I shall also go on in proving that Adam as he was then made and stood in innocency was not made after the second image in holinesse righteousnesse knowledge and the like and my reasons are these First If Adam had been immortall in the image Reason 1. of God in respect of his attributes it had been as impossible for him to fall and become mortal and unholy as it would be for God himself that which is holy cannot become unholy that which is in the nature of God cannot change it nature into the nature of sin God is able to change other things into his nature but no other thing can change that which is of God into its nature Because I would leave nothing unanswered Object I would willingly know what you meane by holiness and righteousness if you mean natural holiness and righteousness knowledge light and the like Ans To this I answer God hath no such image the Scripture holds forth but a twofold Image the first a Personal the second a Spiritual according as I have already described Again If you say he was holy and righteous inasmuch as he had not sinned I say in that sense a stone or any other vegetative or sensitive creature is made in the image of God for it hath not sinned This is like that tenet or principle held concerning children for some say If children should not be saved who have never sinned actually who then can be saved as if that which had not sinned was holy and nearer God to be without sin only is not to be holy and in the image of God or to have never so much naturall knowledge and light adds nothing to holiness and righteousness according to Gods image But to be holy and righteous in the image of God is to be immortall unchangeable and to have eternall life in them which is the gift of God and there to live in the enjoyment of God having inherent righteousness in them and to be begotten by God and grow up in the very nature of God as a child grows up in the nature of his Father So that you must become little children and be born by the Spirit before you enter into the Kingdom of heaven that is there must be a new and second birth of a new creature a new life and conversation new feeding new spirituall meat and drinking anew of wine and water of life with Christ in the Father's kingdom a new enjoyment a new spirituall rest and all things must become new all this is held forth by the first birth life conversation feeding and resting If we must become like or as little children before we can enter into the Kingdom of heaven then I say we must become like old men before we sit down in the Kingdom of heaven in the full enjoyment of the Father or in the knowledge of him which is from the beginning as the Apostle John saith to the Fathers who out-stripped the children or young men in the knowledge of God as he was in them from the beginning 2 John 12 14. These children are not to be understood children by generation neither are the young men or fathers to be understood under a natural consideration but children in respect of regeneration and young men and fathers in respect of spirituall growth and knowledge in the mystery of God So then if Adam had been thus he had been in the image of God and could no more have fallen away from the nature and image of his Father then a childe can fall from the nature and image of his father into the nature and image of a beast neither did he fall in that sense as you understand he did nor do any thing against or contrary to his nature Secondly He was earthly and so he acted Reas 2. from that principle and therefore not in the image of God and that you may plainly see if you consider what the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 15. 43. in these words There is a carnall body and there is a spirituall body Although this may be taken or understood to be our body or the body of sin fallen in Adam in opposition to the spirituall body which is the spirit of life in Christ yet it is not the Apostles understanding onely for he goes about to prove this by the written word and that is from Adam's first creation for saith he and so it is written The first man Adam was made a living soul the last Adam was made a quickning spirit 1 Cor. 15. 45. The Apostle understands this first man that was made a living soul to be a meer natural man as also he understands the second to be a spirituall as you may see ver 46. in these words Howbeit that was not first which was spirituall but that which was carnall and afterwards that which was spirituall There needs no further evidence in this neither can I speak any plainer then the Apostle for when he goes to prove there is a naturall bodie he doth not say it became naturall through some miscarriage but he saith he was made so he was made a living soul which living soul so made by God he saith in the next verse that it was not spirituall but carnal Nothing that is carnall can have communion with God But Adam was carnall Therefore could have no communion with God Nothing that was made carnall was in the image of God But Adam was made carnall Therefore not in the image of God in respect of his Attributes Thirdly The Apostle sets forth the pedegree Reason â— or root of the second Adam by the pedegree or root of the first in these words The first man is of the earth earthly the second man is the Lord from heaven vers 47. As the second did not come in a low estate and condition and attain to an higher afterwards for he is the Lord from heaven so the first man did not come in an high and glorious condition and afterwards fall into a lower Object If you said That Christ which is the second man came in a low estate and condition which makes against this Argument Answ To which I answer In respect of his Manhood he was the first Adam for it is said He that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified are all of one It is not onely meant in respect of their spirituall estates after they were sanctified but also of their fleshly except actual sin as it is Heb. 2. 14. Forasmuch as the Children are partakers of flesh and blood he also himself likewise took part of the same And as he was flesh and blood he came in a low condition and so he may be said to grow in grace and knowledge for he was not the Lord from heaven nor the second man in this sense but he was the Lord from heaven in respect of his Godhead or that spiritual influence or annoynting that came forth from God and took up flesh and dewlt therein In this sense he was the second Adam
nakedness or sin then these impressions put the creature upon some thing that it conceives to be a duty to hide this sinne or to be as it were a Mediator to appease the wrath of God and thereby to quiet and satisfie its own conscience so these our good works are the figg-leafs for figg-leafs are very broad and so are our good works although carnal persons apprehend themselves to be very naked and sinfull yet if they can but fast and do pennance and say thus many prayers then presently sinn which is their nakedness is covered and their conscience is quieted so then these good works are the leafs of the tree of knowledge of good and evil under which figg-tree all men are found sitting to whom the second dispensation comes it findes us there and knows us before we know it as you may see John 1. 48. where Christ spake in answer to Nathaneel's question whether he knew him Christ saith unto him That he knew him before Philip called him under the fig-tree the leafs of the tree of life shall be for the healing of the Nations What are the leafs of the tree of life only the effects of the fruit which fruit is the Spirit of God and the effects are our good works brought forth by that Spirit saith Christ Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorifie your Father which is in heaven Matthew 5. 16. 1 Peter 2. 12. Revelat. 11. 13. Thus be these leafs of the tree of life effected and brought forth by the Spirit the Nations shall be wonn recovered and healed and shall glorifie God by this you may the more clearly see what are the leafs of the first tree they are our good works springing forth from the law it shal heal and cover them too in their own apprehensions but when the second fruit is given them to eat they shal come from under that figg-tree they shall cast their garments away as filthy rags and menstruous clouts as Paul did For when this second dispensation comes which is the fruit of the tree of life or Christ in the soul it findes no fruit but only leafs on which he pronounceth a curse and it withereth away and is no more seen for ever in that soul Matth. 21. 19. Thus also you may see that as Adam's eating the fruit caused him to cloath himself with fig-leafs the same doth the powerfull coming of the law Adams eating of the forbidden fruit did 7. The effects of the fruit cause him to hide himself amongst the trees of the garden Gen. 3. 8 the same thing doth the Law effect in them to whom it cometh when God cometh in that despensation with voyces in the wind or tempest of that day and maketh the creature afraid the creature presently runs away and hides it self in the trees of the garden which trees are these two things the first sort and greatest shelter that the creature hides it selfe under from the wrath of God is the opinions and tenents of the fathers or them that pretend to be Ministers of the people unto which the creature being frighted runs to tell their estate to the end they may have their consciences quieted and after confession by those that are in bondage under the law to these trees of Lebanon And also there being admonished by these tall Cedars in their humane traditions they then give them absolution and remission of their sinnes that is to say their words take effect upon the heart of the fearfull and their sinnes are remited declaratively thus they trust to what others say and pinn themselves to them when they are not made one in the thing that they profess and thus their conscience is quieted they having hid themselves from God in the former dispensation among the trees which are some pleasant Tenents or doctrines of salvation duties and formes from humane traditions these are the trees which men hide themselves from God in The gathering of figg-leafs in the sixth Comparison was a work of the law only but their hiding themselves among the trees of the garden is from humane tradition and grosse Idolatry For proof hereof see Hos 4. 18. where the Prophet speaks in reference to those trees which are the Priests thus They eat up the sinne of my people and verse 12 13. the Prophet speakes in reference to the people thus My people ask counsell after stocks and their staffs declare unto them for the spirit of whoredome hath caused them to erre Those stocks and staffs are the Priests at the 13 verse he speakes thus They sacrifice upon the tops of mountains and burn incense upon the hils under Oaks and Poplar trees and Elmes because the shadow thereof is good These shadows cover them from these winds and tempest which is the voice of God in the law and as Adam in his greatest fear fled and hid himself and had his sinne as it were eaten up or covered by the shadows of these trees so the sinne of these Israelites was as it were eaten up This was held forth by Ishmael the sonne of Hagar or the sonne of the Covenant of works he was cast under a shrub in his greatest agony when all his refreshment of water was gone In this he held forth the sonnes of the Covenant of works who also doe fly from the voice of God in the wind of the day and hide themselves under the shadow of these trees because it brings peace and seemeth to be good Obj. You will say Adam had no such trees as Priests or Teachers to hide himself under Answ I grant that if you speak of these persons but he sought out those opinions traditions and inventions as they have since learned and others have them now without so much labour and thus under those trees they shelter themselves from the wrath of God The second sort of trees are some particular pleasure or delights I told you the Garden it self was all manner of pleasures or delights in generall but after we have eaten of the Tree of knowledge of good and evill and our eyes are opened thereby we are driven as it were out of this carnall pleasure and delight in generall so that we lye under a heavy yoak of bondage in a mournfull and heavy condition so that the soul is as it were brought downe to hell then many times such a Soul spies out another sort of shelter which may be understood to be company playing musick singing or any such kind of recreation for saith such a one when I am out of Company I am so melancholy and discontented and oppressed in my conscience that I know not what to do and from hence they seek after recreation to put away melancholy humors and cover their sinnes under such trees as these here you may see whatsoever was produced and effected in Adam by eating the forbidden fruit in these seven particulars the same also is produced and effected by the law on whom it powerfully
2. Adam is put into paradise and so are we p. 39. 3. Adam was to till the ground and to eat of every tree but one and so are we p. 39. 4. Our first Parents did desire to eat of the forbidden fruit to become like God and so do we p. 40 41 42. The Obj. from the breach of the command answered p. 43 44 45. The tree of Life is the righteousnesse of God proved by scripture and 4 reasons p. 46 47 And so consequently the tree of knowledg of good evil is the righteousnes of man ib. 5. He eateth of that fruit and so do we p. 48 What is meant by eating explained p. 49 What is sin or what is sin after the similitude of Adams transgression p. 50 51 52. 7 Things effected and brought forth upon Adam by his eating answerable to the like 7. in us by our eating p. 53. 1. He is deprived of life and so are we p. 54 2. It discovers sin both to him and us p. 54 3. It brings fear both upon him and also to us p. 55. 4. It brings a curse upon both p. 56 57 5. It brings death it self to both p. 58 None dyed in that flesh of his but every one doth dye in and for himself what seems to be truth at one time may not be truth after further light p. 59 60 61 62 6. It caused him to cloath himself with fig-leafs and so it doth to us p. 63 These fig-leafs and the leafs of the tree of life described p. 64 65 7. The eating of the fruit did cause him to run away from God and hide himself in the tree of the Garden so it doth to us the Tree described p. 66 67 An Objection answered p. 68 The 6 degree of Adams rising he is cloathed with Skins and so are we p. 69 70 What these Skins are and how and when we are cloathed with them p. 71 72 73 An Objection answered how the first dispensation is of God and how not p. 75 76 The second is of God in a more peculiar manner p. 77 The mystery of the Trinity opened p. 78 79 80 7. Adam is cast out of paradise and so are we all dispensations give way to this p. 81 82 83 We are brought into a second paradise Vse First this teacheth us to be reconciled to God p. 84 Secondly a word of reconciliation to seven sorts of men p. 85 86 87 88 89 The strong brother and the weak ought not to condemn nor judg one another p. 90 91 92 It is Antichristian and of the Devill to compell one another to any thing in matter of worship which is contrary to the practice of Christ and his Apostles p. 92 93 All ought to walk according as they have received p. 94 An Objection answered p. 95 96 REader behold Jewels and Pearles her set Jasper and Amethists in this rich Cabinet Behold the way if thou these Pearls wilt find From step to step unto this glorious mine Three ways there are to see this heavenly place Through a vail a glass and after face to face The Earth shall shake and also Heav'n above That those things may remain which shall ne'remove Though ADAM did aspire on high by Earth Yet fall he did and lost his prize through death That unto life be might be brought again And so at last his first prize might obtain He 's cloath'd with skins a glorious cloathing then None such are found amongst the Sons of men Thus may you learn throughout this History Degrees of grace working men up to glory Therefore let all men rest in this contented For they in ADAM are all represented And first as be began to play the prize So we as he must die before we rise By W. R. ADAM UNVAYLED AND Seen with open Face The Principle which I doe here oppose and deny to be a Truth is this as followeth IT is held almost by al those profess the Christian Religion that Adam was made in the Image of God in righteousness wisdom and knowledge and the like and that by eating of the forbidden fruit be lost that Image in respect of those Attributes in which he was said to be made like unto God This is their understanding of Adam's estate with whom I have to deal others hold other things of Adam although not so gross or so far contrary to truth and I not knowing fully what all opinions are I shall lay down my own judgment which is clear contrary to theirs whose opinions are herein specified According to my understanding the Spirit of God holds forth in Scripture that the first Adam was made of earth earthly For he lost nothing by his eating the forbidden fruit he having nothing to lose neither wisdom righteousness knowledge or light inherentin himself but contrarily being meerly blinde foolish ignorant and empty of all those attributes which he was said to have and whereas it is said that Adam lost all those attributes by eating the forbidden fruit I say he gained all his naturall knowledge light righteousness wisedom and the like by vertue of his eating the forbidden fruit And I make it appear thus There were two speciall Trees in Paradise the one was the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil the other was the Tree of Life the fruit of these two Trees was nothing else but two laws of righteousness The first which was the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil was the law of nature which is the morall law and is called the righteousness of man The second Tree was the Law of the Spirit and life in Christ which is by gift and is called the righteousnesse of God now before Adam had eaten of either of these Trees he could have neither of these two lawes of righteousness which he had not until he had eaten of the fruit thereof For proof whereof it will First appear from the very attribute or title that is put upon the Tree it is called the Tree of Knowledge of good and evill and the reason is because it gives conveys knowledge of what is good and what is evil in those who eat it Secondly It may be also proved from the Serpents testimony he speaking in answer Vers 3. 4. to the woman when she said Vers 3. that God had said ye shall not eate of it neither shall you touch it least you die his answer was ye shal not surely die but contrarily saith he God knoweth that in the day you cat thereof your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as Gods knowing good and evil Object But it may be some may say that the Serpent did lye and deceive Eve by these words and therefore is called a lier from the begining Answ The Serpent spake truth according to the womans sense and interpretation of death that was the dissolution of the body but not according to Gods meaning and interpretation of death therefore he is called a lyer from the begining as in another cause Although the
carnally minded in their comming up to God or their seeking after God by or in carnall things in endeavouring to make themselves perfect by the flesh as they did to whom he speaks Gal. 3. 3. Are you â—o foolish having begun in the spirit are ye now made perfect by the flesh As also the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 13. 3. If he should give his body to be burned and all his goods to the poor and have not charitie which is love or the power of God living and acting and carrying him forth to do it it is as sounding brasse and a tinkling cymbal The Prophets and Christ himself condemn Israel or those Pharifaicall men for their fasting and making long prayers Isa 58. 4. Matth. 6. 16. Why so was it not good so to do Yea fasting praying and giving of alms are good in themselves So the things were good in themselves or matter of them but not in manner and circumstance they may be used but not fed on to be like God lest wee die but they had not the power of God carrying them out to do those things but the motive by which they were put upon those duties was self-ends for to become like God witnesse the Pharisee that made the large confession and thought to obtain much and yet was condemned by Christ Luk. 18. 11 12. Thus you see as Adam was forbidden Man is bidden or commanded to do good but not to obtain good by his doing to eat this fruit and death pronounced and a curse followed upon his eating thereof So in like manner are we forbidden to follow after or feed upon that fruit which is in the substance our righteousnss or the Law and also death is pronounced and a curse followeth upon our eating thereof Touch not taste not handle not for all perish Adam did lie down in sorrow with the using Col. 2. 21. This is the fire that man kindleth and compasseth himself about with the sparks but God saith This he shall have at mine hands he shall lie down in sorrow So then here you see that this ambition was not only in Adam the shadow but in us the substance after the forbidden fruit and our ends are the same as his was to be wise and become like God through the subtilty of the Serpent which holds forth the excellency of this fruit our righteousnesse This will also serve for an Answer to the Objection framed from Adams transgression Pag. 35. Object Some may say How can the tree of knowledge of good and evill and the righteteousnesse of man be all one Ans The fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evill is nothing else but the morall Law or the righteousness of man It must needs be so for this Reason Because the other tree with it which is the tree of life was the righteousness of Christ and no materiall or naturall tree To prove that it was the righteousness of Christ you may see Rev. 2. 7. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life in the midst of the Paradise of God The like is said of the heavenly Manna ver 7. which is one and the same thing There is nothing promised to be given to the Saints to eat or to drink or to be clothed with but it is Christ or his righteousness He is all this to a Saint as you may see in these Scriptures He is water John 4. 14. and chap. 7. 38. This he spake of the Spirit He is Manna chapt 6. 48 50. 1 Cor. 10. 3. He is wine pomegranats or apples or pleasant fruit Matth. 26. 29. Cant. 4. 7. Let my Beloved come into his garden and eat of his pleasant fruit Chap. 7. 13. At our gates are all manner of pleasant fruits new and old which I have laid up for thee O my Beloved And chapt 1. 14. Thy love is unto us a cluster of camphire All this is the love of God through Christ to the Saints and the reflections of that love carrying up the souls of Saints unto God So this tree of life is the same even the righteousnesse of Christ or the Spirit It is compared to an oak and a teyl tree and the holy seed is the substance thereof Isa 6. 13. 2. This tree of life must needs be the Spirit of Christ because it bears twelve manner of fruits which fruits are twelve degrees or severall gifts of the Spirit which are the twelve precious stones or pearls that the City is founded upon 3. This tree of life must needs be the righteousnesse of Christ because the leaves of it are to heal the Nations Nothing can heal the Nations but Christ but the leaves of this tree are to heal the Nations and therefore they are the fruits effected and brought forth by the Spirit of Christ 4. There is nothing life it self or can give life for ever but Christ But this tree is life it self and will give life to them that eat it Therefore this tree is the righteousnesse of Christ Gen. 3. 22. So then this being clear that this tree of life is no materiall or naturall tree but the righteousnesse of Christ and such a food as will give eternall life it must by the same grounds necessarily follow that this * The definition of the two trees proved pag. 2. is more fully proved in the seven effects brought forth by the tree and mans righteousnesse tree of knowledge of good and evill in the garden with it is the righteousnesse of man and is no materiall or naturall tree no more then the other 5. The fifth degree of Adam's rising was 5 Degree of Adams rising to put those ambitious thoughts and desires into execution Gen. 3. 6. Shee took of the fruit thereof and did eat and gave to her husband with her and he did eat And the eyes of them both were opened and they knew that they were naked and they sewed fig-leaves together and made them aprons The fifth degree of the substantiall Adam or all those that are come up to that degree may examine themselves by the shadow which was our first parents thus as it followeth and it wil answer as face answereth face in a glasse for after they are come to the fourth degree which is to see the invisible God through the visible things that are made and also to see and beleeve our own righteousnesse which is by the Law to be the onely way and means by which they may become wise or like that God or to attain heaven And also the excellency of this fruit so set forth by the serpent they then with all their strength follow after their own righteousness and take of that fruit that was so lovely to the eye and so much to be desired to make one wise and eats thereof bear with the expression for it is a Metaphor much used in Scripture in such like words as these To feed upon husks and not bread Labour not for the meat that
out all those on whom this anointing or spirit of God comes into thus he threatneth and condemneth sinne Secondly He condemns sinne as being an Ensigne to be held to all those that he is a figure of to the end that they in the beholding of him may be changed into the same Image and become one with himself This is the second dispensation and that cloathing of skins which Adam was clothed with and as it was endeavoured by the first dispensation to cast man out of carnal pleasure and delight it was farre more endeavoured and neerer accomplished by the second dispensation for where it was said unto Adam and his wife did the Lord God make coats of Skins Gen. 13. 21. In the next verse it is said Behold the man is become like one of us Man must be cloathed by God with the righteousness of God before man become like God in either of his three relations so you see through the second dispensation man became like God and is also cast out of his carnall pleasure and delight God is the drawer of man out of sinne and self-righteousness There is a third dispensation by which The 7th degree of Adams rising man is wholly cast out of paradise kept out of paradise and brought in to a second and glorious paradise and that is the Spirit or Comforter the going away of the first is the coming of the second that of Mount Sinai must decrease Christ must increase so the going away of the second is the coming of the third as Moses gave place to Christ so Christ gave place to the Comforter It is expedient that I goe away or else the Comforter cannot come The first witnesseth to the second and saith Him shall ye hear in all things The second witnefleth to the third and saith I will send the Comforter and he shall lead you into all truth Upon the knowing of the third the second is to be known no more Although I have known Christ after the flesh yet henceforth desire I to know him so no more This is the new and spirituall birth for he that is in Christ is a new creature to him old things are done away and all things must become new the law did convince of Sin Christ in the flesh did convince of Sin and so endevoured to make man like God and cast him out of selvish and carnall Paradise but what the second dispensation could not doe the third dispensation is sent to doe it and therefore Christ saith When the Comforter commeth he shall convince the world of sin righteousnesse and judgment He shall convince the world of sin the Law did endevour this and Christ did endevour this and may be said to doe it as a meanes but it is the Spirit it self that doth compleatly accomplish this work this is the Word of God that divideth between the joynts and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart none can call Jesus Christ but by this Spirit and this is that which convinceth of sin and casteth man out of carnall pleasure and delight and not only so but by this Spirit we are brought into the antitypicall and spirituall paradise of God and therefore Christ saith He shall take of mine and shew it unto you This is made good to the Apostle he being under this dispensation of God who witnesseth the accomplishment of what was written by Isaiah touching this dispensation as it is written Eye hath not seen non ear hath not heard neither hath it entered into the heart of man but God hath revealed them unto us by his spirit For the Spirit searcheth all things even the deep things of God 1 Cor. 2. 9 10. Thus doth the Spirit take of God and shew it unto us this is the sword and this is the Cherubim that keeps the way of the tree of life that none can come to it but those whom it takes up to that paradise therefore the Apostle saith Such a man I knew who was taken up into Paradise and heard unspeakablewords which it is unlawfull for a man to utter this is the fire that will burn up all things as hay stubble straw or whatsoever is not of its own planting this shall be poured out upon the Governors of Judah they shall be as a hearth of fire among wood and as a torch in a sheaf of corn this is the Cherubim that brought a coal of fire from the Altar unto Isaiah by which he had his iniquities forgiven and was made fit to goe with Gods message when man is drove out of his carnality by this Spirit he is fit to till the ground from whence he was taken We may see God in a generall way through the other two dispensations but none can know God Scripture Sinne or Righteousness but by the Spirit all rules are uncertain but this rule of the new Creature and as many as walk according to this rule peace be unto them and to the Israel of God And thus you see how one God through 3 discoveries doth cast man out of earthly pleasure and delight therefore let us put him out a speech after the manner of men which holds forth abundance of mystery of which I have many things to say and hard to be uttered or understood seeing we are so dull of hearing that which I promised I shall here commend to the wise and onely point at two general Uses and leave what other Uses may be made of it unto you or the power of God leading you out unto it First If this be a truth that is here delivered Vse that no man fell in Adam really but figuratively as he did represent and assure us by his fall that we should fall in the like manner from hence we should be reconciled unto God and not to say that God is such a hard Mat. 25. 24. Master reaping where he never sowes and charge him with injustice iniquity and partiality in saying that all should dye for one mans fault you that are Christians and under the new Covenant what meane you by this Proverbe what meane you to say the fathers eat sower grapes and the Childrens teeth are set an edg and to shift your Jer. 31. 29. Ezek. 12. 24. owne necks out of the coller in charging your sinne upon another what meane you to make God a lyar when he saith As I live this Proverbe shall be no more but every one shall dye for his own iniquity and he that eateth the sowre grapes his teeth shall be set on edg therefore if you live in those dayes as the Prophets points at if you are Israell according to the Spirit if you are turned to the Lord this vail of Adam wil be taken away as well as the vail of Circumcision Tabernacle or Altar meats or drinks washings or purifyings or whatsoever of that nature they were all truths once but when the substance came the shadow was to be taken away as wel in the one