that day confounded Though the High Priest or any man that day without any feare might have entered the highest place and have touched and looked on the Arke but it was more then was then knowne to the high Priest Against this it may be objected Luke the Evangelist saith Luke 23 56. That the women according to the command of the Law rested from going to the sacred grave that day which command of the Law was the command of the propheticall Sabbath day I answer Luke the faithfull Historiographer of the sacred History doth faithfully relate the act of the religious women with the precise circumstance of the time of the act what the women then full of sorrow for the Lord of life were constrained to doe out of their respect to the command of the Sabbath which was that day in force for ought that the women did know But Luke doth not relate what the women might have done that day Neither had it been sitting for the Evangelist so to have done for the formall command of the Sabbath day as it was the formall propheticall Jews Sabbath day was not actually determined till it was determined by the next day the day of Christs resurrection from the grave to wit the Lords day though the prophesies of the Sabbath were then actually determined And so much for answer to the first Question To the second Question I answer That it had beene as impossible in any morall right by the command of the Law that the last Sabbath for the whole space whereof the blessed body of our Saviour rested in the sacred grave could have beene worshipped for the Lords day For first the mournfull sorrowfull and lamentable light of the sound of the word of the seventh day of the last Sabbath had been repugnant to the joyful Evangelicall sound light of the word of the Lords day Secondly the Evangelicall worship of the Lords day to have beene celebrate upon the last Sabbath had implyed a manifest contradiction in the command of the law for so the law should have commanded the day of the Lords resurrection to be worshipped in spirit and truth while as contrary to all truth the sensitive body of our Saviour did lye dead in the grave that day Thirdly by the commanded worship of that Sabbath to be celebrate by the Evangelicall worship of the Lords day had been contradictory to the sacred written Word of God by his eternall decree for the last enemy to be conquered by the Lord of life was the grave Fourthly the commanded Evangelicall worship of that day had been contradictory to Christs own prophesie which was that he should rise again the third day while by his Evangelicall worship he must have risen the second day Fifthly by such commanded Evangelicall worship of the last Sabbath the Apostles must have been false witnesses in preaching and proclaiming that the Lord was risen from the grave while his sacred body did rest in the grave Sixthly such Evangelicall worship of the last Sabbath had overthrown the chief Article of Christian faith For all Christians are obliged to believe that the Lord of life rose the third day from the grave and not the second day and so much for answer to the second question against this declaration of the Lords day three obejections are to be answered CHAP. XVI The reason that God is said to be Alpha and Omega the first and the last FIrst it may be objected that by the establishing of the Lords day for the Evangelicall morall seventh day of the law of faith there is one seventh day of the law implying the whole law lost in the account Now heaven and earth must perish before a jot or a tittle of the law shall perish Luke 86.17 For the law of God is eternall I answer By this account there is neither any jot or tittle of the seventh day of the law of God lost neither by this account is there my prejudice at all to the decreed six dayes work allowed by the law to man For the seventh day of the last Sabbath implying the whole law as Christ Jesus was obliged thereby as he is man was fulfilled by himself Now by the fulfilling of the law the law is established and not lost if man by his finall obstinate contempt of the law should escape the curse of the law at Christs second coming then the law we lost indeed Or if the Lord had not fulfilled the command of the seventh day of the last Sabbath as the Lord did oblige himself by the propheticall covenant the seventh day of the law implying the command of the whole law had been likewise utterly lost as man Christ Jesus the Son of God was obliged to the command of the law This objection therefore is easily answered by the former declaration For God and man being mutually obliged to the propheticall covenant by the seventh day of the law then by the name of the Sabbath of the Lord the obligement of man to the propheticall covenant was formally twofold First man to wit Adam and all men naturally to descend of Adam were formally obliged to the command of the seventh day as it was then the propheticall Sabbath obliging the faith of man to believe the promised rest of the blessed seed prophesied by the prophetical Sabbath untill the promised rest was fulfilled by the blessed seed Secondly man the Son of God Christ Iesus the blessed seed was formally obliged by the propheticall covenant to fulfill his promised rest by his obedience to the command of the seventh day of the last Sabbath as it was prophesied by the propheticall Sabbath who having fulfilled the command of the last Sabbath by his obedience even to the death of the Crosse by his redemption of man from the curse of the law for the sinne of Adam And by his rest in the grave after his death upon the last Sabbath haveing fulfilled the whole law in the command of the seventh day The eternall life and rest of the first seventh day lost by Adam was redeemed likwise for man and due by the law to our Saviours merit Now the eternall life and rest of man being in our Saviour The Lord by his resurrection from the grave did manifest himselfe truth to man by the fulfilling of his promised rest and in that truth Lord God Jesus Christ the eternall Son of God God equall with the Father and holy Spirit the eternall life and rest of man The day of whose resurrection being the just seventh day of the law as man naturally descended of Adam is obliged to the law of God the Lord by the power of his merit by his Evangelicall rest from the fulfilling of the law for man implying his bloody rest from the redemption of man from the curse of the law for the sinne of Adam doth command the day of his resurrection the Lords day to be worshipped by man for the seventh day of his Evangelicall law And therefore to conclude this answer The seventh
THE THEOLOGICALL KEY Of the three first COVENANTS Made by God with Man in the severall state of Man obliging Man to his Law after a severall formall manner from the beginning according to his sacred Decree of Predestination Fundamentally declared according to his sacred WORD and TRUTH By David Dunbar Esq This is life eternall to know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent John 17.3 LONDON Printed in the yeere 1646. TO THE CHRISTIAN READER BY the Judicious reading of this small Tractate fundamentally from the beginning the Reader is enabled to make the most powerfull objection against the word of truth to vanish with the objecters breath And to determine of all the misconceived opinions concerning universall redemption universall grace falling away totally and finally from grace originall sinne naturall corruption freedome of will merit by workes children departing this life unbaptized and such like all proceeding from the mistake of the sacred decree of Predestination which is here demonstratively and fundamentally resolved from the lowest effect in the supreme cause so farre as is revealed to man in this life arising from the three first Covenants made by God with man Thine in the Lord David Dunbar The Introduction leading the judicious Reader to the understanding of this Tractate THe perfect essentiall understanding of God being infinite as God in himselfe is infinite and consequently God in this sense being incomprehensible by the finite act of any created understanding God therefore is comprehensible by man by the onely light of the word of his severall seventh dayes rest as God from the beginning did manifest himselfe to man in his severall state and condition to bee honoured and worshipped by man upon the seventh day of his law of righteousnesse To whose worship the eternall blessing of the seventh dayes rest is due by the law to man in the severall state and condition of man The reason is because in the fulfilling of the commanded worship of God upon the seventh day of the Law of righteousnesse the whole law is necessarily fulfilled for the command of the seventh day of the Law of righteousnesse is that command which the Lord doth call the first and greatest Command to which the lesser command is like and necessarily implyed in the great command For as by the great Command the seventh dayes formall worship of God is first and immediately commanded by the immediate power of the word of the seventh dayes rest commanding all the actions of man proceeding from his love to God to worship God upon the seventh day of his law which is the summe of the first table of the law So by the lesser command all the actions of man proceeding from his love are commanded to the image of God to wit man Which twofold command is necessarily fulfilled in the fulfilling of the commanded formall worship of the seventh day of the law as God hath revealed himselfe to man by the word of his severall seventh dayes rest For as no man can love God whom he hath not seen who doth not love his image man whom he doth see And in this sense it is said that love is the fulfilling of the law So no man can love Gods image man but he must love God whose image man is and therefore it is said That he that loveth his brother hath fulfilled the Law As in the great Command therefore of the word of every severall seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousnesse the whole Law is necessarily commanded So in the fulfilling of the great Command of the seventh dayes rest the whole law is as necessariâ—â— fulfilled for if the love of man be defective either to God or to his image man mans worship is no worship And this is the reason that all the Covenants made by God with man from the beginning are established upon the immediate command of the word of every severall seventh dayes rest as God did manifest himself to man from the beginning to be worshipped by man in the severall state and condition of man for every severall covenant is established upon the condition of the fulfilling of the command of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the law of righteousnesse implying the command of the whole law though after a severall formall manner as God hath mafest himselfe to man in his severall state and condition by the word of his severall seventh dayes rest Now all the covenants made by God with man from the beginning being but the exercite act of his most sacred and most comfortable eternal decree of Predestination By the understanding therefore of the severall Covenants made by God with man from the beginning we are led fundamentally in the knowledge of God at God did manifest himselfe to man from the beginning The new Covenant therefore which is the last Covenant made by God with man being established upon the immediate command of the word of the seventh daies rest of the Evangelicall law of righteousnesse of faith which is the Lords day upon which blessed day the Lord by his glorious resurrection did rest from his fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed The Lords day therefore is the last period of the exercite act of the sacred decree of Predestination necessarily implying the exercite act of the whole decree so farre therefore as is revealed to man in this life As for the mystery of the Lords day after what manner it is the word of the seventh day of the Evangelicall law of righteousnesse of faith it is demonstrate from the truth of the sacred word immediately in this Tractate and set downe in the proper place For the Lords day must be the true seventh day of the Evangelicall law of righteousnes of faith or there is no object for the faith of man or any law to command man or any covenant to oblige God to man or any blessing by the Lords infinite merit by his Evangelicall seventh dayes rest to man for it is by the immediate power of the blessing of his infinite merit that man and the whole worke of the redemption is continued while there is day in this life By the light therefore of the Lords day which is the word of the seventh daies rest of the Evangelicall Law of righteousnesse of faith we are led fundamentally and demonstratively from the lowest effect of the sacred decree of predestination to the first supreme cause necessarily implying the light of all the Covenants made by God with man from the beginning Which supreme cause is God The understanding therefore of the Covenants made by God with man from the beginning is the understanding of God which is called the mystery of God In which understanding is eternall life and therfore the Lord saith this is life eternall to know thee to be the only true God The reason is because the word of promise whereby God and man are mutually obliged by Covenant is the immediate object of faith without which it
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
from the redemption of man from the curse of the Law and from his fulfilling of the Law for man by his bloody rest was likewise infinit By the power of whose infinit merit by the Lords daies Evangelicall rest as it is the word of the eternall life and rest of man the formall worship of the Lords day is commanded in spirit and truth And therefore the Lord told the Samaritan woman The houre commeth and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father and consequently the Son and holy Spirit in Spirit and truth For God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and truth By which words the formall Evangelicall worship of the Lords day is both set downe and commanded by the Lord of the Lords day For first the Lord told the Samaritan woman commanding her to beleeve that the houre should come which is the houre of the Lords day which was then to come Secondly the Lord commanded the Samaritan woman to beleeve that God is a Spirit and must be worshipped in Spirit and truth that is in the Spirit of faith in the truth of his Evangelicall rest fâ—om the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed Which is the formall Evangelicall commanded worship of the Lords day which must be sanctified by man after that formall manner in the Spirit of faith in the truth of the Lords merit by his Evangelicall rest as he hath manifested himselfe to man by the day of his resurrection to wit Lord God and man in the three coessentiall distinct Persons of the glorious Trinity Thirdly whereas the Lord told the Samaritan woman that God must be worshipped in Spirit and truth and that the Father requireth such worship The formall Evangelicall worship of the Lords day is immediatly commanded by the Lord of the Lords day for Gods will and requiring of man by his word is the Lords immediate command to man Fourthly whereas the Lord said to the Samaritan woman the houre is in these words the Lords last will testament to be executed after the testators death is fully implied for in the commanded worship of the Lords day the whole Evangelicall morall Law of God which is the whole Evangelicall word is necessarily implied Fiftly while as the Lord saith to the Samaritan woman the houre cometh when ye shall neither worship the Father in this Mountaine or at Jerusalem By these words the formall ceremoniall worship of the propheticall Sabbath implying the whole propheticall ceremoniall Law is actually determined by the actuall immediate commanded Evangelicall worship of the Lords day to the great comfort of both Jewes and Gentiles in tâ—eir freedome from the sore yoake of the ceremoniall Law Conclusion 11. All propheticall ceremoniall worship is barred from the truth of the Lords commanded worship for by such ceremoniall worship the truth of the Lords fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed is belied and necessarily denied by the will worship of man Conclusion 12. All ceremoniall pretended worship of God by any maner of carved or painted Image objectively representing to the eyes of man the Son of God as he is man is contradictory to the truth of the Lords commanded worship by his Evangelicall rest from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed as he is God and man For first by this ceremoniall pretended worship God is immediatly worshipped as he is man Secondly by the intervening of the sensitive object between the Lord and his worship the Lords worship is necessarily interrupted and consequently the worship a false faithles idolatrous worship necessarily denying the truth of the Lords commanded worship Conclusion 13. All mediate pretended worship of God by invocation of Angels or Saints departed this life is repugnant to the Lords infinit merit by the truth of his Evangelicall rest For first by the immediate object of such worship intervening between the worshipper and the Lord as by his infinit merit he is eternall life rest the infinitnes of his merit is confined Secondly prayer being a most essentiall part of Gods immediate worship by such invocation of the object to which the prayer is directed the worship of God is necessarily interrupted while as man by the Lords owne immediate command is commanded to call upon the Lord himselfe immediatly in the day of trouble and neither upon Saint or Angel And consequently such mediate pretended worship of God equall idolatry with the former Conclusion 14. As all men for their first sinne in Adam as head were condemned to the curse of eternall death and darknes So by the infinit powâ—â— of the Lords merit all men were redeemed in Adam as head from the curse of eternall death and from eternall naturall and spirituall darknes shuâ— up its â—â—mâ—orall spirituall darknes called unbeleefe and originall sinne for â—he infinit good of man Conclusion 15. As by the perfection of the redemption of man by the power of the Lords infinit free merit all men are freed from the curse of eternall naturall morall and spirituall death and from the eternall curse of naturall morall and spirituall darknesse though shut up in temporall spirituall darknes So all men by the redeemed free power of the word in the heart as they are naturall men are restored to the free grace of naturall and morall life and light without any manner of necessitating the act of the understanding will or senses either naturally or morally Conclusion 16. All men redeemed from the curse of the Law by the eternall decree of predestination being concluded in spirituall darknes called unbeleefe and originall sinne all naturall men comming to actual morall understanding and action before they be regenerate are necessarily dead in actuall sinne by their transgression of the Law of faith Conclusion 17. By the redeemed word of the Law in the heart of man man is the Image of God in his Son Christ Jesus as he hath revealed himselfe by the light of the word of the Lords day truth love and mercy First therefore the naturall man by the power of the redeemed word of the Law written in his heart is enabled to produce the workes of truth love and mercy morally though not spiritually which are the workes of morall faith Secondly and consequently by the reall unity of the power of light and command of the word of the Law in his heart with the light and command of the Lords day the naturall mans heart is morally moved to assent and to beleeve the truth of the Lords day and to give morall obedience to the command of the Law implied in the Lords day Thirdly and consequently by the power of the redeemed word in the heart man is enabled to morall repentance which doth necessarily proceed the act of morall faith Conclusion 18. All tenents and assertions denying the universall grace of the redemption of all men from the curse of the Law for their sinne in Adam shut up in spirituall darknes called unbeleefe and sinne
are contradictory to the truth of the Lords infinit merit contradictory to the whole current of the sacred word and consequently to the sacred decree of predestination Conclusion 19. All tenents and assertions denying the freedome of the naturall mans redeemed grace by the free act of his understanding will and senses without any manner of the necessitating of the free act of man either naturally or morally are contradictory to the perfection of the redemption of man by the Lords infinit merit For the naturall mans will being necessitate either naturally or morally man is no man as hath bin formerly demonstrate And consequently the naturall man by the perfection of his redemption is enabled with morall grace by the act of his understanding actually enlightned by the literall light of the Lords day to understand morally the grace of the Lords merit of eternall life and rest and by the act of his will to beleeve morally the Lords offered grace as hath bin formerly declared Conclusion 20. All tenents and assertions affirming the universall spirituall grace of man by the only act of the redemption which grace is only by the spirituall light of the holy Spirit enlightning the spirituall darknesse of the naturall man in the act of regeneration are contradictory to the sacred word and consequently to the sacred decree of predestination For all men freed from the curse of eternall death and darknesse are shut up in temporall spiritual darknes called unbeleef and sin by the eternall decree of God Conclusion 21. By all tenents and assertions affirming that the naturall man by his morall good workes doth merit eternall life The infinitnesse of the Lords merit is denied Such assertions are contradictory to the very words of the new Covenant For by the new covenant the morall blessing of the Lords merit of eternall life is immediatly offered to the morall faith of the beleever And therefore the Evangelicall Law is called the Law of righteousnesse of faith and not the Law of workes for from the morall faith of the naturall man his morall good workes doe immediatly proceed and consequently can merit nothing at all and therefore the morall blessing of the Lords day as it is the seventh day of the Evangelicall Law is due morally and immediatly by the Law to the morall faith of the naturall man whose faithfull workes of truth love and mercy are mediatly commanded as the effects of his morall faith whereby the truth of the Lords infinit love and mercy is testified by the naturall man without the blessing of whose truth by the Lords infinit merit the naturall man could not so much as craule upon the earth Conclusion 22. All tenents and assertions affirming that the free grace of the Lords infinit merit by the new Covenat is offered only to the elect are contradictory to the very words of the new Covenant whereby the free grace â—f thâ— Lords infinit merit of eternall life and rest is freely offered to all the Nations of the world And therefore this state is called the state of grace for though the state of man under the propheticall obligement of the Law of faith in the promise of the blessed seed was likewise the state of grace yet that was the estate of promised grace and this is the state of grace of that fulfilled promise for as the faithfull Fathers were saved from the curse of the propheticall Law by faith in the promise of the blessed seed So the faithfull are now sâ—ved by faith in the fulfilled promise Conclusion 23. All tenents and assertions whereby the faith of the beleever and the Lords infinit merit are seperate and devided which is the Rocke whereon the Lord told Peter the Church of God is builded are false and adulterous tenents and assertions arising from the false light of errour Now because the Church of God is so much distempered by a multitude of such tenents and objections all arising from the false light of the spirit of error two short Theologicall Canons or rules shall be set downe whereby the judicious Reader is enabled to make the strongest objection against the truth of the sacred word to vanish with the objecters breath By meanes whereof the spirit of error is discovered according to the Apostles command CHAP. X. The first Canon ALL tenents and assertions of faith repugnant to the literall light and truth of the Evangelicall word of the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall Law of righteousnesse of faith are from the false light of the spirit of error The second Canon All pretended worship of God repugnant to the truth of the commanded Evangelicall worship of the Lords day is a false adulterous worship The explanation of the twofold Canon As the immediate object of faith is the Lords infinit merit by his rest and resurrection from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed the eternall life light and rest of man So is the literall light of the Lords day the light whereby the object is enlightned to be apprehended by the faith of man which being one reall light with the literall light of the redeemed word of truth love and mercy written in the heart of man whereby man doth live move and hath his being As by this literall light the naturall mans understanding is morally produced in act to apprehend the object of the Lords merit as it is the Lords truth So his will by its love to that truth is moved to apprehend the object of the Lords merit as it is the eternall life light and rest of man This literall light is in the sound of the word of the Lords dâ—y For as by the light of the Sunne fire or of any materiall light the understanding of man is produced in act by the mediate sense of seeing So the sâ—uâ—d of the word is the light whereby the understanding is produce in act by the mediate sense of hearing I doe not meane heare the light of the sound of the words â—s â—â—â—y are simply words but as they are the sound of the Evangelicaâ— word of the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall law of faith the word of the eternall life and light of man which being founded by the faithfull Minister in the naturall mans hearing his understanding and will is morally produced in act to understand and believe the truth of the Lords fulfilled promise of the blessed seed as the Lord did graciously oblige himself to man by covenant which was fulfilled by the Lords twofold resurrection The first was by his resurrection from the grave the second was by his resurrectiâ—â— from the earth to the heavens from whence he did descend For as the Word is man the Son of God with the Father and holy Spirit before all time he did descend from the heavens to the earth and as the Word is man the Son of God made flesh of the seed of the woman in time he did ascend again to the heavens This twofold resurrection of the
Word doth comprehend the twelve Articles of Christian faith all depending one upon another like as many links of a chain linked one into another all arising from the literall light of the Lords day by his rest and resurrection from the fulfilling of his promise of the blâ—ssed seed as the Lord did graciously oblige himself to man by the covenant First therefore of the Lords resurrection from the grave and next of his resurrection from the earth by his ascention to the heavens The Lords resurrection from the grave doth comprehend these ten fundamentall points of faith First by the literal light of the sound of the evangelicall Word of the Lords day really one with the literall light of the redeemed Word of the Law written in the heart of man whereby man doth live move and hath his redeemed state of being the naturall mans understanding is morally produced in act by the mediate sense of hearing to understand that the Lords resurrection from the grave was the last period of his rest from the redemption of man and all things lost by man from the curse of the Law for the first sin of Adam And that the Lords resurrection from the grave was from the bloody rest in the grave and his bloody rest in the grave from his sustâ—iâ—ing of the bloody cursed death of the crosse and his bloody cursed death of the crosse from his love and mercy to man Secondly as by our Saviâ—urs bloody death and rest in the grave necessarily presupposing his birth and life our Saviour did manifest himself true man so by our Saviours gracious words glorious wonders and miracles while he was personally upon earth as our Saviour was man the Son of God before all time so he did manifest himself man the Son of God in time begot of the seed of the woman by the overshadowing act of the Almighty Thirdly as our Saviour as he is the eternall Son of God by his sustaining of the eternall curse of the Law did merit the salvation of Adam and of all men naturally to descend of Adam from the first death which was the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam so our Saviour by his bloody rest in the grave for the full space of the seventh day of the last Sabbath whereby the Law was fulfilled as he was obliged to the Law for man as our Saviour is the eternall Son of God he did merit the eternall life and rest of the first seventh day lost by Adam due by the Law to his eternall merit which is the blessing of the Lords day offered to the faith of all the nations of the world by the new covenant whereby all the faithfull are saved from the second death which is the curse of the Law of faith Fourthly by the literall light of the sound of the word of the Lords day the naturall mans understanding is morally produced in act by the mediat sense of hearing to understand that the Lords resurrection from the grave was by his rest from the power of eternall death and darknesse of hell from the eternall curse of the Law the cause of eternall death from sin which he made himself for man the cause of the curse of the Law from the power of Satan the cause of sin and from the power of the grave his last enemy whereby the Lord by the immediate act of his own immediate infinite power did gloriously and triumphantly manifest himself truth to man by the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed and in that truth love and mercy to man and by that truth love and mercy Lord God and man in the essentiall union of the divine and humane nature Lord God and man equall with the Father and holy Spirit Lord God and man equall with the Father by the work of the redemption of man eternally lost by the eternall curse of the Law and by the redemption of the creatures which were cursed for the sin of man which are equall to the works of the creation and the Lord did manifest himself Lord God and man equall with the holy Spirit as by the continuall influence of his blessing the creatures which he hath redeemed are conserved in their redeemed estate which is the proper blessing of the holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son The name Lord therefore is the name of the essentiall union of the divine and humane nature necessarily implying the three coessentiall distinct persons of the glorious Trinity and consequently implying the name Jesus and Christ For as by the Lord God and man the lost creatures are râ—stored the Lord is the Father Lord and commander of the creatures And as he is the Saviour of man from eternall death he is Jesus the eternall Son of God aâ—d as by the continuall influence of his blessing the creatures are conserved he is Christ the anointed with the oile of gladnesse the holy Spirit and sanctifier and consequently as the redeemed word written in the heart of man by the power of which redeemed word the naturall man doth live move and hath his redeemed state and grace of naturall and morall being is the Image of God in his Son Christ Jesus so the redeemed word in the heart of man is the Image of the Lords truth love and mercy whereby the naturall man is morally enabled by the act of his understanding and will to produce the works of truth love and mercy Fifthly the Lords rest and resurrection from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed being by his infinite immediate power his merit by his resurrection and rest is infinite and his love and mercy to man by his rest is infinite Sixthly as by the infinit power of the Lords merit by his resurrection and rest the day of the Lords resurrection is blessed and sanctified for his worship by man to whose faithfull worship the infinite blessing of the Lords merit of eternall life and rest is due by the Evangelicall law of faith so by the infinite power of his merit the Evangelicall worship of the Lords day is immediatly commanded and in that immediate worship as the Lords day is the Evangelicall seventh day of the Evangelicall law of faith implying the command of the whole law the whole Evangelicall law is commanded obliging all the nations of the world to believe the truth of the Lords fulfilled promise to whose faith the blessing of the Lords Evangelicall eternall rest is due by the law whereby the faithfull man is saved from the second death which is the curse of the law of faith and doth enjoy eternall life Seventhly the naturall man being commanded to believe that by faith in the Lords merit he is saved from the second death and Evangelicall faith being the act of the redeemed heart of man and the originall of all his naturall and morall actions to which all men are inabled by the power of the redeemed Word of truth love and mercy written in the heart of man faith
written in his heart And next of his life and light of righteousnesse This naturall light proceeding from the naturall life of man is called the rationall light of man And from this rationall light which is a mixed light man is said to be a rationall creature As from the pure intellectuall light of the soule man is said to be an intellectuall creature By this rationall light proceeding from the naturall life of man as hee is man intellectuall and sensitive as the naturall understanding of man is rationally produced in act to understand the species of the externall sensitive object received in the understanding so his sensitive powers are produced in act to know the externall sensitive object rationally And the externall light whereby the externall sensitive object is actually enlightned to bee apprehended by the act of the senses of man is the naturall light of the creatures created for man as the light of the Sunne Moon Stars the light of fire and such like whereby the sense of seeing is produced rationally in act So is found to the sense of hearing relish to the taste odour to the smelling and taction if I may use the terme to the tactive sense all arising from the severall nature of the creature and proportionate to the severall externall sense of man which naturall light of the creatures is really one with the naturall light of the words in the heart of man though of a formall difference the one formally naturall the other formally rationall And as the creatures were created for man so man and the creatures were continued in the state of their created perfection by the immediat blessing of God by his word of the first seventh dayes rest of the law of righteousnesse while man did stand in the perfection of his obedience to the commands of God for it is by the only immediate blessing of the word of the seventh dayes rest that God doth give the influence of his blessing to the naturall life and light of man and to the creatures created for man and to the spirituall life and light of man By this rationall light the understanding of man as he is man intellectuall and sensitive is rationally produced in act by the three operations of the act of the understanding according to Aristotle the first whereof is the apprehension of the simple tearmes of the species of the externall sensitive object received in the understanding as the received species doth represent the truth of the sensitive externall object The second is the compounding of things inseperable apprehended in the received species and the dividing of things separable The third is in discurring and as it were running from the things apprehended and knowne in the received species to conclude things unknowne And from this last operation of the understanding the rationall act of the understanding is called discursive And the conclusion inferred by this discursive act is only probable and hence doth arise the formall difference of the act of the understanding of man as he is man intellectuall and sensitive and of the act of the understanding of man as he is intellectuall for the rationall discursive act of the understanding is formally probable inferring only a probable conclusion called Opinion But the intellectuall act of the understanding is formally necessary definitive and scientificall equall with the perfect demonstration called Science But the rationall light whereby the rationall and intellectuall act of the understanding is produced in act is one reall act light though the one to wit the intellectuall light bee a pure unmixed light which is the naturall light of the word as is immediately written in the soule and the other a mixed light proportionate to the rationall act of the understanding and senses of man To make this appear by a familiar example of the Sun As the Sun is placed in the midst of the planets the three superiour planets are inlightened by the pure light of the Sun whereby they give downe the influence of their severall natures to the sublunary creatures And as the Sunne doth passe through the orbs of the three inferiour planets through the region of the fire and the three regions of the aire the light and heat of the Sun is mixed qualified and proportionate to the temper of the severall natures of the sublunary creatures As this twofold light therefore of the Sun is really one so is the light of the word written in the soule and heart of man which is the image of the naturall life and light of the Son of righteosnesse really one Next of the light of man proceeding from his life of righteousnesse By the literall light of the word in the heart of man which is the light of the letter of the Law the understanding of man as hee is man intellectuall and sensitive is l terally produced in act according to the letter of the Law of righteousnesse implyed in the command of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of God for the literall light and command of the word of the seventh dayes rest and the literall light and command of the word of the Law of righteousnesse written in the heart of man is one reall light and command And this light of the word written in the heart of man as it is the lighâ— of the word as the word is a Law to man is as it were a great lumpe of light set upon a table in the heart enlightning all the species of the externall sensitive objects as they are received in the understanding By this great light first man is inabled by the act of his understanding as he is man intellectuall and sensitive to discerne and to judge the species received in the understanding by the act of his mediate senses whether the sensitive object be apprehended by the senses inlightened by the light of the Law or whether it be apprehended by the act of the senses inlightned by the false adultrous light of Satan whereby Satan doth continually betray man to transgresse the Law of God Secondly by this great light as it is the light of the word commanding man really one with the light and command of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the law of righteousnesse man is inlightened to understand that he is commanded to reject the species of the sensitive object inlightened by the false adulterous light of Satan which is alwayes contrary to the command of the Law and to apprehend the species inlightened by the light of the Law at his pleasure And this is that great light which is called the light and Law of conscience As by the power of this great literall light in the heart of man really one with the literall light of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law the understanding of man as he is man intellectuall and sensitive is literally and morally produced in act So by the power of this light his senses are literally cognoscitively produced in act to
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
notwithstanding that Adams will was subjectively necessitate by the pretended absolute decree is from a simile of a man riding upon a lame horse for though the rider be the efficient cause of the horses going the way which the horse is directed by the rider yet the rider is not the cause of the horses lame going To this I answer If the horse be lamed by the rider the rider is the efficient cause of the horses lame going Now the absolute decree is the rider and Adam is the lame horse lamed by the absolute decree Adams will therefore being subjectively lamed by the absolute decree Adam must give lame obedience to the command of God by his Law The third instance followeth CHAP. III. The positive and permissive power of God proceeding immediatly from his eternall Decree of Predestination is by the immediate power of the Word THe third instance whereby God is pretended to be freed from being the first author of sinne notwithstanding that Adams will was subjectively necessitate by the absolute Decree is pretended to be from the Scripture in these words Act. 4.28 Herod Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and the people of Israel did gather together and doe what thy hand and councell had determined to bee done From hence and such like places of the Scripture it is concluded Gods hand and Councell did decree and determine from all eternity what was done in the crucifying of man Christ Jesus the Sonne of God Gods hand and Councell therefore from all eternity did determine to necessitate Adams will by his eternall Decree which was the cause of Christs death I answer the inference is fallacious and therefore for clearing of the point it is to be understood that Gods eternall Decree is the act of his will The act of his Will is either immanent or transeant to his creatures The immanent act of his Will is his Councell and Decree and in this sense Gods Councell and Decree is God himselfe infinite and eternall power and his Decree eternall with himselfe As the act of his will by his Councell and eternall Decree is transeant to his creatures it is the hand of his power and his power is the power of his word of his seventh dayes rest as it is the image of the infinite essentiall word power it selfe his word therefore is the hand of his power whereby the act of his will by his eternall Councell â—â—d Decree is execute upon earth for it is by the immediate power of his blessing by the word of his severall seventh dayes rest in the severall state and condition of man that the word in the heart of man whereby he liveth and moveth is blessed and continued naturally morally and spiritually and that the naturall life of the creatures created by the word are preserved The word therefore of every severall seventh dayes rest is the Decree of God to man as God hath revealed himselfe to be known and worshipped by man in the severall state and condition of man and therefore the severall Covenants made by God with man in his severall state and condition are established upon the immediate command of the word of every severall seventh dayes rest Adam therefore in his greatest state of perfection must not exceed the revealed light of the word of the first seventh dayes rest to pry in the secret Councell of God and to know what God had decreed concerning man Now the hand of God by the power of his word is either positive or permissive By the hand of Gods positive power by his word God doth actually and positively concurre with the act of his creature whereby the decreed act of his will is execute upon earth By the permissive power of his word God doth permit the act of his creature to doe what God hath decreed to be done or he doth restraine and divert the act of his creature as it is contrary to that which God hath decreed to be done Gods permissive power by his word in this two-fold sense is either necessary or free By the necessary permissive power of his word God in his justice doth necessarily permit what he hath obliged himselfe unto by Covenant proceeding immediately from his eternall decree What God doth otherwise permit God doth most freely permit and in this sense God is said to be a most free Agent By the permissive power therefore of his word the decreed act of his will is equally execute as by the positive power of the word in which twofold power the providence of God to his creatures doth consist God therefore according to his eternall Councell and Decree having created man male and female in such an admirable state of naturall and spirituall perfection as all the created powers of God were not able to necessitate Adams will to disobey the command of God by his word and God having obliged himselfe by Covenant to Adam and to all men created in Adam to the continuation of the eternall blessing of the word of the first seventh dayes rest upon the eternall continuation of the perfection of Adams obedience and to inflict the eternall curse of the Law by eternall death upon Adams disobedience to the command of his word which was the necessary command of the word of the first seventh dayes rest God without highest injustice by the breach of his Covenant could neither restraine Satan from tempting Adam or support Adam being tempted by Satan And this was the hand of Gods necessary permissive power by his word to permit Satan to tempt Adam Satan therefore in this temptation did doe but what Gods Councell by the necessary hand of the permissive power of his word had decreed and determined to be done for God by his eternall Decree by his Covenant had barred himselfe from restraining of Satans tempting of Adam or from supporting of Adam tempted by Satan So in like manner to come to the word of the Scripture objected by the propugnators of the absolute Decree God according to his Councell and Decree from all eternity having obliged himselfe by Covenant in the promise of the blessed seed to Adam and to all men condemned to the curse of eternall death in Adam the head that man the eternall Son of his love Christ Jesus should become man of the seed of the woman in time and by his cursed death of the Crosse redeemed Adam and all men condemned in Adam from the curse of the Law for the sinne of Adam God therefore in his justice by his Covenant did barre himselfe from the restraining of the acts of Satan and of his cruell instruments in the crucifying of the Lord of life and this was the hand of the necessary permissive power of his word to Herod Pontius Pilate to the Gentiles to the people of Israel to Judas and to the rest of that bloody band Acts 4.28 who did nothing in this case but what Gods eternall Councell and Decree determined to be done by the hand of the permissive power of his word
righteousnesse Creator by his word of the first seventh dayes rest Secondly God of the law of righteousnesse of faith in the promise of the blessed seed by the word of his Sabbaticall seventh dayes rest whereby God did manifest himselfe to man God in the three coessentiall distinct persons of the Trinity Creator and Redeemer of man first Prophetically by the woâ—d the Propheticall seventh day of the law then by the name of the Sabbath of the Lord And now Evangelically by the word of the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall law of righteousnesse of faith Secondly by the word of election which is onely in the Lord Iesus Christ the eternall Sonne of God God equall with the Father and holy Spirit the creation of man in the state of perfection the obliging of man to the first covenant the fall of man under the eternall curse of the law and the redemption of man from the curse is necessarily implyed Thirdly by the condemnation of man out of the alone pleasure of God to the eternall torments of hell which is the curse of the law both the merit of man by the transgression of the law and the justice of God by condemning of man are necessarily implyed So that this absolute pretended decree which the Authors doe obtrude to us as free from all respect by the very tearms whereby they doe expresse their imaginary decree is charged with all manner of respect subordinate to God and consequently there is a flat contradiction between the furmised opinion and the tearmes whereby the opinion is expressed The absolute decree therefore being repugnant to the literall light and truth of the word of the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall law of faith necessarily implying the literall light of all the severall word of the seventh dayes rest from the foundation of the world The absolute decree according to our twofold Theologicall Canon set downe in the tenth Chap. of the second book of our Theologicall key is a false and adulterous tenent of faith arising from the spirit of error This error doth proceed from the confounding of the immanent and transeant act of God which must no wayes be confounded for the immanent act of God being God himselfe essentially is only absolute necessary infinite and incomprehensible by the act of any created understanding And his transeant act is only free which as it is transeant and terminate to man it is onely by his word which is his law to man the image of his eternall life and light of righteousnesse necessarily implying the naturall life and light of the word for by the onely power of the word written in the heart of man man is inabled to understand God by the word of the seventh day of the law as God hath revealed himselfe to man by his severall seventh dayes rest from the beginning Now the surmised decree being absolute and without all subordinate respect it is pretended to be the immanent act of God but because the immanent act of God is infinite The maintainers of the absolute decree are constrained to expresse their imaginary opinion by the tearmes of the transeant act of God which is by his word for the salvation and damnation of man is the twofold reward of the word and law of God to wit the blessing and curse of the law Fourthly and lastly by the salvation of man out of the alone pleasure of God without respect to the Lord Jesus Christ the alone pleasure of God doth intervene between the faith of man and the Lords merit whereby the faith of man is overthrown and by the damnation of man out of the alone pleasure of God without respect to the merit of man the alone pleasure of God by the condemning of man doth intervene between the merit of man by the transgression of the law and the law whereby the justice of God is overthrowne Now though the fearefull unworthinesse of this miserable opinion doth not merit the refutation thereof by any Theologicall penne yet for the Readers satisfaction I thus demonstrate that such a pretended absolute decree never was or could be decreed by God 1. That absolute decree whereby God is affirmed to elect and condemne man out of his alone pleasure without all respect to God as he is God of the law of righteousnesse That decree never was or could be decreed by God By this absolute decree God is affirmed to elect and condemne man out of his alone pleasure without all respect to God as he is God of the law of righteousnesse This absolute pretended decree therefore never was or could be decreed by God 2. That pretended absolute decree whereby God is affirmed out of his alone pleasure to elect and condemne man without all respect to his subordinate word as his word is his law to man That decree never was or could be decreed by God By this absolute pretended decree God is affirmed out of his alone pleasure to elect and condemne man without respect to his subordinate word as his word is his law to man This absolute pretended decree therefore never was or could be decreed by God 3. That absolute pretended decree whereby God is affirmed out of his alone pleasure to elect man to salvation without all subordinate respect of his love and mercy to man in his Sonne Christ Jesus that decreee never was or could bee decreed by God By this pretended decree God is affirmed out of his alone pleasure to elect man to salvation without all subordinate respect of his love and mercy to man in his Sonne Christ Iesus This pretended absolute decree therefore never was or could be concluded by God 4. That pretended miserable absolute degree whereby God out of his alone pleasure is affirmed to condemne man to the eternall curse of the law without any subordinate respect to the merit of man by transgressing of his law That miserable decree never was or could be decreed by God By this miserable pretended absolute decree God is affirmed to condemne man to the eternal curse of the law out of Gods alone pleasure without all subordinate respect to the merit of man by transgressing of the law This miserable absolute pretended decree therefore never was or could be decreed by God 5. That pretended miserable absolute decree which is repugnant to his suordinate justice by his law of righteousnesse whereby he decreed from all eternity to oblige both himselfe and man That miserable decree never was or could be decreed by God This miserable pretended absolute decree is repugnant to Gods subordinate justice by his law of righteousnesse whereby he decreed from all eternity to oblige both himselfe and man This miserable pretended decree therefore never was or could be decreed by God 6. That miserable absolute pretended decree whereby it is affirmed that the will of man in his state of perfection was necessitate to fall under the fearefull eternall curse of the law contrary to Gods obliging of himselfe by his
assertion Adams will is not affirmed to be necessitate to fall under the fearfull curse of the law by any actor decree of God Seventhly contradictory to the opinion of the maintainers of the absolute decree the gracious promises of salvation are affirmed to be made to all the nations of the world Eighthly contradictory to the opinion of the maintainers of the absolute decree the redemption of all men from the curse of the law for the sin of Adam is necessarily implied in this assertion Ninthly this assertion ontradictory to the absolute decree is consonant to the literall light of the Lord dayes Evangelicall rest necessarily implying the literall light of his bloody sabbaticall seventh dayes rest and consequently the literall light of all the seventh dayes rest of the eternall word from the foundation of the world upon which severall seven dayes rests all the severall covenants made by God with man are imediatly established as hath been faithfully delivered throughout this whole Tractate whereby the whole exercite act of the sacred decree of predestination is execute by the eternall Word imediatly To the end therefore that the judicious Reader may conceive that this assertion by receiving of this safe construction is consonant with the exercit act of the sacred decree by the severall covenants made by God with man The covenants shall be resolved by demonstrative resolution from the last effect in the supreme cause for a full conclusion of this whole Tractate CHAP. IV. The demonstrative resolution of the sacred decree of eternall predestination from the last effect of the covenants of God made with man in the supreme indemonstrable cause THe first three covenants made by God with man are only the execution or to use the school phrase the exercit act of the eternall decree of predestination so far as is revealed thereof to man in this life by the truth of the sacred word Which three severall formall Covenants are established betweene God and man upon the immediate command of the word of the seventh day of the law of God implying the command of the whole law obliging the obedience of man to his law as God hath revealed himselfe to man by his severall formall seventh daies rest The first Covenant is established upon the immediate command of the word of the first seventh day of the law whereby God by his first seventh daies rest from the works of the creation did manifest himselfe externally by his word to Adam Creator of heaven and earth of man and of the creatures created for man As by the lively word of the law written in Adams heart God did reveale himselfe internally to Adam God of the law of righteousnes By which lively word in Adams heart Adam was enabled to fulfill the command of the law implied in the first seventh day by fulfilling whereof Adam was to merit the continuation of the perfection of his created estate and felicity eternally upon earth But Adam and all men created in Adam naturally to discend of Adam by his disobedience deceived by the trechery of Satan was condemned by the first Covenant to the curse of the law by eternall death and darknesse Vpon Gods eternall prescience of which fearfull fall of man by Satans malicious trechery God out of his infinit love and mercy to man in his Son Christ Jesus did decree from eternity to revenge the blood of man upon Satan by man the only son of his love who according to his eternall decree made his second Covenant with man in the promise of the blessed seed which Covenant called the old Covenant is established upon the word of the second seventh daies promised rest then by the name of the Sabbath of the Lord obliging Adam and all men naturally to descend of Adam to beleeve the Lords promised rest of the blessed seed who did covenant to rest upon the Sabbath from the redemption of man from the curse of the law for the sinne of Adam By the third seventh daies rest which is the Lords daies rest the Lord by his resurrection from the dead did rest from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed upon the immediate command of which seventh day to wit the Lord day The new Covenant is established betweene God and man obliging all men to beleeve the fulfilling of the Lords promise by his Evangelicall seventh daies rest to whose faith the â—lâ—ssing of the Lords infinit meâ—it by his Evangelicall seventh daies rest is due by the new Covenant The old and new Covenant therefore being really one the one containing the gracious promise of the blessed seed the other the fulfilling of the promise by the resolution of the new Covenant both are resolved in this demonstrative resolution therefore the first and new Covenant are resolved For the Readers better conceiving of this resolution First both the first and new Covenant are to be resolved first as both the Covenants are referred to God and next as they are referred to man Secondly it is to be observed that all the mediate effects arising from the Covenants as they are effects produced by the next immediate superior cause So the same effects are the immediate causes of the next immediate subordinate effect All except the supreame indemonstrable cause of all And except the immediate cause of Adams and Eves fal which have no positive influence from the decree of God though God did decree from all eternity to permit the fall of both for God did Covenant with man to leave Adam to the freedome of his own election to stand or fall at his pleasure and perill So that all the mediate causes and effects of the decree are like so many linkes of a chaine linkt one into another all depending from the supreme cause of all for as they doe all proceed from the supreme cause so they doe all returne to the same supreame indemonstrable cause So that if a man be disposed to set out the decree in a table the two linkes of the chain where Satan doth deceive Eve by the Serpent and Eve doth induce Adam to fall must not be linct one into another but must contiguously depend after such a form in a Table which the Author did intend if he had lived Thirdly it is to be observed that God by obliging both of himselfe and man upon the word of the seventh day of his Law God and man by his law are linkt and as it were chained and bound one to another God doth binde himselfe to man to the eternall continuation of the blessing of his seventh dayes rest and man to the eternall continuation of his obedience to the command of his law and to the eternall curse of the law upon his disobedience which mutuall bond is the maine ground from whence all the mediate cause effects of the Covenâ—â—ts do arise to the supream cause both as the Covenants are referred to God and as they are referred to man The fourth thing to be observed in this demonstrative â—â—solution