the same reall power of the word spiritually written in the intellectuall spirit of both though after a differing manner And though the intellectuall soule of man while it is in the essentiall union with the sensitive nature doth act by the mediate organicall sensitive powers yet the soule in its intellectuall operations doth advance it selfe above all sensitive power and doth exercise its intellectuall operation without the help of any sensitive organ And therfore Aristotle that true light of all Philosophicall truth doth peremptorily affirme that it is not to be fained or imagined that the soule of man in its intellectuall operations doth use the help of any sensitive organ but that is meerely independent from any sensitive organ And consequently I doe necessarily conclude that the soule of man is likewise independent from any sensitive organ in its being For according to that Philosophicall principle The maner of the creatures action doth necessarily follow the creatures being The intellectuall soule of man therefore being independent from all sensitive organ both in being and in intellectuall operation the soule of man is separable from all sensitive power and consequently immortall And though while the soule is in the essentiall union of both the natures the understanding faculty of the soule doth depend objectively upon the sense of phansie yet the dependence is but an accidence and not essentiall And though Aristotle doth affirme and that most truly that in the act of understanding the species of the eternall object being received in the understanding doth become one with the understanding for in this union doth consist the understanding of the received species yet this union is likewise accidentall and separable for otherwise the understanding should stand alwayes affected which is repugnant to all Philosophicall truth Heere by the way the judicious Reader may observe the prerogative of the soule of man above all sublunary formes informing the materiall composit For as all other sublunary formes doe arise from the materiality of the composit so they doe stand and fall with the composit but though the intellectuall soule of man which is the first act of man as he is man doth essentially informe the sensitive materiall nature of man yet the intellectuall soule being every way independent in being from the sensitive body and no waies arising from the materiality thereof is separable from the sensitive body and consequently immortall Because the immortality of the soule is a most concerning fundamentall point of faith and a maine fundamentall point of this tractat for the Readers more full satisfaction I referre the truth of the point from the truth of the sacred Word First the intellectuall soule of man humane spirit is begotten by the eternall father of spirits as the father therefore is eternity it self to speak with the Schoolmen both from the part before and from the part after that is without all beginning or ending excluding all quantitative termes of time so humane spirit begotten of the eternall father is eternall from the part after For though the soule of man hath its beginning from the eternall father yet the soule of man humane spirit is without all ending with the father This begotten humane spirit by the eternall father since the creation is by the eternall fathers immediate concurring with the sensitive body while as the sensitive body commeth to such sensitive perfection in the wombe as the high elaborate vitall spirits of the heart doe appetite the intellectuall information of the soule For in that point of time the eternall father as he hath obliged himselfe by covenant doth concurre and by the immediate power of the word doth unite the intellectuall nature and spirit of man elaborate to the vitall spirits of the heart from whence the life of man as he is man is diffused o all the parts and powers of the sensitive body By this intellectuall information the infant in the wombe is man and in the prefixed time of birth brought forth man in the world by man female the woman Secondly the intellectuall soule of man humane spirt is of the same spheriphicall sphere with the humane spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ begotten of the same eternall Father The soule of man therefore humane spirit is eternall and immortall Thirdly the Lord himselfe doth affirme Luke 12.4 That the soule of man humane spirit cannot be killed and consequently the soule of man is eternall and immortall Fourthly God is not the God of the dead but of the living Mark 12.27 The soule of the very reprobate therefore though eternally tortured in hell and ever dying yet the soule must live in that eternall dying Fifthly the soule of man by the commanding power of the eternall word spiritually and immediately written in the soule is eternally bound and obliged to the command of the Law of God which is eternall the soule of man therefore and the law of God are necessarily coeviternall one with another Sixthly the twofold reward of the law is eternall as the law of God is eternall which is due by the law to man according to the merit of man The soule of man therefore by the immediate power of the word of the law written in the soule of man must bee enabled to receive the eternall reward of the law according to the merrit of man or the eternity of the reward of the law and consequently the law it selfe must perish which is blasphemy to affirme And as in this eternity of the reward of the law the comfort of the faithfull depâ—rting this life doth rest So in this eternity of the reward of the law the fearefull horror of the reprobate departing this life doth arise for in the point of the dissolution of the soul of the faithfull from the sensitive body by reason of the eternity of the reward of the law as the humane spirit of the faithfull in that instant of time is necessarily and actually united to the mysticall head the Lord Iesus Christ according to the unseparable union of the faiâ—â— of the faithfull to the Lords merit in this life where the soule rests and doth actually enjoy all heavenly happinesse in the mysticall head which is the promise of eternall blessing of the word of the Evangelicall seventh daies rest of the law of righteousnesse of faith So in the point of the dissolution of the humane spirit of the reprobate from the sensitive body the soule of the reprobate in that very instant of time is as necessarily united to eternall death and to the fearefull torture of the unquenchable fire of Gods consuming wrath which is the promise of the eternall curse of the Evangelicall law of righteousnesse of faith for as there is no intermission of time either for the actuall injoying of the Kingdome of glory by the humane spirit of the faithful howsoever the faithfull doth depart this life according to our Saviours word this night shalt thou be with me in paradise Luke 23.43 So there is no intermission of
time for the actuall suffering of the cursed horrors and tortors of the state of the reprobate howsoever the reprobate departs this life for heaven and Earth must perish before one jot or tittle of time of the law doe perish And this is the estate of the faithfull and of the reprobate howsoever they depart this life till the great day when the soule being reunited to the sensitive body as the soule and body of the faithfull is actually glorified by the enjoying of the reward of the law in the full extent by an incorruptible crowne of glory So the soule and body of the reprobate are cast downe to the eternall unquenchable fire of the eternall lake If the most wicked were truly instructed in the immortality of the soul and in the necessity of the sustaining of the fearfull tortors of the soul so soon as they depart this life they would not make such hast to hasten their tortors by laying violent hands on themselves and to be so easily led with the Devills temptations for this misery comes chiefly by ignorance whereof the Devill takes such occasion to lead wretched man so long by his damnable darknesse till by continuance in sin and wickednesse God give him over to a reprobate minde And now to returne to the point in hand As by the naturall power of the life of the word immediatly written in the soule the soule doth live in its intellectuall being So in that life is the intellectuall light of the soule whereby the understanding is only produced in act in the intellectuall operations of the soule for without this light all the created light of God cannot produce the understanding and will in act in the intellectuall operations of the soule And therefore Aristotle doth affirm that it is as impossible for the understanding to be produced intellectually in act without this pure light as for the sense of seeing to be produced sensitively in act without the light of the Sun or some materiall light And from this intellectuall light of the soul of man man is said to be an intellectuall creature And this is that very reall light which Aristole did ascribe to his intellect agent for though Arist was ignorant of the writing of the word either in the soul or in the heart of man yet Aristotle did truly apprehend both the intellectuall light of the word in the soule and the rationall light of the word literally written in the heart of man And Arist doth call his intellect agent a divine and an eternall light And consequently and necessarily Aristotle did acknowledge the intellectuall soule of man to be immortall But Aristotle did never affirme that the intellect agent contrary to all Philosophicall truth doth enlighten the species of the externall sensitive object received in the sense of phansie which miserable assertion of some ignorant pretended moderne naturall Philosophers did beget that damnable opinion of the mortallity of the soule And so much for the created perfection of the intellectuall nature of man Next of the created perfection of his sensitive nature CHAP. III. Of the created pâ—â—fection of the sensitive nature of man And of the essentiall union of the intellectuall and sensitive nature THe declaration of the created perfection of the sensitive nature of man is a point of no small difficulty because the sensitive nature of man is mixed with the intellectuall nature as man is man intellectuall and sensitive which created perfection of the sensitive nature of man doth surmount the perfection of all the sensitive creatures created by God for first though some sensitive creatures doe exceed the sensitive nature of man in the degree of some particular sense as the Eagle or Falcon in the sense of seeing the Spaniel or Hound in the sense of smelling yet in the compleat perfection of all the internall and externall senses no sensitive creature doth come neare the perfection of the sensitive nature of man Secondly all other sensitive creatures beside man by the act of the senses are said properly to sent the externall sensitive object but man by the act of his senses is properly said to know the externall sensitive object of which sensitive knowledge all other sensitive creatures are incapable The declaration therefore of the sensitive perfection of man is both Theologicall and Philosophicall for though the power of life and light of the sensitive nature of man according to the truth of naturall Philosophy do proceed immediatly from the braine yet that life and light doth proceed originally from the heart and from the naturall power of the word literally writen in the heart of man as hee is man intellectuall and sensitive the declaration whereof is proper to the Theolog. But because we cannot attaine to the knowledge of perfection of the sensitive nature of man being a mixt nature of the intellectuall and sensitive nature without the knowledge of the essentiall union of the intellectuall and sensitive nature of man which is by the power of the word written in the heart of man briefly therefore of this essentiall union As the eternall Father of spirits by the immediate power of the word doth unite the intellectuall soul humane spirit to the vitall spirits of the heart so the twofold power of the life of the word is written and as it were imprinted in the heart of man which is the fountain and originall of the life of man The first power of life is the naturall life of the word written in the heart of man as it is the image of the eternall life of the infinite word And this power of naturall life is diffused from the heart to all the powers of man as he is man intellectuall and sensitive The second power of the life of the word written in the heart of man is the power of the life of righteousnesse and this power of life is diffused from the heart to all the powers of man proceeding from the will of man as he is man intellectuall and sensitive whereby the naturall man is inabled with the power of the life of righteousnesse to live according to the literall command of the law that is according to the letter of the law of the word of the seventh dayes rest implying the command of the whole law of righteousnesse And as from the power of the word thus written in the heart man is inabled with the twofold power of life so by this twofold power of life man is inabled with a twofold power of light the first is the naturall light of man the second is the light of righteousnesse And therefore it is said That in it was life and that life was the light of man in it Joh. 1.4 that is in the word as it is the power of the image of the infinit word life and light written in the heart of man First therefore of the naturall life and light of man as he is a naturall man intellectuall and sensitive by the naturall power of the word
naturall generation of man is necessarily to be considered The naturall generation of man is performed first by the mutuall concourse of man male and female in the act of generation whereby the naturall seed of man male is received and united to the naturall seed of man female in the womb by the innate vertue and callidity whereof the masculine and feminine potentiall vertue of the united sensitive seed is produced in act in the matter of the seed and actually and sensitively conceived and formed And this is the first conception of woman which is the seminall and sensitive conception of man Secondly the formed sensitive body fed and nursed by the pure blood of the woman being brought to such sensitive perfection as the high elaborate vitall spirits of the heart doth appetite the intellectuall form the intellectuall soul humane spirit is essentially united to the vitall spirits of the heart of the Infant in the womb by the eternall Father of spirits according to his covenant by which immediate essentiall union the Infant in the womb is man and so conceived man by woman And this is the second conception of woman whereby man as he is man is conceived in the womb and in the prefixed time of naturall birth brough forth man by man female the woman without the naturall seed therefore of man male it is impossible that man can be either begot conceived or brought forth man by naturalll generation To return therefore to this sacred mysterie of the generation and conception of the word the promised blessed seed to be made flesh of the seed of the woman by whom the Serpents head is to be broke which is mystically set down in the second branch of this censure First by the word It in this branch of the censure the only naturall seed of the Virgin is mystically signified Secondly by this word It all naturall seed of man male is excluded from this sacred generation and consequently the sacred overshadowing power of the most High is necessarily implied By which sacred overshadowing act the potentiall masculine vertue was communicate and united to the potentiall vertue of the feminine seed in the womb of the Virgine and by the innate naturall power and callidity of the womb the united potentiall masculine and feminine vertue was produced in act in the matter of the Virgins seed of which sanctified seed that holy thing was conceived and actually and sensitively formed Thirdly this holy thing so formed was fed nursed and cherished by the pure naturall blood of the Virgine in the womb which being brought to such sensitive perfection as the elaborate vitall spirits of the heart of the holy thing did appetet the intellectuall form The true spirit of man begot by the Father of spirits essentially united to the divine nature was indivisibly and essentially united to the vitall spirits of the heart of the holy sensitive thing and by the indivisible power of the Trinity essentially anointed with the spirituall oil of gladnesse Heb. 1.9 and so conceived by the second conception of the Virgine and in the fulnesse of time brought forth the first born Son of the blessed Virgine and the naturall Son of the most High the word and the seed of the Church And thus was the Word made flesh of the seed of the woman which was most lively prefigurate by the ark of the covenant placed in the inner Tabernacle which was the covenant of the blessed seed whereby God did covenant with Adam and with all naturall men condemned in Adam the head that the Word should be born man of the seed of the woman by whose cursed death Adam and all men condemned in Adam should be redeemed from the eternall curse of the Law for that first sin which was prefigurate to the posterity by the Ark of the covenant First by the Ark the blessed Virgine was prefigurate by the capacity of the Ark the Virgines womb was signified By the word of the two tables of the Testimony the Word conceived in the Virgines womb was signified By the Pot of Manna the eternall life of the Word and by Aarons Rod his infinite power which were placed severally by the Word in the Ark signifying the essentiall union of the divine nature to the humane nature of the Word in the womb of the Virgin By the two Cherubims with their out-stretched wings overshadowing the Mercy-seat the overshadowing act of the indivisible power of the Trinity in the sacred generation of the Word of the seed of the Virgin was most lively represented For by the two cherubims the distinct persons of the Father and holy Spirit and by the Mercy-seat the second person of the Trinity Mercy it self is signified By which sacred overshadowing act of the indivisible power of the Trinity as the Word was first begot man sensitively of the seed of the Virgine so the Word was sensitively conceived by the Virgines first conception and as the Word being brought to sensitive perfection in the womb by the immediate act of the Father of spirits which is the indivisible act of the Trinity the holy thing was begot man essentially united to the divine nature So was the Word conceived by the second conception of the Virgine and in the fulnesse of time brought forth Mat. 1.25 the first born Son of the Virgin and the naturall Son of the most High and therefore that holy thing is called the naturall Son of God For though the sacred generation of the Word of the female seed of the Virgine was supernaturall yet the twofold conception of the Word by the Virgine the maintaining of the childe by her pure blood and the bringing forth of the Word so made man of the seed of the Virgine was the naturall act of the Virgine and therefore the Word made flesh of the seed of the woman true man essentially united to the divine nature and therefore it is said Colos 2.9 that in him the Godhead dwelleth bodily Of this gracious promise of the blessed seed thus prefigurate by the Ark three main fundamentall points are to be precisely observed First the pot of Manna and Aarons Rod placed severally by the Word of the two Tables of the Law in the Ark prefigurating the essentiall union of the divine nature to the humane nature of the Word was to signifie to all men that though the divine and humane nature of the Word were essentially and indivisibly united yet that this essentiall union is without any confounding of the two natures or of their essentiall attributes And therefore though we may truly say that the Word is God and man yet we cannot say that the Word is man as he is God or that he is God as he is man neither must we attribute the essential properties of the divine nature to the human nature of the word or the essential attributes of the human nature to the divine nature of the word The second point to be observed is the reason that the Church of
redeemed word of the Law written in the heart of man is the Image of God in his Son Christ Iesus in the truth of his fulfilled promise of the blessed seed enabling all men by morall saith to beleeve the Lords fulfilled promise of the blessed seed And the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall Law of faith blessed and sanctified by the truth of the merit of the Lords Evangelicall rest is now objected to the externall senses obliging all the Nations of the World to believe the truth of the Lords merit by his rest from the fulfilling oâ— the promise of the blessed seed To whose faith the blessing of the Lords eternall rest is due by the Evangelicall Law of faith As for the formall difference of the word of every severall seventh daies rest of the Law from the beginning it doth consist in these two pointes First the formall difference of the seventh day of the Law implying the command of the whole Law doth arise from the formall manner of Gods revealing of himselfe by the word of his severall seventh daies rest by the formallity of which severall rest the formall worship of the seventh day is commanded The second difference is that by the least transgression of the Law of righteousnes in the state of perfection the sinne was without all hope of any revealed mercy or time of repentance But the transgression of the Law of righteousnes of faith is withall hope of mercy and time of repentance while there is day in this life Of this declaration of the Evangelicall word as it is the redeemed word of truth written in the heart of man And as it is the Evangelicall word of the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall Law of faith implying the perfection of the redepmtion of man from the curse of the Law for the sinne of Adam I infer these subsequent necessary demonstrative conclusions CHAP. IX Conclusion 1. IT is by the redeemed word of the Law as the Law is spirituall immediatly written in the soule of man necessarily implying the power of intelectuall life and light that the soule doth live and hath its intellectuall moving and being which is the first act of the soule of man as he is intelectuall and a true humane spirit in potency to his second intelectuall act And it is by the word of the Law literally written in the heart of man necessarily implying the power of naturall life and light that man as he is man doth live move and hath his redeemed being which is the first act of man as he is man and a rationall creature in potency to his second naturall and morall act by the species of the externall sensitive object and this is the reason that Iohn saith Iohn 1.4 in it was life and that life was the light of man Conclusion 2. It is by the litterall light of the word of the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall Law of faith objected to the externall senses which is one reall light with the literall light of the redeemed word of the Law in the heart that the understanding and will of the naturall man is formally and morally produced in act necessarily implying the naturall light without which the species of the externall object can neither be morally or naturally apprehended by the act of the understanding of man Conclusion 3. Though man as he is a spirituall man shut up in spirituall darknesse till he be regenerate be said to be dead as he is a spirituall man because he is deprived of the spirituall light of the holy Spirit for the time yet by the word of the Law immediately and spiritually written in the soule necessarily implying the intelectuall life and light the soule of man humane spirit doth live and move intelectually which intelectuall life and light the spirituall light of the holy Spirit doth necessarily presuppose for the formall action of holines doth as necessarily presuppose the intelectuall act of the soule as the formall morall action the naturall action of man which are both by one reall light though the intelectuall be a pure unmixed light and the naturall a mixed light by the essentiall union of the intelectuall and sensitive nature of man without which light man were neither an intelectuall or rationall creature as hath bin formerly demonstrate Conclusion 4. As by the internall word of the Law which is eternally spiritually and immediatly written in the soule the soule of man humane spirit is spiritually immediatly and eternally obliged to the Law as the Law is â—pirituall So by the eternall word of the Law literally written in the h art of man man as he is man is eternally and morally obliged to the Law of God and consequently the sensitive body being resolved from the soule must remaine in its principle to be reunited to the soule in the great day Conclusion 5. The Lords day blessed and sanctified by the Lords blessed resurrection and rest from the fulfilling of the promise of the blessed seed in time was in the eternall purpose and councell of God before all time the decâ—eed seventh day of the Evangelicall Law of righteousnes of faith Conclusion 6. The literall light of the Lords day the seventh day of the Lords Evangelicall rest doth farre surmount the light of all the severall seventh dayes rest of the eternall word from the foundation of the world for by the literall light of the Lords day the naturall man is fundamentally and literally led to all the former seventh daies rest of the eternall word from the beginning all proceding from the love of God to man Conclusion 7. The literall light of the word of the Lords day doth emply the literall light of all the Scripture of God and consequently the whole excercite act of the sacred decree of predestination so farre as is revealed to man in this life Conclusion 8. By the Lords daies Evangelicall rest from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed arising from his bloody rest the Lord did manifest himselfe truth and in that truth love and mercy to man Conclusion 9. As our Saviour by his birth life death and by his rest in the grave did manifest himselfe true man and by his wonders and miracles did manifest himselfe the Son of God begot of the seed of the woman by the immediate unction of the holy Spirit So by the infinit power of his Evangelicall rest in his triumphant victory over the power of Satan sinne eternall death and darknesse of Hell over the power of the curse of the Law and over the power of the grave his last enemy the Lord did manifest himselfe Lord God and man in the three coessentiall distinct Persons of the glorious Trinity the maner whereof is clearly set downe in the Chapter following Conclusion 10. As by the Lords Evangelicall rest from the fulfilling of the promise of the blessed seed arising from his bloody rest was by his infinit power So his merit by his rest
the law though eternall death be properly and immediately by the covenant for the law of God in its proper nature which is the image of his righteousnes doth command the obedience of man only upon the eternall blessing of the seventh dayes rest and not upon eternall death And therfore we see that the curse of the Law is not set downe in the Decalogue But because as the covenant is established upon the immediat command of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the law of righteousnes it is the image both of the righteousnes and justice of God rendring to man according to his merit For this cause the law commands man both upon the blessing of the word of the seventh dayes rest and upon the curse of disobedients and therefore though by covenant it be left to the freedome of mans election to live the life of righteousnes according to the command of the law of righteousnes and to merit eternall life by his obedience or eternall death by his disobedience yet as the covenant is established upon the immediate command of the words of the seventh dayes rest of the law of righteousnes the obedience of man is both obliged and commanded upon the eternall blessing of the seventh dayes rest and upon the inevitable curse of eternall death By the light of this Theologicall infallible ground arising from the light of the truth of the sacred word the judicious Reader is led in the knowledge of the three covenants made by God with man which are linckt together as it were in a chaine as may appeare by the subsequent declaration of this tractat First therefore of the first covenant made by God with man CHAP. II. Of the created perfection of the intellectuall nature of man and of the immortality of the soule BEcause the first covenant doeth necessarily presuppose the first estate of man with whom the first covenant was made This first Booke therefore shal be divided into these two parts The first shall contain the declaration of the first estate of man The second shall contain the declaration of the first covenant The first state of man was the created state of man the last created of all creatures whose creation doth presuppose the whole workes of the creation which is the very first period of the exercit act of the sacred decree of predestination exercit by the infinit essentiall word immediately As for the knowledge of the first estate of man it must necessarily arise from the light of the word of the first seventh dayes rest For the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the law of righteousnesse and the word of the law first written in the heart of man are of one reall life and light For as the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the law of righteousnes was the word of the eternall rest of righteousnes by the eternall blessing of the first seventh dayes rest so the word of the law of righteousnes first written in the heart of man was the word of the power of the life of righteousnes necessarily implying the power of the naturall life of the word For by the immediate power of the word thus written in the heart of man man was inabled to live the life of righteousnes to live the naturall life of man in his first state condition But as man of all creatures was last created so man was the ornament perfection and as it were the master piece of the workes of the creation For of all the creatures created by God the creation of man was the most rare and curious worke And though it be sayd That man was made a little lower then the Angels to wit in the perfection of glory yet the perfection of mans creation was superiour to the creation of Angels for all creatures were either intellectuall or corporall But that two so strange differing natures should be essentially united in the nature of man it is the wonder of nature it selfe All the creatures therefore being perfectly created man the ornament of the workes of the creation was created in the state of humane perfection This created perfection of man was the perfect life of righteousnes necessarily implying the perfection of the naturall life of man This perfection of man did arise from the perfection of the word of the law first written in the heart of man for in and with the immediat act of the creation of man as the word of the law of righteousnes was spiritually and immediatly written in the soule essentially united to the heart so by the same immediate act of the spirituall writer the word of the law as the law is spirituall was actually and spiritually enlightned by the spirituall light of his holy spirit in the soule of man By the power of which sanctifying light the heart of man to which the soule is essentially united was by the same immediate act sanctified with the spirituall action of holines By the immediate sanctifying power of the word thus actually and spiritually enlightned man was enabled to live the perfect life of righteousnes and holines wherby man was a perfect naturall and spirituall man and the perfect image of righteousnes and holines And this was the first state and condition of man with whom the first covenant was made by God Man therefore by the perfection of his creation was of a twofold perfection The first was the naturall perfection of man the second was his spirituall perfection Of this twofold perfection of man briefly so far as concerneth the subject in hand And first of the naturall perfection of man and next of his spirituall perfection The naturall perfection of man doth consist in the essentiall union of the intellectuall and sensitive nature of man First therefore of the created perfection of the intellectuall nature of man abstractly and next of the created perfection of the sensitive nature of man and of the essentiall union of the two natures The created perfection of the intellectuall nature of man is in the perfection of the soule of man and the perfection of the soule is from the perfection of the naturall power of the life of the word which the perfection of the spirituall life of the word doeth necessarily imply For the word is spiritually and immediately written in the soule of man as it is the image of the infinite word infinite power perfection life light righteousnes truth and eternity it selfe By the immediate naturall power of the word thus immediately written in the soule of man the soule doth live move intellectually and hath its perfect eternall state of intellectuall being as the word immediately written in the soule is perfect and eternall the soule of man therefore was created as perfect a true eternall spirit in the humane sphere as the Angelicall spirit in the Angelicall sphere for both as they are created spirits of a simple immateriall substance doe live move intellectually and have their eternall state of intellectuall being by
Devils darknesse obscuring that glorious light as our blessed Saviour like a malefactor was haled to the judgement hall And though Pilat convinced by the power of this glorious light did thrice pronounce the Lord innocent yet Pilat led by Satans light his tongue condemned the Lord of life But Pilate by hearing one of the murthering crue say Joh. 19.7 that Christ affirmed himself to be the Son of God Pilats heart being prickt again by that word sought to set our Saviour at liberty till another told Pilate Joh. 19.12 13. that if he should do so Pilat should shew himself an enemy to Cesar at which words Pilate fearing by his letting of Christ go free the losse of his place if not his life Pilate delivered the King of glory to the murtherers For the Scribes and Pharisees cryed out that they had a Law and that by that Law Christ ought to die and there was a reason of right for all Our Saviour therefore being delivered to the mercilesse band first Mar. 15.15 he was cruelly scourged a fearfull bloody punishment and of no lesse cruelty according to the judiciall Law used amongest the Jews Secondly his glorious head in derision Mar. 15.17 was crowned with a prickly crown of thornes by the sharp pricks whereof streams of his precious blood did besmear his gracious face and blessed body Thirdly being so bloodily crowned Mat. 27.29 a reedy Scepter was put in his hand by their Apish gestures saluting the King of glory for the king of the Jews though by right descent Christ Jesus was their King indeed Fourthly our Saviour was commanded by the cruell torturors John 19.17 to bear his crosse the curse whereof he was to bear both in soul and body Fifthly our Saviour was with mercilesse cruelty nailed to the crosse and most ignominiously hanged between two notorious thieves Sixtly our Saviour thirsting in the agony of his passion Mat. 27.34.38 was offered the bitter potion of vineger and gall to drink so that all the sensitive powers of the Lord of life the Son of God as he is man from his head to his body hands and feet were most cruelly and mercilesly martyred by the bloody murtherers for the space from the sixth hour to the ninth though nothing to the martyrdome of his burned soul burnt up by the fiery wrath of God from heaven proceeding from the actuall inflicting of the curse of the Law to the sustaining whereof the Son of God as he is man out of his love to man did freely oblige himself by covenant The sustaining of which torture upon the cursed altar of the crosse made our Saviour cry out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me All which miseries proceeding from the curse of the law the Lord of life the eternall Son of God God equall with the Father out of his infinite love to man did predestinate himself by his Decree from all eternity to suffer as he is man And last of all these bloody Helhounds that they might be sure that his glorious light might never shine again John 19.34 did with a spear pierce the Lord of life to the heart of which wound issued blood and water And so much for the brief summary relation of the sacrifice of our Saviour offered for man condemned to the eternall curse of the Law whereby the Son of God Christ Jesus out of his love to man made himself a curse for man to redeem man from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam Next some mysticall concerning points are to be observed of the cruell martyrdome of our blessed Saviour CHAP. III. The mysticall sense of the sacrifice of Christ Jesus the Son of God out of his infinite love to man FIrst by our Saviours coaction to bear his crosse to which he was predestinate by the Decree of God from all eternity The crosse of afflictions of his mysticall members predestinate to be made like to the Image of his afflictions in this life is mystically signified For his mysticall members as they are the Image of his afflictions must participate with their mysticall head and taste of the cup which their mysticall head hath drunk charged up to the brim that as they have suffered with their mysticall head in this life so they may raign in their head crowned with an incorruptible Crown of glory eternally in all heavenly happinesse in the life to come For afflictions is the strait gate in this life whereby his mysticall members must enter into the kingdome of heaven Secondly by our Saviours thirsting upon the cursed altar of the crosse while he was offered the bitter potion of vineger and gall by the torturing helhounds to quench his thirst is mystically signified the eternall torments of the Reprobate in hell burnt up with the actuall inflicting of the curse of the Law in the full extent by the consuming fire of Gods eternall wrath who while as they thirst no other liquor shall they have to quench their unquenchable thirst but the gally dregs of the Devils darknesse with the voluptuous sensitive pleasures whereof they did so surfet in this life Thirdly by the words of our Saviour while he did endure and sustain the curse of the Law upon the cursed altar of the crosse saying My God my God why hast thou forsaken me The extremity of his sustaining of the wrath of God in the full extent in the torturing of his soul is mystically signified as the tortures of his sensitive body by his sensitive martyrdome was patient to all whereby our Saviour did manifest himself true man to the world Fouthly by our Saviours words at the giving up of his Spirit saying John 19 30. It is finished was mystically signified that by his death all the materiall altars and sacrifices all the figures types rites and ceremonies prefigurating the coming and death of the blessed seed were all finished and determined by his death never to be reiterate in the Church of God Fifthly by the darknesse from the sixth hour to the ninth which was the hour of his death at which hour the darknesse vanished was mystically signified that all the cloudy darknesse of the propheticall ceremoniall Law were quite vanished away never to be reiterate in the Church of God Sixthly by the rending of the vail of the Temple at Christs giving up of his Spirit which hath been formerly mentioned the calling of the Gentiles with the Jews in one Church was mystically signified who upon the next day following to wit upon the day of the Lords resurrection from the grave were all actually called in one Church by the new covenant to the great joy and comfort of all the nations of the world Seventhly by the piercing of our Saviours heart with the spear where the intellectuall and sensitive spirits of man as he is man are essentially united It was mystically signified again that all the types figures and rites of the ceremoniall Law prefigurating our Saviours cursed death of the crosse from the foundation of
referred to man where we shall meet with the two like collaterall causes all which 4. Causes as they are effects they are al produced by one and the same next and immediate superior cause from whence we arise to the supreme cause of all By the last and lowest effect therefore of the new Covenant as it is referred to God God in his Son Christ Jesus doth oblige the naturall man in his redeemed state of natural and morall grace First and immediately to the Evanglicall faithfull worship of the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall law as the eternall word Christ Jesus hath revealed himselfe by his Evangelicall seventh dayes rest arising from his bloudy rest Truth in the fulfilling of his promise to man and in that truth God in the three coessentiall distinct persons of the glorious Trinity cleerely and Evangelically without all propheticall mystery or Ceremony Secondly God doth oblige the faithfull Evangelicall obedience of man to the command of his whole Evangelicall law of righteousnesse of faith implyed in the Evangelicall seventh dayes commanded worship both upon the eternal blessing of the Lords dayes Evangelical rest upon the mercilesse curse of the law of faith The immediate cause of Gods obliging of man thus by his new Covenant is Gods eternall purpose to manifest himselfe mercy and justice to man by rendring of the reward of his Evangelicall law of faith according to the faith of man obliged by his law The immediate cause whereof is Gods enabling of the naturall man with such freedome of naturall and morall grace as he is able to give morall obedience to his calling by the new Covenant without any manner of necessitating of his morall disobedience To the naturall mans finall perseverance in which morall obedience till Gods prefixed time of spirituall calling the spirituall grace of faith is due to the naturall man by Covenant whereby he hath the temporall blessing of the Lords dayes of Evangelicall rest in this life and eternal rest in the life to come The immediate cause of such naturall morall grace is the perfection of the redemption of man And here we fall in with the two former causes of the first covenant for both the creation and redemtion of man are by the same immediate cause we must therefore yet stop our resolution till we meet with the fourth colatorall cause arising from the new covenant as the new covenant is referred to man which must be likewise resolved both as the new covenant is fulfilled by man and as the new covenant is broke and transgressed by man The last and lowest effect of the regenerate man as he is obliged to the command of the law of faith by the new Covenant is the faithfull Evangelicall worship of the Lords day to whose thankefull faithfull worship the blessing of the Lords daies Evangelicall rest is temporally naturally and spiritually united in this life and eternally in the life to come as the temporall naturall morall blessing of the Lords daies rest is morally united to the morall worship of the naturall man The immediate cause of the regenerate mans faithfull worship of the seventh day implying his obedience to the command of the whole law is his spirituall faith The immediate cause of his spirituall faith is his love to spirituall righteousnes The immediate cause of his spirituall love is the sanctifying light of the holy Spirit enlightning his understanding by his spirituall calling in the immediate act of regeneration The immediate cause of his spiritnall calling is the finall perseverance of the naturall man in his morall obedience according to the word of promise Mat 13.13 whosoever shall endure to the end shall be saved This end to the naturall man is Gods prefixed time of spirituall calling for the naturall man by his spirituall calling being actually regenerate is saved by spirituall faith and consequently justified The immediate cause of the naturall mans finall perseverance in his morall obedience is first and immediately the perfection of the redemption and secondly Gods speciall free concursive grace in saving of the naturall man from being overcome by Satans temptations This immediate cause of the perfection of the redemtion doth fall in collaterally with the three former causes and so we have foure in number But yet we must not rise without resolution from these foure causes till the new Covenant be resolved as the law is finally contemned and transgressed by man obliged to the new Covenant The lowest and last effect to the Reprobate obliged to the new Covenant is his finall willfull obstinate contempt of the gracious promises of Salvation purchased by the sacred bloud of the son of God To the reprobates finall wilfull contempt whereof by his unthankfull merit the mercilesse curse of the law of fayth is eternally united whereby the reprobate is eternally condemned by God upon his eternall prescience of the reprobates finall contempt according to his eternall decree which is actually inflicted upon the soule of the reprobate so soone as he departeth this life and in the full extent both of soule and body in the great day while by the resurrection from the dead the soule and body being essentially reunited the curse of the Law in the full extent is actually and eternally inflicted upon man as he is man The immediate cause of the reprobates finall wilfull obstinate contempt is the hardning of his heart The immediate cause whereof is the reprobates wilfull impenitent obstinat continuance in all sin and wickednesse by his contemning of God in the contemning of his law and truth and of the professors of the truth The immediate cause whereof as the cause is externall is the objective temptations of Satan and of his wicked instruments whereby the reprobate is spiritually and morally corrupted from his childhood The immediate cause of the reprobates continuance in sin as the cause is internall is his wilfull yeelding to be induced by the temptations of Satan and of his instruments while there is nothing to necessitate his morall disobedience whereby the reprobate doth so wilfully ungraciously unthankfully and presumptuously contemn the blood of the new covenant Thus having the foure causes met together we are to ascend from the foure causes as they are effects produced by the next superior immediate cause to the supreme cause of all The immediate cause therefore of these foure severall effects as they are the immediate subordinate effects of the next and immediate superiour cause is Gods eternall purpose of the election of man in his Son Christ Jesus For the immediate object of Gods eternall purpose of election is the state of man redeemed from the curse of eternall death and darknesse shut up in temporall spirituall darknesse till he be regenerate For in this estate all men are equally redeemed from the curse of eternall death and darknesse for their sin in Adam all equally shut up in temporall spirituall darknesse all equally reconciled to the love and favour of God for that
know the externall sensitive object by the literal sensitive light of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousnesse for the literall light of the Law which is by the sound of the word doth necessarily begin at the externall senses And therefore since the fall and redemption of man faith which is morall faith is said to bee the hearing of the word But because it is in the freedome of mans election by the act of his senses proceeding from the free act of his will to apprehend the externall sensitive object inlightened by what light soever therefore God by his Covenant doth only binde and oblige man to live this life of righteousnesse according to the literall light of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousnesse As man is enabled to live the life of righteousnesse by the immediate power of the word written in his heart But God by his Covenant doth not formally command man to live the life of righteousnesse but leaveth it to the freedome of mans election by his obedience to the command of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law either to choose eternall life by his obedience or eternall death by his disobedience The reason is because the life of righteousnesse doth immediately proceed from the act of the will which is the act of the soule of man which cannot bee necessitate by any command whatsoever for the will of the soule is created with the perfection of such contradictory and specificall freedome as all the created powers of God are not able to necâ—ssitate or enforce the free act of the will by any meanes under the heavens though the act of the will as it is intellectuall and sensitive may be externally coacted for as the will cannot be killed so the will can neither bee necessitate by any command But as the Covenant is established upon the immediate command of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousnesse the workes of righteousnesse according to the Law are commanded both upon the eternall blessing of the seventh dayes rest and upon the curse of eternall death the first and immediate command whereof as the seventh day is the great command of the Law is the seventh dayes commanded worship implying the command of the whole Law which doth both oblige and command man to worship God in the truth of his promise for by the eternall blessing of the seventh dayes rest the word of promise is alwayes fulfilled according to the obedience of man or by the inflicting of the curse of eternall death upon the disobedience of man to the command of his word his promise is likewise fulfilled for it is all one for God not to fulfill his promise by his Covenant as to be no God And this is the first reason of Gods essentiall attribute of truth and that his word which is his immediate image is called truth The literall command of the Law arising from the letter of the Law is called by the Theologs the morall command of the Law and therefore the word of the seventh dayes rest implying the command of the whole Law of righteousnesse is called the morall Law of God obliging and commanding as it were the manners of man to God and to his image man as the voluntary action of man doth concerne God or his image man and from this morall denomination of the Law the voluntary action of man whether by his obedience or disobedience to the command of the Law is said to bee formally morall for both are equally the exercite act of the Law and to both the reward of the Law is equally due by the Law according to the merit of mans obedience or disobedience to the command of the Law from this morall denomination likewise of the Law the literall light of the Law is called the morall light of the Law for a formall difference between the literall and morall light of the Law arising immediatly from the letter of the Law and the spirituall light of the Law which is the immediate light of the holy Spirit And from this morall denomination of the litterall light of the Law since the fall and redemption of man faith arising from the morall light of the Law is called morall faith for a formall difference of morall faith from spirituall faith which doth arise from the immediate spirituall light of the holy Spirit in the immediate act of regeneration CHAP. IV. Of the created spirituall perfection of man THe intellectuall and sensitive nature of man being thus essentially united in the heart by the immediate power of the word inabling man with the power of naturall life and with the life of righteousnesse God in and with the immediate act of the creation of man did inlighten the word of the Law of righteousnesse spiritually written in the soule of man with the spirituall light of his holy Spirit sanctifying the heart of man to which the soul is essentially united with the spirituall life of holinesse By the immediate power of this spirituall life and light really one with the spirituall light of the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousnesse Adam was enabled with the perfection of the spirituall understanding of the command of the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the Law and to frame his spirituall life of righteousnesse and holinesse according to the perfection of the command of the Law which is the spirituall command By this perfection of spirituall life and light Adam was the perfect image of righteousnesse and holinesse and a perfect spirituall man And this is the image of righteousnesse and holinesse which the Apostle exhorts to bee renewed in the Ephesians and Collossians which was lost by Adams fall Adam therefore being created in this state of naturall and spirituall perfection the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousnesse implying the command of the whole Law was objected to Adams externall senses by the power of the word of the first seventh dayes rest commanding Adam according to the spirituall light of the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the Law really one with the spirituall light and command of the word of the Law of righteousnesse in his heart to worship God upon the seventh day of the Law of righteousnesse As God did manifest himselfe by the word of his first seventh dayes rest from the workes of the creation And in that commanded spirituall worship commanding Adams spirituall obedience by his spirituall works of holinesse to fulfill the command of the Law of righteousnesse according to the spirituall light and command of the word of the first seventh dayes rest to whose perfect worship and obedience the eternall blessing of the word of the first seventh dayes rest was due by the Law of God By this light of the word of the first seventh dayes rest of God from the workes of the creation Adam by the perfect act of
his spirituall understanding did perfectly apprehend God to bee the Creator of Heaven of earth of man of the creatures and that by the immediate eternall blessing of the first seventh dayes rest of God the world man and the creatures were continued and preserved in the perfection of their created estate And upon the immediate command of the word of the first seventh dayes rest implying the command of the whole law of righteousnesse the first Covenant was made with man afterward to be declared As Adam by the spirituall light of his understanding really one with the spirituall light of the word of the seventh dayes rest did perfectly understand God as God revealed himselfe to Adam by the word of his first seventh dayes rest wherein the perfection of Adams understanding of God did consist so Adam by the created perfection of his spirituall action of holinesse did adequate the perfection of the command of the Law as Adam was first obliged to the Law of God for if Adams spitituall action of holinesse had not been of equall power with the perfection of the command of the Law which is in the spirituall command and the first Covenant being established upon the immediate command of the word of the first seven dayes rest of the Law both upon the eternall blessing of the first seven dayes rest and upon the curse of eternall death Adam could never have fulfilled the perfection of the command of the Law but must have necessarily fallen under the curse of eternall death which had been most high injustice in God in binding and obliging his intellectuall creature man to a law upon the curse of eternall death above the power of his obedience by his spirituall action of holinesse for it was only by Adams spirituall action of holinesse that the law was to be fulfilled for though Adam was created with the power of morall action yet while Adam stood in his state of perfection Adams morall action was not actuall neither could his spirituall action of holinesse be called formally and properly morall which denomination is extended both to the obedience and transgression of the Law as hath been formerly declared Adams morall action therefore was not actuall till the Law of righteousnesse was transgressed by Adam and then Adams morall action was actuall and formally morall and morally evill and the greatest evill that ever was or can be committed by man Now as Adam by the perfection of his spirituall understanding of the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousnesse did perfectly understand God as God revealed himselfe to be honoured and worshipped by his rest from the works of the Creation So Adam by the perfection of his naturall understanding must needs apprehend the being power perfection goodnesse life light knowledge understanding wisdome in himselfe and the creatures to flow from the infinite perfection of the Creator whereby Adam was led in the understanding of the essentiall Attributes of God which essentiall understanding of God in Adam must be imperfect God as he is essentiall being infinite and incomprehensible Adams perfect understanding of God therefore was perfected by the perfection of his spirituall understanding of the word of the first seventh dayes rest as God did manifest himselfe to man to be understood and worshipped by man for God can no otherwise be comprehended by the act of the understanding of man or Angel but after that formall manner that God doth minifest himselfe to be understood and worshipped by either And so much briefly of the created naturall and spirituall perfection of man with whom the first Covenant was made by God which is the contents of the first part of the first Book Before we come to the second part an objection must be removed CHAP. V. Of a threefold comparison between the created naturall and spirituall perfection of the first Adam with the naturall and spirituall perfection of the second Adam IT is said That the first Adam was made a living soule a naturall man and from the earth earthly 1 Cor. 15.45 46 47. Adam therefore was not created in the state of naturall and spirituall perfection neither could he be created the image of righteousnesse and holinesse or a true spirituall man I answer briefly to the Objection The Apostle in these three verses of this chapter doth make a threefold comparison between the first and second Adam The first is in the 45. verse the sense whereof is this The first Adam was made a living soule to wit to live the perfect life of righteousnesse necessarily implying the perfection of his naturall life but the second Adam was not only made a living soule but likewise a quickning spirit where the power of the naturall and spirituall life of the first Adam is compared with the power of the naturall and spirituall life of the second Adam The first Adam by the power of his naturall and spirituall life was not able to quicken himselfe or any man else being dead but the second Adam by the power of his naturall life in sustaining the cursed death of the Crosse did redeem the first Adam and all men condemned and dead under the curse of the Law by eternall death in Adam their head for the transgression of the Law by Adam and by the infinite power of his Resurrection from the dead did raise up Adam and all men condemned and dead in Adam their head quickning and reconciling all men by the price of his blood to the love and favour of God for that first sinne The first Adam therefore notwithstanding of his naturall and spirituall perfection in respect of the second Adam may be truly said to be but a living soule and not a quickning spirit The second comparison is in the 46. verse where the spirituall perfection of the first Adam is compared with the spirituall perfection of the second Adam the sense of the words is this Though the first Adam was created in such spirituall perfection yet his spirituall perfection was not essentiall but habituall and conditionall But the spirituall perfection of the second Adam the Lord Jesus Christ is Essentiall and therefore the first Adams spirituall perfection in respect of the second Adams essentiall perfection was but the perfection of a naturall man as the spirituall perfection of the second Adam was the essentiall perfection of an essentiall spirituall man the eternall Sonne of God begot of the seed of the woman in time The third comparison is in the 47. verse where the humane sensitive nature of the first Adam is compared with the humane sensitive nature of the second Adam The sense of the words is this The first Adam as he is man sensitively was created of earthly principles immediately and therefore from the earth earthly But the second Adam as he is man sensitively Christ Jesus the naturall Son of God was begot of the sanctified seed of the woman immediately and every way from the heaven heavenly in respect of whose humane
new covenant he that doth believe and shall be baptized shall be saved It is neither by the preaching of the Word or by the exâ—ernall administration of the Sacraments but it is by the immediate faith of man in the Lords merit that man is saved from the second death Thus having declared the perfection of the redemption of man from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam shut up in spirituall darknesse called unbelief and originall sin according to the eternall Decree of God as the act of the redemption doth concern all men in generall male and female created in Adam naturally to descend of Adam to the end of the world And having answered and determined the most materiall objections against the declaration thereof we now proceed to the third Book THe Author of this small Tractate having fully ended it did intend to fit it for the Presse as soon as conveniently he could but being at London about his other occasions he did accidentally come into the company where some worthy Gentlemen were earnestly in discourse about some points of Religion After which conference he did resolve at his coming home to draw his Book into as short and plain a way as possibly he could for the Readers better understanding And thus far he went and then it pleased God to take him to himself before he could write one word of the third Book which he did intend to contract very much because he had spoke so much of the Lords day before But I not knowing how to get it done according to his mind and being loth to mangle so excellent a Work have rather thought good to set forth this third Book word for word as it was in his first method and to venture the censure of some rather then to keep it in any longer being exceedingly troubled in mind that it hath been kept almost this six yeeres from the publike view The third Book of the Theologicall Key containing the third Covenant made by God with man CHAP. I. Christ manifesting of himself at his coming in the world WE are now according to our Method to declare such acts of the blessed seed as they are set down in his sacred Word performed by him while he was personally upon earth Christ Jesus the eternall Son of God made flesh of the seed of the woman in time according to the Decree of God from all eternity as he is the first begotten Son of the most High by his birthright Prophet Priest and King so by the execution of his threefold office Christ Jesus did manifest himself Prophet Priest and King First therefore of the execution of his Propheticall office Secondly of his Priestly and Thirdly of his Kingly office The execution of Christs Propheticall office while he was personally upon earth was by the immediate power of his Word as he himself was the promised rest of the seventh day of the Propheticall Sabbath Christ Jesus the Word as the redeemed Word his Image is internally written in the heart of man his Word is the redeemed light and life of man And as his Word is externally objected to the externall senses he is the continuation of the redeemed life and light of man His Word under the propheticall obligement of the Law was the word of the seventh day of the propheticall Sabbath implying the whole propheticall Law and the whole old Testament As the life and light of the promised Sabbaticall rest did proceed from his love to man so Christ Jesus at his being personally in the world did manifest himself light love and life to man His light was in the sound of his Word and by the power of his Word his miracles were wrought and this was the light which did gloriously shine amongst the Jews while he was personally conversant with the Jews This glorious light by the sound of his Word did shine to the Jews first and immediatly by his own immediate Word And secondly by the commanded ministry of the Apostles By the light of his immediate Word first the understanding of the Jews was enlightned in the prophesies prophecying of the coming of the blessed seed from the foundation of the world Mat. 4.17 Mar. 1.21 Luke 4.21 Ioh. 3.13 whereby our Saviour did manifest himself to the Jews that he was the promised rest of their Sabbath and that he was the seed of the woman who must die for the sins of man and rest after his death upon the Sabbath for the recovering of the eternall rest of the first seventh day lost by Adam and that he it was that must rise again to break the head of the Serpent for the betraying of man All which was so many prophesies of himself whereby Christ did discharge his propheticall office Joh. 3.14 as he did likewise prophesie his death by the lifting up of the brazen Serpent and his resting in the grave Mat. 12.40 by Jonas rest in the Whales belly and both his death and resurrection in saying Joh. 2.19 Destroy this Temple and in three dayes I will raise it again So did he prophesie of the destruction of Jerusalem Luke 21.6 So his second coming and the day of judgement and many such like Secondly by this glorious shining light by the sound of his Word our Saviour Mat. 5.20 did cleer the obscured light of the Law corrupted by the false glosse of the Scribes and Pharisees arising from the Devils darknesse Thirdly as Christ Jesus while he was personally in the world by the light of the sound of his Word the Jews understanding was inlightned to know that he was the promised blessed seed So by the light of the power of his Word by his wonders and miracles he did manifest himself to be the eternall Son of God With the glorious fame of whose wonders and miracles the whole world was filled and amazed insomuch that the Jews were constrained to acknowledge the Lord of life to be the Son of God though the Jews darknesse led by the Devils false deceiving light could not comprehend that glorious shining light Fourthly at this glorious light did proceed from the love of the Lord of life to man by his promised Sabbatical rest So he did manifest his love while he was personally upon earth to man in curing of all manner of incurable sensitive diseases of the body and the diseased souls of many by the pardoning of sin None were denied the blessing of his rest who came to him by the light of his love As this glorious light did shine to the Jews immediatly by Christ himself as he was the promised rest of the propheticall Sabbath day so this glorious light did shine immediatly by the ministry of the Apostles whom our Saviour did send abroad Mat. 10.7 to preach and teach this glorious shining light shining from the Son of God whom likewise before his death and resurrection he authorized to preach and to teach the Evangel and to administrate the Sacrament of Baptisme as John did first before Christs manifesting
the mysticall members of his body spiritually and indivisibly united to their mysticall head by his indivisible love As for the Analogie between the sacrifice offered up by the Leviticall high Priest and the sacrifice prefigurate thereby it did likewise consist in three speciall points First as the blood of the Leviticall sacrifice of the brazen altar was first shed and then laid upon the brazen altar So the sacred blood of the Son of God was shed first by his crowning with a crown of sharp prickly thornes causing streams of blood to besmeare his glorious face and body Secondly by his cruell scourging which was a most c uell kinde of bloody punishment according to the manner of the Jews Thirdly by the flood of blood by reason of the great boysterous nails to hold his body fast to the cursed altar of the crosse prefigurate by the brazen altar The Analogie of the second point between the two sacrifices was that both was an Holocaust sacrifice For as the Leviticall sacrifice of of the brazen altar was wholy burnt up and consumed by the fire which came down from heaven so the sacrifice of the Lord of life as he is man was burnt up and consumed by the fire of Gods wrath which came down frâ—m â—eaven for the actuall curse of the Law for the sin of Adam to which Câ—â—st did oblige himself to sustaine for wretched unthankfull man by whose to fed death all men are redeemed from that curse The third point of the Aâ—alogie of the two sacrifices was Levit. 4.12 that as the ashes of the whole burnt sacrifice of the brazen altar was taken from the brazen altar and carryed in ash-pans and laid apart from the altar in a clean place So the blessed body of our Saviour Joh. 19.38 39 40 41. was taken down from the cursed altar of the crosse by Joseph of Arimathea Nicodemus and others of that religious company prefigurate by the ash-pans and carried and laid in a new sepulchre wherein no man was formerly laid Because the point of this declaration is in the sacrifice of our blessed Saviour the declaration thereof shall be discharged in these two heads First our Saviours cruell cursed death by the cursed altar of the crosse shall be declared And secondly the place where the Lord was laid prefigurate by the ashes of the sacrifice of the brazen altar which were carried apart from the altar and laid in a clean place Because the sacrifice of our Saviour is plainly set down in the Scripture we will first only make a brief and summary relation of the severall pasges thereof and next certain mysticall concerning points shall be observed of the death and suffering of our Saviour Of all the stratagems of Satan by his false deceiving bewitching light his incensing of miserable men with such bloody cruell hands to crucifie the Lord of life was most admirable and strange For first the power of actuall freedome of naturall and morall gâ—ace which they then enjoyed by the redemption of man from the curse of the Law by the eternall Decree of God though to be performed in time was such as Satan and all the created powers of God could not necessitate the will of man to any morall evill but that man must be willingly and freely led and induced to commit that evill Secondly the propheticall Sabbath was the glory of the Jews nation whereby the Jews were so eminent and had such great preferment above all the nations of the earth which glory and great preferment the Jews did then enjoy by faith in the blessing of the promised rest of the blessed seed prophesied by the propheticall Sabbath as it was the seventh day of the propheticall ceremoniall Law which was then the immediate object of the Jews faith And though our Saviour did manifest himself to the Jews that he was that blessed seed which was prophesied by the propheticall Sabbath shining then so gloriously amongst the Jews by his gracious light leading them to his love which was freely extended towards all rich and poor in his curing of all manner of sensitive incurable diseases of the body and the diseased souls of many engaging thereby so the generall love of all that happy was he who could but touch the Lord of life to none was his love and help denyed who were led to him by this gracious light of the sound of his Word who by the power of his wonders and miracles did manifest himself to be the Son of God ingaging the reverend fear of all by the convincing power of whose wonders and miracles the wretched Jews were constrained to acknowledge so much yet that Satan by his false deceiving light should notwithstanding so induce the unthankfull Jews not to suppresse but with such bloody hands to extinguish the light of their own eternall life and rest it cannot but amaze the heart of man though all was by the hand of Gods permissive power For though the power of Satans false deceiving light be wonderfull yet Satan with all his power must work all his mischief only by the betraying of the willing consent of man to have man to effect what he would of whose help Satan himself did then stand in great need for this miserable act of Satan was not so much out of his malice to man as out of Satans own fear For by the greatnesse of this glorious light of the promised blessed seed Satan began to be afraid that the head of his power must be broke by the seed of the woman and therefore it did stand Satan in hand in time to prevent this so great and eminent danger which that false Serpent did by suggesting such a light of apparent fear to the Priests Scribes and Pharisees of the utter losse of their glorious Sabbath and of the Leviticall dignity means and preferment if they should give way to this glorious light to shine amongst them whereby the world was so led and carried by which false suggested fear of Satans false deceiving light the Scribes and Pharisees and the rest of that rablement were furiously incensed with all greedy desire not to suppresse but extinguish the light it self whereby both might rest secure from any such fear which this barbarous crue did with most cruell bloody hands effect though while their cruell hands were in externall action their hearts were internally pricked with the power of this light as may appear by the sacred History from the first point to the last For first while the Scribes and Parisees did hire their Helhounds to apprehend the Lord of life the Lord told the Helhounds John 18.5 6.12.13 that he was the man whom they did seek And though by the power of his Word they fell back to the ground yet up again and to the Lord they went And though Malcomes eare Luke 22 50 51. being struck off was miraculously cured by our Saviour a glim of the light of the rest of their glorious Sabbath yet such was the power of the
whereby the faith of man is overthrown And this is the reason that all Imagery painted or carved of our Saviour as he is man implying his death and humility are condemned for Idolatry as hath been formerly declared No such surmised sacrifice therefore being offered by our Saviour in his institution of the Sacrament of his last Supper no command was given to the Apostles to offer any such fictious sacrifice and consequently the Apostles and the Apostolicall successors the Ministers of the Word and Sacraments no commanded Priests to offer any such fictious sensitive sacrifice at the materiall altar as is falsly pretended by the objection Next I answer to the affirmed reall unity of this pretended imaginary sacrifice with our Saviours sacrifice of the crosse Leaving the Philosophicall distinction of unity as genericall sperificall udomericall reall formall and such like In this encounter I take the two last distinctions of unity Theologically to wit one really and one formally This affirmed unity therefore of the two sacrifices cannot be formall and therefore it must be reall This affirmed reall unity therefore of the two sacrifice is all one to say as that our Saviour in the institution of the Sacrament of his last Supper by offering of his reall body and blood under the externall forms of bread and wine in a propitiatory sacrifice for the dead and for the quick did as really and in effect sustain the curse of the Law in the full extent by the cursed death of soul and body as he did by his cursed sacrifice of the crosse which fearfull assertion is repugnant to the truth of all Christian faith For by this affirmed reall unity of the two sacrifices these subsequent inevitable conclusions must necessarily follow First by this affirmed reall unity of the two sacrifices the first surmised propitiatory sacrifice pretended to be offered by our Saviour must be a cursed sacrifice For such was our Saviours sacrifice of the crosse Gal. 3.13 And consequently our Saviours sacrificed reall body and blood which is pretended to be given to the Apostles cursed which is highest blasphemy to affirm Secondly by the affirmed reall unity of these two sacrifices the pretended propitiatory sacrifice affirmed to be offered by our Saviour in the instituting of the Sacrament of his last Supper must be a sensitive reall bloody sacrifice for there is no propitiatory sacrifice for sin Heb. 9.22 without the sensitive blood of the sacrificed for such was our Saviours propitiatory sacrifice of the crosse But the propugnators of this surmised propitiatory sacrifice will acknowledge no sensitive reall blood in their sacrifice and therefore they must acknowledge this pretended propitiatory sacrifice to be no propitiatory sacrifice Thirdly by the affirmed reall unity of these two sacrifices this surmised pretended sacrifice affirmed to be offered by our Saviour must be a deadly sacrifice by the sensitive death of the sacrificed for such was our Saviours sacrifice of the crosse But the propagnators of this surmised sacrifice must acknowledge no such sensitive death of our Saviour by the institution of the Sacrament of his last Supper and therefore they must acknowledge their pretended sacrifice to be no sacrifice Fourthly by the reall affirmed unity of these two sacrifices the only one sacrifice of our Saviour by the death of the crosse as be is high Priest after the order of Melchisedeck once offered for all is plainly denied For by this affirmed reall unity of the two sacrifices our Saviour died twice Fifthly by the affirmed reall unity of the two sacrifices the first surmised pretended sacrifice is a false sacrifice For by the adoration of this imaginary sacrifice the truth of the Lords commanded worship by the Lords Day is contradicted which is commanded to be celebrate in spirit and truth and not in the adoration of such a false sacrifice Sixthly by the affirmed reall uniâ—y of these two sacrifices the first pretended sacrifice is a faithlesse sacrifice For by this pretended sacrifice the faith of man and the immediate object of faith which is the Lords merit are actually separate Seventhly by the reall affirmed unity of these two sacrifices the pretended sacrifice affirmed to be offered by our Saviour in the institution of the Sacrament of his last Supper is an Idolatrous sacrifice For by the adoring of this sacrifice the sensitive object doth interveen between the Lord and his immediate commanded worship Eighthly by the reall affirmed unity of these two sacrifices Christ was really dead before his last Will and Testament was sealed by the sacrament of his last Supper implying the whole Evangel and new Testament and consequently his last Will and Testament no Will. Ninthly by the affirmed reall unity of these two sacrifices man was actually redeemed from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam and the Law was fulfilled for man by our Saviour before his death of the crosse before his bloody rest in the grave and before his resurrection from the dead Tenthly by this affirmed reall unity of the two sacrifices all the prophesies prophcying of the blessed seed from the foundation of the world were fulfilled before our Saviours death by the cursed altar of the crosse and resurrection from the dead Eleventhly by this affirmed reall unity of the two sacrifices all the types rites figures and ceremonies prefigurating the death of the blessed seed from the foundation of the world were actually determined by the first pretended sacrifice which all the sacrifices of all the creatures of God could never determine till they were all actually determined by our Saviours last breath upon the cursed altar of the crosse while as he said It is finished The twelfth conclusion doth necessarily follow from the former three For by the affirmed reall unity of the two sacrifices our Saviours death by the cursed altar of the crosse was superfluous Thirteenthly by the affirmed reall unity of these two sacrifices this first surmised sacrifice pretended to be offered by our Saviour in the institution of the sacrament of his last Supper must be a reall Holocaust sacrifice cursed and burnt up by the fiery consuming wrath of God for sin no part or portion whereof must remain to be given to the Apostles for such was our Saviours sacrifice of the crosse prefigurate by the Holocaust sacrifice of the brazen altar Hence I necessarily inferre that by this affirmed reall unity the Sacrament of the Lords Supper is falsly denied to be given to the Apostles for by this pretended surmised sacrifice our Saviours reall sacrificed body and blood which in this case profiteth nothing Joh. 6.63 is affirmed to be given to the Apostles as a sacrament while as in the sacrament of the Lords Supper by the sacramentall bread and wine given by our Saviour to the Apostles the bread of eternall life purchased by his sacrificed reall body and blood is signified to be given By the faithfull receiving whereof God in his Son Christ Jesus dwelleth in the heart of man by his
end to end is nothing else but the light of the sound of the word of the Lords day For by the sounding of the word of the Lords resurrection by the Apostles what a world of wonders and miracles were wrought and how many thousands by the light of the sound of the word came by the hands of faith to lay hold on the Lords daies Evangelicall rest Thirdly the new Covenant is immediatly established upon the Evangelicall word of the Lords day by inseperable union Fourthly the Apostle doth affirme that the sound of the word to wit of the Lords day went to the ends of the earth Fiftly Iohn doth call the day of the Lords resurrection the Lords day Sixtly the Apostle to the Hebrews doth set downe the Lords day the Evangelicall Word of the seventh day of the Law of righteousnesse of faith most plainly saying first that after a long time which was the time of the promised rest of the propheticall Sabbaticall seventh day there was another certaine seventh day appointed in David that is in Davids seed Secondly that the Lord of life to wit the Son of David did enter this day into his rest from his resting from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed which is his Evangelicall rest necessarily implying his bloody promised Sabbaticall rest from the worke of the redemtion As he did first rest from the workes of the creation Thirdly the Apostle proveth that this day appointed in David was for the people to enter into this seventh daies rest For saith the Apostle Hebrews 4.8 if Joshua could have given the people of Israel rest to wit by the promised rest of the propheticall Sabbaticall seventh day then bad not David bin appointed to speake of another day that sâ— another seventh day which the Apostle Hebrews 4.12 cals the lively powerfull word of God which is the word of the Lords day the true Evangelicall Word of the seventh day of the Law of righteousnesse of faith by the Evangelicall sound thereof sharper then any two edged sword dâ—viding and seperating the soule from the spirit where the soule is taken for the soule of man as he is a naturall man and the spirit is taken for the soule of man as he is regenerate and a spirituall man for by the spirituall sanctifying understanding of the wâ—rd the rebellious powers of the flesh of man as he is a naturall man are devided and subdued by the power of the Spirit though not totally in thâ—s life And therefore the Apostle Paul doth affirme that the sins pro eeding from his rebellious flesh are none of his to wit as he is a spirituall man Seventhly David doth prophetically affirme Psal 118 24. First that this is the day which the Lord hath made exhorting all men to rejoyce in this blessed day which day David did see with his spirituall eyes of faith for the Lord did fulfill this prophesie of David indeed for the Lord made this day with his precious bloud Secondly David doth prophetically affirme Psal 118.22 that it was the glorious light of this seventh dayes rest which David calls the corner stone which the Judaicall builders did refuse and now is made the head of the corner mounted above the heaven of heavens the Tabernacle not made with hands wherein the Lord of life Head of his mysticall members is entered to make continuall intercession as their Advocate at the Throne and Alter of righteousnesse by the merit of his fulfilling of the Law of righteousnesse whereby all the actuall sins of his mysticall members united to their mysticall head by his indivisible love are covered and freed from the curse of the Evangelicall Law of faith by the new Covenant As by his cursed death of the altar of the Crosse they are freed from the curse of the Law for their sinne in Adam by the first Covenant Eightly the Lord himselfe doth affirme John 8.56 that Abraham did see this his joyfull day to wit with his spirituall eyes of faith in the eight day of the Sacrament of circumcision wherein there doth lye no small mysterie for the child was to be circumcised upon the eight day though the eight day did fall upon the propheticall Sabbath day upon which day no worke was to be done under the paine of death much lesse the shedding of mans bloud The shedding of mans bloud therefore upon the Sabbath was onely lawfull by the command of the Sacramentall circumcision for both the propheticall Sacraments implying the whole propheticall ceremoniall Law were commanded in the Church of God before the Law was given to Moses to the end that the Jews might understand that the Law to the fathers before Moses and after Moses till Christs resurrection was really one and the same Law of God and one and the same formall obliegement of the Law The point of the mysterie lyeth in this That the Sacrament of circumcision which was the eighth day was preferred to the command of the Sabbath which was the seventh day of the Law implying the command of the whole Law Now the Sacrament of circumcision was but the shadow of the Sacrament of the Lords day which was the eight day from the last propheticall Sabbath reckoning the propheticall Sabbath inclusively for the first day in the accompt of the eight dayes though by beginning the accompt from the last formall Jews propheticall Sabbath exclusively the Lords day as man naturally descended of Adam is oblieged to the Law is the just seventh day from the last formall Jews propheticall Sabbath as hath beene declared What an admirable faith was this of Abraham to see this day so farre off which the Lord affirmeth that Abraham did see and that Abraham did rejoyce in the sight of this blessed day Ninthly the Lord of life the Lord of the Evangelicall law of the righteousnesse of faith the true eternall rest of the Evangelicall seventh day of the Law doth call this blessed day his owne day John 85.6 His owne day by all true title and right of righteousnesse it selfe his owne which in spite of the power of darkenesse must shine till the eternall day Tenthly this is the most joyfull day of dayes for by the Evangelicall sound of the Lords dayes Evangelicall rest the Jews and Gentiles were actually called to one Church and were made one fold to the joyous and thankfull jubilising of all the Nations of the world Eleventhly by the Evangelicall sound of the Lords daies Evangelicall rest arising from his bloudy rest all the propheticall Sabbaths all the jubilees of Sabbaths and all the prophesies prophesying from the foundation of the world of the comming and suffering of the Lord of life the promised blessed seed are actually determined Twelfthly by his bloudy Sabbaticall rest necessarily implyed in his Evangelicall seventh dayes rest of the Lords day All the altars and sacrifices the foundation of the partition wall of the ceremoniall Law and all the figures types rites and propheticall ceremonies from the foundation of