must fly to the pit Let no man stay him Prov. 28. 17. He that endeavours to save a bloody person must needs be guilty of blood himself Some make bloody lawes to take away most unjustly the lives of their innocent Subjects Some wrest the lawes just in themselves and by unjust Judgement condemn the guiltlesse to death and this is done in time of peace All such as wage unjust wars or manage just wars cruelly and unjustly are great transgressours Such also are all seditious and tumultuous persons and also the Authours of civil Wars and enemies to the administration of justice Some are too remisse in just wars to revenge that blood which was cruelly and causelesly shed by the enemy This was the sin of King Saul in that he destroyed not the Amalekites from under Heaven Besides the former differences § VI and degrees of this sin there be others For even of Wilfull Murders those are most heynous 1. Which are committed out of pure malice or a contempt of the precious life of man Some are so bloody as they make no more account of the life of man then of a beast nor so much Others are so cruel as that they delight in the torment which others suffer and therefore take away the lives of others so as to put them to lingring and extreame paine 2. To Murder Father Mother Children as the Canaanites and after some cursed Israelites did sacrifice their Children to the Devil is most unnaturall grievous and abominable 3. To Murder Magistrates Judges publick Officers and especially Kings and Princes upon whom the publick peace and safety doth much depend is a far more heynous transgression then to slay a private person 4. To Murder innocent persons and such as have done no wrong nor given any cause is far more then to Murder injurious and abusive provoking persons 5. The blood of Abel and the Saints and faithfull Servants of God do cry most loud because the cursed Caines and Perfecutours slay them because their works were good and their own evill and out of an hatred of the power of Godlinesse in them For the more of God is in them the more they hate them The most heynous Murther in respect of the person the injustice the malice the reproach was the crucifying of Christ the Son of God 'T is difficult § VII if not impossible to reckon up all kinds and different ways of murther For the life of man is exposed to a thousand dangers and is easily taken away and the malice of the Devil that old murtherer and of bloudy men is very great So that it 's the great mercy of God that man lives half his days or that any dyeth a natural death And therefore our duty is to be thankful to our God as for other mercies so for the continuance and preservation of our life And every day should we commit our selves into his hands prepare for death set our soules in order desire his protection and the guardance of his Blessed Angels And in this place we might take occasion to speak of self-murther which is certainly unlawful For we have not the absolute propriety but the use of our lives given us of God to use and to make an account to him of the same A man may be unmerciful and unjust unto himself both in respect of life and other things Unto all the former sorts of murther may be added all unjust Punishments and especially such as grant life yet upon such tearms that it is worse then Death as when innocent persons are condemned to cruel Servitude or to the Gallies or to Banishment or the Mines By what hath been said we may in some measure understand what God hath forbidden The Preceptive § VIII and Affirmative part is implied and may be easily understood by the former which is Negative For as the Duty is so our care must be to preserve the life of our Neighbour as our own which is dear and pretious to us To this end 1. We must be humble meek patient peaceable placable and ready to forgive and be reconciled upon reasonable tearms unto our Enemies 2. We must be pittiful kind liberal and ready to give or do what shall be necessary for the preservation of the lives of others and not suffer them through out own default to perish 3. We must be bold resolute couragious and ready to hazard our goods credit liberty and sometimes our own lives to save innocent persons and especially the servants of God and rescue them out of the hands and jaws of wicked and cruel men Open thy mouth saith God by the Wise-woman for the Dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction Prov. 31. 8. 4. We must in a just War be willing to lay down our lives for our Countrey that by the Death of few many may be preserved 5. As our hearts must be well affected so our words must be words of meekness patience love humility peace kindness comfort And as we must avoid the causes and occasions of doing hurt so all our inward affections outward carriage words deeds must be so ordered as shall most tend to the safety of the life of others Neither must our Prayers and Endeavours be wanting to prevent the death of innocent persons Thus Reuben sought to save the life of his Brother Joseph Esther adventured her life to prevent the ruine of her people Esth. 4. 11 12 c. Thus Ebedmeleck delivered the Prophet out of the Dungeon Jer. 38. 7. 8. And God remembred the Work of Mercy to reward it Jerem. 39. 15 16. Besides all this we must not conceal but discover and that betimes all Plots Designs Intentions of Murther known unto us do what we can to prevent the effusion of innocent bloud severely and carefully prosecute all Bloudy Murtherers And herein all Judges Magistrates Higher-Powers who are trusted with the Sword must by the Sword cut off bloudy men and not suffer them to live The Reasons why we should abhor § IX and take heed of this sinne are many For 1. The life of man is precious and the greatest and chiefest Earthly Treasure man can have it 's the best thing under Heaven and in it self the greatest blessing of God in this World 2. It was given of God to serve him and seek a better and more glorious life in the World to come To take it away before the great work be done and Man hath made his peace with God and secured his Title to Heavens Kingdom is a most horrid crime and tends to the destruction of Soul and Body at once and may be a privation and prevention of Eternal Life to be enjoyed in Heaven Therefore it 's no wonder God doth so much detest it And many are so malicious and revengeful as that if it were in their power they would destroy and punish both Body and Soul in Hell fire 'T is reported of a bloudy man of Millain in Italy that when he had suddainly surprized one
differs in many things from all other Books especially in respect of the Authority thereof which is primarily Divine in the Original Copies secundarily in the Transcripts and Translations These sacred Writings are learned and known several ways and by several means of men that are not infallibly directed further then they follow the Scriptures rightly understood And by these especially Ministers by whom God speaks to men another way they are taught several ways in a certain order How these must be heard understood applyed so as the Hearer may attain to a Divine Faith and a Saving Knowledge Where something of the Tradition of the Church CHAP. III. The Doctrine of this Kingdom is contracted by Christ and His Apostles as such is the ground of all the Apostolical Creeds and Confessions all agreeing in method and matter The manner of the handling of the subject in this Treatise is different from that of ordinary Systems Catechisms and common places where something is said of Faith in general and of Divine Faith A Confession taken out of Tertullian CHAP. IV. Of the Divine Essence and Attributes How God's Essence is intelligible and how represented to us by certain Attributes What Attributes are and certain Rules concerning them The imperfect definition of God including all the Attributes CHAP. V. The Attributes in particular The distribution of them into Greatness Goodness In the Greatness unity infiniteness Infiniteness in Immensity from which ariseth His Incomprehensibility Vbiquity and in Eternity CHAP. VI. God's goodness being one and infinite is known by his excellent and most eminent Acts and Vertues of his Vnderstanding Will Power as His most excellent Knowledge and Wisdom the integrity of his Will and the perfection of his power CHAP. VII The Father Son and Holy Ghost their unity order distinction They are not Three Persons in that sense as Men or Angels are called persons The vanity of the Socinian Argument against the Trinity grounded upon the word person strictly taken How the Soul may be said to be an Image and imperfect resemblance of the Father Son and Holy Ghost CHAP. VIII God considered in his Regal Capacity in respect of his power acquired by Creation and continued by preservation How God is a cause of all things by his Counsel contriving Will decreeing Power actually producing The knowledge of GOD in respect of things out of Himself His Decrees free wise unchangeable The cooperation of the Persons their distinct manner of working The Creation in general the special Creation of Man The Conclusions deducible from this Principle God created Heaven and Earth and all things therein By this Work God hath a propriety in all things and may dispose of them and order them to the ends whereunto He hath made them ordinable Hence his supream universal absolute power How all things created are preserved and ordered Ordination in general the first act of God's Power acquired and continued CHAP. IX The Exercise of God's Power in general CHAP. X. The special Ordination and Government of the Intellectual and Immortall Creatures Angels Men. The government of Angels constituted administred according to certain Laws Judgment whereby some being obedient were confirmed rewarded Others disobeying rebelling and forsaking their station were punished and cast out of God's presence reserved for greater punishments in the end of the World CHAP. XI The special Government of Man which is two-fold 1. Of Justice without Christ. 2. Of Mercy in Christ. The constitution of the first Model The administrations Laws Moral Positive considered as a rule of Man's obedience God's Judgment CHAP. XII The Judgment of God-Creatour passed upon Man according to the Laws of Creation and strict Justice The Object of this Judgment 1. Man obedient rewarded with the continuance of a comfortable condition in Paradise 2. Sinning Sin in general is a disobedience to God's Laws The degrees and the consequents thereof The first sin of our first Parents in particular The causes of it The effects thereof before Judgment CHAP. XIII God's judicial proceeding against Adam Eve the Serpent Satan Their Convention Conviction Sentence Execution More particularly God's Sentence passed upon the old Serpent the Devil In which God new models his Kingdom of mercy in Christ promised and gives Man hope of Pardon and everlasting comfort CHAP. XIV The Penalties more particular both Bodily and Spiritual publike private Temporal Eternal all signified by Death to which Sin made man liable yet all by Christ removable CHAP. XV. Original sin what it is Whether it be properly so Whether Concupiscence in persons baptized be such in proper sense The derivation of Original sin Whether it be derived by Propagation or the just Judgment of God or both CHAP. XVI The principal Attributes of God manifested in this Judgment as Holinesse Justice especially Mercy in the manifestation whereof he exercised his transcendent power above the former Constitution and Laws LIB II. CHAP. I. THe Coherence of this Book with the former The difference of the two Models both the former and latter The acquisition of a New Power by the Word made Flesh and annointed taking upon him the form of a servant and being obedient to the Death of the Cross. A Description of the Redeemer His Person Nature Offices The union and distinction of the two Natures His particular Offices CHAP. II. The Humiliation of the Son of God 1. In taking upon Him the Form of a servant 2. In suffering Death A brief Historical Narration of His Sufferings 1. Before Judgment 2. His Judgment The Preparations of His Tryal His Tryal 1. Before the Ecclesiastical 2. The Civil Judge His Condemnation Execution with the Prodigies which hapned about that time CHAP. III. A more large Discourse concerning the Suffering and Death of Christ. It was an Act of Obedience to His Heavenly Father commanding Him to suffer for the sins of Man whereby He was offended To this Death He became obnoxious not onely by His Fathers Command but His own voluntary submission to be an Hostage and Surety for Man as guilty It was a Sacrifice offered freely to God as Law-giver offended and as supream Judge The effects of this sacrifice accepted are immediate mediate Immediate Satisfaction of Divine Justice and Merit What He merited for Himself what for Man How the benefit of this Sacrifiâ—â— became communicate from Christ as a Representator General and the Will of God the great Soveraign Of the extent of this benefit Whether Propitiation is to be ascribed to His active or passive Obedience severally or to both joyntly Whether this Death prevents all punishments or onely the Eternal And if not what punishments it removes The Attributes manifested in this great Work of Humiliation of the Word made Flesh by which a new Power was acquired CHAP. IV. The exercise of the new Power of God-Redeemer in the Constitution of His New Monarchy The Soveraign and Monarch The Subjects the Officers the Administrator-General the Enemies The manner of reducing Man to subjection the nature
of this subjection especially after Christ's Exaltation Men are reduced by Calling Of the nature of Calling whereby Predestination begins to be put in execution What Predestination is considered as a Model or Idea in God Of this special Government and Ordination of Man to His Eternal Estate CHAP. V. The Exercise of this New Power acquired in the Administration considered first in general How this Kingdom was administred from the times of Adam till the Call of Abraham and God's Covenant with him How from his time till Moses How from Moses till John the Baptist. The Covenant made at Mount Sinai The Bondage of the Church under that Covenant according to the Promise in her minority Some alteration begun by John the Baptist. The exaltation of Christ to be Administrator-General The great alteration that followed thereupon in Administration both in Heaven and Earth CHAP. VI. The Administration of the Kingdom of God-Redeemer in particular by Laws Moral Positive as a Rule of Obedience in Precepts and Prohibitions Conscience what it is The Moral Laws of perpetual Obligation The different manner of Obligation to Adam Innocent from that which followed after the first Promise of Christ. The more perfect knowledge of it always continued in the Church which hath its use to the Gentile to the Jew to the Church-Christian How to be understood Evangelically The inequality of the Morality of several Commandments CHAP. VII The First Commandment The Preface of Moses and the Preface of God The meaning of the words How to be understood and how observed Evangelically The sins forbidden reduced to Atheism and Idolatry The Duties commanded and how to be performed to God-Redeemer alone as Supream and that in the highest degree CHAP. VIII The Second Commandment The Analysis of the whole shewing the sinne prohibited the Reasons why it must be avoided the particular and distinct Explication of the whole Commandement and every part what is expresly and in proper sense forbidden what by consequence and analogy The Duties commanded both under the Law and the Gospel both by consequence and analogy CHAP. IX The third Commandement The Order and Connexion of this with the former as of the former with the first The Analysis the proper and immediate sense the sins forbidden and the Duties commanded by consequence and analogy CHAP. X. The Fourth Commandement The order and relation of this Commandement to the former The reason why God instituted a Sabbath and the end of it the Analysis of the words the Explication of every part the Duties commanded the sins forbidden the Reasons to perswade to Sanctification the Jewish Sabbath ceased the Lord Day substituted and both upon sufficient grounds plain in Scripture CHAP. XI The Fifth Commandement The order the difference the inequality of the former and this latter part of the Law This with the four following derive their Morality from the last as that receives Morality from the first of the first Table the Analysis the Explication the Duties commanded the sins forbidden expresly by consequence and analogy as they concern persons in Families States Churches according to their several Relations CHAP. XII The Sixth Commandement The Subject man's life the absolute propriety whereof is in God the use onely in Man and it cannot be taken away without Warrant and Commission from God What Murther is what the degrees thereof what sins are here forbidden what Duties commanded Reasons against Murther CHAP. XIII The Seventh Commandement Adultery presupposeth Marriage what Adultery it is how many ways committed the heynousness of the sin and the Reasons against it what sins here implicitly according to certain Rules are reducible to this Commandement and forbidden The degrees of uncleanness the Causes the Duty in general commanded Chastity inward outward in Marrriage Single life the disswasives from Uncleanness the swasives to Chastity with the means to preserve it CHAP. XIV The Eighth Commandment Which presupposeth Propriety absolute in God derivative and limited in Man The several ways of acquiring it the degrees of it What Theft is The distinction of Thieves and Theft according as it is more or less palpable and as goods are publike or private or sacred committed by such as are trusted by others or have contracted with others The several kinds of Thefts in respect of Contracts The degrees of Theft The Causes What is commanded The meanes whereby Justice in this kind is preserved The reasons perswading to the observation of it CHAP. XV. The Ninth Commandement This Commandement presupposing Laws and the power of Jurisdiction aymes at just Judgment The former determines the right of Persons in the fifth of things as Wife-life Goods in the sixth seventh eighth and this to be observed before Judgment This prescribes our Neighbours right in Judgment The words explained The end why Witnesses are onely mentioned The Duties and Offences judicial of Jnformers Plaintiffs Defendants Sollicitors Atturneys Witnesses Notaries Counsellours Iurors delatory and judicial Judges Executioners The Disswasives from Disobedience Swasives to Obedience of this Commandement CHAP. XVI The Tenth Commandement This Commandement derives morality unto and is the rule root and measure of the five former Commandements and is explained Certain Rules and Observations upon the words explained The sins forbidden the Duties commanded the principal and intended duty which is To love our Neighbour as our selves What love in general is What the love of our Neighbour What the measure and what the end of it is Certain Rules added to give light to understand and use the Moral Law of Moses's Ten Commandements CHAP. XVII Of Positive and Ceremonial Laws of God-Redeemer as a Rule of Obedience The Name and Nature of Ceremonial and Positive Laws The Ceremonials and Positives especially Sacrifices and Sacraments instituted before the Exhibition of Christ and the Revelation of the Gospel The nature of Sacraments in general and their Accidents The Sacraments of the New Testament The Institution of Baptism by Christ in the Name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost The definition of it the Institution of the Eucharist with the definition of it the Explication of the Elements Actions Words mentioned in the Institution who may administer these Sacraments To whom this may be administred Whether Christian Infants as one person with their Parents who are members of the Church and joyned with them in obligations and priviledges may not be baptized Whether the Faith as well as Prayers of one may not profit another Whether these Sacraments ought to be administred upon a divine infallible or humane fallible Judgment CHAP. XVIII Of Prayer Of the nature of Prayer The Lord's Prayer The Preface directing 1 Who must pray 2 For whom 3 To whom 4 In what manner And that since Christ's Glorification all Prayers even the Lord's Prayer is to be offered in the name of Christ and so to God-Redeemer The body of the Prayer contracting the matter of all Prayer to a few Petitions disposed in a most excellent order That which is first matter of
agreeable to his Counsel and that most exactly For as his Wisdom did dictate so his Will determined and no otherwise and without this will and determination nothing could have bin done or effected From it all things future recâ—ive their â—ututition according to the School-mens expression These Decrees are not strictly and properly eternall as was observed before Yet they are Antecedent to all time as it measures the Existence of things They are said to be many and may be conceived in a certain order according to the multitude and order of the things decreed That this Will should first decree the end and then the meanes is but a fancy and hath no ground either in Scripture or in solid reason Yet though they be many yet they may be reduced to two sorts for tâ—ey may be said to be generall or speciall The general Decrees are those which extend to all things For there neither was nor is nor shall be any thing which God did not Determine The special Decrees are such as are limited to Angels and Men in respect of their Spirituall and Eternall estate and especially to men These are called by a Synechdoche Predestination and Reprobation And these presuppose 1. Their Object intellectual and immortal Creatures especially men considered in a spirituall capacity as dirigible to an eternal estate 2. The Counsel of God contriving a certain order according to which men were to be directed to their final estate The nature of them in speciall is to determine and according to this order to direct certain individual persons unto their last end For in these decrees we may observe 1. Persons 2. Meanes 3. End The End is eternal Happinesse or Misery The Meanes Laws and Judgments The Persons such as are capable of Laws and Judgments But of these Decrees more particularly hereafter These Decrees are free § V For there was no Law to bind or morally necessitate him but his Wisdom and his Justice Neither did these bind him to decree any thing at all but onely if he did decree any thing to decree it wisely and justly Both the Creature and every thing in the Creature were nothing before they did Exist and as such could have no influence to move or incline the Will of God Neither could the Prevision of perfect obedience in the Angels or finall faith in man determin the Will of God much lesse necessitate it to give them eternall glory Neither can finall disobedience or unbelief do any such thing as fore-seen or actually existent determine much lesse necessitate God to passe the Sentence of Eternal Death upon them or to execute the same The determination of Gods will is freely from himself not from my thing without Himself God my foresee the highest degree of obedience in the Creature and yet be no wayes bound to reward it There is no necessary connexion between obedience and reward or between the foresight of obedience and the decree to reward onely the decree it self freely ties them together There can be no efficient cause out of God of the decree of God Some materiall objective Logicall cause there may be The decree to give Christ unto Death for enemies To call Wretched man dead in his sins and trespasses by repentance and saith unto eternall glory was not onely free but also the issue of unspeakable love and compassion and to destinate man upon faith in Christ fore-seen is an act of free grace Faith it self can be no efficient because it is not neither can the fore-knowledge or prevision of this faith though final be any such thing For God may foresee final faith and yet not determine to reward it though without prevision he cannot decree to do so The reason of all this is because nothing but the Being of God and the acting upon himself is or can be necessary These Decrees are not onely free § VI but also Wise Just and Stable They are wise because made according unto and directed by Wisdom His Wisdom and Knowledge are Antecedent to his Will and must be conceived by us so to be otherwise we should affirm that He decreed things ignorantly and rashly But so to think is impious and absurd There are many works and so decrees of God whereof we can give no reason but his absolute will and power He may love Iacob hate Esau without respect to any merit or demerit in the persons and decree the elder to serve the younger Yet thus As it was done so it was decreed wisely and according to Counsel We can give no reason of this yet He can The reason indeed is secret to us as not revealed yet known to Him And though many things may be done by him above the Laws given in Scripture yet they are not against them Though his decrees may be truly said to depend upon his knowledge yet they depend not upon the things known As they are wise so are they just though sometimes they seem to us to be otherwise The wicked prosper many times when the Righteous are afflicted and chastened very much And the innocent suffer and sometimes temporally perish with the Wicked and the children often beare the heavy burthen of their Fathers sins and yet are not guilty of their crimes These things may seem to be unjust yet are not so but exactly agreeable to the eternall rules of justice The reason why they must needs be just is because he is essentially and necessarily justice though his justice in his secret judgements doth not appear to us He made no Decree whereby man or Angels was necessitated to Sin He indeed did decree the freedome of their will their subjection to his power their obligation by his Lawes Yet as he did not Decree that they should sin so he did not decree to prevent all sin but decreed that if they should sin they should be liable to punishment He made as he decreed the Will of man mutable Yet this mutability was no disadvantage to him or any necessary cause of Sin And in the last judgement it will appear that Sin was from the Creature but not from the Decree of the Creator They are also stable For the Counsell of his Will standeth for ever and his thoughts to all generations Psal. 33. 11. And though there be many Devices in the heart of man yet the Counsell of the Lord shall stand Prov. 19. 21. The reason hereof is because they are made in Wisdome and Justice and there can be no cause of alteration Besides he is Almighty and cannot be hindered to do what he hath once determined Upon the stability of these decrees depends the stability of the world and stability of the Church and the certainty of our Eternall glorification The power of God is that whereby he is able to effect all according to the Counsell of his Will SECT VII This power is not Passive for God can neither receive nor suffer any thing It 's active and efficient yet truly Power because it was not is not
shall not ever be totally in Act. For he doth not effect all things which he can but those things which he will He is said to be pure Act in respect of his Essence and eternall acting upon himself And this power as an Attribute is pure act and in that respect is properly actual strength not power physically taken It extends to all things possible and is able to produce them But we must not think that they are possible or producible in themselves but in respect of this power And it 's to be conceived first as able to effect before it actually effect any thing as it actually effecteth all things that are effected It 's the root and originall of all created active Power and all Created causes are effects of it and act as acted and moved by him How it acts and concurrs with free Agents when they sin the Wit of Man cannot clearly understand and satisfie it self But this is certain that as the Decree so the Power is alwayes regulated by the Wisdom and Juctice of God It 's great and irresistible For though men and Angels may disobey his Lawes yet they cannot resist or hinder his power For he is in the Heavens and hath done whatsoever he pleased Psal. 115. 3. And whatsoever the Lord pleased that did He in Heaven and in Earth in the Seas and all deep places Psal. 135. 6. Therefore if God promise great things and such as to man may seem impossible we may safely rely upon Him What is said shall certainly be done Thus â—art the Works of God have been considered in respect of the Essence § VIII It remaines that we observe them with respect unto the Father Son and Holy Ghost In this later respect the Authours of Theologicall Systems inform us of two things Their Co-operation Distinct manner of Working The Co-operation is that whereby the Father Son and Holy Ghost concur as one Individual efficient cause of every Work and effect out of themselves In this respect that 's true that Opera Trinitatis ad Extra sunt indivisa What one is said to do all are to be understood to do The Father doth not create without the Word nor was the Word made flesh nor did redeem without the Father nor the Holy Ghost sanctifie without the Father and the Word neither do the Father and the Son any thing without the Holy Ghost For all the Works of God ad extra do necessarily presuppose the immanent necessary acts of the Deity upon it self Yet we must not conceive them as any wayes unequal either in themselves or in their working nor as three distinct agents uniting their forces joyntly to produce one and the same effect For one Individuall Essence must needs if it act be one Individuall Agent in the production of all Creatures and effecting all his works Therefore we find the Creation and other Works of God ascribed as well unto the Word and Spirit as to the Father and for the most part to them all as to one God The manner of their concurrence is that § IX whereby the Father worketh by the Word and Spirit the Son from the Father by the Spirit and the Spirit from them both This doth imply that the manner of their Work is distinct yet it 's very difficult to conceive the distinction or difference We read that the Father doth many things by the Word and Spirit but never that the Word or Spirit did any thing by the Father All things were made by the Word and without him was not any thing made that was made John 1. 3 And by him were all things created and by him all things consist Col. 1. 16 17. And God the Father is said to have made the Worlds by him Heb. 1 2. The Father will quicken our bodyes by his Spirit dwelling in us Rom. 8. 11. And he revealed the deep things of his Gospel by his Spirit 1 Cor. 2. 10. And God elected the Thessalonian Christians to Salvation through the Sanctification of the Spirit 2 Thes. 2. 13. We have some resemblance hereof in the soul of man which being one individuall essence is one individuall agent It conâ—riveth all its works by the counsell of the understanding determines them by his will and is ready to effect them by his active power When it actually produceth any thing the Will commands the understanding directs and the power executeth The Will is first and begins the understanding is the second and goes on the power is the last and finisheth the Work And these three inseparably and individually concur efficiently to produce the effect as one efficient And the Will directs by the understanding and executes by understanding directing the power and by the Power Acting according to the Understanding How Redemption is appropriated to the â—on and Sanctification to the Holy Ghost must be considered hereafter In these things We must be sober and not Curious We must neither confidently affirm any thing as a Divine Truth which is not evident unto us out of the Scripture nor Peremptorily deny any thing because We do not clearly see it in the Scriptures For so the Sadduces deny'd the Resurrection because they could not see it in the Book of God Though it was in that book as our Saviour made it evident These things premised concerning the Works of God in general § X I will proceed to say something of them in particular Though they be many yet may they all be reduced to three heads For they all are either works of Creation of Preservation or of Ordination Some bring these under two heads the first of Creation the second of Providence And by Providence they understand both Preservation and Government But this is but difference in Words The first work whereby the Eternall King did first acquire his power is Creation Which is a Work of God whereby in the beginning he created Heaven and Earth and all things therein This work must be considered Absolutely in it self Respectively as aground of absolute power And in it self Generally Specially in respect of man In it self generally it 's A Work or Act of God yet this Act is not immanent but emanant and transient yet farr different from the Acts of any Creature and from many other Acts of God It had an objâ—ct logically considered no subject existent For the Creature as existent was an effect and not the subject of it As Cameracensis doth distinguish of Predestination That Praedestinatio Activa est Deus Praedestinans Passiva est Res Praedestinata So Creatio activa est Dâ—uâ— creans Passiva Res creata So that in Creation we have God and his Creativity as Occam and Bacon expresse it and the thing created It is a proper Act of God and can be truly affirmed of nothing else if it were not so God by this work could not be distinguished from all other things as by this act we read in Scripture he is The first part of the Creation presupposed no matter
Power of God that he put the fear of man upon them and such was the Majesty of Man continuing in his Integrity that his Countenance and Presence did strike an awe into the greatest stronget and most comely Creatures Some make this Dominion a part of God's Image and it 's true that man in this resembled God as Lord and King and as God's Vice-gerent was a Petty God and Lord of the Lower-World The Second thing common to man with the Sensitive and generative Creature which propagate and perpetuate their kind by a successive generation is God's blessing of them whereby he gave them a generative power to multiply and replenish the Earth and the Waters This power of Generation is a wonderful and strange Vertue which God alone can give and take away at pleasure and if he take it away or deny it then it 's above the power of Nature to generate The Third thing is That general quality of all Creatures as they came from God For God saw every thing that he had made and it was very good Genes 1. 31. 1. Every thing was good beautiful and perfect in it's kind there was no defect or blemish in the Being and Constitution of it 2. Every thing was good and perfect for the end and use he had created them 3. Every thing was good in it's order by which all things were united and one subordinate to another and did compleat the Beauty of the whole and made up the great and glorious Frame which we call the World The reason of this goodness was because they were made by a perfect Rule and every thing severally and all things jointly did fully answer and were exactly conformable to that most excellent Model and Idea contrived by his Wisdom So that there was no need that God should continue this Work of Creation any longer but might rest and keep his Sabbath and take content in his Works If God § XVII in the Beginning thus created Heaven and Earth then it follows 1. That the World had a Beginning it was not from Everlasting For there was a moment a first point and period when it began and before which it did not exist and before which God onely had his Being from Everlasting fully perfect and happy in himself and could have no need of the World for it could add nothing to his happiness 2. That the World in this respect was a Work and an effect which must needs have a cause and depend upon it for its very first Being without which it had never been 3. The efficient cause and Work-man which did contrive and make this curious and excellent piece was God For nothing but God had any Being or Existence before this Work of Creation Neither could there be any Power of Wisdom but his sufficient to produce the least thing from nothing into Being 4. This great Work once made must needs manifest the glorious Power Wisdom and Perfections of thâ— Maker For The Heavens declare the glory of God and the Firmament sheweth his handy-work Psal. 19. 1. 5. By this Work God is sufficiently differenced from all other Things as of far more excellent and of a far more admirable power So that by this it 's evident there can be no other God but He For whatsoever cannot make a World is not God as he is 6. Therefore He and He alone must needs be God there neither is nor can be any other For He is great and doth wondrous things and is God alone Psal. 86. 10. And before Among the gods there is none like to thee O Lord neither are there any Works like unto thy Works 7. It 's the duty of Men and Angels to behold these glorious Works and seriously therein to observe his wonderful Power and Wisdom that so they may admire his glorious Excellency and with all Humility adore his Eternal Majesty who alone is worthy of all honour glory and power for evermore even for this Work of Creation 6. If he created all things and that first of nothing then all things are wholly his He hath an absolute Propriety in them and full power to order them and dispose of them at Will and Pleasure And by this we understand how he did acquire his Supream and Vniversal Power Hitherto Creation hath been considered § XVIII briefly in it self and as it is a Work and the first Work of God and now Order requires that we return unto the principal and intended consideration thereof according to tâ—e Method of my Discourse as it is the Foundation and first ground of that Regal Power whereby the World is governed This Consideration is expressed in the last conclusion concerning the Power acquired by Creation For the World was made that it might be governed and none was fit to govern it but he that made it and none can govern without Power acquired one way or other This Power was acquired by Creation because by it God obtained an absolute and perfect Propriety in the whole World and every part thereof Amongst men whosoever makes any thing by his own proper Art and Labour and that of his own stuff he must needs have a full right unto it and a full power to dispose of it yet no Workman ever made any Work without some matter yet God made all things without any matter Pre-existent And in this is far above all other Work-men who never made their stust or matter In this respect He is the sole and total cause of the whole world and every thing receiveth its whole Entity and every Particle of it from the Creatour From hence it follows that seeing the whole Entity is Gods therefore his Propriety is entire and absolute And if it be such he must needs have an absolute Power to dispose of all things and to order them as he thought good And because of this absolute Propriety it is that they wholly depend upon him for Being and all things else and are wholly subject unto him Therefore he may give them what Rules he pleaseth order them to what ends he thinks good and he hath made them capable of and also by these regulate all their inclinations and motions and bind them to observe his Order upon what terms he will This Power acquired by these means and grounded upon this Propriety is original absolute supream universal Monarchical everlasting It 's originally and primarily in him as in the Fountain it 's not in the least measure derived from any other It 's absolute and no ways limited It 's supream and no ways subordinate or dependent upon any higher and above it It 's univeral and extended to the whole World as his Territory It 's Monarchical because the Power wholly resides in one It's everlasting and after it 's once begun it continues and shall for ever abide In these respects it 's not only different from but most excellent and far above all other Power And as it 's acquired by Creation so it 's continued by Preservation which
some make a part of Providence as in some sense it may be For by whatsoever his Propriety and the dependency and subjection of the Creature is continued by the same his Power is continued And as by Creation all things were made so by Preservation which is a continued Creation all things continue his There is indeed some difference between Creation and Preservation not only in this that Preservation presupposeth and necessarily requireth the Creation and all things existent in their Actual Being But Creation presupposed nothing but his Almighty Power but also in this that in Creation he made no use of the secondary Causes and means as in Providence he doth yet these means and secondary causes are not used out of necessity For what he doth effect by them he can easily do without them Therefore the use of them is merely voluntary and to let us understand so much he many times omits them Some things are preserved by Food which is like Fuel to the fire which continually seeds upon it and when it 's wholly consumed or with-drawn it 's presently quenched Thus the life of man is preserved by Bread yet God makes this Bread gives it to whom he will and denies it when he will and his Blessings gives it Vertue to preserve that Life which it cannot restore once lost or give where it is not Yet man lives not by Bread alone but by every word which proceedeth out of God's mouth Where it 's had and used God is the principal cause and when life is preserved without it He is the sole Preserver The continuance of the Creature 's Being doth so necessarily always depend on God as well as his Powers and Operations that he need not let loose one contrary against another for their mutuall Destruction but if he once with-hold his hand the most excellent and incorruptible Creatures return to nothing and lose their entity they obtained by Creation For as 't is said of sensitive Creatures Thou takest away their breath they dye and return to their Dust Psal. 104. 29. So it 's true of all other things both severally and joyntly Thou deniest thy preserving Power wholly they cease to be and return to their former nothing Therefore God in the Holy Scriptures is so often said to uphold all things by the Word of his Power and it 's said that by him all things consist CHAP. IX Concerning the Exercise of God's Power in general GOD having thus acquired this transcendent Power § I he presently began to exercise the same in the Government of the World and as the power is continued perpetually by Preservation so it is continually exercised Government is an Act of Power as Power is a Right to govern and order those that are subject and it requires a Superiour Understanding a Superiour Will a Superiour Strength and the more excellent the Wisdom the more just the Will the more irresiâ—â—ible the strength of the Governour the more excellent the Government will be Seeing therefore all these concur most eminently in God His Government must needs be most perfect as no doubt it is This Government may be considered as General of all things Special of some special Creatures And in both we may observe the Constitution Administration For God first constituted an exact Order and after that administred and disposed of all things according to that Order This Order was ready immediatly upon the Creation For he did not first make the Creatures without any Order but in an excellent way For all and every one of them were made Ordinable to some certain end and to this they were inclined and set in direct Positure towards their Perfection Yet because Inclination was vain without Motion he gave them power to move But yet Motion without a Rule might wander and come short of the end he therefore gave every thing a Rule that the motion might be Regular tend directly to and so reach it's end and the Rule was imprinted in the Creature as the Pure Morals in Men and Angels As there were several and distinct Ranks and Degrees of Creatures so there were several ends And these ends were not separated at a distance nor contrary one unto another but were disposed in an excellent order and united like so many Links in one Chain Some were Superiour some Inferiour and one last and supream to which all the rest were subordinate yet like so many lines did tend unto and end in that highest as in one Center And that end was not the particular end of some particular Creature or Creatures but the universal end of all which some means did reach immediately others at a distance In the Administration the Rules were as Laws prefixed by God and the Events of every Motion were as Judgments and Determinations And there are some generals in Men and Angels which come within the compass of this general Administration And though the Supream Lord bound all Creatures by certain Rules and limited them yet be reserved a Power to himself to act above and besides these Rules at Will and Pleasure and if his Wisdom should think good to new-model the whole Frame of his Government Hence the Distinctions of mediate and immediate ordinary and extraordinary Providence under which last Head comes in that of Miracles which are works of transcendent Power above the activity of the Creature wherin God doth not observe the Order established in Creation whereunto he bound the Creature but not Himself They serve as they are fit for these ends to let men know that there is a great difference between his Works and those of inferiour Agents though he may use their petty efficiency in doing of them They rouz and quicken the dull and drowsie minds of Men who are not so much moved with ordinary Works though excellent The Sun it self that glorious Light of Heaven is no strange thing unto us because it gives us light every day whereas if it were newly made and we had never seen it before we should be amazed and wonder at the excellent beauty and brightness of so goodly a Creature They let men know that they have no need of â—econdary causes He can do as much and far more without them as with them They confirm the Doctrine of his Messengers and make those high and mysterious truths which are strange and above the Rules of Reason to be credible They are not frequent least they should prove ordinary and not so effectual to moâ—e the hearts of men And they are either Works of Mercy as those of our Saviour were or Works of Judgment and so they manifest not onely his wondrous Wisdom and transcendent Power but also his Justice and his Mercy They supply the deâ—ects of inferiour causes and manifest that God is not tyed to the Order prescribed to the Creatures in the Creation In this Providence § II which though excellent is inferiour to that which directs the most excellent Creatures to their eternal estate we might observe the
in the end to encline so farr as to look upon the fruit to cover it to touch it and tast it too And so the Vâ—nome of the Serpent infected Soul and Body Neither staid it here but did diffuse and Communicate it self to man who hearkened to his Wiâ—e and did eate and so transgresse Upon which the victory became compleat And though the temptation and plot was deeply laid and managed with greatest subtlety yet they could not be excused For the law was plain the power to observe it sufficient and God did in no wayes desert them in any thing necessary They did both willingly consent and yield They were too precipitate and did too hastily determin and resolve before they had sufficiently considered the matter either severally or joyntly together And their sin was in the issue so much the more heynous because they believed the false suggestions of the Devill and harkened to his damned Counsel contrary to the clear Command and peremptory Commination of their Creator In all this they had not the least cause to complain of God Their Sin and misery was from themselves and there was much of will in the transgression The Woman was first in the sin and was deceived Yet the Man followed her example Otherwiâ—e it might have been better with all mankind And in this place something may be â—aid of the permission of sin and Gods providence in respect of the same No doubt God could have prevented both the sin and the temptation yet being no wayes bound to do either he suffered both And this is one of the deep Counâ—ells of God whereof man can give no reason Arminiuâ— doth discourse of this subject and observes the acts of Divine providence about sin to be reducible to three heads 1. In respect of the Beginning 2. Of the Progress 3. The Consummation of it In respect of the Beginning the Acts of Providence are either permission or hinderance In respect of the Progress Direction and Limitation In respect of Sin Consummate Punishment or Remission But he that will accurately discuss this Point of Doctrine must distinguish 1. Between the first sin of Angels and the first sin of Man and other sinnes following these For in respect of these later that which we call permission may be a Desertion and to a Punishment which in the first sinnes cannot be 2. He must put a difference between a Moral and a Physical permission and also between the sinful Disposition and immediate Act of the Will as sinful and such Acts as follow and are not formally and intrinsecally sinful but bâ— participation 3. He must discern which of these Acts belong to Judgment as the two last evidently do and which not 4. It should be distinctly known what this Permission is For it 's not any Licence or Liberty to sin given by God to the Creature nor any toleration connivence indulgence much less any approbation of sin The proper and immediate first subject and cause of sin is the Will as free Therefore when Scotus had defined sin to be Carentia justitiae actui inesse debitae Occam corrects him and defines it to be Carentia justitiae voluntati inesse debitae And whereas many out of Austin take it for granted that Peccatum non habet causam efficientem sed deâ—icientem He â—aith That 's true onely of sins of Omission not of Commission and doth positively â—ffirm that God is the Author of every sin of Commission because in Commission there is something positive which is forbidden by the Law directly as well as that which is privative yet gives the reason why man is guilty and God not because man is under a Law and bound God is not And whereas some in sins of Commission distinguish between the Act whereof they grant God to be the Author and the Sinfulness of the Act whereof he is not the Author He answers That in sins of Commission the very Act is forbidden and therefore the very Act is so sin that you cannot make it the subject of sin is any ways different from sin In this making of God the Author of all sins he seems to be very bold and heterodox though very acute But let his Judgment in this be true or false these things are certain 1. That all the difficulty in this point ariseth from our ignorance of the manner how God concurs with the Free will of man in sin 2. That God could prevent all sins and every sin though he doth not 3. That God doth not necessitate much less force the intelligent Creature to sin for then sin could be no sin 4. That let Permission be what it will yet he so permits sin that he can justly punish it in the Parties guilty who alone are chargeable with it 5. The reason why God doth not cannot sin is not onely because he is under no Law but because he is absolutely just and holy and hates sin as he doth forbid it threaten it give power against it and punisheth it 6. We must not think that God doth so permit sin as not to order the sinner and out of evil bring good as once out of Darkness he created Light To think that God who is the Universal Judge is a bare Spectator of sin must needs be an Errour The cause of this sin § XI which was blameless was the Law which did forbid sin command obedience promise life to the Obedient threaten death to the Disobedient This could not by any inward native power or quality be a cause of Sin or Death for it was spiritual holy just good and so contrary to sin For every thing acts according to the inward power and quality And how should that be for sin which was the Rule of Holiness and for Death which was given for Life Yet a cause of sin it might be though not per Se yet per Accidens as the Logicians speak Not by any thing in it self yet by something from without in Man or the Devil Some instance in the dashing of a Pitcher against a Wall so that it 's broken The breaking of the Pitcher is an Effect but the Cause thereof is rather the force of him who purposely casts it against the wall then the Wall it self yet this Comparison is not so fuâ—l and perfect If there had been no Law there had been no sin For where there is no Law there is no Transgression saith the Apostle Rom. 4. 15. An if no transgression then no guilt no punishment If there had been no Law man might have done â—omething worthy of punishment yet without a Law he could have contracted no guilt so as to be bound to suffer punishment And though God knew that if he did give a Law it would be disobeyed yet he might justly give it For as he knew man would transgress it yet he knew likewise that he might keep it No Governour will forbear to enact Laws to regulate his People because he knows many will disobey them That the Law
tranâ—gressed by man at first could be no blameable cause of sin is evident because it was just easie to be observed man had power given him to keep it and the Law it self did express what and how great the evil would be whereunto man should certainly be liable if he transgressed and this was done to restrain man from sin for his own good By all this it 's evident that the first sin was neither from God nor the Law of God so as they could be blamed but from the Devil Woman Man who were justly chargable with it and punishable for it Let no man therefore charge God who is most holy nor the Decree of God nor the Law of God with sin as any ways a proper cause thereof Let God be true and every man a Lyaâ— as it is written That thou mightest be justified in thy saying and overcome when thou art judged Rom. 3. 4. But let every one charge his own heart and with all humility and grief confess his own sin It 's true that the temptation of the Devil tends directly to sin yet that could do us no hurt if we did resolutely reject it and not consent unto it CHAP. XIII Of God's Judicial Proceeding against Man upon the Commission of the first Sin HItherto § I I have spoken briefly of Sin in general and the first sin of man in particular as the Object of the Judgment of God which followed upon the perpetration of that sin In this Judgment God was the Judge Man the Party judged the Rule not onely the Moral but positive Law of God He was not bound to this Rule and therefore though in many things he observes it yet in some things he acts above it as supream Lord above his own Law and allays the severity of his Justice with abundance of Free-grace The Law promiâ—ed no mercy if man disobeyed yet he promiseth mercy even in the midst of Judgment and upon fairest terms This Judgment is described exactly in Gen. 3. Wherein we may observe the sin of man and the judgment of God The sin with the causes thereof and the first effects thereof before judgment the observant Reader will easily understand in the first part of that Chapter The Effects were two 1. Shame 2. Fear Shame for they saw their own Nakedness Fear For they heard the Voice of God and were afraid They sought to cover their shame and to hide themselves from God's Presence but both in vain In the Judgment or judicial proceedings â—ive things are most observable 1. The Summons 2. The Charge 3. The Conviction of the Parties summoned and convinced 4. God's Sentence 5. The Execution of the same God being Supream and absolute Lord was no ways bound to observe Formalities yet he omits nothing essential to judgment And this was the first great Court and Solemn Assizes kept on Earth 1. We have the Summons in these words Adam where art thou The end of Summons is Appearance which in respect of God was needless because of his Omnipresence And where could man disappear or hide himself from his All seeing Eye Yet because man had a foolish and fond conceit that he miâ—ht conceal himself God calls him out and by these words lets him know that 't was in vain to hide himself For let him be in the darkest and most secret place in the World yet there God was present and he did appear before his Tribunal For these words were not of ignorance as though God knew not where he was but a judicial Summons commanding him to appear before him where he should have full liberty to plead for himself Yet these words were not a bare Summons but a Charge For they implyed 1. That Adam did hide himself And 2. There must be some cause of it and there could be no cause but sin For why should an innocent person hide himself or seek to escape the presence of a just Judge The Righteous are as bold as a Lyon and dare look the greatest Judge in the face By this flying Gods presence he accused himself as guilty and sought to decline the Tryall This is a generall charge Adam upon this appeares and exuseth his hiding of himself but so that he rather accuseth himself by pretending that the cause of his hiding himself was his Nakednesse and the Presence of God whereas it was guilt of Conscience Therefore God taking hold of his own words proceeds to a Particular charge That surely he had transgressed the Law and had eaten of the Tree whereof God had commanded him that he should not eate Who should tell him that he was naked or how should he know it except he had offended This came so home and the crime was so evident and his own conscience so full a Witnesse that he could not deny it And therefore confesseth his offence yet so that he endeavours to attenuate it and excuse himself Thus the man was convicted yet so that he accuseth his Wife Sin is so odious filthy base that the Sinner himself is ashamed to own it but would charge it upon some other he cares not whom so that he might free himself And if man cannot deny his fact or prove it not to be a Sin yet he will endeavour to make it appeare lesse then it is that his shame and punishment may be lesse For we are not asham'd or affraid to Sin Yet when our Sin is charged upon us we are both ashamed of it and affraid of the punishment deserved Thus whilst Adam excuseth himself to no purpose he accuseth his dearly beloved Spouse and she indeed was two wayes guilty Not onely 1. Because she had eaten the forbidden fruit but 2. Because she had given it her husband to eate She therefor is summoned accused and convicted For she could no wayes plead Not guilty Yet she is willing to excuse her self and pleads she was deceived and the Serpent that is the Devill had deceived her Yet this could by no wayes clear and acquit her seeing she knew the Law and the words were plain and she had power not onely to resist but to overcome the Temptation For the controversie between the Devill and her if she had well considered proved in the issue to be this whether she should believe God saying If thou eate of that Tree thou shalt surely dye or the Devill saying Though thou eate thereof thou shalt not dye in plain contradiction to the Words of God The old Serpent the Devil and Sathan had no excuse none to cast the blame upon His crime was evident and notorious And thus the cause was evident and the partyes clearly convicted After conviction followes sentence § II declaring the Will of the supreme Judg concerning the Delinquents And 1. We must think and know that the Spirit in this History condescends unto our capacity and after the manner of humane judgements describes the judgement of God as in severall places of the new Testament our Saviour doth especially in Math. 25. 2. The order
his bodily life were many For his body became mortal subject to weariness infirmities languishing hunger thirst diseases grievous pangs and torments and monstrous deformities and of it self by little and little mouldred into dust Besides He was exposed to nakednesse cold heat lightening thunderbolts stings of Serpents rage of wild beast unmercifull and cruel murderers treacheries assassinations exquisite tortures and many other accidents destructive of his life which was every moment and in every place in danger to be cut off from without Besides the principles of mortality were alwayes within his body And the danger was the greater because he had lost the Ministery Guardiance and direction of Angels and was deprived of the speciall care and providence of his Lord and maker the Heavens above him were made like iron or brasse and either denied their light and influence or powred down stormes and terrified him with fiery Meteors and strange prodigious Comets or apparitions The earth was cursed barâ—en or fruitfull in proâ—â—cing unprofitable Weeds ingendring Toads Serpents and Pestilent Vermine and other creatures to consume fruites And the best soyl refused to give him bread without sweat labour care and both Heaven and Earth did often threaten him with hunger thirst and so with famine If the Earth and Heaven too did favour him so that through Gods Blessing and his industry they both promised a plentiful harvest and return yet it was subject to many casualties before it could be reaped and inned as to blasting mildew peâ—iâ—ential ayr inundatious fire Locusts Caterpillars and several sorts of worms and devouring Creatures which threaten death to man and beast If the fruits of the earth were layd up in his barnes and store-houses yet they were in danger If his house was furnished and his treasuries stored with rich and precious goods yet he was in peril of thieves Oppressours plunderers by Land and his Merchandise by Sea of Pirats and merciles enemies Neither could the Liberty of his Person be secure because of imprisonment banishment captivity His credit and reputation could not be safe but he might suffer in this particular and be stayned by reproaches slanders his own imprudent or base carriage His publique peace and safety might be disturbed by seditions rebellions civil Wars and forreign invasions and his houses Lands goods possessed by Strangers or made desolate And he might suffer from enemies desertion of Friends treachery ill neighbours bad servants his parents bretheren sisters near kinred nay from his own children issuing out of his own Bowels He might be cursed in his Cattle in his Children in his Lands in all his designs By his sinâ—â—e provoked God armed Heaven Earth Ayr Sea and all Creatures againâ—â— him His spirituall Condition was much prejudiced by evil education bad example pernicious counsail ungodly company and many other wayes These penalties and many more are recorded in the Scriptures and in the great Volum of divine Providence and stored up in the treasures of Gods Almighty and severe Justice To make a more full enumeration of the miseries whereunto Man by his first sin and Gods just judgments is exposed and reduce them into a Method would take up a great Volum Of the Penalties to be endured after this life I will not now say any thing These Penalties 1. Are spiritual § V bodily temporal private publick personal social and all may be reduced to Privative which we call punishments of losse or Positive which we call punishments of Sense 2. There be many degrees of these punishments and the continuance of them might be for ever so far as man is capable for ever to suffer them 3. Though every son of Adam be subject to these yet God doth not inflict them all upon any son of Adam 4. These Punishments may be deserved by other sins Against the Law of nature which the Gentiles violated Against the Law of Moses which the Jews transgressed Against the Gospel which Christians violate And many of Gods own Children may justly suffer For all actuall sins are not merely from Originall Corruption though it be a cursed root of all kind of iniquity 5. These Penalties become unremoveable either by Negative or Positive Impenitency and Unbelief or by Apostacy 6. All these Punishments in Scripture are signified by one word DEATH For the Wages of Sin is DEATH CHAP. XV. Of Original Sin and the Derivation of it from Adam to his Posterity IT s to be known § I 1. What the Authors who write or speak of it mean by Original Sin 2. Whether it be properly a Sin 3. How it is derived from Adam to his Posterity 1. Some distinguish of Original Sin and inform us that its Originans aut Originatum By the first they understand the first sin of Adam and this onely Pighius defines to be Original Sin By the second they understand the want of Original Righteousness and the depravation of our Nature following thereupon And thus it is commonly taken So that in it we may consider two things 1. Not onely the want or absence but the privation of the Righteousness which God gave Adam in the day of his Creation So that it is a want of it in the subject where it should be and was at first Yet this privation may be understood actively or passively Actively and so it 's a taking away from one that had it or denying it to one who never actually received it In the first sense God took it from Adam In the latter sense he denies it to all his Posterity In what manner God is in this Act to be considered or what was the reason why he did thus I do not here inquire Passively considered it respects the Subject from whom it 's taken or to whom iâ—'â— denied Upon this deprivation follows a depravation in the Moral and Spiritual Qualities and of the Acts of the Party deprived And this Depravation is either Negative or Positive Negative as Ignorance Positive as Errour in the Understanding Negative as no affection to good Positive as inclination to evil in the Will This Depravation doth not destroy the Essence of man nor his qualities nor his Acts but the perfection and excellency of them all and doth necessarily presuppose the Being Qualities Acts as the Subject All this doth imply that this Rightâ—ousness being an excellent Quality doth much ennoble and perfect man and did depend both in fieri in facto as they speak upon a superiour and intelligent-supernatural-tree Agent who could give it continue it as also upon cause take it away And if once the Soul lost it upon demerit or any other ways it was made imperfect defective and base and the inclinations and motions were unworthy so noble a Creature and so much the more because a Superiour Spirit had power to delude and deceive the mind and incline the heart to evil This is the reason why so many are said to walk after the Prince of the power of Darkness that now worketh in the
for an Act of Divine Power as it is a cause of subjection which must â—o before admission To understand this we must consider the Subject of it and that is Man as sub alienâ potestate under the power of Sin and Sathan and so out of God's Kingâ—om and as an Alien to this Heavenly Common-wealth and such is every one by Nature as he is out of Jesus Christ. Yet there are degrees of this distance some are further off some nearer to this Kingdom This is evident from the condition of Jews and Gentiles in former times and always especially since the times of the Gospel Because all men are either in the visible Church or out of it And men may be out of the Church two ways 1. As never admitted into the same Or 2. Such as being in the Church prove Apostates The Gentiles once were not Gentiles For their first Apostate Fathers were in the Church and the Jews in former times were God's people but for their unbelief are cast out and continue LO-AMMI none of God's people and this shall be their condition till such time as the fulness of the Gentiles be come in And we must distinguish of such as are in the visible Church for some are sincerely subjected unto God-Redeemer according to their Allegiance Some are Subjects onely by Name and Profession and by their ignorance unbelief disobedience are little better then Heathens and Aliens Some are subject in some measure but come short of that degree which is required to admission All these excepting one sort are out of this Kingdome as it consists of reall Saints and living members of Christ. Apostates shall never be called much lesse admitted if they be personally and wilfully such For if we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth there remaineth no more Sacrifice for sins Heb. 10. 26. and if no more Sacrifice then calling is in vain and to no purpose Yet the posterity of Apostates may be and have been called And if once God vouchsafe the meanes of conversion to Idolators who have forsaken not only God as their Redeemer but as Creatour and Preserver he requires of them to renounce the Devil and turn from their Idols to the living God first and then unto him as Redeemer by Jesus Christ. They which have forsaken Jesus Christ or deny him as their Saviour and yet acknowledge and worship God alone as the Creatour of Heaven and Earth the Preserver and Governour of the World as Turks all Mahumetans and the unbelieving Jews do at this day are bound to acknowledge Christ as their Saviour and Redeemer and sure his incarnation and glorification as already come into the World The case of the Jew in the times of Christ and the Apostles was singular For the sincere Proselyte and Jew had onely this to do to believe in Christ already come as before they believed in him to come and so they became compleat members of the Church Christian and perfectly subjects of the Kingdome of Christ glorified The Ignorant and Prophane as also the Hypocrits must forsake their wicked wayes and sincerely submit themselves Yet none of these things can be done without a power from Heaven and a Vocation which is a gracious work of God Redeemer wherein he by his Word and Spirit reduceth man to subjection so that he is fitted to be a subject of his Blessed Kingdome For by Calling we are delivered from the power of darknesse and translated into the Kingdome of His Dear Son Col. 1. 13. Therefore said to be called out of darknesse into his marveylous light 1 Pet. 2. 9. And upon this they who were not a people are made the people of God verse 10. For God will put his lawes into their mind and write them in their hearts and thereupon He will be their God and they shall be to him a People Heb. 8. 10. In all these Passages and many more it 's evident 1. That by nature and as born of sinfull Adam we are in darknesse out of Gods Kingdome none of Gods People 2. That we passe out of darknesse into light and into Christs Kingdom 3. This is not a work of our own merit or power For it 's God that delivers us translates us writes his lawes in our hearts and this of his free mercy and by his great and wonderfull power 4. By this we become Gods people and subjects of Christ's Kingdom And all this is said to be by calling For he called us out of darknesse into his marvaylous light All these particulars are expressed or implyed in those words of the Apostle who signifies that God would send him to the Gentiles to open their eves and to turn them from darknesse to light and from the power of Sathan unto God that they may receive remission of sins and as inheritance among them which are sanctifyed by saith in Christ Act. 26. 17 18. This Vocation § VII as it is an act of power and great mercy and free grace for by grace we are saved so it s a work which is effected by the Word and Spirit For as we are regenerate so we are called and we are regenerate 1. By the Word 2. By the Spirit By the Word For of his own will he begat us with the word of truth Jam. 1. 18. By the Spirit For except a man be born again of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdome of God Joh. 3. 5. In the Word God commands and promiseth The command binds man to submit The promise is a motive to enforce the performance of the precept This we maâ— understand and observe in the Call of Abraham For 1. He is commanded to get him out of his Countrey and from his kindred and from his Fathers house unto a land that God would shew him and to perswade him God promiseth to make him a great nation and to blesse him c. But the principall promise was that in him all the familyes of the earth should be blessed Gen. 12. 1. 2 3. This precept implyes that man is under the domiâ—ion of sin and Sathan and therefore commands him to forsake his sin and Sathan and turn from Satan unto God In this God makes use of the Doctrine of the fall of Adam and the Morall Law as given unto him and binding him to perfect and perpetual obedience and upon disobedience threatning Death And by the precept is discovered mans sin and by threatning his misery to humble him break his heart make him weary of sin and desirous of deliverance and willing upon any termes to accept a Saviour Yet this gives him no Comfort nor any Power to do that which is his duty though God make use of it to prepare mans heart The first dutyes commanded are 1. A sight of sin as sin in our selves whereby we are miserable The 2. Is saith whereby we believe that God being satisfyed and attoned by the blood of Christ will be mercifull and pardon sin This faith
to give grace sufficient and necessary and effectual to work repentance and faith in Christ. 4. Upon his fore-knowledge of the event of these means administred to choose single persons fore-seen finally to believe Yet if we will understand consider and speak accurately The 1. Is the Decree of Redemption The 2. Of the Covenant The 3. Of giving the means of Conversion But none of these are the Decree of Election Nor is the 4th as delivered by them Others imagine Election to be a Decree to save certain single persons without respect to sin Christ the Covenant-grace for keeping the Covenant And these for the most part make this Decree antecedent to the Decree of Redemption and the Covenant All these forsake the simplicity of the Scriptures which teach us that this Decree essentially includes single persons the means the end and pre-supposeth the Providence and Government of Man first innocent in Adam then fallen afterwards continuing in sin till God call him according to purpose And also the Decâ—ee of sending Christ of the Redemption by Christ and of the New Covenant 5. This Decree hath something of absolute and arbitrary power according to that Similitude Hath not the Potter power c. Rom. 9. 21. For as He could have called and converted all so He could have decreed to have saved all yet He hath done neither He hath passed by many And this Preteâ—ition which is rather Non-Decretum than Decretum is made by some to be Reprobation Yet Reprobation according to Scripture is a Positive Decree according to which God not onely in His absolute power passeth by certain single persons but also decrees to order them according to His Laws and Judgment unto Eternal Misery That there is such a Preterition is certain but that this Preterition is the whose Decree of Reprobation upon which follows necessarily and unavoidably Eternal Death who can evidently prove out of God's Word 7. As this Decree of Election doth con-note an absolute and arbitrary power of God's Will so no reason thereof can be given but from his good pleasure and we must say with the Scripture he will have mercy upon whom He will have mercy and whom He will He hardeneth Yet in God's Eternal Wisdom there may be many Reasons of both and the same weighty and preponderant perhaps though they are concealed and not made known to us For there is no act of Ordination of intellectual and immortal Creatures unto their final estate of felicity and misery that is an act of mere absolute Power as abstracted from all Mercy Wisdom sustice In the execution of the Decree there is given a plain reason of the Rejection of the Jew and that is Vnbelief Rom. 9. 31 32. Chap. 11. 20. Yet no reason or cause in the Gentiles why God called them but His absolute power free-will mere grace yet of their first Rejection the moral cause in themselves was their Idolatry and Apostacy Yet 1. Why did not God prevent the Apostasie of the Gentiles but reject the generality of them for two thousand years and chuse the Jew and the Posterity of Abraham by Jacob and continue them His people for so many hundred years And 2. Why He should reject the Jew and take away from the generality of them both the Word of the Gospel and the Spirit for these sixteen hundred years and upward and chuse the Gentiles And 3. Why in the end He should choose both in one main Body no Wit of man can give a reason Therefore the Apostle cryes out O the depth of the riches both of the Wisdom and Knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his Judgments and his ways past finding out Rom. 11. 33. Which place implyes 1. That there were weighty Reason why God did thus for they were Acts of His profoundest Wisdom 2. That these Reasons to Man and perhaps to Angels are unsearchable 7. These Decrees are no ways contrary unto but exactly agreeing with the Redemption by Christ the tenour of the New-Covenant the Execution and the final Judgment if we truly understand them as they are revealed in Scripture And He muâ—â— needs be a false Prophet who shall tech them otherwise and he that shall so teach them as to derogate the least from Free-grace in Christ is inexcusable There be two Propositions unworthy to be made Principles in this Doctrine § XI The first is Quod Primum in intentione id ultimum in executione That which is first in intention is last in execution The second is Ordinatè volens prius vult finem deinde media ad finem He that acts rationally and orderly first wills the end then the means to the end and yet these are made Principles in Divinity and must be the measure and rule according to which we must understand the Word of God speaking of these high and mysterious Decrees Yet 1. These do not agree unto God but applyed unto him derogate from His glorious Perfections 2. They are neither truly understood nor rightly applyed to the Decrees of God 3. The first taken out of the Blasphemous Commentator whom some think to be Averâ—oes or some other is falsly understood and otherwise interpreted than the Author first meant it as Occam tells us For thus some expound it That which is the chiefest thing in intention is that to which all things in the Execution are ultimately referred And what 's this to their purpose who use or rather abuse it 4. The second is by the School-men and such as follow them applyed to the Decree of Election in this manner That seeing God is the most orderly Agent He must needs first intend glory unto sinful man as the end Secondly grace as the means for glory Yet as that excellent School-man saith well That glory is not the end of God predestinating but of man predestinated and it was indifferent to him whether to will Glory the end or Grace the means first in order and as He gives Grace first and then Glory so no doubt He decreed to do so To say and affirm that first God absolutely chose such persons then decreed to give them glory thirdly that they might attain glory He intends and decrees to give them Christ and grace are groundless speculations and the imaginations of mens hearts who conceive of God as they do of themselves But here we may truly say How far are God's thoughts above the thoughts of silly sinful ignorant men That there are Decrees of Election and Reprobation Free-will natural and Grace is evident out of Scripture and most men even such as differ amongst themselves do grant but how to reconcile these hath been the business of the subtillest Wits and is not yet so clearly done as to satisfie others The manner of Conversion the manner how God fore-knows and decrees all things especially the contingent and free acts of Angels and Men cannot be evidentâ—y known by us neither is it needful Scientia media decreta ex hypothesi vocatio congrua are much
controverted yet Sub judice lis est to this day We have no perfect notions of God's Knowledge and Decrees nor of His manner of Working in the Souls of men Therefore it were wisdom to be silent If we desire to know our own Election we must not curiously pry into God's secret Counsels nor search the Records of Eternity for that we cannot do But let us diligently examine our selves and if our hearts have been sincerely obedient to the Heavenly Call wholly subjected to Christ and feel the power and comforts of God's sanctifying and adopting Spirit having dominion over Sin then we may conclude that our names are registred in Heaven and enrolled in the Book of Life and we are Subjects of this glorious Kingdom Thus you have heard § XII what Subjection is required by the Fundamental Law of this Kingdom and the means whereby we are reduced And this Subjection must be free not forced sincere not seigned It 's true that Man upon the first Summons and Call will stand out and be unwilling to change his old Master and forsake his bosome sin Yet such is the power of this Heavenly Call that in the end it will prevail For when the glorious power of the Spirit with the purest light of the Gospel shall penetrate the inmost parts of the Soul discover unto him his vile base miâ—erable condition the imminent danger of Eternal Death the unspeakable Love of God the bitter Sufferings of Christ the Excellency of him his Saviour the great Deliverance from Hell and Eternal Death and the blessed and glorious Estate which will follow upon his submission then the heart by the power of Grace of unwilling is made most willing and receives with all readiness his Lord as onely Redeemer and will do any thing suffer any thing lose any thing to be one of his Vassals After this brief Discourse of Predestination § XIII which is the first beginning of man's Eternal Salvation and the IDEA and Model of God's special Government according to which He calls Converts admits sinful man as a subject of His Kingdom and directs him unto the full enjoyment of Eternal Peace and also of Calling whereby this Decree begins to be put in execution and sinful Man is reduced it remains that we enquire what the condition of man upon his sincere submission proves to be For this end we must observe 1. That God according to His absolute power calls whom He will For He is bound to none and therefore without any injustice He may pass by not onely particular persons but whole Nations yea the greatest part of Mankind especially upon their demerit 2. That to whomsoever He vouchsafeth the means of Conversion them He may be truly said to Call 3. That the issue and event of this Call is two-fold for some stand our some come in Those who stand out either by their secular employments Earthly care and love of the World are kept back or being spiteful and malicious oppose persecute and murther God's Messengers As these voluntarily refuse to submit so they are for ever shut out of this Kingdom and all of them especially the malicious wilful Wretches are counted Rebels and so adjudged Enemies and so to be dealt withall For here is no different and third sort of people which may be reckoned Neuters For all are either Subjects or Enemies Of such as come in some submit in Hypocrisie some imperfectly some with all their hearts sincerely and the Hypocrites are either gross or not so palpable All this we may learn from that Parable of our Saviour Math. 22. 1 2 3. c. Of those who submit is made the visible Church on Earth which universally considered since the first publication of the Gospel to all Nations are 1. Christians 2. Reduced into several Societies and Flocks for Doctrine and Worship over which are set Ministers and their Priviledges are Word and Sacraments And the Universal Church in all the several parts of the World wheresoever they are dispersed make one Political and Organical Body and are all subject to Christ their Head and to their Ministers as His Officers And in this respect the Government of the Church is Monarchical And as the Word and Sacraments are Priviledges of the Universal Church so Ministers rightly and duâ—y called are Officers of the same And we are first Subjects unto Christ and Members of the great Body before we be Members of this or that particular Church But of this I have spoken in another Treatise 3. They are associated for Discipline the end whereof is to preserve the Doctrine and Woâ—ship pure and the body free from scandalous and infecting Members The Power of the Church thus associated is four-fold 1. To declare and constitute Canons 2. To make Officers 3. To exercise Jurisdiction 4. To dispose of the Churches stock made up of the Charity and Benevolence of the People This power is in the whole Church and Body associated It 's exercised by Officers chosen and constituted according to the Rules of Christ for that purpose The acts of Jurisdiction are to admonish suspend excommunicate or absolve according as they shall see just cause The whole Church particular may trust one man or more with a general inspection without giving any jurisdiction Many particular Congregations instituted for Worship may associate into one Body for Discipline and then the power is not derived from the particular Congregations to the whole but from the whole Association to the Parts These Associations may be of too narrow or too vast an extent of too small a number or too great a multitude And the Parts and Members are most fitly united and conveniently disposed by vicinity of Habitation These particulars I have at large made evident according to my Talent out of the Scripture in a former distinct Discourse All these Associations the great and glorious Lord Redeemer makes use of in administration of His Kingdom But one onely part of these make up the Body of His Spiritual Kingdom which shall inherit the Eternal Glory of the same and they are such as submit at the first sincerely and with their whole heart Yet there be degrees of this Subjection and the best may and must improve their submission until their corruptions be fully subdued and they perfectly sanctified For before they are not capable of full communion with their God and the perfect enjoyment of Eternal Peace Besides there be several degrees of Preparation before we attain to sincere submission and admission into this blessed Common-wealth of Israel The condition of such as sincerely acknowledge their Soveraign and Lord Redeemer is comfortable here in this life and glorious hereafter For the present as they are admitted Subjects unto God their Father so they who were far off are made nigh and by Christ have access by one Spirit to the Father are no more strangers and Forreigners but Fellow-Citizens with the Saints and Houshold of God Ephes. 2. 13 18 19. And by reason of this
better way to do it than by an Oath Otherwise an Oath is needlesse and such as be too hasty to swear when there is no necessity are to be suspected as false or prophane wretches 4. The party swearing must aime at that end for which an Oath was ordayned and take it so as that it may end in the glory of God and the good of man Besides the conditions required in an assertory Oath § XIII as that the matter must be of importance and there must be some necessity of it there are some other qualifications necessary in a promissory Oath For 1. The thing promised must be just and lawfull If a man may not do much lesse may he promise and swear to do that which is unjust Neither if in this case we swear can the Oath bind us but becomes ipso facto voyd For the â—bâ—gation of Man cannot be in force when it 's contrary unto and inconsisâ—ent with â—â—peâ—iour obligation of Gods Commandement Henâ—e that Axiom Juramentum non ligat ad illicitum No Oath can bind us to do that which 〈…〉 or not do that which he hath commanded For it 's contrary to 〈…〉 end of an Oath to be Vinculum Iniquitatis to bind to offend the supreme Loâ—d Therefore it 's a fearfull abuse and prophanation of an Oath when men swear to conceal Treason and bind themselves to do mischief as those 〈◊〉 men did who conspired to murder Paul Act. 23. 21. It 's true that by the variation of cirumstances and other accidents and events of divine providence that which was lawfull in the time of swearing may become unlawfuâ— beâ—ore the time of performance and in this case God doth free a man from his obligation 2. The thing promised by Oath must be possible not onely in it self but to the party swearing and so that prudent men may judge it to be in his power Yet if by providence it become impossible to the party before the time of performance he is free But he must be willing and surely endeavour the performance for if through his own folly negligence or wilfullnesse it become such so that the cause is in himself who might have prevented it he must needs be guilty Otherwise Nemo tenetur ad Impossibile 3. The party swearing must have a sincere intention to perform his Oath and must carefully remember how deeply â—e hath engaged himself and use his utmost enâ—eavour to be faithfull lest God be dishonoured his conscience wounded his neighbour deceived and disappointed And because an Oath taken before man should expresse the mind of the party swearing to them whom it concernes to beleeve him § XIV therefore both in an assertory and also a promissory Oath the words must be plain and full so that they may be understood for otherwise if they conceale that which should be expressed or expresse their mind doubtfully the Oath will be â—o little purpose and if this be done of purpose to deceive it 's abominable Therefore all Aequivocations and mental reservations are to be abhorred as contrary to the very end of an Oath If these be used all Oaths are Vselesse For the party swearing speaks one thing but meanes another and whosoever depends upon any such must needs be deceived Neither is it safe for any man after that he hath solemnly bound himself by a Promissory Oath to seek evasions to disoblige himself by Curious and nice distinctions or strayning or wresting the words For we must consider that God will judge us As in swearing § XV so in other things especially in Divine Worship we take up the Name of God And as in Oaths so in other things especially in religious services we must not take his name in vain but perform them so as that God with whom we have to do may be glorified As fasting and prayer for vaine glory to gaine an opinion of our holinesse and to think to be heard of God for our many words and repetitions are here prohibited as also all formalityes in divine Worship so the contrary is commanded And God requires a due disposition of heart and a preparation before this disposition continued in the act of performance and an holy carriage after our devotions are ended For as God is holy so must we when we draw nigh unto him be holy And this precept discovers an abundance of prophaness hypocrisie formality in most and many imperfections in the best when they worship before God CHAP. X. The Fourth Commandement BEfore I enter upon the explication of this commandement § I it will be requiâ—ite to premise some generals concerning the order and relation of it to the former concerning the reason and cause of a Sabbath and concerning the end 1. The order is clear enough For after that God had required subjection to himself and secured his soveraign power in the First instituted and appointed the services which man must perform unto him prohibiting all superstitious inventions of men in the Second and prescribed the manner how his institutions must be performed in the Third he determins a certaine time wherein all other businesse set aside religious dutyes ought to be performed unto him in a more solemn manner and that time consecrated in a special manner to his Divine Majesty in this Fourth This is the order and connexion of this part of the Law with the rest whereby we understand that this Commandemeâ—t presupposeth the former necessarily so that without them it s nothing but a bare duration and part of time no wayes different in it self from other times And for this reason must of necessity derive its morality so far as it is moral from some thing antecedent 2. The reason § II and cause why God did determin a certain portion of time for rest and sanctification followes in the second place to be considered and it 's the condition of man in this life which is such as that it did in some sort necessarily require it For man in innocency had his secular employment if we may so call it For he was put in Paradise and in that Garden God had planted Eastward in Eden to dresse it and keep it Gen. 2. 15. And this work must take up some time But since his Fall he must eat his bread in the sweat of his face and as his necessities so his worldly employments are not few but so much of his time is taken up in these earthly works that he cannot keep a perpetual Sabbath to his God as we hope to do in Heaven For this cause God in his Wisdome thought it fit to measure out of his time a determinate portion wherein man must sequester himself from the businesse of the World and spend the same in his better and diviner imployments What portion was fittest and sufficient neither too much nor too little he onely knew as He onely had power to limit it and bind man to the Sanctification of it The Jewes observed one day in seaven in a certain order so likewise
preparation of the whole man with a desire and resolution to observe it 3. An actual application of that time to a performance of Religious Duties and whatsoever Works tend most to the glory of God those do most sanctifie the Day This is the reason why Christ's miraculous Cures did not prophane this day and that Works of Mercy are so suitable to this time Though publick and Congregational Duties are principally intended yet Family and Closet-Duties are required and though other days may be sanctified and observed as times of Humiliation or Thanksgiving yet this is done upon a more general ground and not by vertue of this Commandement which is confined to the Seventh Day What the particular services of the Sabbath be I need not mention For they are such as God hath instituted and the principal are Word and Prayer as you heard in the Explication of the second Precept The sins here forbidden are 1. All prophane and sinful thoughts § XIV words and deeds which unhallow all times and especially this These are sins in the six days but more heynous sins on the seventh 2. All secular thoughts words deeds which are contrary unto and non-consistent with the Rest and sanctification of this time and with Diviner Employments These are lawful at other times unlawful in this 3. The neglect of Holy Duties in this time of Rest. For though we should rest this day not onely from all secular labours and works but also from worldly thoughts and motions of the mind if it were possible and not apply our selves to Religious Worship yet the Day remains to us unsanctified 4. All prophane Sports yea and all Recreations which hinder and distract us in the service of our God 5. All Hypocritical all irreverent yea all imperfect performance of Holy Duties Men may be strict zealous devout in the outward parts of Religion and yet stand at a great distance from their God For God requires not any kind of Sanctification of this day but that which is hearty and sincere And because our best service is imperfect therefore we can keep no perfect Sabbath on Earth that is reserved for Heaven Let us therefore endeavour the best aim at perfection desire pardon of defects and long after the estate of glory wherein we shall perfectly hallow an Eternal Sabbath before the Eternal King There he many causes of the prophanation § XV and impediments of the Sanctification of this holy time and we should take notice of them 1. Some are Atheists who are devoid of Faith and the fear of God These believe not that there is a God who will judge the World and render to every one according to their Works They fear not His Divine Power and Majesty They have no care to worship Him They perswade themselves that all Religious Service is vain and that the Worship of a Deity hath no better reason and ground then the fancy and conceit of some precise superstitious Fools They think that the Rest and Sanctification of every 7th day is a needless expence and loss of time to the hinderance and neglect of many considerable businesses 2. Some though not so prophane do not consider how much the Preservation and continuance of Religion depends upon the observation of Holy Sabbaths Take these away you shall by Experience find that Religion will decay and that in a short time We by the Light of Nature may easily understand that there is a time necessarily required for the dispatch of all business and if so then the Religious Service of our God and the Salvation of our Souls are the greatest and most weighty businesse we have to do in this World and therefore do of necessity require and may justly challenge not onely some time but a competent and due proportion of time Yet we find that men of great understanding and very prudent in these Earthly things are very inconsiderate and imprudent in this particular 3. Some take no notice of those Characters God hath imprinted upon some days and by some glorious work done on them honoured them and made them more excellent then other days They do not consider that the Jews being the people of God from whom Salvation was observed and that according to God's Command and Example one day in seven and that Christians from the Apostles days have consecrated the 7th part of their time unto God and that by sufficient Warrant from Heaven And this forgetfulness and want of consideration is one cause of their neglect and dis-esteem of the Sabbath 4. Some do know believe and profess these things yet are Worldly-minded negâ—igent in matters of Religion and at all times and so on the Sabbath are indisposed to Heavenly Duties so that they hallow no time and unhallow this sacred time which God doth arrogate to himself And such as being Earthly minded are most active in secular business are most careless and negligent in the observation of God's Sabbath 5. The want of preparation before we enter upon the Sabbath and Divine Service our careless carriage in the performance of Holy Duties and our intermixing of secular business prophane thoughâ—s and discourses must needs abate and that very much of the sanctification of the Day 6. Some are perswaded that all days since the abolition of the Jewish Polity are alike and therefore it is Jewish or Superstitious to observe any determinate time and to prefer one day above another 7. Some out of a Spiritual Pride and high conceit of themselves as above all Ordinances neglect Sacraments and Sabbaths as far below their high attainments The Reasons to perswade us to sanctifie the Sabbath are many § XVI and in general the same with those which bound the Jews and therefore must be sought in the Old Testament in Moses and the Prophets 1. God commands us to sanctifie His Sabbath and repeats this Command many times And though their Weekly Sabbath was not the same with ours for the particular Day yet the end and many particular Duties of Sanctification are the same 2. As the Jewish Religion so the Christian depends much upon the Sabbath and as theirs was necessary for the continuance of their Religion so ours is for the continuance of ours 3. God did severely and many times prohibit the Prophanation of this sacred time 4. When and where it 's neglected and prophaned wholly or in part there Religion decays accordingly and that in a short time 5. He hath promised to such as shall observe his Sabbath many and great Blessings both Temporal and Spiritual publick and private to particular Persons Nations and Common-wealths And in these Promises he did not so much regard this or that 7th day as the continuance of Religion by the Sactification of such Times as he himself should determine 6. He hath threatned most fearful Judgments to be inflicted upon them who shall by neglect of Holy Duties or by Worldly and Bodily Labours and Employments or any other way prophane the same 7. According to these
ungodly wicked and to give them bad example and be patterns of impiety and iniquity unto them 6. To be found indulgent remisse in Discipline and correction and to bring them up idlely or delicately 7. To neglect their education in Religion and take no care of their poor Souls The sins of Tutours Guardians and such as are trusted with Orphans are carelessenesse or unfaithfulnesse And these must know that though these desolate and poor Creatures cannot or may not question them yet God will right them and will certainly call these unjust Stewards to account and severely punish them for their negligence and injustice And as he will blesse godly faithfull carefull parents and such as supply their place and comfort them in their Children or some other way So he will punish the negligent ungodly unfaithfull in their own Children and many other wayes and will require the blood of their Souls at their hands and their last reckoning will be sad and heavy Few Fathers endeavour the Regeneration of their Children Few Mothers travayl again of them that Christ may be formed and born in their hearts And one great cause of the corruption not onely of familyes but Church and state is the neglect of education When Parents do not use the power God hath put into their hands nor take the opportunity he hath given them to instil the principles of religion and piety into them in their tender yeares when they are so ready to receive the first impressions It 's a matter of sorrow and lamentation to consider how much Parents do neglect their duty and to see the sad events thereof For many of them transmit their sin and guilt and derive it to posterity who inherit their iniquity and misery Hitherto of this Commandement § X taken in the plain immediate sense Let 's proceed to those things which are reducible unto it by Analogie or deduction from it by more remote consequence Father and Mother are tearms of relation expresly named in the Text and these imply another Relation Husband and Wife who are the Foundation of a Family and were the beginning and first root of Mankind And after that Woman was once created and man had a fellow the relation of Husband and Wife followed and was the first relation according to God's Institution which requires that man and woman should be Husband and Wife before there be Father and Mother They are 1. Man and Woman of different Sex by Creation 2. Husband and Wife by God's Institution 3. Father and Mother by God's Blessing Yet there be many who violate this Institution and propagate the World with an illegitimate and spurious or incestuous Brood though by Repentance and Faith in Christ this sin may be pardoned and God's Judgment averted both from Parents and Children In this first Society there is an imparity though not so great as that of Parents and Children and the Duties thereof are two Subjection and Love For the Wife must be subject to her Husband and the Husband must love his Wife This is the Command of God by the Apostle Wives submit your selves unto your Husbands as unto the Lord For the Husband is the Head of the Wife c. This is the imparity of Superiour and Inferiour And Husbands love your Wives as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for it Ephes. 5. 22 25. This subjection was due from the first Wife to the first Husband even in the estate of Innocency For even then Marriage was instituted and by it was constituted one of the nearest Societies in the World and the same indissoluble except by Death or Adultery and that not onely by Covenant but especially by God's Institution whose Will it was that they should be one flesh and that man should forsake Father and Mother that dear relation and cleave to his Wife This Subjection before the Fall was so a Duty as that it was not a punishment For then Man was the Head a Superiour because made first and Woman was made after Man of Man for Man and man was of the more noble Sex and it was God's Will he should be Superiour in the first Contract according to his Institution But after the Fall it was not onely a Duty to be performed willingly but a Penalty to be suffered patiently And a grievous Penalty it is when a Woman is married to a proud insolent imperious Fool and to such Women who are of the like temper and violently bent to have their own Will though never so unreasonable As the imparity between Man and Wife is less then that between Parents and Children so the subjection of the Wife to the husband is not so great as that which is due from Children to Parents much less then of Servants to their Masters The place of the Wife though inferiour to the Husband is honourable She is Partner with him and shares in the government of the Family and may command both Children and Servants He is the Master she is the Mistress though subordinate to him as her Head as the Body is to the Head The duty of the Husband is to love his Wife and that not with any kind or degree of love but with a dear tender special love He must love her as his Wife as one flesh with him his own body part of himself nearer to him then Father or Mother Yet as obedience of Children so both love of Husband and subjection of Wife is limited and must be in the Lord that is subordinate unto that love and subjection which is due to Christ and agreeable to the Will of His Command and not contrary unto it And both the Duties presuppose other Vertâ—es in both Parties or else they will be not onely imperfect and deficient but unlawful and not in the Lord but against the Will of the Lord. And this subjection of the one and love of the other Evangelically understood are more perfect and noble Vertues in true Christians then in others as the Bond of Marriage doth represent the Union of Christ and His Church who are contracted on Earth and the Marriage it self shall be solemnized in Heaven with great glory and full joy that shall never end The want of this subjection in the one and love in the other much more the contrary sins are forbidden in this Commandement and are the causes of many other sins confusions discomforts miseries ruines of Families And by these two and the contrary may be understood all other Duties here commanded and sins forbidden and all such as depend upon them or are necessarily joyned with them After the Relations and Societies of Husband and Wife § XI Parents and Children follows that of Masters and Servants For after that Mankind was multiplyed in a Family and their Estates and Goods increased their work was the greater and required more hands and the first that did the Work of Servants though they were not Servants were Children and after that besides irrational Servants as the Ox and the Ass there were
charge to suborne or corrupt Witnesses and delay the finall decision which also is the sin of both partyes sometimes And few men continue charitable whilst they contend in law The many sins of the parties litigant are so well known that I need not give any further account of them As for Sollicitours and Atturneys § VI they must be skilfull allowed diligent faithfull perswading to peace and if that cannot be to be as carefull of their Clients cause as of their own Yet so as to do nothing against a good conscience and the rules of Christianity Their profession is lawfull and good but the design of many of them is to gaine and out of covetousnesse to enrich themselves Their end is not peace and justice They encourage men in their litigious suits perswade them of the justice and good issue of their cause and will undertake it though never so unjust They disswade men from agreement comply one with another to bring grift unto the Lawyers mill delay Judgement protract Suits give advantage to their Client's adversary either ignorantly or negligently or perfidiously They make large accounts exact immoderate fees and pick poor mens purses and so prove not onely Theeves against the former Commandement but enemyes to just Judgement against this The duty of Witnesses is to remember § VII and seriously consider their Oath and accordingly clearly and fully to declare the truth and all the truth they certainly know in that cause wherein they are produced And this must be done without any partiality or respect to any person with a desire to make way for and promote righteous Judgement Such as are willing to be suborned or corrupted and are ready contrary to their Oath and the true end of all judiciall testimonyes to testifie that which they know not or know not certainly or that which they know to be false or conceal any of their knowledge or use doubtfull expressions or equivocations or mentall reservations or contradict themselves or any wayes obscure the cause out of covetousnesse or fear or favour or hatred or any other inordinate passion and affection these directly transgresse against the expresse Words of the Commandement And further let every one know that as he is forbidden here to be a false Witnesse so he is commanded to testifie the truth certainly known unto him in any cause when he is called thereunto and the case of his Neighbour shall require it Nay in some cases we must willingly offer our selves when we understand that by our true and faithfull testimony we may prevent in justice either in clearing and righting the innocent or punishing the guilty The duty of Counsellours in Law § VIII and Advocates who ought to be skilfull in the Law so far as their place requires or else not to undertake the profession is to perswade men to peace if that cannot be done or be not expedient to take full and perfect information before either they give Counsail or undertake the cause If they find it to be unjust they must refuse to meddle in it or manage it They must give good and faithfull Counsail plead wisely justly effectually in a good cause be content with moderate fees remember the condition of poor Clients be faithfull do what they can to bring the matter to a due tryall and with as much expedition as conveniently may be The sins of these are many if they be corrupt or covetous Some take upon them the profession and practise in it though they have no sufficient skil They will undertake any cause though never so unjust their end is gaine not justice their God is their gold They give bad Counsell encourage the Clients to go on in an unjust cause or in such a matter as it 's more then probable they shall be cast if justice take effect They will plead against justice obscure a plaine truth puzzle and daunt a timerous witnesse are senslesse of their Clients condition perfidious will plead vehemently against justice and do what they can to pervert judgement will not use all diligence to promote justice In our judicial proceedings § IX according to the constitution of our government we have Juries or Jurors so called because they are sworn before they can act and in that respect also they are called Sacramentales These are either Delatory or Judiciall Delatory are for information and their businesse is to enquire after Delinquents and to certifie their names and their offences And they are either superiour or inferiour Superiours for a whole County at Assises or Sessions of the peace and this Jury is called the Grand-Inquest Inferiour are such as present and indite in inferiour Courts Judiciall are such as for the substance of the cause determine it for matter of fact before the Judges give the sentence for Law Their judgment is called a Veredict And these according to the causes are such as give their Veredict in civil or Criminal and capitall causes In civil causes belonging to the Common pleas the Judge between subject and subject in criminall betwixt King and subject And because some criminal causes are capiâ—al therefore such as are empaâ—eld and sworn for these are called the Jury for life and death All this makes it evident that amongst us judgement depends much upon these Jurours Their duty in this respect is that according to law they be Boni et legales homines and no wayes chargeable with such crimes as they accuse or judge which words according to the first institution did reach further then we ordinarily conceive It was the wisdome of our Ancestours to appoint these Juryes that every one might be judged per Pares by his Peers and such as were likely to know men best and their quality causes and offences The intention was the preservation ofliberty to prevent the impunity of offenders and to do every one righâ— These must be men of understanding and integrity and must endeavour to be fully informed make just and impartiall presentments and give just and impartiall Verdicts Yet many of these are either unskilfull or unconscionable pact up of such persons as are for the person not the cause wranglers rash carelesse or soul corrupt and so are a great cause why innocent persons are condemned or 〈◊〉 in their cause and the guilty and sometimes such as are polluted with blood are acquitted In judgement also we have Notaries § X and also such as are trusted with the execution The Notaries and keepers of records have their duty prescribed in this Commandement and as they ought to be just and understanding men fitly qualified for their places so they should faithfully and truly record all proceedings from first to last and carefully and safely keep the records They must not be carelesse and negligent much lesse false in altering omitting or falsifying any thing nor unfaithfull in embezeling or making away any thing trusted in their custody Sheriâ—s Bailiffs Pursevants Constables or any imployed in execution must be carefull to give true
and instruments which have a promise annexed and that by vertue of the promise and Gods ordination I will not here assert that either the word SACRAMENTUM Latine or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Greek doth properly signifie any such thing oâ— that the word is so used in Scripture Let it suffice that in this sense the words have bin used both by Latine and Greek writers and if any can find a better word I shall willingly accept it when I know it If any make question whether this definition doth agree to the Sacraments of the old testament as well as of the new as we use to speak it 's plain it doth For Circumcision was a sign and Seal of the righteousnesse of faith Rom. 4. 11. where we have Righteousnesse promised by God faith required from man which is the substance of the Covenant and Circumcision as a Ceremony was a sign to signify and represent the righteousnesse by faith and a Seal to confirme it Yet this faith then required was in Christ to come And Abraham had this faith before he was Circumcised which made the confirmation stronger yet it confirmed no righteousness but by faith The Celebration of the Sacraments is a profession of our Religion § VI a testimony of our union amongst our selves badges of our profession to distinguish us from others and a Solemn engagement to obedience yet these are generall accidents and are neither of the essence of them nor proper adjuncts to any one of them As the observation of them is a service to be performed unto God they are parts of his Worship As they are commanded by God they bind us as all other Laws do and the observation of them by that command becomes necessary so far as he intended them In this respect they agree with other Laws They are meanes of obtaining the benefits merited by Christ and promised by God as all other Laws obeyed are For God hath promised that upon obedience the benefit shall follow The observation of them is commanded joyntly with the observation of morall and other more excellent duties which more immediately and effectually conduce unto the main end as with repentance and faith without which they cannot be effectuall For the promise is not added to the Sacrament alone For he that believeth and is baptised shall be saved Mark 16. 16. It 's not said He that is baptized but he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved A man by faith without Baptism not by Baptism without faith may be saved Yet the contempt of these Sacraments may damn a man and deprive him of salvation because that contempt is inconsistent with faith For true faith and salvation have a necessary and inseperable connexion by the Divine ordination in so much as that He who believeth not shall be damned The efficacy of these Sacraments for the actuall enjoyment of grace requireth a right qualification in the party and depends upon the power of the holy Spirit For Baptism is the Laver of Regeneration by the renewing of the Holy Ghost Tit. 3. 5. As all other Laws have their promises and threats so these sacramentall ceremonialls likewise have From hence it followes that not onely they who neglect and omit the celebration of them but also the unworthy receivers are guilty and make themselves liable to punishment And they who observe them and observe them aright in God's good time though not alwayes at or in the time of the observation receive the benefit promised For though the benefit and the actuall enjoyment be from Christ and the Spirit yet it 's sometimes attributed to the observation of the Sacraments because they in some sort concurr in an inferiour manner to the collation of the same Therefore we are said to be ingraffed into Christ and saved by Baptism yet not by Baptism alone After these generals § VII concerning all the ceremonials and special Sacraments I proceed to speak of Sacraments in particular and bâ—bâ—cause we are freed from the Sacraments of former times by the death of Christ I will passe by Circumcision and the Passeover and come to the Sacraments of the Gospel which continue in full force and power unto this day and shall so continue unto the end of the World The Sacraments of the Gospell are two 1. Baptism 2. The Lord's Supper The first is the Sacrament of Regeneration and Admission into Christ's Kingdome and our ingrafting into Christ The second is the Sacrament of our continuance in this Kingdome and growing up in Christ. Baptism may be briefly therefore defined to be a Sacrament of our Regeneration But more particularly It is a Sacrament of the Gospel wherein by washing with Water in the name of the Father Son and holy Ghost Regeneration is confirmed to the party baptized As it is a Ceremony so it agrees with all the ceremonies of God Redeemer as a Sacrament with all other Sacraments thereof as a Sacrament of the Gospel it differs from all Sacraments annexed to the Promise For though they were instituted by God yet this with the Eucharist was instituted by God Redeemer exhibited The former presupposed Christ to come these Christ already come And also though it agree with Circumcision as being a Sacrament of initiation yet it differs both in the sign and in the thing signified in some respects The name of it is Baptism which comes of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which though it signifies to dip or dive yet often signifies to wash In the Gospel we read of John's Baptism which was from Heaven and Christ's Baptism as instituted by Christ after his Resurrection in a certain form different from that of John's In the speciall Nature § VIII we must consider 1. The Rite 2. The Effect In the Rite we have 1. The Element or the thing 2. The Action 3. The Words The Element or outward thing considered in it self is Water which hath many vertues or power to produce many Effects as to quench Thirst to cool to moisten to mollifie to heal to fructifie and also to cleanse In respect of this cleansing power which is most ordinary God singled it as common to be had and commonly used for that end in all Nations to whom the Apostles were sent to preach and baptize And in respect of this cleansing it was fit to signifie the cleansing and regenerating vertue of the Spirit This signification was not naturall but it was determined to it by divine institution For it was made a sign of this supernatural Grace by a supernatural power of Christ not onely exhibited but raised again and ready to ascend into Heaven For this was one difference between the Sacraments of the Law and the Gospel that these latter were instituted immediately by the Son of God inâ—arnate Besides there was another that the former were alterable these never shall be altered The Action is Washing § IX and this was part of the Rite This did imply that man by nature is unclean and polluted with sin and must
or obligation to punishment and this it is properly and in strict sense and the word remit doth inform us and teach us that it is so and so far as the obligation is remitted so far sin is pardoned and no further If it be wholly remitted the party guilty is wholly freed but if the remission of the obligation be but in part as it may be the pardon is not full and consummate And it 's not to be doubted but if the obligation may be remitted in part and by degrees and is so many times and not wholly at an instant Simul Semel And so far as a guilty person is freed by the supreme Judge from the guilt so far he is freed from the punishment either present and lying upon him by removall or future by prevention And a judge or a party offended may pardon either ex nuda voluntate without requiring any satisfaction or upon satisfaction given and accepted And the satisfaction may be made either by the party offending or some other substituted and accepted The forgivenesse or pardon we here pray for is granted upon satisfaction made unto divine justice not by the sinner but by Jesus Christ substituted and accepted by God Yet this satisfaction must be acknowledged and pleaded in the Court of Heaven by the sinner confessing repenting believing in Christ not onely making satisfaction on earth by his blood but pleading his blood as a Propiâ—iation in Heaven And here forgivenesse Pardon Remission sparing not imputing justifying are all one By this discourse we understand what Forgivenesse is The Party that forgives sin is our Heavenly Father And it is an act of God not as Law-giver but as Judge yet not of him as Judge according to the law of works given to man at his Creation but according to the law of Redemption Whereas some think that pardon is not the act of a Judge as a Judge they surely meane it of an inferiour Judge bound to passe judgment according to the Law in force Otherwise a Judge Supream and above Law may pardon and as a Judge for Pardon actively considered is a Sentence The reason why a subordinate Judge by Commission cannot pardon is not because he is a Judge but because he is a Judge limited by his Commission which is not essential but accidental to a Judge Yet Absolution which declares a man to be innocent upon Proof may be an Act of an inferiour Jurisdiction But howsoever it be in Humane Courts yet it 's certain that Justification by Faith in Christ opposed in the Scripture to Condemnation is a Sentence according to the Law of Redemption in force Yet in many things it differs from all Humane Judgments and is called Pardon because the party pardoned is guilty and unjust in himself and it 's called Justification because the party pardoned is just in Christ. God onely being the Supream Law-giver and Judge can forgive sin in proper sense yet He may use the Ministery of others in doing this according to that measure of Jurisdiction He shall derive unto them Yet as He never gave either Men or Angels infallible Knowledge to know the secrets of men's hearts not power to inflict or remove Spiritual Judgments so He never gave them Authority abâ—olutely to forgive sin or pronounce Sentence in their own name For it 's onely valid and irrevocable so far as He shall by His own Name make it such Yet this Forgiveness is an Act of God as merciful yet just and as sitting in the Throne of Grace pâ—opitiated by the Bâ—oud of Christ upon a person penitent and believing in Christ and pleading his satisfaction or propitiation in â—is Prayers The Party pardoned is 1. Sinful Man § XII 2. Man confessing his guilt and desert of punishment 3. Hating sin and willing to forsake it 4. Believing 5. Pleading the propitiation of Christ as the onely meritorious cause and the Promise of God in Christ. 6. Ready to forgive others who have offended and wronged him This forgiving others is an act of private Jurisdiction for so the power of a private man to pass by offences done unto himself may be truly called Yet this Pardon cannot free him from the punishment due unto him either by the Law of God or Men if God or Man proceed to Judgment against him By this Petition when we say Forgive us our sins we acknowledge our selves and others for whom we pray to be guilty and by this Confession we accuse our selves as guilty justifie God if He should condemn us magnifie His Mercy if He pardon us It must be made with a bleeding heart and godly sorrow that we have offended so just so holy so good and merciful a Father with great humility and importunity not onely for our selves but others and because we daily sin we must daily pray Lord forgive us our trespasses We must not mention our own merits righteousness good works for all righteousness and merit in our selves must be renounced otherwise we lose the cause And if we from our hearts do not forgive others we plead against our selves and cannot obtain pardon This is the reason why our Saviour so much mentioneth and urgeth the Duty of forgiving others though 77 times a day And if we pray in this due manner Christ will plead and God will pardon and we shall depart justified For the most merciful God propitiated and pressed by Christ's Intercession cannot hide his face long from penitent and believing sinners His Promises to tâ—is purpose are many and firm and He is faithful and just and all of them in Christ are Yea and Amen The second Deprecation § XIII is of sin not yet committed yet so possible that it may be easily committed and there is great danger of it The words are Lead us not into Temptation For because it 's to little purpose to be pardoned and freed from the guilt of sin past if we continually return to sin again and so contract a new guilt therefore our Saviour taught us daily to tender this Petition to our Heavenly Father For if we were in Heaven all former sins pardoned yet if we were not fully freed from the danger of sinning again we could not be fully happy because we could not be fully secur'd in that estate of holiness and bliss God in his abundant mercy in Christ doth not pardon sin-past with any intention to give us liberty to sin again that Grace may abound and that we may make new Work for Mercy When He hath once healed and restored us He saith unto us as Christ did to the impotent man whom He had healed at the Pool of Bethesda Behold thou art made whole Sin no more lest a worse thing come unto thee Joh. 5. 14. For we are delivered out of the hands of all our Enemies to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days Luke 1. 74 75. For as we have engaged our selves so it must be our special care to observe and not
Armour of God use the strength God hath given us take all opportunity to do good avoid the causes and occasions of sin not presume upon our own power humbly rely upon God be patient and continue fighting defend our selves and resist the Enemy unto Death and if we be sometimes worsted and wounded presently renew our Repentance and Faith return unto the Fight again with greater Care and stronger Resolutions make no Truce with the Enemy give him no respight never faint nor intermit the War till Sin be fully and finally subdued in us The words of this Petition do seem to imply that God doth lead us sometimes into temptation and the expression seems strange For God cannot be tempted with evil neither tempteth He any man Jam. 1. 13. Therefore we must understand the words so As 1. In no wise to think that God doth or can move or induce any man to sin for this cannot any ways stand with His purest Holiness nor with His most Holy Law 2. Yet because nothing can be done or come to pass without His Divine Providence either effecting or permitting or ordering therefore God may be said to lead into temptation because He either permits us to be tempted and neither restrains the Tempter nor prevents the Temptation For if a Sparrow fall not to the ground much less is Man tempted without His Will and Providence 3. God doth put a Man in such a condition as wherein He shall be tempted and the condition it self is such as no ways in it self tends unto sin yet through Man's Negligence or Corruption may be a great occasion of Temptation And so He may be said to tempt per accidens An estate of Peace and Wealth is good yet such is the subtilty of Sathan and the corruption of Man that few in that condition but are tempted and overcome 4. God may be said to lead us into temptation when He for some just canses denies us deliverance from and out of the same For desertions denial of assistance strength and a competent Superiour Degree of both are many times just Juâ—gments of God 5. God many times brings his own Children into an estate of Temptation on purpose to try their Faith and excellent Vertues and so gives them a glorious Victory Yet we must know that God necessitates no Man to sin and if in temptation we be overcome it 's not His but our own fault The last Petition is § XVI Deliver us from evil Some understand this as a branch of the former Petition as indeed it may be in some sense For suppose it to be meant of the evil of afflictions yet even these are called Trials and Temptations Jam. 1. 2. and Satan from these takes occasion and sometimes advantage from them to tempt us Job's afflictions as from Sathan were temptations Some understand by that word Evil Sathan that great Enemy and terrible Adversary Some say that that Evil is the evil of Sin as though we should say unto our Heavenly Father Though thou suffer us to be tempted yet deliver us from the evil of temptation which is Sin Yet the evil of Affliction Tribulation Persecution and the Misery of this life is not in it self sin though Satan and wicked men may seek by these to draw us to sin And whether they be punishments according to the fifth Petition for former sins or chastisements and corrections for future Reformation or Trials of our Faith and Patience yet we must pray that God would sanctifie us in them sanctifie them unto us and wholly and for ever deliver us from them seeing God hath promised to wipe away all tears and make all things new For they are not good in themselves though He by His Wisdom turn them to our good But we cannot be fully happy till wholly freed from them After the Preface and the Body of the Prayer wherein our Saviour teacheth us by whom for whom to whom in what manner for what things we must pray and give thanks follows the Conclusion in these words For thine is the Kingdom Power and Glory Concerning these words § XVII divers things are to be noted 1. That as Grotius and divers others have observed they are not found in the most ancient Greek Copies in Matthew as they are not mentioned in Luke 2. Yet they are found in the Arabick Syriack and Vulgar Latine Translations whereupon He conceives those Translations to be made after the Liturgies of the Churches were brought unto a certain Form 3. Some understand these words so as to contain certain Reasons whereupon we ought to press our Petitions before the Throne of Grace and so move Him to give them For His is the Kingdom which they desire to come His Power alone which can effect these things and the granting of them tends unto and will end in His Glory We may observe in the Prayers of the Scripture that God's Saints did urge and press their Petitions upon God'â— Mercy His Justice His Power and Glory His place of Universal Judge His Promise and Covenant the Justice of their Cause the Iniquity and Cruelty of their Enemies their misery and sad condition their joy and comfort which would follow upon their Deliverance their Relation to Him His former Favours and such like And with these they added Solemn Vows of Reformation Praise and Thanksgiving 4. They may be understood as a Doxologie with which the Apostles and the Church did use to conclude their Prayers And hereof we have many Examples especially in the New Testament and in ancient Liturgies following the Scriptures And as the Preface and the words thereof spoken unto God with humble Aâ—oration is a fit Salutation of our Heavenly Father upon our entrance into His Preâ—ence by it to make way for our Prayers so a Doxologie is a very fit Valediction when we have ended our Prayers and depart as it were from His Presence 5. This Doxologie doth agree in general with others in the Scripture but it 's not to distinct and particular as many of them be which offer and ascribe praiâ—e and glory unto God either in the Name of or by Christ as Ephes. 3. 21. or unto Christ 1 Tim. 6. 16. or to God and the Lamb Christ Jesus Revel 5. 13. That Doxologie Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost c. was very agreeable to the Scriptures very ancient the Epitome of all other Doxologies and so a Doxologie that it was a Confession of our Faith in God the Father Son and Holy Ghost This seems to be essential to Prayer and to be either implyed or expressed in every Prayer The word Amen is the Epitome of the Prayer summing up the whole and praying it oveâ— again and repeating our desires jointly in one word and in publike Prayers it 's to be uttered by the people by way of answer not onely to signifie the former act of praying all again in one word but also their consent 1 Cor. 14. 16. And it may be
Spiritual as opposed to Temporal For otherwise Bodily punishments which we call Temporal may by continuance be Eternal To pass by therefore these Temporal Penalties one Spiritual Punishment and the greatest is the want and loss of the Holy Spirit to be a continual and constant Principle and cause of Sanctification This Spirit was given Man in the day of his Creation and was taken away from Adam and in him from all his Posterity by the judgment of God and a Sentence yet in power and force and to continue to the end of the World The Law indeed of Works is abâ—ogated but it was in force at that very time when the Sentence was passed and upon the Promise of Christ the Law was abrogated as a Law of Works but the Sentence remained in force still Concerning the sanctifying Spirit we may observe and consider 1 That the loss and so the want of it is a punishment 2 This punishment lying upon every Man before this Spirit be restored presupposeth a guilt 3 This punishment and guilt is never taken away till this Spirit be restored 4 This Spirit may be testored for preparation of a sinner for justification or in and after to continue as a constant cause of Sanctification Or as others express it for perpetual Habitation to prevent the Dominion of Sin and Damnation for time to come It doth not prevent all sin and so the contracting of new guilt nor is given in that measure to us and this is the reason why your estate of Justification is not perfect at the first 5 God never justifies any man with that justification whereof Paul speaks in the Epistle to the Romans and Galatians and elsewhere but in justifying them He gave them instantly this Spirit as the Spirit of Christ to be in them a constant cause of Regeneration and Sanctification and therefore that Justification is not without some Execution 6 Consider this restoring of the Spirit as the removal of a Punishment and the loss and want of the Spirit as a Punishment it must needs be essentially included in Justification and Remission of Sin For that which 1 Takes away the Punishment of sin And 2 The Guilt and Obligation unto Punishment is properly remission of sin If the Punishment as a Punishment should remain so far as it doth remain it doth invincibly prove that the guilt is not taken away so far and in that respect If any distinguish of the Sentence and Execution and make the one the cause the other the effect I will not quarrel about words Onely I will demand Whether it 's not better to say in this particular judgment of God that the Sentence and Execution are really the same and differ onely in respect or at most in degree 7 The active sanctification of this Spirit taken in it self either habitually or actually and as inherent in us can in no wise be Justification or any Branch of Justification as Justification is a remission of sins For God gave this Spirit to Angels He gave it to Adam in the day of Creation and this Spirit did sanctifie and now doth sanctifie the blessed Angels yet this Sanctification is not reâ—mission But consider remission of sin as a removal of punishment as punishment whether of sense or loss deserved by sin and the loss of the Spirit and the blindness perversness and slavery under the power of Sathan following necessarily upon the taking away and denying the Spirit by a just Judgment as a Penalty then this restoring of the Spirit must needs put on another Notion as it hath another Nature This restoring of the Spirit is so necessary that a bare Sentence without it can give a man no comfort nay Heaven without it is no Heaven or place of Bliss and abode But lest I may be thought to agree with the Doctrine of the Councel of Trent or at least come too near it Let us consider what they say Their Doctrine Sess. 6. Cap. 7. is this That Justification is not onely remission of sins but also the sanctification and renovation of the Inner-Man by the susception of Grace and Gifts whereby or whereupon a man of unjust is made just and of an Enemy a Friend that he may be an Heir according to the hope of Eternal Life And afterwards The onely formal cause of Justification is the Righteousness of God not whereby he is just but whereby He makes us just They mean inherently just Thus far they Now let 's examine Whether there be any Agreement between the former Doctrine and this And 1 I grant with all our Divines that Justification and Sanctification go always inseparably together and this they of Rome know well enough to have been always the constant Doctrine of the Reformed Churches 2 They say that Justification is not onely remission of sins but Sanctification I say it 's onely remission 3 They assert that this Sanctification and Renovation is by voluntary Susception and so understand this Sanctification passively as formally inherent I make neither Sanctification active nor much less passive as considered in themselves to be justification nor any part of justification 4 They make the formal cause of Justification to be this Sanctification I utterly disclaim this I had said before that Sanctification in it self is no remission and is in Angels without any such thing and do affirm that this Sanctification as they understand it is no part of that justification which the Gospel speaks of and that the restoring of the sanctifying Spirit for Renovation as an act of God as Judge for to remove a punishment as a punishment and the obligation thereunto is properly remission And here I cannot but much wonder what these Tridentine Divines did understand by Remission For if the formal cause of Justification be Sanctification and inherent Righteousness as they make it so to be I find no place nor need of any place for remission Yet first they make it a part of Justification distinct from Sanctification It 's neither final nor efficient nor meritorious nor material neither by their own words can it enter the formal That this Sanctification considered in it self especially Passive and inherent cannot be Justification is evident For 1 Sanctification thus understood is not properly any act of God as a Judge much less a Sentence passed upon a guilty Wretch 2 That justification of Believers in this life whereof the Scripture speaks doth leave the party chargeable with no sin is perfect and bears out the severity of God's Justice before His Throne This our inherent Righteousness in this life can never do both because we are guilty before and also it 's imperfect 3 A man may be sanctifyed and that perfectly so as to prevent all sin for time to come and yet the party may remain guilty and liable to Eternal Death for the guilt of former sins committed before this Sanctification and not remitted by it Some make remission two-fold Remissio Culpae Remissio Poenae 1. Of Sin 2. Of
his sin confess it be sensible of it hate it resolv against it return unto his God rely upon his Saviour who must plead his cause with his own blood and the sinner must be washed in that blood and sanctified by his Spirit before he can be admitted to the Throne of Grace and have accesse unto and acceptation with his God And he must be cleansed fully from all sin before he can enter into Glory and no man must expect eternall life upon other Terms The Mercy § XI Love and free Grace of God appears in that he was willing to save man though a grievous offender that he would transfer the punishment due to us and deserved by us upon another and he must be his onely begotten that must bear it that he doth all this freely when there was nothing out of himself to move him of merit it for us That he should do thus for unworthy Wretches enemies ungodly miserable base polluted deserving to be cast out of his presence and condemned to eternall death Upon the very foresight of our sin and misery he out of love decrees to send his Son and give him unto death and in him elects us and predestinates us unto eternall Glory When man was created had sinned he promiseth Christ renews this promise often in fulnesse of time he sends him and severely punisheth our sins in him accepts his suffering and sacrifice as a sufficient satisfaction for all our sins and meritorious of Remission and eternall life He reveales him in the Gospell offers him unto us calls us gives his Spirit and with patience and long-suffering waits for our Repentance abrogates the law of works and promiseth eternall life anew upon fairest terms constitutes him an High-Priest in Heaven and ever hears his Intercession which he ever lives to make for us Nay upon this suffering of Christ foreseen and fore-accepted he gives his Spirit who justifies and saves all Believers of the World who lived before his Incarnation and the finishing the work of Redemption When we cry to him with penitent and believing hearts and come unto our Saviour our sins though many and grâ—evous are pardoned and Christ hath a charge given him to receive us have a care of us protect us guide us raise us up at the last day and give us everlasting life Angells must be ministring Spirits to guard us all things must work together for our good And this is strange The Son of God must be punished that we might be spared must be condemned that we may be justified dy that we may live be humbled very low that we may be exalted very high endure most bitter pains that we may enjoy eternall pleasures and be miserable that we may be for ever happy But what Tongue of Men or Angells is able to expresse the exceeding greatnesse of his Love to us which was the greatest that ever God did manifest Who is able to number and reckon up the particular mercyes and benefits which Christ did merit and we receive by him This Mercy in Christ is to be remembred not onely on earth but to be matter of eternall praise and thanksgiving in Heaven The subject of this discourse is the Acquisition of a new Power § XII and by all this dâ—th appear not onely that another power is acquired and added to that of Creation and preservation but also that it was acquired by the humiliation of the Son of God made Man And now man in respect of his spirituall capacity and eternall estate is wholly Gods and subjected to him anew and now are we not our own for we are bought with a price 1 Cor. 6. 19 20. And Christ hath given himself a Ransome for us 1 Timothy cap. 2 ver 6. And we are redeemed by his pretious Blood as of a Lamb without blemish and immaculate 1 Pet. 1. 19. And as God acquired a new right unto us by Redemption so likewise by Regeneration which is a new creation so that our spirituall being is wholly his and he hath acquired a new power to dispose of us and give us laws and bind us to obedience and his service upon another account For wee are delivered out of the hands of our enemies to serve him without fear in holinesse and righteousnesse before him all the dayes of our life This power being acquired we must consider to whom it was acquired and to whom it was communicated God acquired this power unto himself and he communicates it to Christ as man so farr as he is capable That God did acquire it 't is evident for he sent Christ he gave him he transferred the punishment of our sins upon him he accepted his death and sacrifice as a full propitiation He regenerates and renews us by his spirit and gives us our new being And if althese be his works then the Power as also the Glory is his and he hath a new propâ—iety inus For the Word made flesh was his son The work of Redemption and Humiliation of this son was his work Therefore we are said to be purchased by his Blood his own Blood Act. 20. 28. We are said to be his workmanship created anew in Christ Jesus Ephes. 2. 10. All that we are in respect of our spirituall estate we are wholly wholly his and al things that we have as New-creatures are from him who quickned us raised us up set us in heavenly places in Christ Jesus Though it be said that Christ is our Lord § XIII our Head our Saviour who hath washed us in his blood redeemed us out of all Nations made us Kings and Priests to God for ever and reconciled us to the Father so that whether we live or dy we are the Lords because to this end Christ both died and revived and rose again that he might be Lord both of the living and the dead Rom. 14. 8 9. Yet God did all this likewise and put him to death and raised him up again and made him Lord and King This power therefore is Christs but so as that it is derived and communicated unto him from his heavenly Father For he gave him power as he himself confesseth over all flesh he exalted him and gave him a name above all names he by his mighty power raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand in heavenly places farr above all principality power and might and Dominion And though he had all power in heaven earth yet he acknowledgeth it as given him The son hath an universal jurisdiction yet all judgment was committed unto him Joh. 5. 22. so that he hath it by commission From all this it 's evident that God acquired this power and Christ acquired it God hath it Christ hath it God hath it originally and primitively Christ hath it derivatively as man and by commission God is the principall cause of the work of Redemption Christ as man united to the Word is the ministeriall agent And as God by Christ did
redeem and save man so he gave this power to Christ and set him not in the Throne but at the right hand of the Throne of Glory and by him and his Spirit doth exercise this power and will exercise it to the worlds end which Exercise shall be the subject of the discourse following CHAP. IV. Concerning the Exercise of the Power of God-Redeemer and the Constitution of His Kingdom AS God acquired this Power unto Himself § I so He doth exercise it Himself For He both constitutes this Kingdom and doth administer it Yet in the Administration which was always by the Word and Spirit he useth the Ministery of Angels Men and other Creatures Angels and Men are made by Him not onely Instruments but many of them are Officers Some whereof are ordinary and some extraordinary and some trusted with a greater some with a lesser power And in this Exercise of his power he always had a special charge of the Church and made use of Angels in reveasing his Word in the protection guidance deliverance of them and the destruction of their Enemies His most eminent Officers amongst men were Priests and Prophets After Jesus Christ was exhibited and had finished his Humiliation he was made the universal Officer and invested with a supream Power next to that of the Deity aâ—d was Lord of Angels and all Creatures Whether before the Incarnation Michael the Arch-Angel or any other did represent him as having the primacy of dignity and power is not so evident but that he had both Men and Angels who both were types of him and did represent himâ— is clear enough In this respect he is said many times to have appeared to the Fathers and that the Israelites tempted him in the Wilderness 1 Cor. 10. 9. Some think that the Angel which appeared to Abraham Isaac Jacob who brought the Israelites out of Aegypt and conducted them in the Wilderness was at least a Type of Christ whom they tempted not onely as the Word but as represented and typified by some Angel This Power is exercised § II either in the constitution or the administration of this blessed and glorious Kingdom A Kingdom must first be constituted and have the form and essence of a Kingdom before it can act and move or do any thing as a Body Politick The constitution is the laying of the Foundation and the Laws and Rules thereof are called the Fundamental Laws These Laws determine the person or persons to be invested with the Supream Power and the manner how it resides or is to be exercised by him or them and also defines who are Subjects with the manner and measure of their subjection and who shall be accounted strangers and who enemies In this Constitution God is the Supream Lord invested with supream universal and absolute power to be acquired by the Conquest over the Devil and reducing sinful Man and chiefly by the humiliation of the Word made flesh In which respect he is Lord and Monarch not merely as Creatour and Preserver but most properly as Redeemer This Power so resides in him that he communicates some measure of it unto Angels and Men but chiefly and in the highest degree to Jesus Christ if once exhibited This Government therefore is Monarchical yet rather Regal then Despotical though his Power be absolute and arbitrary and as such he might exercise it The Subjects are all Creatures in a large sense but strictly sinful Man in respect of his Spiritual Estate And all men that have not subjected themselves to him as Redeemer by Christ are strangers at least if not enemies Those are Subjects and to be admitted as such who renouncing the Devill the World and the Flesh submit themselves to him as Lord not onely Creatour but Redeemer and after that Christ was manifest in the flesh such as should acknowledge him to be the Son of God and the Prince of Salvation For being consecrated He became the Author or Prince of Salvation to all that obey him The perpetual Enemy with whom there must be Eternal feud is the Devil with His Agents Yet this Constitution will be better understood by the Administration Yet § III because the Law of Subjection is Fundamental and belongs unto the Constitution I will take liberty in this place to speak more largely of the same By Subjection in this place I understand a voluntary submission and the same a Moral Duty required by God and to be performed by Man and that unto God as Redeemer For we must not confound passive subjection with this voluntary submission All Creatures at all times were subject that is under the power of God as Creatour and Preserver and amongst the rest the Devils themselves though Revolter and Rebels are not exempt from His Dominion So that its one thing to be actively another to be passively subject unto God God-Redeemer hath power and is Lord of all yet He acquired a special Right unto and Propriety in Man and a peculiar power over him in respect of His Spiritual Estate and therefore a special subjection is due from him unto His Saviour And the Angels and all things were subjected unto Christ upon His Exaltation yet this was not by reason of Redemption as though He had bought and redeemed them but upon another account For their Service and Miniâ—â—ery was very useful in the administration of His Kingdom Though in the Constitution of this Kingdom the proper Subjects are men and God as Redeemer by Christ hath a special right unto all and every of them yet there is not any one of them admitted as a Subject of this Kingdom so as to receive Protection of the Soveraign the Priviledge of God's people and have an actual right unto the Eternal Glory of the same before his voluntary submission be made And if any submit though not fully and after that fall away and prove Apostates they yet remain under His Dominion The reason why this submission is due unto Him as Redeemer by Christ is because man wholly depends upon Him for Spiritual Being and Happiness ever since he lost Righteousness and Life by the Fall of Adam and God required it since He promised that the Seed of the Woman should bruise the Serpents Head And seeing God is not Redeemer but by Christ either promised or exhibited therefore whosoever submits to God as Redeemer must submit unto Christ and whosoever submits to Christ submits to God who sent Christ. This submission pre-supposeth necessarily requireth a firm and Practical Belief of the Redemption by Christ and by none else Which Belief was first implicit and after the Revelation of the Gospel more explicit according as the Revelation of this Mystery was less or more clear and full And for the more orderly proceeding in this point I will declare 1. The Nature of it 2. The manner and means how we are reduced Where I shall take occasion to speak briefly of Calling and Predestination 3. What our condition is upon this Duty performed
wherein it must originally reside and also by which it must be exercised must be determined this once done it presently appears who are subject unto this power and in what degree The partyes who are trusted with the exercise of this supreme and publick power make Lawes constitute Officers for peace and warr and execute the Lawes manage publique businesse and affairs and use all meanes to promote the publique good procure the peace and safety of the Whole and defend the Body from violence without and protect the just from injuries within The Subjects severally and jointly submit themselves and promise fealty and obedience There be many common-wealths and they differ one from another in the manner of their constitution and administration If the power be disposed in one it is called a Monarchy which may be Despotical when it 's absolute and unlimited in one person or Regal when that one is trusted with the administration and the executive power If the power be absolute in some few it 's called an Aristocrasy and so it is if they be onely trusted If it abide in the whole body yet wisely disposed it may be called a free State if so that the basest as well as the best have power of administration especially in highest businesse it 's a Democrasy Tyranny Oligarchy Ochlocrasy are corruptions of these constitutions In a common-wealth thus constituted we have higher powers § XIV and the duty of Subjects is to be subject loyall faithfull and acknowledg them as their Governours under God for the matters of this life For every soul must be subject or submit unto the higher powers which are ordained of God Rom. 13. 1. And they must submit themselves to every ordinance of man that is to the government of man over man and the higher powers for the Lords sake Whether it be to the King that is for those times the Emperour as supreme Or unto Governours that is Officers as unto them that are sent that is commissioned by him for the punishment of evill doers and for the praise of them that do well For this is the end of all civill government as ordained of God 1 Pet. 2. 13. 14. This subjection differs from that of Wives to Husbands Children to Parents Servants to Masters for it 's an higher and publick power of the supreme Governours of a State as such And they must be subject not onely for fear but for conscience sake Rom. 13. 5. This fear is not only that of Reverence which is the unto them in respect of their honour and dignity but it 's a featr of violating the Lawes or rebelling against the power because the higher powers do not bear the sword in vain They must obey their just Lawes For Titus must put in mind the Christians of Creet to be subject to principallityes and Powers to obey Magistrates and to be ready to do every good work Tit. 3. 1. Yet this obedience unto man is limited and is so farr due as it is agreeable to the Lawes of God They must also pay Tribute Custome and whatsoever Charge shall be justly imposed For seeing they watch over us and take care of the Whole and we enjoy the benefit of their care prudence and pains it 's fit we should maintaine them and be willing to erogate so much as shall be needfull for the preservation of the State For the publick good and safety is the good and safety of every private person They must also be willing and ready to assist their Governours with their persons states and lives for the safety of their Country And this many Princes included and required in their forms of fealty and allegiance And this Fealty if regular and rational is due first unto the State and then unto the Governours To the Kingdom first and then to the King Out of the words of the Apostle § XV 1 Pet. 2. 13 14. we may observe that goverours are supreme or subordinate and amongst the subordinate there be many degrees according to the severall degrees of power derived unto them for their severall imployments in the distinct and different acts of administration And subjection honour obedience are due unto these according to their measure of power and Authority This subjection and obedience unto the higher powers and Magistrates is limitted not onely by the Lawes of God but the constitution of every severall State These Officers are for peace of Warr by Sea or Land and may command those under them and they must be faithfull and obedient I will not in this place enlarge and declare the duties of souldiers nor debate the Question Whether a souldier in pay and yet in Quarters in his own country when there is no visible Enemy be exempt from the power of the civill Magistrate or no It 's certain that the power of Admirals and Captaines by Sea and Generals and Commanders by Land respect souldiers properly as souldiers and is regulated by Martiall Lawes which are different from the civill Lawes for the administration of Justice in a time or place of peace The duties of souldiers as such are to be faithfull and obedient to their Commanders vigilant in their places resolute in service orderly and quiet in their Quarters contented with their pay The Sins of military men except they be kept in order by severe discipline are to be cowards mutinous treacherous Revolters and likewise to plunder murther commit Rapes and many other kind of Villanies Commanders should be faithfull valiant prudent skilfull in Martiall affaires carefull of their Souldiers The Dutyes of higher powers are § XVI to protect their Subjects make good and wholesome Lawes constitute able and just Officers administer Justice and execute the Laws to have a care of provide for the good education of the people in trade learning husbandry to regulate trade and commerce to found Schools Colledges Universityes Corporations and by all lawfull meanes procure and promote the peace safety welfare and prosperity of the People They should be Fathers and such as tender the good of their Subjects as of their Children As they are called gods and are in God's place so in the administration and ordering of their severall Dominions they should be like God in Counsell Wisdome and Integrity And happy are the people to whom God shall vouchsafe such Governours For it is a great mercy Which if any people shall enjoy their duty is to blesse God for them pray for their happinesse and honour them according to their deserts And so much the rather should we do this because it 's so heavy a Judgment and cruell curse to be subjected and exposed to the pride folly oppression Tyranny of wicked Rulers It 's a sad condition when those who hate us rule over us The Sins of Subjects are § XVII secret Treason and Conspiracy open Rebellion Sedition disobedience to the Lawes contempt of the Power and Persons of their Princes murmuring and complaining of Oppression when there is no cause falsely traducing
and accusing the Government of Injustice and Imprudence denying Tribute Custome and other dues and rights which the just Constitution and Lawes require The Sins of the higher powers are many Some of the chief are these to neglect the publick good commit the administration to unjust and unworthy men make unjust Lawes pervert Judgment ordain insufficient and unjust Officers usurp too much power oppresse the people to enrich and advance unworthy Favourites and Flatterers and to maintain the State Pomp and Pride of a vicious Court to displace just and prudent Officers and to debarr men of parts and worth from the administration to wage unnecessary Warrs and so vainly to exhaust the publick Treasures and expend the Subjects blood to refuse good counsell and to follow bad And the highest Crime of all and which includes the rest is Tyranny and that is to govern contrary to good Lawes and exercise arbitrary power to the ruine of the publick Under this head may be reduced Persecution of the Godly and loyall Subjects for the profession and practise of the true Religion instituted from Heaven Besides these there be many Sins of inferiour Officers and Magistrates in their severall places And here I might take occasion to enquire what power the civill Governours have circa Sacra in matters of Religion 1. They cannot justly establish any false Religion contrary to the Word of God conteined in the Scriptures neither can they or ought they to tolerate any Errours Heresies Blasphemies Idolatries or Corruptions in Religion 2. They may make civill Lawes concerning Religion and execute the same by their coactive power and by these Lawes they may and ought to bind and command their Subjects to worship the true God in Christ and protect them in the same This is that which they call Jus Religionis ordinanda an undoubted right of all higher powers Yet they must be sure they establish nothing in Religion which is not clearly agreeable to the Gospell For as it is unlawfull for any civill powers to establish by Law any thing in Religion contrary to the Gospell so it 's no wayes tolerable to bind the Subjects upon civill penalties to professe things doubtfull and needlesse If all the Subjects in a State professe themselves Christians they cannot have any just cause to complain of their Rulers if by a Law they be commanded to make that Christian faith which is truly and plainly Christian. They are bound unto it by the Lawes of Christ by their own profession by the Lawes of their Country Yet Christian Religion is not to be propagated by the sword but by the Word clearly taught so that their Consciences may be convinced But this presupposeth the Subjects no Christians Yet if they be such the higher powers Christians are bound to use all lawfull means appointed by Christ to make them Christians The first care of King David was to settle the true worship of God The first care of Solomon to build a Temple unto God and the first care of the good Princes of Judah to reform Religion and to destroy the Monuments of Idolatry and all this by their civill power And there is great reason why all Princes and Governours should do thus Because the establishment of their power and the welfare of their Subjects depends principally upon Religion Yet this power of the Magistrate is clearly distinct and different from the power of the Church as a Church which can have no sword nor exercise any civil coactive power This spirituall and ecclesiastical power looks upon every one within their precincts as Subjects of Christ and Members of their spirituall Society and such Princes and Governours should be and they proceed against them in the name of Christ if they do offend and if they continue obstinate they cast them not out of the State but the Church As for liberty of Conscience it 's limited to things indifferent For Christ did never purchase never grant to any liberty to believe Errours false Doctrine or their own Fancyes no wayes grounded on the Word of God much lesse to professe them and least of all upon this belief and profession to associate and continue themselves in severall Societyes seperate from Orthodox Christians raise Schisms in the Church and Factions in the State to the disturbance of both If we look upon the persons who in reformed Churches cry so much for liberty of Conscience upon due examination we shall find the most of them to be factious to have little of the power though they may have much of the form of godlinesse and that which they call liberty of Conscience to be a liberty to professe their Errours and if they had power in their own hands they would give liberty onely to their own Sect and would prove the most bloody persecutors of all others What toleration Princes may grant of different proffessions when they cannot reduce their Subjects to the Unity of profession of the same saving Truth is another case and cloathed with other Circumstances and must be judged of accordingly The truth is when a State is once corrupted and that deeply in Religion it 's an hard thing to reform Publick Confessions are too large and few of them without the mixture of something either superstitious or erroneous or doubtfull and such as weak Christians of tender Consciences cannot well digest After this digression § XVIII which requires a larger debate then here I intend and the consideration of civill Societies and common-weales order requires that I add something of the Church as reducible to this Commandement The Church is a spirituall Society and a multitude professing Christ associated in matters of Religion And though the same persons which are Members of a civill State may be Members of a Church yet they are to be considered under a different notion The Author of this Society is God that in a more special manner who first by extraordinary then by ordinary men especially since the Exhibition of Christ makes them Subjects of this Kingdome which is the matter of this whole Treatise and admits them into this Society When they are once reduced and made Subjects unto God Redeemer they constitute that Common-wealth whereof he is Head and Monarch And this Society since the Revelation of the Gospel may be considered as universall consisting of the Christians of all Nations and in this respect they are all subject unto Christ as their Lord and King Yet this universall Church and these persons scattered and divided in many Nations may be united and associated in severall Vicinityes according to their cohabitations into greater or lesser Bodyes for Doctrine and Worship or for Discipline As associated for Worship and Doctrine they have their Pastours to whose charge they are committed by the holy Ghost And these Pastours may be many and have their severall assignations and their particular flocks or a number of them may take the charge of a greater number in common or every one my have their severall