15. Yea some Bodies we acknowledg incorruptible either in respect of their Matter or of their Form or of their Efficient amongst which were the bodies of our first Parents How some bodies said to be incorruptible The Heaven of Heavens was created incorruptible in respect of its Matter as having no capacity of nor propension to any other Form then what it already hath The Bodies of the blessed shall be raised a 1 Cor. 15.42 53. incorruptible in respect of their form as having thereby conveyed to them such an endowment of immortality as shall preserve from all corruption and how the bodies of our first Parents And the Bodies of our first Parents were kept incorruptible in respect of the efficient God communicating to them a preservative power by effectual means the Tree of life appointed for the preventing of corruption whilst they continued in their innocency What and how great things God did that Man should not sin § 16. That man should not sin God gave him a a Col. 3.10 cleer knowledg and an b Eccles 7.29 upright Will he gave him a c Gen. 2.17 firm law fenc'd with a gracious promise upon obedience and a dreadful threatning upon transgression and he gave him a visible d Gen. 2.9 sacrament to signifie and seal what was promised and what was threatned All this God did that man should not sin and what he would have done that Man should not dye and had not man sinned more would God have done that he should not dy he would have preserved him from outward violence by e Psa 91.1 121. 34 c. divine protection and the f Psal 34.7 91.11 12. Ministry of Angels he would have supply'd him with continual food from the wholsom g Gen. 1.29 2.16 fruit of a pleasant Paradise he would have prevented all distemper decay and dissolution from sickness age and death by the vertue of temperance and the h Gen 3 22. tree of life yea after his temporal estate of an earthly happiness God would have i Gen. 5.24 Heb 11.5 1 Cor. 15.51 translated him to an Heavenly habitation of eternal blessedness § 17. Original righteousness was not such What original righteousness was as that thereby man had no power to sin for the a Gen. 3.6 11.12 17. event shews the contrary but such as that thereby man b Gen 1.27 2.17 had a power not to sin which Original righteousness was a * Gen. 1.26 Eccles 7.29 con-natural endowment no supernatural gift and therefore had it been transmitted from Adam in his standing as the privation thereof is propagated in his fall unto his whole posterity For that being the righteousness of mans nature not Adams person and how to hâ—ve bin transmitted to Adams posterity it did belong to an equal right unto his Posterity as to himself and so should have been transmitted not by vertue of any seminal power but of c Exod. 20 6. divine ordination to all after generations § 18. Why said to be a con-natural endowment Wherefore seeing Original righteousness was to have been propagated with the human nature if man had not fallen it could not be any supernatural gift and seeing Original righteousness is wholly lost and yet mans specifical nature retain'd in his fal it could not be from any natural principle therefore we say it is betwixt both a con natural endowment It did not flow from any principles of mans nature but was given to man with his nature to be a natural principle of Actual righteousness And seeing opposita sunt unius generis Original sin being opposite to Original righteousness as Original sin is become a natural deformity so was Original righteousness a natural integrity and with mans nature to have been transmitted by propagation to Adams posterity The will the chief seat of original righteousness § 19. The inseparable property of the will the chief seat of Original righteousness is this that it act freely without constraint either in choosing or in refusing what is presented unto it by the understanding What its essential liberty is And this is the liberty which is so essential to the will as that without it it were no will And therefore it is to be found in God and in Christ in the Angels and in Devils yea in man whether it be in his estate of innocency of sin of grace or of glory What the liberty of contrariety is and why not essential to the will The liberty then which is essential to the will doth not consist in a liberty of contrariety which implies an indifferency to objects specifically different as a Deut. 30.19 good and evil for then should not the will of God nor of Christ no nor the will of Angels or of the blessed have its liberty seeing they cannot will what is evil being b Heb. 12.23 Rev. 14.13 perfectly confirmed in good What that of contradiction is and why not essential to the will § 20. Yea it is not absolutely necessary to the freedom of the will that it have a liberty of contradiction being indifferent in the exercise of the act to will or not to will for that the blessed Angels and Saints in heaven do freely love and praise God yet can they not a 1 Cor. 13 8 12. Rev. 4 8. 7.15 forbear or suspend the acts of loving and of praising him sure the will as in the desire so much more in the enjoyment of its last end it necessarily wils and yet freely too It cannot but will yet without any external force or internal coaction being b Psal 16.27 11.15 36.8 wholly possest with a delightful complacency in its object In what it is necessary that the will have a liberty of contradiction That the will then be free in a liberty of contradiction is necessary onely in the use of means which admit of deliberations not in the desire or enjoyment of the last end and chief good to which the will is carried by a natural propension not a voluntary election and so excludes all preceding deliberation § 21. What 's the liberty of wil in God in Christ in the Angels and in the blessed What in the Devils and in the wicked What in man in the state of innocence and of grace Such a liberty of will then as is free onely to good is in a 2 Cor. 3.17 God and in Christ in the Angels and in the Blessed such a liberty of will as is free onely to evil is in the Devils and b Gen 6.5 Job 15.16 in the wicked and such a liberty of will as is free both to good and evil was in man in his state of innocency and is in him in c Gal. 5 17. Phil. 2.13 his state of grace In Adam then before his fall there was not any thing of coaction from within or of enforcement
still and freely exercise it in willing what is evill How God doth turn and incline the wills of men § 16. God himself a Prov. 1.21 who as he hath the hearts so hath he the wills of all men in his hands and when he b 1 Kin. 10.26 Jer. 31.18 turns and bends inclines and moves them as he wils without any forcible compelling he doth it not by forcibly compelling but either by c Phil. 2.13 graciously renewing or by d Gen. 9.24 fairly perswading or by e Pro. 21.1 wisely disposing them And this indeed is the wonder of Gods working i Psal 19.7 Jer. 23.29 Jam. 1.18 21. that as a f Psal 115.3 135.6 free Agent he doth freely what he wils yet offers no violence to the wills of men but that in all that they doe will Why the exhortations c. of Gods word are not in vain in respect of the wicked they will freely Yea b Eph. 4.19 1 Tim. 4.2 and from hence it is that the exhortations threatnings and promises of Gods word are not in vain in respect of the wicked being the g Heb. 4.12 appointed means effectuall through the common enlightnings of the Spirit to h Num. 22.18 1 King 21.27 restrain from sin and through the sanctifying power accompanying his word to convert unto righteousness By multiplying his sin man aggravates his punishment and how in spirituals § 9. But man rejecting Gods Word and transgressing his Law doth by his a Lev. 26.18 multiplication of sin beget a further aggravation of punishment in that contracting an habituated custom to an a Lev. 26.18 hardness of heart his soul is inseparably attended with an c Rom. 2.5 Heb. 10.27 utter despair to an horror of conscience And thus man being d Acts 26.18 Eph. 2.2 Col. 1.13 2 Tim. 2.26 subjected to Satans power he is by Satan inslaved unto the e 1 Joh. 2.15.16 John 8.23 Gal. 1.4 world and f John 8.34 Rom. 6.12.16 c. 1 John 3.8 sin and thereby brought under bondage unto g Isai 5.14 Luke 16.23 Rom. 8.15 1 Cor. 15.56 Heb. 2.15 Death and Hell What the corporall death and how begun § 10. This spirituall death which especially seizeth the Soul is inseparably accompanied with corporall death which especially surprizeth the body being begun in a Deut. 28.21 22 27 28. Matth. 9.2 sicknesses and b Gen. 3.16.17 Job 21.17 sorrows c Deut 28.36 4.48 c. servitude and slavery d Gen. 3.19 Eccl. 2.22 23. weariness and toyl e Deut. 28.25 26 53 c. calamities and f Deut. 28.39 40 48 c. wants the very Creatures intended for Mans use being g Gen. 3.17.18 Eccl. 1.2 Rom. 8.22 cursed for Mans sake § 11. How and when finished When death at last doth put a period to mans dayes it doth add a a 1 Cor. 15.42 43. complement of his temporall miseries and begin the anguish of eternall torments The body being laid in a grave of corruption the soul is b Luk. 16.22 23. Luk 12.5 hurried to an hell of perdition where they remain till death spiritual and corporal be swallowed up in death eternall § 12. What the eternall death The dead a Joh. 5.28 29 Acts 24.15 body at the last day being raised from the grave to an immortall death shall by an b Mat. 25.41 irrevocable sentence of the last judgement be c Mat. 10.28 22.13 25.30 Rev. 21.8 cast with the soul into hell the d Luke 16.23 26 1 Pet. 3.19 place and prison of the damned In its punishment of losse and of sense where they shall suffer together an unsufferable and eternall punishment of losse and of sense that privative this positive § 13. The punishment of loss What the punishment of loss is that doth consist in a a Luke 13.27 28 Matth. 22 13 25.41 2 Thes 1.9 totall and finall separation from the b Psal 139.8 Psal 16.11 36.8 9. grâ—cious presence of God and from all the c joy blisse and glory which doth accompany the beatificall vision and full fruition of him § 14. What the punishment of sense is The punishment of sense doth consist especially in that a Isai 66.24 Mark 9.44 worm of an evill conscience which ever gnaweth with uncessant tortures and in that b Mark 9.44 Luke 16.23 24. fire of hellish flames which ever scorcheth with uncessant torments which cause endless easeless and remediless c Luke 13.28 Matth. 13.42 weepings and wailings and gnashings of teeth § 15. This punishment as it is eternall How the punishment of the damned is infinite as well as eternal so it is infinite infinite in respect of that privative part the punishment of loss not in respect of that positive part a Mat. 11.22 24 23.14 15 Luk. 12.47 48 the punishment of sense And therefore in Hell there are different measures of punishment proportionable to the different degrees of sin yet the least measure as it shall be then b Isa 33.14 intollerable so it is now c Matth. 22 13 unconceiveable § 16. That wrath which comes by originall sin is aggravated by mans actuall transsgression The full measure is at the day of judgement and how Thus man having the wrath of God abiding on him for a Rom. 5.18 originall Sin he increaseth his sin and thereby b Rom. 2.5 aggravateth that wrath by his actuall transgression treasuring up to himself wrath against the day of wrath that is the c Jude 6.14 15. day of judgement which shall be at the d Mat 24.3 end of the world to the e John 5.29 finall condemnation f 2 Pet. 2.2 full punishment and g 2 Pet 3.7 utter perdition of the ungodly The estate of man fallen summarily described § 17. Wherefore seeing this is the estate of man fallen a captive to the Prince of darkness sold a Rom. 7.14.23 under the power of sin b Rom. 6.23 Gal. 3.10.23 involv'd in the curs of death c Rom. 3.19 Jer. 7.29 made subject to the judgement of wrath d Rom. 5.18 Mat. 25.41 liable to the condemnation of Hell certain it must needs be No salvation by the law or first covenant of works that by the e Rom. 3.20 Gal. 2.16 3.21 law or first covenant of works no flesh can be saved So that unlesse God in the unsearchable riches of his wisdom unconceivable tenderness of his mercy So that without Redemption by a Mediator Adam and his posterity must inevitably perish in their sin had decreed from all eternity and in fulnness of time wrought recovery and redemption by a f 1 Tim. 2.5.6 Acts 4.12 Mediator Adam and all his posterity must inevitably have perish'd in their sin FINIS
beauty to the blind Why the Scriptures are not discernable by their own ligh◠without the Spirit nor the plainest Scripture in its Divine Truth to the c 1 Cor. 2.14 unbelieving and Faith being the d Ephes 2.8 Gift of God none can believe but to whom it is e Luk. 8.10 given Yea were the Scriptures like the Sun discernable by their own light all should acknowledge them Divine who read them written or hear them preach'd but the contrary practice confirms the contrary opinion that seeing all do not receive them it is by a f 1 Cor. 2.15 peculiar Gift of the Spirit that any do believe them that they are the word of God § 12. What and from whence the Authority of the Scriptures And believing these books of Holy Scriptures to be as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word of God we acknowledge them to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of soveraign and sacred Authority for the proving deciding and determining all a Deut. 17.9 10 11. Isai 8.20 Acts 17.2.11 1 Cor. 15.3 4. Gal. 1.8 controversies in Doctrines of Faith containing in them b 2 Tim. 3.16 17. Acts 20 27. all Truths necessary to Salvation Their sufficiency Their perfection and as not being subject to c Mark 12.24 error in themselves nor to receive d Joh. 10 35. 2 Pet. 1.19 Deut. 12.32 Prov. 30 5 6. Rev. 22.18 Addition or Diminution or Change by the e Gal. 3.15 2.8 Authority of Men or revelation of Angels § 13. How the Rule of our faith We say the Holy Scriptures are the a 1 Thes 5.21 1 Joh. 4.1 6. 2 John 9. Rom. 16.17 Canon and Rule of our Faith and as a Rule hath its just measure inherent in it selfe not depending upon the hand of the Artificer so the Scriptures have their infallible truth inherent in themselves not depending upon the judgement of the Church And as when we speak of a Rule we mean not the materiall wood but the formall measure so when we speak of the Scriptures being the Rule of our Faith we mean not the materiall Book but the formall Truth even the will of God revealed And we expect not any more nor any other Revelation as a Rule of faith or life Such to the end of the world but this to b Heb. 1.1 2 Mat 28.20 1 Cor. 11.26 2 Thes 2.8 continue to the end of the world § 14. Prophesies and particular Revelations Particular Revelations not now to be expected they were to the Church as the light of the Moon and of the Stars to the world of much use and benefit in the night even in the darknesse of ignorance and dim light of Types and Figures whereas the glory of the Gospel like that of the Sun it gives us a Noon-light of divine Truth so that now to expect particular Revelations in matters of faith were to light a candle in the Sun or to look for a Star at Noon Doubtless this is the high way to a 2 Thes 2.10 11 12. 1 Tim. 4.1 2 Thes 2.1 Heresie and gives advantage to Satan b 2 Cor. 11.13 14. transformed into an Angel of light the more easily to deceive and the more dangerously to seduce What received as the Truth by the Church § 15. Whatsover is preach'd or taught express'd in the letter or agreeable to the Analogy of the Holy Scriptures we receive as a Mal. 2.6 John 17.17 Acts 18.28 2 Tim. 2.15 Truth But what is opposite to or dissenting from them we reject as b Acts 17.11 Mark 12.24 error And what things are indifferent in their own nature as being neither directly express'd in the word nor necessarily deduc'd from it nor any way opposite to the word or inconsistent with it those things we acknowledge left to the Prudence of Governours What left to the Prudence of Governors and to what end for the preservation of c 1 Cor. 11.16 chap. 14.26 33 40. Heb. 13.17 Philip. 2.14 Order and Unity in the Church which things indifferent in their nature by the command of lawful Authority do become necessary in their use In what the Scriptures are plain and in what hard to be understood § 16. And seeing the Holy Scriptures though in most texts they are a Deut. 30.11 14. Psal 19.7 8. 2 Tim. 3.15 1 Cor. 3.1 2. Psal 119.105 2 Cor. 4.3 4. clear yet in many they are b 1 Cor. 2.6 7. 2 Pet. 3.16 obscure Though in Truths absolutely necessary to salvation they are easie yet in mysteries excellently profitable for edification they are difficult to be understood Therefore for the true Interpretation of Scripture How to be Interpreted we admit the judgement of the Church as a trusty Guide and the opinion of the Learned as a rational Argument but we approve the Scripture it self as an c 2 Pet. 1.20 infallible Rule clearing those texts which are dark and doubtful What the Analogy of Faith by those places which are more plain and evident being careful to keep close to the d Rom. 12.6 Phil. 3.16 Analogy of Faith which doth consist in those Principles of Christianity which are clearly set forth in Scripture and generally received of the Church A Sum whereof we have in those short Confessions of Faith call'd the Apostles Creed Athanasius Creed and the Nicene Creed together with the Decalogue the Lords Prayer and the Doctrine of the Sacraments § 17. The duty of Christians in the use of the Scriptures And that every true Christian may be throughly furnished with Knowledge unto works of Holiness and Righteousness it is his duty diligently to a Joh. 5 39. 2 Pet. 1.19 Luke 16.29 search the Scriptures and to b Deu. 5 32 33 John 13.17 Jam. 1.22 25. conform his judgment and conversation according to their rule and direction Their fulness of heavenly Doctrine They being the Heavenly Store-house from whence the Church of Christ is furnish'd with all spiritual c Luke 4.4 Heb. 5 12 13 14 1 Pet. 2.2 Provision of sound Doctrine whether it be in matters of Faith or Manners d 2 Tim. 3.16 Profitable they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for Doctrine and Instruction in what concerns God and Christ Creation and Redemption Sin and Grace Death and Life Misery and Blessedness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for Argument and Conviction in discovering and refuting Error in discerning and confirming Truth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for Correction and Reformation How a perfect form of Institution in what concerns Minde and Manners the inward and the outward Man in thoughts in words and in works and of these Three doth consist the Apostles perfect 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 form of institution in Righteousness CHAP. II. Concerning God in the Unity of Essence § 1. AS the Sun is in it self most visible Why the Nature of God is not to be comprehended by
any thing evill in its selfe should be made good by what is evill in another that sin in the act should be justified by error in the conscience It is not the Conscience then b Rom. 3.8 no nor any thing else whatsoever What is the entanglement of an erroneous conscience that can oblige to what is unlawfull in it self and as it cannot oblige so nor c Rom. 3.7 can it acquit Here then is the entanglement of an erroneous conscience that if we do what it dictates we sin and if we doe not what it dictates we sin too so that there is no avoiding the sin but by reforming the error CHAP. XV. Concerning the State of Man fallen § 8. SEeing Originall Sin in its guilt The original of all mans misery is in originall sin and how pollution and punishment is a Psal 51 5. Job 14.5 Isa 48.8 John 3.6 effectually connveyed and really communicated by naturall propagation and carnal generation in a lineal descent and hereditary right from Adam the b Acts 17.26 Rom. 5.12 1 Cor. 15.21 22. Ephes 2.3 root of humane Stock to all the posterity of mankind his natural branches Therefore by Adams c Rom. 5.18,19 c Rom. 3.9 Gal. 3.22 disobedience is judgement come upon all men to condemnation Jew and Gentile being d shut up under sin and thereby become e Rom. 3.19 Ephes 2.3 subject to the just wrath and vengeance of God § 2. Adams disobedience imputed makes liable to the punishment inflicted Though that single act then of Adams disobedience did passe away yet it continued to be his and remaineth ours by a Rom. 5.12 13. just imputation And the sin imputed must needs make us liable to the b Rom. 5 17.18 punishment inflicted Which punishment is death which punishment of Adams sin is c Gen. 2.17 Rom 5.12 death In what this death doth formally consist § 3. Which death doth formally consist in a being a Deut. 30.20 Psal 30.5 36.9 Isai 59.2 separated from the blessed communion and banish'd from the gracious presence of God A Figure and Type whereof God gave Adam in b Gen. 3.24 driving him out of Paradise that visible Testimony of Gods favour and presence In what it doth materially consist And again this death doth materially consist in a miserable privation of that life and happinesse accompanied with a sinfull privation of that Holiness and Righteousness which man did either actually possess by Creation or might assuredly have obtained in a more eminent manner and a more abundant measure upon Condition even upon the c Gen. 2.16 17 Ezek. 20.11 Gal. 3.12 condition of obedience to Gods law This death is spirituall corporall and eternall What the spirituall death is § 4. This death is either spirituall or corporall both which are consummated and swallowed up in that death which is Eternall a Ephes 2.1 5.14 Spirituall death that especially seizeth the soul b Rom. 3.23 Ephes 4 18. whereby sin defaceth the lively Image of God in the c Eph. 4.23 24 Col. 3.10 totall deprivation of primitive integrity and originall righteousnesse despoyling man of all those sanctifying and saving graces wherewith he was endued in his creation even to the d Luk. 10.30 wounding and weakning the very faculties and powers of his naturall Being What are the Reliques of mans primitive estate in the estate of man fallen In respect of his understanding § 5. So that though there be in man fallen some a Jam. 3.9 Reliques of his primitive estate yet such only as are found with a corrupt being of nature not a spirituall well-being of grace The understanding both in the b Rom. 1.20 21. theoretick and c Rom. 1.32 2.15 practick part hath some glimpses of morall righteousness but not d 1 Cor. 2.13 14. the least light of Evangelical truth The will that as a free faculty retaineth its liberty In respect of his will which it exerciseth in e Gen 13.9 1 Cor. 7.37 John 21.18 naturall and morall actions but through the servitude of sin is wholly disabled as of its self for f Rom. 8.7 Ephes 2.1 2 Cor. 3.5 supernaturall and divine So that though the will is of its selfe g Eph. 4.19 Rom 3.15 freely carried unto the willing what is evil yet being h Rom. 6.16 17 enslav'd unto sin In respect of his conscience doth not of i John 15.5 Phil. 2.13 its selfe move to the willing what is good good k Rom. 8.8 Heb. 11.6 in order to eternall life Yea the conscience though sometimes l Rom. 2.15 awakened yet is it m Tit. 1.15 polluted and the affections and In respect of his affections though n 1 Cor. 5.1 2 Tim. 3.5 restrained from some evils yet are they inordinatly o Rom. 1.28 29 30. carried into other impieties § 6. In man fallen then the soul The soul in mans fall is whole in its naturall essence but spoyld of its spirituall habits Thereby disabled for any spiritual good with its rationall faculties doth remain whole in its naturall essence though it be spoyled of its spirituall habits and being dispoyled of all divinely spirituall habits it becomes disabled for the a Rom. 3.11 Phil. 2.13 Jam. 1.14 apprehending willing and desiring any divinely spirituall good And as the soul hath not lost its faculties so nor have those faculties lost their acts in what is natural moral or artificial but seeing b 1 Cor. 2.14 ignorance hath seized the understanding c Rom. 3.11 12 8.7 perversness the will and d Num. 7.5.23 inordinacy the inferior appetite the understanding will and affections become averse undisposed and altogether e Gen. 6.5 2 Cor. 3.5 Ephes 2.1 2 3. insufficient for what is divine and spirituall § 7. What fredome the will hath lost by the fall and what it retains after the fall Though the will then hath lost its freedome in respect of its a John 8.34 36. Rom. 6.6 7 20. 8.2 2 Pet. 2.19 Jer. 13 23. voluntary servitude unto sin whereby it becomes necessitated so b as to will nothing in spirituals but what is evil yet hath it not lost its freedom in respect of the naturall liberty of its acting so as to be compell'd or necessitated to will this or that evill Indeed seeing to will is an immanent and elicite act for man to lose his liberty were to lose his will to lose his liberty in the exercise of its act What liberty of wil remains in the vilest reprobate or Divell were to lose his will in the faculty of its being This liberty then remains in the will of the vilest reprobate and Divel who can be no longer said to will then they will freely though they doe not thereby will any thing that is good yet have they the faculty