AN EXACT COLLECTION OF THE WORKS OF Doctor Iackson P. of C. C. C. Oxon Such as were not Published before CHRIST EXERCISING HIS EVERLASTING PRIESTHOOD Mans Freedom from Servitude to Sin effected by Christ sitting at the Right Hand of God and there Officiating as a most Compassionate High-priest in behalf of Sinners OR A TREATISE OF THAT KNOWLEDGE of CHRIST which Consists in the true Estimate or Experimental Valuation of his Death Resurrection and Exercise of his Everlasting Sacerdotal Function in the Heavenly Sanctuarie where he now sitteth at the Right Hand of God the Father THIS ESTIMATE Cannot be rightly made without a Right Understanding of the Primaeval State of Adam Of the Nature of Sin How it first came How it still comes into the World Of Mans Servitude unto Sin Of Free-will How we are sett Free by Christ Of Mortification Election Reprobation All which with other Considerable particulars as of the Use of Reason and Arts in Controversies of Divinitie of Baptism the Lords Supper c. are As an Introduction to Christs Priesthood discoursed on in this Tenth Book of Comments on the Creed AND VSEFVLL TABLES ADDED Verily Verily He that committeth Sin is the Servant of Sin If the Son make you Free then ye shall be Free indeed LONDON Printed by R. Norton for Timothie Garthwait at the little North-Door of S. Pauls Church 1654. THE PREFACE To the Christian and Considerate Reader Grace Mercy c. AS to the Great Richness and Goodly Number of This Author's Writings I shall not here say much having spoken most of what I had to say anent Those two Points in The Account or Preface set before the First Volume of His Workes Printed in Folio the last year And yet Thus much I shall say That I am dayly more and more confirmed in my Judgement There passed upon them being likewise perswaded of This That though it be but the Addition of one Single Unitie to the former Number of his Bookes yet will it prove a Multiplyed Accession of Degrees to the weight and excellency of them I shall perhaps better gratifie The Reader if I can present unto his View any Observables worthy his Notice Concerning the Method and References both of This present and Those his other writings published in His Life-Time And such as I think may be usefull do here follow 1. Of this Great Author's Bookes of Commentaries upon the Creed with their Respective Appendices The Five First I Beleive in God viz. The 1 2 3. Of the Eternal Truth of Scripture c. The 4. Of Justifying Faith The 5. Of the Original of Unbeleif Misbeleif c. Relate unto or Explicate the first Words of the First Article of The Creed 2. His Sixt Book being A Treatise of the Divine Essence and Attributes to which append his Sermons upon 2. God The Father Almighty maker of Heaven and Earth Chron. 6. 39. upon Jeremie 26. 29. His Treatise of the Signes of The Times and his Sermon upon Luke 21. 1. Referres to the next words of The Creed Now if any shall Object That nigh the One Half of these Treatises and Sermons too are about Divine Providence of which there is no explicit mention in the Creed The Answer is readie and easie So they ought to be it was meet and right they should be so The Good God that made the world with all the comely Ornaments and rich Furniture thereof did neither leave it to it self so soon as it was made nor transmit the Tuition of it to a Guardian or Locum-Tenens but ever did and still doth keep the Government in That Hand which with so great wisdom made the same And His verie Title 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 His Son our Saviour's Words Pater meus adhuc operatur teach us to depend upon and trust unto his Constant Providence and support for Conservation And This as a Clew leads or as a Terminus Communis Couples our Faith to his Creative power 3. His Two Sermons the Former of them Call'd Bethlehem and Nazareth upon Jeremie 31. 22. The later upon Galat. 4. 4. enstyled Mankinds Comfort from the weaker sex His Treatise entituled Christ's Answer to Iohn's Question or An Introduction to the Knowledge of Christ His 7. Book of Commentaries upon the Creed Call'd The Knowledge of Christ Jesus Containing The Principles of Christian Theologie And in Jesus Christ his onely Son our Lord which was Conceived by the the Holy Ghost Born of the Virgin Mary qua Talis Christ's Eternal Sonship his Conception Birth and Circumcision in the Fulness of Time being if not the intire Subject yet the Main Scope of these last mentioned parcels respectively referre to that Portion of The Creed wherein we avouch our Faith in The Son of God our Lord Jesus Christ incarnate 4. The Subject of this Great Author's Eighth Book of Commentaries upon The Apostles Creed enstyled Suffered under Pontius Pilate was Crucified Dead and Buried The Humiliation of the Son of God is the same God and our Lord who was conceived by The Holy Ghost and born of the Virgin Marie And The Scope of it is to shew That HEE according to the Scripture before Extant 5. His ninth Book Of the Consecration of the Son of God to his Everlasting Priesthood whereof His Agonie and Bloody Death His Rest in the Grave and in this Authors private opinion see Book 8. pag. 385 He descended into Hell the third day he rose again from the Dead He ascended into Heaven His descension into Hell His Resurrection and Ascension were Respectively the several Giests or Moments some as preparations others as Continuations some as Accomplishments others as Consequents Lookes back somewhat towards the former and forward somewhat toward these Later particulars of the Creed 6. All the Tracts or Books mentioned in the three last Paragraphs for those be They which Directly Destinately and Immediately treat of Christian Theologie qua Talis make but up The First and more Easie Part of The Knowledge of Christ And This to use the Author 's own words Consists in the display of that most admirable Harmonie which ariseth from the Concent of Prophetical with Evangelical Writings or from the Correspondencie of Parallels between Matters of Fact recorded in the Old Testament and the Events answering in proportion to them in the New 7 This Tenth Book not published till now is addressed to The Second part of The Knowledge of Christ which Consists in the True Experimental Valuation of His Vndertakings for mans Redemption viz. Of His taking upon Himself the Form of a Servant of His Death Resurrection and Ascension Of all which several steps or progresses of His O Economie as also of the whole Volume of His other whether Actings or Sufferings for us The most precious Beneficial Effects and saving Influences are Actually and only Derived unto us by the Continued Acts and Constant Exercise of His Everlasting Priesthood executed dayly in The Heavenly Sanctuarie by Him there Sitting
was tainted by tasting or eating of it For of it he did eate as much as Evah did if not more though she were more in the transgression because she had plucked it from the tree And I cannot conjecture any ground why any ingenuous Reader of the sacred Story should peremptorily reject this opinion which I for my poore talent in Divinite hold in some better esteem then a meere or probable conjecture No Article of Christian Faith it is though we should suppose Faith it self to be no more then an Opinion yet to be admitted into the List of piè Credibilia or to be ranked amongst such opinions as may be more piously and more safely beleeved then peremptorily rejected or derided The Consequence of this Opinion or Supposition is That Adam did become his own Executioner Or as the Canonists speak incidere in Canonem did absolutely inflict that punishment upon himself unto which his Creator had but conditionally sentenced him Gen. 2. 17. But of the Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evill thou shalt not eat of it for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely dye There was no Necessity Laid upon him by his Creator that he should eat of it but such a peremptory Restraint or Command to the Contrary that whensoever he did eat of it Death should necessarily follow And so it did for Mortality and Corruption did enter into his Nature with the Figg or Apple which he tasted not only upon the same day wherein he tasted it but in the very same moment And the same mortality and corruption are propagated to all his Sons from the first moment or point of time wherein they begin to be his Sons Or more briefly The Forbidden Fruit of what sort soever it were did as truly beget or bring forth corruption and Mortality in our Nature as Adam did beget Cain or Evah bring him forth 2. Objections that are or can be made against the former Resolutions answered But it may be and I presume will be Objected That not the Forbidden Fruit only but the whole Tree whereon it grew root and branch were immediately created by God before Adam could taste or eat of it And if it were for specifical quality poysonous or did necessarily taint the whole humane Nature being once tasted of How can either Fruit or Tree be conceived to be any part of Gods six-days-works all of which were very good Or how shall we salve or be able to maintain that Maxim of the Wise man God did not create death Wisd 1. 13. seeing he did create that poysonous Fruit by which our Nature was deadly poysoned Facilis Solutio the answer is ready Albeit deadly poyson be not Good to him that takes it yet that there should be poyson or herbs and fruits in their nature poysonous as well as medicinal or wholsom is and from the beginning was very Good Good likewise it was exceeding Good that the First man should have death as well as Life proposed to his Free or unnecessitatible choice So the whole fault was in himself no part in the fruit which God had forbidden him to eat For he by thus eating of it did chuse death before life And however the fruit which we suppose to have carried deadly poyson with it into his body were immediately created by God Yet that of the Prophet is more remarkably true of our first Parents then of Israel unto whom it was directed Perditio tua ex te O Adam Thou wast the cause of thine own and of our destruction But of our salvation in and through the promised seed Our gratious Creator is the sole Cause and Author Again Albeit Adam did exceeding ill in chusing death before Life yet This in the Consequence by special dispensation of divine Mercy was Good for us Our Nature was not so much wounded or made worse by that unhallowed Food as our persons are bettered and our estate amended by the new Covenant in Christs bloud unlesse we abuse those Talents which our Gratious Creator and Redâ—emer hath given us as Adam did his Were Free choice left unto us which now are living Whether we would accept that estate or Condition of life wherein Adam was created or that which is granted us by the new Covenant in Christs bloud He should commit as great a folly as our First Parents did that would not embrace the later Condition and refuse the Former 3 But for the former Difficulty How more then a Habit of sin an Hereditary disease of nature should be produced by one or two Acts I am afraid some men make it seem a great deal greater then it is more by their own incogitancy then by any positive Argument that can be brought to enlarge or presse it further then at the first sight it appears to every young Student First these men take it not into consideration that our First parents might commit more Actual sins then that One often mentioned before the corruption of nature was propagated to their Successors Besides The Alteration of their diet change of dwelling and air might depresse their nature and dispose then to a deeper degree of Mortality and Corruption then they were subject unto when they were first driven out of Paradise And Paradise for ought we know or can possibly object to the contrary might for many conveniences and conducements to preservation of health whether of body or minde exceed all other habitations as far as Princes Palaces do common Gaoles What further impressions other occurrences besides these mentioned intervenient between our First Parents Grand-sin and the birth of Cain of Seth or others of their Children from whom all the Kindreds of the earth Lineally descended might make in the nature propagated from them or what effects or Symptomes our mother Evah's Longing after the forbidden Fruit might leave in her self or in her Children is unknown to us yet a Point to be considered by such as think it scarce possible for one Act to produce a Habit. This we know in general That the eager Longings of Mothers or distastes or affrightments taken by them do often imprint many hereditary dispositions in their Children And from this original all or most of those strange Antipathies unto meats or drinks in themselves good and wholsome and unto other Live or Livelesse creatures no way noysome do as Learned Physitians resolve us naturally issue Yet no Antipathies in private families can be so perpetually hereditary as those inclinations unto Evil or Antipathies unto goodnesse which proceeded from the First well-head or spring of our Nature to wit from our mother Evah That being once corrupted could not but corrupt the whole current As for Evah's Lusting after whatsoever other unlawful pleasures her Longing after the Fair-seeming Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge we may hence gather to have been very intemperate and exuberant beyond the ordinary size of unruly appetites in that Holiness with sobriety is more specially at Least under more expresse
Reconciliation of mankind to God the Father there had been no election in Christ So that though it be most True that Christ was Agnus occisus ab origine mundi the Lamb slain from the beginning of the World yet was it not necessary from eternity that this Lamb should be slain For Christs death was no more necessary then Adams death or Transgression was Now no man I hope well advised will affirm that God did destinate Adams Transgression as a necessary Means that Christ should dye for so he should make him the Author of sin in Adam before he became the Fountain of Mercy in Christ The Truth then is That Adam having sinned not of necessity but Freely God out of his Free Mercy and Compassion towards man-kind did destinate the Incarnation the Death and Passion of his only Son as the Only Means of our Redemption and Reconciliation to himself And did likewise Destinate the Consecration of his Son by his death unto his everlasting Priesthood as the only means for the accomplishing of our Redemption that is for making our election sure and Absolute As Christs Priesthood is then most unchangeable and most necessary yet was it not necessary from eternity that he should be made a Priest by the suffering of death So our estate of election in him is most Absolute and necessary after we attain unto it yet was it not necessary from eternity that we should attain unto it not absolutely necessary that any should attain unto it but necessary only upon Supposal of Adams Transgression which was no way necessary but Free and Contingent and of Gods infinite wisdom and mercie in sending Christ Jesus our Lord. 16. If no mans Destination or designment to the Absolute State of election in Christ were absolutely necessary from Eternity but necessary only upon the Supposals last made which were not necessary much less was the Designment of any mans Individual nature or Person to the Absolute State of Reprobation or damnation absolutely necessary from Eternity Damnation as all grant is the end of Sin or rather an endlesse misery into which no man can fall but by sin whence if this endless misery had been absolutely necessary from Eternity or Decreed by God as the Goal of any mans Course of life the means likewise or only way by which men come unto this end or Goal must have been by a like degree of necessity destinated and decreed by God and the only way or means by which men come unto this end is sin So that God by this Opinion or Doctrine should have been as Immediate a Cause of Sin and death as he is of the Punishment of sins or of non-Repentance for sins committed And this is Contrary to the fundamental Principles of Christianity of Religion it self By both which we are taught that God as a Righteous Judge is the sole Author of the Decree or Sentence against impenitent sinners but no Cause at all no Author of their sins or Impenitency and therefore no Cause much lesse any necessary Cause of any mans Falling into the Absolute state of Reprobation Our Saviour Christ as then designed to be the Future Judge of quick and dead did pronounce that Woful Sentence against Judas and against him alone for ought we read It were good for that man if he had never been born Judas not Reprobated from Eternity We may hence safely conclude that Judas from that time was in the Absolute State of Reprobation and had now deserved without hope of Pardon this fearfull Sentence as having now resolved in his heart without Remorse or Compunction to betray the Son of God into the hands of sinners He became an Absolute Reprobate by resolving to betray the Son of God he did not resolve to betray the Son of God because he was an Absolute Reprobate from Eternity or from his birth He was not lyable to this wofull Sentence from his birth or in his Infancy for if it had been better for him from his birth or from his calling to the Apostle-ship not to have been born at all or not to have been so called God howsoever most gracious and good in himself had not been good or gracious unto Judas in giving him Being in making him an Apostle seeing it had been much better for him not to have been either a Man or an Apostle if from the time of his Birth or Apostle-ship he had been inevitably designed to the absolute estate of Reprobation to a greater measure of everlasting punishments then other men ordinarily are But the Truth is the greater measure of his punishment did presuppose a greater measure of his unthankfulness the greater measure of his unthankfulness in respect of other men did presuppose a greater measure of Gods Favour and goodness towards him in giving him birth and being in the days of his Sons Incarnation or in calling him to the Fellowship of his Apostles or Ambassadors And thus we come a Thesiad Hypothesin from the general Speculative Truth unto the Particular Use or Application 17. All of us do I am perswaded unfeignedly acknowledge our selves to have been by Naturall birth the Sons of wrath and to be the sons of wrath includes in it some work of Satan wrought not in Adam only but in our Nature Satans work two-fold Sin and Curse which we derive from him and this work of Satan is Twofold Sin Original and the Curse thereunto annexed this Latter Part to wit the Curse must be dissolved by Faith as by the Instrument For he that believeth not saith S. John Chap. 3. ver 36. shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him that is It was upon him from his First Being and rests upon him until it be removed by Faith in the Son of God Now in that this work of Satan that is the Curse due to Sin Original is removed by Faith in the Son of God the Son of God is the Principal Cause or Agent which removes it by his Sacerdotal or Princely Blessing upon our Ministerial Act or Function of Baptism It is a Truth unquestionable especially in the Doctrine of the Church of England that as many as are Baptized are from their Baptism and by their Baptism translated from the Estate or Condition of Sons of wrath to the Estate or Priviledge of the Sons of God This Doctrine of our Church is necessarily grounded upon the Saying of our Apostle Gal. 3. 27. As many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ Now it is impossible that any should put on Christ and not receive him And to as many as receive him saith S. John cap. 1. ver 12. to them he gives power Right or Priviledge to become the Sons of God 18. But here some will demand If all that are Baptized become the sons of God do they not all likewise by this new birth become heires with Christ Yes all that are Sons are likewise Heirs but not therefore un-disinheritable because
Free in respect of some acts operations objects 3088. God is not free in respect of every object ib. 3089 Satan free in choice of particular evils though he hath lost all freedom to good 3089 Freedom and servitude in Collapsed Angels and men unregenerate differ 3090 To use free-will extreamly amisse is not necessary but contingent 3093 Abuse of freedom in not avoiding remoter occasions of sin betraies Men to a kind of necessitie to be overcome by nearer opportunities 3094 Use of vows a proof of freedom 3093 c. What freedom is in the unregenerate man 3092 What freedom in extreamly debauched sinners 3095 Freedom not equall in all ibid. A slave has as free a will as his master 3130 3144 How free-will co-operates with Gods Spirit inexplicable 2112 What freedom of will in servants to sin 3029 Where no freedom is admonitions useless ib. The true state of the question about Free-will 3130 The Question about concurrence of Grace and free-will stated in a Church Collect 3131 Free-will in Naaman Sareptan widdow Zachaeus Roman Soldiers ibid. God free to do Good man free to do evil 3249 We are de jure freed from servitude to sin and Satan by Christs death De facto by the Acts of his Everlasting Priesthood 3252 G. SIn against the Holy Ghost is not for Nature or qualitie unpardonable but as a Symptom of the full measure of iniquitie 3282 God See Decree see Will see Pharaoh Gentiles in danger to be more hardened then the Jews or the Egyptians 3208 Duty to pray against it 3209 Gentiles forewarned 3248 Gomarists 3129 Greater Glorie given to the Elect that work good in a greater measure 3285 Goodness How Gods will is the Rule of goodness All things be not good because God willeth them God willeth some things because they be good 3179 c. 3229 3181 3188 Goodness objective precedent in order of Nature to the Act or Exercise of Gods will 3176 c. Goodness Objective and Subjective 3178 Gospel or New Covenant The Condition of men under it 3285 3292 c. Grace Baptismal denyed restrained 3174 Free Grace and meere mercie maintained 3184 3210 c. Grace of Christ a more soveraign qualitie then Adams Righteousness 3005 Estate in Grace the best way to examine it 3097 3103 c. Galen his Heresie 3086 H. HArdening Gods just hardening Pharaoh after he had filled up the measure of his sin 3222 c. What it is to hardâ—n 3223 c. The manner how God hardens men 3224 Hardening Positive Privative ib. positive by favours exhibited not on purpose to harden but to mollifie 3225 God no necessary yet a positive Cause by consequence of hardening ibid. Gods justice in hardening Pharaoh justifyable by Rules of equitie 3230 He hardeneth whom he will 3242 The use of this Truth 3244 Hardening See Pharaoh See Jews See Gentiles Heathen vertues a Catalogue of them c. 3135 Heathen Testimonies of our corrupt nature 3019 ' c. Red Heifer the Rite of it 3261 3264 c. 3267 Red Heifer a Type of Christ 3271 3299 3302 the Rite Rare 3261 not above ten times in all the time of the Law 3270 the Jews say but nine times The tenth to be done by Messias 3299 High-Priest See Priesthood Hemingiuss good Counsel 3267 Dr. Hessils 3274 Holy-water The Canon for it grounded on the Rite of the Red Heifer and Elizaeuss salt 3264 c. Canon for Holy-water mistakes its Ground 3270 ' 3264 Hope must be mingled with fear A Rule to plant hope and prevent despair 3104 Grounds of hope 3104 more grounds 3278 Hope why called an Anchor what it apprehends 3â—03 Humane nature abstract not object of Divine decree 3234 Humane nature The Cross contradicting temper thereof 3024 c. Humane nature See Decree Howant-cry for Antichrist likely to fall into Tiber 3262 I. JAcob and Esau St. Pauls instance 3214 Ideal Reasons 3229 Idea of Reprobation 3226 Identitie of several sorts 3233 Idiopathie 3119 Idiote by nature neither Servant nor Master 3046 Iesuites design 3189 A Iewish objection ill answered by the Romanist 3290 Iews in part Believers Servants to sinne lews answer we were never in Bondage how true 3040 c. 3072 c. Iews De jure not to be slaves because Gods peculiar Ones 3044 Iews which sort Believers or others made that passionate reply to Christ John 8. 3073 Iewish Revolts 3075 c. Iews God their King in a Peculiar sense 3134 Iews spoiled the Egyptians jure Reprisaliorum and by their consent also 3195 Iews hardened as well as the Egyptians 3205 yea more then they 3206 Rejection of the Iew. the Original and manner of it 3210 to 3215 Iews Keepers of Truth in the S. Oracles and in some Traditions also 3299 Ioshua Israelâ—tes see Caleb Isaac willeth Esau runneth God sheweth mercie 3215 Ishmael no Reprobate 3214 Ishmael see Agar Image of God To create man in it and Righteous both one 3006 Reliques of Gods Image in the Natural man such as be not in Divels 3124 Imaginations as bad as erecting Images 3015 Irresistible See Will. Iudas not reprobated from Eternitie 3157 Iustification by Faith 3210 c. Iustification consists not in one Indivisible Act 3269 3276 Iustification 2. branches of it 3278 3279 K. KIngdom of Heaven The sense of that passage in St. Ambrose his Creed Thou didst open the Kingdom of Heaven to all Believers 3256 The Kingdom of Heaven not erected till â—esus was made Lord and Christ ibid. Then Enoch Abraham Moses and such as lived at the Time of Christs Ascension were consecrated Kings and Priests ibid. We must first know our selves before we can know God as Creator Redeemer Sanctifier 3002 Not knowing our selves in the Individual as sinners in the General as sons of Adam an occasion of a Socinian Error 3002 Knowledge of Christ the first part of it more easie then the second wherein both parts consist 3001 c. The 35. first Chapters intended for an Introduction to the second Part of the knowledge of Christ 3129 L. THe Law gives the Estimate of sin Like a medicine sets sin on working Sin rages and revives at the law 3025 c. Law a Schoolmaster the Lessons it taught by Legal sacrifices 3293 The poorness of Legal services in comparison of Christs one Sacrifice 3261 c. 3293 c. 3298 c. Gods people under the Law and under the new Covenant in farre different conditions 3292 Legal worshippers conscious of sinne in an other manner then Evangelical are 3293 Liber est qui vivit ut vult Tullie 3046 c. He hath both voluntatem propriam Arbitrium proprium ' ibid. Tullies definition of Libertie lame 3049 conteâ—ins but the Body of libertie The Soul of libertie is potestas volendi quod Deus jubet ibid. Libertie See Freedom and Servitude Of libertie of Prophesying the sad effects 3273 Limitation of two propositions if ye live c 3146 Lite pendente nihil fit 3129 Lords Supper Christs presence in it 3296
A Christian Re-union of hearts and minds may be the only Revenge and speedy Conclusion of all our Differings I shall proceed to another observation and'tis This. That the eternal God should fix such a Notable Seal upon Christs Priesthood as His Oath is That Saint Paul should be so Copious and Demonstrative in the Argument as he is And yet that there should be so little notice taken of it by our Divines I must profess both mine own ignorance in the Point and mine unacquaintedness with our English writers to be such that were I at the writing hereof Confined within a Circle till I had given in mine Answer to this Question What English Divine had first writt about Christ's Priesthood I must See his 9. Book Printed 1638. to my knowledge say This Authour From his former Book I had the first and from This a more full discovery of the Excellent Mysteries and Comforts conteined in it 11. And though the wonder be the greater that there should be such a Vacuitie or silence about this High Business among those whose every third word in their popular Discourses is The Lord Jesus Christ who so profess the Knowledge of Christ as if the Monopolie was ingrossed in their Brests it was to dye with them unless learned from them Yet will it be much the less wonderfull when it shall be considered That some of the Doctrines of later times Viz. That the Issues of life and death Everlasting are so past decreed and sealed from Eternitie that no man ever had any possibilitie to attain the Point opposite to that whereat he actually doth arrive That some mens sinnes be remitted not only before they be repented of but before they be Committed c. Do by certain though perhaps unwitting Consequences Render Christ's Priesthood useless and superfluous For what need or use can there be imagined of an Office or Agencie to procure that which cannot but be o◠to mediate for that which is certainly already dispatched In such supposed predetermination Instrumentalitie may have place Officiation can have none 12. But supposing what I wish Every Reader as well or better affected to and more intelligent of the benefits of Christs priesthood then the prefacer is or the Authour himself was Yet is this no securitie but Fault wil be found with the Authour for leading the Reader through a wearie Wilderness rather then per viam Compendij by the nearest avenue of Approach to the Throne of Our Most Gratious High-priest by the long and Thornie wayes of Questions about Adam's First Estate His Actual our Original Actual and Habitual Sin and Servitude thereto about the poor pittance or Scantling of Freewill left us of Mortification c. Let me pray such an One to Consider That it was as impossible for the Authour fruitfully to display the Benefits of Christs Priesthood before he had treated of Those Particulars as it is for the reader to obtaine those Benefits which either Does not or Cares not to understand his own need of them They that be whole will sooner seek to the Physician then he that hath no sense of the venemous Taint or Pestilential ulcer of sin Original which more or less is upon the Body or in the flesh of every mothers son the purest Saint on Earth not excepted will sue to Christ for Cleansing there-from And yet is the daily washing of his feet †Pes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifie that part on which we bestow more abundant Comliness and reverence See Muretus his variae Lect. Lib. 3. Cap. 14. Feet in the fowlest sense as needfull to him that walks the cleanest most Circumspectly upon the face of the Earth as is his daily Bread And it is our daily want of This Our most Gratious High-priests Office that till we see him as He is doth best Commend The precious benefits Blessing and washing c. to be received at His hands 13. Well worth the labour then of this Great Authour it was to spend the Five First Sections in handling those particulars with purpose to make them a Fair Introduction to the Main Point The Priesthood of Christ And not to Dissemble with the Reader perhaps He intended no more then Those Five for the Ingredients or Consistencie of the Tenth Book Purposing to subjoyn all or most of those pieces which make up the Sixt Section which be a companie of Elaborate and Choice Tracts as an Appendix to not as members of the Book And I had once thought to have Complyed with mine own apprehension of this intended Method and put them in some place of neutralitie betwixt the Books But when upon Consideration I found that this Disposal would prove confusive inconvenient to the reader at least to him that had not a more Methodical Head then my self I resolved to place them as they now stand And truely they fall in so orderly and so Decently indent with the precedent and following Sections that I repent me of nothing so much in this work as of some marginal notes which by these presents I revoke inspersed here and there by me Timorous because I had the Copie dropping and by Piece-meal that the parts would not Symmetrize so well as I hope they will be found to Do. 14. And this I think was agreeable in the General to the Authours mind who if he had made only the five first Sections the Constitutives of the 10. Book and put what concernes The Priesthood in the 11. or elswhere would probably have put them forth together he having expressed himself to think it A Decorum that the Plaster should go along with the sore And the rather so because he intended and he hath been adaequate to his promise to lance that festered wound or Complication of wounds of Human Nature deeper then most others had done which had treated before him of Sin Original and Mans Servitude to Sin 15. This Preface wil be grown aboue the just stature of a Preface when I shall have told the Reader these 4. Particulars 1. That of the Tracts now published divers were written 15 others 30. more years ago This will both give a reason why in some of them The old Translation is used secure some passages at which otherwise offence might be taken which he that shall now do after he is told thus much will Commend the Author by Falting him enhance his words into the notion of prophesie 2. That the reason why the Authours 4. 5. 6. c. Books were not printed in Sequence is because the owner of the Copies may not as yet without great damage either consent that another man should or afford to do it Himself So that we were inforced to fall upon this Tenth which may be more acceptable to the Reader by being new and no less beneficial seeing He may serve himself of the Quarto ones which in the Interim are parable 3. And when God shall give opportunitie to print the
Quarto's in this Volume we must tell the Reader before hand that the sixt Book of Divine Essence Attributes Providence will not administer to him either the delight or the profit we intended unless God move the hearts of them that have the MS. Copie of the Treatise of Prodigies or Divine Forewarnings betokening Blood which certainly was perfected by the Authour lent or lost in his life time to produce it that it may be annexed to the sixt Book to which of due it appertaines The 4. Particular will give the Reader notice what Subject Matters he is to expect handled in the 11. Book But before we name them he must be reminded that the Authour had in the 9. Book come as farre as the Article of Christs Ascension reckoning Inclusivé in the 39. Chapter of that Book had tackt That Article to the next of His Session at the Right-Hand of God Now the respective Ends or Effects of Christs Ascension into heaven and of His Session at the Right-Hand of Majestie were some of them of Immediate and if I may so say of a Transient dispatch And such I take it were His prepareing a place for his Elect Ones His Consecrating the heavenly Sanctuarie and setting open the Kingdom of Heaven to all Believers His sending the Holy Ghost in the Grace of comfort Gifts of tongues c. Some are of constant Vse and continue in Esse unto this day so shall unto the worlds end as the Providential Government of His Church and the rest of the world in order to the affaires of his Church which He administers as Lord the Exercise of His Sacerdotal Office which he executes as Christ some shall be manifested at the end of time of this sinfull world when He shall come in great power and Glory to Judge both quick dead What this Authour hath said upon any of these Heads in his Books already printed the Reader if he will take the paines to search may find Of the following Generals with their incident subordinate particulars doth the Eleventh Book treat Of Christs Session at the Right-Hand of God the Grammatical Sense of the words the Real Dignitie answering to them viz. The Exaltation of Christ And whether He was exalted as the Son of God or as the Son of David An excellent state of the question about Ubiquitie Of Christs Lordship or Dominion Of His Coming to Judgement Of the Final Sentence to be awarded by Him to All. Of the Resurrection of the Dead From thence He shall come to Judge the quick and the Dead Of Life Everlasting not the merit of man but the Gift of God and Death the wages of sin So that it is plain the Eleventh Book reflects upon The Resurrection of the Body and Life Everlasting or resumes the Article of Christs Sitting at the Right-Hand of God and withall proceeds to the Next and to the Two last 16. I Expect the Intelligent Reader will Ask where He may find handld the Articles concerning God the Holie Spirit the holy Catholick Church the Communion of Saints the Forgiveness of Sins I must referr the proposer of this rational question which deserves a better answer then I can give it to the Authors owne words Which he may find in the first page of His Treatise Of The Holy Catholick Faith and Church which in the Catalogues of his Works for orders sake is reckon'd the 12. Book of his Commentaries and whereof the first part of three intended was published 1627. In my Comments on the Creed Saith Hee I did Sequester Four points from the Body of the Work The First was the Doctrin Of the most Holie and most Blessed Trinitie So he did intend to Handle the Commandements by way of Catechism to be set down by way of Prayer Soliloquie not of Schoole-Dispute The Second The Holie Catholick Church The Third The Communion of Saints The Fourth The Remission of Sins Points which I cannot Handle in that order they be propounded in the Creed without Interruption of my Method intended So that I have out of Choice reserved these for peculiar Treatises THE AUTHORS Book then of the Holie Catholick Faith Church 't is more then plain The Holie Catholick Church referres to the Article of And for the rest of his Books or Tracts hereafter to be published when they come abroad they must bear some Tessera or Recognizance to signifie their Retainance or to which of the 12. Christian Predicaments they are to be reduced 17. I have yet Two things to recommend unto the Reader The One I humbly present to the Consideration of the Nobilitie Gentrie of the Land who have the Honour Blessing Longo Sanguine Censeri This Author as his manner all-a-long is to open the Earth shew the Out-Burst of the spring leave the Well to be digged by him that meanes to dwell upon the Plat hath page 19. 31. moved a Querie well worth their most exquisite indagation and pursuit 'T is This whether Parents of both sexes may not by frequent voluntarie Commission of some sinnes improve the Corruption of nature in their Children to an Height above the ordinarie Taint descending from Adam or coming from Sin meerely Original not intended by unnecessary affected actual or habitual Transgressing Would any of Them now in this their privacie or vacation please Philosophari to think upon it and Commend their meditations to the world they would be more acceptable and more imperative of practise Coming from themselves consequently be more Contributive to the Revival of virtue unto an Heroical Degree 18. The other is to those of the Clergie who teach the people Knowledge for that end do seek acceptable words out of writings upright and True as for the pretended Favorites of the Spirit it is in vain to speak to them He that has Compassion on the poor ignorant multitude even destroyed for lack of Knowledge of Principles contained in their Creed Catechism c. And a mind to tread in the Good Old way for Aedification of the poor of the Flock may find in this Authors Works matter proper for every Dominical Festival through the year especially for the special ones that is those that Commemorate the Great Benefits received by Christ As also for occasions of Administring Both Sacraments marriages Funerals Fasts c. But let me tell him The Gold he is to find beat out doth somtimes lie in so smal a Compass that unless he observe well he may over-run it For an Experiment he may see 1 grain taken by me beaten out into divers Leaves And for expounding Texts of Scripture this Author seems to have a felicitie not ordinary Oft-times when he pretends but to take One verse he illuminates the Reader in the Epicycle of the Context nay in the next Orbe I mean the Parallel be it in the old or new Testament But the Magisterium of his excellencie
Freedom in respect of divers Objects and degrees in Natural men 3090 SECT V. Of the great Duty of Mortification and of the use of Free-will for Performing it 3096 CHAP. 28. Of the General Contents which concern the Duty of Mortification and which be the especial works of the flesh we are to Mortifie 3096 29. How farr the duty of Mortification is Universal how farre Indefinite 3099 30. Containing the true Rule for examining our Perswasions concerning our Estate in Grace 3103 31 How the Flesh is Mortifyed by Vs How by the Spirit 3106 32. Whether Mortification and Conversion may be said to be ex pr visis operibus though God alone do properly Mortifie and convert us 3112 33. By what Spirit we are said to Mortifie the Deeds of the Body 3115 34. Containing the Manner and Order of the Spirits working or of our working by the Spirit 3120 35. Wherein the accomplishment of Mortification or of Conversion unto God doth properly consist 3124 36. Contâ—ining the Scope or Summe of what hath been said concerning Free-will and the service of it in the duty of Mortification 3129 Sect. VI. Concerning Election and Reprobation and That the Decrees of God be not terminated to the Abstract Entities or Substances of men 37. Concerning the Limitation of these Two Propositions Rom. 8. 13. 1. If ye live after the slesh ye shall dye 2. If through the spirit ye do mortifie the deeds of the Body ye shall live 3146 38. A Sermon on St. Iude's Epistle verse the fourth enquiring who those men were which were of Old ordained to the Condemnation there spoken of and what manner of Ordination is there meant 3164 39. A serious Answer to Mr. Henry Burton who took exception at a Passage in this Authors Treatise Of the Divine Essence and Attributes about Objective Goodnesse c. 3175 40. A Paraphrase upon the Eleven first Chapters of Exodus with useful Observations and parallels 3190 41. Salvation only from Gods Grace or An Exposition of Romans 9. 16. It is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth But of God that sheweth mercy 3210 42. An Exposition on Romans 9. verses 18 19 20 21 22 c. or a Treatise of God his just Hardening Pharaoh c. 3222 SECT VII Of the Acts or Exercises of Christs Everlasting Priesthood CHAP. 43. Concerning the Manner or meanes by which the Son of God doth now de Facto through the continual Exercise of his Everlasting Priesthood in his heavenly Sanctuary set Free indeed all such as seek for the working out of their own Salvation with fear and trembling pag. 3252. 44. The Coherence of the eighth Chapter to the Hebrews with the seven precedent and two following The exact Proportions or Parallels betwixt the mundane Tabernacle with the two Sanctuaries therein and the Caelestial with those in it betwixt the Manner or Rites in the Consecration of the One and the Other Betwixt the High-Priests of the Old Testament and Christ our onely High-Priest of the New intimated in this explicated in the following Chapters 3253. 45. That the soules of Righteous men Abraham c. Were in a Blissefull heavenly Mansion before But after The Kingdom of Heaven was perfectly set up and open to all Beleevers By Christs Placing As man at the Right Hand of God Their Condition was bettered 3255. 46. A Parallel betwixt the Rites of Dedicating The Tabernacle the vessels c. with Blood of Beasts And of Consecrating The Heavenly Places with the most Pretious Blood of Jesus Christ 3257. 47. Before the fuller draught of that Parallel If the Blood of Bulls and the Ashes of an Heifer much more the Blood of Christ treated on in the Two next Chapters The Apostles Translating the Hebrew word Berith by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is shewed to be not a meere Allusion but of strict Proprietie 3259. 48. The Parallel between the most Solemn Services of the Law and the One Sacrifice of Christ and The high Praeeminence and Efficacie of This in comparison of Those The Romanists Doctrine That in the Masse Christs Body is identically Carnally present and that there is a proper Sacrifice Propitiatorie offered derogates from the Absolute Perfection of Christs offering himself Once for all 3261. 49. That the Forraign mainteiners of the more then Fatal Irrespective Rigid Decree make Christ Jesus rather a meere Sacrifice Then a True Everlasting Priest acting for us and dayly working out our Reconciliation to God So do such as teach That the sinnes of some were Remitted before they were Committed Of the Superexcellency of Christs Priest-Hood and One Sacrifice in Comparison of the Aaronicall Pr. and the Many Servâ—ces thereof 3266. 50. The Raritie of That Rite of Consecrating the Water of Sprinkling by the Ashes of the Red Heyfer an Emblem of Baptism and the Singularitie thereof Our Churches meaning in some Expressions at the Administration of That Sacrament 3270. 51. Inordinate Libertie of Prophesying brought Errors into the Church and hindred the Reformation 3273. 52. That Justification Consists not in One Single Act. In what sense Fides est Fiducia is True 3276. 53. Christs Parable Math. 12. 43. c. applyed Two degrees of Reconciliation the First Active or but meer Grammatically Passive The Other Reall-Passive So Correspondently Two Branches of Justification The One from Christs Death the Other from the benefit of His Priesthood daily participated to us 3277. SECT VIII Of Errors disparaging Christs Priesthood CHAP. 54. Three Errors disparaging Christs Priesthood 1. The Novatian denying the Reception of some sort of sinners 2. Alate Contrary Error affirming That Every sin which some sort of Men Committ is pardoned before it be committed 3. The Romish Doctrine of the Masse giving Scandal to the Jew All of them respectively derogating from the infinite Value or Continual Efficacie of Christs Everlasting Priesthood 3280. 55. From the Text Hebr. 10. 1 2 16 17. and from this Maxim That Christs One Sacrifice of himself was of Value absolutely infinite it follows not That such as worship God in spirit or such as are received into the Covenant of Grace have their sinnes remitted before they commit them That Doctrin makes Christs Resurrection Useless in respect of us and our Baptism needless Legal worshipers Conscious and their sinnes remembred in such sort as Evangelical worshippers are not The Vast odds betwixt Christs One Sacrifice and the Many legal We must distinguish betwixt the Infinite Value and Infinite Vertue of Christs Sacrifice The precious Effects of H. Baptism and the Eucharist flowing from the Efficacie of Christs Sacrifice and Priesthood How Legal Sacrifices c. prefigured Christs 3292. 56. The Efficacie of Christs Sacrifice and the Vse of His Priesthood two distinct several things Wherein the Exercise of his Priesthood doth Consist How it was foreshadowed Ordinances Effectual by Vertue of Christs Presence Vertual Presence is a Real Presence 3301. A Table of the Texts of Holy Scripture Expounded or Illustrated in this BOOK Genesis Chap. Verse
from sin that is Albeit he was not from his Creation either by nature or by supernaturall endowment utterly impeccable yet by the assistance and benignity of his Gratious Creator he might have attained unto such a perpetuall estate or immunity from falling into sin 4. The question about merit of works no way concerns the First man in his primaeval Estate Suppose he had preserved or imployed the Talent concredited unto him at his first creation aright should the superaddition or crowning of his First Estate with perseverance have been a meer gift of grace or rather a kinde of merit This is a Question not very pertinently moved by some Schoole-men and the Contradictory to their determination more inconsiderately maintained by some modern Disputants or Logical Criticks For seeing Adam received that great Talent concredited to him in his creation not absolutely or to use it as he pleased but at his perill or under express penalty that if he misimployed it or contemned his Commandement which bestowed it upon him he should dye the death it is no way improbable that if he had improved his Talent for some competent time that the state wherein he was created should have been hereditary to him and his not by such free Grace as is bestowed upon us under the Gospell but by way of Merit de congruo though not according to Commutative yet to Distributive Justice rather then by meere Mercy or benignity But this opinion I vent not with any intention to move or abett disputes or controversies already moved about this curious Question but rather to perswade the Reader that all questions concerning the Merits of works or of perseverance in that Grace by which all good works are wrought must be reduced or confined to the estate or condition of mankinde since Adams Fall Of which Question thus stated or limited I shall I hope be able to give the Reader or any that will soberly dispute or conferr with me in it better satisfaction Vivâ voce then this Treatise without digression will permit me to do The principall Points in it or which I had in my thoughts either to prosecute or propose The First man was neither necessitated to continue good nor to become Evil. are these following First That albeit the First man were by vertue of Creation righteous and just yet were neither his perseverance or non-perseverance in this righteousnesse absolutely necessary both of them possible That both were possible hath been declared at Large before in the sixth book of Commentaries upon the Creed In the 2 Part 2 Sect. Chap. 13. c. of the Attributes unto which I referr the Ingenuous Reader where he may finde this proposition as I take it demonstrated That to decree or appoint a mutual or reciprocal Possibility between our First Parents perseverance or non-perseverance was Facible to the Omnipotent Creator because it neither implies nor presupposeth any Contradiction in Terminis And whatsoever effect or praenotion answerable unto it implies no Contradiction either in it self or to the Goodnesse of the Divine Nature or Deity is Facible by Power Omnipotent that is The Almighty Creator might have decreed or yet may decree it when he pleaseth The Second Principle or supposition in this place to be handled is Whether the Almighty Creator did de Facto decree or ordain that neither the Perseverance or non-perseverance of the First Man or of our First Parents should be absolutely Necessary but contingent Or in other terms thus That the Estate or condition wherein they were created might have continued to this day for them and their successors undefeatable That their Perseverance or the perseverance of their Posterity in the state of Righteousnesse wherein they were created was not necessary by any Divine Ordinance or decree is clear from the Event because the First man and the First woman did fall de Facto from that Estate wherein they were created which neither of them could have done if their First Estate had been by vertue of the Almighties Decree or any ordinance from him Immutable or absolutely Necessary But can it be as strongly proved That the fall of our first Parents or their eating of the Forbidden Fruit did not proceed from any necessitating Decree or undefeatable contrivance of the Almightie Creators Wisdom To perswade men which have not their senses exercised in points of Logical or Scholastick disputes that the Fall of our First Parents was not necessary no not in respect of the Divine Decree or ordinance would be a harder task then to prove that their Perseverance was not in respect of that Decree necessary That our First Parents did fall from their Estate is a Question of Fact of which every honest good man may be a competent Judge at least able enough to resolve himself But whether it was as possible for them not to have fallen as it was to fall is Questio Juris or more then so a point of Metaphysical or Theological disquisition wherein it would be very hard to find a Grand-Jury of Profest Divines in any one County almost throughout this Kingdom which could be competent Judges or fit Inquisitors Not that they want either skill or industry for interpreting sacred Scripture which is the only true rule of Faith and manners aright but for want of skill or memory in Secular Arts how to examine or determine what Consequences or inferences are consonant or dissonant to the undoubted Rule of Faith or to the unquestionable Maxims contained in it For deciding or waiving such Controversies as are emergent not so much out of the sence of Scriptures as out of such Inferences or Consequences whether negative or affirmative as contentious or unresolved spirits would fasten upon it Recta ratio that is Reason regulated by Rules of unquestionable Arts or Sciences is the most competent Judge That there is but one God and one Lord That the only God is a God of Goodness and willeth no wickednesse are positive points of Faith and Christian Belief Fundamental Maxims in Theologie To dispute or move any question directly about the truth or limitation of these Maxims would be a branch of Infidelity or which perhaps is worse an approach to Blasphemy CHAP. V. Of the Right use of Reason or Rules of Art for determining Controversies in Divinity whereof the Sacred Scripture is the sole Rule 1. Of the use of Arts in discussing Controversies in Theologie BUt admit this Maxim There is but one God and he a God of Goodness no Author or abetter of evil were undoubtedly believed by all Yet this inference or Consequence might be as it hath long time been controversed Whether he that avoucheth This only God to have decreed the Fall of the First Man to have been necessary or inevitable might be demonstratively convinced to make him the Author and Cause the only Cause of the First Mans sin and of all the sins which necessarily issue from it or from the Nature of man corrupted by it
justly be allowed in any Academicall Act or Commencement albeit the Answerer or Defendant were furnished with no other grounds or occasions of his Theses besides that usually avouched Distinction between the Act and Obliquitie of the Act specially if the Distinction were applyed unto the First Sin of our First Parents In that sin whether we refer it to our Father Adam or to our Mother Eve the Act and the Obliquitie are altogether as unseparably annexed as Rotunditie or roundnes is with a Sphere or moulded Bullet And to imagine there should be one Cause of the Act and another of the Obliquitie or sinfulness of the Act would be as gross a Soloecisme as to assigne or seek after any other Cause of the Rotunditie or roundnesse of a Sphere or Bullet besides him that frames the one or moulds the other or as it would be to enquire any other Cause of the equality between two bodies before unequall besides him that makes the quantity to be of one and the same-size or scantling or of the similitude between the Fleece of a black sheepe and of a white sheep perfectly dyed black besides the Dyer Now the similitude betwixt that which is perfectly dyed black and that which is black by nature doth inevitably result from the Dyer without the intervention of any other Cause imaginable Easie it were to produce a volume of like instances in the workes of nature or of mens works and practises upon them all of them concludently enforcing the resolution of the former Probleme to be allowable in Schooles by most perfect and absolute Induction if Arts or Sciences were once so happy as to have none but true and accurate Artists to be their Judges As indeed they are the sole competent Judges in like Cases and Judges they are within these precincts as Competent as the Reverend Judges of this or any other Land are in Causes Civil Municipal or Criminal 2. Admit then a man were found guilty of murther by a Jury of his honest Neighbours upon the Authentick Testimonies of two or three witnesses which had seen him run his Neighbour through the body in some vitall part or to cleave his head in two and a Philosopher or Physitian should undertake to arrest the Judgement or make Remonstrance to the Judge that the Delinquent arraigned and convicted by the Jurie was not the true or immediate Cause of the others death upon these or the like allegations out of his own facultie That death properly consists in the dissolution of naturall heate and moysture whereas the party arraigned did never intend to make any such dissolution or to terminate his Action to the point of death but onely to thrust his sword through him or to knock him in the head which Actions can have no direct Terme besides the Vbi or Terme of locall motion Can we imagine that any Judge could be so milde as not to censure such an Apologizer for a saucy Artificiall Foole or a Crack'd-brained Sophister And yet this Apologie is not cannot be in vulgar judgments so Censurable of Artificiall folly as the former Apologie for salving the Escapes Errors or ill Expressions of some Learned and Pious Men by nice distinctions betwixt the Act and the Sinfulnesse of it in our First Parents Case was For there is not so immediate or so absolute or necessary connexion between death and the deadliest wound that can be given to any man as there is between Acts peremptorily forbidden by the Law of God and the Obliquitie or sinfulnesse of them For there is not neither is it possible there should be any minute of time or which is less then the least part of a minute any moment of time betwixt such Acts and the Obliquitie resulting from them Both of them come together both in respect of order of time and of nature by absolute indispensable Necessity Whereas between death and wounds given meritorious of Capital punishment there usually is a distance of time and oftentimes no absolute or unpreventable necessity that the one should follow within a year and a day of the other 3. But the best Method to convince such as Invented or used the former Distinction of gross error and somewhat more then so will be to retort their own Illustrations or justifications of it upon themselves as I have learned by successefull Experience upon some learned Ingenuous students which have revoked their own opinions and reclaimed others upon the reading of my meditations upon this argument in another Dialect In solenni Lectione One of the most usuall Illustrations or intended corroborations of the former distinction is borrowed from a Man that rides a Lame or halting horse Such a rider say they especially if he ride with switch and spur is the Cause why the horse goes or runs as fast as he can but not the Cause of his lamenesse or of his halting Of his lamenesse supposed he was lam'd before the Rider I confess is no Cause yet of his actuall halting down-right or of the increase of the lameness which will follow upon the unseasonable riding or over-riding he is the only Cause For if the poor Beast might have rested his bones when he was enforced to trot or gallop he would not have halted at all at that time nor would he have been so grievously lame as by such unseasonable usage he is But this instance or Illustration suppose it were not much amisse in respect of men now living can no way sute or fit the Question concerning the sin of our First Parents For Adam at his creation was no way lame or defective either in soul or body before he tasted of the forbidden Fruit. Now if the Almighty Creator had been the cause of this Act he had been as true a Cause of the First sin or of Adams halting in his service as he that bestrides a sound and lusty horse and runs him upon the spur in a rugged and stony ground or in a deep way is of the lamenesse of the death or any disease which ensues such desperate riding 4. Many commit more gross Idolatry with their own fancies then the Heathen did with their Idols To imagin that God should deal so hardly with the First Adam as to give him a Law which he intended to make him break and yet to punish him with death for the breach of it Or that the Second Adam the wisdom of God should send wise men and Prophets to Jerusalem to the intent or End that She should stone or put them to death or for this purpose that their bloud should in later dayes be required of Her as some in our times have publickly taught is an Imagination in it self much worse and more dangerous then the erection of Images though Roman-wise in Reformed Churches A greater Abomination then any Idol of the Heathens For Images or Idols are but the External Objects of or enticements unto grosse Idolatry Nor was it the Carpenter or Statuary that did make the Heathen gods
knows Israel knows not Jerem. 8. 7. The Stork c. Serpents sting not Serpents nor bite one another with their venemous teeth Nay the very Monsters and huge fishes of the Sea war not amongst themselves in their own kind But believe me Man at mans hand receiveth most harm and mischief Thus far Plinie 4. Heathen Naturalists hold better Consort with the Primitive church concerning the nature of Sin Original then the Socinians do We have no reason sufficient to perswade us to believe or to suspect that this great Naturalist did ever peruse any part of the Booke of Grace not so much of it as is contained in the History of Moses much less such passages in it as concern this Point as are comprehended in the Prophets in the Evangelists or in S. Pauls Epistles Or if any man have better reasons then I have to believe or suspect that he might have read them all or the most part of them It would notwithstanding be a groundlesse surmise to imagin that he had been Catechized by Christs Apostles or their Deputies or that he had received any spiritual Grace either by Baptism or Imposition of Their hands Now albeit we suppose or grant that he had read the Books of Moses or some passages in the Prophets but deny what I think no man will affirm that he was Baptized or made partaker of Grace by Christ the Cause is clear that he could have no better guide for searching after or finding out those Orthodoxal Truths or Notions which he hath most Elegantly exprest then Recta Ratio that is the right use of Reason which Nature though corrupted in him had not utterly extinguished but much weakned And here I can rather wish then pray that this man had lived in this Age or might be restored to Life again to encounter those Semi-Christians which contend for the Soveraignty of Recta Ratio as if It were the onely Guide or Rule of Christian Faith But albeit I dare not pray nor can I hope to hear Plinie speak to this or any other good purpose in this Life Yet I verily believe that the writings which this Vncatechized Heathen hath left and he himself shall rise up in Judgement against those proud Phantastick spirits which having been Baptized in the name of Christ and Catechized in the fundamental points of Christian Faith do either flatly deny or captiously question Whether our Nature were so deeply tainted with that Sin which we call Original or so far deprived of Freedom or power to restore our selves to our primaeval state of Nature as that the Death and Resurrection of a Redeemer more then meer man and his Everlasting Priesthood were necessarily required for freeing us from the bondage of Satan 5. Seeing this Modern Sect of men as Pelagius their Father whose errors concerning the state of the First man and of Sin Original have been mightily improved by them have been S. Austin not the First that did maintain Original sin and are such notorious Trewants in the Book of Nature and such Schediastick Surveyors of the Book of Grace as none have been or can be beside such as in their sceptical contrivances hold it a part of Policy or state to draw all or most such forces of Reason as Nature or Grace had implanted in their breasts to guard their Brains or fortifie the inventions of their Fancies It is not to be expected that they should much regard the Unanimous consent of the Orthodoxal and Primaeval Church Some of this Sect are well contented to oppose the consent of such Antiquity as in other points they slight against those who reverence the memory of the Ancient Martyrs or Fathers especially before S. Austins time Others of them are not ashamed to accuse this great and Learned Father for being the First Author of that Doctrine which we maintain Concerning the Nature of Sin Original Now to presse them with his Authority whom they accuse as an Author of Errour would be bootlesse Wherefore waving his Authority for the present for being any competent Judg or Advocate in this Controversie No ingenuous or sober man can except against him as an unfit Witness in this Cause concerning the Tenents of the Ancient Church or against others whom he produceth as witnesses beyond all Exception which either Pelagius himself his Followers or the Manichees could have taken against them in his time Neque enim ex quo esse coepit Manichaei pestilentiosa doctrina ex illo coeperunt in Ecclesta Dei parvuli baptizandi Exorcizari exufflari Vt ipsis mysteriis oftenderetur non eos in regnum Christi nisi erutos à tenebrarum potestate transferri Quid autem dicam de ipsis divinarum scripturarum tract atoribus qui in Catholica Ecclesia floruerunt Quomodo haec non in alios sensus câ—nati sunt vertere quoniam stabiles erant in antiquissima robustissima fide non autem novitio movebantur errore Quos si Colligere eorum testimoniis uti velim nimis longum erit de Canonicis autoritatibus à quibus non debemus averti minus fortasse videbor praesumpsisse quam debui Veruntamen ut omittam beatissimum Ambrosium cui Pelagius sicut jam commemoravi tam magnum integritatis in fide perhibuit testimonium qui tamen Ambrosius nihil aliud defendit in parvulis ut haberent necessarium Medicum Christum nisi Originale Peccatum Nunquid gloriosissimae coronae Cyprianus dicetur ab aliquo non solùm fuisse sed vel esse potuisse Manichaeus cum prius iste sit passus quà m illa in orbe Romano pestis apparuit tamen in libro de Baptismate parvulorum ita defendit Originale peccatum ut propterea dicat ante oct avum diem si necesse sit Parvulum batizari oportere ne pereat Quem tanto vult intelligi ad indulgentiam Baptismi facilius pervenire quanto magis ei dimittuntur non propria sed aliena peccata Hos iste audeat dicere Manichaeos antiquissimam Ecclesiae Traditionem isto nefario crimine aspergat qua Exorcizantur ut dixi Exufflantur parvuli ut in regnum Christi à potestate tenebrarum hoc est Diaboli Angelorum ejus eruti transferantur Aug. l. 2. de nuptiis concupiscentia c. 29. CHAP. IX Of the properties or effects of Sin Original known by the light of Nature and by Scripture 1. The Propertie of Original Sin is to Lust after things forbidden by the Law of God and of Nature ENough it is to perswade any reasonable man That Original Sin is not A meer privation or a proportioned shadow of Being without a Reality answering to it seeing that in man the Note or Character of whose distinction from or excellency above all other visible Creatures is the use of Reason there usually is such a Lethargie or sloathful deadnesse to do that which the very Law of Nature or Reason doth dictate unto him or
or at least of the increase or abundance of it in the world The Apostles meaning is that the Law was given as a praeparative Physick or medicine to let such as were sick of sin as all were before the Law was given understand in what danger they were or to give them notice of the abundance of corruption which was so deeply seated in their Nature that it could not be throughly purged by the Law which only set sin a working that men might seek more eagerly after a Better medicine to wit Faith in Christ That this was our Apostles true meaning in this place is apparent from the Parallel-passages to these Romanes Chap. 7. 7. what shall we say then is the Law sin God forbid Nay I had not known sin that is I had not taken true notice of the measure or danger of it but by the Law for I had not known Lust except the Law had said Thou shalt not Covet The Law to which these words referr is the tenth Commandement wherein the Coveting of some few particulars as of our Neighbours Wife or of his goods is only expresly forbidden But sin taking occasion by this Negative Commandment wrought in our Apostle as he himself testifies all manner of Concupiscence for without the Law sin was dead that is He did not feel the Motions or Paroxysmes of sin untill the Law was laid unto him as a Preparative Medicine unto better Physick And againe ver ninth I was alive without the Law once but when the Commandement came Sâ—n revived and I died And againe ver 11. 12. 13. Sin taking occasion by the Commandement deceived me and by it slew me Wherefore the Law is Holy and the Commandement Holy and just and good Was that then which is good made death unto me God forbid But sin that it might appeare sin working dâ—ath in me by that which is good that sin by the commandement might become exceeding Sinfull It is a Point observable and fully paralel to our Apostles doctrine That the Easterne part of the world did rather loath then long after Circumcision Vntill our Saviours Resurrection and the Apostles peremptory forbidding the practise of it From the former doctrine of our Apostle I have learned satisfaction to a Probleme which had often and long Perplexed my thoughts The Probleme was this Why Men Unto whose care and fidelity a man might safely commit his Fortunes or his life upon their honest word became most carelesse and unfaithfull in matters whereto they are punctually tyed by oath The reason is Because the interposition or obligation by oath is as the coming of a Law which provokes the Corruption of Nature whose longing or lust after things forbidden rather then it should be unsatisfied drawes men otherwise morally honest to become like wayward intemperat Patients which rather chose to nourish the longing humours of the disease or infirmity then to observe the prescription of the Chirurgeon ready to pull off the plaister though with the live-skin or flesh rather then to endure the working of it for a moment 4. But here some have Questioned Whether this Chapter be meant of the Regenerate or Vnregenerate Man A Captious Interrogatorie if Regeneration were but one Act or a resultance of some Few Acts or Conflicts between the Flesh and the Spirit But seeing Regeneration in true Theologie includes Acts almost numberlesse or a Combate somewhat longer then Mortification doth This Chapter if we speak of Christians must be Meant not of the Man truely Regenerated or perfectly Mortified but of a Man Inter Regenerandum during the intermediate Acts or conflicts betwixt the beginning and the Consummation of his * See the 9 Article of the Church of England Regeneration Or if we speake of One that beleeves the Old Testament better then the New as of a Jew or Mahumetane it cannot be meant of a Lawlesse Man but of a man under the hammer of Gods Law given by Moses For there must be a Laying of some Law or Other to the heart before the Conflict here Mentioned can begin or Sin inherent be so Provoked as our Apostle tells us it is 5. Why Sin Originall is more provoked by the Negative then by the Affirmative Precepts He that will diligently peruse our Apostles forementioned Passages Romans 7. in the Language wherein he wrote will easily observe with me That the occasion which Sin tooke By the Law to deceive him as it doth yet to deceive us was from the Negative Precepts or Commandements of the Law not from the Positive or Affirmative Now why the Negative Precepts that one especially Thou shalt not Lust Thou shalt not Covet should a great deale more provoke or more forcibly revive the seeds of Originall Sin inherent in us then the Affirmative Precepts usually doe the Reason is Evident because nothing is nominated or proposed unto us in the Affirmative Precepts but that which in its nature is truely and sincerely Good without the mixture of Evill And being such is more apt to revive or quicken the Notions of the Law of Nature or Reason or those Reliques of Gods Image which remaine in our Nature since our first Parents fall then to Enlive the seeds of sin or to provoke our inclinations unto Evill On the contrary In every Negative Precept there is a Proposall or representation of those things which be in their Nature truely Evill and therefore most apt to incite or provoke our natural Inclinations unto the evill forbidden or to enrage the Reliques of our first Parents sin inherent in Us after the same manner and for the same reason that the representation of red Colours without any other Provocation given is to provoke or stirre the blood of beasts or Cattel which are of a more pure or sanguine Constitution Thus some tame Beasts as Bulls or Kine are aptest to turne man-keen upon such as are cloathed in bright red or Scarlet And a grave Learned ‖ Scortum Hispani generis lepidum ut serebatur formosum mula ut Romae meretrices cum Amatoribus solent animi gratia gestabatur Haec cum venisset ad Thermas Diocletianas Vivarium ferarum ingressa nec contenta cicures vagantes Spectasse precibus contendit aegâ—è impetrat à beluarum Magistro ut ingenti urso cavea separatim incluso sed quem constabat in Neminem antea desaevjisse exitum aperiret Facta potestate ursus erumpit mulam terresacit excussam mulierculam Caeteris qui aderant diffugentibus invadit dictoque citius strangulat contrito capite primùm avulsa ubera deinde natem alteram devorat unguibus dentibus laceratam Esseratam bestiam existimo colore coccineae vestis quam induerat misella speciem sanguinis Praeferentem Sepulveda Epist lib. 2. ep 15. Historian sometimes Chronicler to Charls the Fift in an Epistle of his to his friend relates a sad accident of a Beare which had never been observed to have raged upon Any yet being let loose from
have for the most part a more exquisite Literall and Concludent sense then the same words or speeches have in common Language or in ordinary faculties or vulgar Arts And such a Metaphysicall sublime Concludent sense His words that spake as never man spake alwaies have when his speeches are Doctrinall and Assertive as his words are Joh. 8. 34. most Vniversal most Peremptory and Dogmatical Verily Verily I say unto you c. 2. Now as it cannot be denied that this name of Servitude is as wee say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Terme that may be properly attributed in different measure to many subjects of diverse natures or Conditions So the prime and principall subject of it unto which it agrees in most exquisite and ample manner is not the Legall or Civill Servitude whereof we have hitherto treated but the Servitude of Sin Whereof our Saviour here speakes Whence although we stand bound to believe the truth of this Conclusion from his Authority alone yet this no way barres us from Searching other reasons or Arguments whether from Art or Nature for illustration of this truth or for confirmation of our Belief or knowledge of it Or rather His Emphaticall manner of averring it ought to incite us to sound the meaning of it a little deeper and to discover the reason of it to the bottome And thus doing we shall but follow the stepps of two of our Sauiours Apostles S. Peter and S. Paul in this very particular Both of them having occasion to use the same Assertion that our Saviour here doth give us the reason of the truth or property of this Assertion So saith S. Paul to the Romans Cap. 6. 16. Know ye not as if it were matter of gross ignorance or imputation not to know that to whom Ye yield your selves servants to obey his Servants ye are to whom ye obey Whether it be of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousnesse So that there is a proper Servitude in yielding unto Sin And whosoever yields his consent or obedience unto Sin doth thereby make himself the true and proper Servant of Sin 3. And S. Peter 2. Epistle 2. Chap. having sharply taxed such Carnall Gospellers as had forsaken the right way and followed the way of Balaam which Loved the wayes of unrighteousnesse brands them with this note or Character That whilest they promise Liberty unto others they themselves are the Servants of Corruption And this Assertion he ratifies by this reason or Doctrinall Principle Of whom a man is overcome Of the same he is brought into Bondage This reason toucheth the very root of Bondage or Servitude properly so called which had no other Title to its First Being or introduction into the World besides the right or title of victorie or Conquest Now to be subdued or vanquished against their Wills though in a doubtfull or bad Cause is not so meritorious of slavery or bondage as to suffer our selves through our sloath through our Cowardize our supine negligence or treachery to be overcome in a true a just a necessary especially in a religious Cause He to whom men yield themselves Servants by betraying or not defending such Causes though he love the Treason whereby he gaines the victory will use the Traytor or Partie vanquished by him but as a slave or Bondman 4. The First and Radicall Point of difference betwixt a Servant and a Freeman in matters civill was before set down and it was this A man that is Civilly Free hath not only Voluntatem propriam a reasonable will to desire his own good or a Freedome of consultation to contrive the meanes how this good may be attained but withall a Right or power to dispose of himself of his time of his bodily Actions or imployments for executing his intentions or Consultations The Servant hath the like Reasonable Will to desire his own good a Naturall Power or Faculty to deliberate or consult by what meanes the good which he requires may be attained but no Right or power to dispose of himself of his time of his bodily Labours of his actions or imployments for executing his desires or deliberations for in all these he is at his Masters disposall Now the want of this power or liberty to proseute their own contrivances makes Servants for the most part more slow and more dull in their desires and more unapt to contrive the meanes for compassing what they desire 5. From this Difference between Servitude and Freedome or Servants and Freemen in matters Civill and Politick The measure of transgression of the Law of God the only true measure of Servitude it is but a short Cut and easie pasage to discover the right Difference betwixt Servitude and Freedome in matters morall and sacred Sin as the Apostle speaks is the transgression of the Law And every Transgressor of the Law to wit of the morall Law of God that is Every such Transgressor as we call Malefactor or Offender Every one that delights in transgression or hath no power to resist temptations to transgresse is truely and properly the Servant of sin Rectum saith the Philosopher est mensura sui obliqui Aright Line is the measure of that which is crooked as well as of that which is straight Now the right Line or Rule by which as well our desires as our Actions must be framed by which the Obliquities of both must be discovered or censured is the Morall Law of God This is the only Rule by which the height or degrees as well of our Freedome as our Servitude Wherein the best of the Heathens did erre as well in their Definitions of Libertie as of Happines must be measured For want of this Rule to direct them the wisest among the Heathens have either much erred in the Definition of Liberty or Freedome or at least come farr short of the truth in defining it Quid est Libertas nis ipotestas vivendiut velis what is liberty or freedome saith In Paradoxis Tully but a Power or Facultie of living as we would But this Definition or description of Liberty or Freedome is very defective and Lame like a Sentence without the Principall Verbe or a Body without a Soule Mans Will in the state of corruption or since Adams Fall is no competent Rule for Humane Actions It self must be regulated by the Law of God whether positive or Eternall The very life and spirit of perfect Liberty in whomsoever ☜ is Potestas volendi quod lex divina jubet that is a Power or Faculty of willing that which by Gods Law we ought to will And this power or faculty being supposed as the Soul Potestas vivendi aut agendi quod volumus that other power which Tully only mentions of Living or doing as we will or desire is but the Bodie of true Freedome or Liberty So that he only is a true and perfect Freeman that hath both the Body and Soul of perfect Freedome that is tampotestatem volendi quod
The Ancient Fathers as Cyrill Chrysostome Theophylact and Euthymius are of opinion that our Saviour in these words The Servant abideth not in the house for ever did intend either to Prevent or Answer the Secret Objection or Reply which the Jews did or might have made unto his Former Conclusion vers 34. Whosoever committeth Sin or whosoever is a worker of sin is the Servant of Sin Unto this Assertion the Jews as these good Authors think might have answered thus Admit we daily incur some degree or other of Servitude unto Sin yet we have usual and daily means to blot out the stain of sin and to Free us from thraldom and Final Servitude unto sin and Satan There is no Question but the Jews did account the Sacrifices which Moses did institute fully sufficient and Effectual for both these Purposes Yet that they did herein erre that these sacrifices instituted by Moses could not Free them from this Servitude of sin our Saviour as the forecited Good Authors think proves from this Reason Moses was but a Servant in the house of God and no Servant hath power to Free himself much lesse to set others Free from the yoke of Servitude or to secure his Estate in his Masters house Maldonat's Censure of Their Opinion But Maldonate the Jesuit thinks that place Heb. 3. ver 3. 4. 5. 6. did deceive these Good Fathers or at least that they miss-applied Saint Pauls Comparison betwixt Christ and Moses unto this present Argument For our Saviour saith this Learned Jesuit speaks of another kinde of Servitude in this place then Saint Paul speaks of in the third to the Hebrews and of a Servitude unto which Moses was not Subject For Moses in the third to the Hebrews and else where is Termed The Man of God not a Servant to Sin or Satan 2. Not to Question the Solidity or Pertinency of this Jesuits Exceptions against the Interpretation of the Ancients I must confesse his Opinion is very Probable and their Interpretation somwhat farr fetched if not forced and supposeth That for its Ground which hath not much Probability in it self to wit That these Jews either would confesse or by way of supposition admit that they were such Servants to Sin or Transgressors of the Law as to become thereby the Servants or sons of Satan For they presume in the words following that by being the children of Abraham and by their Observance of Moses Law they were the Sons of God He preferrs One Leontius before the Fathers This learned Jesuite prefers the Interpretation of Leontius a man otherwise of mean Note in comparison before the joynt interpretation of the fore-cited Famous Fathers Our Saviour saith Leontius intended only to Prove what is Inferred here in this 36. verse That none besides The Son can have power to set men Free because The Son only remains in the house for ever Unto this Interpretation Maldonate adds his own that every Servant had need to be set Free by Authority because no Servant hath any Right or Title to continue for ever in the house wherein he lives or to be the owner or possessor of any other it being still in his Masters Power either to sell him or to turne him on t of his house or to dispose of him at his Pleasure If some Servant continue in his Masters house for ever or to his dying day yet this fals out seldome or by chance whereas our Saviour frames his Argument from that which usually happens or for the most part All agree that by The House in this place the Church of God is principally meant in which the Son of God remaines for ever in which no Servant unlesse he become a Son can remain but for a short time For though sinners and Servants to Sin may remaine in the true visible and Militant Church during this life so mingled with the sons of God as they cannot by men be discerned from them yet after death as St. Cyrill saith they are cast out into utter darknes unlesse during this life they be set Free from the Servitude of sin from which none but the Son of God can Free them because He only is the Heir and Lord of Gods House He only hath power to grant or deny Freedome unto what Servants he pleaseth 3. The Words relate unto the Story of Agar and Ishmael This is the Summ of that Connexion which the best Interpreters Ancient or Modern make of the former verse and of these words of my Text. Unto this I may add That These as most other Speeches of our Saviour have Reference unto some Historicall Relation or matter of Fact contained in the Old Testament And that This speech or passage hath Speciall Reference unto the Story of Agar and Ishmael And so the Antecedent The servant abideth not in the house for ever though grounded but upon One Particular Instance yet that Instance or Example being related in the Sacred Story as a Type or Picture of what was to come will inferr our Saviours intended Conclusion much bettter and more forcibly then a full Induction of other Instances and Examples not related in Scripture not framed nor intended by the spirit of God for Types and shadowes of things which were to come This Universall Negative No servant abideth in the house for ever will not so forcibly inferr this Particular Conclusion Ergo No Servant of sin can abide in Gods house for ever as this Particular Instance Ishmael did not abide in Abrahams house for ever Inferrs This Conclusion Therefore the Iewes which thus contested with our Saviour were not to abide in the house of God for ever So that if it be lawfull to Paraphrase upon our Saviours words their Full Meaning is as if he had said thus Do you think your selves Free from the servitude and wages of sin The Sense of The Text. because yee are the seed of Abraham So was Ishmael whom Abraham once intended for his Heire who lived a long time in Abrahams house but being the Son of a Bondwoman he was by Legal Condition but a Servant and therefore not to live in it for ever but to be cast out by Gods appointment as it is written Gen. 21. 10. Cast out this Bond woman and her Son for the Son of this Bond-woman shall not be heir with my son even with Isaac These were the words of Sarah for a while displeasing unto Abraham until God did ratifie them by Interposition of his Authority And thus is your Case 4. For albeit these Jews with whom our Saviour here Disputes were the sons of Abraham by Sarah and so The Progeny of Isaac yet so long as they mockt and persecuted the true seed of Abraham whose coming into the world Isaac did prefigure cleaving unto the Testament given upon Mount Sinai or Agar in Opposition to the Testament given upon Mount Sion they became sons of the Bond-woman as the Apostle infers Gal. 4. 24. to the end of the chapter
vel non esse That only in true Philosophie and Divinity is properly Contingent which heretofore so hath been as it might not have been or hereafter may as well not be as really be or come to passe So far then is that Vulgar but lately received opinion That nothing is Contingent save only in respect of Second Causes from all shew of Truth or Probability that all things indeed besides the Supreme Agent or Causes of Causes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are in respect of Him Contingent For HE alone being Absolutely Independently and Uncontrollably Free in all his Actions had an Absolute Freedom either to Create or not to Create this World as now it is an Absolute Freedom Likewise to endow Angels or men with such a Freedom as now they have that is a Power of Contingency in their Operations or rather of producing Effects Contingent that is such Effects as have been so produced by them as that they might not have been produced or may hereafter alwayes presupposing the Limitation or moderation of the Supreme Cause or Agent be produced or not produced 3. This kind of Freedom is of Two Sorts or rather hath two Branches It is either of meer Contradiction Free-Will of Two Sorts or of Contrariety Or in other Termes it is either Quoad Exercitium or Quoad Specificationem As for Example It is Free for us to walk or not to walk in the morning And if we resolve not to walk not determining what else to do this is Libertas Contradiction is or quoad Exercitium It is likewise Free for us to read or not to read And after we have resolved to read some Book or other it is Free for us to make choice of some Godly Treatise or of some Lascivious Pamphlet In choosing the one and refusing the other we are said to do Freely Libertate Contrarietatis or quoad Specificationem 4. All the Controversie amongst Divines is about the Second kind of Freedom which is opposed to Necessity About this the Question is Whether it be Common to every Rational or Intelligent Nature Or if in some Degree or other it be Common to all how far Communicable to every such Nature according to their several states or Conditions 5. Without prejudice to other Mens Opinions which we rather seek to Reconcile to be reconciled unto then to Contradict or to be Contradicted by them Our First Assertion shall be This. There is no Rational or Intelligent Nature but is Free according to the Second Kind of Freedom that is It is Freed from all Necessity of doing or not doing of what it doth or doth not in Respect of some Acts Operations or Objects This Assertion we take as granted out of the Grounds of Philosophie For this Freedom whereof we treat is one of the most Essential if not the very First and Radical Prerogative which Reason hath above Sense 6. Our second Assertion shall be This The most Excellent Intellectual Nature the very Excellency of Nature Essence and Intellection is not Free with this Freedom of Indifferencie or Option in respect of Every Object God Almighty himself is not Free with this kind of Freedom to Act or intend Good or Evil. The Infinity of his Transcendent Goodnesse or which is all one the Immensity of his All-Sufficiency absolutely exempts him from all Temptation or Possibility of intending harm to any of his Creatures which are capable of wrong In that he is the Infinite Fountain of Goodnesse Moral he cannot be the Author or Abetter of any thing which is Morally Evil Nay the very best Operation that can be ascribed to the Almighty Father to wit the Eternal Generation of his only Son is not Free in the Second but only in the Former Sense above mentioned He was begotten of the substance of his Father before all Worlds by Necessity more then Natural And He that from Eternity thus begat Him doth so infinitely and Eternally Love his only Begotten Son as he can never cease to Love Him or begin to hate Him So that the Almighty Himself in respect of his Love to his Only Son was never Free according to either Branch of Freedom mentioned to wit either with the Freedom of contrariety or contradiction But as the Apostle saith Of his own Will begot he Vs with the word of Truth We are his Sons by Adoption not by Nature nor by any Necessity Equivalent to that which is Natural It was more Free for him to adopt or not to adopt us then it is for any Father to appoint his Heirs or Executors or to Estate or dispossesse his Children 7. In as much as Goodnesse is the Essential Object of our heavenly Fathers most Holy Will it is most Essential and most Necessary to Him to Will nothing but that which is Good Yet is He not hereby either Essentially or necessarily tied to will This or That Particular Good All things that are truly Good were Created by Him Nor was it Necessary that he should Create these Particulars and no others Yea it was Free for him to create or not to create any thing at all So then within the Sphere of Goodnesse He is Liberum Agens An Agent most Free It was Free for him to create or not to create us It is Free for him to preserve or not preserve us yea to preserve or destroy us It is Free for him to Elect or not to Elect us or to destinate us to Life or Death Eternal He woundeth and he maketh whole He giveth Life and taketh it away at his pleasure He bringeth down unto the grave and raiseth up the Dead again ‖ Spiritus est ubi vult sua munera dividit u◠vult Dat cui vult quod vult quantum vult tempore quo vult He Freely bestows his Blessings on whom he will when he will and in what measure he will It was Free for him to Decree or not to Decree any thing concerning us Nor hath he Decreed any thing for us or against us which may be prejudicial to his Eternal Liberty For if his supposed Decrees should Necessitate His Will in those Particulars wherein it was absolutely and from Eternity Free he should Freely make himself or his Will Mutable whereas we are bound to Believe that His Will is immutably Free or that the very Freedom of His Will is Immutable 8. No Agent Free in respect of All Every Rational Agent Free in respect of Somé Objects The Angelical Nature was created Free in respect of Good and Evil. Every Angel had a Twofold Power or Possibility One of continuing in Goodnesse or in the Way of Life Another of diverting from it to the Wayes of Death Satan and his Angels have lost all Freedom in respect of Goodnesse in the Wayes of Life but not all Freedom Simply For albeit they have no Possibility left them of doing or willing any Good yet have they manifold Possibilities of doing several Evils more Free to Sin then before They have brought
Work then our Assumption or minor Proposition is Good and the Conclusion will follow if not Certitudine Fidei by the Certainty or Full Assurance of Faith yet by Certainâ—y more then Moral by an Assurance of Hope But if we Mortifie the Deeds of the Body only Now and Then or by Fits Or if we intend this work but slightly or as it were upon the By Then our former Assumption I do mortifie the deeds of the Body is Impertinent and will sooner bring forth Presumption then any Assurance of Hope or Moral Certainty of our Estate in Grace For Conclusion of this Point Let every one of us take heed not to measure our Hopes of Regeneration or Degrees of Mortification by our readinesse or desire to hear the Word Preached until we have examined our selves Whether This Desire in us be a Desire of the Spirit or of the Flesh Or Whether it proceed from True Religion or from Humour or Fashion of the place Certainly if this desire in many were from the spirit or from true Religion it would be more Uniform and like it self in the Practise They would be as ready at least in some good Measure or Proportion to frequent Publick Prayers as to go often unto Publick Sermons For the Faith of Christ can be had no more With Respect of Christian Duties than With Respect or Persons And the same Authoritie whether Divine or Humane or Ecclesiastick from it derived which injoynes us to hear The Word Preached doth more strictly injoyn us to frequent Publick Prayers specially in seasons wherein we are specially required by Authoritie to thank God for our manifold deliverances from the Messengers of his wrath But from what cause soever our desire of hearing the word Preached proceedeth Our backwardness in frequenting publick Prayers without all doubt ariseth from some workes of the Flesh or Reliques of the Old man which must be Crucified 3. They that are Christs saith our Apostle Gal. 5. 2â— have crucified the flesh with the affections and Lusts Take we heed that none of us argue thus I am Christs therefore I have crucified the Flesh with the Affections and Lusts The Apostles meaning is that the safest way for us to know whether we be Christs or no is from this Experiment within our selves if We have crucified the flesh with the affections and Lusts But what doth he mean when he saith The Affections and lusts must be Crucified Doth he require an vtter Extinction or Total Mortification or absolute death of all carnal Affections and Passions before we can be assured that we are Christs No. Such a Total Mortification cannot be hoped for in this Life We are said to be Crucified to the world or to have the Flesh with the Affections Crucified in us First By Profession or Consecration So all that are Baptized into Christ Jesus are said to be Dead to Sin yea to be Buried with him by Baptisme Rom 6. 2. 4. Secondly we are said to be Crucified unto the world or to be Mortified to the Flesh not by Profession only or Resolution but by Practice and this Crucifying or Mortification admits of many Degrees 4. Mortification and Crucifying Termes not â—â—divisible but of Large Extent Crucifying taken in its proper Sense was a most Lingring kind of Death or Torture And men were said to be crucified from the very First Moment of their nayling to the Cross albeit the conflicts betwixt life and death were many and strong for divers houres after Now it is not to be expected that any of us will be as eager or violent in Crucifying our own Flesh as the Jewes were in crucifying our Saviour Seing the Partie to be crucifyed in us is Part of Our Selves we cannot but use it more mildly and gently then the Romans did such as they crucified for Malefactors whom they would not so violently have handled unlesse they had first adjudged them for no members or but for rotten and putrified members of their Body Civil The lesse violent the conflict is between the Spirit and the Flesh or between the Old Man and the New the longer will the Old man live in us the more frequent and sensible his motions will be And finally as he was born with us so he will die with us hardly before us Yet may we be truely said to have Crucified the Old-Man with the Affections and lusts from the verie First Time wherein we begun to nayl them to the Cross of Christ if so we still watch them and seek to quell their Motions by the Spirit They are dayly crucified by Gods Children and yet are daily reviving 5. As often as we receive the Sacrament of the Eucharist with due Preparation Every remembrance or Meditation of Christs Death upon the Cross if it be wrought or managed by the spirit will be as the fastning of A New Nayl into the Old Man or Body of Sin which we carry about with us We cannot think of Christs Death or of the Causes of his Crucifying aright but every thought will be a degree of weakening or enfeebling the Old-Man whom we must by this and the like meanes dayly weaken otherwise he will be our Destruction CHAP. XXXI How the Flesh is Mortified by Vs How by the Spirit This was the Second General Propounded Chapt. 28. And the parts of This Inquiry be Three First In what Sense WE whom this Duty concerns can be said to Mortifie the Deeds of the Body The Second By what Spirit we are to Mortifie them By the Spirit of God by our own Spirit or by Both The Third The Manner and Order of The Spirits Working or of our Working by the Spirit 1. Seeing to Mortifie implies an Action How Man can Mortifie his Flesh THe First Point is most Material and of most use in respect of Modern Controversors If Mortification be as I think none upon better Consideration will deny a True Part of our Conversion How can We be said to Mortifie the Body or Flesh unlesse we may be said to Convert Our Selves which is a Doctrine that Few will like of as being prejudiced by Contrary Tenents much imbraced by men deservedly well approved of by all or most Reformed Churches For Resolution of this Doubt we are in the First place to consider That Regeneration Conversion or Mortification are Termes in their proper Nature Indefinite and so used by the Holy Ghost The Actions or Qualifications comprehended especially under Conversion and Mortification are not of one Rank There is a Conversion Spiritual and a †Conversion or Mortification Spiritual and Moral See the Note at the end of this Section or of Chap. 36. Conversion only Moral There is a Mortification likewise either meerly †Conversion or Mortification Spiritual and Moral See the Note at the end of this Section or of Chap. 36. Moral or truly Spiritual The matter signified or imported by these words Mortification and Conversion whether Moral or Spiritual is not Indivisible Whence it is that we often
this Resolution or Determination in the Point proposed was intimated before the whole strength of it relyes upon those places of Scripture wherein it is said He that continues unto the End shall be saved or We are partakers of Christ and his promises if we Continue the Beginning of our Confidence stedfast unto the End But though it be True that no man which falls off from the Spirit unto the Flesh before the End of his bodily Life can be partaker of the promises yet is it never said That no man is or can be so confirmed in Grace before the End of his life that he cannot Totally or finally fall As for that Speech frequent in Scripture He that continues unto the End c. it doth not so punctually point out the End of Life as it doth the End or just Measure of this Duty here enjoyned 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Language of the Holy Ghost oftimes signifies as much as ad victoriam and denotes that point of time wherein we get the Victory or Conquest over the Flesh or other enemies of the Spirit And the Apostles words Hebr. 3. 14. may well beare this Interpretation if we hold the beginning of our Confidence stedfast unto the End That is unto the End or full Measure of our Confidence And all the glorious promises which are made unto such as continue unto the End are as often made and conceived in this Tenour To him that overcomes So it is Revel 3. 5. He that overcometh the same shall be cloathed in white raiment and I will not blot out his Name out of the Book of Life but I will confesse his Name before my Father and before his Angels And again ver 12. Him that overcometh will I make a Pillar in the Temple of my God and he shall go no more out and I will write upon him the Name of my God and the Name of the City of my God which is New Jerusalem which cometh down out of heaven from my God And the writing of this Name of Jerusalem which cometh down from heaven upon men imports it shall be thus written whilest they live here on earth or whilest it comes down to them not when they ascend in soul unto it And when S. Paul saith that the Names of Clement and other his Fellow-Labourers were written in the Book of Life Phil. 4. 3. Questionlesse his meaning is that they were so written in it that they should never be blotted out and yet were they so written long before they dyed I saw saith S. John the dead small and great stand before God and the Books were opened and another Book was opened which is the Book of Life and the dead were judged out of those things that were written in the Books according to their works Rev. 20. 12. But although men in this Life may attain unto an Immutable estate of Grace yet many finally misse of this Estate because they know not where to find themselves or in what Estate or Condition they should for the Present rank or esteem themselves 11 Some there be which either Expresly or by Inevitable Consequence of what they expresly affirme divide Mankind as formally into Reprobates and Elect The division of all mankind into Elect and Reprobates not right as Philosophers do Substances into Corporeal and Incorporeal By this kind of Division were it sound and Orthodoxal every man from his birth unto his death should be either a Reprobate or One Elect. Now were this Doctrine true We that are Christs Messengers should be at a Non-plus either for administring Comfort to our hearers in trouble of Conscience or for preventing and asswaging Presumption in such as are not conscious of any grosser Sin or not dejected by the Thundring Threats of Gods Law The Truth is There be Three Estates or Conditions of Men not only in Generall but of every man in particular which finally attains unto Salvation First The Estate or Condition of Man as he is the son of Adam For every man as he is the son of Adam is the son of wrath Second The Estate or Condition of Man as he is reconciled to God and admitted into the Priviledge of his Son by Baptisme or ingraftment into his Mystical Body the Church Third The Estate or Condition of Compleat Regeneration or of Election The First estate or condition is the Terminus à quo Eternal Salvation or admission into the Everlasting State of Bliss is the Terminus ad quem of every True Christians Progresse The Two Estates Intermediate that is the Estate of the Sons of God in General by Baptism and the Estate of Election which we have in this Life are the Two several Degrees or steps of our Progress in Christianity But in as much as all men be not at all times either in the Estate of Election or Reprobation and yet all in the end become either Sheep or Goats we must observe Foure Estates of men in General Four Estates of men in general The First The Estate of the Sons of Wrath. The Second The Estate of Reprobates The Third the estate of the Sons of God by Adoption or Baptism The Fourth The estate of the elect or compleatly Regenerate 12. That there is a Difference between the estate or Condition of the Sons of Wrath and the estate of absolute Reprobation A difference likewise between the Estate or Condition of the Sons of God the Estate of Condition of the Elect may be Demonstrated form the several Estates or Conditions of the First Man Adam in his First estate was the Son of God yet not then in the estate of election for so he could not have fallen so foully as he did After his Fall he was in the Sate or Condition of a Son of Wrath Yet not in the estate or condition of absolute Reprobation for so he could not have attained unto the estate of election or Salvation So then every Reprobate is the Son of Wrath but every Son of Wrath is not a Reprobate Every elect Person or every man after election is the Son of God but every Son of God is not in the number of the elect The Award allotted to every one of these estates is either an Act of Mercy or of Iustice Divine But unto the individual Nature or Persons of men no effect of Justice or Mercy can be awarded And therefore the Individual entity or Nature of Man cannot be the Immediate Object of the Divine Decree No part of misery can be determined upon any man or Decreed against him before he be the Son of wrath or a Reprobate For God doth never punish where he is not displeased and displeased he cannot be with our meer Natures Now to be the Son of Wrath in the lowest degree supposeth some work of Satan wrought in the party which is the Son of Wrath That only makes him the Son of Wrath. Adam could not have become the Son of Wrath unlesse he
had suffered the Divel to deface Gods work in him and to instamp his own image upon him No son of Adam could have been born the Child of wrath unlesse this work and Image of Satan had been propagated unto him by inheritance from his Father Adam Now if to be the Son of Wrath in the lowest degree presuppose some work of Satan the estate or Condition of Reprobation alwaies includeth or presupposeth a greater measure of Satans works and unto this work not unto mens Persons or Individuall Natures is the Irrevocable Sentence of Reprobation awarded 13. To be the Son of God includeth or presupposeth more then the meer Nature essence or Individual Substance of man What more doth it Include It alwayes includes some work of God wrought in the Nature either as an Emanant Effect or Resultance of his Creation or some work of God produced in man after his Birth Conception or Creation Adam by Creation was the Son of God because he was created just and good And albeit there were not two Creations One of Adams Nature Another of his Righteousnesse Yet was his Righteousness a thing Distinct from his Nature Otherwise Adam by his Fall had not ceased to be the Son of God For after his Fall he remained the same man he was for Nature and Substance but not the same man he was for Quality It was then his First Qualification to wit his Righteousness by which he was made the Son of God and it was the losse of this Qualification which made him the Son of wrath His Nature or substance was no part of the Object of the Divine Decree not Capable either of Reward or Punishment but according to the Two former Qualifications In every Son of Adam which in time becomes the Son of God there must be a Creation or new production of Righteousness by the birth of the Spirit besides his birth or Conception natural by which he becomes a man In every Elect Person there must be a Greater work of God a greater measure of Regeneration or of new birth then that by which he is first made the Son of God And this Measare of Righteousness or of Regeneration is the Immediate and Formal Object of the Eternal Decree or of that Eternal Rule of Divine Mercy or bounty by which the Immutable Estate of Election or of Grace is awarded Election and Reprsbation look upon Qualifications The Point then is clear as the Sun That neither the Decree of Election or Reprobation are terminated to the Nature or Individual Substance of men without respect or relation to their works or Qualifications The works of Satan are Essentially and formally included in the Object of Reprobation the Works of 〈◊〉 to be wrought in man not for man only are Essentially and Formally included in the Object of absolute election 14. That which the Authors or Favourers of the Contrary Opinion I am perswaded would have said or should in reason say for Their absolute election or Reprobation is only This That albeit the works of God be essentially included in the Object of the eternal election as the works of Satan are in the Object of eternall Reprobation yet God did so absolutely Decree to work these works which are required to the Object of election that it was Necessary from eternity they should be wrought in all the Vessels of election And that he did from eternity so Absolutely Decree to suffer Satan to work those works which are included in the Object of Reprobation or those works which makes men Vessels of wrath fitted to destruction that this Qualification or Temper could not possibly be avoided This indeed is One of the Two main Questions which only ought seriously to be discussed between the Arminians and their Opposites all the rest are but Word-Bates or Verbal Quarrels arising from ambiguous or Unscholastick expressions of their Opinions or Conceipts The First Question is already discussed and is Whether men in this life ordinarily do or may attain unto an Immutable estate of Grace that is whether their election untill the hour of death be Absolute or but Conditional The Second which now remains to be discussed is Whether this Absolute estate of election or Reprobation during the time of this life being granted the attaining unto the one estate or falling into the other be from eternity Necessary so Necessary that no man which hath fallen or shall fall into the Absolute estate of Reprobation hath had or hath any Possibility to avoid his Fall Or again whether every man that now is in the Absolute Estate of Election were so destinated to the same Estate from Eternity that no Occurrences Possible could prevent it If the Arminians would yeild to the Church of England in the Former I think no true Member of the Church of England would much dissent from them in the Latter which may be expressed in Termes perhaps more Perspicuous Thus Whether God in his Foresight of all mens Natures did set apart or designe some Individuall essences or Natures with purpose to frame and fit them to be Vessels of Honour without Possibility left for them to frame themselves to be Vessels of dishonour And whether he did by the same Foresight or Inspection set apart or design Other indiviaual Natures or Substances to be Vessels of wrath or dishonour without any Purpose or Will to frame or Fashion them to be Vessels of election To discusse both Questions first in Thest then in Hypothesi that is First whether Election it self were Absolutely Necessary from eternity Secondly Whether the Election of this or that man were Absolutely Necessary from the hour of his birth or conception or rather begins to be Necessary from his progress in Grace or from his Plenary and full Conversion unto God which sometimes and in some men is not accomplished before the hour of death 15. No mans Election or designment to the Immutable state of Grace can be more Necessary from eternity then his Reconciliation is No mans Reconciliation unto God the Father can be more Necessary from eternity A Sorites then his Interest is in the Pardon purchased by the Son of God No mans Interest in this Pardon can be from eternity more Necessary then was the death of the Son of God The death of the Son of God was no more Necessary from eternity then the Fall of Adam was The Fall of Adam neither was nor could be from eternity more necessary then the First sin or Transgression was The Consequences of these Truths are most necessary most immediate If Adam had not Transgressed Gods Commandement he had not fallen into the State of Gods Wrath and curse If Adam had not fallen into Gods Wrath or curse the Son of God had not become accursed had not dyed If the Son of God had not dyed for us our Pardon had not been purchased If our Pardon had not been purchased there had been no Reconciliation of mankind unto God the Father If there had been no
Consciences of Christian People as a main Part of their Baptismal Vow and pressed home as a Duty that concernd their everlasting Salvation would by Gods Blessing be likely to prove fruitfull as indeed it is usefull For somewhat to enlarge that which hath been Toucht on The use of the former Doct. to condemn sloth to prevent presumption and despair in the foregoing Chapter this may be more particularly considered First It leaves Sloth and Negligence in this Good Dutie of so high Concernment clean without excuse Secondly Being rightly applyed it serves as an Antidote both against Presumption and Despair 20. There is no way to make a Coward Hardie or Resolute in sight but by putting him upon some manifest exigent or apparent Necessity either of killing his Adversary or of being killed by him So long as there is hope to escape by Flight or Non-appearance it is a matter almost impossible to make a Timorous spirit try his strength or ability The foes or enemies with whom we are here enjoyned to fight are our own Bodies or our own Flesh which still fighteth against our soules from whose assaults there is no possibility of flight There is an apparent Necessity layd upon us either of killing the Deeds of the Body or of being more then killed by them For if we Live after the flesh or suffer the works of the Flesh or deeds of the Body to live or raign in us we shall dye the death of the Soul Did we truly apprehend the Necessity of this choyce how were it possible for us to deferre this Conflict with our own flesh for one Moment 21. Some not withstanding there be which see in part this necessity of dying by living after the flesh and yet submit their Wills and Affections unto the desires and lusts of the Flesh as Men Condemned by Law do their Bodies to the Officers of Justice or Executioners This These poor souls do Some out of Conscience because they hold it unlawfull to resist Authority Some out of weaknesse as being not able to prevail if they should struggle with Authority But neither of these Motives can have place in the former Case For First the Conflict or Resistance of the Flesh is not only Lawful but necessary so necessary that if after our promise in Baptism and participation of the word and Sacraments we neglect the undertaking of this warre with our own bodies we are in the same case that Souldiers are which after they have received Presse-money and good pay run from their Colours We justly incurre the Sentence of everlasting death by not seeking to put the Deeds of this mortal Body to death We become perpetuall slaves to Satan by refusing to fight with sin which is Christs enemy and Satans Agent 22. Nor can we pretend that our endeavours to mortifie the Deeds of the Body are hopeless or vain because we are not able of our selves to think a good thought much less to give good success to our best endeavours For the Apostle as you heard before enjoynes us to work out our Salvation with feare and trembling that is as men afraid to be idle or slothfull for a moment even for this Reason Because it is God that worketh in us both the Will and the deed And though the same Apostle hath elsewhere said That it is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that sheweth mercy yet it is a Generall Rule in Divinity Finis dicendorum est ratio dictorum our Apostles speech must be taken from the end or General Scope at which he aimed To what end then doth our Apostle give us the former or like Rule To the end that we should not will or desire our Mortification nor run with alacrity towards the Goal which in every Epistle he sets Before us to wit the Mortification of the Flesh and life of the Spirit or rather to kindle our desires to work and stir up our alacrity in working yet so as we still rely not upon our works or indeavours but meerly upon the Good will and mercy of our God He that saith See Chapt. 41. 42. It is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that sheweth mercy did never say that it was not the Good Will or Pleasure of God to shew Mercy unto all that abandoning all other wayes run with what speed and alacrity they can unto his Mercy He that saith God will have mercy upon whom he will have mercy and whom he will he hardneth did never say that it was Gods Will to harden any which deny themselves and their own doings and wholly betake themselves to his Infinite Goodness His meaning sure in that place is that as God will have mercy on none that seek salvation by works or other prerogatives of the flesh so he wil harden none that put their confidence not it their works but in his mercy 23. The Summe of all that can in this Point be said is That no man can be partaker of the promise of Life but he that faithfully seeks for Mercy in Christ Jesus And no man can faithfully seek for mercy in Christ but he that sincerely renounceth his own works and merits And no man can sincerely and truly renounce his own works and merits but he that is industrious and laborious in these works of Mortification here enjoyned Hypocrites and ungodly persons will be ready in the day of Tryall to deny all hopes of salvation by works Chapt. 36. or confidence in merits But as was intimated before No man can be truly said to renounce those good works paragr 7. which he hath left undone but those works which he hath done No man can truly deny himself but he that exerciseth himself in these works of Mortification We cannot possibly know our own Impotency or want of strength to perform these works of Mortification as we ought unless we make proof or triall of our strength in working them as we can The more we try our strength the more insufficient shall we find our selves and the better Experience we have of our own Insufficiency the more earnestly will we if we do as we ought for our own good crave the assistance of Gods Spirit the more Faithfully will we rely on Christ who is our strength and the Rock of our Salvation and so not presume 24. Again The former Doctrine is useful to prevent Despair in the dayes of Temptation Albeit we find our Transgressions of this precept to be great and many Our Apostle saith not If ye have lived after the flesh ye shall dye for so no flesh should be saved But his words are if ye live after the flesh ye shall dye If any man find his Conscience burdened with an heavy load of the works of the Flesh let him not take the frights no nor the Scarres of Conscience wounded by sins past or the impressions by sin present as undoubted marks of Reprobation yet let him call to
this Sentence of death till he commit the Fact at which the Law doth immediately strike not at his Person Again there is ordinarily required to Excommunication not only Sententia Iuris but Sententia Iudicis Though the Canon by which he is Excommunicated were made Long before yet he that offends against the Canon is not forthwith Excommunicated by it until he be refractory or Contumacious The Judge may admonish before he give Sentence without his sentence judicially given the party is not excoÌ„municated by the Law But some peculiar Cases there be wherein a man may stand Immediatly Excommunicated by the law or Canon without the sentence of the Judg there is no place left for Admonition or recanting The Fact being once proved either by witnesses or by its own Evidence the Judge hath no more to do but to read the Canon and to pronounce that the party hath fallen upon it So that he is said to be excommunicated by the Law or Canon which was made perhaps a thousand years before he was born yet not born an excommunicate person or in the State of excommunication into this estate he falls by doing some Fact or other at which the Rule or Canon doth immediately strike without further Processe or Conviction Now in as much as the Sentence was given before he was born it cannot be denyed but that he was excommunicated before he was born and yet had not been excommunicated at all unlesse he had done that Fact which requireth Excommunication by the Law 7. Some Founders of Colledges appoint a Process or Formal proceeding against Offenders even in grosser Crimes as for Adultery Murther manifest Perjury or the like before any man can be expelled for these and the like Crimes Such as they appoint Judges must give Sentence Viva voce upon the examination not of the Fact only but of the Quality of the Fact as whether it be Scandalous in so high a degree as deserves Amotion without further Admonition or expectation of amendment And every one that is in these Cases amoved or expelled is expelled by his present Judges not immediatly by his Founder or his Statutes though the Judges must proceed according to their intent or meaning But in case any of the same society the very Governours themselves should obtain a Licence or Dispensation for their Oath there needs no sentence of any Judge there is no place for Admonition or Traverse because the Founders themselves even when they made these Lawes and statutes inflicted these punishments upon all such as in this kind transgress their statutes Now upon whomsoever the Founder of any Society which dyed some two or three hundred years agoe did inflict the punishment of Expulsion by vertue of this present Statute he did inflict it before the party offending was born and yet this punishment had not at all fallen upon him unless he had committed that Fact which the Founder in his life time did thus severely censure whensoever it should by any of his Society be committed See the Note at the end of this Chapter Now in this case we may truly say that the party thus offending doth * expell himself by committing that Fact for which he was expelled by his Founder The Founder then expels him before he was born without any respect unto his Person â—or no Lawgiver makes any Decree or Law against any mans Person but against mens Misdemeanours but the party cannot be said to expell himself before he doth dash against the inflexible Law or statute 8. And if no Law-giver on earth how partial soever make any Capital Decrees against any mans person Far be it from us to think that the Eternall Law-giver who is himself the Everliving Rule of Justice and Equity should sentence any mans Person to everlasting death albeit whosoever is sentenced to everlasting death be so sentenced from Eternity because God himself who is Eternal is the very Rule or Law a Law or Rule inflexible which cannot alter and yet rewards every man according to all his wayes and works not according to his Person or Individual Nature Whosoever then is reprobated by God is Reprobated by him before he be born even from Eternity and yet no man Baptized is born a Reprobate or becomes so untill he reprobate himself by committing those sins or rather that measure of sin unto which the Eternall Law-giver did before all Times award finall exclusion from the Benefits of Christs Death and Passion Now unto such ungodly men as St. Iude here speaks of this Award was allotted from Eternity thus they were ordained to Condemnation But their Persons were not created or made to ungodlinesse Taking them as now they are there was a Necessity from Eternity that they should perish but there was No necessity from eternity that they should be such ungodly men as now they are This necessity did accrue in time they wilfully and freely brought it upon themselves Thus much of the First Part of the Second General to wit In what sense it is true That whosoever is reprobated or ordained to everlasting death in time was so reprobated or ordained from Eternity The meaning is that the Law or Rule by which he is reprobated or ordained to death hath no beginning of Date it was unchangably set from Eternity Yet was this Law or rule an Immanent Act that is conteined in him only who is Eternal it dit did not produce any Reall effect answerable unto it either for the creature before he was made or in the creature after he was made until he have made up that measure of Sin unto which everlasting death was by this Eternal living Rule awarded But the measure of sinne being made up then as the Lawyers speak Indicium transit in rem judicatam that is the eternall Law or sentence produceth a Transient Effect in the Creature so qualified and that is an Ordination Passive the beginning of that death which shall have no end 9. The Second Part of the Second General Second part of the second General which was the last Doctrinal point was Whether St. Iude in this place be to be understood of Gods eternal design or Ordination unto death or of some written Ordination or Ruled Case which did as truly fit these men taking them as now they are as it did other ungodly persons of old against whom the Sentence of Condemnation here meant was denounced or declared by other of Gods Embassadours That these ungodly men here in S. Jude were Fore-ordained to this condemnation the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth literally and clearly evince but whether this Fore-ordination were in S. Iudes intent or meaning a Fore-ordination from Eternity the literall importance of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of old doth make it questionable or rather puts it out of question that he did not so mean For it is an Adverb of Time and never reaches to my observation so farre as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉
according to the inflexible Rule of his immutable Justice and to revvard the Penitent sinners though sometimes children of vvrath not for their vvorks yet according to their vvorks or qualifications and so to revvard them not by the Rule of his Justice but out of his meere Mercy or out of that most Free and Gratious â—ounty vvhich gave us all Life and Being when vve vvere not and therefore could not by any Works deserve the least of all his Blessings 14. If to maintain these Conclusions be Arminianism I profess my self not to knovv in these particulars vvherein the Arminians differ from the Orthodox and Ancient Church But if Arminius and his follovvers have taught or maintained any other Conclusions by vvhich the least tittle may be derogated from Gods Free Mercy and Grace by vvhich any thing besides death or Non-deserts may be ascribed to mans Works or Free-Will I no vvay partake vvith them in those and the like errours I shall in good time by Gods assistance make it appear that I truly acknovvledge both Gods Mercy and Grace tovvards men and mens sins the best mens sins and unthankfulnesse tovvards God to be much greater then he doth or can acknovvledge either of them to be vvhosoever he be that shall hold the Contradictory to any Conclusion in this Chapter for vvhich I am accused of Arminianism or to any Principal Conclusion maintained in my book of the Divine Essence and Attributes or to any Conclusion vvhich I have delivered or shall deliver concerning Election or Reprobation 15. The imputations laid upon me by the Author of the Epistle are heavie and grievous if they could be proved however most injurious being made so publick before I heard of them or could prevent their spreading Yet for my own part if it were in my power to censure him my resolution should be like to that of a Civilian when the question was propounded to him An liceat meretricâ— quaestum facere His resolution as I remember for it was long since I read it in Bodin was to this effect Pessimè facit quòd artem meretriciam exercet sed meretrix cum sit non malefacit quod ex arte quam exercet quaestum facit The Author of the Epistle hath much wronged himself me in suffering himself to be so farre misled with doctrine of Absolute Election and Reprobation as it seems he is But being thus farre mislead by it and wedded unto it his practise in slandering me without any relentance which as yet I hear of is but Consequent to his doctrine if he were throughly examined upon it And he that should punish him for his slander and not condemn his doctrine should do me small right and should do him as much wrong as he that should punish a Scholar for holding a false Conclusion without questioning or disproving the Premisses from which it necessarily followes For it is as impossible for him that thinks himself to be in the Immutable estate of Grace or Election or is certainly perswaded of his Salvation before his time to suspect much lesse to recant any lewd practice or dangerous errour whereinto he may fall untill he renounce his Opinion or his Immature perswasion of his own Estate as it is for any Scholler to revoke a false Conclusion which still mantains the erroneous Premisses out of which it necessarily follows 16. The Point then to be proved is That the justification of slander how virulent soever and indulgence to corrupt affections once implanted do as necessarily follow upon Immature and preposterous perswasions of mens Immutable estate in Grace or Election as any Conclusion doth out of its natural Premisses Now the Truth of this Point may be made as clear as any Rule of Art or Reason can make the truth of any other For it a Rule of nature tryed and approved by Art a Fundamental Principle in both their Schooles that An Vniversal Negative may be simply Converted as thus If no man can be a stone or an Inanimate creature then no stone or inanimate creature can be a man The Scripture which is the Rule of Faith gives us these Vniversal Negatives No adulterer no covetous Person no Idolater no murderer no slanderer or virulent rayler can inherit the kingdom of God These Vniversal Negatives being granted and believed Nature and art and common reason must admit of their Conversions No man that must enter into the kingdom of heaven no man that is truly certain of his salvation can be an Adulterer can be a Covetous person can be a murtherer can be a slanderer or virulent reviâ—er of his brethern Now if any man which believes himself to be in the immutable state of Election so certain of his salvation that if he instantly dye he shall instantly go to heaven shall happen to do the same things that Adulterers do that Covetous men do that murderers slanderers or virulent revilers do it will be impossible for him to suspect himself of being an Adulterer of being Covetous of being a slanderer or reviler so long as his former perswasion concerning his Absolute Estate of Salvation c. is not recalled For if he must enter into the kingdom of heaven whensoever he dyes if this be a part of his Belief he cannot believe or suspect that he is a doer of those things which whosoever doth cannot enter into the kingdome of heaven Thus as the presumed Absolute Infallibility of the visible Romish Church for the time being doth lay a necessity upon their Successours of freezing in the dregs of their Predecessours errors so this Immature Perswasion of mens particular Estate in Election Grace or salvation doth lay a like necessitie upon such as are overtaken with it of having their hearts hardened with Hypocrisie with security or secret indulgence to their corrupt affections And for this reason amongst others did the sage and Reverend Reformers of the Church wherein we live worthily admonish that the Points of Election and Predestination are to be warily thought upon they are no fit Themes for every mans private meditations much less fitt seeds to be promiscuously sowen in every Congregation by any Seeds-man 17. Had any man in this Kingdom of how distempered behaviour soever so he had been seasoned with the knowledg of ingenuous Arts or civil education slandered me in his Cups or Passions amongst private or common friends so deeply and upon so gross mistaking as the Author of the Epistle hath done slandered me unto the highest Authority on earth his heart in his sober thoughts would have smitten him long ere this and I should have had some ingenuous satisfaction voluntarily tendred from him But from men mislead with wilde zeale unto the Doctrine of Absolute Election and Reprobation as it hath of late years been taught by some and from men jealous of others as if they were Arminians that in this point dissent from them I can expect no voluntary satisfaction but rather continuance of the like unless I could disswade them
A parallel betwixt Pharaohs Crueltie towards the Jews and the Jews crueltie towards Christ and his Apostles A Parallel between the cruel oppression and stubbornnesse of Pharaoh and his People in Moses's time and a little before and the ingratitude stubborness and malitious cruelty of the Jews towards Gods people and his Embassadors for their good in the dayes of our Saviour and his Apostles Equalitie of crueltie ingratitude or contempt of Gods Messengers in the Jewish Nation must needs by the Rule of Justice induce an Excesse of Induration or Infatuation upon them To draw the Parallel aright After the first cruel Pharaoh had begun to oppersse the Israelites and murther their Infant Males Moses is born and design'd by God to be his Embassdor unto Pharaoh for his Peoples release from bondage Upon the continuance of this oppression by the second Pharaoh which the former had begun The Lord said I have surely seen the affliction of of my people which are in Egypt and have heard their cry by reason of their Task-masters for I know their sorrows and I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of the Land unto a good Land and a large unto a land flowing with milk and honey Exod. 3. 7 8. The Seed of Abraham was no lesse grievously oppressed by the Romanes and by Herod the Great their Deputy And which was worst of all their own Governours layd heavy burdens of conscience upon them Many of them were tormented in body if not in soule by the Divel The depth as well of the Peoples as of the Governours misery was That they did not perceive or rightly apprehend the danger of their disease In commiseration of all these and other parts of their affliction The same Lord God which had appeared to Moses in the Bush and testifyed that he was come down to see the affliction of the Israelites under Pharaoh did now the second time descend from heaven to earth to visit the affliction of his people under the Romanes and their Governors shewing his Commission to this purpose by many signs and Wonders much greater and more gracious then Moses had wrought in Egypt most of them respectively exhibited in the sight of the Pharisees Priests and Elders and of all the people but with worse successe in respect of them for whose good they were purposely and especially wrought then Moses his miracles had found in Egypt The Egyptians 't is true did not hearken unto Moses nor hold his miracles in that esteem which they deserved but to persecute to stone or otherwise to slay or murther Moses we do not read of any attempt made by them untill after he had departed with Gods People out of Egypt Whereas the Scribes and Pharisees with the Priests and Elders upon the more frequent sight of our Saviours Miracles did not only harden their own hearts but wrought the people otherwise well inclined unto his Doctrine to such an hardnesse of heart that they persecuted The God or Great Angel of the Covenant who had appeared to Moses in Mount Sinai unto a bloudy ignominious death and which doth aggravate the sin sought the release of Barabbas the Murtherer that is by name and qualitie the Son of their Father the Divel whilest he stood in competition with the only Son of God for enjoying the benefit of that Boon which by the indulgence of the Romanes was granted to them at every Feast of the Passeover in remembrance of their Fathers deliverance out of Egypt 25. More foolish again by much these Scribes and Pharisees with their Complices were then the Egyptians in Mosesâ—s time had been in that they persecuted as farr as in them lay the Lord God of their Fathers after his departure out of this World by procuring a watch or guard to be set about his grave seeking thereby to stop his passage which he had foretold from death to life But he in the mean time gives evident Proof that he had greater Power and more soveraign command over the earth over the rocks grave it self then Moses had over the waters of Egypt or the Red Sea which Moses by vertue of his power whose Embassador he was did command to swallow up the Egyptians alive This second Moses or Great Prophet like unto him after his death commands the rocks to cleave asunder and the earth and grave to give up their dead No marvel if after the Iews had thus wilfully and desperately hardened their own hearts the Lord God of their Fathers have hardened their hearts after a stranger manner then he did the hearts of Pharaoh and his People and for a longer space even to this present day Besides all other oddes of circumstantial considerations from our Saviors fore-warnings or admonitions the measure of that blindnesse or Induration which possessed these later Jews did most justly accrue from neglect of that Peremptorie monition which Moses their Lawgiver had given them Deut. 18. 15 16 17 18 19. The Lord thy God will raiseup unto thee a prophet from the middest of thee like unto me unto him shall ye hearken According to all that thou desiredst of the Lord thy God in Horeb in the day of the Assembly saying Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God neither let me see this great fire any more that I die not And the Lord said unto me They have well spoken that which they have spoken I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren like unto thee and will put my words in his mouth and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him And it shall come to passe that whosoever wil not hearken unto my words which he shal speak in my name I will require it of him 26 Here were a fit place A Parallel betwixt Moses and Christ Jesus and fair Occasion to institute a Parallel or decypher the similitude between Moses and Jesus the great Prophet as the people did often enstyle him a point whereunto I have spoken somewhat in the Third Book of Comments upon the Apostles Creed Chap. 11. The diligent Reader I know may finde much more for his better satisfaction in many learned Commentators upon the 18. of Deuteronomie and the 3. of the Acts and amongst others in the learned Gualter who is not in this point so prolix as in most other of his Comments upon the Acts. At this time and in this place these Two Circumstances onely present themselves to my Memorie which I shall commend to the ingenuous Readers view The First That Moses was born at that very time wherein the Pharaoh which then ruled over Egypt had a design to make away all the Hebrew Infant-Males being thereunto sollicited or provoked as Josephus tells us by the suggestions of his Secretarie upon a Prenotion or Fame which he had heard or learned God knows from whom or by what means that there should about that time arise a Prophet
on whom he will have mercie and whom he will he hardeneth Thou wilt say then unto me Why doth he yet find fault For who hath resisted his will c. THe former part of this Proposition here inferred by way of Conclusion was avouched before by our Apostle as an undoubted Maxim ratified by Gods own voyce to Moses For he said to Moses I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion Exod. 33. 19. The true sense and meaning of which place I have before declared in unfolding the 16. verse of this Chapter so that the later part of this eighteenth verse Whom he will he hardeneth must be the Principall Subject of my present discourse The Antecedent inferring this part of this Conclusion is Gods Speech to Pharaoh Exod. 9. 16. Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up that I may shew my power in thee and that my Name may be declared throughout all the Earth The Inference is plain seeing Gods power was to be manifested in hardening Pharaoh 2. The Points of Inquiry whose full discussion will open an easie passage to the difficulties concerning Reprobation and Election and bring all the contentious Controversies concerning the meaning of this Chapter to a brief perspicuous issue are especially Four 1. The Manner how God doth harden 2. The Pertinencie of that Objection why doth he yet find fault for who hath resisted his will and the Validitie of the Apostles Answers 3. The Logicall determination of this Proposition Whom he will he hardeneth What is the proper object of Gods Will in hardening 4. What manner of Division this is He will haue compassion on whom he will have compassion and whom he will he hardeneth For the right opening of all Four difficulties the Explication of the single Terms with their divers Acceptions serves as a Key The Termes briefly to be explicated are Three 1. Gods Will 2. Irresistible 3. Induration or hardening The principal Difficultie or Transcendent Question is In what sense Gods Will or Induration may be said to be irresistible whom he will he hardeneth 3. Gods Will Not to trouble you with any curious Distinctions concerning Gods Will this is a string which in most * See Attributes 1. Part Sect. 2. Chapt 15. 2. Part. 2. Sect. Chapt. 18. c. meditations we were inforced to touch Albeit Gods Will be most truly and indivisibly One and in indivisible unitie most truly infinite and immutable yet is it Immutably free Omnipotently able to produce pluralitie as well as unitie mutabilitie as well as immutabilitie weakness as well as strength in his creatures By this one infinite immutable Will In what sense or in respect of what Objects Gods Will is said to be Irresistible he ordaines that some things shall be Necessarie or that this shall be at this time and no other And such particulars he is said by an extrinsecal denomination from the Object to will by his Irresistible Will The meaning is the production of the Object so willed cannot be resisted be-because it is Gods Will that it shall come to passe notwithstanding any resistance that is or can be made against it If any particular so willed should not come to passe his Will might be resisted being set only on this By the same immutable and indivisible Will he ordained that other Events should be mutable or Contingent viz. that of more particulars proposed this may be as well as that the Affirmative as will as the Negative And of particulars so willed no one can be said to be willed by his Irresistible Will If the Existence of any one so willed should be necessarie his will might be resisted seeing his Will is that they should not be necessary Each Particular of this kind by the like denomination from the thing willed he may be said to will by his Resistible Will The whole 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or List of several possibilities or the indifference betwixt the particulars he wils by his Irresistible Will The Psalmist's Oracle Psal 5. is universally true of all persons in every age of Adam specially before his Fall Non Deus volens iniquitatem tu es God doth not he cannot will iniquitie And yet we see the world is full of it The Apostles speech again is as universally true This is the will of God even your sanctification that every one of you should know how to possesse his vessel in honour 1 Thess 4. 3. God willeth and he seriously and earnestly willeth sanctity of life in our selves uprightnesse and integritie of conversation amongst men and yet behold a Vacuum in this little world in the sonnes of Adam whom he created after his own image and similitude So then he neither wils mens goodness nor nils their iniquitie by his Irresistible will He truly willed Adams integritie but not by his irresistible Will For so Adams could not have fallen What shall we say then that God did will Adams Fall by his irresistible will God forbid For so Adam could not but have sinned Where is the mean or middle Station on which we may build our faith The immediate Object of Gods irresistible Will in this Case was Adams Free-will ' that is Potestas labendi potestas standi Power to stand and power to Fall By the same Will he decreed Death as the Inevitable Consequent of his Fall and life as the necessary unpreventable Reward of his perseverance Thus much briefly of Gods Will in what sense it is said to be resistible or Irresistible The nature and propertie of an hardened heart cannot in fewer words better be expressed than by the Poets Character of an unruly stubborn Youth Cereus in vitium flecti monitoribus asper Hor. de Arte. It is a constitution or temper of mind as plyant as wax to receive the impressions of the Flesh or stamp of the Old Man but as untoward as flint or other ragged stone to admit the Image of the New Man The first General The manner how God doth harden 4. The first General THe Difficultie is In what sense God can be truly said to be Author of such a Temper The Proposition is of undoubted truth whether we consider it as an Indefinite God doth harden or as a Singular God hardened Pharaoh or in the Vniversalitie here mentioned God hardeneth whom he will The Apostles meaning is that God can harden whom he will after the same manner he hardened Pharaoh Concerning the manner how God doth harden The Questions are two 1. Whether he harden Positively or Privatively only 2. Whether he harden by his Irresistible Will or by his Resistible Will onely To give one and the same Answer to either demand without distinction of times or persons were to entangle our selves as most Writers in this Argument have done in the Fallacie Ad plures Interrogationes Touching the First Question God doth not harden all men or any man at all times
did come to passe by Gods Irresistible Will His Error into which the greatest Clerk living especially if he be not an accurate Philosopher might easily slide consists originally in confounding Eternitie with Successive Duration and not distinguishing Succession it self from things durable or Successive He and many others in this argument speak as if they conceived that the necessary Coexistence of Eternitie with Time did necessarily draw every mans whole course of life Motu quodam raptús after such a manner as Astronomers suppose that the highest Sphere doth move the lower whereas if we speak of the course not of Pharaoh's natural but moral life it was rather an Incondit heap or confused multitude of durables than one entire uniforme duration And each durable hath its distinct Reference to the eternal Decree That which is eternally true of one was not at all much lesse eternally true of another Eternitie it self though immutable though necessarily though indivisibly co-existent to All was not so indissolubly linked with Any but that Pharaoh might have altered or stayed his course of life before that moment wherein the measure of iniquitie was accomplished But in that moment he became so exorbitant that the Irresistible Decree of induration did fasten upon him His Irregular motions have ever since become irrevocable not his Actions onely but his Person is carried headlong by the everlasting revolutions of the unchangable decree into everlasting unavoydable destruction 22. The Proposition or Conclusion proposed Pharaoh was hardened by Gods Irresistible Will indefinitely taken is true from all eternitie throughout all eternitie and therefore true from Pharaoh's birth unto his death but not therefore true of Pharaoh howsoever qualified or of all Pharaoh's Qualifications throughout the whole còurse of his life For so the Proposition becomes an Vniversal not onely in respect of the Time but of the Subject that is of all Pharaohs several qualifications The sense is as if he had said God from eternitie decreed to harden Pharaoh howsoever qualified as well in his Infancie as his full Age by his Irresistible Will and thus taken it is False The Inference is the same with the fore-mentioned Adam in Gods foreknowledge was a sinner from eternitie Ergo Adam was alwaies a sinner a Sinner before he sinned during the time of his innocencie or with this God from all eternitie did decree by his irresistible Will that Adam should die the death Ergo He did decree by his irresistible Will that Adam should dye as soon as he was created or be a sinner all his life long To reconcile these two Propositions aright God from eternitie decreed by his Irresistible Will that Adam should dye God from eternitie did not decree by his Irresistible Will that Adam should die otherwise than we have reconciled the two former God from eternitie decreed to harden Pharaoh by his Irresistible Will God from eternitie did not decree to harden Pharaoh by his Irresistible Will no Writer I presume will undertake The only reconciliation possible is this God did decree by his Irresistible Will that Adam sinning should die God did not decree by his irresistible-Will that Adam not sinning should dye nor did he decree by his Irresistible Will that Adam should sin that he might die For as we said before God did neither decree his Fall nor his perseverance by his Irresistible will And his death was no more inevitable than his Fall Nor was Pharaohs final Induration more inevitable than the measure of iniquitie to which such Induration was from eternitie awarded by Gods Irresistible will Of Pharaoh thus considered the Conclusion was true from eternitie In what sense the Conclusion proposed may be said universal universalitate temporis as to Pharaoh true in respect of every moment of Pharaohs life wherein the measure of his iniquitie was or might have been accomplished though it had been accomplished within three years after his birth And this accomplishment presupposed the Induration was most inevitable his Final Reprobation as irrecoverable as Gods Absolute will taking absolute as it is opposed to disjunct is irresistible 23. In what sense the Conclusion proposed may be said to be universal universalitate subjecti The same Proposition in respect of Reprobation is universally true Vniversalitate Subjecti that is of every other person so ill qualified as Pharaoh was when God did harden him VVhosoever shall at any time become such a man as Pharaoh was then is a Reprobate from eternitie by Gods Irresistible will And seeing no man is exempted from his Jurisdiction he may harden whom he will after the same manner that he hardened Pharaoh although de facto he doth not so harden all the Reprobates that is he reserves them not alive for examples to others after the ordinary time appointed for their dissolution Nor doth he tender ordinary meanes of repentance unto them after the door of Repentance is shut upon them God in his infinite wisdom hath many secret purposes incomprehensible to man as VVhy of such as are equal offenders one in this life is more rigorously dealt withall than another VVhy of such as are equally disposed to goodness Moral one is called before another by his irresistible calling That thus to dispense of mercy and justice in this life See his Treatise of the Signs of the Time the 3. or moral part of it doth argue no Partialitie or respect of persons with God is an argument elsewhere insisted upon 24. The Point whereupon we are now to pitch is this Indefinite Men usually are Called Elected Reprobated or hardened by Gods Resistible will before they be called Elected reprobated or hardened by his irresistible will All these Termes are Indefinite and according to their different measures as truly mutable as Immutable from Eternitie or as in other * See Chapt. 37. Num. 5. 6. See 9. Book Ch. 18. c. Meditations we have shewed There is a State of Election under promise and a State of Election under Oath of which the latter only is Absolutely immutable The like we may say of Reprobation it is either under general Threat or upon Oath the Former is mutable so is not the Latter No man living shall ever be able to make his Inference good Pharaoh was absolutely reprobated from eternitie that is Whether granting that Pharaoh was a reprobate from eternitie we must grant withall that Pharaoh was a reprobate in his Middle age Youth or Infancie His reprobation was immutable from eternitie Ergo Pharaoh in his Youth or Infancie was a Reprobate To inferre the Consequence proposed no Medium more probable than this can possibly be brought Pharaoh from his Infancie to his full age was alwaies one and the self-same Man Et de eodem impossibile est idem affirmari negari The Consequence not withstanding is no better than this following The last Eclipse of the Moon was necessary from the beginning Ergo The Moon was necessarily eclipsed in the first quarter or in the
Means much available for strengthening of Faith or for repairing those decayes or ruines which the subtiltie of Satan works in our soules yet the Reiteration of the Sacrament of Baptism is neither Necessary nor allowable much lesse Commendable for such purposes And the Raritie or rather Singularitie of It was to my apprehension Emblematically prefigured by the Sacrifice of the Red Heifer or the Water of sprinkling which was Legally sanctified or consecrated by her Ashes The Law concerning this kind of Purification is not to be found I take it in Leviticus at least not in that sixteenth Chapter wherein the Law of the Sacrifice of attonement is punctually set down However the forementioned Glossarie upon the Romish Canon for consecrating Holy Water either through negligence See Chapt. 48 Num. 6. or ignorance or both avouch that place for it If the sacrifice of the Red Heifer had belonged unto the Feast of attonement it must have been reiterated once every year whereas the Hebrew Antiquaries affirm that this solemnitie was not used above tea times during all the time of the Law of the Tabernacle or Temple And whether it were so often used may be questioned because there is no Law or Precept for the Continuation of it but only for the use of the water of sprinkling being once consecrated by it so often as the occasion specified in the Law did require 2. But unlesse the frequent use of the water so mingled with the ashes did wast or exhaust the ashes of that one sacrifice which Eleazar not Aaron was commanded to offer These might have been preserved without putrifaction for a longer time then the Law of Ceremonies was to endure For Ashes as good Naturalists tell us being well kept are immortal or an Emblem of Immortalitie But it may be that as soon or as often as the Ashes of any such sacrifice were by frequent use of the water of sprinkling exhausted or wasted the Legal Priests were bound by the Law mentioned to offer another for consecrating the water of sprinkling whose use was to continue as long as the reason mentioned in the Law did indure 3. The chief use or End of the water of sprinkling mingled with the Ashes of this sacrifice was to purifie such as had made themselves Legally unclean or had casually fallen into such uncleanness One branch of this uncleanness was the touching or being touched by any Dead Corps And unto this use of the water of sprinkling mentioned Numb 19. 11. that of our Apostle Heb. 9. 14. hath special Reference more then Allusion How much more shall the bloud of Christ purge our Consciences from DEAD works That this Legal Sacrifice for sinne was an Exquisite Type of Christs Bloudy Death and sufferings or an exact picture of his bloud wherewith the heavenly Sanctuary or Holy places were purified although the bloud of this Legal sacrifice were not brought into the Earthly Sanctuary no good Writers which I have read either deny or question That the Water of sprinkling consecrated by the aspersion of the Ashes of this Legal Sacrifice did truely resemble the water of Baptism by which we are washed from sin and consecrated unto God as clean persons that is made members of his Church here on earth is so evident in it self that it needs no Paraphrase or Laborious Comment upon the fore-cited Law Yet to this purpose the learned Reader may find much pertinent matter in Chytraeus his Comments upon the Book of Numbers and in many others It will be more needful or better suiting with my intentions in this place to prevent the captious exceptions which some Anti-Papists have heretofore taken and now resume against the expressions of our Publick Liturgie in that Part of it which concerns the Administration of Baptism Almighty and everlasting God which of thy great mercie diddest save Noah and his Familie in the Ark from perishing by water and also diddest safely lead the children of Israel through the red sea figuring thereby thy holy Baptism and by the Baptism of thy wel-beloved Son Iesus Christ diddest sanctifie the floud Iordan and all other waters to the mystical washing away of sin We beseech thee for thine infinite mercies that thou wilt mercifully look upon these Children Sanctifie them and wash them with the holy Ghost that they being delivered from thy wrath may be received into the Ark of Christs Church and being stedfast in faith joyful through hope and rooted in charity may so passe the waves of this troublesome world that finally they may come to the land of everlasting life there to reign with thee world Without end through Iesus Christ our Lord Amen Seeing now dearly beloved Brethren that these Children be regenerate and grafted into the body of Christs Congregation let us give thanks unto God for these Benefits and with one accord make our prayers unto Almightie God that they may lead the rest of their life according to this beginning We yeild thee heartie thanks most merciful Father that it hath pleased thee to regenerate this Infant with thy holy Spirit to receive him for thine own Child by adoption and to incorporate him into thy holy Congregation and humbly we beseech thee to grant that he being dead unto sin and living unto righteousness and being buried with Christ in his death may crucifie the old man and utterly abolish the whole body of sin that as he is made partaker of the death of thy Son so he may be partaker of his resurrection so that finally with the residue of thy holy congregation he may be Inheritor of thine everlasting Kingdom through Christ our Lord. Amen 4. It is no part of our Churches Doctrin or meaning that the washing or sprinkling infants bodyes with Consecrated water should take away sinnes by it's own immediate Vertue To affirm thus much implies as I conceive a Contradiction to that Apostolical doctrin The like figure whereunto even Baptism doth also now save us not the putting away the filth of the flesh but the answer of a good Conscience towards God by the resurrection of Jesus Christ who is gone into heaven c. 1. Pet. 3. 21. The meaning of our Church intends no further then thus That if this Sacrament of Baptism be duely administred the blood or bloody Sacrifice of Christ or which is all one the Influence of his spirit doth alwaies accompany or is Concurrent to this solemn Act. But whether this Influence of his spirit or Vertual presence of his body and blood be either immediatly or only terminated to the soul and spirit of the party Baptized or have some vertual influence upon the water of Baptism as a mean to convey the Grace of Regeneration unto the soule of the partie Baptized whilest the water is poured upon him is Too Nice and curious a Question in this Age for sober Christians to debate or contend about It may suffice to beleive that this Sacramental pledge hath a Vertual Presence of Christs Blood or some Real
Justification One By Christ's Death Another By his Resurrection from the Dead or Two Imputations of his Rightcousness Surely neither Justification nor Imputation of Christs Righteousness Consists in One Single Act both admitt divers Degrees or Parts or rather contain a Long Processe The best way to assoyl the Difficultie proposed will be First to set forth the proper effects or Duties of our Beliefe as it is terminated to Christs Death and Sufferings Secondly the Proper Issues or Effects of our Beleife of his Resurrection from the Dead We believe that by his Death our sins even the sins of the world were taken away That Adam and All that came of Him were thus farre redeemed by Him as to be set Free deâ— Jure from the Bondage of Satan and purchased as a peculiar people to himself Thus we often read that we are redeemed by his blood shed on the Cress that is By that One Sacrifice of Himself the Ransom of Mankinds Redemption was fully payd Of this all men are bound to have full Assurance and in respect of this General t is truely said Fides est Fiducia Faith is a Confidence in the Blood of Christ And thus firmely Believing our Faith is imputed or reckoned to Us for Righteousness as it was to Abraham 2. But many may be Redeemed from Captivitie yet have a desire to continue in the Land or Territories of their former Captivitie or no great desire to be transported out of it into a safer soyl Some with Gryllus in the Poet desire rather to continue Swine then to be Re-transformed into the Image of God And unto These Christs Death is not available shall not be imputed unless it be to their greater Condemnation But from the General Confidence that Christ hath redeemed us from the bondage of Satan and Curse of the Law the Church our Mother hath wisely and piously ordained that all professing Christianitie yea Infants born of Christian Parents or Others exposed by their incredulous Parents to the Tuition of the Church shall be forthwith transported out of the Hemisphere of darkness into the Sphere of Light to be visibly ingrafted into the mystical Body of Christ The Duty whereto all such as are thus transported are bound is to promise and Vow Obedience unto Christ as to their sole Lord and Redeemer To forsake the Divel and all his workes the pompes and vanities of this wicked world and all the sinfull lusts of the flesh and to fight manfully under Christs Banner unto their lives end that is to take up their Cross and follow him and as he dyed for them so to be ready to lay down their lives for the brethren if need require in his service or to use our Apostles words Phil. 2. 5. To put on the same mind which was in Christ Jesus who being in the form of God thought it no robbery to be equal with God but made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant and was made in likeness of men and being found in fashion of a man he humbled himself and became obedient unto death even the Death of the Cross Vers 6 7 8. Another not altogether so diverse as rather the same immediate and formal Effect of our Belief in Christs bloody Sacrifice on the Cross is Dayly to offer up the sacrifice of a broken Heart of an humble and contrite spirit And for offering this Sacrifice every man must in part be his own Priest and Confessor that he may be partaker of the blessing and Grace of the High Priest of our soules from his Heavenly Sanctuary where he sits at the right hand of God CHAP. LIII Christs Parable 12. Math. 43. c. applyed Two degrees of Reconciliation the first Active or but meere-Grammatically Passive The other Real-Passive So correspondently Two Branches of Justification The One from Christs Death The Other from the benefit of His Priesthood dayly participated to us 1. TO proceed thus farr in the Knowledge of Jesus Christ and of Him Crucified and in the practice of Christian Duties Concomitant to such Knowledge is more I am afraid or rather fully perswaded then most of such as take upon them to seal Assurance to themselves and to others of their salvation by Markes and Tokens of the Elect of their own coyning have rightly got by Heart And yet to rest secure upon these Grounds though learned by heart of their personal Salvation or irreversible Estate in Grace or in Gods Favour doth open a gap unto hellish Hypocrisie which our Saviour himself hath commanded us to beware of or rather to shut it out as it is in that parable Mat. 12. 43 44 45. When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man he walketh through dry places seeking rest and findeth none Then he saith I will return into my house from whence I came Out and when he is come he findeth it empty swept and garnished Then goeth he and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked then himself and they enter in and dwell there and the last state of that man is worse then the first Even so shall it be also to this wicked generation For the right application of this Parable to the Jews with whom our Saviour there disputes as also unto men of this and former Ages I referr the Reader to Jansenius and Maldonate in their Learned Comments upon this place but especially to Jansenius 2. Thus much is sufficient to our present purpose and thus much is most cleare That it is not the Sweeping or garnishing of the heart or emptiness of such vices as do raign in the hearts of Infidels and give Satan possession of them all which may be wrought by the serious consideration of Christs death Passion and by the imputation of his Merits that can secure us from further assaults of Satan to our final destruction Rather for us to presume upon these without Experiments without a continual Guard upon our own soules is but as if a man having beaten his adversaries out of his house should set up his staffe or sword or other instrument of warre without the door to entice his enemie by this opportunitie to make forcible entrance when he is least aware To what End then doth the Contemplation of Christs death or the Imputation of his merits serve us Do these beget no portion or degree of any Certaintie of our Estate in Christ or of Salvation Yes they alwaies bring forth a Certainty though not of Faith yet of Hope that God in his Good time will accomplish these good beginnings and crown them with more then a Moral with an Experimental certainty or assurance of our Estate in Grace For Regulating our perswasions in this point there can be no better Rule then that of our Apostle Rom. 5. Therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom also we have access by Faith into his Grace wherein we stand and rejoyce in hope of the Glorie
of God ver 1 2. And again more fully ver 8 9 10 11. God commendeth his love towards us in that whilest we were yet sinners Christ dyed for us Much more then being now justified by his bloud we shall be saved from wrath through him For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his life And not only so but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have now received the attonement The Ground then of our Hope or of such Certaintie as we can attain unto in this life is our Reconciliation to God of which our Apostle speakes more fully and divinely 2 Cor. 5. If any man be in Christ he is a new Creature Old things are past away behold all things are become new and all things are of God who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ and hath given to us the ministerie of Reconciliation to wit that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself not imputing their trespasses unto them and hath committed to us the word of reconciliation ver 17 18 19. But if this Reconciliation were sufficient for our Certaintie of Salvation what need were there of a second Reconciliation or a second part at least of the same Reconciliation which our Apostle presseth upon us ver 20. 21. Now then we are Ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christs stead to be reconciled to God For he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him The first part of Reconciliation is Active or at the most part but a Grammatical Passive As a man is said to be Called when he is summoned to appear though he make no Personal Appearance so are we said to be Reconciled to God when pardon for our sins is proclaimed though before we could take notice of it The Second Reconciliation is a Real passive and includes a Turning unto the Lord by Acceptance of our Pardon and by serious pursuing the Allowance of it The former part of Recenciliation is wrought by meer Imputation of Christs death and merits The second is wrought partly by Imputation but especially by Real Participation of Grace from Christ and gifts of the spirit These are They that must defend and guard our soules against the Re-entry or Re-possession of Satan and wicked spirits whether by fair or forcible means 3. Answerable to the Two Sorts or Degrees of Reconciliation there are Two Sorts or two Branches of Iustification The One by meere Imputation of Christs Death and Passion which was once wrought for all at his Consecration to His Everlasting Priest-hood The Other by Participation of his Grace or Operation of his Priesthood since his Resurrection and Ascension During the time of Legal Sacrifices whether for sinnes against the Ceremonial or Moral Law the People were bound upon new occasions to bring new Sacrifices unto the Priest and he bound to offer them up unto the Lord for their Reconciliation or Attonement For us Christians to think or conceive of more Sacrifices for sinne then One that was Once offered for all were to deny Christ or the Efficacie of His Everlasting Priesthood But as for the Sacrifices of prayers prayses or thanksgiving for what is past or supplications for the assistance of Christs Spirit for the time to come These we are bound to offer up to God by Christ more frequently then the Jews could offer up their bloudy Sacrifices or then the Priests could attend this service which they were to attend only at certain houres or Solemn Times because they were but mortal men and could not perform their Office 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But Christ since his Resurrection and Ascension is not only an Everlasting High Priest but doth exercise this his Function without Intermission Every Priest standeth dayly ministring and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices which can never take away sins But this Priest after he had offered one Sacrifice for sin sate down on the right hand of God For ever So the Syriack reades Points it much better then the Ordinary English doth or the Greek as may appear from a Parallel place Hebr. 7. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He remaineth a Priest for ever 4. Briefly though every sin perhaps every Gross sin which we commit after our Justification by the Resurrection of Christ and reall Participation of his Grace doth not work a Total Interruption in our Estate or Interest in him yet every such sin doth work a decay or diminution of Grace or some extinguishment of the Spirit of Life both which must be repayred by the Efficacy or Exercise of his Everlasting Priest-hood None is so just whether by Imputation of his merits or by Encrease of Grace but may and must be dayly more justifyed So that the Son of God doth set us free First by his sufferings upon the Cross Secondly by the Laver of Baptism and by Participation of his Life and Spirit and Lastly he will set us Free indeed at the Resurrection of the Just when we shall be translated into that heavenly house or mansion wherein he abideth for ever 5. Thus much of the Knowledge of Christ and of him Crucified and of the exercise of his Everlasting Priest-hood Points wherein I could wish to take more pains though to the wasting of my bodily Spirits upon Condition I could perswade a great part of the Clergie of this Kingdom not to make Christ Crucified and raised from the Dead a meer By-stander in most of their Disputes concerning Election c. as if he had shed his precious bloud to no other purpose save only the purchase of their own Salvation or the Eternal Excommunication or Damnation of others Now whether I have justly charged them with denyal of Christs Everlasting Priest-hood or of his Absolute Dominion or Final Judicature I here solemnly appeal unto Him in that great Day when he shall come as I verily believe He shall to judge the Quick and the Dead To reward every man according to all his workes whether his Writings Sayings or Actions C. Reader THE main Work of the sixth Section was to prepare and clear the way for The Exercise of Christs Everlasting Priesthood by amoving that Great Mountain of the Rigid Decree which in the Authors judgment did obstruct the general approach to the Throne of mercy and the issues of Grace flowing thence It making Christ a meer Spectator at most an Instrument to Execute a Decree passed before all Worlds and no Actor Advocate or Intercessor This following eighth Section treats of Certain Errors which though some of them do not wholly Evacuate or null yet do all of them disparage and Entrench upon the vertue and Efficacie of Christs Priest-hood Some of them were toucht before here they are more fully handled SECT
reason then why the Body of Christ is not or ought not to be often offered is not because all our sinnes were actually remitted by the once offering of it or remitted before they were committed but because the substance or matter of the sacrifice is of the same force at this day to remit sinnes that it was of whilest it was offered For his humane nature was consecrated by death and by his bloody Passion to be a sacrifice of everlasting Vertue to be the continual propitiation for our sinnes 7 If either the actual sinnes of all men Christs Resurrection our baptism needless if sinnes be remitted before they be committed or the sinnes of the Elect in speciall had been so remitted by Christs death as some conceive they were that is absolutely pardoned before they were committed there had been no end or use of Christs Resurrection in respect of us no need of Baptism yet was Baptism from the hour of his resurrection necessarie unto all that did beleive in his death and resurrection The urgent and indispensable necessitie of Baptism especially in respect of actual beleivers is not any where more Emphatically intimated than in St. Peters Answer to the Jewes Whose hearts were pierc't with sorrow that they had been the causes of Christs death They in this stound or sting of Conscience demand Men and brethren what shall we do and Peter answered them Repent and be Baptized Every one of you In the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sinnes And they that gladly received the word were Baptized the same day Acts 2. 37 38 41. These men had been deeply tainted with sin not original onely but with sinnes actual of the worst kind guiltie they were in a high degree of the death of the Son of God yet had they as well their actual as their original sinnes remitted by Baptism It is then an unsound and imperfect Doctrin that sin original onely is taken away or remitted by Baptism for whatsoever sinnes are remitted or taken away by Christs death the same sins are in the same manner remitted and taken away by Baptism into his death actual sinnes are remitted in such as are guiltie of actual sinnes when they are baptized though onely sin Original be actually remitted in those which are not guiltie of actual sinnes as in Infants No mans sinnes are actually remitted before he be actually guilty of them 8. The Question is how either sin original is remitted or how any work of Satan is dissolved by Baptism And this Question in the General is righly resolved by saying They are remitted by faith But this general Resolytion sufficeth not unless we know the Object of our Faith in this particular Now the particular Object of our Faith of that faith by which sinnes whether by Baptism or otherwise are remitted is not our general Belief in Christ even our belief of Christ dying for us in particular will not suffice unlesse it include our Belief of the Everlasting Vertue of his bloudie Sacrifice and of his everlasting Priest-hood for purifying and cleansing our soules No sinnes be truly remitted unless they be remitted by the Office or exercise of his Priest-hood and whilest so remitted they are not remitted by any other Sacrifice then by the sole vertue of his body and bloud which he once offered for all for the sinnes of all It is not the Vertue or Efficacie of the consecrated water in which we were washed but the vertue of his Bloud which was once shed for us and which by Baptism is sprinkled upon us or communicated unto us which immediately cleanseth us from all our sinnes From this everlasting Vertue of this his bloudy Sacrifice Faith by the ministerie of baptism is immediatly gotten in such as had it not before And in such as have Faith before they be baptized the guilt of Actual sinns is remitted by the exercise or Act of Faith as it apprehends the everlasting Efficacy of this sacrifice and by the prayer of faith and supplication unto our High Priest Faith then is as the mouth or appetite by which were receive this food of Life and is a good sign of health but it is the food itself received which must continue health and strengthen spiritual life in us and the food of life is no other then Christs Body and Bloud and it is our High Priest himself which must give us this food Baptism saith St. Peter 1 Pet. 3. 20. doth save us what Baptism doth save us not the putting away the filth of the flesh yet this is the immediate effect of the water in baptism but the answer or stipulation of a good conscience towards God But how doth this kind of Baptism or this concomitant of Baptism save us The Apostle in the same place tells us by the resurrection of Jesus Christ The answer or stipulation of a good conscience includes an illumination of our spirits by the Spirit of God a qualification by which we are made sonnes of Light being before the sonnes of darkness But That by this qualification we become the sonnes of Light That this qualification is by baptism wrought in us That by this qualification however wrought in us we are saved from our sinnes All this is immediately from the vertue of Christs Resurrection That is as you have heard before he was consecrated by the sufferings of death to be an everlasting Priest and by his resurrection from death his body and bloud became an everlasting Propitiation for sinnes an inexhaustible Fountain of Grace by which we are purifyed from the dead works of sinne 9. It is true again that in the Sacrament of Christs Body and Bloud there is a propitiation for our sinnes because He is really present in it who is the propitiation for our sinnes But it no way hence followes that there is any propitiatorie sacrifice for sin in this Sacrament He becomes the propitiation for our sinnes he actually remits our sinnes not directly and immediately by the Elements of Bread and Wine nor by any other kind of Local Presence or Compresence with these Elements than is in Baptism The Orthodoxal Antients use the same Language for expressing his Presence in Baptism and in the Eucharist they stick not to say that Christ is present or Latent in the water as well as in the Elements of Bread and Wine Their meaning is that neither of these Elements or sensible substances can directly cleanse us from our sinnes by any vertue communicated unto them or inherent in them but only as they are pledges or assurances of Christs peculiar presence in them and of our true investiture in Christ by them We are not then to receive the Elements of bread and wine only in remembrance that Christ dyed for us but in remembrance or assurance likewise that his body which was once given for us doth by its everlasting Vertue preserve our bodies and souls unto everlasting Life and that his bloud which was but once shed for us doth
still cleanse us from all our sinnes from which in this life we are cleansed or can hope to be cleansed If we then receive remission of sinnes or purification from our sinnes in the Sacrament of the Eucharist as we alwaies doe when we receive it worthily we receive it not immediately by the sole serious remembrance of his death but by the present Efficacie or operation of his body which was given for us and of his Bloud which was shed for us 10. The reason why the bloud of Bulls and of Goats had no longer force or efficacie to cleanse men though but from sinnes against the Law of Ceremonies then whilest they were offered was because their bloud was corruptible bloud and did perish with the using But we are not redeemed saith S. Peter 1 Pet. 1. 18. with corruptible things as silver and Gold but with the pretious bloud of Christ as of a Lamb without blemish or without spot One part of the pretiousness of his bloud is that it is farr more incorruptible then silver gold or other pretious metall and the less corruptible any metall is the more pretious it is and the more pretious it is the more uncorruptible Though Christ then was truly mortal when he dyed for us yet the bloud that he shed forth for us at his death did not become like water spilt upon the ground which cannot be gathered again it did not vanish or consume as the bloud of Legal Sacrifices did as his Body so his Bloud was not to see or feel corruption not a drop of Bloud which was shed for us whether in the Garden or upon the Crosse but was the bloud of the Son of God but was shed by him as willing at this price to become the everlasting High Priest of our soules and not a drop of Bloud which was so shed did cease or shall ever cease to be the bloud of the Son of God His soule and body we know were disunited by death yet were neither of them disunited from his Godhead or Divine Person His Body whilest laid in the grave was still the Body of the Son of God as still retaining Personal Vnion with his Godhead So was his soule so was his Bloud the soule and Bloud of the Son of God as being indissolubly united to his Divine Person Though his bloud whilest it was shed or powred out did lose its Physical or Local Union with his body though one portion of it were divided from another yet no drop of it was divided from his infinite Person And that which the Romish Church would transferre unto each several crum of bread or drop of Wine in the Eucharist is Originally and properly true of the several drops or divisibilities of Christs Bloud which was shed for us whole Christ was in every one of them indivisibly in every one of them God was the Godhead was and is personally united to all of them 11. Whether all and every portion of his bloud which was then shed were by the power of the Godhead recollected and re-united to his Body as his Body was to his Soule at the resurrection See Chap 46. Numb 2. we cannot tell God knowes But this we know and believe that the self same bloud which was then shed whether it were gathered together again or remained dispersed whether it were re-united to his Glorifyed Body or divided from it is still united to the Fountain of Life to the Godhead in the Person of the Son And being united to this Fountain of Life who dwelleth in it as light within the body of the Sun it is of Efficacie everlasting it hath an immortal power or force to dissolve the Works of Satan in us as well those which he worketh in us after Baptism as before The Vertue of it to cleanse and purge us from our sinnes of what kind soever is at this day as soveraign as if it had been sprinkled upon our soules whilest it issued out of his body It is impossible it should lose its Vertue in or upon our soules unless vve first lose our Interest in it vvhich vve cannot lose but by abandoning the vvaies of light and polluting our soules vvith the Works of darkness For so long as we walk in the light the bloud of Jesus Christ the Son of God doth cleanse us from all our sins 12. 1 John 1. 7. This present Efficacie of Christs body and Bloud upon our soules or reall Communication of both I find as a truth unquestionable amongst the Antient Fathers and as a Catholick Confession The Modern Lutheran and the modern Romanist have fallen into their several Errors concerning Christs presence in the Sacrament from a common ignorance neither of them conceive nor are they vvilling to conceive hovv Christs body and bloud should have any Real Operation upon our soules unlesse they were so Locally present as they might Agere per contactum that is either so purge our soules by Oral Manducation as Physical Medicines do our bodies vvhich is the pretended use of Transubstantiation or so quicken our souls as svveet odours do the Animal spirits which were the most probable use of the Lutheran Consubstantiation Both the Lutheran and Papists avouch the Authoritie of the Ancient Church for their opinions but most injuriously For more then we have said or more than Calvin doth stiffely maintain against Zuinglius and other Sacramentaries cannot be inferred from any speeches of the truely Orthodoxal or Ancient Fathers They all agree that we are immediately cleansed and purifyed from our sinnes by the bloud of Christ That his humane Nature by the inhabitation of the Deitie is made to us the inexhaustible Fountain of life But about the particular manner how life is derived to us from his humane Nature as whether it sends its sweet influence upon our soules only from the heavenly Sanctuary wherein it dwells as in its Sphere or vvhether his bloud vvhich vvas shed for us may have more immediate Local presence vvith us they no way disagree because they in this kind abhorred curiositie of dispute As for Vbiquitie and Transubstantiation they are the two Monsters of modern times brought forth by ignorance and maintained only by Faction And thus much of the infinite value and everlasting Vertue of Christs Sacrifiâ—e in comparison of Legal Sacrifices The next Querie is How the everlasting Efficacie of his Sacrifice or of his Priesthood was prefigured by Legal Sacrifices or purifications for sin 13. The Legal sacrifices as all agree did generally foreshaddow Christs Onely and All-sufficient Sacrifice But in as much as they were corruptible and their vertue transient and by reason of their corruption and transient vertue were often to be reiterated they could not be so much as true shaddowes either of his offering of Himself once for all or of the everlasting vertue of his Onely Sacrifice once offered Their imperfection corruption or transient vertue did serve as foyles to set forth the glorie and splendor of his everlasting
c. 3303 c. See Presence Luther did not distinguish inter Liberam voluntatem Liberum Arbitrium 3130 Lutheran Catechisms and consequences 3188 Lutherans wrest the Antients in Point of Consubstantiation 3298 Lycurgus's Whelps 3085 3134 M. Great Magore weighs himself yearly in gold and gives it to the poor 3236 Malepert Courtier 3227 Manichees their Bruitish opinion 3080 c. Marie the B. Virgin free from sin in her consent Be in vnto me 3038 Mass Doctr. of it injurious to Christ 3262 c. wrongs his one sacrifice the value and efficacie of it 3289 c. scandalizes the Jew 3290 makes Legal Priests Types of Masse-Priests 3265 Melchizedeck by the Romanists made a Type of Mass-Priests rather then of Christ 3265 Melchizedek not read that he offerd any sacrifice his Priesthood was a Priesthood of Blessing Authoritative 3302 Ministers main work to sett men right in the way of Conversion 3219 Mercie of God maintained 3184 3210 c. 3217 He will have mercie on whom he will the sense and quintessence of that Aphorism 3205 it implies mercie in abundance mercie to the purpose to all that seek it 3217 God shewes mercie Isaac wills Esau runs 3215 He will have mercie on whom he will the extent of that Division 3242 c. To have mercie on whom he will is a reserved prerogative of God 3216 Rom. 9. 16. excludes not endeavours nor meanes but merits 3216 c Gods readiness to shew mercie 3221 He will have mercie he hardeneth to what points the Text reaches 3247 c. Merit of works The question useless as to Adams first Estate 3008 Meritorum Reviviscentia 3285 Men several sorts several workings of the Spirit 3121 Men not come to full growth in faith c. but Children in Christ 3247 Mens deprecaturad optima 3119 Not Metaphors but Mysteries in the 6 8 9 10 Chapt. to the Hebr. 3254 Moses hid by Revelation 3191 designed Heir of the Crown of Egypt 3192 His great Atchievements perhaps against Ethiopia an omen of his leading Israel out of Bondage ibid. Two points of his Embassie to Pharaoh 3193 Gods Viceroy carried the Treaties in accurate solemnitie 3194 instructed incouraged 3196 had miracles for Letters of Credence 3195 3197 Mortification 3096 c. Progress in mortificaton a firm sign of mans Estate in Grace 3097 3103 3245 By it measure our perswasions 3162 Dutie of mortification how universal how indefinite 3099 Universal in respect of Persons though not for the matter or degrees 3146 The very Elect must mortifie 3102 Mortification a Term divisible 3105 Mortification how wrought by the Spirit how by our selves 3106 How by Gods Spirit how by mans Spirit 3110 3115 3120 Flesh the seat of the disease and must be mortified Spirit quickned 3118 c. 3121 Mortification Moral and Spiritual 106 3132 c. Whether mortification be ex operibus praevisis 3112 Mortification consists in two things Deading our desires purifying the heart 3119 Accomplishment of mortification wherein it consists 3124 c. it consists not in negatives 3125 Men that have been mortified if they draw back like heated water they freez the soonest 3128 More about Mortification 3146 c. Each degree of mortification is an approach to the Final Ratification of the promise ye shall live 3152 Mortification our reasonable Service 3159 The use of the Doctrine of Mortification 3160 c. Murmuring what must quiet it 3229 Mutinie at Capua 3074 Maâ—hiavel's judgment upon it ib. N. NAaman had some degree of Free-will 3130 Natural grounds to deny our selves and flee to God Impotencie to doe good that Good he approves dulness it self a spur 3219 c. This natural Capacitie not used makes us inexcusable ibid. The Naturalist hunts Truth upon fresh Sents not foyled with second notions 3019 Negative Precepts Sin more provoked by them then by Affirmative the reason 3026 Negative See precepts See proposition This error That all things be necessary nothing Contingent in respect of God a cause of Errors c. 3164 3016 An ill necessitie freely Contracted 3052 3063 3055 Necessary ab aeterno that ungodly men perish but not necessarie that they should be ungodly men 3169 Necessitie See Adam See Decree See Free Nobilitie expires not in uno vitioso 3032 Non-age Persons under yeares neither servants nor freemen properly 3042 of the two rather Servants ibid A strange Note upon St. Jude 3164 3173 Novatian's Error or Heresie 3280 c. Novatian's quarel with Cornelius Bishop of Rome 3281 Novatus and Novatianus two several Persons 3291 Novatus his Character 3291 O. MAns Tye by oath tempts to unfaithfulness why 3026 Oath makes promise or threat irreversible 3148 Oath of God to Abraham to requite him in kind 3302 The great Objection why doth he yet find fault 3226 c. Answered 3228 3230 Obliquitie necessarily resulting from the Act is Caused by the Cause of the Act 3011 The Cause of any Action Essentially evil or inseparable from evill is the Cause of evill 3165 Obliquitie did necessarily result from the forbidden act exercised yet was not the Act necessarie 3012 The distinction of the Act and obliquitie has no place in the first sin of Man 3013 Act and obliquitie as Connex as Roundness and Sphere 3013 c. Oecolampadius his observation 3187 Often offering an argument of imperfection 3263 3290 Ex operibus praevisis whether mortification be so tanquam ex Titulo or tanquam ex Termino 3113 3218 Opera quae renunciamus opus quo renunciamus 3219 Object See Decree Ordained to Condemnation how ungodly men are 3164 God ordaines no man to trouble the Church 3165 Yet if God ordains all Actions so that they could not come to passe otherwise then they do That would follow 3164 c. What God ordains that he is Author of 3165 c. Every Ordination to Everlasting death is not Reprobation 3166 Ordination to life and predestination ordination to death and reprobation differ as Genus and Species 3166 Origen See Beza Original See sin P. PAcuvius See Calavius Parable that of our Saviour Matth. 12. 43. applyed 3277 Paraeus his Dispute with Becanus 3012 Parallels betwixt Jews and Modern Christians 3187 The Hardening of the Jews and the Egyptians 3206 c. Moses and Christ 3207 Passeover and the Lords Supper between the two Inheritances bequeathed by Moses and Christ 3261 The Mundane Tabernacle and Celelestial the Rites and Priests of that and Christ 3253 3257 3259 3261 The Red Heifer and Christ 3261 3267 3270 3299 3302 Pardon due to Learned Authors which their Followers cannot claim 3013 No Pardon Antedated by God 3283 Some Popes denyed to Antedate Pardons ib. Pardon See Sin remitted c. Parents may by Lewdness improve the venom of sin Original in their Children 3019 3031 Parricide not rife till forbidden by Law 3024 3145 Sin irritated by Precepts more by Negative Precepts 3025 c. It is easier to avoid the first occasions then the insuing opportunities of Sin against Negative Precepts 3094 Precepts