all men are concluded was prefigurate by the darknesse of the second Tabernacle which was called the Holiest place wherein there was no light at all neither any light to be carried in therein In this Tabernacle the ark of the Covenant was placed and in the ark the word of the two tables of the Law Heb. 9 3 4. the pot of Manna and Aarons rod. Upon the ark was the golden crown the two cherubims with their wings covering the Mercy-seat representing the over-shadowing power of the three distinct persons of the indivisible Trinity in the generation of the word the blessed seed conceived in the womb of the blessed Virgin afterwards more plainly to be declared For this covenant was the covenant of the blessed seed first made with Adam and with all men redeemed in Adam the head shut up in temporall darknesse which covenant was afwards renued to Abraham though after a more peculiar manner For God did promise by his covenant to Abraham that the blessed seed should descend of Abrahams seed and that in Abrahams seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed For this cause the Lord did set down to Moses descended of Abrahams seed the patern of the Tabernacle commanding Moses to erect a Tabernâ—cle according to that patern which was erected to the end that the Jews the posterity of Abraham might understand that the promise made to Abraham was really one with the promise made to Adam for as the second tabernacle called the Holiest place did signifie the first promise made to Adam So the first tabernacle called the Holy place did prefigurate the fulfilling of the promise made to Abraham which was to be fulfilled before the second tabernacle could be opened signifying the promise made to Adam which promise first made to Adam was fulfilled by the rending of the partition-wall by our Savious death more fully to be declared in the third Book In this second Tabernacle Aaron the High Priest as he was the figure of the High Priest after the order of Melchisedeck the blessed seed did enter once ever yeer arrayed in a white vesture besprinckled with the blood of the sacrifice of the brazen Altar with a censure of coales taken from the brazen altar kindled with the fire which came down from heaven and with powdered sweet incense in his hand to be burned upon the coals when he came into the Holiest place that a cloudy sweet fume might ascend between the Mercy-seat and Aaron The end of Aarons entring into the Holiest place once every yâ—er was to obtain pardon for his own actuall sins and for the actuall sins of the congregation to whom as he was High Priest and the figure of the High Priest after the order of Melchisedeck the pardon of actuall sins was given first to himself and in him as he was the High Priest to those whose actuall sins God decreed from all eternity to pardon and forgive Now though the free grace and mercy of Gods holy Spirit cannot be tied neither to time place or person by pardoning of actuall sin for that spirituall wind Joh. 3.8 bloweth when and where it listeth yet God according to his decree from all eternity did decree to grant this grace of pardon of actuall sin at this time to the High Priest in the behalf of the congregation as he was the figure of the High Priest after the order of Melchisedeck for these three weighty Reasons to be precisely understood by all men The first was that all men might know that the power to pardon actuall sin is only and immediately in the High Priest after the order of Melchisedeck the blessed seed as he is God and man to whom all power in heaven and earth is given by the Trinity And this was the reason that the Scribes and Pharisees did accuse our Saviour for saying Luke 7.48 49. Thy sins be forgiven thee as if our Saviour had spoken blasphemy The second Reason is that the Jews might understand that all their externall sacrifice for sin all their sin-offerings and all their legall rites and ceremonies of the ceremoniall Law could not take away their actuall sins and that the pardon of actuall sin is in the only free absolute power of the High Priest after the order of Melchisedeck as he God and man by faith in his only merit The third reason is that all men might understand that the pardon of actuall sin is by the spirituall inlightening of the spirituall darknesse of man by spirituall faith which was signified by the pardon of actuall sin which past through the cloud of the sweet incense from the Mercy-seat to Aaron as he was High Priest and the figure of the High Priest after the order of Melchisedeck by the spirituall light of whose holy Spirit the spirituall darknesse of man is spiritually inlightened by spirituall faith in his merit whereby all the actuall sins of the regenerate man are covered and freely pardoned The second fundamentall point to be observed in this concluding of aâ— men in spirituall unbelief proceeding from this spirituall darknesse is thâ— reason that this spirituall unbelief is called sin by the Apostle The immediate cause of this spirituall unbelief and sin proceeding from this spirituaâ— darknesse is the eternall decree of God And this is the sin which is calleâ— by the Theologs originall sin For a formall difference between actuall siâ— and this originall sin which by the eternall decree of God doth descenâ— from Adam the redeemed head of man upon all men naturally descended anâ— to descend of Adam to the end of the world to the end that by this sin and naturall death which followed this sin all men may know that they are redeemed from the curse of eternall death and darknesse to which all men were eternally condemned for Adams first sin in whom all men transgressed the Law by the cursed death of Christ Jesus the eternall Son of God as he is man and therefore it is said Rom. 5.12 As by one man sin entred in â—he world and death by sin and so death passed upon all men in whom all have sinned where this one man is Adam in his redeemed estate for his sin which entred in the world is necessary to be understood of originall sin which did enter by Adam the redeemed head of man and did descend by degrees upon his posterity And therefore this sin which entred in the world must not be taken for Adams first sin For first Adams first sin cannot be said to have entred in the world by degrees for it did cease upon Adam and all men at one instant For it was as really the sin of all men transgressors of the Law in Adam the head as it was the sin of Adam Secondly temporall naturall death followed this sin that entred in the world by this one man but eternall death followed Adams first sin from which all men are reâ—eemed The sense therefore of the words is this As by Adam the redeemed head of
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
was dead as he was a spiriâ—uall man without any spirituall understanding or action till he was regenerate yet the spirituall act of his will cannot be said to be corrupted for he had no spirituall act at all but was dead and therefore freed from the Law of sin as he was a spirituall man though David was alive as he was a naturall man and did actually and freely sin by his morall evill action both spiritually and moralâ—y Neither was there any morall corruption of the will in this spirituall darknesse wherin David was shut up in the womb and conceived and born by his mother for the morall corrupted act of the will is actuall and not originall sin And this is the manner that originall sin doth descend upon all men from Adam the redeemed head of man and this is the sin and iniquity which is spirituall sin and iniquiquity through descent of spirituall faith wherein David doth acknowledge that he was conceived and born by his mother proceeding from the spirituall darknesse wherein David was shut up and concluded in the womb and this is that sin which is said Rom. 5.12 to have entred by one man in the world and naturall temporall death which followed that sin Though David therefore out of the agony of his spirituall passion for offending of his gracious God doth extend his passion to his very conception bewailing as it were the time of his conception and birth by his mother yet far be it from any Christian heart to conceive that David did attribute the cause of his foul adultery and murther to his mother for so David must charge not only his mother but God himself as the cause of his foul fact For God did conclude David in originall sin and his mother did conceive and bring forth David in originall sin But David doth not attribute the cause of his sin either to his conception or to his birth no not so much as to the Devill and his instruments by whose false envious deceiving naturall light Davids heart was so inflamed to that miserable adulterous bloody fact but David doth attribute the cause of all to his own heart For after David was rowzed up from his deadly security by the Prophet Davids heart for his sorrow and grief for his sin was broke as it were in pieces for he fell down before God humbly confessing his sin and acknowledgeing that by the foulnesse of his sins he had most justly deserved to be cast from the eternall presence of God which with all humblenesse of his broken heart he prayeth to God to be forgiven and that God would renew his heart which the sorrow of his sins had so broken For it is the unclean foul heart of man corrupted by Satan and his instruments that is the immediate cause of all actuall sin and neither the father or mother which the Lord called the storehouse of evill And therefore David doth pray to the Lord again and again to purge and purifie his heart from the uncleannesse of his adulterous bloody fact But it may be instanced Davids mother was to offer by the Law a sin-offering for the purification of her uncleannesse in bringing forth of David which was the uncleannesse and corruption of originall sin wherein David was conceived and born I answer There was neither any naturall morall or spirituall corruption or uncleannesse in women in bringing forth of children under the ceremoniall Law only the flux of blood in women by bringing forth man was made ceremoniall sin and uncleannesse by the positive command of the ceremoniall Law that by the offering up a sacrifice for her ceremoniall sin the woman might be put in minde of her thankfulnesse to God for the bloody sacrifice of the blessed childe to be born of woman whose blood was to be shed for the redemption of man the benefit whereof the woman did then enjoy whereby she was enabled to bring forth man into the world The Objection is yet further prest David was circumcised the eighth day By the amputation of Davids foreskin the corruption of David by originall sin was signified I answer The sacrament of circumcision was not instituted either for originall or actuall sin but it was instituted for the sacrament of the second covenant in the promise of the blessed seed and that for these two reasons First that the childe coming to the yeers of actuall understanding might be put in minde by the shedding of his blood by the sacrament of circumcision that he was saved from the first death for the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam by the blood of the blessed seed to be born of woman and that by faith in the promised merit of the blessed seed he was saved from the second death The second reason was that by the sacrament of circumcision the childe might be assured that he was as really and truly in the covenant as either Adam or Abraham to whom the promise was made CHAP. XXXVI The immediate object of Gods eternall purpose by his Decree of election in the order of cause is the redeemed state of man EIghtly it is objected Rom. 9.13 God did hate Esau in the womb whose hatred to Esau must be for originall sin By originall sin therefore the will of man is necessitate to disobedience from the womb I answer Gods hatred to Esau was neither for originall or actuall sin but that the purpose of God might stand according to election by him that calleth to wit by spirituall faith The denying therefore of this election by him that calleth to Esau is signified by this word hate For in this case by the word hatred the free act of God is expressed in electing one by his spirituall calling and not another and this was only Gods hatred to Esau For though Esau was Isaacs first born and the naturall seed of Abraham and heir of Isaacs temporall estate yet Esau was not heir of the spirituall promise the reason is because the spirituall promise is only by spirituall faith which is the free gift and grace of the holy Spirit and cannot be tied to the naturall seed of man to any time place or person but it is in the free gift of God in his Son Christ Jesus to bestow on whom he will And this is that free gift by conferring or denying whereof God is said to have mercy or not to have mercy upon man For though God should bestow the greatest temporall blessing of this life upon man yet without the free gift of spirituall faith such great temporall blessings are but so many temptations to induce man to actuall sin Who could have more temporall blessings then great King Pharoah or Esau of whom so many Princes and Nobles did descend yet neither Pharoah or Esau had the gift of spirituall faith which was from all eternity decreed to be denied to both And why because the gift of spirituall faith is the free gift of God Rom. 9.18 who will shew mercy on whom he will
the mysticall members of his body spiritually and indivisibly united to their mysticall head by his indivisible love As for the Analogie between the sacrifice offered up by the Leviticall high Priest and the sacrifice prefigurate thereby it did likewise consist in three speciall points First as the blood of the Leviticall sacrifice of the brazen altar was first shed and then laid upon the brazen altar So the sacred blood of the Son of God was shed first by his crowning with a crown of sharp prickly thornes causing streams of blood to besmeare his glorious face and body Secondly by his cruell scourging which was a most c uell kinde of bloody punishment according to the manner of the Jews Thirdly by the flood of blood by reason of the great boysterous nails to hold his body fast to the cursed altar of the crosse prefigurate by the brazen altar The Analogie of the second point between the two sacrifices was that both was an Holocaust sacrifice For as the Leviticall sacrifice of of the brazen altar was wholy burnt up and consumed by the fire which came down from heaven so the sacrifice of the Lord of life as he is man was burnt up and consumed by the fire of Gods wrath which came down frâ—m â—eaven for the actuall curse of the Law for the sin of Adam to which Câ—â—st did oblige himself to sustaine for wretched unthankfull man by whose to fed death all men are redeemed from that curse The third point of the Aâ—alogie of the two sacrifices was Levit. 4.12 that as the ashes of the whole burnt sacrifice of the brazen altar was taken from the brazen altar and carryed in ash-pans and laid apart from the altar in a clean place So the blessed body of our Saviour Joh. 19.38 39 40 41. was taken down from the cursed altar of the crosse by Joseph of Arimathea Nicodemus and others of that religious company prefigurate by the ash-pans and carried and laid in a new sepulchre wherein no man was formerly laid Because the point of this declaration is in the sacrifice of our blessed Saviour the declaration thereof shall be discharged in these two heads First our Saviours cruell cursed death by the cursed altar of the crosse shall be declared And secondly the place where the Lord was laid prefigurate by the ashes of the sacrifice of the brazen altar which were carried apart from the altar and laid in a clean place Because the sacrifice of our Saviour is plainly set down in the Scripture we will first only make a brief and summary relation of the severall pasges thereof and next certain mysticall concerning points shall be observed of the death and suffering of our Saviour Of all the stratagems of Satan by his false deceiving bewitching light his incensing of miserable men with such bloody cruell hands to crucifie the Lord of life was most admirable and strange For first the power of actuall freedome of naturall and morall gâ—ace which they then enjoyed by the redemption of man from the curse of the Law by the eternall Decree of God though to be performed in time was such as Satan and all the created powers of God could not necessitate the will of man to any morall evill but that man must be willingly and freely led and induced to commit that evill Secondly the propheticall Sabbath was the glory of the Jews nation whereby the Jews were so eminent and had such great preferment above all the nations of the earth which glory and great preferment the Jews did then enjoy by faith in the blessing of the promised rest of the blessed seed prophesied by the propheticall Sabbath as it was the seventh day of the propheticall ceremoniall Law which was then the immediate object of the Jews faith And though our Saviour did manifest himself to the Jews that he was that blessed seed which was prophesied by the propheticall Sabbath shining then so gloriously amongst the Jews by his gracious light leading them to his love which was freely extended towards all rich and poor in his curing of all manner of sensitive incurable diseases of the body and the diseased souls of many engaging thereby so the generall love of all that happy was he who could but touch the Lord of life to none was his love and help denyed who were led to him by this gracious light of the sound of his Word who by the power of his wonders and miracles did manifest himself to be the Son of God ingaging the reverend fear of all by the convincing power of whose wonders and miracles the wretched Jews were constrained to acknowledge so much yet that Satan by his false deceiving light should notwithstanding so induce the unthankfull Jews not to suppresse but with such bloody hands to extinguish the light of their own eternall life and rest it cannot but amaze the heart of man though all was by the hand of Gods permissive power For though the power of Satans false deceiving light be wonderfull yet Satan with all his power must work all his mischief only by the betraying of the willing consent of man to have man to effect what he would of whose help Satan himself did then stand in great need for this miserable act of Satan was not so much out of his malice to man as out of Satans own fear For by the greatnesse of this glorious light of the promised blessed seed Satan began to be afraid that the head of his power must be broke by the seed of the woman and therefore it did stand Satan in hand in time to prevent this so great and eminent danger which that false Serpent did by suggesting such a light of apparent fear to the Priests Scribes and Pharisees of the utter losse of their glorious Sabbath and of the Leviticall dignity means and preferment if they should give way to this glorious light to shine amongst them whereby the world was so led and carried by which false suggested fear of Satans false deceiving light the Scribes and Pharisees and the rest of that rablement were furiously incensed with all greedy desire not to suppresse but extinguish the light it self whereby both might rest secure from any such fear which this barbarous crue did with most cruell bloody hands effect though while their cruell hands were in externall action their hearts were internally pricked with the power of this light as may appear by the sacred History from the first point to the last For first while the Scribes and Parisees did hire their Helhounds to apprehend the Lord of life the Lord told the Helhounds John 18.5 6.12.13 that he was the man whom they did seek And though by the power of his Word they fell back to the ground yet up again and to the Lord they went And though Malcomes eare Luke 22 50 51. being struck off was miraculously cured by our Saviour a glim of the light of the rest of their glorious Sabbath yet such was the power of the
and resurrection from the grave the naturall mans understaning is morally enlightened So by the power of the redeemed Word of truth written in the heart the naturall man is morally enabled to believe these twelve fundamentall points of faith And therefore by the new covenant all men are obliged and commanded to believe these tweâ—ve fundamentall points of faith upon the twofold reward of the law By this literall light therefore of the sound of the truth of the Evangelicall word of the Lords day the judicious Reader is enabled with all boldnesse to condemn all tenents and assertions of faith repugnant to the truth of this light for false adulterous tenents and assertions And with the like boldnesse to condemn all pretended worship of God repugnant to the truth of the Lords Evangelicall commanded worship in spirit and truth for a false adulterous worship of God arising from the false light of error This false light from whence this adulterous worship of God doth arise is the ceremoniall light of some sensitive visible object whereby the understanding is produced in act by the mediate sense of seeing which for the most part is the sensitive objective carved or painted image of the eternall Son of God as he is man which is a most faithlesse false adulterous and idolatrous worship It is faithlesse because faith is by hearing of the Word the Image of God in his Son Christ Jesus and not by the seeing of the Image of our Saviour in his humility as he is man It is false worship because it doth belie the truth of the Lords glorious resurrection it is an adulterous worship because it is repugnant to the truth of the light of the Lords commanded Evangelicall worship in spirit and in truth It is an adulterous worship because the sensitive visible object doth interveen between the Lord and his worship and in this sense a lier is called an Idolater because the falshood which the lier doth maintain doth interveen between the lier and the light of the Word of truth love and mercy in his heart which is the Image of God obliging the heart of the lier to declare and witnesse the truth which is called the light and law of conscience and so is the covetous man under which name the lier hypocrite coozener cheater extortioner briber whoremaster drunkard murderer and in a word the foul malitious cruell affection of man for by all such foul desire of the covetous man the light of the word of truth love and mercy in the heart redeemed by our Saviours sacred blood is belied darkned and obscured and the foul desire worshipped as an Idol contrary to the light of the command of the word of the seventh day of the law really one with the literall light of the law written in the heart of man And though our Saviours bloody rest be necessarily implied in the Lords Evangelicall rest yet his bloody rest is not to be represented by any sensitive visible object to the sense of seeing but by the light of the sound of the commanded word of truth to wit the Lords day to the sense of hearing preached by the faithfull Minister of the Word Neither must any man excuse the hanging up of our Saviours Image in his humility as he is man pretending that he hath the Image objected to his eyes only to put him in minde of our Saviâ—â—â— love by his death To whom I answer that by this manner of putting thee in minde of our Saviours love thou putst the Lord in minde of his fearfull wrath against thee For first it is by the Lords Evangelicall rest that thou art immediatly saved the truth whereof thou art commanded to worship in the Spirit of faith upon the mercilesse curse of the law Secondly the species of the sensitive Image doth interveen between thy mind and the Lords worship whom thou art commanded to worship immediatly and consequently thy putting in minde an Idolatrous mentall worship for preventing of which Idolatrous worship the faithfull Minister by the sound of the word is commanded to instruct the people committed to his charge at his peril for by the new covenant the Apostles are immediately commanded to teach and to preach the truth of the Lords Evangelicall worship to all the Nations of the world as the Lord hath revealed himselfe by the Evangelicall rest of the Lords day And in the Apostles the Apostolicall successors the Ministers of the word are commanded to the like teaching and preaching of the truth of the Lords Evangelicall commanded worship to the people committed to their charge The new Covenant therefore being commanded as well upon the mercilesse curse of the Law of faith as upon the blessing of the Lords Evangelicall rest It doth stand the Ministers of the Sacred word in hand to look to the faithfull discharge of so strict an imposed task Now though in the commanded Evangelicall Sacraments implying the Lords whole last Will and Testament which is the Evangelicall word the word be objectively presented to the sense of seeing touching tasting and smelling as by the light of the sound of the word it is objected to the sense of hearing that man as he is man may receive the word sacramentally that is by faith in the word represented by the externall elements Yet this sacramentall object doth not represent the object of faith to wit the Word Jesus Christ the Son of God to come and to suffer for the sins of man but doth represent him by his cursed death of the Crosse by his bloudy rest in the grave and by his Resurrection from the grave to be received sacramentally by faith in his merit by his cursed death of the Crosse by his bloudy rest in the grave and by his Resurrection and rest from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed which both the Sacraments doe most lively signifie for the better conceiving whereof it is to be understood that the Sacraments were not delivered in the primitive Church but to such as were come to actuall naturall and morall understanding and action First therefore in the Sacrament of Baptisme by the baptizeds ducking and as it were drowning in the water according to the manner of the primitive Câ—â—â—ch the party to be baptized freed from the curse of the Law 〈◊〉 â—n of Adam is signified to be drowned and dead in actuall sin by 〈◊〉 â—â—anâ—gression of the â—aw of faith as by his arising out of the water his rising 〈◊〉 the death of actuall sin to the new life of faith and that his actuall â—â—ns arâ—â—â—â—ffied â—waâ— by his faith in the Lords merit which is the water of eternall life purchased by the water and bloud issuing from our Saviours â—eaâ—â— represented by the sacramentall water So in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper by the sacramentall bread the bread of life is signified whereby the baptizeds faith is nourished and preserved as by the naturall bread his naturall life is maintained and continued By the breaking of
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
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
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
Satan by the sensitive Serpent did first deceive the woman so the old Serpent Satans head shall be broke by man the seed of the woman This gracious promise was to be fulfilled First by the resurrection of the blessed seed the Word made flesh of the seed of the woman from the grave his last enemy to the face of the earth whereby he did manifest himself God and man by his rest from the fulfilling of the promise of the blessed seed Secondly by his resurrection from the face of the earth to the heavens from whence he came whereby he did manifest himself again by his infinite power God and man from whence he shall return again the second time in all glory and majesty united to his mysticall members who is the mysticall man that must break the head of the Serpent Satan and the seed of his cursed seed to their eternall confusion This last promised rest of the blessed seed the Word to be made flesh of the seed of the woman doth necessarily presuppose and imply his bloody rest in the grave from his cursed death of the crosse whose merit by his bloody rest as he is the eternall Son of God begot of the seed of the woman in time was twofold First by his rest from the cursed death of the crosse our Saviour was to merit the redemption of all men condemned to the curse of the Law of righteousnesse for the sin of Adam whereby all men in Adam their redeemed head were saved from the first death Secondly by his bloody rest in the grave upon the seventh day of the Law from end to end by his fulfilling of the Law in the seventh day as he obliged himself to man the eternall life and rest of the first seventh day lost by Adam was due by the Law to his merit that by faith in his merit all redeemed men might rest by faith till the promise was fulfilled whereby as all faithfull redeemed men were saved from the second death which is the curse of the Law of righteousnesse of faith for actuall sin So by the fulfilling of the promise of the blessed seed by his resurrection from the grave all faithfull believers are now saved from the second death which is the curse of the Evangelicall Law of righteousnesse of faith for actuall sin And this is the mysticall sense of this gracious promise which was made to Adam the redeemed head of man and to all men naturally to descend of Adam and was really fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Christ The benefit of which gracious promise was then actually to Adam and to all men to descend of Adam though the promise was to be fulfilled in time For by vertue of this promise the word of the Law and life of Righteousnesse first written in the heart of man was then the redeemed word of the Law of righteousnesse of faith whereby Adam was morally enabled to believe the promise and by believing in the promised rest of the blessed seed to have eternall life But before the second covenant can be declared whereby God doth oblige himself and Adam in this gracious promise first the word of the seventh dayes rest must be set down upon the immediate command whereof the second covenant was established between God and man For without the light of the word of this seventh dayes promised rest the second covenant can no wayes be known for the knowledge whereof we must necessarily understand that the day wherein this gracious promise was made to Adam was the seventh day of the Law from the creation by morall account as man naturally descended of Adam the head is obliged to the Law of God And this doth plainly appear by the words of the fourth Precept of the Decalogue set down to Moses where it is said Remember the Sabbath day be kept holy six dayes shalt thou labour and do all thy work but the seventh day to wit whereby Adam was obliged to the Law of righteousnesse by the first covenant in his state of perfection is now the promised rest or Sabbath of the Lord thy God to wit the promised blessed seed who hath promised to rest upon the Sabbath day in his sacred grave for the redemption of man from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam and to rise from the grave to break the Serpents head for the betraying of man to fall under the eternall curse of the Law The reason is given For in six dayes the Lord made heaven and earth the sea and all that therein is Wherefore the Lord blessed the seventh day and hallowed it that is to say as the Lord by his rest from the works of the creation did blesse the first seventh day of his Law for man and did sanctifie the first seventh day for his worship by man So from his promised rest from the works of the redemption of man the Lord hath blessed the Sabbath day for man and hath sanctified the Sabbath day for his worship by man This day therefore wherein this gracious promise was made was the seventh day by morall account from the creation sanctified by the word of promise then by the name of the Sabbath of the Lord to Adam This gracious promise made to Adam being to be performed in time was formally propheticall and consequently the Sabbath day wherein this promise was made was likewise formally propheticall For by the literall light of the propheticall Sabbath day Adams faith was led to rest upon the promised rest of the blessed seed And this is the reason that our Saviour said Mat. 11.13 The Law and Prophets did prophesie to John For the Law did then prophesie by the Sabbath which did necessarily imply the whole Law of righteousnesse of faith in the promise of the blessed seed where it is to be marked that the Lord saith that the Law did prophesie to John lest the Jewes might conceive that the first seventh day of the Law obliging Adam did prophesie which did no wayes prophesie Now because this promised rest of the blessed seed upon the Sabbath was propheticall and mysticall therefore for the strenghthening of Adams faith and the faith of the Fathers in the promise the formall worship in the propheticall Sabbath was commanded to be celebrate by the ceremoniall Altar prefigurating the cursed Altar of the crosse and by the ceremoniall sacrifice of the altar prefiguraring the cursed death of the blessed seed that as Adam faith by the ceremoniall light of the Altar and sacrifice might be led to the cursed death of the blessed seed So by the literall light of the Sabaticall seventh day of the Law of righteousnesse of faith Adams faith might be morally led to the grave of the blessed seed and from the grave to his resurrection from the grave for the breaking of the head of the Serpent In which commanded formall worship by the ceremoniall altar and sacrifice all the rites and ceremonies of the ceremoniall Law are implied and immediately referred to the Altar and
the flesh of the Lamb was commanded to be eaten the bitter currse of the wrath of God against the Lamb who made himself a curse for man was mystically signified Thirdly by the anointing of the door posts with the blood of the Lamb that the destroying Angel might passe over the Israelites houses whereby they were saved from the plague was mystically signified that by faith in the merit of the blood of the Lamb of God the promised blessed seed they were saved from the plague and curse of the second death which is for actuall sin as by the promised cursed death of the Lamb they were saved from the first death which was the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam The second memorable act of Moses Ministrie was first in the sanctifying and assembling of the people of Israel at the command of God to hear the word of the Law commanded by God himself immediatly which was in a most majesticall glorious manner delivered by God unto the people of Israel in ten distinct severall precepts The delivery whereof was with such fearfull thundring and lightning and with the sound of trumpet as the mountain was exceedingly shaken all to signifie the power of the sound of the word of the Law commanding the obedience of man By this glorious delivery of the word of the Law the people of Israel were striken with a reverend fear and obedience to the command of God though their fear of the voyce of God was such as they did intreat that Moses might deliver to them what the Lord should further command Wherefore the morall Law being first commanded by God God by the Ministry of Moses did next set down the civill Law between man and man to the end that all men might understand that all the lawes between man and man must be grounded upon the morall Law of God As for the ceremoniall Law it was the same which was before to the Fathers implyed in the ceremoniall altar and sacrifice untill such time as at the erection of the Tabernacle the ceremoniall Law was commanded after a more particular manner to the people of Israel though really one with the ceremoniall Law of the altar and sacrifice prefigurating the promise of the blessed seed Secondly the Lord afterward called Moses up to the mount to deliver to Moses the two Tables of the Law written by God in stone which was formerly delivered by his Word to the end that by the Ministry of Moses his written Word might be delivered to the people of Israel that the people might be instructed in the knowledge of the written Word where one thing is to be observed to wit that Moses by his conversing with God in the mount for the space of forty dayes and forty nights Exod. 34.29 the skin of Moses face became so shining as while Moses was about to deliver the written Word of the Law the people were not able to behold Moses face in so much that Moses was fain to vail his face while he spake to the people by which shining light of Moses face the glorious light of the written Word was mystically signified As for Moses zeal moved at the people of Israels Idolatry in breaking of the Tables of the word of the Law and the renewing of the Tables and all such memorable passages I must leave the judicious Reader to inform himself by the written Word of the sacred History The third remarkable act of Moses ministry was the erection of the Tabernacle at the command of God according to the pattern which God did shew and set down to Moses Exod. 25.40 while he was with God in the mount which of all the types figures and ceremonies prefigurating the promise of the blessed seed to all the Fathers of the former ages was most cleer and significant For by the Tabernacle and Temple which were really one which the Lord calleth his body the fulfilling of the promise both made to Abraham and to Adam were plainly prefigurate For first by the types and figures of the first Tabernacle called the Holy Place as by the golden Altar by the table of Shew-bread Exod. 39.38 by the golden Candlesticks by the brazen Altar and Laver before the porch which did appertain to the service of the Holy place of the Tabernacle by which ceremoniall Rites and Ceremonies the high Leviticall Priest was to discharge the service of the Holy place whereby the fulfilling of the promise made to Abraham was prefigurate For as the Leviticall high Priest who was descended of Abraham was the figure of the high Priest after the order of Melchisedeck to wit the promised blessed seed descended likewise of the seed of Abraham so by the discharging of the Leviticall high Priests office the execution of the high Priests office after the order of Melchisedeck was prefigurate For first as the Leviticall high Priest did offer up the ceremoniall sacrifice of the hard brazen altar So the hard cursed sacrifice of the high Priest after the order of Melchisedeck was offered upon the cursed altar of the crosse who made himself a curse for man Secondly as by the Leviticall high Priest after the offering up of the sacrifice of the brazen altar Exod. 30.19 20 21. did wash his hands and feet before he entred the holy place of the Temple So after the offering of the cursed sacrifice of the crosse the high Priest after the order of Melchisedeck did wash the cursed bloody wounds of his hands and feet and wash all men for whom he made himself a curse before he entred the Tabernacle not made with hands Thirdly as the Leviticall high Priest by his entring into the holy Place of the Temple did offer sweet incense at the golden Altar whereby God was said to smell a savour of rest So the high Priest after the order of Melchisedeck Hebr. 9.24 did enter the Tabernacle not made with hands by his sweet pleasing sacrifice to make eternall peace between God and man for the sin of Adam and to make continuall intercession for the actuall sins of his mysticall members at the altar of Righteousnesse of faith by the pleasing savour of whose bloody sacrifice the wrath of God is eternally appeased for the actuall sins of his mysticall members whereby they rest freed from the curse of the second death in this life and shall rest eternally in their mysticall head in all glory and happinesse in the life By this means the promise of the blessed seed made to Abraham was fulfilled Our Saviour according to the promise made to Abraham did descend of Abrahams seed for he was born man of the seed of the blessed Virgine lineally descended of Abrahams seed and lived man upon the earth and in the end was most cruelly crucified for man At the expiration of whose last breath Mat. 27.51 the great vail of the Temple was rent from the top to the bottome that by this great rent it might be known to all the world that the benefit and
righteousnesse of faith written in the heart of man and the deed of the will which is the work of morall faith proceeding from the immediate power of the life of righteousnesse of faith is the gift of God in his Son Christ Jesus by the immediate act of the redemption given to man by the immediate act of which gracious gift man doth both will and do moral good Neither is it affirmed by us that the redeemed man by the morall free act of his will hath the power simply to will or do any good but that he hath this morall freedome without any manner of necessitating of his will to morall disobedience For otherwise as hath been formerly and necessarily demonstrate it were impossible for God without injustice to oblige man either to his old or new covenant Thirdly it is objected The thoughts of man are only and continually evill Gen. 6.5 Man therefore by the perfection of the redemption cannot so much as think of any good much lesse to do any good To this I answer The thoughts of man in this place and in all such other places of the Scripture to this purpose must be understood of the thoughts of the naturall man and not of the regenerate as he is a spirituall man for the regenerate man 1 John 3.9 is born of God and cannot sin neither can his thought be evill as he is a spirituall man And though the regenerate man as he is a naturall man and not perfectly sanctified in this life doth actually sin too often against the command of the Law both as the Law is spirituall and literall for as the regenerate man doth know but in part so he doth do but in part while he is in this life yet by the regenerate mans spiriâ—uall faith in the Lords merit all his actuall sins are covered and herein stands the regenerate mans only comfort And therefore Paul doth affirm Rom. 7.22 23. that in the inner man that is as he is regenerate he doth delight in the Law of God and doth disclaim his actuall sins both of thought and deed to be his to wit as he is regenerate but as he is a naturall man attributing all his actuall sins to the rebellious will of his flesh The thoughts of man therefore in this place are to be understood chiefly of the thoughts of the wicked man though they may be always understood of the naturall man in generall before he be regenerate For all the naturall mans thoughts and works before he be regenerate are spirituall sin and spirituall evill because he wants spirituall faith and because his morall evill action is both actuall spirituall and morall sin and evill and therefore his thoughts accordingly are evill continually for at the best they spiritually and continually evill and this is the reason that Job saith Job 14.4 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean thing that is to say who is able to bring forth a clean thought or work out of an unclean heart For Job doth acknowledge himself as he is a naturall man to be corrupted from his youth by actuall sin But Job doth justifie himself as he is regenerate by faith in the assurance of his salvation But though the naturall man before he be regenerate hath not the spirituall power either to think or do any spirituall good yet by the power of the redeemed word of the Law and â—ife of Righteousnesse of faith written in his heart he is enabled with the morall power both to think and to do a good morall work of faith without any manner of necessitating of his will to morall disobedience As by the power of that word he is likewise enabled with the morall grace of repentance to repent morally of his sin when he falls by the Devils temptation and that without any power to necessitate his impenitencie Fourthly it is objected that the will of the flesh is enmity against God Rom. 8.7 and cannot be subject to the Law of God The redeemed naturall man therfore by the perfection of the redemption cannot produce a good morall work of faith because his best morall work is enmity against God I answer This subjection of man to the Law of God meaned in this place by the Apostle is the subjection of man to the spirituall command of the Law as the Law is spirituall and this enmity is spirituall enmity against God In which sense it is impossible for the redeemed naturall man before he be regenerate to be subject to the spirituall command of the Law but though the naturall man before he be regenerate cannot be subject to the spirituall command of the Law as the Law is spirituall yet as the command of the Law is literall and morall the naturall man by the power of the word of the Law and life of righteousnesse of faith in his heart he is morally enabled to be subject to the literall command of the Law without any manner of necessitating of his will to morall disobedience and though the moral act of his will be necessarily spirituall enmity against the spirituall command of the Law through want of spirituall faith yet the act of his morall obedience is not morall enmity against God or his Law Fifthly it is objected Man is born in the corruption of nature which is originall sin by which naturall corruption man is necessitate to actuall sin The act of the will of man therefore by the perfection of the redemption is not free from all manner of necessitating to morall disobedience I answer Though originall sin be commonly called the corruption of nature yet it is falsly called the corruption of nature though I do not deny that actuall sin may be called the corruption of nature and yet this assertion must be warily conceived For we must not think that the nature of man is essentially corrupted for so the incorruptible soul of man which is the first act of man as he is man must be corrupted which is impossible But it is the formall morall act of the will only which is corrupted by the multiplied acts of sin which is only actuall and not originall sin For if we should take the corrupted act of the will by the multiplied acts of sin for originall sin God must be the inevitable author of actuall sin since the fall and originall sin which is no sin to death must be a sin to death I mean actuall death contrary to all truth for God by concluding all redeemed men in spirituall darknesse Rom. 11.32 which is called unbelief and originall sin hath mercy upon all men for without the concluding of man in spirituall darknesse it is impossible in the ordinary calling of God that any man can be regenerate by spirituall faith and consequently and necessarily originall sin is not the corruption of nature Sixthly the objection is further prest The Apostle Ephes 2.3 doth affirm that all men are the children of wrath by nature This wrath of God therefore must be for the originall sin
and consequently originall sin is the corruption of nature I answer If the wrath of God must be for originall sin then Gods wrath must be upon his own immediate act for originall sin is the immediate act of God proceeding from the Spirituall darknesse and unbelief wherein all redeemed men are concluded by God that he might have mercy upon all and not that his wrath should be upon all But it is plain that in this whole Chapter the Apostle speaks of actuall and not of originall sin For the Apostle doth acknowledge that he had his conversation in times past amongst the children of disobedience which disobedience is by the multiplied acts of sin and actuall sin from the false deceiving light of Satan and his instruments in a manner from the cradle by the continued acts whereof sin becomes so habituall and connaturall as it seemeth to be naturall to man and this is the sin and not originall sin which doth draw down the wrath of God upon man temporally in this life and without repentance and amendment eternall wrath in the life to come and therefore because Paul before his conversion had his conversation amongst the children of disobedience from his youth Paul calls himself the child of wrath by nature for the children of disobedience are the begotten children of Satan for such is Satans vigilancy and early care to breed up his children by the sowing of his cursed envious seed sweetned with his false naturall deceiving light as he begins to sow his seed in the ears and hearts of all children before the children can sin actually or know any kinde of evill To this end Satan hath his young instruments that by their conversement with children they may be taught to lie curse and swear in a manner so soon as they are able to speak By this means little children do begin to be acquainted with the terms of evill though the envious poison of the evill do not burst out untill children come to actuall morall understanding and action and then by the poyson of Satans envious seed children do begin to practise childish evill and to be averse and with a childish obstinacy to resist any controler of their childish evill actions for the more they are checkt such is the power of Satans seed that they will bend their power to do evill the rather by this means unlesse they be sanctified from the womb the act of the childs will by degrees becomes to be morally corrupted with sin and evill and as the child groweth up in yeers sin and evill groweth up with the childe and becomes so habituall and connaturall to man as without the great mercy of God by his concursive grace and the great care of the parents it is as easie to take away his nature as to win him from the pleasure of sin such is the corrupted multiplied act of his will morally to all evill and mischief by his continuall conversement with Satans instruments the torch-bearers of Satans false deceiving naturall light For by the power of Satans envious deceiving naturall light the heart of man is so incensed to every foul object of sensitive pleasure as the naturall pleasure of man is extended to the pride of naturall pleasure And this is the reason that actuall sin is called the corruption of nature For it is the formall naturall act of the will of man which is so abused by Satans false deceiving naturall light as it is extended to such a height as the formall naturall act of the will becomes formally morall and morally sin and evill And these are the children of disobedience Ephes 2.3 which are called the children of wrath by nature and these are the children of disobedients amongst whom Paul doth acknowledge himself to have had his conversation in times past This corruption of the naturall act of the will of man by the multiplied acts of sin is called the rebellious will of the flesh because the will of the naturall man before he be regenerate rebels against the spirituall command of the Law and cannot be subject to the Law It is called the old man First because this corruption of the naturall act of the will of man by Satan and his instruments is from his childhood Secondly it is called the old man in respect of the regenerate man who is called the new man It is called the body of sin because the naturall man before he be regenerate is dead in actuall sin and therefore Rom. 6.23 it is likewise called the body of death because death is the wages of sin It is called concupiscence because by the multiplied acts of sin all the parts and powers of the naturall man are corrupted By the long continuance of man in actuall sin whereby the long patience of God leading man to repentance is contemned with such an high hand as God in his justice doth give wretched man over to a reprobate minde He is called by the Apostle the compacted vessell of Gods wrath For the wretched obstinate sinner is compacted of actuall spirituall sin and of actuall morall evill and therefore the body of sin and death By my answer to this objection I hope the judicious Reader is fully satisfied that originall sin is not the corruption of nature And that it is plain blasphemy to be so called for so God must be the inevitable author of actuall sin yet the objection is further prest CHAP. XXXV Though David was conceived and born in originall sin yet there was neither any naturall morall or spirituall corruption in that sin SEventhly it is objected Psal 51 5. David doth affirm himself to be conceived and born of his mother in sin and iniquity which sin and iniquity must be by the corruption of the naturall morall and spirituall act of his will Though David therefore was not conceived and born in any essentiall corruption of his nature yet David was conceived and born of his mother in the naturall morall and spirituall corrupted act of his will I answer In Davids first conception by his mother which is the seminall and sensitive conception of man there is neither any naturall morall or spirituâ—ll corruption in the act for it was the good naturall act of Davids mother as she was the good redeemed creature of God And as for his mothers second conception while as David was conceived man and the son of Adam in the womb by the essentiall union of his intellectuall and sensitive nature this was the immediate act of the Father of spirits by which immediate act of God as David was redeemed in Adam the redeemed head of man according to his eternall decree So David by the immediate act of God in the womb was shut up in temporall spirituall darknesse and so brought forth by his mother shut up in that spirituall darknesse which is called unbelief and originall sin But there was neither any spirituall or morall corruption in that spirituall darknesse For though David by his concluding in spirituall darknesse
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
is most certain that all things that doth or can come to passe in this world falls under the compasse of Gods decree but all things that comes to passe in this life are not from the positive actuall power of his Decree For a world of things comes to passe by the permissive power of his Decree and so doth his suffering of his long patience to be so contemned by these wicked wretches on whom he hath decreed to shew his wrath and to declare his power to their eternall destruction which is never actually inflicted upon man till the great day because this fiery wrath of God doth proceed from the curse of the Law inflicted upon man in the full extent as he is man intellectuall and sensitive which never can be inflicted upon man in this life because of the dissolution of man in the intellectuall and sensitive nature of man and because of the new covenant whereby man hath all the day of this life to repent Out of this which is declared in these last two Chapters arising from the light of the truth of the sacred Word of God I do inferre this necessary conclusion That absolute imaginary decree whereby God is affirmed out of his alone meer pleasure to elect a certain number of men to salvation without all respect to the immediate object of his election without respect to his spirituall calling whereby the election doth stand without respect to the immediate object of his spirituall calling which is the Lords only merit and consequently without all respect to the Lord himself second person of the glorious Trinity And that absolute imaginary decree whereby God is affirmed out of his alone free pleasure to condemne the rest of the world to the eternall torments of hell which is the curse of the Law without all respect of mans meriting by his transgression of the Law without respect to the first covenant whereby God and man were mutually obliged without respect to the creation of man in the state of naturall and spirituall perfection whereby man was perfectly enabled to fulfill the command of the Law of Righteousnesse withot respect to the fâ—ll of man from that state of perfection under the eternall curse of the Law without respect to the redemption of man from that fearfull curse by the sacred blood of the Son of God without all respect to the new covenant whereby all the nations of the world are called to believe in the Lords merit by his fulfilling of the pomise of the blessed seed to whose faith the blessing of the Lords merit by his Evangelicall rest which the blessing of eternall life is most freely offered which is most freely cut off from all men by this miserable imaginary fictious decree for by this blasphemous fictious decree the immediate cause of the salvation and damnation of man is peremptorily affirmed to be the alone free act of the will and pleasure of God which is but the only immediate cause that God doth elect one and not another out of the redeemed estate of man for the immediate cause of his election is his eternall love to the elect in his Son Christ Jesus by his spirituall calling as the immediate cause of the condemnation of the reprobate is their own immediate act by their obstinate finall contemning of the long patience of God as may appear by the words of the Apostle faithfully delivered in these two last Chapters CHAP. XXXVIII The childe departing this life unbaptized is saved by the precious blood of Christ Jesus by the immediate act of the redemption NInthly it is objected out of our Saviours words John 3.5 Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdome of God Children therefore departing this life in originall sin unbaptized are condemned by the eternall curse of the Law I answer the inference is fallacious For first our Saviour speaks here to Nicodemus a Ruler and Teacher of the Jews and not to man that is a child Secondly Christ speaks not here to Nicodemus simply of the externall sacrament of Baptisme which was then administred by John and the Apostles but of spirituall Baptisme which the externall sacrament did represent by which spirituall Baptisme the naturall mans spirituall darknesse wherin he is shut up and dead as he is a spirituall man is spiritually inlightned by the sanctifying power of which spirituall light the naturall man is quickned again and raised a new lively spirituall man by spirituall faith who by the eyes of his spirituall faith doth now see to enter the spirituall Kingdome of God And this is the spirituall Baptisme which our Saviour doth call the birth of the Spirit and tels Nicodemus that a man by externall Baptisme simply without this spirituall Baptisme cannot enter the Kingdom of God because it is the free gift of God and not tied to the externall administration of the Sacrament of Baptisme And therefore our Saviour doth compare this free gift of God by regeneration Joh. 3.8 to the freedome of the wind For as the wind doth freely blow where it listeth so doth the spirituall light of God enlighten whom he listeth by dispercing the spirituall darknesse of the soul of man to see the way to enter into the Kingdome of heaven As concerning the childs departing this life unbaptized by the externall sacrament of Baptisme First the child is freed from the curse of the Law in Adam the redeemed head of man in whom the child transgressed the Law who by the perfection of the redemption is freed from the eternall curse of the Law by the first covenant Secondly there is no actuall sin in the child whereby the child can be liable to the curse of the law of faith by the new covenant which curse is due only for actual sin by final obstinate contempt of the Law of faith The child therefore is baptized with the sacred blood and water issuing from the blessed heart of our Saviour upon the crosse which the externall sacrament of Baptisme doth represent The child therefore departing this life is saved by the sacred blood of Christ Jesus and a glorious Saint in heaven for of such are the Kingdome of heaven As the child therefore is said to sin in Adam so the child is redeemed in Adam It is not therefore the want of externall Baptism which can condemne the child unlesse the child were of such discretion of understanding as the child did contemne the sacrament of Baptisme by the sacramentall water signifying the water of eternall life wherby the baptized is washed from his actuall sins wherein he is as it were drowned and dead and is raised to the new life of faith to believe in the Lords merit to save him from the second death For in the primitive Church they were only baptized who did actually believe Al children therefore in the Primitive Church departing unbaptized by the consequence of this fearfull objection should be damned contrary to the very words of the
the world were all pierced as it were to the heart never to be reiterate in the Evangelicall Church of God Eighthly by the blood and water issuing from the wound of our Saviours heart the sacramentall seals of the new Testament were mystically signified For as in the sacrament of Baptisme by the sacramentall water the water of eternall life is signified representing the water issuing from our Saviours wounded heart accompanied with his heart blood whereby the baptized's actuall sins are signified to be washed away and whereby the baptized is raised from his death in actuall sin to the new life of saith to let the baptized and all men understand that actuall sin is washed away by our Saviours heart blood which was accompanied with the water issuing from his wounded heart and therefore it is said by the Apostle 1 John 5.6 This is he that came by water not by water only but by water and blood So in the sacrament of the Lords Supper by the sacramentall bread the bread of eternall life is signified as by the sacramentall wine our Saviours heart blood is signified whereby the bread of life is purchased to let all men understand that the new life of faith is fed and nourished by the bread of life purchased by his sacred blood which bread of life is the Word blessed and sanctified by the Lords infinite merit in the spirituall understanding whereof is eternall life according to our Saviours own word John 17.3 This is life eternall to know thee who is only known by his Word Ninthly by our Saviours last words upon the crosse Luke 23.46 Father into thy hands I commend my Spirit which was our Saviours humane Spirit it was signified that as our Saviour was man the Son of God from all eternity so is man begot by his Father of the seed of the woman in time and every way true man the Son of God Tenthly and lastly by our Saviours outstretched armes nailed to the crosse the new covenant to be made with all the nations of the world was mystically signified again And so much for the mysticall points of the sacrifice of Christ Jesus the eternall Son of God as he is man prefigurate by the sacrifice of the brazen altar offered by the Leviticall high Priest Now since our Saviour was not a Priest after the order of Aaron or Levi the question may be moved What manner of Priesthood was this whereby Christ is said to be a Priest after the order of Melchisedeck CHAP. IV. The reason that Christ is called a Priest after the order of Melchisedeck and the execution of Christs Kingly office while he was upon earth THe Question moved in the former Chapter is commonly answered that the Reason that Christ is said to be a Priest after the order of Melchisedeck is that as Melchisedeck was without father or mother So Christ as he is man is without a naturall father naturally descended of Adam and as he is God Christ is without a mother But this point is warily to be conceived For though it be said that Melchisedeck was without father or mother we must understand the words in this sense that Melchisedeck was without any known father and mother for his parents are concealed by the Scripture not that we should conceive that Melchiseck was not man naturally descended of Adam but for another reason which shall be shewed neither must we conceive that there was any such sacrifice offered by Melchisedeck as was offered by our Saviour For Melchisedeck could offer no other manner of sensitive sacrifice then the sacrifice of the Altar which was commanded by the propheticall Sabbath But Christ Jesus is said to be a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedeck in respect of the eternity of the Priest for Melchisedeck having neither known father or mother or kindred Melchisedeck is said to be without beginning or ending and consequently his Priestly office For there was no lineall succession of the Priestly office till it was established in the Tribe of Levi which did only continue during the formall propheticall ceremoniall obligement of the Law Before which time the Priesthood was in private Families Of this lately declared I infer these three necessary demonstrative conclusions First the Apostles and Apostolicall successors are not Priests or to be called Priests either after the order of Melchisedeck or after the order of Levi For first they can be no Priests or called Priests after the order of Melchisedeck for so their Priesthood must be for ever Secondly they can be no Priests or called Priests after the order or by the name of Levi for so they must be ceremoniall sensitive Priests by offering of ceremoniall sensitive sacrifices and gifts still prefigurating the cursed death of our Saviour whereby the truth of his fulfilled promise of the blessed seed is belied and denied Against this it is objected Our Saviour in the institution of the sacrament of his last Supper before his death as he is high Priest after the order of Melchisedeck did by this blessing of the bread and wine change and transubstanciate the substance of the bread and wine in the reall substance of his body and blood and did offer up his reall body and blood under the externall forms of bread and wine in a propitiatory sensitive sacrifice to his Father for the dead and for the quick which sacrifice is really one with his sacrifice of the crosse after the offering up whereof he did give his sacrificed reall body and blood under the externall forms of bread and wine to his Apostles for the sacrament of his last Supper commanding the Apostles and in the Apostles the Apostolicall successors to offer up his reall body and blood in a propitiatory sensitive sacrifice for the dead and for the quick And after the offering up thereof to give his sacrificed reall body and blood for the sacrament of his last Supper to the communicants The Apostles therefore and the Apostolicall successors by the power and authority of his command are still ceremoniall Priests and must offer this propitiatory sensitive sacrifice at the materiall Altar for the quick and for the dead under the externall forms of bread and wine The question therefore here is not of any metaphoricall sacrifice or of the spirituall sacrifice of the Lords mysticall members commanded to be offered at the spirituall Altar of righteousnesse but of a proper reall sensitive propitiatory sacrifice First I answer to the affirmed propitiatory sacrifice of our Saviours reall body and blood which is pretended to be offered up by our Saviour under the externall forms of bread and wine in the institution of the sacrament of his last Supper before his death which is the main ground of the objection Secondly I answer to the affirmed reall unity of this pretended sacrifice with our Saviours sacrifice of the crosse As for the first it is manifest both by the truth of the sacred History and by the very words of the institution
therefore being commanded immediatly by the literall command of the law though necessarily implying the spirituall command in the command of faith the works of truth love and mercy are necessarily commanded which are the works of faith without which faith is but a dead faith and man but a dead man dead in actuall sin though he doth live all the days of this life To the knowledge of which actuall sin as the naturall man is led by the literall light of the law implyed in the command of the Lords day So by the knowledge of death by actuall sin the naturall man is moved to morall repentance And by repentance to amendment of life by the works of truth love and mercy to which he is morally enabled by the power of the redeemed Word of truth love and mercy in his heart which are the works of faith whereby the Lords merit is morally apprehended Eighthly the new covenant made between God and man being established upon the immediat command of the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall law of faith as the Lord doth oblige himself to man to conferre the actuall blessing of the Lords dayes eternall rest to the faithfull believer so the Lord by his covenant doth oblige the finall contemner of his infinit merit to the actuall mercilesse eternall curse of his Law The Lords merit of mercy therefore being infinit there is mercy for man all the day of this life For the new covenant is made to all men whatsoever and at what time soever For Mar. 13.13 whosoever shall endure to the end shall be saved This end to the naturall man is his finall perseverance in his morall obedience till the Lords prefixed time of his spirituall calling by the spirituall grace of faith whereby the naturall man being regenerate is saved who hath nothing to necessitate his morall disobedience And though he doth stumble and fall yet by the power of the redeemed word written in his heart the naturall man hath freedome to repent morally without necessitating of his impenitency for morall repentance must necessarily precede morall faith As the naturall man therefore is no wayes to dispaire of the Lords infinite mercy while there is day in this life for the dispairer of the Lords infinite mercy doth belie the Lords mercy and doth detract from the infinitensse of the Lords merit so the naturall man is no wayes by his presumptuous continuance in sin and wickednesse to contemn the Lords long patience leading him so graciously to repentance lest the Lord in his justice give him over to a reprobate minde that he cannot repent though he hath all the dayes of this life to repent by covenant Ninthly the law of God being eternall eternally obliging man as he is man and the reward of the law due by the law to the merit of man being according to the law eternall there must be therefore resurrection from the dead that man as he is man intellectuall and sensitive may receive the eternall reward of the law in the full extent to wit eternall life and rest to the faithfull believer in the merit of man Jesus Christ the eternall Son of God and the curse of the law by eternall death to the merit of man the proud finall contemner of the Lords infinit merit offered so freely to him in this life The reward therefore of the law in the full extent as the reward is eternall cannot be received by man till the last day Tenthly the Lord being the head of all men redeemed from the curse of the law for the sin of Adam as the Lord hath his universall redeemed Church in all the nations of the world who by the power of the redeemed word of truth love and mercy written in their heart are all morally united by one faith in one body and by that faith morally united to their head the gracious Redeemer of all men So the Lord being the mysticall head of his mysticall members the Lord hath his mysticall universall Church all united in one mysticall body by spirituall faith and by spirituall faith all spiritually and indivisibly united to their mysticall head These are the first ten fundamentall points of faith arising from the literall light of the Evangelicall sound of the word of the Lords day by the Lords rest and resurrection from the grave leading the naturall mans understanding by faith to apprehend the Lords merit to save him from the curse of the law of faith Next therefore of the fundamentall points of faith arising from the Lords resurrection from the earth by his ascention to the heavens to which his resurrection from his grave doth extend where the Lord sitteth at the right hand of the infinite power of the Father whence two fundamentall points of faith doth arise First the Lord according to his promise that the seed of the woman shall break the head of the old Serpent and the head of his cursed seed hath obliged himself by the new covenant that by his second coming from the heavens gloriously united to his mysticall members shall revenge the blood of man upon Satan and his cursed seed First the blood of man first betrayed by Satan to fall under the curse of the law Secondly the blood of man Jesus Christ the eternall Son of God by his redemption of man from the eternall curse of the law Thirdly the blood of the Lords mystical members persecute by Satan and his cursed seed for their valorous defending of his sacred truth in this life For the Lord as head united to his mysticall members is the mysticall man who must break the old Serpents head and the head of his cursed seed in the grat day afterwards more fully to be declared This breaking of the head of the old Serpent and of the head of his cursed seed is by the Lords judging condemning and by the actuall inflicting of the eternall curse and reward of the law in the full extent to the greâ—t glory of God the eternall comfort of the faithfull and to the finall eternall and utter confusion of Satan and his cursed seed in the great day The second fundamentall point of faith arising from the Lords resurrection from the earth by his ascention to the heavens is that the Lord hath graciously obliged himself by the covenant to send the Comforter John 16.7 the Spirit of truth by whose spirituall light enlightening the spirituall darknesse of the naturall man the Lords mysticall members are begot and by the spirituall power of whose spirituall life by that spirituall light the regenerate are enabled with the gift of patience to overcome all the afflictions and temptations of Satan and of his cursed seed in this life which is the Lords earnest of their incorruptible crown of glory in the life to come for their valor in their defence of his truth in this life In these twelve fundamentall points of faith as by the literall light of the sound of the word of the Lords day by his rest
end to end is nothing else but the light of the sound of the word of the Lords day For by the sounding of the word of the Lords resurrection by the Apostles what a world of wonders and miracles were wrought and how many thousands by the light of the sound of the word came by the hands of faith to lay hold on the Lords daies Evangelicall rest Thirdly the new Covenant is immediatly established upon the Evangelicall word of the Lords day by inseperable union Fourthly the Apostle doth affirme that the sound of the word to wit of the Lords day went to the ends of the earth Fiftly Iohn doth call the day of the Lords resurrection the Lords day Sixtly the Apostle to the Hebrews doth set downe the Lords day the Evangelicall Word of the seventh day of the Law of righteousnesse of faith most plainly saying first that after a long time which was the time of the promised rest of the propheticall Sabbaticall seventh day there was another certaine seventh day appointed in David that is in Davids seed Secondly that the Lord of life to wit the Son of David did enter this day into his rest from his resting from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed which is his Evangelicall rest necessarily implying his bloody promised Sabbaticall rest from the worke of the redemtion As he did first rest from the workes of the creation Thirdly the Apostle proveth that this day appointed in David was for the people to enter into this seventh daies rest For saith the Apostle Hebrews 4.8 if Joshua could have given the people of Israel rest to wit by the promised rest of the propheticall Sabbaticall seventh day then bad not David bin appointed to speake of another day that sâ— another seventh day which the Apostle Hebrews 4.12 cals the lively powerfull word of God which is the word of the Lords day the true Evangelicall Word of the seventh day of the Law of righteousnesse of faith by the Evangelicall sound thereof sharper then any two edged sword dâ—viding and seperating the soule from the spirit where the soule is taken for the soule of man as he is a naturall man and the spirit is taken for the soule of man as he is regenerate and a spirituall man for by the spirituall sanctifying understanding of the wâ—rd the rebellious powers of the flesh of man as he is a naturall man are devided and subdued by the power of the Spirit though not totally in thâ—s life And therefore the Apostle Paul doth affirme that the sins pro eeding from his rebellious flesh are none of his to wit as he is a spirituall man Seventhly David doth prophetically affirme Psal 118 24. First that this is the day which the Lord hath made exhorting all men to rejoyce in this blessed day which day David did see with his spirituall eyes of faith for the Lord did fulfill this prophesie of David indeed for the Lord made this day with his precious bloud Secondly David doth prophetically affirme Psal 118.22 that it was the glorious light of this seventh dayes rest which David calls the corner stone which the Judaicall builders did refuse and now is made the head of the corner mounted above the heaven of heavens the Tabernacle not made with hands wherein the Lord of life Head of his mysticall members is entered to make continuall intercession as their Advocate at the Throne and Alter of righteousnesse by the merit of his fulfilling of the Law of righteousnesse whereby all the actuall sins of his mysticall members united to their mysticall head by his indivisible love are covered and freed from the curse of the Evangelicall Law of faith by the new Covenant As by his cursed death of the altar of the Crosse they are freed from the curse of the Law for their sinne in Adam by the first Covenant Eightly the Lord himselfe doth affirme John 8.56 that Abraham did see this his joyfull day to wit with his spirituall eyes of faith in the eight day of the Sacrament of circumcision wherein there doth lye no small mysterie for the child was to be circumcised upon the eight day though the eight day did fall upon the propheticall Sabbath day upon which day no worke was to be done under the paine of death much lesse the shedding of mans bloud The shedding of mans bloud therefore upon the Sabbath was onely lawfull by the command of the Sacramentall circumcision for both the propheticall Sacraments implying the whole propheticall ceremoniall Law were commanded in the Church of God before the Law was given to Moses to the end that the Jews might understand that the Law to the fathers before Moses and after Moses till Christs resurrection was really one and the same Law of God and one and the same formall obliegement of the Law The point of the mysterie lyeth in this That the Sacrament of circumcision which was the eighth day was preferred to the command of the Sabbath which was the seventh day of the Law implying the command of the whole Law Now the Sacrament of circumcision was but the shadow of the Sacrament of the Lords day which was the eight day from the last propheticall Sabbath reckoning the propheticall Sabbath inclusively for the first day in the accompt of the eight dayes though by beginning the accompt from the last formall Jews propheticall Sabbath exclusively the Lords day as man naturally descended of Adam is oblieged to the Law is the just seventh day from the last formall Jews propheticall Sabbath as hath beene declared What an admirable faith was this of Abraham to see this day so farre off which the Lord affirmeth that Abraham did see and that Abraham did rejoyce in the sight of this blessed day Ninthly the Lord of life the Lord of the Evangelicall law of the righteousnesse of faith the true eternall rest of the Evangelicall seventh day of the Law doth call this blessed day his owne day John 85.6 His owne day by all true title and right of righteousnesse it selfe his owne which in spite of the power of darkenesse must shine till the eternall day Tenthly this is the most joyfull day of dayes for by the Evangelicall sound of the Lords dayes Evangelicall rest the Jews and Gentiles were actually called to one Church and were made one fold to the joyous and thankfull jubilising of all the Nations of the world Eleventhly by the Evangelicall sound of the Lords daies Evangelicall rest arising from his bloudy rest all the propheticall Sabbaths all the jubilees of Sabbaths and all the prophesies prophesying from the foundation of the world of the comming and suffering of the Lord of life the promised blessed seed are actually determined Twelfthly by his bloudy Sabbaticall rest necessarily implyed in his Evangelicall seventh dayes rest of the Lords day All the altars and sacrifices the foundation of the partition wall of the ceremoniall Law and all the figures types rites and propheticall ceremonies from the foundation of