the holy place every year with bloud of others For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the World But now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself And as it is appointed unto men once to die but after this the judgement So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation To which you may adde that of Peter For Christ also hath once suffered for sins the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God And 1 John 2.1 If any man sin we have an advocate with the Father Iesus Christ the Righteous and he is a propitiation for our sins And if he was so in S. Iohn's time why not alwaies Furthermore Romans 5.6 For when we were yet without strength in due time Christ died for the ungodly He saies not by the ungodly but for the ungodly which therefore cannot be allegorized but into Nonsense Like that verse 10. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the Death of his Son Is any one reconciled by killing the Holy Life the Mystical Christ in him Wherefore it is plain that in S. Paul's time the Humane Person of Christ was the high Priest who was an Atonement with God by the sacrifice of himself And God has not declared any where that he has or ever will put him out of his Office till his coming again to Iudgement when he shall appear the second time without sin unto Salvation as you heard out of the Author to the Hebrews that is When he shall not bring his sin-offering with him viz. an earthly mortal body capable of Crucifixion but shall appear as a glorious Judge to complete Salvation to all them that truely believe in him and expect his joyful coming at what time he shall finish the Redemption of our Bodies and translate us to his everlasting Kingdome in Heaven 2. And that this Office of a Iudge is assured to his Humane person is plain from what we recited out of the Acts namely That God has given assurance to all men that he will judge the world by the man Jesus in that he has raised him so miraculously from the dead Which is that very Son of man that shall appear on his throne accompanied with his Angels Matth. 25. And assuredly none will deny but that he who sitteth at the right hand of God will come thence to judge the quick and the dead But it is this crucified Iesus that for the joy that was set before him endured the cross despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God Hebr. 12.2 To which truth S. Peter also witnesseth in the Acts. Where that very Iesus whom the Jews delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate is said to be received into Heaven until the time of Restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of his holy Prophets since the World began This implies that at the utmost fulfilling of the Periods of time he will again appear and finish the Mysterie of Righteousness and perfect Salvation to his people at the last according as he has promised John 6. No man can come to me except the Father which has sent me draw him and I will raise him up at the last day Which certainly is to be understood of his Humane person forasmuch as for that very cause he has made him Judge of Life and Death as appears Chap. 5. ver 26. For as the Father hath life in himself so likewise he hath given to the Son to have life in himself and hath given him authority to execute judgment also because he is the Son of man Now when he saith No man can come to me except the Father draw him it is manifest that by the Father is meant the Eternal hidden Deity whose workings and preparations within every mans Soul fit him to join with Christ's humane person the visible Head of the Church of God otherwise if by Christ were here understood the Eternal Word it would not be good sense For that is that which draws not the thing drawn to in this place Again whereas he saies He will raise him up at the last day it is evident that it is not morally or mystically to be understood but literally otherwise it could not be defer'd till the last day but should be done in this Life Nor can it be understood of the day of the service of the Love For then the sense would be That they that believed on Christ some sixteen hundred years agoe should become Familists now or rather some others for them which Promises are insipid and ridiculous Wherefore it is this Son of man to whom God hath also given power to execute judgment And the very same certainly is he that is represented on the great white Throne from whose face the Earth and Heaven fled away Rev. 20. And I saw the dead small and great stand before God and the Bookes were opened and another Book was opened which is the Book of life and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in those Books according to their works And the Sea gave up the dead which were in it and Death and Hell delivered up the dead which were in them and they were judged every man according to their works And Death and Hell were cast into the lake of fire Hell i. e. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is here the Region of the dead and the whole frame and phrase of the matter here contain'd doth so plainly import that the Judgment is concerning those that are dead whether drowned in the Sea or buried in their Graves or in whatever other circumstances quitted this mortal life that this truth of Christ's visible coming to Judgment cannot be concealed or eluded by any Allegorical fetches whatsoever 3. Nor have our inconsiderate Adversaries any thing to alledge for their rebellious despising of the Humane person of Christ unless two or three grosly-mistaken places of Scripture Such as Hebr. 11. v. 26. where Moses is said to esteem the reproach of Christ greater riches then the treasures in Aegypt and Chap. 13. v. 8. Iesus Christ the same yesterday and to day and for ever Out of which passages they phansie to themselves such a Christ only as was as well in Moses's time as now and was ever the same from the beginning of the World and ever will be But they plainly in these Texts raise Mountains of Molehills For the simple and genuine sense of the former is nothing but this That Moses bare such reproaches as Christ and the firm professors of Christ bear which he uses as an argument of Patience to the Hebrews from the example of Moses unless you will interpret the place upon the supposition of Christ being the Prefect of Israel before his
an husband who is the very Iehovah according to the most easie and natural meaning of the particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. This therefore is the First and most Fundamental mistake of lapsed Mankind that they make Body or Matter the only true Iehovah the only true Essence and first Substance of whom all things are and acknowledge no God but this Visible or Sensible world And therefore stop not here but naturally proceed to the Birth of Abel which Iosephus interprets 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sorrow Which certainly the Soul of man in this condition is abundantly obnoxious to But the word may as well and does more ordinarily signifie Vanity according to that of the Apostle concerning the Heathens and their Religion that they were grown vain in their imaginations And so that came to pass which the Author of that pious Book entituled The Wisdom of Solomon so sadly complains of 3. Surely vain are all men by nature who are ignorant of God and could not out of the good things that are seen know him that is nor by considering the works acknowledge the work-master But deemed either Fire or Wind or the swift Air or the Circle of the Stars or the violent Water or the Lights of Heaven to be the Gods that govern the World The Charge is laid home by this Writer upon Universal Paganism But it is but a just thing to give them a little scope to plead for themselves that thereby Truth may be the better discovered and the more firmly established and the Natural state of Mankind before Christ came into the world be more fully understood which is the present business in hand and the last Point we propounded by way of Preparation to our main work The Crime they are accused of here is Polytheism which necessarily includes in it Atheism For to say There are more Gods then one is to assert There is none at all the notion of God in the strictest sense thereof being incompetible to any more then One. Wherefore the Heathen being Polytheists in profession by undeniable consequence are found Atheists 4. But here some of them apologize for themselves after this manner affirming that they acknowledged one only Supreme Deity viz. the Sun and that the several worships which were exhibited were to this One though under several names by reason of the several powers or virtues observed in him This is the plea of Macrobius and he manages it under the person of Vettius Praetextatus very handsomly and wittily reducing from either Properties of Nature allusion of Names the likeness of Statues or Images the conformity of Ceremonies or testimony of Oracles no less then sixteen Deities of the Heathen that to the vulgar seem distinct to this One of the Sun namely Apollo Bacchus Mars Mercury Aesculapius and Salus Hercules Isis Serapis Adonis Attin Osiris Horus Nemesis Pan Iupiter Saturnus And I doubt not but with the like windings and turnings of wit and imagination he may reduce the worship of the rest to the same Deity he having let fall an ominous word taken out of the mouths of the Ancients at the very entrance of the Discourse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which if it be well followed will not fail to make good That the Heathens worship was terminated upon one Supreme Object which Macrobius will have to be the Sun And he concludes all for a fuller confirmation thereof with a double citation The one is of a short Invocation of the Heathen Theologers the form whereof runs thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. O Sun ommnipotent the Spirit of the world the power of the world the light of the world The other is out of the Hymns of Orpheus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thou that dost guide the ever-winding gyre And wide Rotations of th' Aethereal fire O Sol great Sire of Sea and Land give ear Omniparent Sol with golden visage clear All-various Godhead Bacchus glorious Jove Or whate're else thou 'rt styl'd my vows approve In which Verses the Government and Generation of all things are attributed to the Sun who that it may be less incongruous is allowed to have Sense and Understanding in him as you may see in the same Author Saturnal lib. 1. cap. 23. which is also asserted cap. 18. where he proves Bacchus and the Sun to be all one For he gives the reason of the name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as if it were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Mens Iovis understanding by Iupiter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is the Air or liquid part of the world as Theon explains it upon Aratus And here Macrobius saies that Iupiter signifies Heaven Physici Solem Mundi mentem dixerunt Mundus autem vocatur Coelum quod appellant Iovem 5. That the Sun is the Supreme Numen of the Heathens may be further evinced from the Ceremonies and Worship the Indian Brachmans did to him who were also called the Priests of the Sun whom Apollonius Tyaneus that industrious restorer of Paganism so loudly extols and so far preferrs before the Babylonian Magi Gymnosophists and all the Wise men of the world besides But the circumstances of his entertainment there according to Philostratus is an argument only of their being more able Magicians or Conjurers then the rest of the world not more truly Wise as we that worship the true God must of necessity conclude For what else can we gather from that black swarthy Page with a golden Anchor in his hand and a Crescent like the Moon shining upon his forehead that met Damis and Apollonius in the way told them their purpose aforehand and conducted them to the Magi What from that ever-smoaky Mount guarded or enveloped with a perpetual thick cloud or mist so that these Sages could not be found without some such black guide of their own sending nor their Habitation entred though there be neither man nor ditches to defend them What from their manner of entertainment of this zealous Greek that traversed so great a part of the world to find them out whom they received at a banquet where wine and viands were conveighed to the table without the help of the hand of any Mortal What from their Hymns and frantick dances in a round by way of Divine worship done unto the Sun when striking the ground with a rod the earth would rise in waves under them while they danced thus and sung their Morning Songs to their supposed Deity as he appeared above the Horizon What I say can be gathered from all this but that they were a Conventicle of Witches or Conjurers though I will not deny but they might be the most accomplished Priests that Paganism at that time could vaunt of and the fittest Instructers of Apollonius whose purpose was with all care and diligence to restore the Heathenish rites and thereby stop the growth of Christianity And surely the Devil made Paganism as desirable and
were not asleep at so concerning a Sermon 6. Again 2 Cor. 5. v. 8. We are confident I say and willing rather to be absent from the Body and to be present with the Lord. Here 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 plainly intimates a going out of this Mortal Body not a change of it into an Immortal one therefore we may safely conclude that this courage and willingness of the Apostle to die implies an enjoyment of the presence of Christ after death before the general Resurrection Else why should he rather desire to die then to live but that he expects that Faith should be presently perfected by Sight as he insinuates in the foregoing verse But assuredly better is that enjoyment which is onely by Faith then to have no enjoyment at all as it must be if the Soul cannot operate out of this Body 7. A like Proof to this and further Confirmation of the Truth is that of Philipp 1.21 22 23 24. where the Apostle again professing his courage and forwardness to magnifie Christ in his body whether by life or by death uses the like Argument as before For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain But if I live in the flesh it will be worth my labour yet what I should chuse I wote not For I am in a strife betwixt two having a desire to depart and to be with Christ which is far better Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needfull for you 8. The genuine sense of which Place is questionless this That while he lived his life was like Christ's upon Earth innocent but encumbred with much hardship and affliction bearing about in his body the marks of the Lord Jesus but if he died he should then once for all seal to the Truth of his Martyrdome and not onely scape all future troubles which yet the love of Christ his Assistance and Hope of Reward did ever sustain him in but which was his great gain and advantage arrive to an higher fruition of him after whom he had so longing a desire But if to be with Christ were to sleep in his bosome and not so much as to be sensible he is there it were impossible the Apostles affections should be carried so strongly to that state or his judgement should determine it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so exceedingly much better especially his stay in the flesh being so necessary to the Philippians and the rest of the Church and what he suffered and might further suffer in his life no less a Testimony to the Truth then Death it self 9. Fourthly Those phrases of S. Peter 2 Pet. 1.13 Yea I think it meet so long as I am in this Tabernacle to stir you up and put you in remembrance Knowing that I must shortly put off this Tabernacle c. And so vers 15. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in all likelyhood alludes to the same as if his Soul went out of the Body as out of a Tabernacle All these Phrases I say seem to me manifestly to indicate that there is no such necessary Union betwixt the Soul and the Body but she may act as freely out of it as in it as men are nothing the more dull sleepy or senseless by putting off their cloaths and going out of the house but rather more awakened active and sensible 10. Fifthly Hebr. 12. There God is called the Father of Spirits the Corrector and Chastiser of our Souls in contradistinction to our Flesh or Bodies and then vers 22. lifting us up quite above the consideration of our Corporeal condition he brings us to the Mystical mount Sion the City of the living God the Heavenly Jerusalem and to an innumerable company of Angels to the Universal assembly and Church of the first-born which are inrolled in heaven and to God the Iudge of all and to the Spirits of just men made perfect Now I demand what Perfection can be in the Spirits of these just men to be overwhelmed in a senseless Sleep or what a disproportionable and unsutable representation is it of this throng Theatre in Heaven made up of Saints and Angels that so great a part of them as the Souls of the Holy men deceased should be found drooping or quite drown'd in an unactive Lethargie Certainly as it is incongruous in it self so it is altogether inconsistent with the magnificency of the representation which this Author intends in this place 11. Sixthly Matth. 10.28 The life of the Soul separate from the Body is there plainly asserted by our Saviour Fear not them that kill the Body but are not able to kill the Soul but rather fear him who is able to destroy both Body and Soul in Hell i. e. able if he will to destroy the life both of Body and Soul in Hell-fire according to the conceit of those whose opinions I have recited in my Treatise Of the Immortality of the Soul Book 3. chap. 18. or else miserably to punish or afflict both Body and Soul in Hell the torments whereof are worse then Death it self For as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and perire signifie to be excessively miserable so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and perdere may very well signifie to make excessively miserable But now for the former part of the verse but are not able to kill the Soul it is evident that they were able if the Soul could not live separate from the Body For killing of the Body what is it but depriving it of life wherefore if the Soul by the death of the Body be also deprived of life it is manifest that she can be killed which is contrary to our Saviour's Assertion CHAP. X. 1. A pregnant Argument from the State of the Soul of Christ and of the Thief after death 2. Grotius his explication of Christ's promise to the Thief 3. The meaning of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 4. How Christ with the Thief could be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and in Paradise at once 5. That the Parables of Dives and Lazarus and of the unjust Steward implie That the Soul hath life and sense immediately after death 1. WE have yet one more notable Testimony against our Adversaries Our Saviour Christ's Soul and the Thief 's upon the Cross did subsist and live immediately upon the death of the Body as appears from Luke 23.42 43. And he said unto Iesus Lord remember me when thou comest into thy Kingdome And Iesus said unto him Verily I say unto thee This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise As if he should thus answer Thou indeed beggest of me that I would be mindfull of thee when I come into my Kingdome but I will not deferre thee so long onely distrust not the unexpected riches of my goodness to thee For verily I say unto thee That this very day shalt thou be with me in Paradise And there is no evasion from this Interpretation the Syriack as Grotius noteth interpointing betwixt I say unto thee and Today and all the Greek copies as Beza affirmes joyning
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 3. In what Law and Covenant agree 4. In what Law and Testament 5. Iâ— what Covenant and Testament agree 6. That the Church might have called the Doctrine of Christ either the New Law or the New Covenant 7. Why they have styled it rather 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The first Reason 8. Other Reasons thereof 9. The occasion of translating 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The New Testament 1. THE Third Derivative property of this Mystery is a power of winning assent which arises from the convincing clearness of the Truth of the Gospel This Assent which is general to all convincing Truths of what nature soever appropriated thus to this Divine Mystery is called Faith And this Faith in persons unconcerned suppose Angels or Devils whom the Gospel may not be meant for and yet believe the truth of it at least the good Angels or else in such persons as may be concern'd in the Gospel and yet will not close therewith though they believe it if there be any such that can doe so is vulgarly called an Historical Faith As if a man should throughly understand how such a one has purchased a Lordship upon such and such terms this is an Historical Knowledge in him and he can tell the whole transaction of the business and does believe it but in the mean time has no share there he professing himself either unable or unwilling to meddle upon these terms Such is Historical Faith which alone stands us in no stead to Salvation and gives no share or portion in the Kingdome of Heaven 2. But if out of this Belief and Knowledge we seriously close with the terms of the Gospel this will prove a Saving Faith and is not mere Historical knowledge and belief but Covenant The Conditions and Promises whereof are clearly comprehended in the New Testament as we ordâ—narily call it from the Latine translation But the Greek Inscription is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which might be better rendred the New Covenant but is capable also of being interpreted the New Law For of so large an extent is the signification of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it denoting both Law Covenant and Testament as Hugo Grotius has observed out of Plato Aristophanes and Isocrates 3. And well may these three kinds of Rights pass under one common notion and name of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if we consider what agreement and affinity they have one with another For first Law and Covenant agree in Sanction especially publick Leagues and Covenants which of old were made by the mactation of some beast from whence Sanction is à Sanguine from the bloud of the Sacrifice For which cause also the Hebrew Doctours willingly deduce 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 succidere as the Latins foedus à feriendo Whence the phrase of striking a covenant is so obvious both in Hebrew Greek and Latine Authors And that there is Sanction in Laws as well as in publick Contracts and Covenants is plain for that the bloud of him that transgresses is to satisfie the Law In legibus Sanctio dicitur ea pars saies Grotius quae Sanguinem delinquentis legi consecrat In laws that part is called Sanction which consecrates the bloud of the Delinquent to the law 4. Again Law and Testament have this common to them both that neither are without covenanting or contracting Nam haeres eo ipso quòd haeres est praestare debet factum defuncti subjectus alterius impeperio eo ipso quòd subjectus est ejusdem legibus parere debet For an heir or executor as such is hereby bound to perform the deed of the deceased and he that is a Subject is as such bound thereby to obey the laws of him whose subject he is as the same Author tells us 5. Lastly Covenant and Testament agree in this that at first it is free to a man whether he will contract or no and so whether he will take administration or no or be such a mans heir But it is not alwaies free whether a man will be such an ones Subject or no whenas Subjection may unavoidably descend on one as born of such parents and in such an ones Jurisdiction 6. Out of this distinct apprehension of these several significations of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we may the more easily judge which is the most competible to the nature of the Gospel and observe the wisdome of the Ancients in making this Inscription rather then any other For they might have intitled it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 having a double invitation thereto For first the Jews called their Pentateuch as also the rest of their Books of Holy Writ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the Christian Doctrine is so termed also both by Paul and Iames Galat. 6. Bear ye one anothers burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ and Iam. 2. If you fulfill the royal law according as it is written Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self ye doe well They might also have inscribed it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whose determinate sense had been then The new Covenant But then it would have hid that special sense of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which the Author to the Hebrews alludes to chap. 9.17 7. But they have made choice of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rather then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 first because they seem to have an intimation from Christ himself thus to style the Gospel Matth. 26.28 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This is my bloud of the new Covenant The same also you may read in Mark and Luke So that here being mention of Bloud Sanction properly so called and which is most conspicuous in the nature of a Covenant is herein manifested The Author to the Hebrews does more accurately and fully prosecute this Matter chap. 7 8 and 9. where ver 19. he plainly parallels the bloud of Christ to the bloud of the Covenant made by God with the Jews For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the Law he took the bloud of Calves and Goates and scarlet wool and hyssop and sprinkled both the book and all the people saying This is the bloud of the Covenant which God hath enjoined unto you To which bloud of the Jewish Covenant all along to the end of the chapter he compares the Sacrifice of Christ and the shedding his most precious bloud when he did Foedus ferire make a Covenant of peace with God for remission of sins to all Mankind 8. The other reason why they have styled it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Covenant rather then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is because this Inscription more plainly insinuates unto us the sweet condescension of God Almighty and his singular goodness in the Gospel who in sending of Christ hath not dealt with us summo jure nor imperiously and minaciously as severe Law-givers use to doe but mildely and kindly as those that