sense of it The Lord speaketh those words Ironically Resp as before Quest 14. verse 15. It is said God put the man into the garden of Eden to dresse it and yet afterwards it is pronounced as a curse In the sweat of thy face thou shalt eate thy bread Gen. 3.16 Man should have laboured if he had continued Resp in his first estate but those irksome concomitants of labour paine sweat wearisomeness spending of the strength and spirits are the product of sinne Quest 15. verse 16 17. Here the Lord gives a Law to man Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eate but of the tree of the knowledge of good ond evil thou shalt not eate and yet the Apostle saies The Law is not made for the 1 Tim. 1.9 righteous The Law is not made to the righteous Resp 1 person so as he should be under the vindicative or punishing part of it he continuing in his righteousnesse and in this sense it may be applied to man in innocency man in innocency might be under the directive part of the Law though not under the vindicative part of it The Apostle speaks of Gospel-times when man was in another state his meaning is the law is not made to the beleever so as he should abide under the cursing condemning power of it the godly are under the desert of the curse of the Law but not the actual curse and condemnation thereof nor doth it follow as a Reverend Author very well observes that there is no Law because it doth not curse It is a good rule in Divinity A remotione actûs secundi in subjecto impediti non valet argumentum ad remotionem actûs primi From the removal of an act or operation the argument doth not hold to the removing of the thing it self As it doth not follow The fire did not burne the three Worthies therefore there was no fire God did hinder the act And if that could be in natural agents which work naturally how much rather in moral such as the Law is of condemnation which works according to the appointment of God Quest 16. verse 16 17. Why would God give man a positive 〈…〉 â—esides that natural Law that was 〈…〉 his heart 〈…〉 thereby Gods dominion and powâ—◠〈◊〉 man might be the more acknowâ—â—â—ged man might have submitted to the â—oral Law of God not so much in order â—o the command as because it was suitable to that principle which was within him for the Moral Law at first was written in mans heart Even as the Heathens do abstaine from many sinnes not because forbidden by God but as dissonant to their natural reason therefore God gives him a positive Law Ut nulla alia causa esset obedientiae nisi obedientia So that the forbidding to eat was not from any sinne in the action but from the will of the Law-giver As if a man forbid another to touch such an herb because it is poison this herb is contrary to a mans health whether it be forbidden or not and therefore he may abstaine from it not because of the command but because it is contrary to his health but to forbid the eating of something that is wholsome to the body and delightful to the taste here indeed is a triall of obedience Quest 17. verse 16 17. Whether sensitive creatures be capable of being under the obligation of a Law Neg. Inter bruta silent Leges for Resp 1. There can be no satisfaction to justice in inflicting an evil upon them no satisfaction to be had from such things as are not apprehensive of punishment Seneca Quà m stultum est his irasci quae iram nostram nec meruerunt nec sentiunt 2. A punishment inflicted upon them hath no power to mend brutes or to give an example to others amongst them 3. Nec turpe nec honestum among them no duty nor obedience to be expected from them no praise nor dispraise due to them no punishment nor reward to be distributed among them Levit. 20. 15. I a man lie with a beast Object he shall surely be put to death and ye shall slay the beast The meaning of that place is not this Resp that the beast was guilty of a crime or had violated a Law and therefore was to be condemned and put to death but it was in order to the happinesse and welfare of man bestia cum homine concumbens was to be stoned 1. Because it was the occasion of so foul a fact and so fatall punishment unto man 2. That the sight and presence of the object might not repeat so prodigious a crime in the thoughts of men Exo. 21. 28. If an Oxe gore a man or a Object woman that they dye then the Oxe shall be stoned This was ad poenam exigendam à domino Resp the putting of that to death was a punishment to the owner for not looking to it better Quest 18. verse 17. It is said In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely dye what is meant by death in that place Spirituall temporal eternal death 1. Spiritual death this is comprehended Resp in the very nature of sinne spiritual death is nothing else but a separation of God from the soule now the nearer the correspondence is between the soule and sinne the further the distance is between the soul and God 2. Temporal death for so the Spirit of God expounds his meaning afterwards In the Gen. 3.19 sweat of thy browes shalt thou eat thy bread dusl thou art and to dust shalt thou returne 3. Eternall death this is cleared by the Apostle Paul when he saies The wages of sinne is death and that he principally Rom 6.23 intends eternall death in that place is clear by the life to which it is opposed The gift of God is eternall life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Quest 19. verse 17. Whether Adam was created mortal or Whether Adam was mortall before his eating of the forbidden fruit Neg. As appears by the threat pronounced Resp against him In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt die the death 'T is said of God Who onely hath immortality Object 1 Tim. 6.16 A thing may be said to be immortall severall Resp wayes 1. Simply and independently immortall omni modo in every respect and so is that Scripture to be understood Who onely hath immortality 2. Immortal secundùm substantiam in regard of its substance there are some beings that are segregated from matter and corporeity and are not è potentiâ Materiae Educti as the Learned phrase it as Angels and rationall soules now these though they are not immortall simply and independently yet they are so as I may phrase it substantially 3. Immortal by the power and mercy of God or immortal by the power and justice of God the power and justice of God given immortality to the bodies of the damned in hel and the power and goodnes of God gives immortality to the bodies of the Saints in
glory now these though mortal and corruptible substantialy yet are immortal and incorruptible by the power justice and goodnesse of God 4. Immortal ex hypothesi when a thing may be said to be mortal in regard of its constitution yet immortall upon this supposition if it continue in its obedience and in this sense Adam was created immortal So that Adam in the state of innocency might be said to be mortal in regard of the composure of his body immortal because he had potentiam non moriendi a possibility not to die Yet we must consider there was a great deale of difference between the mortality of Adams body in the sense before mentioned before the fall and after the fall the one was natural the other contracted by sinne Before the fall he might be said to be mortal because he had a posse mori he might die after the fall he might be said to be mortal because he had a non posse non mori he must die The Arguments of the Socinians whereby they would prove Adam to be mortal in regard of his body and the composure of it we are ready to grant and yet keepto our principle that Adam was not created mortall The Arguments brought by the Socinians against this truth are these Adam dyed not the death of the body Arg. 1 or a naturall death when he had sinned therefore the death of the body was not inflicted upon his person for sinne but was the consequent of his nature Though Adam dyed not a naturall death Resp 1 yet he was presently made subject or liable unto death the sentence was past upon him though the sentence was not executed upon him We count a malefactour cast at the barre a dead man though reprieved the present stroke of death a man that hath received a deadly wound we account a dead man though he live for some time after Though death it selfe did not instantly seize upon him yet the symptoms of death did as feare shame pains distempers sweat wearinesse c. Adam and Eve before the fall were to Arg. 2 encrease and multiply but those that are immortall do not beget children as not suitable to their state of immortality Luke 20.35 They that shall be accounted worthy to obtain the immortal state and the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage Our Saviour speaketh there of the Resp immortality of Glory not of the immortality of the state of Innocency That there is a difference between these two is easie to perceive the one is absolute the other conditionall An earthly man is a mortal man the first Arg. 3 man of the earth earthly 1 Cor. 15. 47 An earthly sinfull man and mortall are terms convertible not an earthly man and Resp mortall Adam was to eat and drink and this Arg. 4 was not suitable to a state of immortality This was not suitable to the state of immortality Resp in Glory but suitable enough to the state of immortality in innocency Positâ Causá ponitur Effectus now Composition Arg. 5 is the Cause of corruption There was the Cause of mortality in Resp mans body but of mortality in potentia remota not in potentia proxima for at present there was no consumption of the parts no fighting nor disorder among the Elements nor should this have been reduced into act had it not been for mans sin let it not seem strange that datur potentia quae non reducatur in actum There is a power in God to make ten thousand worlds which notwithstanding shal never be made and so his power not reduced into act Quest 20. vers 17. Whether death was inflicted on man as a punishment for sin Affir This appears by the threat pronounced Resp this verse In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely dye All punishment is from God But death Object is not from God but from man Death is not à Deo effectore Death is not Resp from God in regard of creation but it is God from in regard of ordination That which is homini naturale naturall to man that cannot be the punishment of Object sin man was compleat in regard of his naturals in the state of innocency Naturale or that which is naturall may be taken two manner of wayes Resp Propriè for that which is essentiale naturae essential to nature as to understand to will to desire now we say essentiale semper competit and therefore in this sense death is not naturall Impropriè for those things which do adhere to corrupt nature because of sin and are propagated with it as diseases death it selfe in this sense we say that death is naturall or we call it naturall death Christ hath delivered us from all that Object punishment which the sinne of Adam did contract and deserve but Christ hath not delivered us from death godly dye as well as ungodly beleevers as well as infidels therefore death was not inflicted as a punishment for sin Christ hath delivered his people from whatsoever is evil in death he hath taken away Resp 1 al that from death which is punishment or annoyance though death be not taken away death to believers is become gaine a sweet refreshing sleep the day-break of eternall glory He will take it away wholly at last Oh death where is thy sting Oh grave where is thy Victory Christ at present hath taken away the sting of death and hereafter he will take away its Victory Quest. 20. verse 18. How are we to understand that speech It is not good for man to be alone God creaed man alone and Moses saith that all that God made was very good We may answer it thus non bonum is not in Resp 1 this place as much as malum The meaning is not It is not good for man to be alone viz. it is evil dishonest or sinful for man to be alone but it is not good viz. 't is not expedient bonum est honestum utile jucundum We may answer it thus and advance further solitude was not onely good for man when he was first created but also expedient so long as it pleased God he should be in such a condition although it was not expedient he should continue in it because of the propagation of mankind and of the Church of God which God had determined from eternity for the advancement of his own glory Quest 21. verse 18. It is said here It is not good for man to be alone and yet 1 Cor. 7. 1. the Apostle sayes It is good for a man not to touch a woman In the one place Moses speaks of a specifical good or the good of the kinde in the Resp other place the Apostle speaks of a personal good of the good of some particular persons and in some speciall cases as in the case of persecution one in a single condition may better suffer persecution then one in a married condition But is not here a Scripture to justifie a Object
and then we must affirme corpore infici posse spiritum which is an absurdity for 1. Though the truth of this axiome be taken for granted that Corpus non potest agere in spiritum yet I conceive we may demurre to it For though it should be assented unto that this could not be done by the power of nature yet it may be done by the efficacy and power of divine ordination Especially if we consider what a strict union there is between the soul and the body and that according to the various disposition and affecton of the body the soul also is variously affected and disposed We finde by experience that children resemble their parents not onely in their countenance and the outward lineaments of their body but in their manners and inward habiliments of their mind We finde that the soul in a great measure followes the temper of the body and that the spirits humors organs of the body being vitiated and disordered there followes upon this frenzy Melancholy passion and the like The Learned say Potentia materiae est duplex 1. Naturalis quae educibilis est in actum vi alicujus agentis naturalis There is a naturall power in that which that materiall or corporeall which is educible into act by vertue of a naturall agent that is to say wood hath a naturall power to receive heat viz. vi naturalis agentis scilicet ignis 2. Obedientialis an obediential power which is educible into act by vertue of a superior agent this wood or stone hath an obediential power to be formed into astatue for this is not effected by a natural agent which doth necessariò agere but by vertue of an Artist such a power also hath the soul to receive spiritual gifts the supernatural gifts of the Spirit as faith hope c. We say the work of conversion is possibile naturae though impossibile naturâ possible to nature though impossible to be wrought by a natural power Obediential power of a subject to receive a new form puts not any causall power in the thing or matter to be changed all such power is without viz. in the efficient there is onely a power of reception in the thing or matter not a power of causality Now we may take into consideration whether vi superioris agentis corpus may not agere in spiritum To this I might adde the consideration of the fire of hell which for ought I can learne may be material and yet can tâ—rment spirits as calor naturalis hath two properties 1. Calefacere to make warme and this it acts of it selfe 2. Alimentum in debitas partes distribuere To convey nourishment into the severall parts of the body and this it acts as an instrument of the soule so Hel-fire may be considered in its selfe and so it burnes bodies or as an instrument of divine wrath and so it torments spirits 2. Be it granted that the soule is created pure by God and that it cannot be tainted by the body yet it may be polluted ratione suppositi by Gods ordination and appointment as it is the soul of a man son and heir of corrupt Adam If you aske me Supposing this be taken for granted that we are defiled upon the account of divine ordination as a punishment inflicted by God on man for his apostasie by what instrument or second cause this is effected or brought to passe I answer that as there is nothing more secret then the forming of the child in the wombe the union of the soul with the body and the manner how it is united thereunto so this also must needs be a secret by he mediation of what instrument or second cause man comes to be defiled There are also other Objections urged against the doctrine of the creation of the soul It seems not to suit with the justice and Obj. 2 goodnesse of God to shut up a pure and innocent soul into a stincking prison and to thrust it as it were into abridewell that it might be corrupted there The consequence is to be deny'd for he Resp 1 may be said to act unjustly that acts contrary to what he is bound to do according to principles of justice but God is not bound to infuse the soules of the sonnes of Adam who sinned in Adam and merited thereby eternall death into pure bodies But rather the contrary according to the curse In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt dye the death We say that God doth infuse a pure soul into an impure body as the phrase may vulgarly be taken for that would imply that our souls before they were united to our bodies were pure which suits not with our principles formerly mentioned Causa causae est etiam causa causatâ— Obj. 3 The cause of the cause is also the cause of that which is caused by that cause viz. if God be the cause of the union of the soul with the body therefore he is the cause of that sinne that is occasioned by that union This rule is to be understood de causis Resp perse not de causis per accidens viz. God is the cause of his divine Law the Law is the cause of sinne per accidens as the Apostle I was alive without the Law once but when the Commandment came sin revived and I Rom. 8.9 died Yet no man will from thence conclude that God was the cause of sin How can Originall sin be propagated Obj. 4 and not the soul Non potest accidens traduci sine subjecto Accidents do frequently transire à subjecto Resp 1 in subjectum non transeunte subjecto as for instance heresie is propaged in these dayes and derived from one to another but so is not the soul which is the subject of these errours The same numericall accident cannot transire à subjecto in subjectum but so may the same in kind as appeares in the former instance Quest 5. vers 4. According to what space of time the yeares of the Patriarchs were measured The great age of the Patriarchs hath Resp enclined some to believe that their yeares did not containe the same space of time with those after the flood and with ours to this day Indeed we read of two periods of time especially by the ancients called yeares 1. There was annus solaris or that which they called their solar yeare which was the same with ours and contained 12. moneths Now this yeare was called solaris because it was measured by the Suns passing through the Zodiack 2. There was annus lunaris or that which they call their lunar yeares the same with our moneth or thereabouts now this was called Lunaris because it is measured by the Moons passing through the Zodiack Some think that the yeares of the Patriarchs were Lunar yeares The dayes of Adam were eight hundred yeares that is say Gen. 5.4 they eight hundred moneths c. Now this cannot in any case be allowed for these reasons 1. Enoch begat children at 65. yeares
religion on those who succeeded Let the consideration of the frailty of our bodies teach us to consult for the good of our immortall soules We may observe many times it so falles out that our rational life is best when our vegetative is worst and we begin to grow in wisdome when we cease to grow in strength As it is with the rationall life so it should be with the spirituall when the life of the flesh is ready to dye the spiritual life should have so much the more spirit and vigour Quest 8. V. 24. It is said in this verse that Enoch was not for God tooke him now the question here may be whether Enoch was translated in soule and body or whether in soule only c Some thinke that Enoch was translated Resp in soule only and not in body and they say he died in the translation so as his soule only was taken up to heaven and his body slept in the earth I shall propound their arguments and give you the answers rendered thereunto No mortall body unglorified can enter Argu. 1 into heaven But there is no mention of his glorification Ergo. It is a slender kinde of arguing to say that Resp 1 a thing is not scriptural because it is not expressely mentioned in the Scripture The glorification of his body is plainly implied though not expressed for it is said he was translated that he should not see death Heb. 11.5 Now if his body saw not death it was made immortall which is a speciall part of glorification If the bodies of Enoch and Elias were translated Argu. 2 into heaven then it will follow that some ascended into heaven before Christ ascended thither But this seemes not to be allowed for heaven to us as Paradise to Adam was shut up till Christ opened it by hsme rits We readily grant that the opening of Resp 1 heaven the celestiall Paradise is to be ascribed to the merits of Christ We confidently deny that heaven was then only opened when Christ actually suffered or ascended up into heaven and we cannot but peremptorily assert that the force and efficacy of the merits of Christ extended to Old Testament-Saints long before Christs coming in the flesh for the Lord Jesus was a Lambe slain from the foundation of the world Christ the same yesterday to day and for ever and our Fathers under Old Testament-dispensations ate the same spiritual meat and drank the same spiritual drink as we do under the Gospel viz. the body of Christ crucified and his blood shed for the remission of sinnes and these things though they were future to hope yet they were present to faith which is the Substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seene From Joh. 3.13 And no man hath ascended Arg. 3 up to heaven but he that came downe from heaven even the Son of man which is in heaven By which words say some is signified that no man bodily ascended into heaven untill the time of Christs ascension This place is to be expounded Metaphorically Resp No man hath ascended into heaven so as to know the secrets of the Almighty and to lie in the bosome of the Father but onely Christ and indeed the context gives great light to this Exposition for the Lord Jesus would by this convince Nicodemus that he was more able to teach him heavenly mysteries then all the Doctors among the Jewes as you may perceive by vers 11. and 12. Verily I say unto thee We speak that we do know and â—estifie that we have seenâ— c. And besides Prov. 30. 4. Ascending up into heaven is made all one with the knowing of holy things From Heb. 6.20 Where Christ is called Arg. 4 the forerunner And Christ saith John 14. I go to prepare a place for you Therefore before Christs death and ascension a place was not prepared Christ might be called a forerunner Resp 1 in respect of those who died after his ascension Christ might be called the forerunner of his Saints under the Old Testament in regard of the effiâ—acy of his merits That a place was prepared for Old Testament-Saints by Christ but with respect to his future sufferings and merits and therefore though a place might be said to be prepared for Enoch and Elias yet it was necessary Christ should die and Christ should ascend From Col. 1.15 where Christ is called Arg. 5 the first-borne of every creature and verse 18. in all things to have the preeminence and Rom. 8.29 he is called the first-born among many brethren The primogeniture of Christ doth not Resp consist in this that no man either in regard of body or soul or both ascended into heaven before Christs coming in the flesh but in this that no man hath nor shall ever come thither but by the vertue and efficacy of his merits As Christ is called the first-fruits of them that sleep not because none arose 1 Cor. 15. â—0 before Jesus Christ but because he alone arose by his owne power and is the cause of the resurrection of all those that have or shall arise unto glory sâ— here Christ alone ascended into heaven by his owne power and is the cause of the ascension of his people unto glory To whom be glory for ever Amen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 FINIS Directions FOR The right understanding Of the SCRIPTURES 1. Rule THere are tropes or figurative expressions which are made use of by the Spirit of God in the Scriptures which if not warâ—ly observed will occasion a misunderstanding of the text The Scriptures are adorned with various kinds of Elegancies and Rhetoricall expressions demulcere animos legentis Amongst many others I shall instance in two 1. The figure called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a figure whereby one thing is signified by two severall Noune substantives As The Lord will create upon every dwelling place of Mount Sion and upon her assemblies a cloud aâ—d smoke by day viz. a smoaky cloud Isa 4. 5 So I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance but he that cometh after me is Mat. 3.11 mightier then I whose shoes I am not worthy to beare he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire viz. with the holy Ghost as with fire Sad consequences may follow upon the literall Interpretation of this Scripture I have read that the Abyseni tooke this text literally and when they baptized their children they poured water upon them and then marked them with an hot iron 2. The figure called Ironia whereby we speak one thing and meane another but signifie our meaning either by our gesture or manner of speaking this manner of speech though it be often abused unto sinne as in deriding and scorning our brethren yet is in it selfe lawfull if rightly used and of this we have example in the Scriptures Such a speech was that of Michaiah to wicked Ahab Go up and prosper If this figure were not 1 King 22. 15 observed we might question the