the life of our spirits and therefore blame me not if I sometime speak plain English it s not against his person but against his doctrine The Lord make known his truth more perfectly and establish us in it and grant that all our poor labours may tend to the advancement of it and that we may neither speak nor write nor do any thing against the truth but all for the truth Tetuey the 29th of he Month commonly called March 1656. So prayes the Lords most unprofitable servant MARTIN FINCH CHAP. I. Concerning the first Adam the cause of his Fall and of the Angells the cause of their Fall GOD made man righteous created him in his owne image in respect of certaine divine excellencies and qualities he bestowed upon him placed him in the garden of Eden was pleased to forbid him the eating of the tree of knowledge nor to touch it lest he dye this state of happiness that Adam was in was mutable and uncertain because upon his disobedience he forfeites all his priviledges annexed to his state and God never resolved by his mighty power and over-ruling Spirit to keepe him from disobedience so that he stood a very little while in innocency but by disobeying God in eating of the forbidden fruit fell from his first purity and holyness of minde and openeth a wide doore for sin to enter into the world and death by sin this sin of A-Adam had many aggravations as he said to Naaman the Assirian if the Prophet had bad thee do som great thing wouldest thou not have don it how much more now he bids thee but wash and be clean so Adam if thy Creator that made thee so noble and excellent had required harder service then ever he required of thee wouldest thou or shouldest thou have done it and if he had forbidden thee al the trees of the garden but one shouldest thou not have obeyed him in it how much more when he forbiddeth thee but one tree among so many wouldest thou not forbeare it I might shew if there were need how this sin of Adam was spiritual Idolatry Adultery and ingratitude towards that God that had done so much for him having said this by the way let us examine what this Author saith of Adams state before the fall and how he fell Page 67. He saith that God did not give Adam sufficient grace and strength to doe what he required and commanded but it was Adams weakness to thinke so But I answer then his fall waâ— necessary whether he would or no even like our case that have cause to complaine with Paul Rom. 7. the evill which we would not do that we do for want of strength to resist the motions of sin and temptations to it though it be quite against our will and the desire of our hearts as to the inward man according to which we delight in the Law of God and would noe way offend him but this would lessen the sin of Adam in disobeying Gods commands if he had not power and ability given him by God to do what God required of him this impotency which we are sensible of came by the fall and was not before he and we in him lost that divine excellency and strength which God had bestowed upon him Page 70. He saith that the frame of Spirit and minde that God had in his eye to bring upon Angells and men stands in direct opposition and crosse constitution to what the Angells and Adam had at first Unlesse the Author meanes here that mens having life in the way of their own righteousness their having life by Christ and his righteousnesse stand thus in direct opposition I know not how what he saith is true and if he should mean so he should not have put Angels and men together for the Scripture tells us of no Angels that are justified by Christ blood and made the righteousness of God in him but I thinke this is not his meaning because he doth not say that the way of geting life in one state and another were so differing but he saith the frame of Spirit and minde in the one and the other stand in direct opposition I know the believer in Christs grace is in some things differing from Adams as in closing with Christ by acts of faith and seeing such sinfulness and unworthiness in himselfe which Adams state did not admit of yet neither is this the meaning of the Anthor neither is there such a direct opposition and crosse constitution here such a frame of Spirit is as suitable to the believers state as Adams was to his but surely he meanes that the higher Image which he supposes is the unvailed glory of the Father and this lower image in which Angells and man were made at first stands in direct opposition and crosse constitution now the Author makes the unvailed and original glory to be the witness of the first person in the Trinity and the state of the Angels and of the first Adam to be the witness of the second person in the Trinity and do these stand in such direct opposition and crosse constitution surely the operations of the blessed Trinity stands in the most compleat and perfect harmony that this direct opposition is not in the operations of the persons of the blessed Trinity but in our either mistaken or imperfect knowledge of them Concerning Adams state he saith further Page 54. That on the Seventh day there was to be ministred to him a far higher and more exalted capacity of minde for the enabling him unto an everlasting happy and compleat communion with God The Scripture saith nothing of this that we must reject it as being but mans conceit Adam was already in such a state as he might have enjoyed such happy communion with God as God thought fit to communicate to him while he obeyed him and did his will in what herequired of him such communion as was a high glorious priviledg the Scripture saith not a word of any higher state that God offered himâ— but there is one Scripture that the Author quotes for this 1 Cor. 15.44 45 46 47 48 49. he makes corruptible and mortall to be meant as the state wherein the first Adam was made incorruptible and immortality to be meant of the higher Image which Adam was offered and refused which he calls Christ in the Spirit and Christ in his Heavenly appearances Now that Scripture speakes of the resurrection that we shall be made alive and the corruptible shall put on incorruptability and the mortall immortality yea the the very wicked shall never goe out of being which would be a priviledge and mercy to them but body and soule kept up in being to beare the vengeance oâ— eternall fire and wrath for ever and so the Apostle goeth on to shew the difference betweene our bodies here and in Heaven how Spiritual they shall be there our vile bodies changed into the likeness of Christs glorious bodie as they are now in
in notions and opinions as others do in other opinions but we use to count it great uncharitableness to charge all of a judgement with that which some being of that judgement do hold but if all of that judgement were of this mind the Author should be of it for he holdeth universal redemption yet I hope he doth not rest there nor own or reject others as they hold or hold not with him in that point but the Author misrepresents others judgements as well as the udgement of those that are for general redemption Page 199. He tells us those that differ from those that are for general redemption do evidently contradict and deny unto them most clear certain and undeniable truths and all that which they say concerning conditional reprobation freewil falling away and the like as relating to the children of the first Covenant will find that from the Scriptures which will justifie it The Author is very confident and profuse in his accusation of the Anti-Arminians and too highly exalts their opinions that are for universal redemption as if they were the very Gospel calling their opinions most clear certain and undeniable truths but what are their opinions that are most clear and undeniable truths why he saith their opinions of conditional reprobation freewil falling away and the like as relating to the children of the first covenant Let us hear their opinions and first of conditional reprobation The Arminiuns opinion is that there is no absolute and irrevocable but only conditional decree of predestination to damnation or salvation and that the number of the elect and reprobate is not so certain but that is may be diminished or augmented and that the primary cause of the decree of reprobation not of its execution is the praeconsideration and praevision of sin and not the meer will and pleasure of God And is their opinion such a plain and most undeniable truth their doctrine is such that notwithstanding Gods decrees either to life or death there might either none have been saved or none damned And according to their doctrine the grace of election is made voyd for if it were not Gods free will and pleasure that was the primary cause of the reprobates reprobation and non-election but works foreseen then consequently it was not Gods free will and pleasure that was the cause of the elects election but their works foreseen and then fare well that discriminating grace and love of God from all eternity neverthelesse we still make sin the cause of damnation but Gods free pleasure the cause of Gods non-electing and passing men by in his eternal counsels resolving to leave them in their sins and to condemnation for their sins Concerning free will the Arminians hold that there is a sufficient universal grace derived upon all men by which they may believe and be saved if they will And is this most clear and evident in the Scripture no the contrary is evident in the Scripture Isa 53.1 John 6.44 45. John 12.38 39 40. Page 205. He saith that the flesh of Christ may be received and eaten either worthily or unworthily men not distinguishing between Christs living body and his crucified body The Author if he had pleased might in this case have considered of the old distinction of the Martyrs of eating and receiving panem demini and panem dominum of that which is the sign and sacrament and the thing it self no man but the true believer eats of the bread of life the Lord Jesus for hic edere est credere by eating is meant believing but he saith they do not distinguish between Christs living body and crucified body Alas the same body of Jesus Christ that was crucified is a living body for it was impossible for that holy one to see corruption and it is not the meer body of Jesus Christ considered as living or crucified that saveth us as Christ telleth us in that case it is the spirit that quickneth the flesh profiteth nothing Page 225. He saith Abraham was justified before God by that faith wrought out in Christ his head The Scripture telleth us that by Christs obedience we are made righteous and that we are justified by his blood but no where that we are justified by the faith that is wrought out in Christ we are justified by his righteousness imputed to us not by the faith that Christ had the Author seemeth all along to have many wide mistakes about the righteousness by which we are justified when the Scripture telleth us we are justified by the faith of Christ the meaning is that we are justified by Christ believed in not that we are justified by the faith which he had And so he saith in the same 225. page that faith considered as abiding in Christ and not in us is that which properly justâ—fieth the believer But Christ though in some sense he had faith that is to say he trusted in the father that he would carry him through the work of bearing our sins and that he would so accept of his bearing the chastisement of our peace that he would deliver us from going down to the pit because of the ransome that he paid and believed that he should see his seed that the pleasure of the Lord should prosper in his hands yet he had not such faith as in Scripture is called saving and justifying faith for he was no sinner that he received another for his righteousnes The Author leaving the simplicity of the Gospel runs in vain and unscriptural notions in those things Page 291. He saith that Christs Disciples were called the children of the bride-chamber and yet then had no higher knowledg of him then in his fle shly glory and perfection The place he mâ—aneth is Matth. 9.15 which holdeth forth no such thing but what a forrowing there should be in the Disciples when they were deprived of Christs bodily presence but that was not a depriving of them of that which the Author calleth the first Image but â—â—vay what fleshly glory and perfection was 〈◊〉 Christ that the Disciples should know Christ only in that Alas he had no fleshly glory and perfection his visage was marred more then any of the sons of men Isa 52. never was so glorious a person so obscured as he was insomuch that the people said is not this the Carpenters son his fleshly glory and perfection was so little that those which looked only at that could see no form nor comeliness in him wherefore they should desire him let the Author have better thoughts of the Disciples then that they followed Christ and left all for him only for his fleshly glory and perfection no they saw him with better eyes they saw him to be Jehovah their righteousness the only begotten son of God full of grace and truth Page 300. He maketh this the great sin of those in the first Image that they set up the sons Kingdom in their hearts in competition with and opposition to the fathers View the Scriptures
Spirituall food the unbeleevers among them eat that food the true Beleevers eate the hidden Manna and lived for ever and it followeth that they all dranke of that Spirituall Rock that followed and that Rock was Christ but what is the meaning of it but that they drank all of the Rock that is Spoken of Exod. 17.9 which Moses smote and water came out that they might all drink which Rock was Christ that is a type of Christ the rock of ages who being for the transgressions of Gods people smitten and bruised by the Father from him cometh living waters springing up to eternal life so that this place holdeth forth this only that all the Jews did drink of the water of that Rock which was a type of Christ and this will not do him any service to make out his judgment Another Scripture he quotes is Jerem. 31.32 That my Covenant they brake though I was an husband to them that is I shewed a great deal of kindness to them and made a way thorough the Red Sea for them leading them thorough the deep as a horse in the wilderness that they should not stumble and notwithstanding all this they soone forgot his works and quickly turned aside out of the right way and walked contrary to him and provoked him with their iniquities and abominations and therefore God speaketh of a better Covenant that he maketh with the spiritual Israel that is to write his Laws in their hearts and put his fear into their hearts which they never had done for them who were the unbelievers among the Jewes neither did they receive Christ into their hearts as Lord and Christ which is the thing in question and Isai 63.8.9 10. which he quotes holds forth the same even the great deliverances that the God of salvations wrought for the children of Israel when he led them by the right hand of Moses with his glorious arme dividing the water before them to make himself an everlasting name but this place holdeth forth nothing of the Authors doctrine that they had all received Christ into their hearts to be their Lord and Christ Ezek. 16. He quotes often for these things because it s there said that when they lay in their blood God said unto them live and made them perfect through the comeliness put upon them which he saith was the comeliness and righteousness of Christ and yet they and God parted and he became their enemy But let us well weigh the 16. of Ezek. The Lord is there declaring what he had done for the people of Israel when they lay in their blood and as Exod. 1.14 Their lives were made bitter to them with hard bondage and then God heard their groaning and God had respect to them he heard their cry and knew their sorrows and so in this place of Ezekiel the low and helpless condition of the people of Israel is compared to a poor infant newly born but ver 14. God did so much for them that they prospered into a Kingdom they became a great and glorious Nation that the children of Israel were now growne to be like the sand of the Sea shore innumerable so that he saith ver 14. that their renown went forth among the Heathen for their beauty that is that the heathen took notice of their strength and glory and that God had done great things for them so that many of them sought to make league with them for they were perfect through the comeliness that he had put upon them he had given them glory above all the Kingdomes of the earth Statutes and Ordinances Lawes and righteous Judgments he had not dealt so with any Nation as he had done for them Now when we make use of these passages in this Chapter to hold forth regeneration Christs righteousness and such things then we must be careful of not overthrowing the true litteral sense of them and when we take it in a spiritual sense and so understand these things of the body of the Jewes then it is easily detected to be a wresting of the words to say all the Jewes had spititual life by Christ and had his righteousness and comeliness put upon them we have seen the meaning is otherwise but this we must understand that those things that are litterally spoken of the whole body of the Jewes are spiritually only to be applied to the people of God Jewes or Gentiles for many of this people of the Jewes were so far from having such an union with Christ and were so far from such a sanctification which he saith men have by union with Christ in the flesh that they were Idolaters Adulterers and their lives worse then the Heathen and whosoever shall read out this 16 Chap. of Ezek. shall see how wicked and ungodly this Nation of the Jews were They committed spiritual fornication they joyned themselves to idolatrous Nations verse 15. adorned the high places and Temples of their Idols ver 16. God had given them plenty of gold and silver and they made images and idols of it ver 18. and set his oyl and his incense that should have been used about his service used them about their Idols ver 18. and so he goeth on to shew the wickedness of this people and will this Author or any man upon second thoughts think that such men as these have union with Christ and have received him into their hearts as their Lord and Christ and have his comeliness and righteousness put upon them The Author goes on page 118. saith he It is evident then that upon such conditional termes as are comprehended in the tenour of the first Covenant Christ can and doth cause his own reception in the hearts and consciences of men and that there are inseparable benefits attending and accompanying this manner of reception or believing in Christ which is begotten and held but upon the wavering principles of the first Covenant The Author had laid down his judgement and quoted four Scriptures for it and not so much as tells us how he would argue from them which Scriptures we have taken the pains to weigh and finde that they do not prove any thing for his purpose and now without any more to do the Author tells us it is evident truly if he makes it no more evident then he hath don yet he wil fail mightily in his undertaking but what is it he hath made so evident why that Christ can and doth cause men to receive him upon the conditional terms of the first Covenant and what were the conditional terms of the first Covenant but do this and live and doth Christ bring men to believe in him and cast anchor in their storm upon his righteousness and blood upon the terms of the old Covenant Keep the Law and ye shall live no surely but upon the terms of the Covenant of Grace Believe and ye shall live come to Christ and ye shall have life But let us hear what benefits the soul hath that receives Christ in
saith too that Christ himselfe is made their head and covering as to their justification they are made righteous not in themselves but in another even through the Mediatorship of the man Christ Jesus as their Head in whose natural righteousnesse and perfection they stand blamelesse before God Here is Christs righteousnesse imputed for justification and Christs righteousnesse imparted for our sanctification and yet the Author would make us believe all this is not a saving state but I wis the writing of Gods Laws in our hearts is a peculiar benefit of the new Covenant of grace Jer. 31. but he maketh it to be given as a benefit by the renewal of the old Covenant again by Christ and ô how dishonorable is this to Christ the Lord of life that men may have him for their head and covering for their justification and yet not be in a saving state but what saith the Scripture Rom. 8.30 Those whom the Lord justifieth them he also glorifies then which what can be plainer to prove that such as are justified by Christ are in a saving state for the text tells us such shall be glorified let this Author say what he will to the contrary that this is but the first image and Christ in the flesh the sure word of the Gospel tells us that those whom the Lord justifies shall certainly be glorified brought to heaven inherit eternal life and whereas he saith Christ is made their covering for justification then I say they must needs be in a sure and saving state Psal 32.12 Blessed is the man whose iniquities are pardoned and whose sinnes are covered by the robes of Christs righteousnesse such can never come into condemnation God seeth no iniquity in such with a judicial eye to take vengeance and damn them for it for Christ covereth their sins in that respect that in that sense God seeth no iniquity in Jacob nor no transgression in Israel but only seeth the sins of such with the eye of a Father which is well for them to reclaim them better them and heal their backslidings as Isaiah 57.18 We see the Author makes no bones of counting Christs righteousnesse invalid for justification and yet sufficiently contradicting himself saith that this righteousnesse of Christs makes us to stand blamelesse before God but then are not such in a saving state if we be blamelesse by Christ before God then I may ask this Author as Rom. 8.33.34 who shall lay any thing to their charge who shall condemne them seeing God Justifies them and the Author confesses they stand blamelesse before him Page 193. He saith these are represented in Pauls owne person Rom 7. as having that workmanship set up in their hearts and mindes which stands in an exact conformity to the Law or image of Christs natural righteousness but in the next page he saith they find by experience no good thing dwelling in their flesh that is abiding and of a continual residence with them being in such a wavering condition that whilest with their minde they serve the Law of God they are ready with their flesh to serve the Law of sin and the good they would doe that they doe not and the evill which they would not doe that they doe But stay first the Author is mistaken in this that he thinketh the true saints that shall inherit eternall life are not represented by Pauls own person that which is there said in that 7. of Rom. was true of Paul and then surely as true of other saints and this Author goeth about here to make Paul but in the first image for Paul saith all that of himself and the Author thinketh this was but the first image and calls this a being under the Law alas he that mindes the 9.10.11 verses of that Chap. will see that Paul and the persons represented in him were of from the Law for life for he saith the Law â—â—ew him he found that to be but death well but why must this be but a man in the first image and out of a saving state why the Author saith that these have no good thing dwelling in their flesh that is faith he abiding and of a continuall residence with them but hold a little that is not the meaning of it for in us that is in our flesh is nothing spiritually good not only that there is nothing that doth abide and continue but there is nothing at all good in us by nature in me that is in my flesh that is as I am naturall and as considered without the grace and spirit of God so I have no good thing dwelling in me and so it is with every saint of God that they may all say as he said Horreo quicquid de meo est I abhominate what is of my self or with Paul in me that is in my flesh dwells no good thing I have no good in me no good thoughts desires inclinations but as God worketh in me to will and to doe of his owne good pleasure but I pray let the Author shew us any thing to the contrary but that a man in his higher image may not have cause to say and confesse as much that in them that is in their flesh dwells no good thing in a word there doth not onely no good thing abide and continue in our hearts by nature but it was never there to be found but we are transgressors from the wombe Well he saith further as v. 25. that whilest with their minde they serve the law of God they are ready with their flesh to serve the law of sin and I pray who is not so Paul there saith it was so with him and we are content to acknowledge it is so with us though the Author for it say we are but in the first Image we confesse we are fleâ—h and spirit and the flesh in us rebelleth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh and while we with our minds and hearts desire to serve the law of God and doe his will the flesh in us draweth another way this enemy in our owne bosomes the flesh and law of our members is often too hard for us and brings us into captivity this is our burthen our gall and wormwood in this world and makes us cry out often with Paul ver 24. O wretched man that we are and with Isaiah we are uncleane we are uncleane and yet for all this we know that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin and the spirit of Christ will sanctifie us wholly and cast all our sinnes into the depths of the Sea and the time will come when we shall sin no more and all things in us shall be made subject to Christ though we see not yet all things made subject unto Christ yet having faith in Christ the work is doing and we shall be purified one day even as he is pure and our sanctification shall be as compleat and perfect hereafter as our justification is here the remainders of corruption are
justification and his having died thus for our sins is as if we had all died the Law fully satisfied To explain a little what Christ according to this blessed Covenant of grace hath done for us in his death and sufferings for our sins 1. He hath taken away the curse of the Law by being thus made a curse for us Gal. 3.13 that the law cannot curse us or condemn us for ever he hath borne the curse of the Law for us that the Law hath lost its sting in Christ it inflicted its curse upon Christ he by the will of God and his own will spontaneously yeilded to it so that now the Law can lay nothing to the charge of the believer because Christ hath payed all thus as Psa 89.19 God laid help upon one that was mighty we could not pay the debt we could not satisfie justice but the Lord hath found out one that was able and willing to do it that was able to bear the curse of the Law and be more then a conquer or if that the Lord Christ hath not satisfied the Law to the full let the Law lay it to his charge then indeed we had not a perfect righteousness and remission of sins but help was laid upon one that was mighty that upon the Crosse said it was finisht all was pay'd all the curse borne all the wrath suffered 2. He purged away our sins by this sacrifice of himself Heb. 1.3 there was a commutation of persons he was made sin for us who himself knew no sin 2 Cor. 5. ult the sins that we had committed he according to the Covenant between him and the father is willing to bear and God laies all our iniquities upon Christ Isa 53. he hath all our sins charged upon him and he purgeth them all away by bearing the punishment of them which makes full satisfaction for them all the Law is satisfied either by our performance of what is required or hearing the punishment for not performing Christ he freely suffers for our sins bears the punishment the just for the unjust and so God accepting of his suffering in our stead according to the agreement between the father and Christ in that behalf we have redemption through his blood even the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace and if this Author will call this but a legal righteousness of Christs and will seek another to be justified by and have remission of sins let him we know that thus our sins are purged away for ever and we can never come into condemnation but are delivered from going down to the pit because Christ hath thus pay'd our ransome the God of all grace according to the Covenant of grace between him and Christ having thus set forth Christ to be a propitiation for our sins through faith in his blood and thus we are justified freely by his grace and all our sins purged away through this redemption which is in Jesus Christ as Rom. 3. and no man is justified through the redemption which is in Jesus Christ but he is justified freely by grace not upon the tenour of the Covenant of works as this Author imagines but upon the tenour of the Covenant of grace 3. Christ thus dying for us and in our stead hath obtained an eternal redemption for us Heb. 9.12 not a temporary redemption and upon the terms of the Covenant of works as this Author supposes Christ tells us John 16.10 that his spirit shall discover unto us that there is perfect and everlasting righteousnesse in him because he goeth to the father and we see him no more he having undert aken to expiate and purge away our sins for ever If he had not fully and perfectly done it the father might have sent him to die again but that maketh it evident that he had pay'd the utmost farthing in that he goeth to the father and we see him no more but there he sitteth down at the right hand of God Thus our redemption in Christ is an eternal redemption never to come into prison again an everlasting peace he hath made between God and us by the blood of his Crosse his righteousnesse and comelinesse he puts upon us which presents us to the father without spot or wrinkle or any such thing for ever 4. Christs death is not only satisfactory but meritorious so that faith and saving grace is Christs purchase also both grace and glory we are blest with all spiritual blessings in him this is the Covenant of grace and surely fitly so called for all in it is meer grace meer grace that God and Christ who had been happy for ever though we had all perished that there should be such blessed counsel and Covenant between them that the second person in the Trinity should suffer for our sins the just for the unjust and that by his stripes we should be healed if ever any thing was grace this was surely that God the Father should appoint his only begotten son to dye for us enemies and ungodly and that application is made of this blood of sprinkling is rich grace also which is the blessing of the New Covenant to give us new hearts faith and holiness is no this blessed Covenant truly enough called the Covenant of grace Iet this Author call it the Covenant of works we see cause enough to call it the Covenant of grace and to cry grace grace unto it Thus we have seen the nature of the Covenant of work and the Covenant of grace and we see there is no justification to be had upon the terms of the Covenant of works as this Author imagines but only by the Covenant of grace but alas this Author not well understanding the nature of the Covenant of works and the Covenant of grace jumbles the Covenant of works and the Covenant of grace together in our justification and so overthrows the Covenant of grace as will appear Page 334. He there saith that the Saints for their justification have the robes of Christs righteousness as they are worn by Christ in his own person made white by himself in his own blood imputed to them for justification of his legall righteousness for their justification upon the â—â—nour of the first Covenant And Page 120. He saith the spiritual seed receive Christ not in part only whereby they have in common with those in the first image all the forementioned benefits viz. calling justification and sanctification upon the tenour of the Covenant of works but in whole whereby they have over and above that which excels possessing and enjoying the riches of both Covenants absolutely and unchangeably From these passages of the Author it is plain indeed hath a perfect analogy with his judgment that the true believer is justified upon the tenour of the Covenant of works as well as a man in the first Image but this is not all his justification but over and above he is justified by the robes of Christs righteousness as they are worn