them to go with boldness to the Throne of Grace For we have not an High Priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities but was in all things tempted like as we are yet without sin Let us therefore come boldly unto the Throne of Grace that we may obtain Mercy and find Grace to help in time of need Luther hath often this Direction to praying ones that are at a loss how to go to God Go to the Man Christ and Pray to the Man Christ And without doubt the Man Christ may be and should be and is worshiped in conjunction with the Deity though our Worship is terminated upon the Deity Use 1. If Christ is now a Man in Heaven O let our Minds and Affections be raised thither from off the World and all things therein Col. 3.1 If you then be risen with Christ in Regeneration as Members of the Head seek those things that are above Seeking denotes intensness and vehemency of Mind where Christ sitteth on the Right-hand of God Set your Affections on things Above not on things on the Earth By things on the Earth he chiefly means Ceremonies Traditions of Men Works of the Law which he is pleading against in the point of Justification You may put in the Light within or any other thing that any other Religion pleads for They are all but things below on the Earth but Christ is not there He is Risen and gone into Heaven and is at the Right-hand of God in Power and Glory interceding Our Hearts and Affections should be there all our happiness being treasured up in him and while we are here we should be as Pilgrims and Strangers longing to be with him and till that time come we should be conforming our selves to him Luke 12.34 For where your Treasure is there will your hearts be also Now Christ is our Treasure in the Heavens infinitely full of Spiritual Riches God is in Christ in Heaven the fullness of the God-head dwells in him Besides this as he is Man the sweetest man that ever was full of Grace and Truth O let us love him adore him trust in him long to be with him for he is worthy Let our mindes be taken off these poor low nothings not so much looking after them and seting our affections on them Christ is the best thing of all other good things are for his sake Paul therefore said He desired to depart and to be with Christ which is best To see him face to face to behold his Glory What on Earth comparable to this let us look and pray for power and virtue from him to raise our minds and affections up unto him Use 2. See what an Error of the Wicked it is to deny this Truth in which is wrapt up so much of the Comfort of the Saints It is in a manner denying the whole Christan Religion How can the Quakers be Christians that have said in my hearing That what was taken of the Virgin and that was the Body had now no more being 2 Pet. 3.17 18. Te therefore beloved seeing ye know these things before beware lest ye also being led away with the Error of the Wicked fall from your own stedfastness But grow in Grace and in the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ To him be Glory both now and for ever Amen Postscript THere is a Pamphlet printed by Christopher Taylor a Quaker Entituled A true and faithful Witness to the Light At the end whereof there is a Post script charging me with base Lies and Reflections the weakness and impertinency whereof is a sufficient Confutation of it self to any judicious Reader and I have been counselled by my Friends to slight it by silence as that which hath nothing in it that is worthy of Animadversion But not to gratifie that boasting humour that this Man C. T. and all others of them are highly prone to when any thing of theirs lyeth at our door unanswered though to this day my whole Book is at their door unanswered I thought good to give this brief Reply There are Five Principal things to wave all the bitter Invectives against me that are mentioned 1. That I charged Christopher Taylor that he said That the Doctrine of Election was a Devilish Damnable and Blasphemous Doctrine This be this a notorious Lie Answ I offer at any time two substantial Witnesses to prove that he said it if he dares come to the tryal and that no such thing was affirmed by me viz. That God ordained men to be wicked before they were born God ordaineth to effect nothing but what is good He willeth to permit evil by denying Grace which would prevent it yet this evil is from a mans self and God is not the author of it because he doth not effect it How can God be the Efficient Cause of that which is a privation Can the Sun be the cause of Darkness yet Darkness is the Consequent of the Suns with drawing If Christopher Taylor pleaseth I will enter the Lists with him to make good this Assertion That there is no Evil in the World but the Lord willeth to permit it The second thing is viz. Christopher T. with others contended against Original sin To which he saith That the Devil is the Original of sin in Mankind and that be understands not how Infants can be guilty of sin in the Womb. Nay he saith That it is a cruel unnatural Doctrine to condemn Innocents as be calls them yea an ungodby uncharitable Doctrine c. Answ That the Devil is the Original of sin in Mankind i.e. the first tempter to sin is a Doctrine we learned from Moses not from the Quakers But what is this ad rem Ergo There is no Original sin except it be the Devil A strange Argument By Original sin we mean the Birth-sin that which man brings with him into the world is from his first beginning and Original and contracted from him that was the Original of Mankind the first Man Adam and is the Original of all actuall sin That all Infants have this sin upon them I will prove from the Scriptures against C. T. and the rest of the Quakers only let it be observed that my Charge is true by his own Confession there in Print I give but three Scriptures Rom. 5.12 In whom i.e. the first Man all have sinned Then Infants they are in him naturally Nevertheless Death reigned from Adam to Moses even over them that had not finned of-the similitude of Adams Transgression Verse 14. These are Infants here spoke of that had not actually finned as Adam yet Death reigned over them though they had not actually transgressed Moses Law as in the Verse before is implied How cometh it to pass that Death is inflicted upon Infants if they have no sin Nay violent Death Is there any unrighteousness with God in Rom. 5. And Death by sin Were there any Infants drowned in the Deluge or any burned in the fire in Sodom and Gomorrah
High Priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our Infirmities but was in all points tempted as we are He that was in all points tempted as we are and so can be touched with the feeling of our Infirmities that same is our High Priest now passed into the Heavens and that must needs be as to his Manhood for his Godhead was not capable of such temptations Phil. 3. From whence that is from Heaven we look for the Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ who shall change our vile Body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious Body We see plainly from this Scripture that Christ hath a Body and that it is now in Heaven from thence it shall come when the time is according to the Faith and Expectation of the Saints Here followeth the Properties of this Manhood of Christ from what hath been spoken and what may be spoke 1. IT is a real and true Body as any man on earth hath It is not as some have thought an Aerial Body or so a Spiritual that it remains not still a humane Body it is that very Flesh and Bons that Thomas felt and the Disciples felt and handled 2. It hath the same Form and Figure that it had when here upon Earth else how could the Disciples know him after the Resurrection which is a glorious state of the Body 3. It is now since the Ascension the Object of Sense It is visible hath been seen with the bodily Eye and may be seen Stephen its evident saw the Body of Christ and Paul saw him with his bodily Eye 1 Chr. 15.18 Last of all I saw him and at length Every eye shall see him coming in the Clouds of Heaven Rev. 1.7 4. It is a smite body if it were infinite it would be God and not Man so then there would be another God in time that was not before because another infinite being and that must needs be God Moreover if Infinity can be attributed to it why not Omnisciency Incorporiety Simplicity and so all of Gods Attributes for where any one of Gods Incommunicable Properties is ascribed there all the rest may be 5. It is then circumscribed it must be still in some one certain Place or other not limited or confined to any one Place or corner as it were of Heaven but still in one place or other in the highest Heavens If Bodies are not some where circumscribed they cease to be Bodies and so are no where and so not at all 6. It is an immortal an incorruptible impatable Body Such thoughts we ought to have of it not that it can suffer any thing now but that it did suffer and so Christ knows how to pitty us and doth pitty us neither Death nor Corruption can come upon this Body it saw Death before but no Corruption 7. It is a very glorious Body Phil. 3. Like unto his glorious Body How gloriously it is represented and painted out to us by Daniel and John in the Revelations more bright than a thousand Suns 8. The Saints may do and ought to worship the Humane Nature of Christ in union with the Deity we do not worship it by it self apart nor for it self but as in union with the Deity this is the last term of our Worship with one and the same Worship we worship him that is God and Man but the cause and foundation of that Worship is the Deity He received worship from several when he was here on the Earth in the Flesh John worshiped him in the Visions he had as appears in the Book of the Revelations and there we read likewise that the Angels and Elders round about the Throne fell down and worshipped the Lamb that was Christ 9. This Flesh of Christ this Humane Nature is such as giveth Life to our Souls in quickening of us to Righteousness to our Bodies in the Resurrection State to Souls and Bodies Eternal Life at last in Heaven Except you eat my Flesh and drink my Blood saith Christ John 6.53 you have no Life in you Likewise the Scripture saith Our Life is hid with Christ in God Now how is the Flesh of Christ a Life procuring Flesh 1. As the material Cause of Life Sin the Cause of temporal spiritual and eternal Death was expiated in the Flesh of Christ Rom. 8.3 And for sin condemned sin in the Flesh By the offering of the Flesh of Christ sin was taken away so that Righteousness and Eternal Life we may say was and is in the flesh of Christ i. e. in a way of merit it is quickning Flesh 2. It is quickning Flesh as it is secondarily an efficient Cause of Life Christ as Man doth concur to the quickning of his Members us he is a Man he giveth forth of his Treasures and spiritual Riches and this Life is a great part of these Traasures and Riches But now there is a different Action in this efficiency of the Flesh of Christ and a different way of working then when we are said to be quickned by the Deity Christ as Man now he is in Heaven quickneth efficiently First by his Intercession the virtue of his Sacrifice pleads for this and obtains this Life for us Secondly Because he hath a Will as he is Man that we should be quickned Thirdly As he obtaines the Spirit by which we are Regenerated and Faith by which we are united to that Fesh of his Fourthly When we are thus 〈…〉 to us his Flesh and what is in that Flesh 〈…〉 and Eternal Life Thus we are quickned by the Flesh of Christ it is the Organ of the Deity but so as it is an understanding living Organ of the Eternal Word in 〈…〉 ther◠and it hath or proper actions of own 〈…〉 Actions of the Deity Yet it is the Actions of the Deity that perfects all good for us and in us The Actions of the Humanity compleat nothing without this There must be Blood and there was Blood there is the Humanity but then this Blood is the Blood of God Act. 20.28 that gives the virtue and energy to it thus the Flesh in John 6.63 profiteth nothing i.e. alone but in Conjunction with the Deity we have all Life from it Objections against this Truth Answered 1. Object The Apostle faith Ephes 4.10 That be ascended far about all Heavens Therefore Christ is not in Heaven in his Manhood Answ Therefore Christ as to his Manhood is not in any of these Visible Heavens for he passed through these and went into that invisible most supream Heaven the Heaven of Heavens as it is called far above the other Heavens Psal 68. It is said He ascended on high which interprets this place or far above all Heavens i. e. all heavenly Powers all Angelical Nature and Perfection he is above them all 2. Object It 's said in Ephes 4.10 That he might fill all things How then is he contained in Heaven if so he then is every where and as some Jay in every man Answer This filling all
so here this was reserved till now for the honour of Christ Therefore Verse 10. it 's said He ascended that be might fill all things i.e. all the Church with the power and virtue of the Spirit Therefore he said upon his departure It is expedient that I go away if I go not away the Comforter will not come with you but if I depart I will send him unto you John 16.7 You see to deny Christ to be a Man in Heaven is to rob the Church of the great Gift of the Spirit of God it self and all the Gifts thereof Reason 4. To deny Christ to be now a Man in Heaven it is to deny Christ to be King and Lords it is to deny Christ's Rule Power Authority and Dominion Psal 110. Sit thou at my Right-hand this must be spoke as to Christ's Man-hood as to his God-head he had alway Majesty and Power it follows till I make thine Enemies thy foot-stool This sitting at Gods Right-hand is called reigning 2 Cor. 15. He must reign till all his Enemies become his Foot-stool It 's spoke of in Ephes 1.20 And set him at his own right-hand that must be as to his Man-hood far above all Principalities and Powers and Might and Dominion and every Name that is named not only in this World but in that which is to come Vers 21. And hath put all things under his feet and gave him to be Head over all things to the Church Phil. 2. Hath highly exalted him This must be as Man And given him a Name above every name that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow So in this place of Peter He is gone into the Heavent and is at the Right Hand of God Angels Authorities and Powers being made subject to him It is very comfortable for the Saints to consider that Christ is exalted on purpose to sit as King to Rule over all the Enemies of the Church Death and Devils for their good gathering his Saints by degrees to himself and that at length all the Governments of this World will be subservient to him Acts 2.36 God hath made that same Jesus both Lord and Christ You may see by the scope he was thus upon his Ascension in vers 34. Christ was Lord before but now was there a clearer manifestation of it his Manhood being exalted now from hence is our defence and safety in our Warfare Reason 5. It is to deny Christ Jesus his second coming and being Judge of the World Acts 17.31 Because he bath appointed a day in which he will judge the World in righteousness by that Man whom he hath ordained wherefore he hath given assurance unto all men in that he hath raised him from the Dead He hath ordained the Man Christ to be Judge and that Man that was raised from the dead Acts 1.11 It 's there said This same Jesus which is taken up from you into Heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into Heaven Now he went away Visibly so he shall come Therefore Rev. 1. Every eye shall see him i. e. every eye of Man He cannot be seen with a Carnal Eye as to his Deity and the wicked cannot see him with a spiritual Eye How then shall every Eye see him but in the sence we speak Heb. 9. Vlt. So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many And unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without fin to salvation Observe he that was offered will appear Now he was offered as to his Man-hood Matth. 24. They shall see the Son of Man coming in the Clouds of Heaven Isa 40.5 All flesh shall see his Glory Now this is sweet to the Saints to consider that we shall be judged by Christ our Saviour Reason 6. If Christ hath not now a Humane Nature then hath he no Sympathy with his Members in their Afflictions But Christ hath a fellow-feeling with his People in all their straits Heb. 4.15 For we have not an High Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our Infirmities but was in all points tempted like as we are yet without sin He had all our Infirmities when here upon Earth Hunger Thirst Weariness Sorrow Fear and Dread of Death but without Sin and he had them for this end that he might know how to pitty us in our State he being now gone into Heaven and having the same Soul and Body in which he suffered these things he remembers how it was with him here upon Earth therefore he gives the Reason of this Pitty and Compassion because he was in all points 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in or through all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which Bez◠renders similiter For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 like as we are To the same purpose doth the same Apostle speak Chap. 2.17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his Brethren that he might be a merciful and faithful High Priest If he hath not now a Humane Nature in Heaven he doth not retain these two Essential Qualities of an High Priest viz. Mercifulness and faithfulness Now those that deny this would rob us of this sweet Consideration in our Afflictions in our Poverty Sorrows Imprisonments Hurries and Temptations by Satan Why Christ was poor in this World hurried up and down by the Devil suffered the Contradictions of sinners abused by wicked Men afraid of Death in an Agony forsaken of God and is now gone into Heaven in that same Humane Nature in which he felt these things and remembers how it was with him and hath a fellow-feeling with us and pittieth us Hence came that Voice of his from Heaven when Saul was making Havock of the Church Saul Saul Why persecutest thou me Lose not this Comfort Reason 7. The Consideration of the Man-hood of Christ now in Heaven doth give a boldness and access in Prayer God hath rendred himself much more familiar to us this way We are very apt to be swallowed up with the abstracted thoughts of the Deity we being poor ones full of infirmities know not how to bear the Majesty and Glory of the Son of God But now we draw near with boldness and Pray with more sweetness where we know that He to when we pray is Man as well as God It was a great help and comfort to the Jews that they had a Priest that was a Brother one of themselves that was to Pray for them and Offer for them that was familiar with them and they could have access unto him Now the Apostle having to do with them in this Epistle to the Hebrews lest they should be confounded with the thoughts of the Majesty of the Deity of the Son of God having asserted that he was very God and all the Angels worshiped him tells them withall That he took Flesh and Blood and was a Brother one of us in the latter end of the second Chapter And thereupon in the last Verse of Chap. 4. he encourageth