even Moses sheweth when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham c. So Iohn 3.14 Ioh. 6.32 which cannot be said of the books called Apocryphal Quest 1. verse 1. What is meant by the heaven and the earth By the heaven I conceive we are to understand two things Resp The highest heaven the heaven of the blessed the dwelling place of glorified Saints and Angels called also the heaven of heavens 1 King 8.27 This heaven I conceive was made before the earth although I lay not any stresse upon the order of the words Repentance is not before Faith because sometimes set in the first place in the text nor was David before Abraham because David is set in the first place in the text Matth. 1. 1. By the heaven we are to understand Angels Iob 38. 7. Where wert thou saith God when I laid the foundations of the earth viz. when the first matter was made of which the world was composed for the earth to speak strictly is without foundations and hangeth upon nothing like a round ball in the aire when the morning starres viz. the Angels for the lights of heaven Sunne Moone and Starres were not yet created sang together c. To this purpose consider That all kinds of beings were created the first six dayes Angels are like the heaven in their spirituality and incorruptibility as also in their power over sublunary and earthly bodies and therefore may be so called The Saints are called heaven seven times in one Chapter as carnal and eathly-minded men are called earth verse 16. And the Rev. 12. earth helped the woman now if the Saints be called heaven in the Scripture why not the Angels From the consideration of the method that was taken by God in the Creation of man so soone as mans seat was perfected man was created It is probable that proportionably when those blessed invisible mansions were finished on the first day the Angels were created By the earth is meant that whole confused Chaos of earth and water which was yet without forme and void as is afterwards described in the second verse now this might be called the earth as when an house is in fieri we call it an house and say an house is a building Quest 2. verse 1. It is said God created the heaven and the earth and yet 2 Cor. 4. 4. Satan is called the God of this world God is the God of the world ratione Resp creationis in regard of creation Satan is the god of the world ratione cultûs in regard of service He rules in the children of disobedience Quest 3. verse 2. Why God should begin time with darknesse It is no greater a wonder then that the Resp Lord should begin a glorious world with a rude and confused Chaos the progresse of his Wisdome in making the world being for the most part from more imperfect things to perfect from a Chaos to beauty from the servants and furniture to man the Lord and Master of this great house Darknesse is a privation now the habit Object must alwayes actually go before the privation in the same subject This darknesse was rather a negation Resp 1 then a privation Take privation largely and so it may be first in subjecto capaci As silence may be before speech and blindnesse before sight in a man who is a subject capable of both so here darknesse might be before light because the subject of the first matter was capable of both Quest 4. verse 3. God said verse 3. Let there be light and yet Sun Moon and Stars not created till the fourth day That light which before the fourth day Resp was scattered up and down upon the earth was afterwards gathered together into the bodies of the Sun Moon and Stars Quest 5. verse 5. It is said The evening and the morning was the first day now how could there be morning or evening before the Sun was created Evening and Morning in this place is Resp 1 not to be taken according to their usual signification but Morning for all that time it was light Evening for all that time it was dark There is no argument from the present state of things since the Sun was created to the former state of things before the Sun was created morning is now caused one way by the rising of the Sun then caused another way by light scattered up and down upon the earth Quest 6. verse 11 12. Whether the World began with the Autumne Some have thought that it began in the Resp 1 Spring and that upon two grounds 1. Because the spring is the time of encrease as we fin de by experience in fish and fowle 2. Because Adam was thrust out of Paradise to till the ground and spring-time is aptest for tillage Others and I conceive more probably thiâ—k the world began in the Autumne for it is said expressely that the earth brought forth â—â—â—sse and herb yeelding seed after his â—workâ— the tree yeelding fruit whose seed 〈…〉 self after its kind so that as man 〈…〉 a childe but a perfect man so the trees and plants were created in their perfection and therefore when the Serpent tempted our first parents which was immediately after their creation the Tree of knowledge of good and evil had fruit fully ripe on it The woman saw that the tree Gen. 3. 6. was good for food and that it was pleasant for the eyes Quest 7. verse 14. Whether from those words let them be for signes and for seasons and for dayes and for years Astrological predictions be warrantable Neg. There are two sorts of predictions Resp lawful from the consideration of the position of the heavens 1. Praedictiones naturales natural predictions viz. when by the rising or setting of the heavenly luminaries by their opposition conjunction and various aspects we are able to foretel natural events viz. the Eclipse of the Sun and Moone c. 2. Praedictiones civiles civil predictions viz. when the husbandman by the course of the Sun Moone and Stars is able to say when it will be a commodious season for sowing setting ingraffing pruning c. So that we say with the Scriptures that the Stars are for signes viz. for signes and seasons and dayes and years And that they are not only ornamental but influential As trees and herbs were created not only to beautifie the earth but otherwise for the use of man and beast to feed them and to cure them so the Stars were created not only to beautifie the heavens but for the use and comfort of man Certainly if God hath given vertue to springs and fountains stones minerals plants every spire of grasse that growes upon the earth much more to the Stars of heaven But 3. Praedictiones Astrologicae Astrological Predictions when men from the consideration of the face of the heavens will take upon them to foretel contingent events which shal befal Kingdoms or Common-wealths or particular persons these are unlawful 1. They are Antiscriptural
except they did abide in the ship they could not be saved If I say to a Reprobate If thou beleeve thou shalt be saved this Proposition is true though that the Reprobate shall either beleeve or be saved is false 33. Rule To say this or that opinion is untrue because it doth in â—erminis contradict some place of Scripture will not hold For instance To say that Christ is not equall with the Father is expressely contrary to that Scripture He thought it no robbery to be equal with God yet agreeable enough to that of Christ himselfe My Father is greater then â— To say God cannot repent is in terminis to contradict some places of Scripture To say God can repent is in terminis to contradict other places of Scripture yet neither of these are unsound because in terminis onely to contradict the Scripture is not to contradict indeed the Scripture but when we contradict the meaning of the Scripture then and not till then we are justly said to contradict the Scripture For instance To deny Gods delight in the destruction of sinners is to contradict in terminis that place of Scripture I will laugh at your calamity and to say God doth delight in the Prov. â— 26 destruction of sinners doth in terminis contradict another place of Scripture As I live saith the Lord I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked And yet never a whit Ezek. 33.1 the more contradiction found in the Scripture for all this As for example it is both true that the Father is greater then the Son as touching the Sonnes manhood and the Son equall to the Father as touching the Sonnes God-head So of repentance it cannot be attributed unto God as it signifies a change of minde or counsell but it may be attributed unto God as it signifies change of sentence according to that Axiome Deus mutat sententiam nunquam consilium So as touching Gods pleasure or delight in the death of a sinner as it is the destruction of a creature he delights not in it but as it is the just punishment of a sinfull creature he delights therein God delights in the execution of justice as appeares in Jeremiah But let him that glorieth glory in Jer. 9.24 this that he understandeth and knoweth me that I am the Lord which exercise loving kindnesse judgement and righteousnesse on the earth for in these things I delight saith the Lord God delights in the exercise of judgement and righteousnesse as well as in the exercise of loving kindness In like manner we say that two Propositions may contradict each other in terminis and yet may agree well enough as to the sense and meaning of them For instance These two Propositions 1. Adam might not have sinned 2. It could not be but that Adam would sinne are both true That Adam might not have sinned is true of Adam in the sense of division considered as in himself It could not be but that Adam would sinne is true of Adam in the sense of composition being considered as subordinate to the decrees of God 24. Rule Pray unto God for the illumination of the Spirit Luther used to say Bene or are est bene studuisse he will study well that can pray well It is a singular comfort and priviledge to every godly man to see with his owne eyes It is a great comfort to a blinde man to meet with a faithful guide whom he may trust to lead him in his way but it comes nothing neer to the content which a man that hath eyes takes when with them he sees the way on which he walks 35. Rule Labour for true holinesse The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him Saint Iohn tels us That the anoyâ—ting 1 Joh. 2.27 which the people of God have received and have abiding in them shall teach them all things God will not reveal his will to those that will do their own So Paul Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind Rom. 12.2 that ye â—ay prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God 36. Rule Get an humble heart With the lowly is wisdome God will break Prov. 11.2 his minde to the broaken in heart Who am I saith Moses and yet who â—itter then he to go unto Pharaoh He that refused to be called Pharaohs daughters sonne was afterwards called to be Pharaohs God See faith the Lord to Moses I have made thee a God to Exod. 7.1 Pharaoh How shall that Christian be satisfied Quest who notwithstanding the heedful observing of these or such like Rules is in the dark as to many texts in the book of God These things may be said for the satisfaction Resp of such a Christian 1. That it is not necessary that a Christian should understand every Text in the Scriptures if he understands so much as is absolutely necessary to his salvation he is a good Scholar in Christs schoole 2. As often as thou meetest with any thing that is above the reach of thy capacity be humbled in the sense of thine owne weaknesse Thou art so farre carnal as thou doest not perceive the things of God which are spiritually to be discerned 3. Pray unto that God who hath the Key of David that he would open thy understanding that thou mayest rightly conceive of the great mysteries of Religion Christ hath told us if we knock he will open unto us he hath commanded us to knock that we may not be slothful he hath promised to open that we may not be distrustfull 4. The complete knowledge of Divine Mysteries is reserved for our heavenly state whilest we are in this world we know but in part Yea Irenaeus addes saith he In glory to all eternity the Saints shall be learning something of God that so God to eternity may be a Teacher and the Saint a learner There is such another like expression that the Schools make use of when they speak of our state in glory they say The Angels and glorified Saints are full vessels and yet are alwayes a filling FINIS Books Printed and are now to be sold by Nathanael Wâ—bb and William Grantham at the black Bear in St. Pauls Church-yard neer the little North-door of Pauls Church MAster Isaac Ambrose Prima Media Vltima first middle and last things in three Treatises of Regeneration Sanctification with Meditations on Life Death Hell and Judgement in 4. Mr. Nathanael Hardy severall Sermons Preached upon Solemne occasions collected into one Volume in 4. History Sorvey'd in a briefe Epitomy or a Nursery for gentry comprised in an intermixt discourse upon Historicall and Poeâ—icall Relations in 4. Dr. Stoughton's 13 Sermons being an Introduction to the Body of Divinity in 4. Dr. John Preston The Golden Scepter with the Churches Marriage and the Churâ—hes Carriage in three Treatises in 4. Mr. Walter Cradock Gospell-Liberty in the extension and limitation of it in 4. Mr. Thomas Parker The Visions and Prophecies of
in a grosse and heinous sin without having the least intimation of it from God which will be hard to affirme especially if you consider how David one of these holy men delighted in the Law of God and that it was his meditation day and night We do not read that any of the Prophets Argu. 2 whom God sent on purpose to tell his people of their sinnes gave them the least notice concerning the sin of having more wives then one Neither do ye read that Lat was reproved Object for his incest We may easily gather from the text that Resp it was known in those dayes that that kind of incest was a sin for else why did Lots Daughters make their father drunk and if Lot knew it to be a sinne we cannot from thence conclude the Patriarchs knew Polygamy to be so Jacob married two sisters and yet we Object do not read God reproved him for it The hand of God was upon Jacob for a Resp 1 considerable part of his life you know his complaint Few and evil are the dayes of the yeares of my pilgrimage A particular person possibly may commit a grosse sin ignorantly and dye without the knowledge of it but it is hard to say the same of the whole Church of God If having more wives then one were a sin to the Patriarchs then all their wives but one were harlots and all their children almost base borne which assertion sounds so harshly that a man can take little pleasure in the entertaining of it Thus I have given you the severall judgements of learned men concerning this point I shall now give you my own sense of it with submission to others in severall Propositions 1. Prop. That we finde not in the whole book of God at least in expresse words that God dispensed with his Law against plurality of wives as to the Patriarchs and whether or no it can be proved by consequence will appeare afterwards 2. Prap. That I conceive there can no reason be rendred why the Lord should be pleased with the Patriarchs having more wives then one but the same may be urged à fortiori why it should be so from the beginning God created but one man and one woman he could have created more but it did not please him so to do 3. Prop. That text in Malachi is worthy our consideration in this case where you have the Lord reproving his people thus Because Mal. 2. 14 15 16 the Lord hath been witnesse between thee and the wife of thy youth against whom thou hast dealt treacherously yet she is thy companion and the wife of thy covenant And did he not make one Yet had he the residue of the spirit and wherefore one That he might seek a godly seed therefore take heed to your spirit and let none deale treacherously against the wife of his youth for the Lord the God of Israel saith he hateth putting away c. I know the Lord urges this against a mans putting away his wife but marke from whence he takes his rise viz. from the primitive institution of marriage and God argues à fortiori If the Lord was pleased that one man should have but one wife at first and made a law to that end and purpose and if a man deales treacherously against his wife by marrying another though he lives with them both how treacherously hast thou dealt with the wife of thy youth in putting her away from thee you may be sure the Lord hates putting away 4. Prop. That that text of Scripture where God reckons it as a mercy that he gave David 2 Sam. 12. 7 8. his Masters wives into his bosome must not so be expounded as if it were a mercy in it self to have many wives but in regard of the concomitants of it I gave thee thy Masters wives into thy bosome viz. I gave thee the Kingdome For it was a custome among the Jews when a King died and another succeeded in his stead for the successor to have the deceased Kings wives which was the reason why Solomon was so exceedingly incensed against Adonijah for moving to have Abishag to wife because she accompanied David as his wife and it was the same as if he should aske the Crown and so by consequence was guilty of treason for marke what Solomon saith And King Solomon answered and said unto his Mother And 1 King 2. 22. why doest thou aske Abishag the Shunamite for Adonijah aske for him the Kingdome also There were two reasons why Achitophel perswaded Absalom to lie with his fathers wives on the house top in the sight of all Israel 1. That he might engage him into the commission of such a crime that David neither in honour nor justice could passe by and by consequence that himselfe and his party might not be brought to condigne punishment which might come to passe by a close between David and Absalom 2. Because by this act he did virtually proclaime himselfe King to all Israel And therefore by the way I crave leave to demurre to the two answers given by learned men to this argument urged formerly For the first 't is true this phrase of giving into a mans bosome doth not alwayes in Scripture signifie a marriage-union but for all that hath yet been said it may signifie so if the phrase will beare it and so it is in this case For the second Though the Law of God might be against marriage with Mothers in Law yet this might lye hid to the Patriarchs it being onely deducible by consequence and not expressely interminis in the text 5. Prop. That the holy Patriarchs might live and dye in the continuall practice of this sinne and yet be saved because known sins require particular repentance but if sinnes be unknown or unconsidered by reason that men are carried away with the sway of the times as the Patriarchs were then a generall repentance sufficeth as David Who can understand his errours cleans thou me from secret faults Psa 19.12 6. Prop. That which is a grosse sin under the Gospel when God hath clearly revealed unto us his minde in this Case might be a sinne of a lesser size under the Law yea even under the dispensation of the Gospel that which was an Errour of Infirmity in the time of the Apostles at the first promulgation of it viz. that the Messiah should not suffer death is now after a more full and clear discovery of the minde of God a most grosse and horrid blasphemy 7. Prop. That although the holy Patriarchs knew that there was such a Law that a man should leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife and they shall be one flesh yet it might not be cleare that the sense and meaning of that Law was that one man should have but one wife 8. Prop. That Polygamy under the Law being nothing near so heinous a sin as Polygamy under the Gospel the inconveniences following thereupon were not so great then
Virgin Mary says unto Jesus Son why hast thou dealt thus Luc. 2.48 with us thy Father and I have sought thee sorrowing thy Father viz. thy supposed Father as he is elsewhere called So Christ calls Judas friend for he was so accounted though indeed he was but a face-friend and an heart-enemy So the Pharisees are stiled by the Holy Ghost righteous just persons such as need no repentance because they were so in the conceit of the world 21. Rule Prophâ—sies in Scripture are shaped into severall formes 1. Some Prophecies are delivered formâ optandi by way of wish or desire Gen. 49. 18. I have waited for thy salvation Oh Lord. Quo ipso non optat solùm sed prophetat He doth not onely wish that his salvation might come but prophecies that his salvation should come So the Psalmist Psal 14.7 Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Sion when the Lord bringeth back the captivity of his people Jacob shall rejoyce and Israell shall be glad 2. Some Prophecies are delivered formâ imperandi by way of command So Come Esay 47.1 downe and sit in the dust Oh virgin daughter of Babylon sit on the ground there is no throne Oh daughter of the Caldeans for thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate So ver 5. Sit thou silent and get thee vers 5 into darknesse Oh daughter of the Caldeans for thou shalt no more be called the Lady of Kingdomes 3. Some Prophecies are delivered formà imprecandi by way of imprecation so the Psâ—lmist Poure out thy wrath upon the Heathen Psal 79 6. that have not known thee and upon the Kingdomes that have not called upon thy vers 12. Name So vers 12. Render unto our neighbours seven-fold into their bosome the reproch wherewith they have reproached thee Oh Lord. 22. Rule In reading of the Evangelists we should take notice what things are specified by one Evangelist what by two what by three and what by all the foure For instance Some of Christs workes are specified onely by one Evangelist as his turning of water into wine as his healing the sick man at the poole of Bethesda his healing that blind man John 9. Some of them are specified by two Evangelists as the History of Christs birth by Matthew and Luke Some things are recorded by three of them as the institution of the Sacrament of the Supper Some things by all foure as Christs death and passion Onely two write the History of his birth all foure the History of his death possibly to teach us that though all Christs workes and actions are to be seriously minded meditated upon and remembred yet none so espcially as his death and sufferings 23. Rule Although we should finde the holy Penmen of God differ from each other in things of a lesser import or consideration we should not from hence in the least scruple the divine authority of the Scripture For instance in the History of Christs temptations Matthew for the second temptation Mat. 4 5. puts the devills taking Christ up into the holy City and setting him one a pinacle of the temple now the Evangelist Saint Luke seemes to invert the order and for the second temptation puts the devills taking Luc. 4.5 Christ into an high mountaine and shewing him all the Kingdomes of the world in a moment of time Now if the question be how these Evangelists must be reconciled Answer may be made if there be an harmony as to the temptations that are written by the Evangelists it is enough though they differ as to the order of the temptations We do not use to accuse a man of a falshood who tells us many things that be true though they be something out of order unlesse he promise that he will not onely tell us the things that were done but also the order of the doing of them So then if Matthew speaks of that temptation in the second place which Luke doth in the third place as long as they differ not about the maine as to the temptations concerning which they write there is an harmony still between Matthew and Luke Yea some think that this is a good argument to prove the divine authority of the Scriptures viz. that the Holy Penmen did not lay their heads together about the framing of the Gospels nor did transcribe one anothers coppies they agreeing in the maine and yet differing in things of a lesser consideration 24. Rule When the Evangelists urge a Scripture out of the Old Testament many times they referre not to the words in themselves considered but to the scope and aime of the Spirit of God in that place to which they relate For instance He came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth that it might be fulfilled which Mat. 2.23 was spoken by the Prophets He shall be called a Nazaren which saying cannot be found in terminis in any of the Prophets and therefore the Evangelist referres to those Scriptures were the Spirit of God speaks to the same purpose though he makes not use of the same words So Saint Luke Now that the dead are raised even Moses Luke 20. 37 38. sheweth at the bush when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob for he is not a God of the dead but of the living Moses shewed not that the dead are raised in terminis but indeed this is inferred from what he said by consequence for he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob and he is not the God of the dead but of the living And from hence let us be established in this truth that necessary consequences from Scripture do proove a jus divinum a divine right yea our Lord Jesus calleth consequence from Scripture Scripture He Joh. 7.38 that believeth on me as the Scripture saith out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water Now these words strictly taken are not to be found in the whole booke of God excepting this place where they are urged the place of Scripture neerest to this that I know of is in Esay I will poure water upon him that is thirsty and floods upon the Isa 44. 3. dry ground And indeed if this should be denied we should fall into grosse ab surdities A Learned Author observes that all kinds of unlawfull and forbidden marriages are not expressely mentioned in the Law but divers of them to be collected by consequence that is either by parity or greater strength of reason For instance The nakednesse of thy sonnes daughter or of Lev. 18. â—0 thy daughters daughter even their nakednesse thou shalt not uncover Now from this text it is collected à fortiori that much lesse a man may uncover the nakednesse of his owne daughter Which yet is not expressely forbidden by the Law but left to be thus collected by necessary consequence from this very text How can