it is said in the book of the warrs of the Lord. As he did in the red sea so shall he do in the brooks of Arnon But that Book of the Wars of the Lord could not be cited by Moses in which there could be mention made of those things which were done at Arnon in the very place where Moses perform'd this exploit Truly I believe that Moses made a Diarie of all those wonderfull things which God did for the people of Israel under the conduct of Moses From which collections the books of the wars of the Lord might afterwards be taken Which for that cause was neither the Original nor the Original of the Original but indeed a Copy from a Copy That which we read in the third Chapter of Dentronomy does manifest that they are written long after Moses Jair the son of Manasses possessed all the Country of Argob and it is call'd after his name Basan Hanoch Jair to this day Moses could never have said to this day For Jair scarcely had possession of his own Villages at that time when Moses is brought in so speaking And hence it manifestly appears that the author intended to shew whence according to the most antient and first original that City was call'd Jair deriving the cause from Moses to his own time and therfore as was fit call'd it Jair from that antient Jair unto this day The like we read in the same Deuteronomy in the same Chapter Only Og King of Basan was remaining of the race of the Giants His iron bed is shown which is at Rabbath of the children of Ammon For what needed Moses to have said to the Jews that his bed was shown at Rabbath of the children of Ammon that they might learn the bignesse of the Giant Why I say needed he to send the Jews to another place to see the bed of the Giant who had seen him in his own Land and overcome him and measur'd him as he lay along in the fields of Basan It is a great deal more likely to think that this Writer to gain credit to what he wrote concerning the King and Giant Ogâ— of whom he made mention spake of his iron bed as a testimony of the wonderfull spoils of that terrible Giant which were not at that time to be seen at Basan where Og lay but in Rabbath of the children of Ammon the succession of ages having changed the place We read also in the 2. of Deuteronomy The Horraeans first dwelt in Seir whom the children of Esau driving out dwelt there as Israel did in the Land of his possession which the Lord gave him In these words it is said That the Idumeans who are the Sons of Esau inhabited Mount Seir driving out the Inhabitants of those Mountains And that the Jews again inhabited this Mount Seir and gain'd Mount Seir as a possession driving out and destroying those Idumaeans Yet it is most certain that the Idumaeans according to Moses himself were not thrown out in his time as it is in Deutronomy in the same Chapter And the Lord said to me saith Moses You shall pass through the confines of your brethren the sons of Esau who dwell in Seir and they shall be afraid of you Therefore take heed you move not against them for I will not give you of their Land one foot for I have given Mount Seir in possession to Esau Therefore Idumaea was not given to the Jews in the dayes of Moses but long time after as David Prophesies Psalm 108. Over Edom will I cast out my shooe that is I will extend my possession over Idumaea For possession is taken by setting down of the foot and the shoe in this place is the foot the thing containing for that which is contained And David made also good his prophecie 1 Chro. chap. 18. where we read that David consecrated silver and gold Which he had taken from 〈◊〉 Nations Edom Moab and Ammon And befides in the same place Abishai the son of Zervia smtoe Edom in the valley of salt eighteen thousand and put a Garrison in Edom that Edom might serve David Therefore in the time of Davâ—d and not of Moses Edom became a land of possession to Israel as God had promis'd as being a lot and part of the Holy Land And hence it is gather'd that these essayes of Deutronomie were written long after Davids time a great while after Moses I need not trouble the Reader much further to prove a thing in it self sufficiently evident that the five first books of the Bible were not written by Moses as is thought Nor need any one wonder after this when he reads many things confus'd and out of order obscure deficient many things omitted and misplaced when they shall consider with themselves that they are a heap of Copie confusedly taken Those things which we read concerning Lamech Gen. 4. are defective Because I have slain a man to my hurt and a young man to my grief For there is no mention made of that young man whom Lamech slew That History which is related in the fourth book of Moses concerning the circumcision of the son of Moses is desicient and is conjectur'd to be deficient because we see clearly what it should be The The 20 Chapter of Genesis of Abrahams sojourning with Abimelech King of Gerar is misplaced For it is not likely that the King would lust after Sarah who was an old woman and with whom it left off to be according to the manner of women and who was not capable of pleasure As also Genesis 26. the same is to be thought of Rebecca Nor must we think that the King was then in love with Rebecca Jacob and Esau being thâ—n of age That which we read in the 10 of Deuteronomy is misplac'd The Children of Israel remov'd their camp from Beeroth of the sons of Jacan where Aaron dyed And in the same place He separated the tribe of Levi to carry the Ark of the Covenant Though long before the death of Aaron the Levites were seperated to look to the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant according to Gods command often iterated both in Leviticus and Numbers Yea whilst Aaron himself was alive yea still after that the Tabernacle was perfected the Levites carried the Ark as often as the Children of Israel remoâ—ed their Camp And if the Reader will take pains let him but run over this tenth Chapter of Deut. and he shall find the death of Aaron preposterously inserted in that Narration having nothing there to do and nothing beâ—onging to the buâ—nesse Yea he shall find it contrary to the computation of time whilst they were talking of the delivery of the Law of Sinai long before Aarons death You shall likewise find that passage in the 18 of Exodus misplaced And Jethro came the Father-in-law of Moses and his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness where he was encamped by Joâ—dan For how could Jethro come to Moses hiâ— son-in-law after the going
which could easily return to its own disposition 18 V. Of the matter of men subject to corruption Of the upright creation of men Of the Return of man to the disposition of his own nature And of his matter given to corruption 22 VI. God restor'd men created upright and turn'd backward to the wickedness of their own nature â—â—to a better estate by a second creation and lifts them up from men to be Gods Of that whâ—ch is produc'd and of that which is made Of mutable and immutable Of mortal and immortal Of tâ—â—e Spirit which is in God and of the Spirit of the world 28 VII Of one God and of one Spirit which is of God Of divers Gods and Spirits 31 VIII Men being misled by evil spirits fell from their right estate wherein they were creâ—â—ed into the wickedness of their own nature Being restor'd by the Spirit of Regeneration who only proceeds from God they know God whom flesh and blood knows not They obtain hâ—liness which they could not have in their first creation and recompence their natural death with a supernatural immortality 37 IX The Regeneration oâ— men is the grace and gift of God It is not granted to all men to be regenerated but only to the Elect. Election is in things natural Divine Election is in Gods Elect. Who are elected And who are called Reâ—robates 43 X. Divine election is consider'd two manner of waâ—es in God and in mystery One is from eternity The other only distributed according to mystical occasions The one admits of all men indifferently The other first chose the Jews and in them all the Nations of the world The Contents of the Chapters in the second Book CHAP. I. OF the election of the Jews The election of the Jews began from Adam the first father of the Jews The fews the first-born because first elected They were not elected of their own deserving but of the meer bounty of God who willed and chused them Made of the same common earth of which other men were created God ioyn'd in marriage to the church of the Israelites Father of the Jews The Jews esteem God because the sons of God Godâ—â—e Mother of the Jews Friend of the Jews The Jews the friends of God 55 II. God King of the Jews Jews the people of God God the Lord of the Jews Jews the servants of God The Jews call'd holy Call'd just The Jews elected for an eternal people Set apart from all the people of the earth for the lot and inheritance of the Lord. 65 III. To the elected Iews an elected Land was given A holy Land because the Land of the holy And the land of Promise because it was promised with an Oath to the Fathers of the Iews A description of the Holy Land That was a choice land not of its own nature but according to the pleasure of God who bless'd and chus'd it The land of the Iews And for the Iews only to dwell in 73 IV. Jerusalem the holy City of the holy Land the Temple placed in Jerusalem on the forked hill of Sion Eternal hils The City of David The City of the great King Of the Kings of the Iews 79 V. The Gentiles elected in the Iews by a mystical election Esteem'd the sons of God because elected in the Iews And grafted in the Iews 83 VI. Gentiles different from the Iews in Kinred and Original in as much as they are ingrafted in them Gentiles call'd Atheists because without a God called simply men and sons of men and foolish wicked c. 88 VII That the Gentiles are called Sinners 94 VIII Gentiles called children little ones pure 98 IX The Gentiles called the sons of wrath The enemies of God Beasts and so esteemed by the Iews yea unclean beasts The opposite comparison betwixt the Iews and the Gentiles 107 X. The Iews form'd by God in Adam The Gentiles created by God And created by the word of God as other creatures as also on the same day when other creatures were created The Iews peculiarly form'd by the hands of God God call'd the fashioner of the Iews Adam first Father of the Iews The Iews are call'd the Sons of Adam 112 XI The Iews are called by Moses the sons of Adam The 32 Chap. of Deut. is explained And Isaiah and Hoseas of Adam the first Father of the Iews The Gentiles called strangers the Iews a kind of men distinct in species from the Gentiles The Gentiles earth-born The Psalm 49 is explained Abraham had servants born in his house and also bought who were not of his stook that is of Adam Who are the sons of men Who is the son of man The difference 'twixt the brethren of the Iews and other strangers 118 The Contents of the third Book CHAP. I. THe original of the Gentiles is proved to be different from the original of the Iews out of Gen. The Gentiles were created in that creation which is mentioned Chap. 1. All creatures and all men male and female were created on the sixth day of the creation as plants trees and flying fowls upon their own dayes through all the woold Why upon that day one man and he alone from whom all should arise was not created 129 II. Adam was created apart from other men in that creation which is mentioned Gen. 2. Adam was the first and father of the Iews not of all men The framing of Adam was altogether different from the creation of the first men Eve could not be created the same day as Adam was made 135 III. Of the marvellous framing of Adam Of the marvellous conceptions of Isaac and Christ Adam was made a type of Christ in all things like him but his justice Eve the wife of Adam was likewise a figure of the Church who was the spouse of Christ 140 IV. Cain a tiller of the ground Abel a shepherd and a keeper of sheep Cain having kill'd his brother Abel is afraid Flies the punishment of fratricide Flies like all guilty men to the East of Eden Marries a wife begets a son and in the same East of Eden builds a City Adam is said to have begotten sons and daughters from the birth of Seth to the death of Adam himself It is not written that he begat either sons or daughters from the death of Abel to the birth of Seth. 146 V. The Genâ—tles prov'd different from the Iews out of the monuments of the Gentiles from the stock of Adam The argument of eternity divided into two classes by the antients Of time Of the bundles of years which the Chaldaeans had made up Of the Periodical year Of the returning and great year Years signified by Serpents Of the cave of age decipher'd by Claudian Of the age of ages 153 VI. Men know not their first histories originals Of the Chaldaeans Of the stupendious number of years which the Chaldaeans are said to have set down in the computation of their Astronomical Tables Of the Aegyptians And of the myriads
and many other such things as were able to tyre one who would rehearse them These antient Priests esteemed Man to be best compos'd of all creatures and therefore that he was called the Microcosm as participating of the creation of all things And therefore that some by Saturn become sullen others by Jove are mirthful some are red-colour'd by Sol others Iascivious by Venus some are cheaters by Mercury some imperfect by Luna Nay that some bray like Asses â—ome like Dogs others like Swine others ravenous like Lions some like Doves others like Serpents according to the various dispositions similitudes and sympathies of participation which men have been said to have with all things created But likewise the Scripture hath taught us that Spirits have profess'd the pleasures of men have been given to men to some lying spirits to some sleeping spirits to others spirits of giddiness then that there are cozening seducing and lying spirits it appears because Christ warns his disciples that they should trust no spirit yea and rebuk'd them because they knew not by what spirit they were led And it is likewise witnessed in the Gospel that the mother-in-law of St. Peter was troubled with a feverish spirit Who will wonder then that men being left by God after their creation in their own power and turn'd over to so many Spirits Gods and Lords who set them a work did appoint and worship so many several sorts of Gods under so many divers shapes of things created if he consider the almost innumerable affinities and sympathies which men are found to have with these Spirits Gods and Lords as also with all things created in heaven and in earth God abborr'd those Spirits and Gods fallen off from the uprightness and perfection of their creation to their own changeable condition with such an abomination as the most upright and best must needs hate that which is evil and wicked Therefore you shall hear these Gods in Scripture call'd wicked Spirits wickednesses spirits of error evil spirits and very evil spirits as in that 9th Chapter of the Judges God sent a very evil spirit betwixt Sichem and Abimelech call'd likewise vain and lying spirits curses deceitfull Idols abominations uncleannesses pollutions whorings dung the sleep and the anger of the Lord as is that in Samuel 1. chap. 26. The sleep of the Lord had fallen upon Saul and his people The sleep of the Lord is the same in this place with the evil spirit from the Lord in the 16 Chapter of the same Book where you shall read that the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him Such also is that Sam. 2. Chap. 24. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel which the first Book of the Chronicles speaking of the same thing expresses in these words And Satan rose up against Israel where Satan is the same with the anger of the Lord or anger from the Lord. As also the holy Scriptures are clear witnesses that those Spirits Gods and Lords by the Law of their creation which is changeable and corruptible are mortal and that they are condemned to eternal death where wicked and perverse men are called The sons of Belial Sam. 1. Chap. 2. As also Nabal a perverse man is branded with that name in the same book Chap. 25. As also the same son of Belial is called The sonne of death Sam. 2. Chap. 12. And in the same Book Cha. 23. the flouds of death are called the flouds of Belial where David says in his Song The pangs of death compast me about the flouds of Belial made me afraid In which places Belial is not only called mortal but mortality it self for being Prince of all Spirits which were his ministers both mortal and condâ—mned to a death from whence there is no resurrection Who will not believe that those Spirits are destined to eternal death since God himself hath said that at that latter judgement of all corruptible things they shall be condemned and cast with the Reprobates into eternal fire CHAP. VIII Men being misled by evil spirits fell from their right estate wherein they were created into the wickedness of their own nature Being restor'd by the Spirit of Regeneratinn who only proceeds from God they know God whom flesh and blood knows not They obtain holiness which they could not have in their first creation and recompence their natural death with a supernatural immortality THe Apostle deduces the stain of all sins which overthrew men chiefly from this Chap. 1 Epist to the Romans because they had left God the Creator and had given themselves over to those Gods Lords and unclean Spirits Hence their minds were blinded and given over to their own lusts were set on fire with wicked and unlawful desires contrary to nature and so receiv'd in themselves the rewards of their sin and thence open'd such a wide door to wickedness and filthiness that at last they fell into all manner of sin And as they preferr'd their own lust to the knowledge of God so on the contrary he gave them up to a reprobate sense that being men they should doe things not beseeming men Hence they became evil wicked fornicators avaricious given to lewdness full of envy and blood brawlers deceitfull despightfull whisperers back-biters hatefull to God contumelious proud arrogant inventers of wickedness disobedient to Parents foolish madd without affection truth or compassion Truly men being misled by those Spirits being thrust forward by the violence of their own appetite according to the affection and sympathie which they have with those Spirits I say men oprest with the weight of their own sin and drownd in sticking clay might have despaird of any salvation nor ever have pluckt out their feet for thence if God had not helped them and stretched out his powerful hands from heaven to draw theÌ„ thence But God was not of that mind as most men are who rid an unhappy person from his present calamity and are never sollicitous afterwards to advance their condition God dealt better and more freely with men first he wash'd them drawn out of the puddle with his own living waters then advanc'd them being now clean and white by his own free merit and lastly from their foul wallowings receiv'd them into the glory of heaven and made them partakers of divine knowledge sanctity and immortality which is in his most happy vision And this he did by vertue and force of that Spirit which is of God and who is God himself by a second and new creation out of his own free will largeness of his bounty abundance of his love and meer grace which therefore is call'd the gift of God and his only free grace Therfore let all those who desire to know themselves here make a stand and endeavour to be free in their thanks to God Let them tast and see how sweet the Lord is Let them remember by how great mercies beyond their desert he has
that is the name thereof Here I imagine two things first because it is said that he might see what Adam would call them that he might see denotes that Adam made use of his reason in the proper and determinate Names which he gave to all the living creatures and fowls And hence I gather That Adam being now of ripe age was taught the natural history of all Creatures and Fowls As is known of Moses whom we read to have been by the care of Pharaohs daughter bred in all the wisdom of the Egyptians As also Rabbi Moses Ben-Maymon makes mention of the books of his Predecessors which make relation of Adam's Master whose name say they was Somboscer And although I give little credit to the Fables of the Rabbins yet there is nothing so fabulous but has a tast of an ancient truth Then it is written all which Adam called any living thing that is the name of it Hence I guess that at what time Adam did conceive the nature of all creatures and fowls he at the same time set them down in writing and made a book of all their names for how could it come to passe that every thing which Adam called any thing should be the name of it unlesse Adam at the same time when he nam'd them had then composed a Dictionary of them for the use of posterity least Adam himself should have forgotten all those living creatures and fowls which he was never afterwards to see For all Lands and Countries are not stored with all manner of Cattel and Fowls Adam call'd by their names all creatures and all Fowls and all Beasts of the earth But for Adam sayes Genesis was not found a helper like to himself It would be absurd to think that a helper was sought for Adam amongst the Beasts of the earth and the Fowls of heaven For what similitude or relation has a man with a four-footed Beast or a Bird But here you must observe that the Gentiles and those men of the first creation are here numbred amongst the rest of the living creatures as you shall finde them without distinction called with the rest of the beasts The People that treads the earth Isa 42. Yea that they were called Beasts by the Jews and so esteem'd as is prov'd before This then is the meaning of Genesis That Adam did not find a helper amongst the Females of those creatures that is the Gentiles For Adam such an excellent man who was Isch an excellent wife must be chosen who should be Ischa and not an ordinary and Gentile-woman Therefore a wife was fram'd for Adam But as a house does not arise from the bottom nor is perfected so soon as in one day to be inhabited so doe I believe that Eve was not made so perfect in that very day wherein she was taken out of the side of Adam that she was marriageable Besides Eve was a mystical figure of the Church of Christ for that same reason as we laid before Adam was a type of Christ Yea and that is most certain that the marriage of Adam and Eve was a Sacrament and mystery signifying that unanimous conjunction by which God adheres to his Church Again we understand that the Church the spouse of Christ was built thus Mat. 16. as we find Eve built in this Chapter of Genesis where God speaks to his Church in these words I multiplyed thee as the herb of the field Thou wast multiplyed and made great and thou enter'dst in and came to have womens attire Thy brests swell'd and thy hair sprouted and behold thy time a time of lovers I guesse that Eve the wife of Adam grew from her infancle to ripe age by little and little as a house grows as trees grow which are call'd the sprouts of the field from twigs to large branches so as we read in this place the Church did which was the Spouse of Christ The Lord brought Eve to Adam I guesse that Eve being now of age and ready for a man was brought to Adam at that same time when Adam was of ripe age about the three and thirtieth year of his age so as Adam may be thought to have sinned in the same year of his age as Christ dyed for the sinne of Adam Which things if they be so what difference was there betwixt the forming of Adam and building of Eve which are rehearsed in the second Chapter of Genesis and the creation of man whom God created male and female upon the sixth day of the creation which is made mention of Chapter 1. of the said Moses CHAP. IV. Cain a tiller of the ground Abel a shepherd and a keeper of sheep Cain having kill'd his brother Abel is afraid Flies the punishment of fratricide Flies like all guilty men to the East of Eden Marries a wife begets a son and in the same East of Eden builds a City Adam is said to have begotten sons and daughters from the birth of Seth to the death of Adam himself It is not written that he begat either sons or daughters from the death of Abel to the birth of Seth. WIthout doubt it is so That except the framing of Adam who was made of the dust of the earth and except the building of Eve which was taken out of the side of Adam it is probable in all other things that they grew and liu'd as other men who were created long before yea after the same manner as we know that Christ the Antitype of Adam conceiv'd after a more wonderfull manner did live and grow Which that by the History of Genesis it may be more clear let us go on After Adam had sinned he was afraid because he was naked And God made coats of skins for Adam and his wife and cloth'd them with the skins of cattel which had been kill'd With which it is probable men in those dayes did use to cloath themselves but who from thence will not guesse that there were in those dayes Curriers Shoo-makers and Skinners Adam knew his wise Eve and she conceived and bare Cain her first-born then Abel her younger son And Adam divided his substance among his children being men of age as men do who are under the verge of the Civil Law He gave his lands to till to Cain and his sheep to keep to Abel Therefore there was at that time a Meum and Tuum as there is and has been alwayes in all societies well ordered Cain had his Patrimony and his grounds to till Abel had his own goods his sheep to keep Such division being made betwixt them as uses to be made by all good Masters of Families Cain was a Husbandman Abel a keeper of sheep He that speaks of tilling presupposes a great mony other arts and he that speaks of a husbandman pre-supposes a great many other artificers But if there was no artificer in those dayes beside Cain certainly Cain was a very busy-body Therefore he digg'd Iron-Mines made Fornaces made his Hammers and his Anvile and
against God when that fervour which was within them the corruption of their imperfect nature forc'd them headlong from the perfection of their creation to the imperfection of their matter For no guilt could be imputed by God no lawfull condemnation pronounced no death justly inflicted upon men meerly for that backsliding by which men who were of their own disposing turn'd from the uprightnesse of their creation into the wickednesse of their own creation According then to that mysterie that God would have all men to die in one God-man according to that same mysterie he resolv'd that all should sin and by one man be condemn'd a man I say simply so and not a God God would have all men die in Christ and sinne in Adam The vertue of the most high according to the great power of God over-shadowed a Virgin untouched and of her Christ was born in whom all men should die a pure sacrifice of a pure Virgin and of the stock of the Jews That so by the Jews and by the seed of the Jews Jesus Christ all men might receive salvation God fram'd Adam the Father of the Jews of common and impure earth corruptible to whom he gave his Law which if he did violate all men should be guilty in him and condemned by that Law That so likewise condemnation might come upon all men by Adam the father of the Jews But there was no need that men should by traduction be born of Christ that in him they migâ—â— die nor needed all men to be born of the descent of Adam that in him all men might die All that mysterie of salvation and condemnation of men in Christ and Adam made up the body of the mystery that is the spiritual and divine way above nature and which is ingendred in all men by intellect and mysterie and not by nature Whosoever understands the ways of Supposition in Law shall easily conceive the force of that mysterie by vertue of which men suffered losse of degree were chang'd or restor'd unto their estates and by which things only agreed upon were ratified and by formality of which they did obtain in antient time and yet obtain the lordship of most things All these things might have compass'd their effects and shown their natural force by bare Covenant or consent without any supposition But the Lawgivers did imagine ingrafting in these things which were naturally acted the legalities of their art to have added a better understanding to them As choice plants grow better when they are planred in Crab-tree stocks and such as grow wild God resolving to restore man that had fallen from his creation would not perfect the work in that direct and natural order as many things are done amongst men but by crooked windings of mystery by applications and spiritual graftings he thought best to perform the whole work Such mysteries seem to me very well to be titled Holy draughts Parables or Similitudes as the Apostle call'd them in that place of the eleventh Chapter to the Hebrews where Isaac is presuppos'd as a figure of Christ to have laid down his life under the knife and according to that Parabolical death resembling the death of Christ he is presupposed to rise according to the similitude of the resurrection of Christ Where Abraham I say is presupposed to have sacrificed his son Isaac and to have received him again in Parable or similitude of resurrection which the Apostle purposely and very subtilly observed The Apostle Paul hath taught us that men die in the death of Christ according to parable and similitude of his death 6 Chap. to the Rom. In which place he directly tels us that by Baptism there is ingendred in us not only a similitude of his death but that there is engrafted in them by that same Sacrament a similitude of his resurection For if we be engrafted in him in his death so shall we be also in his resurrection And the Apostle taught us that all men sinn'd were guiltie and were condemn'd in Adam who sinned according to the similitude of his transgression According to the similitude of the transgression of Adam For that is to be understood a similitude and a Parable no propagation of nature as all men died in Christ Which that we may the better understand we must more at large handle the sin of Adam which is commonly called Original sin CHAP. II. Of Original sin It is inherent It is imputed What it is to impute That is imputed which is joyn'd in a kind of communion with that to which it is imputed Of communions and conjunctions of things Physical Political and Mystical Christ the end of all mysteries Adam ought to be referr'd to Christ not Christ to Adam Adam ought to be imputed to men as Christ is imputed to them spiritually and mystically WHat I shall speak first concerning Original sin is asserted by all Orthodox Divines That sin is consider'd two manner of ways either as sin or as a guilt as a sin so it is inherent as it is a guilt it is adventitious and pass'd from Adam upon them all The one is proper to all men the other a stranger and call'd the sin of Adam The first is the formality the second is the materiality of the sin The material sin is proper and inherent an hereditary disease or blemish in which all men are conceiv'd and born according to that of the Psalmist In sin hath my Mother conceiv'd me A formal sin which is anothers and is become a guilt which was the disobedience of Adam imputed to all men according to that of the Apostle By the disobedience of one many became sinners The materiality of sin which is the proper fault and infection inherent in all by propagation of the matter and nature of men subject to corruption The formality of sin which is a stranger and transient had its beginning from imputation by the transgression of the Law which Adam did violate To impute to any one the sin of another is to esteem him in the same condition as if he had committed the fault himself Otherwise it is not anothers fault but his own which is imputed to him Beside the fault of one uses to be imputed to another which has some communion or conjunction with him as having some manner of corporal societie and similitude with him For as smoke coming near the fire takes fire by reason of the similitude and aptitude is has to flame so things that have a communion and conjunction betwixt them are apt or susceptive one of anothers imputations Communions and conjunctions of things fit for imputation by reason of their similitude are three-fold Physical Political and Mystical The fault of their Fathers is imputed to the Children by reason of that common and natural similitude by which sons begotten of their fathers are naturally joyn'd to them The sons are said to have sinn'd in the loyns of their Fathers as Levi is said to be taken for tithe in the loyns
of his Father Abraham Heb. 7. As also the Hebrews are said all to be taken by God in the hand of Abraham their Father Isay 41. There are both divine and humane Lawes for imputations ordain'd according to natural communion and similitude The divine by which God is said to visit the sins of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation And according to that here the fathers are said to eat the sowr grapes and the childrens teeth to be set an edge The humane law by which there is punishment decreed against the Children of the Traytors by the guilt of their Parents There are examples both divine and humane of imputation of the Fathers fault to the Children That amongst divine examples is eminent of the seven sons of Saul whom according to the command of God David gave the Gabaonites as an expiation because their Father before had broke his promise with the Gabaonites and cruelly slain many of them It s read of Alexander that after he had taken Tyre as if he had been the defender of the publique tranquility he crucified all the Tyrians who outlived the siedge who were born of those slaves their Ancestors who long before had destroyed the free people of Tyre together with their Masters cruelly by a conspiracy made against them God imputed to the Jews the numbring of the people which David had caus'd and consumed seventy thousand of them with the plague for their Kings offence For that communion and conjunction politique whereby the whole Kingdom is thought one and one entire body like a living creature whose head is their King And as a murther performed by the hand is not only imputed to the hand but the whole man So in a body politique that which the head doth as being head is imputed to the whole body It is the work of Iove says Hesiod to punish Cities promiscuously for the transgression of the Magistrate So because the Priest of Apollo was violated by Agamemnon the whole Army of the Greeks was almost destroyed by Pestilence And whatsoever the Prince did amisse the Greeks smarted for 't Nor only the act of the head of a City but also of another member makes the whole body liable to guilty So as it is read of Achan Who having taken of the accursed thing brought all Israel under a curse Josue 7. And which is also read of the Levites Concubine 19 Judges whom the Inhabitants of Gabea of the tribe of Benjamin swiv'd to death And whose wickednesse was so rigidly imputed to all the Tribe that all the Tribe for that wickednesse was almost destroyed and routed out Nor were the Heathens ignorant of such imputations As Hesiod says Many times says he the whole Country is destroyed And Horace Neglected Jove doth sometimes add In punishment the good to bad Those imputations which by politique Communion are contracted from the offences of others others of them are of the law of Nations others according to Civil law According to the Law of Nations the fault of Sedecias by perjury was imputed to the whole Nation for which cause being overcome and falling into the Enemies hands they were all carryed Captives to Babilon By the same Law of Nations whatsoever the Ambassadour transacts is imputed to the Commonwealth or the Nation as also 't is imputed to the pledges whatsoever is done by them who give the pledges By Civil law it is imputed to the whole people whatsoever the chief procurer does for the people and to the chief in Government whatsoever they doe in behalf of the people To the Colonie or Colledge whatsoever their Trustees shall do in their behalf To Pupils and Minors is imputed whatsoever shall be judged against them according to the consent of the Tutors or Overseers There are likewise mystical bodies which by their mystical Communion and similitude do engage imputations Such is that mystical body by which all men as it were by a mystical conglutination are joyned with him by reason of that similitude they have with Christ For God did not put on the shape of an Angel but the shape of a Man that he might become in all things like to men except Sin that he might be a fellow sufferer with men and be an expiation for them By that mystical Communion and society by which his death is imputed to all men Such is that mystical Communion and society by which the faith of Abraham is imputed to all the faithful And all the faithfull are call'd the Sons of Abraham not the Sons of Nature but the sons of Adoption and mystical similitude which did unite all things According to that same Communion and mystical society the sin of Adam was imputed to other men For although Adam was made by Gods hands by a peculiar and choice way of framing beyond other men yet God had fram'd him as in other places I took notice of the same clay of the same common earth and of the same matter subject to corruption in which all other men were created And in all things was Adam made like other men with sin also Yea even as fin was a natural imperfection to all inherent and proper to Adam himself and so to all men And likewise as all men by reason of that society of sinning were apt or suceptive of that guilt which came by the transgression of Adam It is commonly believ'd that the death of Christ was imputed to men because the sin of Adam was imputed to them They are deceived that think so Yea upon the contrary the sin of Adam was purposely imputed to men that the death of Christ might be imputed to them likewise For Christ ought not to be referr'd to Adam but Adam ought to be referr'd to Christ For all things tend towards their end for which they are made Christ was the end of all mysteries therefore were all mysteries meerly for Christ and not Christ for the mysteries Adam was a type of Christ But Christ was a prototype of Adam A type is referr'd to a prototype and not a prototype to its type Nor for any other cause was the sin of Adam imputed to men than that the death of Christ which appeals for all mens sins and regenerates them might be also imputed to them Therefore in Gods decree the imputation was first design'd in the death of Christ Secondly in the sin of Adam as you shall read it in the Revelations That Christ was a Lamb slain from the ordaining of the world Yea and that the mystery of shedding his blood was known and decreed before the ordaining of the world 1 Pet. chap. 1. Which you shall never find of Adam because Adam ought to be referr'd to Christ as the principle decree of God and his own first type But these things which were first in the decree and council of God were not also in order of the performance made first Hence also it happens that the sin of Adam went before the death of Christ And hence it