shift by sewing of figtree leaves together with strawes or some such like thing to cover their deformity Here by the way another Question may be moved What was the reason that our first parents were so carefull to cover their privie parts more then any other part of their bodies I answer briefly because under the name of Adam as Adam is the head of all men to descend of Adam by naturall generation man male and female is comprehended For of Adam as he is man male simply no man can naturally descend of Adam by naturall generation And therefore it is said that God made man male and female Our first parents therefore by this act in covering of the instrumentall parts of generation do most lively expresse the shame and overthrow of their posterity by their first sin which is a main fundamentall point of faith I return to Adams answer Notwithstanding of Adams ungracious and unthankfull answer to God yet God will not thus leave Adam God therefore doth presse Adam in these words Gen. 3.12 Who told thee that thou wast naked And to the end that God might move Adam to the confession of the fact God still presseth Adam in these words Hast thou eaten of the fruit which I commanded thee that thou shouldst not eat By which words God much like a temporall Judge who intending to save a delinquent guilty of death by the Law doth teach the guilty what to say for himself For the Question taken affirmatively is the confession of the fact By this Question Adam was so prest by God that Adam in a manner doth confesse the fact but it was like the confession of a naturall man by adding sin to sin for by his confession most shamefully and unthankfully first Adam doth charge God as the cause of his foul transgression to wit because God had given him Eve to wife Secondly Adam for all his love to Eve doth charge Eve likewise with the cause of his transgression hoping by this means to excuse himself and to make Eve suffer a dying death for his own foul ambition where we may observe that when God by his Word doth threaten the natural man by his judgements for sin all the dearest pleasures which hath induced him to sin are blamed as the cause of his sin hoping thereby to free himself from wrath though all in vain yet God mercy and patience it self doth patiently bear with Adams impenitent obstinacy and next calleth Eve CHAP. XVI Eves arraignment by God for her transgression of the Law GOd doth in like manner call Eve graciously by his Word to repentance in these words Gen. 3.13 And the Lord said to the woman Wby hast thou done this as if the words had been set down after this manner by Moses Eve what hast thou done Did not I create thee with such power and perfection as that thou shouldest have been a mutuall help and comfort to thy husband and thou most ungraciously art the instrument and means of the ruine of you both and of your posterity Eve fearing the curse of the Law by a dying death to be inflicted both upon her self and Adam according to the covenant doth post over the cause of her transgression upon the Serpent in hope thereby to have freed her self and Adam from the curse notwithstanding of Adams unkinde charging of Eve for being the cause of his own wilfull disobedience and to have had the curse inflicted upon the Serpent who had so maliciously betrayed both her and Adam where it may plainly appear that as yet there was no remorse in either of both for their horrible sin notwithstanding of Gods so gracious calling of both by his immediate Word but God mercy and patience it self doth bear patiently with both For God in his eternall purpose did decree to move both to repentance by another means afterwards to be declared when we come to the entring of the second covenant In the mean time the judicious Reader may manifestly observe that though our first parents by their answers to God upon their arraignment did shew themselves like naturall men without any manner of spirituall understanding or action being shut up in spirituall darknesse according to the eâ—ernall Decree of God yet by their free answers to God it doth plainly appear that though they were condemned to the curse of eternall death and darknesse yet the curse of the Law was not actually inflicted upon either of both for the necessary reasons formerly declared For it was for fear of the curse of a dying death to be actually inflicted upon them to which they were so necessarily obliged by the first covenant that they did so shift and post over the cause of the horrible fact from one to another And so much briefly for the arraignment of our first parents for their transgression of the Law of righteousnesse as they were simply obliged to the Law by the first covenant Next therefore of the censure of God for the transgression of the Law CHAP. XVII The sensitive creature called the Serpent before the curse did walk upon legs as other sensitive cattle and beasts of the field GOd doth pronounce his censure for the transgression of the Law upon all the parties accessary to the transgression beginning at the first party where the cause of the transgression doth begin and so in order to the last party delinquent The first party delinquent which was the first and immediâ—te cause of the transgression of the Law was the sensitive Serpent The second was the old murthering Serpent Satan The third party was the woman man female which was betrayed by the Serpent The fourth and last party delinquent was Adam man male First therefore of the censure of God upon the Serpent The censure of the Serpent is set down by Moses after a twofold manner First the censure is set down as it concerns the Serpent in particular Secondly the censure is set down as the censure inflicted upon the Serpent doth likewise concern the woman but after a farre differing manner The censure as it doth concern the Serpent in particular is set down in these words Gen. 3.13 Because thou hast done this thou art cursed above all cattle and above every beast of the field Vpon thy belly thou shalt go and dust shalt thou eat all the dayes of thy life The censure upon the Serpent hath a literall and mysticall sense First of the literall sense By the literall sense of the censure the sensitive Serpent is cursed above all the cattle and beasts of the field and first the cause of the curse is set down and secondly the curse is pronounced by God by his Word The cause of the curse is because thou hast done this that is because by thy false suggestion thou hast betrayed man to fall under the curse of the Law The curse of the Law is pronounced by God upon the sensitive creature called the Serpent without all calling or examination which of all judgements is the most
notwithstanding that Adams will was subjectively necessitate by the pretended absolute decree is from a simile of a man riding upon a lame horse for though the rider be the efficient cause of the horses going the way which the horse is directed by the rider yet the rider is not the cause of the horses lame going To this I answer If the horse be lamed by the rider the rider is the efficient cause of the horses lame going Now the absolute decree is the rider and Adam is the lame horse lamed by the absolute decree Adams will therefore being subjectively lamed by the absolute decree Adam must give lame obedience to the command of God by his Law The third instance followeth CHAP. III. The positive and permissive power of God proceeding immediatly from his eternall Decree of Predestination is by the immediate power of the Word THe third instance whereby God is pretended to be freed from being the first author of sinne notwithstanding that Adams will was subjectively necessitate by the absolute Decree is pretended to be from the Scripture in these words Act. 4.28 Herod Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and the people of Israel did gather together and doe what thy hand and councell had determined to bee done From hence and such like places of the Scripture it is concluded Gods hand and Councell did decree and determine from all eternity what was done in the crucifying of man Christ Jesus the Sonne of God Gods hand and Councell therefore from all eternity did determine to necessitate Adams will by his eternall Decree which was the cause of Christs death I answer the inference is fallacious and therefore for clearing of the point it is to be understood that Gods eternall Decree is the act of his will The act of his Will is either immanent or transeant to his creatures The immanent act of his Will is his Councell and Decree and in this sense Gods Councell and Decree is God himselfe infinite and eternall power and his Decree eternall with himselfe As the act of his will by his Councell and eternall Decree is transeant to his creatures it is the hand of his power and his power is the power of his word of his seventh dayes rest as it is the image of the infinite essentiall word power it selfe his word therefore is the hand of his power whereby the act of his will by his eternall Councell â—â—d Decree is execute upon earth for it is by the immediate power of his blessing by the word of his severall seventh dayes rest in the severall state and condition of man that the word in the heart of man whereby he liveth and moveth is blessed and continued naturally morally and spiritually and that the naturall life of the creatures created by the word are preserved The word therefore of every severall seventh dayes rest is the Decree of God to man as God hath revealed himselfe to be known and worshipped by man in the severall state and condition of man and therefore the severall Covenants made by God with man in his severall state and condition are established upon the immediate command of the word of every severall seventh dayes rest Adam therefore in his greatest state of perfection must not exceed the revealed light of the word of the first seventh dayes rest to pry in the secret Councell of God and to know what God had decreed concerning man Now the hand of God by the power of his word is either positive or permissive By the hand of Gods positive power by his word God doth actually and positively concurre with the act of his creature whereby the decreed act of his will is execute upon earth By the permissive power of his word God doth permit the act of his creature to doe what God hath decreed to be done or he doth restraine and divert the act of his creature as it is contrary to that which God hath decreed to be done Gods permissive power by his word in this two-fold sense is either necessary or free By the necessary permissive power of his word God in his justice doth necessarily permit what he hath obliged himselfe unto by Covenant proceeding immediately from his eternall decree What God doth otherwise permit God doth most freely permit and in this sense God is said to be a most free Agent By the permissive power therefore of his word the decreed act of his will is equally execute as by the positive power of the word in which twofold power the providence of God to his creatures doth consist God therefore according to his eternall Councell and Decree having created man male and female in such an admirable state of naturall and spirituall perfection as all the created powers of God were not able to necessitate Adams will to disobey the command of God by his word and God having obliged himselfe by Covenant to Adam and to all men created in Adam to the continuation of the eternall blessing of the word of the first seventh dayes rest upon the eternall continuation of the perfection of Adams obedience and to inflict the eternall curse of the Law by eternall death upon Adams disobedience to the command of his word which was the necessary command of the word of the first seventh dayes rest God without highest injustice by the breach of his Covenant could neither restraine Satan from tempting Adam or support Adam being tempted by Satan And this was the hand of Gods necessary permissive power by his word to permit Satan to tempt Adam Satan therefore in this temptation did doe but what Gods Councell by the necessary hand of the permissive power of his word had decreed and determined to be done for God by his eternall Decree by his Covenant had barred himselfe from restraining of Satans tempting of Adam or from supporting of Adam tempted by Satan So in like manner to come to the word of the Scripture objected by the propugnators of the absolute Decree God according to his Councell and Decree from all eternity having obliged himselfe by Covenant in the promise of the blessed seed to Adam and to all men condemned to the curse of eternall death in Adam the head that man the eternall Son of his love Christ Jesus should become man of the seed of the woman in time and by his cursed death of the Crosse redeemed Adam and all men condemned in Adam from the curse of the Law for the sinne of Adam God therefore in his justice by his Covenant did barre himselfe from the restraining of the acts of Satan and of his cruell instruments in the crucifying of the Lord of life and this was the hand of the necessary permissive power of his word to Herod Pontius Pilate to the Gentiles to the people of Israel to Judas and to the rest of that bloody band Acts 4.28 who did nothing in this case but what Gods eternall Councell and Decree determined to be done by the hand of the permissive power of his word
partner of her expected transcendant felicity as Adam was the true owner of her lov◠〈…〉 beautifull hand present the fruit to Adam using her most pâ—rswâ—â—â—â—â—â—â—ions to move Adam to eate of the fruit and no question Eve was the more instant that both in time might prevent threatned death by the Covenant which Eve was confident to be prevented by their mutuall eating of the fruit whereby both were suggested to be equall to God and free from all feare and danger of death Adam therefore presuming on Eves judgement and wisdome which he knew to be equall with his owne by hearing of the suggested vertue of the fruit suggested by the Serpent and confirmed by such apparent reasons Adam did begin to be as confident and as much affected with the hopefull expected felicity of the suggested vertue of the fruit as Eve her selfe for otherwise all Adams love to Eve and all Eves amorous perswasions of Adam could never have induced Adam to runne upon so desperate a hazzard Wretched Adam therefore in confidence by eating of the fruit to bee equall to God himselfe did take of the forbidden fruit and eate thereof mounting himselfe upon the ambitious wings of so neere affected Deity in flying at so lofty a pitch till by the glorious splendor thereof Adams ambitious wings being scorched Adam with his posterity Icarus-like fell down in the bottomlesse sea of Gods eternall wrath under the fearefull curse of the Law hopelesse helplesse eternally upon earth and all by the miserable sting of the old Serpents darknesse ending alwayes in afflictions though this was the affliction of afflictions for as Adams transgression of the command of God of the Law of Righteousnesse was the transgression of all men created in Adam the head of all men naturally to descend of Adam to the end of the world whereby the first Covenant made betweene God and man upon the immediate command of the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the Law of Righteousnesse was broken by man so Adam and all men created and falne in Adam the head according to the first Covenant were eternally condemned by the Law of Righteousnesse to the curse of eternall death without all hope of mercy or redemption Now though it be manifest by the Scripture that by the transgression of one precept the whole Law of God is necessarily transgressed and therefore this precept of the forbidden fruit transgressed by Adam being the necessary command of the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the Law of Righteousnesse for as hath beene formerly declared the word of God commanding man hath the onely power of command but as it is implyed in the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law and therefore the curse of the Law of Righteousnesse was due by the Law for the transgression of the command though I say by the transgression of this one command the whole Law was transgressed yet for the Readers satisfaction it shall be declared that by the transgression of this one command every severall precept of the Decalogue set downe to Moses was necessarily transgressed taking the Law in the simple formall obligement without any respect either to the Propheticall or Evangelicall obligement of the Law CHAP. X. By the transgressing of the command of the forbidden fruit every Precept of the Law was transgressed FIrst our first parents being condemned to the eternall curse of the Law for the transgression of the command of the forbidden fruit they were utterly disabled from the first seventh dayes commanded worship whereby the fourth precept of the first Table was transgressed Secondly our first parents by following the Serpents advice and by expecting by eating of the forbidden fruit to become Gods they had other Gods contrary to the first precept of the Decalogue Thirdly the false deceiving words of the serpent being imprinted and as it were graven in the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge to induce our first parents to eate of the fruit was the first graven image of the devils erection to which our first parents did bow and bend all the whole powers of their love and affection contrary to the second precept of the Decalogue Fourthly by our first parents assenting to the Serpents blasphemous belying of God the sacred Name of God was taken in vaine contrary to the third precept of the first Table in which foure precepts is the summe of the first Table of the Law Fifthly by the transgressing of the command of the forbidden fruit Adam and Eve did dishonour their parents contrary to the first precept of the second Table whose parents were the blessed Trinity though the second Person was not then revealed Sixthly Adam by transgressing of the command of the forbidden fruit did kill all his posterity by the procuring the curse of eternall death upon himselfe and his posterity contrary to the second precept of the second Table Seventhly our first parents by their spirituall adulterous whoredome with their idoll of the Devils erection did commit adultery contrary to the third precept of the second Table Eighthly Adam by procuring of the curse of the Law against his posterity did steale away all the naturall and spirituall gifts wherein they were created which by the first Covenant were as due to them as to Adam himselfe contrary to the fourth precept of the second Table Ninthly by our first parents assenting to the false calumnious lie of the Serpent against God our first parents did bear false witness against God for the command of the fifth Precept of the second table doth extend as well to God as to man Tenthly and lastly our first parents by coveting to be Gods did transgress the last precept of the second table whereby every precept of the whole Law was necessarily transgressed by our first parents Before we do proceed an Objection is to be answered CHAP. XI The Decree of Predistination was not suspendible by Adam though created in the estate of naturall and spirituall perfection ADam being created in the state of such naturall and spirituall perfection as did equall the perfection of the Law to which he was so necessarily obliged it was in the freedome of Adams power to have resisted Satans temptation by resisting whereof the Decree of Predestination had been suspended It is therefore concluded by the Authors and maintainers of the absolute Decree that there was a necessity that the freedome of Adams will must be necessitate by the absolute Decree to yeeld to the temptation of Satan lest the Decree of Predestination should be suspended I answer to the Objection It is true that Adam was created in such estate of naturall and spirituall perfection as did equall the command of the Law but this perfection was with equall freedome of naturall morall and spirituall action without the determining of the act of the one by the act of the other as hath been formerly declared Adam therefore in respect of his freedome of election had the power to be induced or not induced
and ceremoniall worship of the Sabbath was to be performed were as necessarily commanded by the command of the seventh day of the propheticall Sabbath both upon the eternall blessing of the Sabbaticall seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousness of faith and upon the eternall curse of the Law of faith Secondly though the propheticall and ceremoniall works of faith were necessarily commanded by the Law yet the blessing of the eternall promised rest of the blessed seed was due by the Law immediately to faith and not to the works of faith The reason is because it was by the Spirit of faith that the merit of the promised rest of the blessed seâ—d was to be apprehended and not by the greatest works of faith which hath no spirit at all And therefore the eternall blessing of the seventh dayes promised rest of the blessed seed by the Law of righteousnesse of faith was not due by the Law to the greatest morall or ceremoniall works of Adam but immediately to the merit of man the promised blessed seed by the immediate power of whole redeemed word of the Law and life of righteousnesse of faith written in the heart of Adam Adam was morally enabled to believe the promise and to produce the morall and ceremoniall works of faith as by the spirituall grace of faith in Gods prefixed time Adam was spiritually enabled with the spirituall grace of faith by the hands of spirituall faith to apprehend the merit of the blessed seed by his promised rest by which spirituall union Adams faith and the merit of the blessed seed were really and indivisibly one whereby Adam was saved from the second death which is the curse of the Law of faith And so much for the literall and mysticall sense of the second covenant comprehended in the second branch of the censure as the censure doth concern the woman and her seed We proceed therefore next to the censure of God upon the two last delinquents for the transgression of the Law of righteousnesse obliged by the first covenant CHAP. XXIV The literall sense of the censure in particular upon the woman FOr the better conceiving of the censure of God upon the last two delinquents for the transgression of the Law of righteousnesse by the first covenant it is necessarily to be understood that Adam is said to be the head of man after a twofold manner First as under the name of Adam man male and female is comprehended For so Adam is the created head of all men naturally descended and to descend of Adam and in this sense as all men are said to have sinned in Adam the created head of all men Rom. 5.18 so all men are said to be redeemed in Adam the redeemed head of man from the curse of eternall death and darknesse by the promised rest of the blessed seed from the redemption of man from the curse of the Law and by the eternall decree of God shut up in temporall spirituall darknesse called unbelief and originall sin and temporall naturall death which followed that sin which was then according to the eternall decree of God pronounced upon Adam thâ— redeemed head of man by the censure of God in which censure of naturall death all the punishments inflicted by the censure are comprehended And therefore in the infinite mercy of God all the punishments by this censure pronounced upon man male and female are all temporall in this life to the end that all men and women might be put in continuall remembrance of the never to be forgotten love and mercy of God in his Son Christ Jesus for the redemption of man from the fearfull eternall curse of the Law for the sin of Adam which nothing could redeem but the only cursed death of Christ Jesus the eternall Son of God made flesh of the seed of the woman who therefore as he is man was made a curse for man Gal. 3.13 Secondly Adam is said to be the head of man as he is man male the head of the woman by matrimoniall union in which sense Adam is said to be the head of his wife the woman and the woman the wife is said to be the body of her husband To proceed therefore with the censure which is first pronounced upon the woman because she was first in the transgression to wit before Adam man male The censure upon the woman is set down by Moses in these words Gen. 3.16 I will greatly multiply thy sorrows and thy conceptions In sorrow shalt thou bring forth children and thy desire shall be to thy husband and he shall rule over thee The censure hath a literall and mysticall sense First of the literall sense of the censure which is pronounced upon the woman in particular as she is the wife and body of her husband The censure doth divide it self into two branches to wit sorrow in conception and child-birth and subjection to the husband First of the literall sense of the two branches and next of the mysticall sense As this sorrow in the infinite mercy of God at that time was not without greatest comfort to women so it is with no lesse comfort to women at this present For as 〈◊〉 in the bringing forth of children the promise of the blessed seed was confirmed to be born of the seed of the woman by whose cursed death the curse of the Law was removed from man the benefit whereof our first parents did then actually enjoy though the blessed child was afterwards to be born according to the eternal decree of God So there is great comfort at this time under the Law of Grace in the bringing forth of children by women For the child is brought forth actually freed from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam by the first covenant and born a hopefull member of the Lord Jesus Christ And though it doth please God many times to take away the childe by temporall death yet it is no small comfort to the sorrowfull parents that the childe is a glorious Saint in heaven It is said here I will greatly multiply or increase thy sorrows because of the pronounced enmity between the old Serpent Satan and his seed and the woman and her seed of whose continuall afflictions the woman is never free while she is in this life And now her sorrows are increased by her conception and bringing forth of children which are inflicted upon women to the end that the woman in her greatest extremity by her sorrow in conception and childbirth should be put in mind of the eternall sorrows and pains of eternall death by the first covenant from which she was redeemed by the blessed childe then to be born and now born of the seed of the woman upon whose merit Eves faith may safely rest as upon a rock from any fear of the second death by the new covenant In which sense only the words of the Apostle are to be conceived to wit 1 Tim. 2.15 that women are saved through the bearing of children for
curse of the Law of righteousnes by the curse of eternall death and darknes Adam therefore and all men naturally to descend of Adam as head out of the infinit love and mercy of God to man in his Son Christ Iesus according to his decree from all eternity being redeemed from the curse of the Law by the cursed death of his only Son which was to be sustained in his prefixed time the word of the Law then written in the heart of man was the redeemed Image of God in his Son Christ Iesus by the power of which redeemed word Adam after the fall did live move and had his redeemed grace of naturall and morall being but shut up in spirituall darknes till he was regenerate And the word of the seventh day of the Law was then objected to Adams externall senses as it was the propheticall word of the seventh day of the Law of righteousnes of faith in the promise of the blessed seed then by the name of the Sabbath of the Lord prophesying the rest of the Lord to wit the blessed seed upon the Sabbath from the redemption of man from the curse of the Law for the sinne of Adam whereby Adam and all men naturally to descend of Adam till the promise of the blessed seed was fulfilled were obliged to beleeve the promised rest of the blessed seed To whose faith the blessing of the Lords promised rest by the propheticall Sabbath was due by the Law The word of God therefore to the Fathers till the promise was fulfilled was the propheticall word of the seventh day of the Law of righteousnes of faith in the promise of the blessed seed by the light of the sabbaticall seventh day leading the faith of man to the blessing of the Lords promised rest of the blessed seed By which faith all the Fathers were saved before the promise was fulfilled in the Lords prefixed time according to his eternall decree Thirdly the promise of the blessed seed being fulfilled by the Lords daies Evangelicall rest as by the redeemed word of the Law written in the heart the naturall man doth live move and hath his redeemed grace of naturall and morall being shut up in spirituall darknes till he be regenerate So the Evangelicall word of the Lords day as it is the seventh day of the Evangelicall Law of righteousnes of faith is objected to the externall senses of man as it is the word of the truth of the Lords Evangelicall rest from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed obliging the faith of all the Nations of the World to beleeve the truth of the Lords fulfilled promise to whose faith the blessing of the Lords merit of eternall life and rest by the fulfilling of his promise is due morally by the Law whereby the naturall mans redeemed grace of naturall and morall being is continued while he is in this life and being regenerat hath his eternall life light and rest in the life to come The judicious reader therefore may plainly observe that the Evangelicall word of the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall Law of righteousnes of faith is the same reall word which was from the beginning in the true knowledge wherof is the life light eternal rest of man for as by the literall light of the Lords day the naturall man is literally led to the morall blessing of the Lords merit by the Lords daies Evangelicall rest So by the Lords spirituall light in Gods prefixed time the naturall man apprehending himselfe dead in actuall spirituall sinne as sinne is a fearfull contempt against the infinit Majesty of God The naturall man in this spirituall feare being led by this spirituall light to the Lords infinit merit doth by the hands of his spirituall faith lay such spirituall hold on the Lords infinit merit as all the created powers of God and all the temptations of the Divell and the World are not able to part the naturall man being regenerate from the grace of his spirituall hold And this is that faith which the Lord saith is able to command the greatest Mountaine of temptation and to cast it selfe in the Sea if it stand in the way to seperate the regenerate man from his spirituall hold of eternall life Though his spirituall faith be so litle as a graine of mustard seed For the threatned Mountaine of naturall death it selfe is not able to seperate the regenerate man from this spirituall hold totally and finally This light of the Lords day therefore is that light of that spirituall fire which came downe from Heaven not the fearfull firie light of Gods consuming fire which came downe from Heaven to burne the Holocaust Sacrifice of the Lambe of God but the gracious light of the Lords deare love warning quickning inlightning and raising from the dead where it doth shine By which gracious light as all men were raised from the first death of the curse of the Law for the sinne of Adam So this gracious light doth now shine to enlighten the faith of all the Nations of the World to save them from the merciles curse of the Law of faith which is the second death Heere two speciall things are to be observed by the reader CHAP. VIII THe first is the difference of the word of the Law written in the heart of man and the word of the seventh day of the Law implying the command of the whole Law externally objected to the externall senses of man Tâ—e second is the formall difference of the word of the seventh day of the Law from the beginning First in the state of perfection the word of the Law written in Adams heart was the power of the Image of righteousnes and holines enabling Adam to merit eternall life and rest upon earth And the word of the first seventh day of the Law of righteousnes was objected to Adams externall senses obliging the perfection of Adams obedience to the command of the Law of God to whose merit by his actions of holines the blessing of the first seventh daies eternall rest was due by the Law to Adams merit Secondly man being redeemed from the curse of the Law the word of the Law written in the heart is the redeemed word and Image of God in his Son Christ Iesus first in the promise of the blessed seed enabling Adam from faith to faith to beleeve the promise of the blessed seed And the word of the seventh day of the Law of righteousnes of faith by the name of the Sabbath of the Lord was objected to Adams externall senses prophesying the rest of the blessed seed upon the Sabbath from the redemption of man from the curse of the Law obliging and commanding Adam to beleeve the promised rest of the blessed seed to whose faith the blessing of the Lords eternall rest was due by the Law to Adams faith in beleeving the the promised rest of the blessed seed Thirdly after the Lords resurrection the promise of the blessed seed being fulfilled the
the world built thereon by which partition the Gentiles were barred from the judiciall service of God all are rased from the very foundation never to be reiterate in the Church of God Last of all Mary Magdalen did not know the Lord of life John 20.16 17 the eternall rest of his blessed day though Mary did see the Lord with her bodily eyes till she heard the sound of the word of the Evangelicall seventh dayes eternall rest calling Mary At the hearing of the sound of whose Evangelicall word while Mary knowing the Lord would have embraced him in her armes the Lord said Mary touch me not to wit but by thine arms of faith The Lord after his resurrection did first honour Mary to be the joyfull trumpeter to sound the news of the word of his mysticall Evangelicall birth-day to the Apostles themselves as the Lord of life the Son of God as he is man did honour Mary the blessed Virgin to be inclosed in her wombe and to be the first proclaimer of the joyfull day of his naturall birth Though woman therefore seduced by the false trechery of Satan was the instrument of the fall of man yet woman first and last was the most happy news-bringer of the most joyfull tidings that ever came to man or Angel Let a man therefore honour woman whom God the Lord hath so highly honoured For first woman was the happy instrument of the salvation of man and of the confirmed grace of the Angels Secondly woman was the happy instrument that man is crowned with the incorruptible crown of glory eternally in all heavenly happinesse whereas though man had stood in the state of perfection man must have enjoyed his perfection and felicity but eternally upon earth And so much for the declaration of the Evangelicall word as the word is the seventh day of the Evangelicall law of faith implying the command of the whole law which is the Lords day the blessed day of dayes We are next according to our method to declare the Evangelicall word as it is the word of the new covenant and promise of God But a question doth arise of the Lords day first necessarily to be answered CHAP. XIII The Evangelicall sense of the bowing of the knee at the name of Jesus THe Question here may be moved Since at the name of Jesus every knee must bow Phil. 2.10 11. of things in heaven of things upon earth and of things under the earth wherefore is not the seventh day of the Evangelicall law of faith called rather by the name of Jesus day then by the name of the Lords day I answer because it is by the light of the seventh day of the Evangelicall law of faith by the truth of the Lords Evangelicall rest and resurrection from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed that Jesus is known to be the Saviour of man the eternall Son of God Lord God and man equall to the Father and holy Spirit as hath been formerly declared by the infinite sanctified power of whose blessed merit the Lords day is blessed and sanctified and the Evangelicall worship of the Lords day immediatly commanded Though Jesus therefore be the name of the Son of God as he is man begot of the seed of the woman and the Saviour of man by his cursed death and bloody rest in the grave without whose resurrection from the dead Jesus the Son of God Adam and all men created in Adam as head must have diâ—d eternally under the eternall curse of the law yet the name Lord is 〈◊〉 name by his infinit power he hath overcome the power of death and the grave necessarily implying the name Jesus and Christ as hath formerly been declared The Lords day therefore is the day of our Lord Jesus Christ immediatly and not immediatly the day of Jesus And consequently the bowing of the knee at the name of Jesus is the bowing of the knee at the name of the Lord Jesus by which bowing of the knee the Evangelicall commanded worship of the Lords day is implied as may plainly appear by the Apostles words saying that God hath given him a name above all names that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and that every tongue shall confesse that Jesus Christ is the Lord For as the religious bowing of the knee is from the believing heart implying the Spirit of the mind that Jesus the Saviour of man is the Lord wherâ—by the internall and externall worship of God is expressed So the confession of the tongue as likewise from the Spirit of faith in the heart that Jesus the Saviour of man is the Lord by the truth of his merit by his Evangelicall rest and resurrection from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed upon the Lords day whereby the worship of the Lords day is commanded in spirit and truth In which commanded worship â—ll the internall and externall worship of God is necessarily implied In this sense thâ— Apostle saith Rom. 10.10 with the heart man doth believe to righteousnesse and with the mouth man doth confesse to salvation that is with the heart implying the Spirit of the mind enlightened by the light of the Lords day really one with the light of the redeemed word of the law in the heart man doth believe that the Lord hath fulfilled the law of righteousnesse by whose merit the believer is saved and with the mouth man doth confesse before God and man that he is saved by faith in the truth of the Lords only merit for as by his only merit all men are saved from the first death which is the curse of the law for the sin of Adam so all the faithfull are saved from the second death which is the curse of the law of faith The externall bowing of the knee therefore at the name of Jesus without adding or implying Lord proceeding from the believing of the heart is but a faithlesse and irreligious worship of God by man In these words of the Apostle concering the bowing of the knee which is a Prophesie and now fulfilled by the Lords dayes Evangelicall rest and resurrection three speciall things are to be observed First though the name Jesus signifying a Saviour be given to man as at the power of the Lords command â—â—n is saved by man from temporall danger yet the name Jesus as he is Lord God and man is incommuâ—icable to man or Angel and a name above all names propâ—rly and immediatly ascribed to the Son the second person of the Trinity And therefore we see that in the Apostles salutations by their Epistles they do pray for peace and grace from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ For as the Lord is man the Son of God equall with the Father and holy Spirit before all time so he is man the Son of God in time of the seed of the woman in the essentiall union of the divine nature of the Father Son and holy Spirit with the humane nature
is impossible either to know or please God As the fundamentall knowledge of God doth arise from the Covenants made by God with man So the fundamentall knowledge of the Covenants doth necessarily arise from the light of the word of eve y severall seventh daies rest as God hath revealed himselfe to man from the beginning in his severall state and condition For as hath beene said upon the immediate command of the word of every severall seventh daies rest the severall Covenants are established First and immediatly obliging man to the seventh daies formall comanded worship and in that commanded worship obliging the obedience of man to the fulfilling of the command of the whole Law without the light therefore of the word of the seventh daies rest we can never attaine to the knowledge of the Covenant The word of God therefore in this sense implying the Covenant established upon the word of the seventh daies rest is the subject of this small Tractate And as God from the beginning did manifest himselfe after a threefold formall manner to man by the word of his severall seventh daies rest of his Law of righteousnesse â—o from the beginning God did make three severall formall Covenants with man in his severall state and condition Whereby the Law of God from the beginning was formally obliged after a threefold formall severall manner obliging man in his severall state and condition which was likewise after a threefold manner As for the Covenant made with Abraham that in his seed all the Nations of the earth should be blessed it was the same reall Covenant made to Adam after the fall in the promise of the blessed seed though the promise was made after a more particuler manner to Abraham after to be declared According to these three Covenants This smale Tractate shall be devided into three severall bookes containing the fundamentall declaration of the three Covenants made by God with man which are the exercit act of the sacred decree of predestination so farre therefore as is revealed to man in this life Errata Paâ— 1. l. 38. read internally p. 3. 16. of mâ—n p. 5. 23. execute p 7 27 externall p. 8. 3. infer p. 9. â—3 sustaining ib. 24. soule p. 13. 5. â—â—e act ib. 29 lamp p. 14. 17. adâ—e by p. 28 23. severall p 41. 32 the iâ—t rnall p 42. 14. extend p. 48 17. might p. 55. 19. adde more p 57. 10 addâ— spirituall ib. 35. after and sin adde and in temporall naturall death which followed thâ—t sin p. 60. 3. adde demonstratiue ib 6 literall p. 64 29 after necessary adde spirituall p 65. 14. spirituall ib. 17. indivisibly p. 67. 3. sin ib 22. he is p. 82. 21 supernaturally p. 83. 17. read thus they do necessarily hate all harers and pe secutâ—rs of his truth and of p. 89. 18. adde to p 90. 24. to Adam p. 93 11 for seed head p. 94. 36 adde from Abel p. 96. 4. adde promised ib 14 dele the second of ib. 24. are p. 97. 2. addâ— after rest of God p. 104. 25. barren works p. 107. 3. the reason p. 128. 4. of the. p. 130. 6 ancient subv rted p. 132. 23. be likewise p. 133. 31. be essentially p. 147. 7. which is p. 150. 29. light of p. 160 â—3 by his p. 165. 20. is flatly The First Booke of the Theologicall Key c. CHAP. I. Of the reall unity of the word of the law of righteousnesse written in the heart of man Of the word of promise and of the word of the seventh dayes rest and of the formall difference of each from the other WIthout the knowledge of the first Covenant established betweene God and man upon the immediat command of the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the law of righteousnesse there is no rest for the faith of man to rest fundamentally upon the immediate object of faith for without the true light of this fundamentall knowledge the faith of man is unstable apt to be carried away with the light of error from the true rocke of rest For the better informing the judicious Reader in the true knowledge both of the first and likewise of the two last Covenants made by God with man I doe premit this certaine Theologicall ground arising immediatly from the truth of the sacred word most necessarily to be first set downe The word of God in the Scripture is taken in a twofold sence first the word is taken for the infinite word infinite power life light righteousnes necessarily implying the essentiall power of the naturall life of the humane nature of the word man the son of God before all time as he is man the son of God begotten of the seed of the woman in time second person of the glorious Trinity By the word in this sense before the word was made flesh of the seed of the woman heaven earth the hoast of both to wit man and the creatures were created in the beginning of time and in this sence the word is incommunicable to all the creatures created by the word Secondly the word is taken for the image of the infinite power of the life of righteousnesse of the word necessarily implying the image of the power of the naturall life of the humane nature of the word and in this sense the word is called the word of the power of righteousnesse and the word in this acception is communicate to man and that after a twofold maner First the word of the power of the life of righteousnes necessarily implying the power of the naturall life of the word is eternally written in the heart of man Secondly the word of the power of life of righteousnes necessarily implying the power of the naturall life of the word is objected to the externall senses of man and by the sound of the word written as it were in the sense of hearing This power of the word of righteousnes both as it is internally written in the heart of man and as it is objected to his externall senses is twofold The first power of the word as it is internally written in the heart of man is the power of the life of righteousnesse necessarily implying the power of the naturall life of the word By the immediate power of the word thus written in the heart of man man is enabled to live the life of righteousnes and the naturall life of man for without the power of naturall life man can no way live the life of righteousnes and in this sense it is said that in him we live in him we move in him we have our being that is in the word for by the immediate power of the word written in the heart of man as it is the image of the infinite word power life and being it selfe man doth live move and hath his being in his severall state and condition Joh. 1.4 The second power of the word of righteousnes as the word is internally written in the heart of man it is the commanding
power of the word For the word of righteousnes in this sense is the word of the law of righteousnes internally commanding the heart of man which is the center and originall of all the powers of man as he is man commanding man to produce the workes of righteousnes according to the law of righteousnes as man by the first power of the word written in his heart is enabled to live the life of righteousnes For according to that Theologicall Principle As God doth command the action of his creature so before or in and with the command God in his justice doth inable his creature with the power of action to fulfill his command As the word of righteousnes is objected to the externall senses of man it is taken in a twofold sense First the word of the power of life of righteousnes necessarily implying the power of naturall life of the word is taken for the word of promise wherby God doth covenant with man to grant the eternall continuation of the life of righteousnes necessarily implying me naturall life of the word to man as man is inabled to live that life by the power of the word written in his heart which is called the word of eternall life Secondly as the word of righteousnes is objected to the externall senses of man it is taken for the word of the seventh dayes rest of the law of righteousâ—â—s implying the command of the whole law And the word of the seventh dayes rest of the law in this sense hath likewise a twofold power The first power of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the law it is the power of command for in this sense the word of God is the command of his law of righteousnes commanding the obedience of man by his workes of righteousnes to fulfill the command of his law of righteousnes as man is inabled to live that life by the immediate power of the word of the law written in his heart And in this sense Gods word is said to be a law to man For all the commands of God righteousnes it selfe by his word are the necessary commands of his law of righteousnes and all the commands of the law of God are the necessary commands of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the law which doeth necessarily imply the command of the whole law of God Gods command therefore to Adam commanding him to abstaine from eating of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil was the necessary command of the word of the first seventh daies rest of the law of righteousnes The second power of the word of the seventh dayes rest is the power of life of righteousnes necessarily implying the power of the naturall life of the word and this power of the word of the seventh dayes rest is by the immediate blessing of the seventh dayes rest which is due by the law to the seventh dayes worship and man necessarily implying his fulfilling of the whole law for the seventh day is blessed for man and the seventh day is sanctified for Gods worship by man by the immediate power of which blessing of the seventh dayes rest man doth rest in the injoying of the word of promise The word of the law therefore written in the heart and the word of promise and the word of the seventh dayes rest are really one for by the word written in the heart man doth live the life of righteousnes and by the word of promise God doth promise the eternall continuation of that life and by the blessing of the word of the seventh dayes rest man doth rest in the injoying of his life of righteousnes and the word in this threefold sense is the image of the righteousnes of God the infinite life of righteousnes But yet as there is a reall unity in the word written in the heart in the word of promise and in the word of the seventh dayes rest so there is a formall difference For the word of the Law written in the heart is formally the word of the power of life and the word of promise is formally the word of eternall life whereby the eternall continuance of the power of the word in the heart is promised and the word of the seventh dayes rest is formally the word of eternall rest for by the eternall blessing of the word of the seventh dayes rest man doth rest in the injoying of the word of promise wherby God doth fulfill his promise to man and therefore called truth And this is the reason that as in the word of promise the covenant is established between God and man upon the word of the seventh dayes rest the covenant and the word of the seventh dayes rest are really one but of a formall difference The reall unity of both is in this that the word of promise which is the word of eternall life is by the eternall blessing of the word of the seventh dayes rest And the formall difference of both is in this that God and man in the word of promise are formally and mutually obliged by covenant but man is only formally commanded by the word of the seventh dayes rest of his law of righteousnesse For God in the word of promise doth bind and obliege himselfe to man by covenant to grant the eternall continuation of the life of righteousnes which man doth injoy by the power of the word written in his heart And because this eternall continuation of the life of man is by the eternall blessing of the word of the seventh dayes rest therefore God doth mutually bind and obliege man by his covenant to fulfill the command of his seventh dayes worship implying the fulfilling of the whole law after that formall maner as God hath manifested himselfe to be worshipped by man by the word of his seventh dayes rest and this obligement of man by covenant is both upon the promise of eternall life and also upon the promise of eternall death By the light of the word therefore of every severall seventh dayes rest first we are led in the knowledge of the state and condition of man with whom the covenant is made For the word of the seventh dayes rest and the word of the law written in the heart whereby man doth live are really one Secondly by this light we are led in the knowledge of the covenant which is alwayes really one with the word of the seventh dayes rest For the word of promise is fulfilled by the eternall blessing of the word of the seventh daies rest whereon the condition of the covenant doth depend Now because by covenant man is bound and obliged to the command of the law of righteousnes both upon the promise of eternall life and eternall death according to the merit of man The law of GOD is therefore sayd to have a twofold reward to wit the blessing of eternall rest to the merit of the obedient and eternall death to the merit of the disobedient which is called the curse of
the law though eternall death be properly and immediately by the covenant for the law of God in its proper nature which is the image of his righteousnes doth command the obedience of man only upon the eternall blessing of the seventh dayes rest and not upon eternall death And therfore we see that the curse of the Law is not set downe in the Decalogue But because as the covenant is established upon the immediat command of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the law of righteousnes it is the image both of the righteousnes and justice of God rendring to man according to his merit For this cause the law commands man both upon the blessing of the word of the seventh dayes rest and upon the curse of disobedients and therefore though by covenant it be left to the freedome of mans election to live the life of righteousnes according to the command of the law of righteousnes and to merit eternall life by his obedience or eternall death by his disobedience yet as the covenant is established upon the immediate command of the words of the seventh dayes rest of the law of righteousnes the obedience of man is both obliged and commanded upon the eternall blessing of the seventh dayes rest and upon the inevitable curse of eternall death By the light of this Theologicall infallible ground arising from the light of the truth of the sacred word the judicious Reader is led in the knowledge of the three covenants made by God with man which are linckt together as it were in a chaine as may appeare by the subsequent declaration of this tractat First therefore of the first covenant made by God with man CHAP. II. Of the created perfection of the intellectuall nature of man and of the immortality of the soule BEcause the first covenant doeth necessarily presuppose the first estate of man with whom the first covenant was made This first Booke therefore shal be divided into these two parts The first shall contain the declaration of the first estate of man The second shall contain the declaration of the first covenant The first state of man was the created state of man the last created of all creatures whose creation doth presuppose the whole workes of the creation which is the very first period of the exercit act of the sacred decree of predestination exercit by the infinit essentiall word immediately As for the knowledge of the first estate of man it must necessarily arise from the light of the word of the first seventh dayes rest For the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the law of righteousnesse and the word of the law first written in the heart of man are of one reall life and light For as the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the law of righteousnes was the word of the eternall rest of righteousnes by the eternall blessing of the first seventh dayes rest so the word of the law of righteousnes first written in the heart of man was the word of the power of the life of righteousnes necessarily implying the power of the naturall life of the word For by the immediate power of the word thus written in the heart of man man was inabled to live the life of righteousnes to live the naturall life of man in his first state condition But as man of all creatures was last created so man was the ornament perfection and as it were the master piece of the workes of the creation For of all the creatures created by God the creation of man was the most rare and curious worke And though it be sayd That man was made a little lower then the Angels to wit in the perfection of glory yet the perfection of mans creation was superiour to the creation of Angels for all creatures were either intellectuall or corporall But that two so strange differing natures should be essentially united in the nature of man it is the wonder of nature it selfe All the creatures therefore being perfectly created man the ornament of the workes of the creation was created in the state of humane perfection This created perfection of man was the perfect life of righteousnes necessarily implying the perfection of the naturall life of man This perfection of man did arise from the perfection of the word of the law first written in the heart of man for in and with the immediat act of the creation of man as the word of the law of righteousnes was spiritually and immediatly written in the soule essentially united to the heart so by the same immediate act of the spirituall writer the word of the law as the law is spirituall was actually and spiritually enlightned by the spirituall light of his holy spirit in the soule of man By the power of which sanctifying light the heart of man to which the soule is essentially united was by the same immediate act sanctified with the spirituall action of holines By the immediate sanctifying power of the word thus actually and spiritually enlightned man was enabled to live the perfect life of righteousnes and holines wherby man was a perfect naturall and spirituall man and the perfect image of righteousnes and holines And this was the first state and condition of man with whom the first covenant was made by God Man therefore by the perfection of his creation was of a twofold perfection The first was the naturall perfection of man the second was his spirituall perfection Of this twofold perfection of man briefly so far as concerneth the subject in hand And first of the naturall perfection of man and next of his spirituall perfection The naturall perfection of man doth consist in the essentiall union of the intellectuall and sensitive nature of man First therefore of the created perfection of the intellectuall nature of man abstractly and next of the created perfection of the sensitive nature of man and of the essentiall union of the two natures The created perfection of the intellectuall nature of man is in the perfection of the soule of man and the perfection of the soule is from the perfection of the naturall power of the life of the word which the perfection of the spirituall life of the word doeth necessarily imply For the word is spiritually and immediately written in the soule of man as it is the image of the infinite word infinite power perfection life light righteousnes truth and eternity it selfe By the immediate naturall power of the word thus immediately written in the soule of man the soule doth live move intellectually and hath its perfect eternall state of intellectuall being as the word immediately written in the soule is perfect and eternall the soule of man therefore was created as perfect a true eternall spirit in the humane sphere as the Angelicall spirit in the Angelicall sphere for both as they are created spirits of a simple immateriall substance doe live move intellectually and have their eternall state of intellectuall being by
know the externall sensitive object by the literal sensitive light of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousnesse for the literall light of the Law which is by the sound of the word doth necessarily begin at the externall senses And therefore since the fall and redemption of man faith which is morall faith is said to bee the hearing of the word But because it is in the freedome of mans election by the act of his senses proceeding from the free act of his will to apprehend the externall sensitive object inlightened by what light soever therefore God by his Covenant doth only binde and oblige man to live this life of righteousnesse according to the literall light of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousnesse As man is enabled to live the life of righteousnesse by the immediate power of the word written in his heart But God by his Covenant doth not formally command man to live the life of righteousnesse but leaveth it to the freedome of mans election by his obedience to the command of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law either to choose eternall life by his obedience or eternall death by his disobedience The reason is because the life of righteousnesse doth immediately proceed from the act of the will which is the act of the soule of man which cannot bee necessitate by any command whatsoever for the will of the soule is created with the perfection of such contradictory and specificall freedome as all the created powers of God are not able to necâ—ssitate or enforce the free act of the will by any meanes under the heavens though the act of the will as it is intellectuall and sensitive may be externally coacted for as the will cannot be killed so the will can neither bee necessitate by any command But as the Covenant is established upon the immediate command of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousnesse the workes of righteousnesse according to the Law are commanded both upon the eternall blessing of the seventh dayes rest and upon the curse of eternall death the first and immediate command whereof as the seventh day is the great command of the Law is the seventh dayes commanded worship implying the command of the whole Law which doth both oblige and command man to worship God in the truth of his promise for by the eternall blessing of the seventh dayes rest the word of promise is alwayes fulfilled according to the obedience of man or by the inflicting of the curse of eternall death upon the disobedience of man to the command of his word his promise is likewise fulfilled for it is all one for God not to fulfill his promise by his Covenant as to be no God And this is the first reason of Gods essentiall attribute of truth and that his word which is his immediate image is called truth The literall command of the Law arising from the letter of the Law is called by the Theologs the morall command of the Law and therefore the word of the seventh dayes rest implying the command of the whole Law of righteousnesse is called the morall Law of God obliging and commanding as it were the manners of man to God and to his image man as the voluntary action of man doth concerne God or his image man and from this morall denomination of the Law the voluntary action of man whether by his obedience or disobedience to the command of the Law is said to bee formally morall for both are equally the exercite act of the Law and to both the reward of the Law is equally due by the Law according to the merit of mans obedience or disobedience to the command of the Law from this morall denomination likewise of the Law the literall light of the Law is called the morall light of the Law for a formall difference between the literall and morall light of the Law arising immediatly from the letter of the Law and the spirituall light of the Law which is the immediate light of the holy Spirit And from this morall denomination of the litterall light of the Law since the fall and redemption of man faith arising from the morall light of the Law is called morall faith for a formall difference of morall faith from spirituall faith which doth arise from the immediate spirituall light of the holy Spirit in the immediate act of regeneration CHAP. IV. Of the created spirituall perfection of man THe intellectuall and sensitive nature of man being thus essentially united in the heart by the immediate power of the word inabling man with the power of naturall life and with the life of righteousnesse God in and with the immediate act of the creation of man did inlighten the word of the Law of righteousnesse spiritually written in the soule of man with the spirituall light of his holy Spirit sanctifying the heart of man to which the soul is essentially united with the spirituall life of holinesse By the immediate power of this spirituall life and light really one with the spirituall light of the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousnesse Adam was enabled with the perfection of the spirituall understanding of the command of the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the Law and to frame his spirituall life of righteousnesse and holinesse according to the perfection of the command of the Law which is the spirituall command By this perfection of spirituall life and light Adam was the perfect image of righteousnesse and holinesse and a perfect spirituall man And this is the image of righteousnesse and holinesse which the Apostle exhorts to bee renewed in the Ephesians and Collossians which was lost by Adams fall Adam therefore being created in this state of naturall and spirituall perfection the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousnesse implying the command of the whole Law was objected to Adams externall senses by the power of the word of the first seventh dayes rest commanding Adam according to the spirituall light of the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the Law really one with the spirituall light and command of the word of the Law of righteousnesse in his heart to worship God upon the seventh day of the Law of righteousnesse As God did manifest himselfe by the word of his first seventh dayes rest from the workes of the creation And in that commanded spirituall worship commanding Adams spirituall obedience by his spirituall works of holinesse to fulfill the command of the Law of righteousnesse according to the spirituall light and command of the word of the first seventh dayes rest to whose perfect worship and obedience the eternall blessing of the word of the first seventh dayes rest was due by the Law of God By this light of the word of the first seventh dayes rest of God from the workes of the creation Adam by the perfect act of
well be called the master-piece of Satans temptations in the declaration whereof the admirable power of understanding wisdome craft and subtilty of Satans temptations may be observed the declaration whereof shall be discharged in these four points First Satans plot and project by this mighty temptation shall be declared Secondly the grounds that Satan went upon Thirdly Satans policy whereby Satan set his project a foot Fourthly the words of the Scripture set down by Moses shall be declared that the plot and project may arisâ— naturally from the words and from the instrumentall causes of the temptation CHAP. V. Satans plot and policy whereby he betrayed our first Parents THe effect of Satans project by this mighty temptation was this in a word Satan by possessing of the Serpent resolved to suggest to our first parents that there was such admirable vertue in the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evill being eaten as their desire and appetite to eate of the fruit should be so highly incensed as should so darken and obscure their spirituall light and obliged love to God as they should greedily graspe the fruit and eate thereof and by eating thereof contrary to the command of God by his Law fall under the eternall curse of the Law As for the grounds which Satan went upon to secure his project they were two in number first Satan did take advantage of the Covenant for Satan did well apprehend that the first Covenant being established between God and man God in his justice could neither restraine Satan from tempting of man or uphold and beare out man being tempted by the mighty power of Satans temptation which made Satan so audacious to assault man though created in such spirituall perfection The second ground that Satan went upon was with equall infallibility with the former for Satan out of his admirable understanding did well apprehend that though man was created in such spirituall perfection yet that the freedome of his spirituall love could not determine the free act of his naturall love and that the naturall love of man being once united to the species of the object of his greatest perfection the union is inseparable for all creatures in their kind doe tend with an irresistable propensity to the object of their perfection Of this Satan did take his second advantage for by his falls enlightning of the object of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge with such a glorious glâ—sse of seeming vertue and perfection to wit that by eating thereof our first parents should be equall to God our first parents were betrayed for the naturall species of the externall sensitive object must be first apprehended by the act of the understanding before it can be either morally or spiritually apprehended by man Satans policy to set this project a foot was to bring man in dislike with God for this cause Satan by possessing of the Serpent did suggest to our first parents first that if they would but eate of the fruit which God had commanded them under paine of death not to eate they should have the perfection of the understanding both of good and evill and that this was the perfection of Gods understanding Secondly and consequently that according to the perfection of that understanding they should bee enabled with the freedome of independent action which was the perfection of the free act of God whereby they should be free from the feare of any dying death threatned by the Covenant and in every respect equall to God Thirdly that God of purpose had commanded them not to eate of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evill upon the pain of a dying death because God did know that such was the vertue of that fruit that by eating thereof they should become equall to God himselfe This was of purpose suggested by Satan to incense the love of man who as yet knew no evill so to affect the understanding of evill as that without the understanding of evill man should apprehend his understanding to bee imperfect and so to affect such freedome of independent action as hee should be free from any danger of death threatned by the covenant And now to make all this arise out of the word of the Scripture the severall passages set down by Moses now next to be declared CHAP. VI. The reason that Satan in the Serpent did begin first to tempt Eve man female the woman SAtan being to enter the lists with man armed with the perfection of such naturall and spirituall understanding and action Satan must begin to work objectively upon the externall senses of man or no way to divert the love of man from God who were united in such spirituall love Now Satans power to deceive man is in the only power of his false deceiving light which doth alwayes in outward shew and appearance promise a farre greater good to man then the light of the Word of God doth promise whereby the light of the word is obscured and darkned by Satans false great light Satan therefore to induce man to be in dislike with God by his false deceiving light did abuse the light of the Word of God and the Sacramentall seale of the first Covenant for there was no other sensitive object under the heavâ—ns whereby Satan could then betray man by his false deceiving light but by the beautifull fruit of the tree of Knowledge Satan therefore to incense Eves love and desire to taste of this beautifull fruit did make choice of the sensitive Serpent for his instrument to glosse the fruit with the false great glosse of his false deceiving light Though it be not expresly set downe by Moses what manner of sensitive creature the serpent was yet by the words of the Text it doth manifestly appeare that the Serpent was a most subtill sensitive creature created by God and in sensitive apprehension next to man and as it shall appeare afterwards loving and conversant with man and waiting as it were upon Eve and therefore the more fit for Satans instrument Satan did begin with Eve and as it may appeare by the circumstance of temptation out of Adams hearing wherein Satan shewed his wisdome lest he should have had the strong encounter of two adversaries both in the state of spirituall perfection It is thought that Satans policy in beginning first with Eve was because of her sex being as it is conceived the weaker of the two though I must say that there is small reason to conceive that Eve for her intellectuall and spirituall perfection was any wayes inferiour to Adam both being created in the like state of naturall and spirituall perfection of man though the one man male and the other man female But the reason must rather be that Satans poisoned cup being presented to Adam by Eves amorous beautifull hand the cup might be without all scruple freely received by Adam for Eve was created the modell of the beauty and glory of her sex to whose love Adams love and
cursed Altar of the cross the only Son of his love Christ Jesus begot man of the seed of the woman in time as he is man the eternall Son of God before all time to redeem man from the eternall curse of the Law for the sin of Adam by his cursed death of the cross that as Satan in the Serpent did first so maliciously betray the woman to procure the fall of man So by the resurrection of the blessed seed from the dead the head of the old Serpent Satan and his cursed seed for his malicious betraying of the woman should be broke in the great day to his eternall confusion For which cause first God decreed from all eternity to enter his second covenant with man in the promise of the blessed seed that the blessed seed should rest from the redemption of man from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam upon the seventh day of the last Sabbath from end to end that by his fulfilling of the whole Law in the seventh day the whole Law might be fulfilled as he did bind and oblige himself to man by covenant by fulfilling whereof the first seventh dayes eternall rest lost by Adams transgression of the Law might be due to his merit by the Law that the eternall blessing of the next seventh dayes rest the redemeed state of man might be continued Secondly God by his eternall decree did decree to bind and oblige himself to man to fulfill the promise of the blessed seed by his resurrection from the grave and to enter his new covenant with all the nations of the world As God did decree from all eternity to bind and oblige himself to man in the promise of the blessed seed by the second covenant So God decreed from all eternity to bind and oblige man mutually by his second covenant to believe in his promise of the blessed seed both upon the eternall blessing of the word of the second seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousness of faith and likewise upon the eternall merciless curse of the law of faith The promised redemption of man therefore in the promise of the blessed seed by the second covenant was as effectuall and actuall to Adam and to all men naturally to descend of Adam the head untill the promise was fulfilled as it was effectuall and actuall in the fulfilled promise by the new covenant to all the nations of the world Adam therefore and all men naturally to descend of Adam by the redeemed word of the Law literally written in the the heart of man were necessarily inabled with the power of naturall life and light and with the power of the life and light of righteousness of faith to believe morally in the promise of the blessed seed as they were oblieged by covenant though by the eternall Decree of God Adam and all men redeemed in Adam the head from the curse of eternall death and darkness were shut up and concluded in temporall darkness called unbelief and sin till they be regenerate afterwards to be declared from this enabling of man with the life of righteousness of faith to believe the promise of the blessed seed the Law of righteousnes was first called the Law of righteousnes of faith for by the formall obliegement of the Law by the second covenant the formall simple obliegement of the Law of righteousness was actually determined by the command of the word of the seventh day of the Law of righteousness of faith in the promise of the blessed seed By this decreed work of the redemption of man by predestinating the Lamb of God to the cursed altar of the cross for the sin of man the sacred Decree of God doth principally take the name to be called The eternall decree of Predestination as from the more noble and excellent part so far surmounting the works of the creation as the sacred blood of the Son of God doth surmount the excellency of all the creatures created by God And so much for the eternall Decree of Predestination for the present Next the perfection of the redemption of man is to be declared CHAP. XIII Of the perfection of the redemption of man from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam by the cursed death of the Son of God Christ Jesus as he is man AS God by his decree from all eternity did decree by the cursed death of the promised blessed seed made flesh of the seed of the woman to redeem all men from the curse of eternall death and darkness to which all men were eternally condemned in Adam the head So God from all eternity did decree to shut up and conclude all men redeemed in Adam the head in temporall spirituall darkness till they be regenerate which is called unbelief and sin and therefore it is said Rom. 11.32 that God did conclude all men in unbelief which is spirituall unbelief proceeding from that spirituall darkness that he might have mercy upon all men to wit by enlightning of that spirituall darkness by the grace of spirituall faith in the act of regeneration In which two points the perfection of the redemption of man doth consist First therefore of the perfection of the redemption of man from the curse of eternall death and darkness And secondly of the shutting up and concluding of all men redeemed from the curse of eternall death and darkness in temporall spirituall darkness called unbelief and sin according to the eternall Decree of God The perfection of the redemption of man condemned to eternall death and darknes is by the intervention of the cursed death of the Word made flesh of the seed of the woman between man condemned to the curse of the Law and the actuall inflicting of the curse by God upon the word of the Law and life of righteousness written in the heart of man whereby man was inabled with the power of naturall life and light and with the power of the life and light of righteousness before his fall By which intervention of our Saviour by his sustaining of the actuall curse of the Law due to man condemned by the Law the word of the naturall life of man and of the life of righteousness writen in the heart of man and consequently man is redeemed from the curse of eternall death and darkness and by the power of the redeemed word in the heart of the redeemed man The naturall man is naturally and morally inabled again to live the naturall life of man and the life of righteousness of faith to believe first in the gracious promise of the blessed seed by the old covenant and now to believe in the fulfilled promise by the new Covenant As Adam therefore and the Fathers by the literall light of the Word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousness of faith then by the name of the Sabbath of the Lord which was really one with the literall light of the redeemed word of the Law and life of righteousness of faith in the heart
of man were morally enabled to believe the promised rest of the blessed seed from the redemption of man from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam upon the Sabbath and by the power of the word of righteousness of faith in their heart were inabled to bring forth the morall and ceremoniall works of faith according to the formall command of the Law of faith So now by the power of the redeemed word of the law of Faith written in the heart of man really one with the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Evangelicall Law of righteousness of faith the redeemed naturall man is morally inabled to believe the fulfilled promise of the blessed seed and to bring forth the morall works of faith according to the command of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Evangelicall Law of righteousness of faith And therefore though the redeemed naturall man from the curse of eternall death and darkness be shut up and concluded in temporall spirituall darknes till he be regenerate and dead as he is a spirituall man without any manner of spirituall understanding or action and necessitate to spirituall unbelief yet the redeemed naturall man is not shut up and concluded in naturall and morall darkness and dead as he is a naturall man necessitate to morall unbelief but by the power of the redeemed word written in the heart of man The naturall man is alive with freedome of naturall and morall grace by the act of his understanding will and senses to believe the promise of the blessed seed by the old covenant and the fulfilled promise by the new covenant for the word of the Law of righteousness of faith obliged both by the old and new covenant is first and immediately morally commanded though necessarily implying the spirituall command and that as well upon the merciless curse of the Law of Faith as upon the eternall blessing of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousness of faith If the redeemed naturall man therefore were concluded and necessitate to morall unbelief as by his concluding in spirituall darkness he is necessitate to spirituall unbelief First it were impossible for the redeemed naturall man to give morall obedience to the command of the Law of faith obliged either by the old or new covenant But more impossible for God in this case to make his old or new covenant with man For it were high injustice in God to oblige man redeemed from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam to believe his promise upon the merciless curse of the Law of faith while the redeemed naturall man in the mean time was necessitate both to morall and spirituall unbelief Secondly in the free naturall and morall act of the understanding will and senses of the redeemed naturall man which naturall and morall act is really one though formally differing the perfection of the redemption of the naturall man as he is man intellectuall and sensitive doth consist which being necessitate man is no man Thirdly such morall necessitating of the redeemed will of man and consequently of his externall senses doth inferre a necessary contradiction in the act of the redemption of the naturall man for by the literall light of the redeemed word of the Law and life of righteousness of faith written in his heart really one with the literall light of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousness of faith the naturall man is morally inabled to believe the word preached for the literall light of the word is in the sound of the word and therefore it is said Rom. 10.17 that Faith which is morall faith is by the hearing of the Word And by the necessitating of the morall act of the understanding will and consequently of the senses of the naturall man he is necessitate to morall unbelief which is a manifest contradiction Hence I inferre these seven Theologicall necessary conclusions First the redeemed naturall man by the redeemed word of the Law and life of righteousness of Faith written in his heart which is of one reall light and command with the eternall light and command of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousness of Faith the redeemed naturall man is morally inabled with the grace of morall faith to believe the word of promise which is really one with the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousness of Faith First in the promise of the blessed seed by the old covenant and now by faith in the fulfilled promise by the new covenant made with all the nations of the world Secondly and consequently by the power of the redeemed word of the Law and life of righteousnes of Faith written in the heart of the redeemed naturall man the naturall man is morally inabled to bring forth the works of morall faith according to the formall command of the Law of Faith without any manner of necessitating of his will to morall disobedience by the temptation of Satan or his instruments for if either Satan or any created power of God could necessitate the will of the redeemed man to morall disobedience God in his justice could never oblige man to the command of his Law upon the curse of eternall death either by the old or new covenant Though Satan therefore be necessitate to tempt man as shall be declared hereafter yet Satan with all his power must either induce the redeemed naturall man freely and willingly to disobedience or no way Thirdly the redeemed naturall man by the power of the light of the word of the Law and life of righteousness of faith in his heart really one with the literall light of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousness of Faith is morally inabled to know when he doth transgresse the Law of faith by bringing forth the works of unbelief and unrighteousness by his actuall sins and to repent him of his actuall sins for fear of the curse of the Law For the grace of morall faith doth necessarily presuppose the grace of morall repentance And this is the reason that from the promise of the blessed seed throughout the old and new Testament all men are continually called upon to forsake their actuall sins and unrighteousness and by repentance to turn and reconcile themselves to God for all naturall men by the perfection of their redemption are inabled with the morall grace of repentance without any manner of necessitating of their impenitency by the power of Satan or his instruments For the grace of morall repentance being necessitate the grace of morall faith is likewise inevitably necessitate Fourthly the redeemed naturall man being morally inabled with the grace of morall faith and repentance without any manner of necessitating of his will to morall unbelief and impenitency The grace of spirituall faith is promised by the old and new covenant in God prefixed time to the continuation of his morall obedience by the morall works of faith
faith be as necessarily commanded to be produced according to the formall command of the law as the faith of man is obliged by covenant to live the life of righteousnesse of faith as he is inabled by the power of the redeemed word of the law written in his heart For as the commanded worship of the seventh day is the great command of the Law necessarily implying the lesser command all the workes of faith are necessarily commanded as hath been formerly and necessarily demonstrate All the workes of man therefore be they never so morally good according to the literall command of the law are not able to merit the pardon of the least actuall sin of man committed against the law of righteousnesse of faith much lesse able to merit tâ—â— salvation of man from the second death but quite contrary by the intervention of the presumptuous merit of man between his faith and the Lords merit his vain faith is utterly destroyed 10. Though originall sin doth descend upon all men redeemed in Adam the redeemed head of man yet originall sin is no manner of cause of actuall sin For first originall sin is immâ—diately from God the eternall Father of the immortall spirit of man by the essentiall union of the intellectuall spirit of man to the vitall spirits of the heart of the Infant in the wombe So soon therefore as the Infant is man and the son of Adam the childe is concluded in originall sin in Adam the redeemed head of man and so brought forth man by man female the mother Secondly actuall sinne is from the devill and neither from God or from the parents for the generation of man by man male and female and the production and bringing forth of man by man female as it is the naturall action of man the humane intellectuall good creature of God is a good naturall action without any actuall sinne for it is not the naturall or the voluntary action of man simply that is sinne but it is the voluntary action of man as it is formally morall And so much for the redemption of man from the curse of the Law for the sinne of Adam as it doth concerne both the old and new Covenant The redemption of man is the next to be declared as it doth concerne the old Covenant CHAP. XV. Adams arraignment by God for his transgression of the Law of righteousnesse obliged by the first Covenant AS the act of the redemption of man from the curse of eternall death and darknesse doth concerne the old Covenant it doth necessarily presuppose the arraignment of our first parents and the censure of God for their transgression of the Law which in the infinite mercy of God is onely temporall in this life First therefore of the arraignment of our first parents as it is set downe by Moses so farre briefly thereof and of the censure as both doe concerne the subject in hand In the araignment of the parties delinquents for the transgression of the Law God doth beginne with the examination of the last delinquent but God doth beginne his censure where the sinne did first beginne The last delinquent by the transgression of the law of righteousne obliged by the first Covenant made by God with man was Adam God therefore as may appeare Gen. 3.9 doth first graciously call Adam by his word who hearing the voyce of God hid himselfe with Eve amongst the trees of the garden flying from the presence of God and from his gracious calling by his Word How fearfull is the voyce of God by his Word calling a sinner to account for the transgession of his Law as he is a naturall man For so soon as Satan doth induce the naturall man to sin by the transgression of the command of God by his Word as it is his Law commanding man Satan doth perswade the naturall man to flye from the gracious calling of God by his Word yet God according to his eternall purpose Psal 119.176 will finde out both Adam and Eve God therefore doth first call Adam saying Adam Where art thou as if the Lord had not knowne where Adam was O infinite mercy of God to man though man had lately committed high treason against God yet God mercy it selfe doth call Adam by his sacred Word graciously to repentance Who art thou therefore that wilt despaire of the infinite mercy of God in his Son Christ Jesus calling thee so graciously by his word to repentance while Adam who had committed the greatest sin that ever was or can be committed against God by man was graciously called by God Here a Question may be moved Was not the sin of our first parents for their first transgression of the Law freely pardoned by the eternall Decree of God by predestinating the only Son of his love Christ Jesus as he is man to the cursed Altar of the Crosse for that first sin wherefore then doth God call Adam or Eve to repentance for that first sin I answer first This was more then was knowne to our first parents till the promise of the blessed seed was made Secondly all the punishments inflicted upon our first parents for the transgression of the Law are only temporall in this life and all inflicted by God to put all men in continuall remembrance of the infinite love and mercy of God in his Son Christ Jesus for the redemption of man by the cursed death of his onely Son as hee is man without whose cursed death all men must have dyed eternally under the fearfull curse of the Law by eternall death and darknesse and so to returne to Adams examination The words set downe by Moses are emphaticall as if they had been set downe after this manner Adam Where art thou This is strange that thou shouldest flye from my presence who have dealt so graciously with thee where it may appeare that God was then conversant with our first parents before their fall even by externall apparition Adam by his answer to Gods calling like a naturall man most ungraciously in stead of the humble acknowledgement of his horrible fact doth goe about to shift his accusation for hiding himselfe by pretending his shame by his nakednesse saying Gen. 3.10 I was afraid to come into thy presence because I was naked Naked indeed both internally and externally which is the true effect of sin Adam and Eve were both ashamed of their deformed estate to which they were brought unto by the base foil which they received by believing the Serpent both were sensible of their misery but both as yet insensible of their sin which was the cause of their misery such is the nature of sin till the sinner be spiritually called by God Now did Adam and Eve begin to feel the evill which they did so long to know and now was the perfection of our first parents understanding brought to such a passe as they knew not which way to begin to cover so much as their externall nakednesse but were fain to make a poor
God is mystically signified by the woman the reason whereof is the twofold naturall conception of the woman which is as it were the embleme of the twofold conception of the morall and mysticall members of the Lord Jesus Christ which are brought forth by the Church For as the morall conception of the naturall man by morall faith by the preaching and sowing of the seed of the Word doth resemble the seminall and first conception of the woman So doth the spirituall conception of the regenerate man by the Church resemble the second conception of woman For though the regenerate man be spiritually enlightned by the immediate light of the holy Spirit yet that spirituall light is the spirituall light of the Word which is the seed of the Church and the regenerate man is enlightned thereby as he is a member of the Church which is the body of our Lord Jesus Christ The third main fundamentall point to be observed in this gracious promise is the immediate cause of the Lords love to his militant Church For the immediate sole efficient cause of his love to the Church is the essentiall union of this divine and humane nature of the Word As the immediate cause of this essentiall union is the Lords infinite love to all men eternally condemned to the curse of eternall death for the sin of Adam Whence the infinit joy and gladnesse of the sacred Trinity did arise to rest eternally upon the essential union of which essentiall union and unction doth arise the Lords love to his Church by his sacred Word as his Word by his love is the Image of this essentiall union For as by the literall light of his Word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousnesse of faith proceeding from his love which is of one reall light with the redeemed word in the heart of man the naturall man is morally led to the Lords merit So by the Spirituall light of the Word proceeding from his spirituall love which is the spirituall light of his holy Spirit the regenerate man is spiritually led to the Lords merit and spiritually mystically and indivisibly united to his mysticall head For by this spirituall love all the regenerate are coupled and united joynt to joynt one to another and all indivisibly to their mysticall head whence the spirituall joy and gladnesse of the regenerate doth arise which is called the joy of the Holy Ghost for this spirituall union and unction is really one in the head and members but it is essentiall in the head and spirituall in the members spiritually flowing from the essentiall union and unction of the head and this is the reason that it is said by the Prophet David prophecying of this union and unction Psal 45.7 Thou hast anointed him with the oil of gladnesse above his fellowes Whose fellows are his mysticall brethren begotten of the same Father for both the head and the members are the sons of God the head essentially and therefore the naturall Son of God the members spiritually and therefore the spirituall and adopted sons of God in their mysticall head who are therefore predestinate to be made like to his Image that he might be the first born Son amongst many brethren And in this sense our Saviour is called Luke 2.7 The fiâ—st born Son of the Virgine the woman in respect of his mysticall members who are begot of the woman the Church Though the spirituall joy therefore of the regenerate doth many times ebbe and flow yet the spirituall love whereby they are spiritually united to their mysticall head whence this spirituall joy doth arise is indivisible in the head and members It is as impossible therefore for the regenerate to fall totally and finally from the grace of their spirituall love whereby they are indivisibly united to their mysticall head As for the humane nature of the word to fall from the divine nature and alone For the essentiall union of the divine and humane nature of the Word is the sole immediate efficient cause of this indivisible union and must mutually stand together By this spirituall union and unction whereby the regenerate are indivisibly united to the truth of the Lords merit the regenerate man is so armed with the spirituall valour of patience as he is enabled to resist the strongest temptation of the Devill and of his powerfull instruments and to stand to the Lords truth even the losse of his naturall life by which spirituall valour the regenerate man doth overcome the power of Satan and of all his cruell crue in this life For this spirituall valour doth proceed from the decreed victory of this irreconcileable bloody war to the seed of the woman For the seed of the woman must break the head of the Serpent and the head of the Serpents seed though the victory be not without temporall danger and afflictions as may appear by the mysticall sense of the third branch of the censure next to be declared CHAP. XXII The mysticall sense of the third branch of the censure SAtan and his cursed bloody brood by the mysticall sense of the first branch of the censure being necessitate to hate the truth and the professors of the truth who are the Church of God and to induce all others to his power to hate and persecute the Church Satan first by the mysticall sense of this third branch of the censure is limited how far his power shall extend mystically signified by the word Heel which is the lowest part of man as he is man intellectuall and sensitive whereby the sensitive power of man as he is man is signified Satan therefore by his cursed sting of enmity hath the power to sting and bite man as he is a naturall man intellectuall and sensitive but no wayes as he is a spirituall man For Satan with all his power cannot sting the regenerate man not so much as to induce him to commit the least actuall sin For the regenerate man is born of God 1 John 3.9 and cannot sin as he is a spirituall man And therefore the Apostle Paul Rom. 7.17 18. doth disclaim his actuall sins to be his to wit as he is a spirituall and a regenerate man but doth attribute his actuall sins to his rebellious flesh as he is a naturall man and the old man corrupted by Satan and his wicked instruments even in a manner from the cradle Secondly by the mysticall sense of this word His Satan and his cursed brood according to the eternall Decree of God is permitted first to sting the Word the blessed seed made flesh of the seed of the woman whom that old murdering blood-hound and his cursed bloody brood did sting most cruelly to the cursed death of the crosse Secondly by the word His Satan and his seed is permitted to sting and bite the heel of the Lords mysticall members who are predestinate to be made like to the Image of their mysticall head that they may taste of the cup of his afflictions in this
sin as that God in his justice should consume all men off the earth again and Satan put fairly for it For after by his sting of enmity baited by his false deceiving light he had incensed Cain to murder his Innocent brother Abel Satan never left stirring up of Cains ungracious generation from time to time till be set the whole world in such a fire of sin cruelty and uncleannesse as neither the mercies of God by sparing them so long or the judgements of God threatned by his Prophets could reclaim from their sin and cruelty God therefore in end stirred up Noah the tenth from Seth a Preacher of Righteousnesse who was a Preacher of the Law of righteousnesse of faith in the promise of the blessed seed that by his preaching of the Word the miserable people might be reclaimed from their cruelty and uncleannesse to the works of faith by repentance that they might obtain mercy in the promise of the blessed seed and that by denouncing the mercilesse curse of the Law of faith Noah might terrifie the people from their wickenesse But though Noah did continue in the faithfull discharge of his Calling many yeeres yet all was to no purpose Satan had so incensed the miserable people to such obstinacy God therefore in end commanded Noah to build an Ark that by the ark Noah might denounce the utter subversion of the obstinate rebellious people by the flood of his incensed wrath against their sin and cruelty if they did not speedily turn to the Lord and leave their provoking of his long patience For which cause the Ark was so long a building that the wretched people notwithstanding of their continued contempt might have yet time to repent though all was to no purpose for such was the incensed obstinacy of the miserable people as they continued in their rebellious contempt both of the word of the Preacher and of the Ark till the very day that Noah and his family was commanded to enter in the Ark whereby the wrath of God was so incensed as by that fearfull inundation the whole earth was overflowne and eight persons only saved of whom the promised blessed seed was to descend As for the Covenant which is said to be made with Noah after his coming out of the Ark in the continuation of times and seasons and of the creatures created and redeemed for man it was the same reall covenant which was formerly made with Adam in the promise of the blessed seed which after this fearfull judgement was renewed to Noah for the strengthening and confirming of Noahs faith in the continuation of the promise first made to Adam For first after Noahs coming out of the Ark Noah did offer the like reall burnt sacrifices and offerings upon the Atar of such reall clean beasts and fowles as were first commanded to be offred by Adam and the Fathers before Noah which beasts and fowles were preserved in the Ark with Noah by which sacrifices offered by Noah the cruell death of the blessed seed was prefigurate Secondly the Ark it self did prefigurate both the promise and the fulfilling of the promise For first by the Ark the woman of whose seed the Word was to be made flesh was prefigurate Secondly by Noah and his sons daughters who was the eight from Seth the line wherof the promised blessed seed was to descend was prefigurate Thirdly by their receiving in the Ark the conception of the Word to be made flesh of the seed of the woman was cleerly prefigurate Fourthly by the safe delivery of Noah and his sons and daughters out of the Ark the safe delivery of the blessed seed by the woman to wit the blessed Virgine was prefigurate whereby it doth manifestly appear that the covenant and the formall propheticall ceremoniall obligement of the Law of Righteousnesse of faith in the promise of the blessed seed prophesied by the propheticall Sabbath and prefigurate by the ceremoniall worship of the Sabbath was really one and the same from Adam to Noah As by the preservation of Noah and his family of whom the blessed seed was to descend according to the flesh the great power of God by his preservation of his Church against the great power of Satan and his instruments doth manifestly appear to his great glory to the utter shame of Satan and to the confusion of his wicked instruments And so much briefly for the first age of the Church CHAP. XXX The continuation of the formall propheticall ceremoniall obligement of man in the promise of the blessed seed in the second age of the Church AS in the time of Noah the eighth from Seth God stirred up Noah to manifest his power in the preservation of his Church which did then consist in the preservation of the line of the blessed seed So in the second age of the Church God raised up Abraham the tenth from Noah that his glory might appear by his continuall care of the truth of his promise to his Church For God renewed his promise in a more cleer and particular manner to Abraham then he did first to Adam which was that in Abrahams seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed that is that the woman of whose seed the Word should be made man should descend of Abrahams seed by whose promised cursed death As all men were then actually redeemed from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam though the promise was afterward to be fulfilled so all men by faith in this promise might be saved from the curse of the Law of faith for actuall sin In this promise therefore Gen. 22.18 that in Abrahams seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed God doth oblige himself to Abraham and to his seed by covenant and doth mutually oblige Abraham to believe his promise This covenant therefore made to Abraham was the same reall covenant and promise made to Adam though the blessed seed promised to Adam was by this promise to descend of Abrahams seed the only difference is that the woman of whom the Word was promised to be made man was to descend immediately of Abrahams seed though immediatly from Adams seed For Abraham did descend of the seed of Adam and consequently the promise made to Abraham must be performed before the promise made to Adam could be fulfilled For the promise made to Adam could not be fulfiled but by our Saviours birth death and resurrection from the dead By this promise made in this particular manner to Abraham the Church of God was now in the family of Abraham and his seed and posterity To the end therefore that Abrahams family might be distinguished from all the families of the earth God commanded Abraham and his family to be marked with the sacramentall seal of circumcision by shedding of the blood of man whereby it was prefigurate that the blood of the promised blessed seed to descend of Abraham according to the flesh should be shed by the cursed death of the crosse which
shew mercy and wil deny his mercy to whom he will deny his mercy for in this case Gods love and mercy in his Son Christ Jesus is free and not obliged to any redeemed man naturally descended or to descend of Adam I say to any redeemed man because this promise of spirituall faith in the blessed seed was made to Abraham and his seed in his redeemed state And because the grace of spirituall faith is the free gift of God God did decree from all eternity that Jacob and not Esau should be heir of the spirituall promise And therefore God decreed from all eternity that the blessed seed should not descend of Esaus line for God in his eternall prescience did foresee that Esau would sell his birthright without any manner of morall reason to necessitate his ungracious sale For though the spirituall promise was never intended to Esau yet it was more then Esau knew who by his ungracious sale did contemn and misregard the spirituall promise made to his father Isaac and therefore it was said of the children before they were born Rom. 9.12 The elder shall serve the younger which was afterwards accomplished For the Edomites were expelled the Land of Edome and overrun and subdued by the Israelites And this is the reason that David saith Psal 108.9 Over Edom will I cast my shooe whereby the trampling down and subjection of the Edomites is mystically signified Of this example of Jacob and Esau set down by the Apostle two speciall points are to be observed First Paul having to do in this ninth Chapter with the bragging Jews who did brag that they were heirs of the spirituall promise made to Abraham because they were the naturall seed of Abraham and because the Oracles of the propheticall ceremoniall Law was committed to them the Jews therefore secured themselves that by the performing of the ceremoniall works of the Law that they were heirs of the spirituall promise Paul therefore brings in the example of Jacob and Esau to check the Jews of their arrogancie and tels them plainly that though they were the naturall seed of Abraham and had the Oracles of the Law yet they were never the neerer because the spirituall promise is according to election by him that calleth by faith and not by the works of the Law and that the Jews by their ceremoniall works of the Law did utterly overthrow all faith by which they were called The Apostle therefore to the end of the Epistle out of his true love to the Jews doth exhort the Jews now under the Evangelicall Law of faith to leave off the ceremoniall works of the Law if they intended to be heirs of the spirituall promise which is by faith of him that calleth and to bring forth the works of faith by repentance and amendment of life that by continuation in their morall obedience till Gods prefixed time of spirituall calling they might be spiritually called whereby they should be assured that they were heirs of the spirituall promise made to Abraham The second point to be observed of the words is this that in the order of cause the redeemed estate of man from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam shut up in spirituall darknesse called unbelief and originall sin is the immediate object of Gods election For though this estate of man doth necessarily presuppose both the condition of man created in the state of naturall and spirituall perfection in Adam the head and the state of man condemned to the curse of the Law by eternall death and darkness for the sin of Adam the head yet neither of both the states of man in the order of cause can be the immediate object of Gods election for it is impossible that the state of naturall and spirituall perfection wherein man was created can be the immediate object of Gods election in the order of cause For the Law by which man was obliged by the first covenant was the Law of Righteousnesse and not the Law of righteousnesse of faith Now by the Law of Righteousnesse the eternall blessing of the first seventh dayes rest was due by the Law immediately to the works of mans obedience whereby man was enabled to live eternally upon earth in the state of perfection and felicity wherein he was created while man therefore did stand in the perfection of his obedience there was no place or need of Gods eternall purpose of election by him that calleth to wit by spirituall faith For the period of Gods election by his calling by spirituall faith is that man may be crowned with an incorruptible crown of glory after this life while man in the state of perfection was to live eternally upon earth in that state of felicity wherein he was created And as the eternall blessing of the first seventh dayes rest was due by the Law immediatly to the works of mans obedience so upon the last merit of mans disobedience man was inevitably condemned by the Law to the eternall curse of the Law to the actuall inflicting of which curse God according to his decree from all eternity did so bind and oblige himself by covenant as there was no mercy to be shewed to man For in this case man being condemned by the Law to the curse of eternall death by the first covenant it had been all one for God not to be God as not to inflict the actuall curse of the Law upon man For by this means Gods truth and justice had been overthrown His truth had been overthrown by the breach of his covenant and his justice by disabling the power of his Law There was no place therefore for God to shew mercy or not to shew mercy by his Decree of election in the condition of man created in the state of naturall and spirituall perfection either to the merit of mans obedience or to the merit of mans disobedience It was likewise equally impossible in the order of cause for the state of man actually condemned by the curse of the Law to eternall death and darknesse to be the immediate object of Gods election For first Gods eternall fiery wrath proceeding from the curse of the Law to which man was eternally condemned and Gods mercy by his election doth stand at an eternall distance and opposition without a mediator by whose mediation in satisfying the transgressed Law for man and in reconciling of man to the love and favour of God there may be place for the freedome of Gods mercy by his election Secondly if this state of man actually condemned under the eternall curse of the Law in the order of cause should be the immediate object of Gods election then the elect only and not all men fallen under the curse of the Law in Adam the head for the sin of Adam should be redeemed contradictory both to the old and new covenant and to the whole current of Scripture Thirdly the Potter of Righteousnesse is said to make and temper the lump and masse of man whereof he
of the sacrament of the Lords Supper before his death that our Saviour did neither offer nor intended to offer his reall body and blood in the institution of the sacrament of his last Supper in a propitiatory sacrifice under the externall forms of bread and wine for the quick and fâ—r the dead as is falsly pretended contrary to all truth of the Evangelicall History For as our Saviour while he was personally upon earth having execute his propheticall office by delivering to his Disciples his last Will and Testament by his sacred Word sealed by the sacramentall seal of baptizing which was to succeed in the Church in place of the sacrament of circumcision So our Saviour at the feast of the last Passeover being the next day to discharge his Priestly office as he is High Priest after the order of Melchisedeck by his sacrifice of the crosse whereby his promise of the blessed seed was to be fulfilled our Saviour before his death did likewise seal his last Will and Testament with the institution of the sacrament of his last Supper to succeed in place of the sacrament of the Passeover though not to be in force Heb. 9 17. till after the Testators death and resurrection according to the Scripture which Sacrament was not institute till the night before his death of the crosse in the end of the feast of the last Passeover and that for these two main fundamentall reasons The first is that by the institution of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper implying his whole last Will and new Testament the Disciples might understand Heb. 10 9. that the sacrament of the Passeover which is the sacrament of the old Testament implying the whole propheticall ceremoniall Law was actually determined The second reason that the Sacrament of the Lords Supper was not institute till the night before his suffering was that the Disciples faith might be strengthened against the sore temptation wherby they were to be assaulted the next day by our Saviours martyrdome in sustaining the fearfull curse of the Law by the cursed sacrifice of the crosse For though the Sacrament was instituted before our Saviours death yet it is expressed in words of the preterit time This my body which is given for you this my blood which is shed for you as if all had then been done and past and as if our Saviour had been then dead and risen from the dead which was a main reason to strengthen the Disciples faith in the Lords resurrection though they did see him dead and buried And therefore our Saviour that night Mat. 26.31 did put the Disciples upon their guard telling them that the Shepheard must be smitten that night and the sheep scattered yet comforting them withall that he should rise again Mat. 26.32 and go before them into Galilee By the truth of this relation of the sacred History the judicious Reader may manifestly perceive that there was not the least intent in our Saviour by the institution of the Sacrament of his last Supper before his death to shed so much as a drop of his precious blood much lesse to offer his reall body and blood in a propitiatory sacrifice for the dead and for the quick by his death which he was to do the next day after by his cursed sacrifice of the crosse as he is high Priest after the order of Melchisedeck Next to make the falshood of this assertion appear as plainly to the Reader by the very words of the institution of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper Our Saviour in the end of the last Passeover by prescribing the manner of the celebration of the Sacrament of his last Supper to the Disciples which is by blessing and thanks-giving Mat. 26.26 27. having blessed took the bread and brake it to wit the bread and gave it to wit the bread to the Disciples saying Take eat this is my body that is this bread is my body of the new Testament which is given for you to wit as the flesh of the Pascall Lamb was my promised body of the old Testament which was promised to be given and broken for you Also having given thanks he took the cup to wit with the wine and gave it to wit the wine to them saying This is my blood of the new Testament which is shed for you that is this wine is my blood of the new Testament as the reall blood of the Pascall Lamb was my promised blood of the old Testament which was promised to be shed but not to be drunk by any Drink ye all of it that is of this wine And lest there should be any mistake in the word Wine which our Saviour calls his blood of the new Testament Mat. 26.28 he doth after in plain terms call it the fruit of the Vine saying Mat. 26 29. I will not drink henceforth of the fruit of the vine untill that day when I shall drink it with you in my Fathers Kingdome which is meaned of the Evangelicall day of the Kingdome of Grace to wit the Lords Day whereby the Lord by his resurrection and rest from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed did open the kingdome of Heaven to all Believers leading all men by the light of his Day to lay the hands of faith upon his merit whereby all Believers are made heirs of the Kingdome of Grace in this life and of the kingdome of Heaven in the life to come whose gracious merit is that bread of eternall life signified by the bread of the Sacrament as by the breaking of the bread the breaking of our Saviours body by the curse of the crosse and by the wine the shedding of his precious blood is signified whereby he did merit the bread of eternall life Our Saviour therefore by the institution of the Sacrament of his last Supper did deliver to his Apostles and in the Apostles to the Apostolicall successors the formall Sacrament of his last Will and new Testament and consequently not the reall sâ—crifice of his reall body and blood for there being both a reall and a formall difference between the formall Sacrament of the Lords Supper and his sacrifice of the crosse As the Sacrament of the Lords Supper cannot be his formall sacrifice of the crosse so can neither his formall sensiâ—ive sacrifice of the crosse be the formall Sacrament of his last Supper For in the Sacrament of his last Supper by the sensitive sacramentall elements the immediate object of faith is presented to the understanding by the mediâ—te senses which is the Lords merit by his cursed death of the crosse by his bloody rest in the grave and by his resurrection from the grave to be apprehended by the hands of faith while by our Saviours sacrifice of the crosse not the immediate but the mediate object of faith is by the mediate senses presented to the understanding which mediate sensitive object by interveening between the faith of man and the Lords merit faith and the immediate object are separate