above and the waters which are beneath and V. 11. That the Earth was made to bring forth Grass the Herb Trees c. and V. 14. The Lights to divide the day from the Night for Signs and for Seasons and for Days and Years c. V. 20. The Waters to bring forth Fish V. 21. The Fishes the Fowls to be fruitful and to Multiply and so forth to the end of the Chapter as has been shewed already § 27. Moreover if a Man will but examine himself he shall find that he has his own Working because he has the Power of doing or forbearing of many things in so much as he is Master of that which he has a mind to do or not to do But when he is once become a Slave to that which once he could have done or could have forborn is under a necessity of following the Operation of that thing to which he is obedient As for Example a Man that is subject to Drunkenness as long as that desire or lust rules over him he loves it whreas on the contrary another that is not addicted to Drinking can do it or forbear it as he pleases and in this his good liking or Free-will it is that the own-working of Me consists And 't is most necessary that man be Created with a Free-will because else he would not be able to work any thing out but only to obey that which should be acted in him just as a Watch which is moved by the Laws of Mechanism which is most inconsistant with the Divine Wisdom that a man as we have just now said should have no own-working or free-will that is so far forth as to be able thereby to direct those Powers which God has Created in him as he pleaseth but not that his free-will should extend it self to things out of his Power And because God is a just and Merciful God who punishes the Sinner for his Sins and on the Contrary gives his Grace or shews Mercy to him that does well the Creature must needs have an own Working or else wherefore or how should God either punish or shew Mercy to his Creature Verily the Creature would be blameless and uncapable either of punishment or of Mercy because it would be but as an Instrument which is moved by another and so neither the Justice nor the Mercy of God could have any place in the Creature Nor would man stand either in fear of Punishment or hopes of reward if he had no own-working because he could never be conscious to himself of having done either Good or evil because he should not be the cause of either but would only have followed the will of his Master And then Man would not have any Conscience of any thing he does the contrary whereof every man finds in himself because to be conscious to our selves of a thing is to know that one has been the Author of it and done it voluntarily From all which then follows that the Creatures have received from God in their Creation a capacity of working of themselves § 34. But it will be said again seing that God is according to § 16. the Author of all things it follows that God must be the Author of all the Works which the Creature does and therefore that the Creature can have no own-working nor free-will As to this Objection if duly weighed we shall find that it affects not our proof for we say that God must needs have communicated to the Creature in its Creation the power which it has of working of it self from whence then evidently follows that we do establish it for a certain truth that God is so the Author of the Creature and all his works that if he withdraws this capacity of working from the Creature the Creature can work no more but this is nothing to the Matter in hand But the Question here is properly Whether the Creature so long as it is by God preserved in its State has not an Own-working Or to speak plainer Whether God who is the Author of the Creature has not given unto the Creature a Power of Working something out of it self by vertue of that capacity which God hath given him in the Creation As for Example God is the Author of all our Working but yet he has given man the capacity that he can direct that Working power which he has according to his own good liking and this direction is the proper work of Man And so far forth as man does thus manage it God is not said to do it but man so that as to this management it is an own-working of man and it proceeds from that capacity and free-will that God gave him in the Creation But if we did mean by own-working that the Creature could do any thing that did not proceed from that ability which God has given the Creature but which should proceed from something else forreign to that principle which God has placed in the Creature then their conclusion would be right just against us to wit that the Creature cannot have any own-working because God is the Original of all things But because we affirm that that own-working o◠the Creature proceeds from God as the cause and Author of all things therefore in this respect the Objection cannot destroy our Position But some will perhaps say If the Creature man has no own-working from himself which does not flow from that Ability which God hath placed in him then i◠will follow that truly and properly ma◠does not sin but that sin proceeds from that capacity which God has given the Creature and that if it does not proceed from tha◠capacity then the work of sinning is man own-work which proceeds not from the Author of his Being But this Objection arises from want of knowing what the own-working of man and what Sin properly is and wherein they do consist It is already said that all working of the Creatures does proceed from that capacity which God has placed in the Creature and consequently that God is the Original of all our Working But albeit all our works have their Original from God yet God has given Man that ability in the Creation that he can direct those Works according to his own good-liking or as he thinks best that is in short God gave man in his Creation free-will as is already shewed according to which he can do or forbear things and this free-will is properly tha capacity which man received from God in the Creation and when man does any thing according to his Free-will that is called Mans-work It is indeed true that the working so far as it is essential and all our Works are so has its Original from God but the direction of that Working comes from Man himself and is so far forth called an own-working of Man as for example as to the action or working of going speaking c. God is the Author of it but so far as Man directs his Steps Speech c. either
can know that there is a God but by and from the Creation If yea then he himself must not be a Creature if not because being himself a Creature and thence learning to know God how can he think upon God without conceiving that he is always Creating Seing his own Being teaches him that God Creates and that God never wants the power that he hath but remains the same unchangeable in every respect No Creature can then think a right of God without conceiving him as always creating § 22. But albeit God be always working the same thing yet what he does he does freely or without Constraint that is it flows from the Nature it self of the Divine Being so to do continually nor is he thereunto constrained by any other else he could not be said to be Omnipotent according to § 17. if he had not such à Free or unconstrained Will Again it 's necessary or must needs be that the Divine Being has a Free-Will because this Being upholding it self according to § 8. is dependant of no other and consequently no body has power to constrain this Being in any thing But because many do not know that we must so consider the particular Attributes of God that the one does not contradict the other but being joyned together do all agree in one therefore there are many idle and needless Questions brought concerning the Free-will of God which are generally propounded viz. Whether God can Will contradictory things Whether God could have Created this World otherwise than he has and such like Trifles which are not once worth the thinking upon but however to answer them all at once We must consider What Free-Will is in God and what it cannot possibly be The Free-Will in God then is nothing else but that God Wills that all things should be so produced that each Creature be indued with such Attributes Properties or Faculties as are requisit to such a Creature that it may perform that which God aims at thereby in short Gods Free-Will differs nothing from his Almightiness and is only a different Name to the same Attributes as may be seen § 17. compared with this § 22. For as much then as it flows from the Nature of the most perfect Being that he should produce all things in the manner which is most agreeable to his Wisdom that is that they should neither have too much nor too little it is impossible from the nature of God himself that he should do contradictory things or that he could Create the World otherwise Yea such Questions whether God could do otherwise signisies that those that ask them do conceive in themselves something better or do imagine that they could have produced the World in a better way than it is now Created which they must prove yet so that it could not at all contradict any of the Attributes of God or else their Question is vain and Fruitless and they say they know not what But this wrong apprehension of the Free-will of God to wit this conceit that God could Will otherwise then he now Wills have men borrowed from their own Nature viz. Because they find in themselves a liberty to will this or that they thence conclude that the Will in God must also be thus free for this very Reason many do assert an indifferency of Will in God just as if God could be as man indifferent to do or to forbear a thing never considering that this indifferency of will in themselves is but an effect of Ignorance and want of Experience for which cause it is that they know not what to do nor what to forbear As for an Example A man that is convinced that to do this or that thing is certainly good will not do the contrary no nor yet neglect to do that if he will give way to reason and love the good But many times not knowing which is best he ballances in himself and sometimes inclines to this sometimes to that So that this Free-will or Indifferency of Will in man is but the effect of Ignorance This being so it is impossible that God should have any such Free-will or Indifferency in him of doing or forbearing a thing because God being perfect and Omniscient cannot be ignorant of the least thing but knows all things and must produce all in the best manner whence then follows that God knowing all things cannot stand in any indifferency to do or to forbear a thing because then God would not know all things after the most perfect manner if he could will or incline to do a thing or not to do it Yea to assert such a Freedom or Indifferency of Will in God is utterly inconsistent with the Attributes of God and is sufficient to set the Attributes of God at odds one with the other as every one can easily perceive from what has been here said if he will but examine it well § 23. For as much then as it follows from the very nature of the most perfect Being that it is always working the same thing we must consider what is meant by Gods Working Among the Works of God are to be understood the continual Creating and upholding of all Beings § 24. By the continual upholding of the Beings we understand that all things which are always present with God according to § 14. do continually receive power from God to persist in their State For albeit they had no beginning nor shall ever cease to be present to God yet they have not that Perfection that they can uphold themselves All Creatures and none so much as our own beings do teach us this which shews that we are desicient and full of wants and cannot uphold our selves in the least as is proved § 4.5 For as much then as we cannot uphold our selves now it follows that our Being could not uphold it self before its Creation because that which could once uphold it self can never be deprived of that power as is shewed § 7. and would therefore be unchangeable according to § 10. For as much then as we find in our selves a continual change and that we cannot uphold our selves it follows that all things which are always present to the Divine Being as well as our own Being are continually upheld by God and cannot subsist of themselves And altho' it flows from Gods Omnipresence and Ominiscience that nothing of the things that are has had either beginning or end but have always been according to § 20. yet hence follows not at all that those Beings that are in God and that are Created are therefore the Divine being it self For in the first place it is not only necessary sary that the most perfect Being should be Infinite but also that it should not be produced by another nor upheld but by it self alone Yea that it should be unchangeable and such like And on the contrary albeit the Beings or Creatures have neither beginning nor end yet they are not therefore unchangeable nor able to uphold
the same nature should be rewarded or punished in the same wise But some will say The Justice of this world indeed requires the same punishment of the same Crimes but God who is the Author of Man has that power according to his free and unlimited Will that he can punish the one and let the other go free although they have both committed the same Sins But seing it is unreasonable in man to punish the one and to let go the other how much more unreasonable then would it be in the most Perfect Being who is Reason it self to do a thing so much against all Reason and Equity as to let the one go free and to punish the other supposing them equally guilty Besides if we should affirm this to be a Prerogative of the Free-will of God that he can punish the one and let the other go free we should set up a Free-will in God that is unjust Which would be as much as to say that God is both reasonable and unreasonable whereas the Free-will in God is nothing else but Gods doing all things wisely and reasonably according to the Order by himself establisht and therefore they that devise such a Free-will in God do invent to themselves a God according to their own fancies Concerning Gods Free-will and how we are to consider it we have spoken at large already in § 22. CHAP. II. Of Man as Considered in the state of Innocence and Vprightness as also of the parts of which he consist The Introduction NOthing can more heartily affect a pious Soul than to consider what a Sinner is in order to his coming back again to the state of Rectitude in which he was before he gave himself up to his flesh and to the evil Lust thereof by which his understanding which was perfectly enlightned by the Rays of the Divine Light became wholly darkned yea darkness it self Verily no man which ever felt the least Glimps of that Divine Light in himself cannot lament any thing more than his corrupted Nature and that he cannot by reason of his darkness search out the hidden Wisdom of God but very lamely and therefore will daily and continually sigh and from his most inward parts call upon his God that he may receive an enlightned understanding that Christ the Son of Righteousness may be formed in him that so the Image of God aceording to which he was Created may be restored in him and his Soul and Body be stirred up to repentance And as the Wisdom of God has not in vain made known to Man the first State in which he was brought forth by his Creator as also his Fall but has most expresly shewed the Sinner what Glory man had in the State of rectitude and how it is darkned by Sin So it is in my judgement a matter of great consequence for one that loves God first to examine what parts do necessarily belong unto a truly Godly and Perfect Man before he examines how he can please God for he that does not know what is required to be a Believer will seek he knows not what Just as a Traveller who travelling towards a place if he neither knows the way to it nor the place nor where it lyes nor inquires after it will always be uncertain whither he shall come at last Wherefore we shall follow the Order which God observes in the Creation and enquire 1. What Man did enjoy while he was upright and as he was Created by God 2. What Men lost by Sin 3. How what he lost is to be recovered Again § 37. Seing then that Man is so fallen from his first State that by reason of his darkned understanding he does not so much as know of what parts a Perfect Man consists there is no other way to come to know the Parts of a Perfect Man but one of these two either that God should reveal it to Man immediatly by his Spirit or that God should teach him it by means of the Holy Scripture Therefore he that will by his Natural understanding go about to understand what properly belongs to a perfect man shall never know nor comprehend it because he wants that part of man which properly makes a perfect Man § 38. He that shall read the Holy Scriptures with attention will find that they speak of three Beings in Man to wit of the Image or Spirit of God of the Soul and of the Body Thus is Man described in the Creation Gen. 1.26 27. God Created man in his own Image so that man had in him the Images of God and Gen. 2.7 it is said That man was formed of the dust of the Earth and that the Breath of Life was breathed into his Nostrils and that he became a living Soul So that the perfect man consists in the Image of God in a Soul and in a Body which three distinct Beings the Apostle does also mention 1 Thes 5.23 The very God of Peace Sanctify you wholly and I pray God your whole Spirit Soul and Body be preserved blameless c. § 39. They then who have at any time tasted of the goodness of God who have felt the true light and are renewed in knowledge after the Image of him that Created them Col. 3.10 such I say will acknowledge that the perfect man consists not only in Soul and Body but also in Spirit because they feel in themselves a Spirit of Wisdom which makes known unto them in their most inward parts the Divine Mysteries and Vertues not by Ratiocination but by manner of Influence and Manifestation or instruction yea they shall on the contrary perceive that if they attempt to measure the Workds of God by their natural Reason that they are at a loss in themselves and do not understand any thing at all of the Spiritual for which cause they do by their Prayers and Supplications continually desire to be enlightened making no esteem or account of their humane Wisdom They then who have felt the Operation of the Spirit are certain and do know that man if he be one of Gods Darlings consists not only of Soul and Body but also of the Spirit or Image of God wherefore it is not said in vain by the Apostle 1 Cor. 2.14 The natural Man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is properly the Soullish or Animal Man to wit he who is destitute of the Image of God or who has not the Spirit receiveth not the things of God because they are spiritually discerned And therefore it is that the Apostle also distinguisheth Chap. 15.44 between a natural properly a Soullish Body and a Spiritual Body the one whereof is governed by the Soul and the other by the Spirit And James 3.15 The Wisdom which is from above that is which is Spiritual is opposed to that which is Earthly and Natural or Sensual but the word is here again Soullish and Devilish in Jude again vers 19. The Natural or Sensual but the word is again the Soullish are opposed to those