Scripture-Truth though all be sold for it is never bought too dear and though all the World could be had for it yet would be sold too cheap it is well worth thy dealing for whatever it cost thee Scripture-Learning has an operative influence to correct and rectifie to change and renew to reform and refine hearts and lives to affect the Soul with a due sense of its own noble excellencies and widened capacities that it may be holy and happy wise and prudent for ever to make the conscience feel the weight of present Duty and of future felicity with the kindliest tyes and strongest obligations O how excellent are the Virtues how efficacious the Powers that do flow from hence The Patrons of this Book are Christ and his Word Truth and Good Reason and Religion Scripture and Nature Spreading untruths have gotten a name of Antiquity and Reputation and popular Opinion has kept up their credit and still it doth them reverence but they are all falling before the Scriptures of Truth for rather than fail the Christian verities and the rare knowledges contained in them shall be yet further confirmed by such Miracles as are beyond the Powers of Nature and the Arts of Man The seeming impossibility of all profitable Learning in one Book will in time be removed out of the way and off from the thoughts by a sound belief of the infinite wisdom of the Author of it The true uniform voice of holy Scripture and of created Nature is with me and for me though the common votes of the mistaking world cry me down although such ill habits have been acquired through the power and energie and effascination of Philosophy as no ability or skill of man can remove yet Almightiness and All-wisdom can work Students off from it If I publish my own imperfections and proclaim my own ignorances and bewray my own follies yet let not the Reader forget that I am a pleader for the most righteous cause in the judgement of the best Law the evidence is clear for it and the sentence of approbation is already pronounced that the holy Scriptures of Truth are the best the perfect Platform of all useful Scientificks Christ is the Head-Captain of created Hosts and he will triumphingly Conquer his Truth is strong and it shall prevailingly overcome Scripture-knowledge especially in the savingness of its Science and in the Sanctifyingness of its Art doth speak enough for it self within the breast of every spiritual discerner as having an incomparable excellency in it above and beyond all other Skills and Wisdoms in the World I need not urge many arguments to convince those Readers of this great useful Truth who have felt the living power of it upon their renewed hearts for when it came there it brought in its own self evidence and left a sensible demonstration and wrote a sealed Testimonial under its own hand there I have though this also much in my aim to praise it more unto such and to press them to make some higher advance in this best Learning as being a nearer approach unto intuitive perfection in visional Glory and that which raiseth the spiritual Reason and the inlightned Faith of the Saints here below in this Intellectual World into a resemblance of Angelical Wisdom yet I say I have somewhat further in my present design which is to win upon those who are under impetuous temptations and violent assaults to be Atheists and Infidels both speculative and practical by a prevailing insinuating of this astertion if the LORD will say so too that word-Science and Scripture-Art is the Science of Sciences and the Art of Arts every way most and best corresponding to the capacities suited to the cases fitted to the necessities and promoting the felicities of rational Beings so that this discovery has its great usefulness to all even the most knowing and the most holy as for others who may be far gon in this spiritual distemper of scorning of and of scoffing at the asserted sufficiencie and fulness of the Scriptures that which they so much slight and so storm against must be the means of their cure unless they be such as will neither hear their disease nor endure a remedy but are obstinate to all healing prescriptions I take the causes of Atheism amongst many others to be as an afraidness of the convincingness and of the condemningness of the holy Precepts and righteous Judgements declared in the Scriptures and an unbelief of its glorious rewards so also this in particular ignorance of the excellency of Scripture-knowledge and although those who do fall below Religion will also sink beneath Reason too yet I am not altogether without hope but that when Jehovah Aelohim shall make his Word-light to shine forth more in its beautious glory it will allure the eyes and draw the heart inform the judgements and incline the wills of men of intellect to see and to acknowledge to adore and to admire that only wise God who has put so much into so little and has given us a pocket-Book of such absolute fulness The Antichristian party by their paper plots would blow up all belief of the sufficiency and perfection of the Scriptures as hoping that if they can once prevail with a people to be of no Religion they will then be of their Religion and the Anti-scripturarians have but too many followers in this day who if they be so bold as to assert this imperfection of the Word in the necessary matters of Salvation no marvel if they deny its conprehensiveness as to the other knowable things Arise Jehovah plead thou thine own plea and magnifie thou above All thy Name thy Word all the Kings of the Earth shall confess Thee Jehovah when they hear the words of thy mouth and they shall sing in the ways of Jehovah for great is the Glory of Jehovah In Thee Aelohim thy Saints will praise thy Word and a second and a third time they will praise thy Word this they know that thou and thy word for them Thus have I given thee Reader some accompt of
In him that is in this Christ who is opposed to vain affecters of humane wisdom and humane traditionists dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead Bodily the one dwelleth in the other which do shew them to be distinguished yet joyned by a personal Union of both Natures in one Christ there is no need of any additaments here to supply any defect or imperfection to adjoyn them unto Christ and unto his Word-Doctrine the perfect Deity with all its glorious Attributes of Wisdom Power and other Excellencies inhabits in this Teacher what need therefore is there to seek other documentals or helps can Philosophy instruct us as Wisdom it self can inform us here the Plenitude of Deity resides as in a fixed and proper seat not a portion of the Godhead as the gentile idolaters were falsly perswaded of their false Gods nor only some eximious gifts and graces of the Spirit as in Angels Prophets and their holy ones but the true and perfect God with his infinite unmatchableness He himself indwells in this Humane Nature after a peculiar way and manner and barely by his Universal Presence and assistencie as he is in and with all things and places to conserve and to sustain them neither only by a special efficacie of the Spirit as he is in the Saints Sanctifying of Believers and enriching them with distinguishing charisms with gracious endowments but by a new mode of existing though the nature of him who thus exists remain the same it is by subsistential Union personally so as that the inhabiting or assuming God becomes one with the inhabited or assumed Humane Nature this Christ as concerning the flesh came from the Father being also over all God blessed for ever Gnimmanu-ael God-with-us this branch of David is Jehovah too If it be ask'd Whether the raising up of the dead Body of a man to life and to the sameness of subsistency again be an incredible thing Pagan Philosophers have determined this contrary to the Truth by asserting that from a privation to an habit there is no returning no regress is to be granted in such a case whereas the holy Scriptures do better teach us that the resurrection of the dead is a facible thing a believeable matter and that it is unreasonable to judge it incredible cannot an Almighty God do this cannot he restore being who gave being Cannot that Head Christ who raised himself from the dead raise up his Members also Ethnick Logick is no fit judge of many Scriptural predictions its Rules of ratiocination cannot measure these Mysteries such as God is Man The word was made flesh God with his blood redeemed the Church these and such like high Truths and Things which are necessary for us to believe for our Eternal Salvation were hid from the Wise Ones of that age for those Disparates here do come and agree together affirmatively God Eternal the Creator of all things and he who existed before all time was born in time He who is impassible did suffer The immortal one did die A man sits at the right hand of God God who is All-fulness is emptied The Omnipotent needeth the help of a Nursing-mother The All-knowledge All-wise one increased in Knowlede and in Wisdom The Every-where-present one was included in his Mothers Womb He that filled Heaven and Earth had not where to lay his head He that is transcending the most general of all kinds and of genus's is made a corporal individual the lowest of all substances He who made others rich was himself poor The Righteous one did justly bear both the fault and punishment of the unjust Here the LORD is made a servant and the servant is a LORD here the Mother is the Daughter of her own Son and the Son is Father of his own Father Here is the All-sufficient supplyer is himself ready Here contrary to the Ethnick Physical Science what was finite is made capable of what is infinite and what was infinite is circumscribed within narrow limits Here a Virgin conceives without Man Here the body is born in one place and is taken to him who is in many places in all places at once Here the Common Arithmetick must seek out new Rules for two are one and one is two in Christ three are one and one is three in Father Son and holy Spirit being the Almighty Jehovah What a loss is Pagan Philosophy at in all these Mysteries and in a multitude of more that might be added Men do never come on so far as to the capital beginning of all true knowledge of all sound Understanding of all useful Wisdom of all essential Science till they get the knowledge and the fear of Jehovah Aelohim who has revealed himself in his Word and manifested himself in his Works agreeably to Scripture-discoveries this is a gift from Christ It is word-understanding that is the true good understanding and our Tongues should answer to the Scripture-saying otherwise if we resort to merely humane Sophies we shall at the last by woful experience find after all our busie Inquiries and incessant Studies and attentive heedfulness that there are many weighty particulars in the works both of Creation and of Providence that are beyond the power of mans industry and above the reach of mans wisdom Who is as this wise man he was one of the wisest men even Solomon that did ask the question It is a question expressive of the Truth there is none that compared to him doth weigh equally in the Sanctuary-balance with him wouldest thou know who is he it is he and no other but he that knows the interpretation of a word who can so give sorth the true sense of the word in its original significancy as thereby to set out the right Nature of Things in their proper beings There is in the Word of Christ full comprehensiveness as of all other useful Learning so particularly of the knowledge of Natural Things of which it doth treat and speak purposely and professedly HOw great a part of the holy Scriptures must be transcribed who would write out all that is in them which doth treat of this subject matter Here is the History of the Creation originally and fully discovered which is not so made known in any or in all the Books of Humane Authors who though speaking to this particular point yet are no further sound than as they speak and write according unto this and wherein they ar sound they have borrowed and fetched from this here they lighted their Candle and from hence they have digged their treasure It is the special design and the main purpose of some particular passages in the holy Scriptures expresly and plainly to open the true state of Natural Things as the Book of Job in a great part of it many of the Psalms most of Ecclesiastes besides much of this nature which is frequently scattered through this Book of books How filled is this with Aelohim's essential Operations in
forth the more in growing measures of glorious Holiness O what a day will that be when the New Heavens and the New Earth wherein dwelleth Righteousness shall be created for Christ's followers to see and to enjoy him in when the chosen among mankind shall be fully perfect in Vision and in Knowledge in Grace and in Glory in Holiness and in Happiness By this discovery I would remove that occasion of stumbling which some do lay as a stone of offence before them to stop and to hinder themselves in this further grand inquiry about the proficiency of Learning as if this would degenerate Christians into Pagans and Believers into Naturalists and send them from Christ to Creatures to the debasing of the true pure Religion whereas it would call off men from ignorant Paganism to a knowing Christianity and advance all profitable Learning into a spiritualized usefulness and work up the Scholars in Christ's School to a more refined heavenly raisedness both in Principle and in practice The Holy Scriptures in speaking of the Works of Creation and of Natural Things do speak of them as they really are and not as they seemingly only appear according to exactness of Truth as the Nature and Essence of them are and not according to the wrong conceits and ignorant mistakes of vulgar Minds and common Opinionists IEhovah Aelohim has put the Essence and the real Nature of created Beings into the aptest and most expressive words in their full and proper significancy and Adam gave the fittest names to the Beasts of the Field and to all the Fowls of the Air according to their quality and condition which was an evident discovery of his great Wisdom and what is a Word but such a Note whereby every thing is distinctly known both in it self and also wherein it doth differ from other things The Holy Scriptures do often from the Works of Creation and from Natural Things prove what they do affirm unto the outward senses confirming the Faith and incouraging the hope of Saints in Christ and in his Word and in his Covenant of Grace in this Word by these senses and confuting their incredulity and distrust from hence now what confirmation of the one or confutation of the other could this be if those means of probation were not real and sensible and self-evidencing in those Brings themselves which every man that has the right Exercise of his Reason and the due use of his Senses must acknowledge to be so as is said the Faith of the LORD's Covenant people grows confident concerning revealed Truths in what they do not see by those things which they do see and discern with their Senses Many a choice discovery about several of the Works of Creation have been revealed to some Spiritual Discerners in their private Studies under an imprisoned state by the holy Spirit from Christ's true Word before they ever made search after them by the use of their outer Senses into the nature of those Created Beings before they had any ocular Demonstration of them or made any visible Observations upon them which afterwards by comparing of these Creatures with those Scriptures they have found in experience exactly to agree so as no mere Humane Author no Pagan Philosopher either has discovered or can discern Of what Nature soever those things are which God hath revealed in his Word unto reasonable Creatures the same are they bound to believe them to be as he has there made them known unto such For they are thereby become a part of the complete Object of Faith so that we are not only to believe the Declarations of the Doctrines of the Christian Religion in those great Mysteries of Three in One of God manifested in the Flesh with such like and also the Prophesies to come in after-ages with a great deal more concerning Duties Graces Priviledges c. but also that grand History of matters of Fact past and gone such as the written Journal of Created Beings in the beginning of the Bible and all the after-discourses of Natural Things as they are contained in the Scriptures of Truth Created Nature is the copyed Transcript of Holy Scriptures What a bold daring attempt then is it for vain man to be such an Interpreter of the words of his Creator concerning the great Works which he has done and the Beings which he has formed as not to admit of the plain sense of those Scripture-words and expressions the original Letter and the proper significancy whereof he will not deny or contradict For there is great verity in and real answerableness between these words and those things The literal sense of the Word of Christ where it speaks positively of the Works of Creation of Natural things is not to be gone off from if an Allegorical or Mysterial sense be any where as to this pleaded for it must be proved that there is an evident necessity thereof in the same place either by the words and meaning of themselves or by the Context or else by comparing of it with other Scriptures where it can be evidenced by such expressions significations contexts or collations that any passages in or relating to the History of the Creation are symbolical signifying some other Mystery yet even there if that were admitted first of all must the sense of the Letter simply and the truth of the History in the plain meaning of the Narrative-Record be firmly established Translators should keep close to the proper meaning of the Original words otherwise they do expound the sense as they apprehend in Syntax and are not regular Etymologists to explain the significancy and to maintain the property of every word Scripture-words are to be turned into other Languages not as men suppose they mean in trope but as they naturally signifie in Truth The usefulness of a literal version in order to the advancement of Learning is very well worthy to be treated of in its place The Scriptures are not accomdated to vulgar received Errours or mere imaginary conceits or vain false appearances but they speak of things as the things themselves really are Is not the LORD Christ Truth it self how tremblingly afraid then should sorry man be of making him a lyar by speaking one thing and meaning a quite contrary There is no transmutation in him nor obumbration of turning no variation nor casting of shadows by his turning it is Blasphemy to charge him as a Teacher of Error He has given this testimony by his own Words to his own Works when he had taken a diligent survey of them that what he had made was every part and the whole of it when set in its beauteous frame Good so as he had expressed it to be Can infinite Wisdom and truthfulness mistake in his expressions would he who is so abundant in Goodness and in Truth tell his people otherwise than the real History is Christ's Words do all along speak of these matters affirmingly assertingly they speak of his Works
knowledge some witty Invention some singular Art some extraordinary thing which yet was but a fleshly understanding a carnal wit a corrupt reasoning a fly seduction taking them off from holding the Head Christ and from keeping close to his word to draw them aside to that vain false and deceitful Philosophy to such affected Creature-knowledge and Humane Wisdom as would make a prey of their Souls Reader let me take thee by the hand and lead thee through some parts of the Scripture Paths to shew thee in this walk how Philosophy has been corrupting and perverting the Word and the Works of Aelohim He that shall read the Ethnick stories about the Origine of the Universe may see how the Aristotelian pride rejected all Scriptural Revelation of Faith about this Worlds beginning affirming the Eternity of the World by his corrupt Reasoning and vain Philosophizing Thus also the Stoical conceitedness asserted an Eternal first Matter The Pagan Astronomers have fancied and argued that there are Nine Spheres in the Heavens The Pagan Poets made all created Productions to be out of a first Matter as a common stock and subject of all generated Beings out of which every thing was found This is the Ethnick Physiology of many others of them So confused were their Notions so fabulous their Narrations Some Pagan Naturalists do make a Primogenious Fire to be the first Light out of which they say the Celestial Lights were composed Others do make the Firmament or Heaven to be the fluid watery or aerial part of a formless Chaos Some would make the ancient Nature of men to be commixt of Male and Female Sex in one and the same man And others have made many feigned stories of his Golden Age. How many corrupt mixtures in Ethnick Poets about the Flood about Gods and Goddesses and their Generations which many young men are so defiled and tainted withal in the common Schools of Learning that it is long if ever before they get rid of them The Idolatries and Superstitions of Pagans which were defended by their Philosophizers what were they but corruptings of the Mosaick Platform of which they had received somewhat by Tradition Such a temptation was it even upon the Israel of God of old to learn the Modes the Forms the Ways the Philosophick-Learning of the Heathen What an Enemy to the Doctrine of Salvation by Faith in Christ was the Grecian Philosophy What a disfigured face has it put upon Religion by its mythologizing vanity How many of the Original Words and Phrases by which both persons and things are aptly named and called in the Scriptures hath it altered and abused by expressing them in a different equivocal manner What a mis-shapen Monster are its Religion and Laws whilst it would so apishly imitate the Scripture Tradition as to adulterate it if it could into a resemblance of its own ugliness and deformity The Corinthian Sophie and Sophistry received from and by the Spirit of this World would be contradicting the Wisdom of God in a Mystery The Logicks that Humane Wisdom taught were an Enemy to this that Physical Animal Man was the Physical Philosopher who did not comprehend those things which are of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him and he cannot understand them because they are spiritually distinguished or judged Thus has the greatest part of the Sons and Daughters of Adam all the inhabited Earth over for many Generations been greatly imposed upon and still it is so even unto this day And what is yet further matter of more Lamentation those who have the name of the Scholastick Learned amongst Christians do still pertinaciously adhere unto many of the Philosophick Errors and fabulous Tenets He that heretofore would go into the Philosophy Schools here in England and hear the Lectures of the most might sit out a whole hour at a time and scarce hear one savoury sound word of Christ and of the Word of Christ And there is a design set on foot of late to make the vertues of Pagans to be fully equal to and specifically identical with the Graces of Christians as if to turn Christians into Pagans were an adapted means to turn Pagans into Christians I have long stood by and been a secret silent bewailer of this evil but the LORD hath now drawn forth my spirit to be an open declarer against it that this way I might be finishing of my Testimony There is such a Venerating Esteem in some of the Judgement of the Ancient and in others of the Learning of the Modern Philosophy that its likely I shall be thought not so prudently to have consulted either my own credit or my own quiet in undertaking to be such an Universal Controler of many Men Books Studies Arts and Sciences in such an Age wherein preconceived Opinions are heightned into such a settled confidence and grown into such a gigantick strength But I have long since committed my All to him who has taken the care of me and hath accepted of my acts of commitment and there my Soul injoyeth its sweet repose Neither am I altogether without expectation that the adored Almightiâ—s will use this Treatise to prevail with some serious Spirits to entertain a greater commerce with the Scriptures of Truth than hitherto they have And that the right apprehensions of mens minds will yet better transform into the true Nature of things Whilst Philosophick Arts are so over-prized there will be but little further inquiry and whilst Scripture knowledges are so undervalued progressions in useful Sciences will not be promoted If Rational Intellects may be better rectified and more informed according to the Laws of the written Word and the operation of Created Beings I shall rejoyce in the profit of any whilst I am exercised with contradictings from many with their perverse Brawlings or disputing Exercitations as the Scriptures do call such strifes of words It is not unknown to some what slye Artifices Satan has used in the several Ages to corrupt the Word especially in the more ignorant Ages under Antichristian darkness by Marginal addings and various readings unequal dividing altered printings and such other invented devices whereby to make Truths hidden or obscure and errors passable and plaufible a too deep digging into which and an over particular opening of which I judge at present to be no work of mine though some late reputed Criticks in Original Languages and in Scripture knowledges have been too prone upon any little occasion to set these before the eyes of such as too often have rather been shaken than settled upon them The sayings of Jehovah are pure sayings Silver refined in an Earthen-melting-Furnace Cruse or Oven purified seven times Whatever dross or impurity the Devil or any of his Instruments have immix'd with them they shall have a Fire to be throughly cleansed and perfectly cleared from it All and every saying of Aelohim shall be purified therefore it is that his servant loves his Word He is a Shield
honourable Title upon the Writings of Moses that he calleth it The Book of Moses The Book of the Law of Moses The Book of the Law of Jehovah in the hand of Moses The Churches of Aelohim in the several Ages thereof have given Moses their large Testimonial as under their Hands and Seals It is worth the noting here that that rich tormented fool recorded in that History by Luke had not in all his life time right apprehensions of the invisible World by all the helps that the Learned Philosophers and Natural Historians could afford him and that he thought Mankind were by such as those so commonly and generally corrupted and misled into errors and mistakes about the different places and entertainments in that other World for separated Spirits and departed Souls according as their States Frames and Actings their Principles Rules and Ends were whilst on Earth that scarce a mere man alive upon the whole Earth particularly where his Brethren lived and with whom they conversed could or would set their Judgements right in this weighty Concern about the locality of Heaven and of Paradise of the Gulph and of Hell for which Reason he desired of Abraham that he would send some to his Fathers House one or other who had been in those places which men on earth do not so see he himself as to himself having before received an answer that Lazarus could not come from on high to dip his finger in the water as he would have had him on in his way to have cool'd the tongue of that damned wretch in regard there was such a Gulph between then so that there was no ordinary passage from the one to the other The reply that was made to him was this They thy Brethren have Moses and the Prophets let them hear them if they hear not Moses and the Prophets neither will they be perswaded though one rose from the dead There was enough in the Writings of these about Heaven and Paradise about the Waters and Abyss about Sheol and the Gulph about Hell and that place of Torment to inform them and do declare unto them the dreadful posture of the lower part of the Created World This Moses the man and servant of Jehovah had when he was born the Beauty of Aelohim shining upon him and although he were learned in all the Wisdom of the Egyptians yet has he left upon Record only that Scripture-Wisdom which he was taught by the Holy Spirit being with all fidelity in the Church in the Wilderness with the Angel of the Covenant Jehovah Christ sent by the Father who spoke to him in Mount Sinai where he received the Oracles to give unto the LORD's people whom he commanded a Law which is the inheritance of the Church of Jacob. To this Moses Christ manifested and made known himself eye to eye face to face mouth to mouth so proclaiming his Name and making all his Goodness to pass before him as that by a secondary Glory reflected from the LORD upon him the skin of his face 〈◊〉 shine with such an overcoming brightness as was dazling to the eyes of the Israelites and they were afraid to come nigh him Of all the Prophets arose in Israel there was none like unto Moses whom Jehovah so knew This Moses was a faithful Historian and those things which he wrote were not his own but the Truth and Laws of Jehovah by his handing them out even Enemies themselves being Judges Christ doth approve of Moses and of all that he spoke and wrote from him What Moses said was the Commandment of Aelohim what he spake unto Moses the same is spoken unto us The LORD Christ has raised up some or other in the several ages to plead the Cause of the literal sense of the Works of Creation in the Histoy thereof in the beginning of the Book of God and Wise men especially in this last Age have professed their expectation of the sound knowledge of Natural Things and of their real Essence and true Properties in this first Weeks Journal of the Created World by their several attempts to interpret it this way The literal sense of Moses's Hebrew who was an Hebrew which Hebrew is the Tongue and Language wherein the he wrote Jehovah's Laws is the ground of all Interpretations for this Language hath apert significancies and plain properties of speech which must in the first place be received when opened that the natural meaning of the Scripture may be evidently known Much of sound Scripture-knowledge doth confist in a right explaining of the Words and Speeches in those five Books beforementioned Genesis c. by conferring them with themselves in those Writings of the Prophets and Apostles which are Commentaries upon those five Books by a true and sound explication as the Letter is and giving forth thence the genuine meaning of those Words and Phrases which therefore Christ hath confirmed to every Jod and Chirek There is Originally a certain proper distinct and only one signification of the Hebrew Words which is true and genuine and which under Christ and his Father and Spirit is the best Interpreter of the Holy Scriptures upon the discerning heart of an experienced Believer which would be abundantly confirmed by an accurate Collation of other Scriptures The first words therefore of Scripture particularly and especially is this History of the Creation must be held forth in their Primitive meaning where they are first used in their proper literal sense which doth give forth light to the right understanding of them in those other Scriptures where the same Words and Phrases are afterwards used So that it is generally the common Error and usual Defect in most of our Hebrew Lexicographers that they give so many differing and sometimes contradicting significancies of one and the same Hebrew word whereas they should set down the only one proper distinct meaning of every Hebrew Root and carry the juice of that Sense into all the Branches that do spring from the Root such a meaning of it as may well agree with that word where-ever it be met with throughout the whole Scriptures Which one Direction followed and improved with holy skill and studious industry by men fitted for such a work would bring in a great augment to useful Learning The Holy Scriptures are written as they are to be read and must be so acknowledged especially these matters Historical and Narrative of the Creation without doubtfulness or doubleness of meaning They use such a manner of speaking as is not otherwise to be understood not to be taken in any other sense than in that which at the first reading doth plainly offer it self to a man of spiritual understanding And of all Scriptures I take this of the History of the Creation and the Law of the Ten Words more expresly to call for this In which two are the complete summaries and comprehensive Modules of the Truths and Duties of the
Christian Religion and of the Nature and Uses of Created Beings I charge not darkness and obscurity doubtfulness or doubleness upon other Scriptures But these two parts I have now more particularly in my eye and all the rest of the whole Word of God is more or less one way or other a Commentary and Annotations an Interpretation and Explication of these which have a common and familiar understanding such as those who have the due exercise of their right Reason and of spiritual Senses may as soon as they hear conceive what it meaneth The Scripture-History of Created Beings hath its Intrinsecal-self truthfulness in it self and its Extrinsâ—â—â—l-self evidence unto others which is best manifest by the holy Spirits clear shining upon the naked simplicity of the Original Text in a savingly inlightned-heart The Wisdom of Adam was and the Wisdom of Adam's sons would be that which made his would still make their faces to shine to know well the interpretation of a Word the Exposition the Phrase of a Word the Solution the Declaration the Explication of it The Original Text of Holy Writ in its literal significancy must under the Holy Spirit who indited it and under Christ and his Father he speaking it from the Father be the judging Rule of approving or condemning of mens Explications of it and Paraphrases upon it and Illustrations concerning it and of their several Systems and Models of the Created World answerable to those Explications Paraphrases and Illustrations as they are found either agreeing with or disagreeing from that Created Beings must be so conceived expressed and modelled as to be an exact counterpart in all things measured exactly to this Scripture-History of them Scriptural Words and Names by which the several Created Beings are rightly called in Jehovah's Word are the most perfect and proper Definitions of any particular thing in its most specifical difference from any other Creature The only true Essence and specifical Being and particular entity of any Creature is the only true specifical and particular difference of that Creature and doth give a perfect Definition and when the Word is opened a proper description of it Though it were the speaking of the same thing as the same thing identically Thus if it be asked what is the Earth The answer were pertinent and full to say it is Aeretz in its real Being in the same sense that the Scripture doth call it so and for which it hath given it that Name The like may be affirmed of other Creatures for every Created Being had a distinct make and a different Existence When we would describe a Creature by some its properties as to say The Earth is dry Jabeshah this relates to another Matter the best Definitions and the most significant of Essences are those peculiar Words and proper Names which are given to particular Created Beings in the Scriptures of Truth Till we are more brought off from Philosophical darknings and obscurings of things into Scripture Light and into its way of knowing the true Nature of Created Beings there will still be captiousness and contentioâ—sness about such puzling Terms of Humane Inventing as would hold mens understandings in continued ignorance Every converted Being is best convertible into it self and is rightest known by its own Identicalness Where Creatures do differ their Names do differ also It would much forward the sound knowledge of the real Truths in those Matters if extra-Scriptural Philosophical Terms were altogether laid aside and the Expressions were such as we find in the Word of Christ For the words of mens coyning are mistaken Terms of Humane Art and do mislead into Error and will still keep up endless contendings Whereas the Words and Names by which Scriptures do call things do make us to apprehend Created Beings rightly in our Minds according as the things themselves are in their own Nature This Journal this Diary of the first Week of the Created World is a plain Narrative containing a clear History of the matter of Fact which things done are identically declared and described by the most apt significant expressions It is a most faithful punctual Record So that it is no other no less than to give Aelohim the adored Almighties the lye to his faces to deny either the plain Truth of the Fact or the proper significancies of the expressions The God of Infallible Veracity doth not in any part of this Narration intend any thing by any expression either of falsity concerning things or of deception to persons Private Opinionists can never evade or elude the unerring Authority of the Exact Expressiveness of the Original Language in this Scripture He that would be satisfied concerning the foundation of credibility about the Creation must resort to the plain and simple sense of this Text according to teh Subject-matter thereof and the Context of this and the Collation of other Scriptures They very explication of Scriture Terms doth present the Truth of Created Beings in their own naked simplicity carrying by the Aspect and Eradiation thereof a clear evidence of the Nature of the things themselves This History is the Scripture Naturals and the Christian Physicks Even young Children that are of quick apprehensions are capable of taking in of this kind of Learning with great delight so far at least as it is demonstrate to their senses and as for the rest their senses may be directed towards the several places of the invisible World As to point out to them the several Works of the Creation on the several distinct days and with the finger to shew them which is the Expanse What are the Heavenly Luminaries the Fowls of the Air the Earth the Waters the Seas the Light the Darkness the Beasts the Fishes the Worms Man and so of the rest And what is the positure of the Creation Those Hebrews therefore are under a great mistake and do hinder much of the knowledge of Jehovah Aelohim in this Word and Works in forbidding any to read four parts of Scripture till they are thirty years of age the age of the Sacerdotal Ministry The beginning of Genesis is one of those places where the Creation of the World is described Whereas the eye of young ones would tell them the Creators Works are a visible legible Commentary upon his Word The second place is the Song of Songs Whereas this also doth set out spiritual things by sensible similitudes and doth describe much of Created Beings in an affectionate way between the dearest Lovers Christ and his Churches Christ and the Believers Fellow-believers and Sister Churches with each other And this Scripture is therefore adapted to the understanding of young ones who may the better be taught what to believe by what they see and their own eyes and other senses may instruct their Souls and their Understandings and Affections may be mutua Helps and Guides to each other The third place is the beginning of Ezekiels Prophecy where the Majesty of the LORD is described the beauty of
in the beginning or in the end of proper names By naming of Jehovah is noted the mode of his Essentiality and Agenty It is their sin who do not call upon this Name for it is expresly to be named It is therefore an Error in the vulgar versions of Greek Latin and English when they render this proper Name appellatively which hath no plural Number no demonstrative Note prefix'd is not read in the constructed State so as to change its last Letter neither doth it admit of any affixes at the end This particular Name of his shall be glorious This Word has been put into the name of a place and of an Altar So that such a place and such an Altar could not be rightly named without using that form and manner of pronunciation as its Consonants and Vowels are Though proud Pharaoh for a while would not know not acknowledge this Name Jehovah yet Aelohim by his Plagues upon Pharaoh did at last make his mouth pronounce it Pharaoh said to Moses and Aaron concerning them and the Israelites Jehovah shall be with you This is that Hebrew Word which is made up of all the Vowels also of Accents and iâ— doth confist only of such Vowels and Acconts There are in it A E J O V it has H to begin a syllable and H to and a syllable It is evident that the Ethnick's Jove and Jao got its sound from their hearing of this word Jehovah to be pronounced by the Hebrews they retained some of the Hebraick Origination in the very sound of it O how incomprehensibly Glorious is this infâ—â—ite unchangeable Essence who was from all Eternity is and will be to all Eternity without any mutation Who really doth declare and exhibit himself to be indeed such a one as he manifesteth and promiseth himself to be in his Word Jehovah himself was the Author of this Name of his and it is not attributed to any Creature It has in it all the parts of Duration past present and to come Jehoshuah read all the words of the Law the Blessings and the Cursings according to all that is written in the Book of the Law there was not a Word of all that Moses commanded which Joshua read not before all the Congregation of Israel with the Women the little Ones and the Strangers that were conversant among them If all and not a word unread then Jehovah was read for this Word was there It was foretold that even the Priests would be despisers of this Name but withal it is prophesied That it shall be great from the going forth of the Sun to the going in thereof and they shall in a more especial manner be remembred by him who wisely think upon his Name One of Solomon's Names of his cognames brought to his Father David by Nathan from an Oracle was Jedidjah beloved of Jah for Jehovah doved him and therefore he sent his Prophet Nathan so to call his Name because of Jehovah that somewhat of Jehovah's Name might pass over into Solomon's Name for Jah is the contracted word of Jehovah which name Jah is annexed to a multitude of names in the holy Scriptures whereby the ignorance and unbelief of the superstitious heart-veiled Jews is justly reproved who will not acknowledge this syllable this word Jah to be the contracted of Jehovah lest they should be made withal to confess that the Word the Name Jehovah should by found of voice be distinctly and expresly in all its Consonants and Vowels pronounced with due reverence How much is there of this Word and Name that doth 〈◊〉 into Scriptures Sometimes it doth set out the glorious excellency of the Eternal Being other times the virtue and favour of this Eternal Being The acknowledgement celebrating and praising of this Being The profession and worship of this Being of beings and much more This Name is invocated often in the Word and is sometimes put for the Command Will or Authority of this Great LORD How many times is this Expression used thus saith Jehovah in the beginning in the middle and in the end of a Sentence The Margin of this Page cannot contain all the Citations of these in every of the places of Scripture This Name and Word was to be on the High Priest's Forehead that all the people might see it and read it there how else could they understand the Mystery of it And the like is prophesied of elsewhere with an eye to this Name of his he will do much for his people in the later days and it is covenanted that in the purer Church then the knowledge of the Glory of this Name shall so aboundingly cover the Earth as the Waters cover the place of the Seas He doth take notice of it and is displeased at it when this Name of his is seoffed at As Jehovah is the proper Name so also the Memorial of him who is a â—ost lingle pure perfect infinite unchangeable self-being existing and subsisting in and of and by himself who was who is and who will be one and the same and not made another From whom all and every of Creatures in their first making did receive their Essence their Existence and by and in whom they 〈◊〉 kept in their Being who will really and indeed declare and shew forth himself 〈◊〉 such a one the very same True One as he hath revealed himself to be in his Word putting a real Essencâ— an actual Existence into all and every of his Command Promisings Threatnings and Pâ—â—pheses of whatsoever it is 〈…〉 spoken in their time A 〈◊〉 Name which he reserves only to himself had which is communicated 〈…〉 other Name which in the 〈…〉 of it is 〈◊〉 the fittest to work those night apprehensions and that 〈◊〉 knowledge of him in those who are acquainted with him which such 〈◊〉 Word is 〈◊〉 form in them Thou thy 〈◊〉 Jehovah Thou art Thy Name what 〈◊〉 Name hath in Thou 〈◊〉 â—hy Name 〈◊〉 His people shall more know in the later days from the 〈◊〉 of them unto the greateâ—â— of them that 〈◊〉 this He 〈◊〉 The Earth shall be full of the 〈◊〉 acknowledgement of the Glory of him who is this Name How glorious how fearful is this Name O how great in might How holy How wondrous excellent in all the Earth O how good how near how extolled how much hath he done How much doth he and will he do for this Name of his as this is so should his praise be They who knowing it will trust of him The desire of the Soul of Saints is to it and to the remembrance of him They love it they call upon it and do confess to him They praise it for it is high advanced this Name of his his alone This they fear In this they will lift up their Palms In this shall they shout and be glad all the day This they remembred in the night and have observed his Law this they see
inventions and against themselves for those merely humane excogitates in the Judicatory Courts of their own Intellect and Conscience and have thereby openly renounced and quitted their former usurped Authority by which they too long and too much imposed upon the over-credulity of blinded minds But what shall such a traditionary receiving of corrupt notions never have an end put unto it shall the opinionative conceits and the conjectural ratiocinations of deceived deceiving men be still handed down from one to another Such Methods of Arts and Systems of Sciences and forms of Learning and Schemes of Knowledges as are besides and against the word of Aelobim are either not according to Truth and so they teach that falshood which would be unlearn'd or do not direct to usefulness and so they cause loss by mis-spent time which is not so soon redeemed Their Science is but falsly so called it doth not answer to its name it doth belie its own usurped title by their professourships such would give themselves out to be some of the most knowing of men and diligent seekers after the Truth yet they they miss the mark they pretend to aim at they rove and err like unskilful shooters they go aside from sound Doctrine and from a right belief of that which is the Truth though they would loudly cry boastingly clamour a profoundness of Learning by puzling wordings and painted sayings where neither is the Matter useful nor the inquiry worth while nor the Controversie weighty nor speculation improveable to any spiritual gain so that it neither well informs nor nourishingly feeds the serious Student it is an artificial desire of mens own brains having no foundation in the Word of God and tending to profaneness making a great noise but leaving an emptiness after the manner of Sophisters Let not the ingenious Reader be offended if I open the significancy of some Scripture words and phrases to take him off from giving an idolizing reverence unto such humane fallible Authors as would insinuate a crediting of their cheating Arts and draw on a belief of their deceitful Sciences by a cogging device and cunning trick in a ready dexterity of wicked wittiness handling every subject matter they do discourse or treat of with crafty conveyances and circumventing windings up and down in and out turning every way by over-reaching methods and hidden wiles to seduce unwary travellers into errour and to insnaâ—e them into some misapprehension to divert their minds from truthing it in love Whoever do pursue them will find them at the last to be erring in Theory failing in practice fruitless in experience after much expence of difficult labour and of chargeable travel The wild little fancy of vain foolish man would be setting up a new imaginary world of Artals and of Scientificks which are his own formed Ideas and speculated conceits and modelled opinionativeness and then would not only make an Idol of self to fall down before its own mis-shapen Image and to fail in love with its own empty shadow but would also set it up before others that they may worship it too which has been for so many ages of the world the grand design and the too far prevailing attempt of Enthusiastick Phantasms of Humane Magistralities of self-weaved Ratiocinations of forced Extractions of indulged Sensations and of unsetling Scepticisms which six have laid some of the most claim to the highest advance of Humane Learning though their Arts and Sciences have been hitherto so far from being really in their nature or use liberal that they have been some of the most tyrannous enslavers of mens judgements and imprisoning fetters of their understanding How many thousands have by their wandring after such misguiders left and lost their way in the dark where their Souls have been filled with troublesome doubts and with tormenting fears exposing them to violent temptations of Atheism and Unbelief and what wonder that it is thus with the Scholar when some of the learnedest of the Masters themselves have resolved upon this as the conclusion of all their knowledge that All things are matter of doubtful questionings and are intricated with knotty difficulties and do pass into amazing uncertainties and resolve into cosmical suspicions And this not only is the deliberate Judgement of particular Virtuoso's in our day but has been the publick determination of an whole University if there be truth in those Historical Records that do report them to us even with those has it thus been so who made proficiencie in Arts and progress in Sciences to be the subject of their profession the matter of their inquiry and the design of their studiousness How manifold the inconveniences how mischievous the effects of this have been if the Readers Spirit would not be exasperated thereby might be soon inlarged upon for the Writer would not provoke or inrage mens passions but would come in words of truth and of soundness to hold forth a Scripture Light before such as are of a temperate and sober understanding and of a serious considering spirit The hurt that has been done to my own soul and the scars that are visibly upon me by my ill-chosen-studies and misemployed hours heretofore though in a way of some diligence do stir up some compassions in me towards others to indeavour the preventing or curing of the like spreading distemper in their understandings the infectiousness of which disease in mens intellects has been hitherto little suspected and its dangerousness less felt And therefore if in faithful plainness I do oppose paganish or Ethnick Philosophy let it be once more remembred that where-ever this expression is found or such other words relating to the same matter in this Treatise I mean thereby that vainly affected humane wisdom which was invented by Pagans by Heathens or by Satan who taught it unto such by such as had not the sound saving knowledge of Jehovah Aelohim or of His word but did write besides it and contradictorily to it and so far as this kind of Philosophy is still retained and defended by any Christians For this is that which has so anticipated mens minds with such corrupt principles as are complying with prophane practices with such mis-shapen notions as are suited to carnal reason with such wrong opinions as do plead for depraved Customs with such flattering perswasions as are humouring to sensual affections it doth so infect and sicken their intellect so weaken and make it Consumptive that who can cure it if the LORD Christ himself be not actually the one and the only All-skilful Physician and if Scripture-Learning be not seasonably well applyed as the one and the only universal remedy of this of the mind whilst some do write and others do read so many expositions upon paganish Philosophy and do so little study the Scriptures of Truth the Press may bring forth many curiously arted Books but there will be in the intellectual World a famme of Progressive Literature The frequent Divertisements by
their spirits are tender Truly-logical-Art is that which is really word-Art not a Disputative Knowledge or Syllogistical form of mens inventing generous Spirits those that are indeed such will conform their Reason to Faith and their Faith to Spirit-inspired Revelation This word-Declaration and written-discovery is perfect in its self and perfective in those who grow in it here the noble excellencies of rational Souls may be advanced to somewhat of their highest dignity in their utmost capacities here are the full Originals and the over-flowing Springs of useful Knowledge here the believing Trader with his spiritual Talents may increase his stock of sanctified Learning somewhat near in its approaching step to one of the Royal Priviledges of the Heavenly Glory which is unmixed clearness and perfect cooâ—mmateness of all profitable Sciences Philosophical Notions are idle stories and when they pass into vain janglings they are frothy talk and unâ—dâ—â—ying chat they fill the fancy with dreaming speculations and make the mind sick and weak whereas the Scriptures do afford such a kind of Learning as is sound and healthful in its own innate constitution and in its causal efficiencies here the intentive Reader is still held in a continued dependency on a spiritual Teacher of those necessary Lessons which are never well learn'd but in Christ's School and where he may get great skill with little cost in a short while This would make skilful Practitioners in ordinary Affairs and in the common Matters and Actions of Life which Philosophers do miscount to be beneath souly rationalists Students in Christianity when throughly seasoned with the in-working-knowledge of Holy Precepts and of practical Truths are more awed into an observance of what is taught in Scriptures Pew they are instructed in Duties and informed in Manners whilst they inquire into Arts and pursue Sciences Where the savingness of knowledge is suck'd in betimes all growing discoveries if they work kindly are improved towards the firm securing of a never-ending-felicity Faith and Fear and Love and other Graces as they widen the Understanding and compose the Mind and fix the Heart still to be taking of more so they also refine the Spirit and reform the Life The Eyes of the wisest men in the World can never see themselves truly represented so as that the direct beams may have a right incidence but in the Glass of God's Word and he is not as yet in a preparedness to take in other Learning who has not hitherto attained to the true knowledge of himself A growing Artfulness in Scripture-Science will commend it self where it is in any though the commender of this unto such court not their applause but seek their profit though I be forgotten who write this yet Christ and his Word will still have a living name in such for all Treasures of Learning there being here full instruction for all necessary Employments and complete Subsidaries for all practical Conversation Let not the judicious ingenuous Reader expect from me a System of Sciences or Platform of Arts with their proper Rules and Methods To handle these throughly in an exact tractate is too great and long a task for my little parts and short day it were an undertaking worthy of some Christian King to imploy the learnedest and holiest of mankind about that either love or promotion could procure or kindness or reward ingage or helps and materials incourage though in some few instances I may a little lead others the way with a Scripture Light in my hand I owed a great duty to the intellectual World of precious Souls and I had no other way to make such a publick payment of it the good of Communion must out balance any private concern of my own he that would consult his own reputation and quiet amongst men in this age would have concealed his apprehensions in such a day when many are so self-seeking and so angrily confident by strengthned preconceptions and fortified prejudices and radicated resolves against any discoveries that might convince and shake them What is done is subjected to Scripture-examination by spiritual discerners When received Opinions have got the Peoples Applause and Leaders Authority and Men's interest in this World he had need bring some clearness of demonstration who would have others to leave their former ways to which they have been so used that they may come into a Scripture-path It would be next to incredible in a mans self to perswade belief in others who are so far gone in prejudice and prepossession were there not a Prophesie and Promise that in the later days they who err in spirit shall know understanding and the murmurers shall learn instruction for the deaf shall hear the words of this Book of the Scriptures of Truth and the Eyes of the Blind shall see passing out of the obscurity and darkness when they will blush to consider how Truth had scarce any door to enter in at what by innate ignorances and attracted wilfulnesses and indulgent weaknesses I arrogate nothing to my self of being a first Inventer of Arts but do refer wholly unto that word which would illustrate and brighten adorn and amplifie Sciences The LORD may therefore have laid me low and left me despicable in the eyes of the reputed Learned that Christ and his Word 〈◊〉 be set the higher Careless neglects have given countenance to such 〈◊〉 errours as now by long prescription would pass into a common uncâ—â—â—ollable Law of Arts and of Sciences like the idle tales and fabulous stories and fictitious narrations which old wives filled our heads withal when we were little Chrildren and a traditionary credulity would still keep alive the memory of them till old age and so would transmit the frame of them to posterity Had I not Jehovah and his Word on my side there were little expectation of any considerable success in ingaging this Scholastick War where so many opposers are all up in arms against me and are so confident of Victory were it not for this the controversie would stare me in the face with so many frighting difficulties that my time about this that little of it which I can be master of to redeem it from the unavoidable intercurrences of other necessary work would scam to be mis-spent and my industry mis-employed and the powers and strength of my mind wasted I had else soon been dis-spirited whilst the chief scope of so many men's aims studies and indeavours is either to defend or execute other mens mistakes or to justifie and commend their own however if hereby the reputation of the Scriptures may revive after my death and if the just esteem and the good opinion of God's Word may be built up though on the ruines of my credit for the present I bless that Jehovah who has used me to trust him with hereafters wherein one of the greatest trials of our spirit and frame is and if this only means of improving so fertil a ground of knowledges be dislik'd
Working-tools and with the fittedness and usefulness of them here we read of their Measures and Dimensions such as Latitude Longitude Profundity and Sublimity wherein the Scriptures go beyond Pagan Physicks and Mathematicks these constituting only three Dimensions Length Breadth and Height such strangers were they to the Deep Mysteries both of Grace and of Nature whereas those do give us an accompt of four and they have much to say concerning each of them distinctly severally and apart as also conjoynedly when put together in a well-proportioned Timber-building which is another hint of large spreadingness in this Art for those to consider who will imploy their thoughts in this study The Carpenters Rule and Line is here taken particular notice of by this he is to measure and to try his work whether it be right and exact or not Whether all the parts do cohâ—re and answer in a just proportion and in a due symmetry The creating Aelohim himself is said when he created this Earth to extend a Rule upon it he squared it in its four Corners according to the truest Art whereby he doth direct such Workmen in their Timber-Structures and the Word of Christ has dignified this Instrument by applying of it to it self in being the Canon the Rule of Faith of Worship and of Life of the whole of our Religion the Canonical Scripture is that by which all Doctrines must be examined Whether they be right and do answer according to this or not the Supreme Judge has established and promulgated his Word as the Law of judging that it might be the perfect and adequate measure of what is right to distinguish it from what is crooked the unerring Norm of all spiritual judging is this God-inspired Doctrine which the Head-Governour of his Church hath proclaimed unto men whence they may understand what that sentence is which he doth pass upon cases and may conform to it all their judgements and actions in all matters to be believed and practised Wood-Carpenters do thus extend their Rule straightly to examine rectitudes to prove what is straight and what is inflex and therefore when the LORD intended the restauration and restitution of the Church and Commonwealth of his People of the reparation of the City and of the re-edification of the Temple he sets it out in a vision to his Prophet Zechariah A Master-builder passeth along ready furnished with fit implements laying out and measuring the plot of the City whether there were length and wideness and room enough to be fully capacious for the receiving and containing of so many inhabitants as were to repeople it drawing the Ichnographick delineating and describing the building in the whole platform thereof that it might be exactly carrid on according to the Rules of his Art by the Instruments of Architecture some of those Instruments were mensory used for measuring of the several Edifices such was the Line which takes the Latitude of a thing or its compass about according to the Figure of it and is sometimes coloured with red Lead or with Chalk or Oker or such like for the drawing of a right Line whose duct the Carpenter doth follow in exequating and complaining of his Timber or Boards hence are those phrases in the Scripture to mete out the parts with the Line in the hand to extend or to stretch out the Line thus doth the Wright the Workman of Trees or Wood upon a piece of Timber where and how far to cut it off or otherways to work it thus also for the Line to go forth or to be extended or to be put unto somewhat This Mensory-line the Prophet saw in the hand of Christ himself and of his under Officers as that Architectonick Instrument by which the parts of the Temple-Structure were equated The Carpenters Perpendicular is here spoken off as taken in hand and used by him for the measuring of Altitudes and of Uprightness and of Levels when he who is well instructed in building will put forth his skill there being great need of using the Plummet or Plumb line in this Science when reduced to practice the weight whereof was either of Stone or of Tin or of Lead by which a Carpenter doth prove and try the rectitude of his Structure as the Timber-work goes forward or is towards finishing the Architect busily imploys himself with his Plummet Plumb-line or Level to see if every part and the whole do lie square level and perpendicular Masons also did the like a Mensory Reed or Rod has heretofore been used to the like purpose the LORD Jesus Christ himself thus appears in prophetical Scripture as one who measureth his new house in the later days with his golden Reed Here you may find his Planes great and less the greater to fetch off the rougher and the more rugged part of the Timber the lesser and finer to smooth it afterwards and to polish it with the more exactness the word coming from a Root which doth signifie to scrape or to pare away the skilful also may here find the use of engraving Tools of Carving Instruments the fittedness of Hatchets and of Axes great and small for their peculiar purposes and proper uses the Carpenter is here directed of what matter to have these made of Iron and of what sort of Iron the Northern Iron or Steel or a mixture of both this Northern sort being the firmest and strongest and hardiest not so easily broken and they are the best and fittest for use those Regions affording the best sort of that Metal and the Artificers about this being in those parts skilful in Iron-works and in tempering of them the use of these is to cut withal and the manner must be by laying them on with strength that the Timber thereby may be fitted for Building â—hen it is hewed and fashioned by these Instruments Spiritual Discerners should in this great providential day see the Ax of Christ judiciary proceedings laid at the Root of the Trees not only to lop off particular unfruitful Branches but also to cut down whole imbodied Societies if they bring not forth fruit meet for repentance answerable to amendment of Life The Scriptures do take notice of a two-edged Ax a Twy-bill which is a description drawn from the form of that Instrument it speaks of a Carpenters Hammer which has its sigular usefulness in its kind to break to drive in to fasten and the like some of the potent cruel Enemies of the Church and People of God are Metaphorically set out by such Hammers as would oppress and break them It makes mention of the Nails and of the Pins that the Hammer doth drive it tells you of what matter these are made some of Iron or Brass others of Wood it doth declare their use which is both to fasten things in their place and to hang Vessels and other Instruments and things upon the words of the wise are aptly compared unto these when
leave much of their Shelves empty though he who writes this is like to be judged and condemned for an Heretick in the Commonwealth of Learning and to have his Name and Reputation killed whilst he himself is alive and buried before he himself be dead But these must be let go for the sake and in the cause of Christ and of his Word who will have a day of Resurrection of Names as there will be at the last of bodies One of the most learned and most experienced of natural Philosophers in the present age who has been at great cost and pains to make the most watchful Observations after all his curiosity in seeking and searching has consented to the publishing of a Treatise to let the World of Vain Affecters of Humane Wisdom and of Philosophick Learning to know that after all his inquiries and researches into hidden secrets of mysterious Nature he can come at no certainty especially about the Heavenly Bodies and what doth belong to them and generally about what is at a great distance from our eye or quite out of our sight Cosmical suspicions are found in the Title and in the Pages so that his Philosophy as to the most of the eminent Works of the Creation particularly as to the Celestial Phaenomena and subterraneous hiddenesses is if not come to plain nothing yet quite passed into doubt suspicion and scepticism so that his acknowledgements are much the same in this with mine It would be the Wisdom and Honour of such generous spirited Virtuoso's now at length to come wholly over to the Scripture-way for the proficiency of Arts and for the augment of Sciences where and where only such men of deep understanding can sit down sweetly satisfied Scripture-Learning is gone forth conquering and Word-knowledges will ere long be triumphing All other Science is but falsly so called both about the Works of Creation and the Doctrines of Faith however the deluded world have given it the name yet it is devoid of the Essence it doth start a many thorny and argute Questions and it ingageth in a multitude of frivolous concertations of Sophisters and of Philosophasters such as School-Divinity or Scholastick-Theology doth abound in and is almost quite through all over run with Dialectick Nicities and Metaphorical Formalities to raise dust and to make a mist that mens eyes can see but little of their way as if all knowledge were placed in this whereas it neither doth deserve nor can make good such a name That is worth the name of Wisdom that is Wisdom to Salvation that is the commendable Learning that is sanctified Learning and that is the praise-worthy experience that is holy experience It is Scripture-Science that is the great the only deposited Treasury of all Writings that is to be kept for the confutation of all Opponents who object against the Truth The rest are but prophane Clamors about empty Vanities such as are of a different kind and nature from the Analogie of Faith frivolous concertations of Sophists Logical impertinencies Metaphysical puzlings that do not deserve the Name because they have not the Reality of useful Knowledge where they have any thing of profitable Learning as a few grains of good Corn in a great heap of Chaff there they Originally received it from the Word and from the LORD's people who held forth their knowledge according to the Word before others Thus the Chaldeans from the Hebrews so also the Egyptians the Phenicians the Grecians though they all mingle it with their several Errors Superstitions and Idolatries Never yet could the Disciples of any Unscriptural Antiscriptural of any Unchristian Antichristian Philosopher meet with such a complete Model of the Created World from any of their Masters as might give them any through satisfaction thereabout though according to their several Sects they have been great Admirers of themselves There are of them who have pretended to more skill than those who went before them in the Philosophick Way and have undertaken to be Correctors of other mens Opinions and Writings about a System of the World and yet they have not believed themselves that their own Hypotheses were true and sound as particularly the vertiginous Asserters of the Diurnal Motion of the Earth One great cause of his Eâ—â—ring who was the famous misleader of others into this gross mistake was his slighting and rejecting of the Scriptures about these matters as if it were a subject altogether alien from VVord revelation The several Earnest Contenders both for the old and new Philosophy of later years after all their new VVorlds which they have set up and trumpeted before as if all must bow before their Systematical Calf and worship their modular Moloc yet what have they done after all their studies and endeavours but proclaim openly in Print that they are both of them out of the right way the one and the other wandring out of the path of Truth and that they have taken up with such fallacious shews as are discovered by Scripture-light to be apparent falshoods And therefore the adaptest shortest and every-way best Method will be to lay aside all the rest and to take up things purely from the VVord of Christ All besides this are but the fanciful framings and imaginary VVorlds of self-pleasing Dreamers though they applaud their own cunning in excepting against the Scriptures as no fit Judges in these Cases yet I cannot commend their Conscience in such a wrongful dishonourable charge as they hereby bring in against Christ and against his VVord There are some parts of the Created VVorld which right Reason and enlightned Nature cannot but acknowledge that they must be As a place of reward for the Good and of punishment for the Bad And yet because they are not to those who are on this Earth exposed to their senses they cannot be understood what and where they are but only by VVord-revelation The great mistakes of some both Translators of and Commentators upon the VVord History of the Creation have been occasioned mostly from hence that they have followed Philosophers and their VVritings more than Christ and his Scriptures which is the great error and the blemishing spot in those expositions upon Job which many otherwise singular Annotators have completed and published For almost throughout that whole Book much thereof doth treat of Created Beings as the Heavens the Luminaries there the Rain the Dew the Snow the Hail the Wind the Earth the Water the Abyss the Gulph Hell Light Darkness the four Quarters of the World with many others and with many particulars about each of these they do much Philosophize which I now write not to revile the Name or bespatter the Memory of the departed Authors nor to undervalue the many choice Observations and profitable Collatings of Scripture every where almost to be found in several of those Treatises but to warn the Reader that when he comes to such passages about this kind of Learning which I am now upon he would
not suffer himself to be imposed upon by the Authority of those skilful men in practical Religion and experimental Christianity and Scripture knowledge All Authorities Arguments Experiments Resolutions that we would have to be cogent and convincing must be soundly Scriptural That which the several Philosophers with their several followers have vainly sought for in their several Principles is to be found in Truth and Purity only in the Scriptures Art thou for Magistral Dictates Who can so give forth these as to command a belief of them but that Jehovah Aelohim in the Messias who alone is supreme and infallible Art thou for Abstruse Speculations who was such Treasures of Knowledge and of Understanding so fully hidden with him and so freely imparted by him as the LORD Jesus Christ who has all hidden things and wonderful Secrets and rare Mysteries numbred before him or ready told as at his fingers ends the which as occasion and opportunity doth serve he doth utter to his Church and People Art thou for self-exalted Ratiocinations VVhat are these compared with him who is only VVise VVisdom it self the VVisdom of God whose Foolishness is wiser than men into the Obedience of whom all Humane Reasoning must be captiv'd Art thou for outward sensations Are they any where so clear and certain so sure and satisfying as in Christ's Written Word where every thing is realized and proved either to spiritual or to bodily senses according as the Objects are that are suited either to the one or the other For to confute the infidelity or to soften the hardness of mens hearts Jehovah Aelohim for the confirmation of his gracious promises has fetched sensible proofs From the Heavens above and the Luminaries there from the Host of them from the Earth from the Waters from the Abyss from the successive courses of Night and Day from things present and to come Art thou for sceptical Inquiries Whither can thy doubting questioning Soul go for satisfactory resolution but to Christ and to his Word So that every one of these severally and all of them joyntly must at the last come hither if ever they would be set right The late New Philosophers though they make this to be their Motto which they superscribe in their Coat of Arms Into no ones words are they sworn whereby they reject all humane Magistery wherein they are so far right yet if any of them would have it to be also understood with this great Exception and Exclusion of Christ's Word as to an acknowledgement of his infinite Wisdom and to a submission to his infallible Authority revealed therein so that such either do deny the profound Principles of all profitable Learning to be here and here only or else do not search neither would have others to search for them to draw out useful Arts and Sciences from this full Treasury it is then in such of them but the proud exalting of carnal self and of corrupted Reason which the jealous God will pour contempt upon But if withal they will study their Natural History and their experimental Art in the Scripture-Library acknowledging the fulness and the perfection of this God-inspired Book for all useful Knowledge as the Author of it hath copied it out and commented upon it in Created Nature in the true Essences of formed Beings in the proper causalities and genuine productions according to their Primitive make if they will measure the Laws of Nature by the Laws of the Word the Rules of Motion by the Rules of the Word the Light of Experience by the Light of the Word that Hypotheses of Physical Principles and the Axioms of Mechanical Models by the Doctrines and Interpretations the Positions and Explications of the Word so far as it hath a reference unto them they might then be men of Name and transmit the profitableness of their Science to Posterity when the Light of Scripture and the Essence of Nature and the Works of Art do uniformly frame and operate together they do wonders The Reader here is to take notice that this Treatise doth commend the Scripture for its containing of Arts and Sciences of Learning and of Knowledges so far as they are lawful and useful needful and necessary And therefore if any Objector would be shewing of his wittiness in asking of a great many Questions of Philosophical Nicities and of unrevealed Matters if I discern them to be impertinent to this subject and unprofitable in themselves they are alien from this inquiry and do not belong to what I am searching after who am perswading of others to be more in the serious deep study of what is revealed in the Holy Scriptures and to put together all that which is found in the Word relating to any particular Science and Art and so to improve that not intruding into those things which they have not seen vainly puft up by their fleshly mind Could I prevail so far that a due through Collection were made by the judicious and industrious of what is already in the Word about these wonders in Nature it might then be afterwards further considered whether we may not well be without the rest of that knowledge which any over-prying Questionist would ask about wherewith to perplex others and to puzzle himself It is not every professing of ones self to be wise that makes him to bring forth real useful Wisdom It would be folly in us to be wise in our own conceits That is true Wisdom which is Wisdom unto that which is good What will it be to seem wise and not to be wise The only Wise God who guided the Holy Penmen of Scriptures in their writing about Natural as well as Spiritual Things and about the Arts and Knowledges of those things did teach them to understand what they did write about and they have left more of this Learning behind them in the Word than is yet found out There is an honourable Virtuosus who has travelled far in Natures way and has made some of the deepest inquiries into Experimental Corpuscular or Mechanical Philosophy that in the requisites of a good Hypothesis amongst others of them doth make this to be one of its conditions that it fairly comport not only with all other truths but with all other Phaenomena of Nature as well as those 't is fram'd to explicate and that not only none of the Phaenomena of Nature which are already taken notice of do contradict it at the present but that no Phaenomena that may be hereafter discovered shall do it for the future Let it therefore from hence be considered whether seeing that History of Nature which is but of human indagation and compiling is so incomplete and uncertain and many things may be discovered in after-times by industry or in some other way by providential dispensing which are not now so much as dreamed of and which may yet overthrow Doctrines speciously enough accommodated to the Observations that have been hitherto made as is by
himself fore-seen and acknowledged whether now the only prevention and remedy in this case which is otherwise so full of just fears of real doubts of endless dissatisfaction and of perplexing difficulties be not to bring all sorts of necessary knowledges to the Pan-sophie the Alness of Wisdom in the Scriptures of Truth where none of the forementioned Scriptures have any ground to set their foot on in regard that Word-Revelations about Natures Secrets are the unerring products of infinite Wisdom and of universal fore seeingness which are always uniform and the same in their well-established order and stated ordinary course without any variation by an unchangeable Law of the All-knowing Truthful Creator and Governour and Redeemer Wise Solomon himself was much in the dark and altogether at a loss whilst he studied the Nature of many things only in the way of Pagan Philosophy he experimented it to be a vain attempt of his foolish imagination to get in that way the perfect knowledge of the Essence of Creatures and of Causes and of Effects the Created Works of the Six Days in their first Origine and continued Being it was far from him he evidently discovered when he had made some proof of that kind of study and scrutiny Many Creatures were aâ—â—a far distance from him some above him as the North-heavens and their Lights which mere Humane Astronomies could not sufficiently inform him in others were below him deep deep such were the hid Treasures of the Earth the Abyss the Gulph and Hell he went round these subject matters in his thoughts but could not get through them into the exact knowledge of them by all his industry and search no private studying nor open converse could fully inform his understanding what the proper Existence the true Reason and the solid Art of the Mysteries of Nature as well as of Grace were till he was entred a Disciple in Christ's School where he was better taught by the Spirit of the LORD in those two great Books of Scripture and of Nature The vain Affectation of Creature-Knowlede in the Apostate Angels and of Humane Wisdom in fallen Man has all along been endeavouring to corrupt and to pervert both the pure Word of Aelohim and his Created Works whereby they are misrepresented to the Rational-intellect in wrong shapes WE may pass some judgement upon one of the first great Sins of Apostate Angels by that Method of Temptation which the old Serpent did use in assaulting Eve and Adam by Eve which was a vain Affectation of Creature Knowledge and of self-invented Wisdom They would find out a new Philosophy suited to their own proud concepts of things setting up of self and of Creatures as the great Idol seeking out some other way of Science and of Worship than what was formed in them by Created Principles and was put into Natural Existences and both these discovered in some Word They sought out many Inventions to see if they could find a chief Good in the Creature they would make and try Experiments what might come out of them The Tempter had high conceits of his own abilities and he would have Man to excogitate other Reasons and Causes of things than were in Created Nature and in Word-Revelation Hence it is that this caution is given us Let no one deceive you with sublime discourse touching the worship of Angels pressing into that he knows not It is the design of those evil Spirits to raise up in the mind of man such high opinions of them as to extol them to be for knowledge far above the degree of a mere Creature and to raise a mans knowledge much farther than he hath any good warrant for and for the prosecuting this hellish design they would engage man in converse with them to draw man into a discipleship under them that man might go to School to these revolted Spirits as if these could and would teach man higher and better than the LORD or his Word and VVorks have done By these stratagems and illusions to beguile man into a Veneration of them for their Scientifick Excellencies And thus did these degenerate Angels and impure Spirits prevail over Mankind at the first And this is the cause of all the prohibited black Arts of Judiciary Astrology Diabolick Magick Hellish VVitchcraft and such like forbidden Sciences and Satanical depths under the gaudy Title of profound Mysteries whereby many do lose the prize that is ready and prepared at the Goal while they yield themselves to be drawn aside with such Sophistick Seductions These hellish imposters under a specious shew of colourable Religion would bring in dangerous and damnable Errors and Heresies against the pure simplicity of the Evangelical Doctrine and they imployed under them such seducers as did much corrupt and deceive many of the ignorant and credulous fetching their Doctrines not from Scripture Revelation but from Humane Reason adulterated holding forth some curious speculations taught in the Philosophick Schools namely the worshiping of Angels as middle intercessors between God and men arrogating unto themselves without any just right a power of judging and assigning the reward of Eternal Life unto none but such only as would subscribe unto their new and false doctrines defining and determining the causes of Faith and of Religion at their own will and pleasures and not according to Christ in his Word and all this under a pretext of Humility and of demission of mind which is the Romish usurpation and Anti-christian Tyranny at this day And this is a sort of Wisdom which is therefore called Demoniacal because it has the Devil for its Author By which Satan would be reputed the learned Master of Arts and the Reverend Doctor of Sciences And would have men to enter themselves as Pupils under his Tutorship in his College And therefore in that forementioned place to the Colossians cited in the Margin Paul warn'd them not to suffer any one not the Devil himself to lord it over them to abuse his power and subtilty upon them by pretending that he will give a great Prize of Honour and of Reputation to them if they would deliver themselves over to his will in instructing them For thus he fallaciously argues in his Philosophy that men should so walk in humility as not to go directly unto God or unto Christ but should first resort unto Angels for their Instruction and should make Angels such glorious Creatures to be as Mediators between God and them for the negotiating of all their Affairs which is a piece of Platonick Anti-Theology and Anti-Christianism still maintained and practised in Ethnick and Papistick Philosophy Satan would have them to climb up and to thrust themselves into sublime points of hidden Wisdom as if they were profound Mysteries of refined Speculation above the vulgar capacity which yet are but phantastick devices and groundless imaginatious in the disquisition where of he would have them to pride and to please themselves as if they had learn â— some rare
to them that trust in him when those who have either added to or taken from his words shall be reproved and be found to have been lying ones And I do hope there will be a pure every way uncorrupt Autograph or Apograph of the Scriptures of Truth Neither am I without some Words of the LORD upon which to bottom Faith Expectation and Prayer concerning this matter a great and a glorious Work highly and fully worth the most serious and diligent search after by Christian Princes by Learned Men and by Eminent Believers Spiritual Discerners should know how to take and to improve this hint which I had rather they themselves would industriously pursue than at present put me upon any further opening of my thoughts with the grounds of those my apprehensions in such an Age of quarrelsome jangling of endless contentiousness and of lips of folly In the mean time till there be this glorious appearing of Christ and of his Book according to Prophetical Revelations I bless his Name for himself and for his Word and for any gracious Work of his Word upon my heart having felt a day of his Power there whereby he has made me willing to stand in some holy awe of him and of his Word and to dispense it in some growing measures as I have received it in uprightness as of God in the presence of God so speaking it in Christ If any will so sell this Word of God as to falâ—â—e it by corrupting it any ways by dealing deceitfully with it by playing the Hucksters with it adulterating and sophisticating of it by mingling of Philosophick Errors and Humane Inventions and Unwritten Traditions with it Thus to make the market of their own private gain upon some ignorant deluded soul by their crafty handling and covetous dispensing of it by false glosses and counterfeit garnishes giving forth wrong senses and making undue applications of it raising false Doctrines and inferring ill uses from thence let such consider in the fear of Jehovah how they will answer it at that last Great Day when they shall be judged to their Eternal Estate by that Word which they have so much wrested and wronged O how great cause have they to inlarge in Jehovah's praises who having in their younger years taken in much of the Philosophick taint were afterwards by his Spirit and Grace cured of its gross mistakes and dangerous errors that a Moses escaped from out of Egyptian Astrology Sorcery and such other superstitious diabolical Arts That a Daniel Hananiah Mishael and Azariah got so well off from Chaldaick Books so full of vain Arts and of Idolatrous Sciences that Aelohim gave them Knowledge and Understanding to discern Truth from Falshood whereby to convince and to confute Ethnick Errors and Paganish Tenets and that they were so kept from prohibitell Magick and such black Arts That the new converted Christians were preserved and antidored by the Principles and Laws of their true pure Religion from and against the poysonous disputes of Epicureans Stoicks Libertines Gnosticks and such other Philosophers That a Paul so 〈◊〉 up in several corrupt 〈◊〉 was afterwards so savingly inlightned so sound in Scripture Learning so skilful so useful so successful a Preacher O what special matter of great thankfulness was there here Vain man would be wise above and besides and against what is written although Wo be threatried against those who are wise in then own eyes The wisdom of such shall perish There is a knowledge that is vain which a wise a man should not utter The worldly wise ones of Philosophers do irride the Christian Religion and of Polititians do hate it O the blessedness the happy goings on with a straight foot of them who are made Wise to Salvation It has been in all Ages of the Church the device and the attempts of Saran and of his Disciples to abuse men by paralogisms by such false reasonings as by a shew and colour of Truth do circumvent the unskilful and unexperienced in the Word of Righteousness And their assaults have been mainly made against the Churches and People of God under specious shews of Reason and of Religion to introduce somewhat that is quite contrary to the Nature Purity and Simplicity of the Christian undefiled Doctrine Hence have they endeavoured to thrust in the worshiping of Angels and of Saints departed by invocating of them by dedicating of Temples and of Altars to them by making vows to them with many other uninstituted Observations of humanely-invented Ceremonies and divers Philosophical trifles which are no authorized warranty nor legitimate argumentation from the Word of God nor from sound Reason judiciously informed thereby Oh how daring bold is humane curiosity that will adventure to be wise beyond due bounds of sober knowledge when men will presume to be Doctors not understanding what they speak nor of what they affirm The Schoolmen with the Papists and others who have trod in the steps of those Scholastick Doctors have generally greatly erred herein by obtruding upon others many Forgeries and falshoods for Articles of Christian Faith which were taught themselves only by the dark discoursings of their own blind minds such as are their Scientia media their free-will their inherent Righteousness their meritorious Works their creature-idolizings with such like dogmatical decrees and received opinions of proud men which they fetched out of the Metaphysicks of Philosophers and out of the Ethicks of Pagans from whose corrupt Principles they would deduce the great Truths and the saving Mystesteries of the Christian Religion bottoming their unsound conclusions upon their own sandy opinions thus subjecting Theology to Philosophy and Christianity to Sophistry Those Books which are commonly called Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy or the Book of Moses and of his Writings there have the approving Testimony of those true faithful Prophets that did follow after him as also of the LORD Jesus Christ himself and of his Apostles and the History of the Creation and of the Works thereof in the Beginning of the Bible is true in the literal sense and was intended and recorded so to be understood and all those Philosophical Allegorical and Mystical Senses which any do give thereof that are contrary unto this are to be avoided and rejected THis is the first revealed and written Word the most Ancient Book by which all Humane Treatises where they err must be corrected I exclude not any other part of Holy Scriptures but do own all through as a perfect Summary of all useful Learning and do bring them in for the confirmation of Truths only the Reader is to remember and consider that one great part of my present Design is to propound some such particular inquiries concerning the Works of Creation in the several Days of the first Week of the World and to give such a Scripture Judgement upon some special Cases as may restaur and advance true profitable Knowledges and Arts. Christ in his Word hath put his
the Man Christ Jesus And thus it was in the Figure and Type of Christ's Mediatory Office the true lawful high Priest was ever but only one in a course of succession who went into the Holy of Holies once a year not without blood which he offered for himself and for the misdeeds or ignorances of the people to make Atonement for them to cleanse them from all their sins before Jehovah whereby was signified that Christ that Faithful Great chief High Priest being once entred into Heaven by his own Blood hath found a Ransoming or obtained an Eternal Redemption For such an high Priest became us Holy Innocent Undefiled separate from sinners and becoming higher than the Heavens to whom it was not needful every day as to the High Priest to offer up Sacrifices first for his own sins afterwards for the fins of the people For that he did once when he offered up himself We have such an High Priest who is set at the Right Hand of the Throne of the Majesty in the Heavens He that is Malchitzedech the King of Righteousness is this Priest the Eternity of his Priesthood is established for ever by his Father by an Oath which Priesthood cannot pass over from one to another either by succession or by descent as that of the High Priests did of Old but it doth and will abide everlastingly in himself This Jesus Christ that Righteousâ— One is the Advocate of his people or their Spokesman who appears on their behalf before the Face of God ' and to make intercession for them Oâ— the blessedness of those who have this Mediator to be a Redeemer of them an Interceder for them He gave himself for them a Ransom for them that he might redeem them He reconciles them in the Body of his Flesh through his Death making peace by the Blood of his Cross He by the everlasting Spirit offered himself unblameable unto God! His Blood purgeth their conscience from dead works to serve the Living Godâ— For by one Oblation he hath Consecrated for ever those that are sanctified The chastisement of their Peace did lie upon him He is the Price of their Redemption He is their Surety He was faithful in all the House of God He sits at the Right Hand of the Majesty in the heavenly highest place far above all Principality and Power and Might and Dominion and every name that is named not in this world only but also in that which is to come all things being made subject under his feet Who shall condemn them Christ is able perfectly even unto the full end to save them by him only they come unto God! he always liveth to intercede for them He prayes not for the World but for those whome the Father has given him and who believe on him that they all may be One as the Father in Christ and Christ in the Father that they also may be one with the Father and with the Son that the World might believe that the Father sent Christ How earnest was Christ in his Prayer to his Father that he would Sanctifie these by his Truth that he would keep them in his Name from the Evil one that they might have his joy fulfilled in them It is Christ's desire that where he is there they also may be that they may behold his Glory which the Father hath given him and that the Love wherewith the Father hath loved Christ may be upon them Christ doth know that the Father heareth him always How ready are such as have Fellowship with the Father and his Son Jesus Christ praysingly to say as that multitude of the heavenly Host in their Song Glory to God in the highest heavens on earth peace good will towards men This Christ is the LORD Unto all Authoritative Power is given in Heaven and in Earth And O how much is there that doth depend on this That LORDship which is here intended and meant is Christ's Kingly Dominion his Royal Government into the Office whereof he is called it being one of his Glorious Names King of kings and LORD of Lords For so it is written in the Revelation that was made known unto John No man can say the LORD Jesus if not in the holy Spirit It is a gift in the holy Spirit even to acknowledge this believingly to apply it and obeyingly in all things to be subject to it Thus we read in the Prophet Isaiah A child shall be born unto us and a Son given to us upon whose shoulder the dominion shall lye and his name shall be called Wonderful Counseller The mighty strong God The Father of hidden ages The prince of peace Of the increase of his dominion and peace shall be no end upon the throne and in his kingdom to stablish it and to strengthen it with judgment and with justice from henceforth for ever The zeal of Jehovah of hosts shall do this This is applyed to him who is God-Man and can belong to no other Ezekiel saw this in that glorious Vision wherein was presented before him a Throne of Royal Majesty upon which was a likeness as the form of Man and this was the form of the likeness of the Glory of Jehovah This was the representation of him who is Jehovah-Man of Jesus Christ the ever Blessed LORD of Glory whose the ruling of the whole World is All the Creatures must stoop of him He is she Head-Captain of all the Hosts of Heaven and of Earth for so did the Scriptures bring him in To this doth that Revelation answer which was made known to John Who saw one like unto the Son of man He that calleth himself the first and the last and did appear as an absolute complete Governour wise for Counsel and strong for Power Like unto this was that which Daniel saw in the night-visions For behold there came one like the Son of man in the clouds of heaven after that he came to the ancient of days and they caused him to come near before and to him was given dominion and honour and the kingdom that all people nations and toâ—gues should honour him his dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not perish or be taken away and his kingdom shall not be destroyed This was the shining forth of Christ's Princely Honour of his Kingly Administration who was God-Man And by this was manifested the great Mystery of the Work of Redemption which doth further demonstrate the Mediatorship of Christ Who came from his Father in Heaven to Men on Earth and having finished his message here he ascended from men on Earth to his Father in Heaven there to present himself before him on the behalf of those whom the Father gave unto him This is he of whom the Prophet Jeremiah spake that he shall reign and prosper one of the stock of David as Man and yet withal he who should be called Jehovah-zidkenu Jehovah our Righteousness So that he is Jehovah-Man The same
which affirmation is quite contrary to Sense Reason and Scripture as may be seen with the eye in the forementioned parallel Motion of the two Plumb-lines Thus the Seamen have their Perpendiculars which do move right down and do make perpendicular lines equidistant from each other every where in the Waters that are under this one Earth if it be well examined by the same natural Motion of Plumb lines equidistantly downwards it will be found that all Plants do naturally grow out of the Earth perpendicularly and so the Earth doth nourish them and thus all grounds do bear only according to the plain or level thereof and not according to any convex or concave Superficies A Garden though the Ground be rising and indented yet may be paled round with as few equilateral Pales as if it were plain and level because all the Pales do stand perpendicularly one of the most quick-sighted into and of the most experienced about Natural History has declared that as for the moving of Dense Bodies to a point or place which was the opinion of the Ancients it is a meer vanity I have not found though I have searched withcare and industry in this Inquiry any one word or phrase in the Old and New Testament which doth properly signifie a common Center of this visible World whereas there is express mention made of a Perpendicular of a Plumb-line That one place of the Sea into which the Waters were gathered at the first Creation is a distinct different place from this pretended Center in the middle of the Earth which the vain affecters of Humane Wisdom would have the congenial parts of the Chaos immediately to apply themselves unto gathering round in about it as if this frame consisted by an equilibration of parts to the Center of Gravity There is not such an Elementary and Subcortical Earth as is below any the lowest Fundus of the Waters as if this were the Foundation and Basis of the World and the centrical Orb of it for the deep Waters the Gulphy space Sheol and the doleful place are below the Earth they are subterraneous as being under the whole body of the Earth and not only under the upper Superficies of the Earth and therefore these are called the out places O who will give that the Atheist and the Infidel would lay this more to Heart The holy Scriptures do set out these lower places with terrour to fright the Sons and Daughter of Adam from those by-paths of sin that would lead thither There are the Profundities of Sheol the evil Angels were thrust down there there is the black dark passage into the deep corrupting Pit to the sides whereof sinners are cast down This is the hid horrible place the going down there is in sorrow into a place tormentful a certain definit place remotest from Heaven a place of greatest sorrow and of deepest misery into which the damned do descend some are saved from out of Sheol others are cast down and left there How doleful a place is Hell Wo wo no oh is the Language there under the weight of unpardoned guilt under the sense of tormenting wrath Those that will not turn from sin unto Christ here shall be turned into Hell there A place of terrible confused darkness of outer darkness a foul and hideous prison the Gehenna of Fire is there Should I paraphrase upon the several scores of Scriptures that do express this how many pages would it take up This is the place of deadly shadow of weeping of gnashing of teeth of chaining of gnawing worms of burning wrath the wicked are thrust down and driven in there What will those who forget God never believe this till they feel it O how rich is that Grace how free is that Love which doth deliver a chosen number from this wrath to come which doth take them up into the Heavenly places the better Country the Holy Place the Holy of Holies the Eternal Tabernacles whither Christ is Ascended to prepare Mansions for his Disciples that he and they may be together ever together There is the place of the manifested Residence of Aelohim's Glory Q. Whether that Darkness which doth distinguish and separate between the Night and the Day in a large Day be but the want or privation of Light and so mere nothing And which was first the Darkness or the Light And what is the Scripture-Doctrine according to Created Nature and Order concerning Days Weeks Months Winter Summer and Years THe affecters of Humane Wisdom do thus wrongfully determine as if it were only the absence of Light or the shadow of the Earth coming between us and the Sun when the opacous or thick body of the Earth doth interpose between us and the Sun darkness followeth Whereas the Scriptures of Truth will inform us that darkness is a Creature darkness was it hath been that is it truly hath subsisted it doth and will subsist For so is the Nature of that Word to Be is to Exist to have Essence A creating Word was used with respect to darkness The Creaton made Light spake it out of Darkness It is called to the Night which is a real name and is a real thing It sets out real things It has a place a local seat The Darkness was over the Faces of the troublesome deep for this proposition doth note a term or place of Motion or Rest in the most opposite place to â—ight Light is in Heaven as in its proper place in which God doth dwell whereas these darknesses are in the lowest places in the Abyss in that nethermost Pit in the Gulphs Darkness was three Days before there was a Sun in the Expanse to go in go down or set the Sun being created on the fourth Day and therefore it was not caused by the Suns absence Darkness was one of Egypts plagues which had not been so much had it only been a want and no infliction it was Darkness felt which was a sensible thing The Air was thick of it the hand had sense of it It was palpable darkness of obscurity much obscure black and thick It sets out a spiritual Plague which is a real Judgement It is a thing sent and made It is a thing sometimes turned into its contrary It has an efficient Cause Jehovah Aelohim gave it a Being He puts it he makes it he puts a Term or Bound unto it He brings it into the Air as often as he will It has its Properties as sudden arising or diffusion or spreading abroad it has obscurity it doth produce real effect It is divided into several kinds thick black It is that which is unfit for Communion with its opposite Light It is a thing destroyable It is one of the miseries in Hell The Creator did divide between the Darkness and the Light as the Expanse did divide between the Waters and Waters The Heavenly Lights were made thus
which has any sound sooting either in Holy Scripture or in created Nature And yet how long and how far have these mis-countings prevailed Not only amongst Ethnick Philosophers but also amongst professing Christians and do so still unto this day There is a measure of our days and Jehovah is he who must make us for to know what it is There are divers phrases in Scripture note-worthy here As one day and days one a long one of days a day of constituted or of instituted Time a day-morrow or After To fill up the number of ones days Six days of the working days of this Earth yet the day great the day to be hot the day to descend greatly until the inclining or declining of the day until the firm preparing of the day to fill up a seventh of days to number days the strength of the day an Evening of a day the seasonable time of a day in a day the looking forth of this day days turning away or turning the faces or declining towards their end The blowing or breathing forth of that day at break or dawning of it a day of the East the days of Harvest The Spirit or wind or breathing of the day The remitting of a day to or towards the Evening The days of Heavens The days of years Days over or upon an year Also yesterday A day in a day From day unto night From the light until or unto the halfing or dimidiating of the day or the middle division of it into parts These with several other such like would have their use for the determining of divers practical cases That Wo should awaken conscience which is threatned against those who putting darkness to light and light to darkness as those do who make one half of a day from Midnight to Noon half dark and half light at Aequinox and the other half of the day from Noon to the next Midnight that light and that dark Contrary to the established order in the Law of the Creation This is the daily measure of time For we read of Time in the Scriptures Opportune time The Opportune time of the gift of the Evening the Opportune time of the going in of the Sun called the Opportune time of the Evening from the Morning and unto the Opportune time of the set season for instituted worship observe this The Sun knoweth his going in The constituted time of the days The constituted or instituted times of Jehovah a day of convention This daily time is made up of hours as hours are of minutes a minute or minute-time or moment we meet with in the Word one minute a moment in a day one a moment a minute quickly gone into a moment like as a moment like unto much even as a moment As a little of moment a moment little or a finall minute moments minutes of time An indivisible point of time a minute or moment is a very short space of time a moment one every moment That word which signifies a moment is derived from a root which is to cut off on to break asunder because it is one of the least particles and minute parts of time broken off as it were the most minute-fragment of time These minutes and moments do fill up an hour such a number of them And this kind of knowledge an ingenious enquirer doth know now to make some good improvement of is divers cases relating unto these parts of Time O how sweet and satisfactory would it be to understand even these little minute things in a Scripture-way For here we may meet with an hour an hour one That same hour The Chaldee word for an hour comes from an Hebrew root which doth signifie he looked he beheld Because Men in their actions do intend the hour as it passeth away The Teller or Nuntiatrix of Time An ascending Horologue which doth point out the degrees by which the Sun before Noon hath ascended and after Noon doth descend The ascensions of that Sun the goings up the goings in of it The measures of daily Time might in this Scripture-way much heighten there understandings O who will give that we may be Redeemers of Time The Doctrine of weeks is proved from primitive pure created nature in seven days as the Creator made them There were seven distinct days severally created in order of time and no more which being ended another week begins An whole full complete week doth consist of seven days not of six or fewer days not of eight or more days because Aelohim made all in these several distinct days He made no less and he added no more Hence those Scripture phrases of three weeks of days or three sevens of days a feast of weeks or of sevens of days a feast of weeks or of sevens of those weeks or sevens In your weeks or sevens A week or a sevenny A seven-night a seven-morn or Septiman two sevennies or weeks weeks or sevennies a week one the cut off half of the week to fill up a week this to number a seven of sevennies weeks seven and weeks sixty and two weeks seventy To compleat or fill up three weeks of days For Jehovah to keep to us weeks of Statutes of Harvest according to the Hebrew they are weeks of Ordinances relating to the feast of seven weeks or seven Sabbaths A sevenny of years and a seven sevenny of years The beginning day of the week is called one day because till a second day came there was only that one day and the last day of the week is called the seventh day because there is no further day in that week There is a great Remark and a special honour put upon this number of seven in the Scriptures as the number of perfection a complete number The seventh day pointing out the weekly Sabbath The seventh Moon was a peculiar dignified Moon the seventh year was a specially separated Sabbatical year The seven-times seventh year was a singularly honoured year for Jubilee Moons or Months took in these days and weeks Hence we read of a Moon or Month of days two days or a Month or days The Moony-Innovation of days One to the Month or one day a Month that fifth The Son of a Moon or of a Month From the sufficiency or fulness of the Innovated Moon in his Moon Behold an Innovated Moon the morrow The number of our Moons or Months is with Jehovah Aelohim three Innovated Moons or Months He or It shall touch that Moon or Month that seventh When will he pass over this Innovated Moon This an Ascension of an Innovated Moon or his Moon or Month to the Moons of the year The night-part of the day is a part of the Innovated Moon There are twelve Moons or Months these do make up a complete full year The first Moon the head of Moons There is a Moon in the year which has more of a full head for divers Evenings together then
Janus in Welch High Dutch French Porteguez Spanish Italian Latin so also in English January Prince Janus they say had two Faces which saw things past and to come or because superstitious Antiquity did consecrate to him the beginnings of things February the rest Month is named in English in French in Italian in Spanish in Portuguez in Latin either from Frebruum Februa which were Sacrifices or Ceremonies for purging of Souls for in this Month they sacrificed to Spirits or to departed Souls and they did celebrate the Anniversaries or yearly Rites in remembrance of the Dead which Sacrifices and Ceremonies were done to infernal gods for them which be dead such as the Dirges amongst the Papists the Soul Masses or Masses for the Dead Or from purged Juno whose holy Day as they called them had solemn Sacrifices and Plays dedicated to Pan their god who kept as they thoght the Wolves from devouring the Sheep on which day also women were purged by the Priests of Pan who on the Seventh day of their Sacrifices ran up and down the City naked and strook the Hands and Bellies of Women that were with child with a goats Skin hereby to signifie both fruitfulness and easie delivery or of Februus the god of purging by sacrifice to whom Numa dedicated this month or this Februus was Pluto the God of Hell and of Riches to whom they sacrificed in this month which Month the Romans consecrated to the Infernal gods The month of March is so called in British or Welsh in high and low Dutch in French Spanish Portugueze Italian Latin and English from Mars to whom this month was dedicated it being believed that he was the Father of Romulus the Author of the Roman Nation The Planet Mars was held to be the God of battel The month April has its name in British or Welsh in high and low Dutch in French Spanish Portugueze Italian Latin and English from a Greek word which doth set out Venus the Goddess of Love as sprung from the foam and froth of the Sea This month was dedicated to her The month of May borroweth it's denomination in low Dutch in high Dutch in Welsh in Italian in Spanish in Portugueze in French in Latin in English from Maia the Mother of Mercury in this Month they sacrificed to Maia and to Mercury those did so who were Merchants The month of June is so called in French Portugueze Italian Spanish Latin and English from Juno an Heathenish goddess the daughter of Saturn and Ops the Sister and Wife of Jupiter or of Junius Brutus the Author of Romes liberty and made Consul in this month The month of Julia hath its name in French in Italian in Portugueze in Spanish in Latin in English from Julius Caesar because he was born in that month The month of August has its denomination in British in French in Spanish in Portugueze in Italian in Latin in English from Augustus Caesar and for his Honour The Rest of the Months are reckoned by their Number from March inclusively September the Seventh Month from March October the eighth Month November the ninth Month December the tenth Month. Having thus given the Reader some account of the Ethnick names of Days and of Months How can I but bewail that carnal complyance which the most of Christians are guilty of with Heathenish corruptions in this as in many things Why is there such a backwardness especially in those who call themselves of the Reformed Religion to bring names and things to Scripture Language and expressions O how much would it make both for the Peace and Purity of Churches and people of Christ to bring all in this as well as in other Cases and Matters to that Word-will of our God by which we must be all judged in that last great Day The true proper names of the Days of the Week according to Scripture are One or the First when another Day of the same Week is in being the Second the Third the Fourth the Fifth the Sixth the Seventh The several Moons or Months in the Year according to Scripture are thus named The Head-Moon or one or First Moon The Second The Third The Fourth The Fifth The Sixth The Seventh The Eighth The Ninth The Tenth The Eleventh The Twelfth Some of those Months have also some other names in some Scriptures but these are they which are of constant use O who will give that the Time were to come when Christ and his Saints shall be there together where there will be a pure River of the Water of Life clear as Crystal proceeding out of the Throne of God and of the Lamb in the midst of the Street whereof and of either side of which River the Tree of Life will be which will have twelve manner of Fruits and yield her Fruit every Month the Leaves of which Tree will be for the healing of the Nations Pass we now unto an enquiry concerning the created Work of the Second Day Q. Whether all those upper Waters such as Rain Dew Hail Snow and the like between which and the lower Waters comprehended under the name of Seas such as Springs Fountains Rivers Lakes and the like the firm Out-spread or Expanded doth separatingly divide do come down from above this Expanse Or are they caused in the Air by some influencing operativeness of the Heavenly Luminaries upon the moistness and wateriness here below drawing up such vapours from hence as do condense in the cold middle Region of the Air and are there turned into those distilling Drops which come down here below Whether the Air be the proper place where the upper Waters are generated HUmane Sophists will resolve this Question thus Rain is the moisture of the Earth and of the Seas of Watery places drawn up by the heat of the Sun into the middle Region of the Air which being thus condensed into Clouds is afterwards at the will of God dissolved and dropt down again in showers for his glory in making the Earth fruitful for good to the good for the instruction of all men and for relief to other creatures As to that part which is the generating cause Natural Philosophers do call the Sun the Father of the Rain and a late Christian Philosopher doth own it as not improperly so called in his Exposition on Joh. The Water of the Sea and the moisture of the Earth say they being attenuated by the heat of the beams of the Sun do become vapours which being so rarefied and resolved into an aiery substance are by the same heat of the Sun drawn up into a cold middle loft of the Air where being again thickned into Water they melt down into Rain Thus they describe the manner of the Formation and Generation of Rain And it is a common heathenish expression amongst many who name the name of Christ we shall have Rain when the Moon changeth or when the Wind turneth Thus
Delights of Aelohim an high Honour put upon this low Creature There is a Plant to renown or celebrity Some Plants are not planted of Christ's Heavenly Father which with the Plantation it self shall be rooted up There is a time a fit Season of Planting and there is a time of plucking up what is planted Plants do prosper much near the Rivers of Waters Every one of these little hints have useful Directions given unto those who would make a complete knowledge of the Herbal Science It is Aelohim who doth plant them even when they are set by the Art of Man or without the industry of Man and it is he who doth bless them Though Earthly-mindedness must be watched against yet earthly Plants mâ—st be carefully look'd after It is Aelohim who did plant the Ear and it is he who planted the Heavens He is the great Planter There are many Scriptures that do speak of this wonderful Secret in Nature even when they have a further meaning in them to set out other things by these plain similitudes from such common Creatures It being one great part of the Mystery of Christs Wisdom in his Word to instruct people in divers profitable knowledges at once Some are planted in a pleasant place Those that are planted by the Waters do prosper most some other Plants are in a dry thirsty ground There are some whom God doth plant and establish and there are others whom he will pluck up by the roots There is a co-planting a growing up of two into one Tree Here comes the Art of Ingrafting and of Inoculating It is planting that doth lay the first foundation There is a Faith that can plant in the Sea Aelohim maketh the Hay to germinate he causeth the Mountains to bring it forth It doth grow near the Waters near Fountains or Torrents on the Mountains Some on House tops The very place of their springing doth give some light to Science of Herbs Here is growing matter of further discovery to be made by those who are discerning Inquirer into Natures Virtues and Operations and faithful observers of experiences productions and successes It would be a great undertaking and a glorious performance to perfect this Work The use of Hay is to be Aliment to bruit Animals to Horses to Oxen which feed sometimes on the Herb sometimes on Straw and for want of these they perish The Herdsmen should be wised in this what is proper food when where and in what measures How little skill is there herein Hay is a small light thing It is that which doth quickly wither and is soon cut down There is a season for its Mowing There is a second growth after the first cutting down There is a time for the gathering of Herbs and a way of drying them for use I was entring upon the Doctrine of Trees and of their Fruit as described in the Word But it is so large that a distinct Treatise might profitably be published to the World from the Scripture about it I point out the Word-way for others to travel further on in whose profession doth lead them more on in this path Only let me add somewhat more about Herbs The Scriptures do mention a time of gathering Herbs especially the Herbs of the Mountains when the Herb is revealed and the Grass-plant appeareth they are fittest food for man those of them that were appointed for food When they first spring forth and are well and full sprung up to be fit for that end And it should be inquired whether then also they are not in their prime for medicinal use when the Herbs thrust forth in their verdure strength fulness and choiceness of Juyce I pretend not to any deep insight into this part of the Medicinal Art but do put upon the inquisition whether that part of the Spring time when Sheep use to be shorn which is mentioned in the Verse immediately following that which you have in the Margin-above Then when men use to sell off their Goats when Bread is put into Goats Milk and is eaten the young Kids of the Goats being weaned when there are blastings by Lightnings or by East wind whether this be a good time to gather Herbs The green Herb has its name from a Root that signifies to spit It is a kind of spittle of the Earth its radical moisture shewing it self upon it It comprehends all green moist Herbs for Food Smell or Medicine A Word comes from the same Boot which doth signifie mildew or paleness a disease of Corn and of Men. This may be improved by a skilful Physician Many Herbs are not eaten but whilst they are green and moist then are they proper and good for Food When Herbs wax palâ— wan and withered much of their Virtue is lost as to some purposes their greenness and moistness being gone There is a word in Chaldet from the same 〈◊〉 which doth-signifie paleness arising from sudden fear or terror as doth make the face pale and livid the blood going off from that part and leaving a yellow colour behind Thus herbs are sometimes yellow either through overmuch moisture and so losing their verdure do degenerate into paleness and cannot so ripen or when they are struck with over drought or with rust From the same Root there is a word in Arabick and it is used by some Hebrew Rabbins which doth signifie the yellow Jaundies and the Dropsie when the Gall doth diffuse it self into the body Of what use and vertue such pale yellowed parched herbs may be for the curing of these Distempers I leave Physicians further to enquire These green herbs are good Food every day though they be thinning-leaner dyet especially in a Journey when this is more proper There is another word in that Verse which is victual for the way a Viaticum the Food of wayfairing-men of Travellers This with Love that holy affection would much sweeten such a meal and is one cure of distempered affections and of some bodily diseases which over-much eating of fat beeves doth cause Some leafs are for healthfulness and curing for bruises and fores Proper leafs and herbs stamped and beaten are of specifick vertue in Physick drinks and Chyrurgical Plaisters I could speak somewhat of my own experience in this but let the Learned search it further out by studying the Scriptures Here may we find many particular Herbs mentioned with their special use The Paschal Lamb was to be eaten with bitter Herbs such as wild Lettice Cichory and the like Here may you read of the Bramble or Bryer Here we may be instructed how to correct the wild gourd by Meal Brushes or Shrubs among the rest Lavender Spike is judged by a skilful Herbalist to be here spoken of The Natural abstersiveness and the efficacious cleansingness of that Fullers herb which taketh away spots in Cloth Borith
Art because they conclude none can convince them from the received Astronomical suppositions that it is otherwise than they affirm and as they would fairly to the eye represent it in their Artificial Systems and fancied Schemes which are but witty devices of Humane Inventions not the real Natures of Created Being Should I ask for such a Scripture-proof as might directly answer to the truth of these Coelestial Bodies in their proper Nature of their Hypotheses whereby they would salve their cunningly framed Schematical Figures and Appearances It may be I must take a Jear for my information and a Jest for my satisfaction The Extrinsick Faces of those Heavenly Bodies a vulgar eye may behold but what their Created Substance is what their orderly Motion what their peculiar Scituation what their operative Influx what their periodical Revolutions and much more of this Nature in the true causes and real effects of them the most skilful of Ethnick Astronomers are but mere conjecturers about them and can never give us any certainty of knowledge in these matters so that the reputation of their skill is only maintained and upheld by the ignorance and unsearchingness of common understandings of vulgar Judgements who have neither leisure nor studiousness enough to discern the deceitful fictitiousness of such Philosophical Fabricks which have no evincing evidence in them That knowledge which these self flatterers do boast they have attained comes in mostly by the sense of seeing which how fallible must it be if the distance were so great between them and those Coelestial Lights as they boldly assert It appears by Job's reasoning about those matters that he had great knowledge of Natural Things and could speak much about the System of the Universe and the Positure of the World But when Jehovah came to argue with him about those Heavenly Creatures he now humbly acknowledgeth that he was without the knowledge of them by any mere humane disquisition which could never throughly find them out in their proper Existences and Operations no other way could the exact knowledge of this be gotten but by the LORD the Spirit and the Word he rehearsed that which he did not understand wonders above him which he knew not above him not only in place by great distance but also beyond hls natural powers of rationall Intellect to understand clearly or to comprehend fully he is now made willing to be instructed by Jehovah and his Word How quickly doth his Philosophical Astronomy vanish which he himself readily exploded when the LORD ask'd him some few Questions Canst thou bind the pleasantnesses of Cinah or loosen the strings of Cesit Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his time and lead Gnaish over her sons Dost thou know the Ordinances of Heaven or canst thou appoint his Government upon the Earth He points out and nameth some of the Coelestial Luminaries and Starry Lights to Job and quickly silenceth him who now lays his hand upon his mouth and will not answer such uncertainty and mistaking was there in his Optick Art where so vast a space intervened between his own eye and those Heavenly Objects whose Matter Motion and Influx he was so much now at a loss about though Jehovah Aelohim hath made use of this confutation of Job to instruct and to wise us in those Mysterious Secrets of Created Nature in the Coelestial Bodies Ptolemy and Copernicus had quite different Schemes and accordingly they frame quite different Theories and Suppositions and yet both of them have undertaken from the ordinary view and open face of the Heavenly bodies to satisfie their Scholars concerning the same Phaenomena and the same calculations upon quite different Astronomical principles and the Disciples of both these may find out enough whereby to confute the errours and to demonstrate the falsness of their several Hypotheses but can never convince others or perswade themselves upon any solid grounds that they are in the right Let the seigned Schemes and imaginary positures of vain Philosophers therefore be laid aside which are but their own fancied placits finely framed to their pleasing models and let us for the raising and advancing of this useful Science search after true subsistencies of concreated Nature in Scripture verity Which of these Philosophers can fatisfactorily inform us what kind of bodies the coelestial Luminaries are whether they be created Angels or not voluntary movers fice Agents or not Let the vertuous and generous and ingenious inquire As also whether the Angels were created on the fourth day Which of them can tell me whether the primitive light do differ from the shining of those Luminaries or not But instead of propounding more such questions to them I shall treat of some great particulars about these Heavenly bodies According to the Scriptures Contrary to vain deceitful foolish Philosophy The substance of the coelestial Luminaries or Lightners were not made on the first day of the created World as if the first scattered light were gathered together into these lightsome bodies on the Fourth day But the Sun Moon and Stars are different creatures of several Formation on a distinct day As the History doth expresly mention in the letter of it These Luminaries are in their created Nature separating dividers between the Light and the Darkness and so are distinct beings from the Light as well as from the Darkness neither are they of an Elementarily-aethereal Classis but have a separate distinct existence from the Heavens from the expanded They are not like studs fixed in solid Spheres externally moved by Intelligences or Angels They are not Deities as the Heathenish Worshippers by their gross Idolatry would make them They are not fluid Orbs circularly perpetually moving but they sometimes come out and at other times they go in according to their Creator's appointment for designed ends They do not move round about an Earthly Center nor about an Axis of the World I have shewn before that the middle of this Earth is not the common center of this visible World They are not of Magnetical Verticity which must be only Polar and if this were would reduce them to their Polar rest which then also would contradict a pretended perpetual motion They are not carried about by the imaginary Rapture of a first mover as if they had a second moveable of Renitency contrary to the Rapture of the supposed first moveable Magicians Judiciary Astrologers and Genethliacks who do undertake by inspection of Stars to foretell future things the Fate of men imposing a necessity upon Mens Wills and declaring events and telling fortunes as they Ethnickly call it have no firm footing in holy Scripture or created Nature It is a great wrong done unto these creatures and unto their Creator when such conjecturers pretend to prophesie by the Stars and especially by Comets the Fates and Fortunes in their Paganish Language of men even their very imaginations affections and inclinations and which is yet more the counsels and intentions of the
over confident this way as if they could give a particular punctual account of all and of every one of them One of them reckons one thousand two hundred forty and one visible to us Another of late has added one hundred thirty six Stars more which make up one thousand three hundred seventy and seven A third has observed some few more Johovah Aelohim Adonai has the peculiar honour of numbring and of naming the Stars which to Man is impossible Abraham was esteemed no mean Astronomer yet he could not number them There is not one day of the week for the Sun a second for the Moon a third for Mercury a fourth for Mars a fifth for Jupiter a sixth for Venus a seventh for Saturn as the Ethnick Philosophers do un-scripturally anti-scripturally name them and assign them their several days in the week For Sun Moon and Stars were all created on the Fourth day of the one Week of the created World There was not a several distinct Planet made on each several day of the Week Neither is the fourth day of the week unlucky or unfortunate as they call it It is not a curse as if Infants were more taken with the squincy on that day than on any other day of the week whence the superstitious custom of fasting upon that day And now O my Soul what was Adam and what is the Son of Adam that Jehovah Aelohim has created such a spangled Tent for Man to have it so spread over his Head If the out side pavement that leads the way to the new City and to the Holy of Holies be so shining O then how glorious is Christ's Father's House within and the many Mansions there If the purer Churches in the latter-day Glory will be fair as the Moon and clear as the Sun how beauteous then will the Church of the first-born be in Heaven If Pastors shall shine as Stars and the new created people luster forth as the Firmament if what is yet more all and every of the Righteous shall shine forth as the Sun in the Kingdom of Christ's Father O what a perfect day will it be when all these Suns shall shine together and what is yet more than all this when the Lamb shall be the Light of the new City and all those other lights almost dis-appear at the presence of the out-shining over-coming brightness of the LORD Jesus Christ himself there O blessed be Jehovah who giveth unto any in this Light to see to walk in and to enjoy any of this Light whilst they are here O for that day when the day-Star may more arise in the hearts of Saints as the Fore-runner of the arising of the Sun of Righteousness with healing in his wings The Fifth Days Work doth afford us this Inquiry Q. Whether that part of Natural History which doth concern Fowls Fishes Beasts and Worms can ever be completed into a Natural Art in the way of Ethnick Philosophy or must we search after it only in the Word of Truth where alone it can be advanced and perfected by a due and diligent comparing of their Created beings in their proper Natures Answ THis Natural History and Natural Art above these living Creatures can never attain to any considerable growing Augment much less to a through full discovery in the way of Ethnick Philosophy The restoring and finishing of this is no where else to be found but only in the Holy Scriptures by a due and diligent comparing of their created beings in their proper Natures An art when it is discovered aright is but Nature opened This art must be natural made up of Existencies and of Realities according to the truth of things in the Being of these Creatures That which is proper Art is not a Supplementary addition of somewhat to Nature which was not Nature before by the Law of the first Creation For that were to make a created man to be a creating Artificer of what was never made before which we all explode But it is a revealing and a drawing forth of that secret which did lye hid in Nature The art of man may call out the wonderful productions of many great effects but still these are wrought in the orderly course by Natural Causalities and by Created Efficiencies The rarest Artist can but co-operate with Natures Powers which doth their own work only man puts them together or severs them asunder according as he would have some products by Motions to be However yet the mysteries and wonders of Art must first be sought where they may be found in the mysteries and wonders of Scripture declaring those mysteries and wonders to be in Nature Practice of Arts is a disclosing of secrets of Nature in creation of Causes Art doth sometimes give a provocation to Nature whereby she doth bewray her self ere she is aware and doth expose her self to view in the light in some of her agenâ—ies which kept close in the dark before and therefore Nature and Art in Scripture Language do set this out That word which doth signifie Art exercising it self industriously about any thing or substance comes from a word which doth import a delegated Officer one imployed in such a Function as is put upon him by creating Aelohim and that Function must always be sought for in the Word as revealed there and another word which doth denote one excelling in Art nourishing of it and being nourished by it doth spring from a word which doth include Faith and Truth And where can those firmly bottom but upon the Word of Truth and the Word of Faith And the same Word which doth signifie Essence Existence created Being by which I understand Nature in this Discourse doth also import Virtue Law Doctrine They are the only true Vertuosi in Learning who receive Doctrine about all Entities from Aelohim's Law in his Word This doth teach substantial knowledge and doth give essential Science and doth skill in the Art of Realities There are several Writers who have undertaken to give us an accouut of these Creatures in their Elaborate Histories of them one of the largest and learnedest upon Animals has this great errour running through much of his Book that though he refers much of this discovery to the Scripture yet he would have Original Hebrew which is the Mother Tongue to go to School and to learn to speak of Daughter-Languages such as the Samaritan the Syriack and the other Oriental Tongues As if the proper significancy of her words could not be rightly understood but by their Sense and Etymologies and Phrasiologies whereby he carries the Reader off from the Word of God which yet he doth undertake to translate interpret and apply unto the Authorities and Histories of Philosophizing men and the Opinions and Customs of Nations that from these and not so much from that we might fetch our knowledge of these Creatures A cognation of other Languages to and a collating of them with the
for Christ do bring in and finish their Testimony against all Antichristian and Anti-Scriptural Usurpations not in any tumultuous way of rebellious insurrection but by a patient suffering and quiet bearing All things whatsoever in the matters of Worship are determined by the LORD and mens prudence doth consist in this not in prescribing to their fellow Creatures Time Place and Number but in finding out and in observing what of every one of these the Soveraign only Lawgiver hath decided and stated Those who have a delegated Authority under Christ over others should use and exercise their power to inforce Christ's Laws and Orders and to make constitutions of their own against or beside the Word Every action of rational Creatures especially in the matters of Worship take it in all its circumstances is when done either well or ill done it is either sin or duty these two do decide all O who will give that Superiours would revive the Law of the ten Words as the one and only rule of Faith Worship and Life as to all duties to be performed and as to all sins to be forborn Upon which Law the rest of the Scriptures is the one and the only Lawgivers own Commentary judging of all cases according to this whereby either to approve acquit and justifie what is an holy conformity to it or to reprove and condemn whatsoever is a transgression of it and that the Judicial Laws which are perfectly exact holy just and good might be the Rule of procedure in all Courts of Justice for the distributing of due rewards to the obedient and for the executing of just sentences upon offenders Natural Decency and Scripture Order have determined do and will determine all Cases of Worship for Time Place and Number To open somewhat more yet about the Works of the fifth day contrary to vain deceitful Philosophy The Tunies the Dragons or Whales were not made of fore-being Waters but were created into their own Existences without previous matter out of which to make and form them There was not force nor power in the Waters to bring these Creatures forth which also doth prove that the rest of the like kind had their Existence and being by the immediate creating Word of Aelohim Unto all the creeping living Creatures ought this Word created to be referred which word is absolutely used in this place and is not so restrained to the particular matter of some one of these kinds only The end of applying it here being to set out Aelohim's mighty Power in Creating some of the greatest and wonderfullest living Creatures with his bare Word That fruitfulness which Fishes Fowls Beasts Creeping things which are Heterogeneous in their kinds severally differing one from another in propagating of their kinds in that way in which Aelohim has appointed as also to any other Creatures whose kinds are preserved and multiplyed by Generation and Increase by Propagation and Fâ—tification Fecundity and abundance it is a Blessing his Blessing to his Creatures It should be well and distinctly observed that the Blessing here particularly promised to these Creatures Be ye fruitful c. is a word drawn from the Fruit of Trees mentioned before in the third days Work in this History of the Creation which doth evidence that the fruitfulness of Trees is Aelohim's blessing upon the Trees It is his Benediction that doth give unto his Creatures a Physical or Natural Power of Procreating to it self its like which yet it cannot exert or put forth or cause to attain its end without his Power and Blessing and Faithfulness to whom and to which those especially who are Christians and Believers should ascribe and give all the Honour and Glory not to mere Nature or Natural Causality as some of those have done who would be counted high Rationalists in Ethnick Philosophy It is further observable here that a Prophesie of what shall be hereafter doth sometimes speak in the past time to denote the certainty of fulfilling As these Waters where the crawling tredders with lift-up-creeping feet are placed are said to have movingly brought forth in great abundance to their shaped conditions of distinguished kinds Aelohim's Decree and Purpose in his own Mind and Will and his Promise and Blessing in his Word resolved and covenanted that so it should be Scripture History hath this besides many other Prerogatives over Humane Stories that the Record and Narrative may be before as well as after the matter of Fact From whence I would commend it to the consideration of the learned in the Hebrew and of the skilful in the Scriptures whether that copulative particle which doth signifie and should not every where in the word of Jehovah Aelohim be rendred with its adjoyned future futurely and with its appointed Praeterit preteritly in the Translation leaving the Interpreter Opener and Applyer of the Word to give forth to others what he judgeth to be the true proper genuine meaning of those words in themselves and in construction with other words in the Text and Context and other collated Scriptures There are many exceeding great and precious Promises quite lost to our vulgar Readers and Hearers who as yet do not understand the force and significancy of the Hebrew Language Look we a little into this History of the Creation when the adored Almighties did create the Light it runs thus He will actually say by declared foretelling and express appointing it shall be truly subsisting the Light Aelohim's saying is doing his word is a work his speaking is his acting It doth denote his efficacious Decree concerning his Creatures and the execution of that Decree expressed by speaking of suitable words Thus the appellation of the Names put upon the Creatures by their Creator do note this Decree and Constitution that so they should be called by men Thus also his Benediction of his Creatures is a real Procreation Multiplication of them in their proper kinds It makes it also further conspicuous that his Word of Power and of Promise is that which doth still conserve his Creatures as it did create them This is one great Reason why the Word is one of Christ's Names because the manifestation of his Fathers decreeing and speaking about Creation and Redemption is made out significantly and held forth expresly by Christ When David saith in one place For thy words sake another recordeth his speech For thy servants sake which doth evidently prove that David's meaning was for thy Christ's sake for Christ is both the Word and the servant of Aelohim Now this Scripture doth as many others run in a way of Prophesying foretelling that there should be light in its after-seasons The whole Scripture is therefore called the whole Prophesie of Scripture Jehovah sets himself out as he who forming the Lights It denotes a continuedness of the Act in the successive courses of the Light and this is a way of his fulfilling of that
this Soveraign LORD doth bottom upon a general belief of his Truthfulness So also are particular Acts of this Subjection where they are distinct and clear built upon some particular Belief of that Truthfulness as this veracity and goodness of Word Revelations do include and teach direct and hold forth The more we recover and are restored to those endowments which were concreated principles in Adam the more shall we discern and acknowledge the exactest obedience to be the highest equity and the best dutifulness to be the rightest reason Whether Adam's Faith whilst he continued and stood in his uprightness had or could have any eye to a Messiah for the rendring of his obediential Acts acceptable to Aelohim is one of those deep things which it may be even the most learned among Believers are not yet gone to the bottom of However this be the discovery here doth evidence the vanity insufficiency and unprofitableness of Ethnick Philosophy which doth run so many of its empty notions into unpractical Theories Whereas Word-Revelations in the most mysterious of its credibles is influential upon obedience and doth pass into Active doingness Which the Philosophick Schemes of Ethnick Systems have been are and will be defective in There is another Hebrew Word describing the Law of Jehovah taken from a root which doth signifie he took or he did receive and its proper meaning is Doctrine Perception Reception Discipline or a Law received which the Disciples of the Messiah sitting at his Feet do receive from him teaching them thier duty in his own words Let this be further improved by the diligent and discerning The fruitful propagating of Mankind by conjugal generation is still a fruit and effect of this first blessing from Aelohim upon Adam Holy Marriage being the lawful conjunction of one Man and of one Woman into one Flesh that there may be a seed of Aelohim was instituted by Christ himself This World was created much for the good and for the use of Man the lower Earth and Seas whereof are more subjected to him especially for the good of the chosen and believing That Royal Dominion by large free grant from Aelohim which Adam had by gracious Donation was over the whole Earth Jehovah hath given this Earth unto Adam and unto Adam's Sons Adam as an invited called guest found suitable provision prepared for him Amongst the rest he had Herbs seeding seed and Fruit-trees which did direct him and it doth still direct us in our choice of this kind of Food For there was a third sort of somewhat different kind created on the third day a sort of green buddings not so growing by sowing their seed or by Planting which is more properly the Food of other Animals This should be well considered that Man may well understand his Grant and may discern what is fit food for him of the Creatures made on the third day as well as those made on the fifth day For even living creatures mentioned before whether they were appointed not also to be Meat for Man many of them so they were need in a Scriptural orderly way their lives and bloods being first regularly taken from them and so prepared for meet Aliment as well as Herbs and fruit so that both these are to be taken into this grant of Food some Animals being naturally in their created essence clean wholsom Food as others are naturally in their created being unclean unwholsom food though otherwise useful for the good of Man yet not proper nutriment for him This also doth call for further search after it in the Scriptures As Aelohim would 〈◊〉 have Mankind propagated so also he would have individuals of that kind to be conserved For which end he appointed unto Adam suitable sustenance and well-agreeing nourishment Which singular Providence and special goodness of his is thankfully to be acknowledged and duly to be considered Seeing that they are not these creatures only that Man liveth by but by every word proceeding out of Aelohim's mouth His Word of power giving forth a command to such creatures to be nourishing unto the Religious Rational creature and his Word of promise speaking this Covenant blessing over the hearts of the believing ones And therefore before our Meals we should seek him in the Word and Prayer to bless and sanctifie his good creatures to our use And after our Meals we should close with Thanksgiving unto this God of Bounty to the Father who has freely given us their use to the Son who has dearly purchased this and to the Holy Spirit who sealingly applyeth this When Aelohim took a view of all that which he had made on this sixth day made adornedly really to exist as preparedly perfected he beheld it as good greatly abundantly vehemently validly good The Universal particle All seems here to be put for the number not of multitude of kinds so as to comprehend all and every of the several sorts of Creatures but of Unity relating to that one special eminent kind of Creature Adam all which in the singular Number as appears by the Adjective of the Singular Number good This being in the Singular Number not Plural Number There was much said and done on this sixth day yet all this Universal is restrained to Adam that excelling one of Creatures Who of us knows the all of that which was created in and con-created with Adam There is a great deficiency amongst us in this Science about Man So little do we understand of our selves Neither are we likely to grow any thing considerably in this knowledge of our selves as to our make either our first created-make or a new created-make as long as there is a reforting to vain Philosophy and its Ethnick Schoolmasters to be taught the knowledge thereof Although the Doctrine of Adam of Man as Man have but one peice and part of the created Works of Aelohim for its subject-matter Man being the product of the sixth day only and so as to days but one part and work of six a small portion of whole created Nature Yet this Man Science this Anthropological Art or the knowledge of a Man's self is one of the great designs of all other useful knowledge they do much aim at this and they have a tendency towards the promoting of this and without this how can other Sciences receive an advance by Man How is he in an hopeful way of improving of other sort of Learning who has not as yet attained to any considerable growth in the knowledge of himself The more we know of our selves the more shall we know of Jehovah Aelohim and of his Word and Works and then will these have reflexive Influence upon that for the more that we know of these the more shall we know of our selves And therefore let not the Reader misjudge this to be a subject too low for a Minister of Christ to treat of For we are commanded and required to examine our own