which they continue in and would not part with and as hard on the other hand is it to bring them to see that particular thing to be their interest and duty which they have no mind to do they will be still in thoughts and hopes that what they like at present may prove much better than God hath ordained or any before them have found so dangerous and hardning is the deceitfulness of Sin Well may the Apostle be in such earnest and haste as he is in his calls to us Hebr. 3. when hardning by the Deceitfulness of Sin is so near us ver 13. But exhort one another daily while it is called to day lest any of you be hardned through the deceitfulness of sin Having by this Text produced the Supream KING's Warrant under his Hand and Signet for what I have herein already done or intend to do I may justly expect for his sake some regard from you as also for that I intend to propose for Common good only i.e. to make our King and People a perfect and happy Church and State And as means thereunto shall suggest nothing but what will recommend itself to every man's Conscience and evidence itself as most loyal and most affectionate to the Person of his Majesty his Government in Church and State his Subjects of all sorts so most conducing to Peace and most subservient to the Interest of the whole as my next Chapter will shew CHAP. III. I Intend nothing more than to bring us to these two most edifying and saving things 1 To do our Own business 2 To Love On these shall hang as I intend all my following Discourse Section I. 1 To do our Own business which cannot well if at all be done without knowledge especially the doing I am now upon which respects a great Kingdom and the Salvation thereof Are the blind the ignorant or erroneous fit for this business There is then as I conceive a four-fold knowledge requisite hereunto 1 Knowledge of God in the Incommunicable and Communicable perfections of the Divine Nature also a being fixt in belief of the reality and excellency of his Being And though Unity be necessary thereto yet that there are Three subsisting therein which doctrine of the Trinity is not so mysterious as I once took it to be and to the pure and humble Inquirer after God will be found that which renders Christian Religion the more reasonable and worthy of all acceptation in that it gives light and beauty to all other parts of that Institution The Socinian then by denying this shews himself a false pretender to Reason having it not in truth if he hath any it is so gross and material that it exceeds not the Animal State or Life among men when he meddleth with Divine Mysteries But to return The knowledge of God in himself as I have said is a requisite hereunto so is that what he is to us and to the Societies of men 2 Another requisite is to know Our selves i.e. to know what we are or have with respect to our own Nation i.e. as we are Men and Christians now living in England That you may see in short what this knowledge of God and Our selves is I will present the Heads thereof to your view in this order GOD Father Spirit The First Good A Being of all possible perfection Son Spirit Supream Good A Being of all possible perfection 1. Incommunicable proper to him alone which he gives to none Absolute Simplicity Essential Unity Immutability Infiniteness of Place Time Immensity Eternity 2. Communicable of which he gives to Creatures belonging either to the Divine 1. Understanding Knowledge Wisdom Particular Providence 2. Will namely his Goodness Justice Faithfulness 3. Faculties of acting his Power or Omnipotence Dominion over us in this life Distributing future Rewards and Punishments This GOD is the Universal and Supream LORD of all Beings by Creation and Prefervation Owner Ruler Benefactor of England Redemption Teacher Expiator Head of England Renovation Restorer Reassumer In-dweller of England MAN Reasonable Created In England to be known and considered 1. Naturally Spirit i.e. Highest Pure Divine Good Soul i.e. Middle Solicited by Flesh and Spirit to evil or good Body i.e. Base Sensitive Bruitish bending always to Matter and Earth to which when the Soul yields it is carnal or evil 2. Providentially in 1. Relatives Governing Supream Real King Lords Commons Parliament 1. Relatives Governing Supream Personal King 1. Relatives Governing Subordinate Magistrates 1. Relatives Governed People 2. Religion Revealed Naturally in Law of Nature Supernaturally in Holy Scriptures 3. Constitutions Humane Civil Ecclesiastical Laws 4. Riches 5. Times Ordinary or Extraordinary Prosperous Adverse Reforming Degenerating Uniting Discordant 6. Examples Good Bad at Home Abroad of Superiours Equals Inferiours 7. House or Family Governour Parent Master 7. House or Family Governed Child Servant The other Relations in Churches and Schools I leave you to supply MAN discovered in Supernatural Revelation to be 1. Created upright Spiritual To Rule Animal Sensitive To Obey and Apt for temptation A Free Agent Animal Sensitive To Obey and Apt for temptation Lord over God's Works Animal Sensitive To Obey and Apt for temptation Put into Paradise Bliss 2. In Covenant with God which contained benefits on God's part made over to Adam as Root or Head of Mankind and On Man's part Duty required by God Absolute on God's part to Man Law Natural for him as Spirltual To be without sin and to do all required Strength Absolute on God's part to Man Law Positive for him as Animal Sensitive To be without sin and to do all required Strength Internal viz. Rectitude in all his parts Virtuous qual External viz. Divine Communications Laws their Sanctions Conditional Continuance of Light to direct Strength to assist Conditional The gift of Eternal life or felicity with God for ever On Man's part required by God Walking in the Light Using the Strength Perfect Obedience 3. Tempted to Sin by an Apostate Angel 4. Disobedient to God in eating forbidden Fruit and so fell and Mankind with him from Happiness into a state of Sin and Misery Sin Guilt Darkness Corruption Impotence Obduracy The Law of Sin wrought in his Body Sin reigned therein No good thing dwelling there the Law of his Members being predominant Rom. 7.23 not possible to be without Sin Misery Privative Good withdrawn God's Spirit Privative Good withdrawn Happiness Positive Evil inflicted Captivated by our Enemies evil or foul Spirits Positive Evil inflicted Tortured by Lusts Passions Positive Evil inflicted Subjected to the Base and to our Servant or Subject Positive Evil inflicted Pains c. Death present future A state of all this i. e. very extensive and out of which Man cannot recover himself Rom. 7.24 O wretched man that I am and that thou art who can or who shall deliver thee from the body of this death ver 25. I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord whom he hath provided to be a Saviour GOD
Father Son and Spirit from Eternity fore-seeing Man's Fall do decree his Recovery through Jesus Christ i.e. God-Man or God manifested in the Flesh Or to speak as we may conceive through the Second of the Holy Trinity in the one Divine Nature his assuming and performing in our Nature what in so great a design as Man's Reconciliation to God was sit to be done Man by disobedience being in the state I have described to you two things at least must be to restore him 1 Expiation for Man's Sin 2 Renovation of Man's Nature He being unable to do either and these things being less fit or impossible to any other than the ONE DIVINE NATVRE or GOD no one acts therein but who is God It is decreed to be accomplished as was the first Creation by the three Persons or Relatives in the One Divine Essence The Divine Persons moving herein though in One Nature are apart as Relatives So far as I can see into this great Mystery by Scripture and Natural light it seems thus The Father who is of none acteth as Father i.e. in the Relation most eminent wherein he may be said To give or send His Son On this account is it that what in Man's Recovery belongs to God Essentially is ascribed to the Father because he is the first in order is of none acts from none but all derive from or act under him To be moved by His Son On this account is it that what in Man's Recovery belongs to God Essentially is ascribed to the Father because he is the first in order is of none acts from none but all derive from or act under him His Justice satisfied by His Son On this account is it that what in Man's Recovery belongs to God Essentially is ascribed to the Father because he is the first in order is of none acts from none but all derive from or act under him His Authority owned by His Son On this account is it that what in Man's Recovery belongs to God Essentially is ascribed to the Father because he is the first in order is of none acts from none but all derive from or act under him His Law vindicated by His Son On this account is it that what in Man's Recovery belongs to God Essentially is ascribed to the Father because he is the first in order is of none acts from none but all derive from or act under him And Man is said to have sinned against him and by him was cast out of Paradise That he called to Adam and by Promise opened the door of Hope to him Gen. 3. That all issues from his Love In short from hence as I conceive it is That what in Man's Creation or Recovery belongeth unto the Supream either to receive or to do is in Scripture given to God in the Relation most eminent i.e. unto the Father The Son as of the Father in the Relation Second in the Godhead moves as subordinate accepts and executes with propensness or delight the Father's Will herein Which he did in Leaving his Father Assuming our Nature Sinless Infirmities to be to us Priest To Live a holy an afflicted life Assuming our Nature Sinless Insirmities to be to us Prophet To Die upon the Cross Arise Ascend Intercede for us Assuming our Nature Sinless Insirmities to be to us Head To Die upon the Cross Arise Ascend Intercede for us Whereby he perfected Expiation and brought it to this That God was in him also reconciling of us to himself These his Transactions whilst in decree only afar off before the fulness of time was come were to the Faithful Fore-seer saving and most cheering things How much more now is it a mighty Salvation which he hath raised up for us in the House of his Servant David Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for he hath visited and redeemed his People This should cause us chearfully to obey him and willingly to part with every thing for him who parted with life for us and is still mindful of us This should excite our hope of Good from him no less than the supply of all our wants especially forgiveness of our Sins Sanctification and everlasting Salvation In no case are we now to entertain any Despairing thoughts for this God our Saviour being both God and Man is able and willing to help us What though as Sinners our condition is sad yet this JESUS of God is made unto us Wisdom and Righteousness and Sanctification and Redemption Which will be compleat Salvation to us being in extent to that from within us or from without us which did cast us into Sin and Misery For obtaining all which we have only possible reasonable and desirable Conditions on our part to perform viz. Deep sense of our Unworthiness truly repenting that we have sinned i.e. unto hate and forsaking Real sense of God's undeserved goodness Faith in Christ i. e. believing him to be Truth Expecting from his Free Grace accepting of him entire to be ours Obeying of his Commands Fearing his Threatnings with the perfection of Sincerity Newness of life i.e. in denying ungodliness and worldly lusts and living soberly righteously and godly If we faithfully intend to practise these things though we are not of our selves sufficient so much as to think one good thought 2 Cor. 3.5 yet is all possible and easie to us in the enablement of God's blessed Spirit Who to perfect or compleat our Cure and Recovery is the Eternal Spiration the Third in the Divine Essence sent forth from Father and Son to finish or carry on the 2 Renovation of Man's Nature The Son is more eminently to save and the Spirit to renew The Son is to perform so that before Angels and Men it shall be congruous for God to Pardon to come down as it were to Man and the Spirit is to bring Man up to God That it may become God to let Man live in his Kingdom and that Man may be an agreeable and obedient Subject therein In a word That a Sinner dead in Law might by Grace live and be holy and happy both here and hereafter To know and to consider all this is required to the well-doing our Own business as we are single Men or as we are in Societies and Kingdoms that lapsed Nations as a lapsed Man may be restored unto God From what I have said another Analysis might be drawn to represent at one view how Man is to be known and considered Now GOD the Father through the SON and both of them by the SPIRIT have Redeemed him As thus MAN In Propitiation by Christ is most fitly by God Continued in his Creature State Spirit To Rule In Dominion over God's Works Put in capacity of God's Present Eternal Communion or Favour Continued in his Creature State Soul Body To Obey Apt to err In Dominion over God's Works Put in capacity of God's Present Eternal Communion or Favour In the Operations of the Spirit we may as it were see him Restored unto Conviction
so highly that among them those which were taken for the first makers of Laws were honoured as Gods or the Sons of God and the rest that made either Additions or Corrections were commended to all Posterity for Men of no less vertue and no less liberally beneficial to their Countries than the greatest and most prosperous Conquerors that ever governed them 7 As Consequent hereunto such proceedure is most agreeable to God and doth entitle to his Blessing than which nothing can give more efficacy to Means or more secure our desired End When men avoid evil and prefer in present practice the greater good before the less they are in God's way and he is with them Such need not fear what Man can do unto them 8 Differing about Means or undue prosecuting of them may occasion frustration to good Men in their One End viz. Publick-weal and an undue proceedure herein is where we trespass upon the Natural order of things i. e. when we prefer in our present practice the less good or when by our pursuit of it we render the Greater impossible or very difficult to us By estimation there are a hundred Commoners chosen to serve in the Parliament expected to Assemble shortly whose interest in Lands amounts in value to Three hundred thousand Pounds per Annum by which Instance as by many other it is apparent the Commons have far greater share or interest in England now than in Ages heretofore Security and reasonable satisfaction is therefore their due And in that their said acquired Interest hath added so great strength unto them it is their Princes safety to grant it Good Laws are most conducive to a Right Ballance in the Kingdoms of Men. The Right of Cases and the Reason of Things as now they stand is to be regarded or kept to by Legislators in order thereunto If nothing be done herein the Government is not like to stand which by past evil practice and by present discontent or jealousie in People is made as a bowing wall and as a tottering fence And if Laws made or to be made suit not well unto the Right of Cases and to the Reason of Things they will soon prove uneasie or oppressive so that the Monarchy may be overthrown thereby For the Royal Preacher when most sagacious hath said Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad Eccl. 7.7 Let then our Legislators be faithful to our King and in him to the Nation so as not to environ him with Danger by Laws or let ought therein remain that may be justly uneasie to Great and to Popular strength Though I am not for making sad needlesly or unjustly any one of this Kingdom in his Religious Interest c. Yet I would be understood in this place to have regard only or chiefly to Civils wherein this Nation under every dispensation as to Religion even from if not before Magna Charta to this day hath been as it were One The Laws therefore which recover or reinforce this Constitution will be of more certain efficacy and continuance than those which concern Religion in that a Superiour Law was ever pretended upon every change in the latter when the former hath remained untouched both under Popish and under Protestant Supremacy Where Protestantism is the Temper and Interest of a People as it is now ours in England I cannot see any one thing a greater defence against our being Popish than is this of well securing our Civil Constitution and by Law providing for such Executions as may evidence its Being and the Executors conformity thereunto I would not be supposed by ought I have said in a design to prevent all necessary proceedure that is as we say Personal i. e. the bringing of Persons to Judgment c. when the Publick good conjunct with their Merit do require it But this I heartily desire that we may not injure Our King or our Country by passing this opportunity and leaving undone that in Laws without which the other will not heal us being not so extensive as our present Malady is nor so preventive of a Relapse as the other would be There are those who will give Heads if they have so many Calves by the dozen so they may not be debarred the Old trade of grasing in order to a New breed And there have been or there may be many Rogues in design to Rob a House who by fore-contrivance have one personating an honest Neighbour that upon the repulse or flight of some is to cry Stop Thief c. in hope the Master and his Family in haste to pursue may omit to lock the Door or leave the House unguarded so that other of them may with ease gain the Prize they came for I have also heard that to burn the Pipes was once thought sufficient to extinguish future smoaking Tobacco I leave the Wise to apply these though foolish yet well intended Suggestions From what I have said on this Head may be also collected the necessity of making Laws that may keep every man be he Papist or Protestant from doing hurt or from receiving it To which I will here super-add Suppose the Soveraign Real find it for Publick good requisite to bound the Sovereign or Supream Person should their Laws respect a Papist only It would be rare for a Prince in his wits to own or shew himself to be one before he is Crowned after which those Laws affect him not But be it that he owns Popery before Coronation yet the Laws will prove as weak in effect as if none because they will be superseded or made void by the Law of Holy Church and Father at Rome For all Laws made in bar against them or made to limit a Papist as such and made about Religion except their own Canons c. are Ipso facto Null whenas if the Law be without distinction without partiality or doth make no difference and hath respect only to Civils there is no Holy Law to supersede it nor do I know that in past Ages they at any time have interposed therein Again being our Legislators are Protestants if they make not Laws as effectual to secure the Protestant Prince from things so noxious to him as is Popery Tyranny or Rebellion c. they be less kind and more unfaithful to him than to a Papist which God forbid ours in England should ever be I have already mentioned that the securing our Constitution in Civils is bar against Popery In farther evidence whereof let it be noted how constant the Jesuits are in advising and practising to alter our Government either into Anarchy Democracy or into Absolute Monarchy Had I time and capacity to express what I have abundant reason to believe I could plentifully shew how industriously those Vipers seek to prey upon our Vitals in Civils They would sing Te Deum for the Death of our King be it of his Body Natural by the hand of Blood-thirsty Men or be it of him Moral or Political by the Self-killing I have
oft mentioned His Father's Death in the former way had their Heart and their Hand in it also unto God they most Blasphemously gave thanks for it The preceding Analyses do set forth opportunity or seasons as one Talent the Englishman hath to improve To do so is Wisdom it doth give us to obtain with ease and certainty When the Prodigal Luke 15. had spent all and began to be in want then was it that the Supream Law-giver applied unto him Recovering or Saving Grace Laws being as I have shewn the weightier Matter should you now execute only on Persons some may be prone to say Wo unto you These ought you to have done and not to leave the other undone ye seem as those which strain at a gnat and swallow a Camel i. e. ye are laborious or warm at the smaller and very adventurous or heedless in the greatest matter In things to be made your work and care and about which you ought to be most precise In a Speech which a Learned Man hath thought fit to print in his Book entituled The Spirit of Popery speaking out of the Mouths of Phanatical Protestants are these words Popery and Slavery like two Sisters go hand in hand sometimes one goes first sometimes the other in at doors but the other is alway following close at hand In England Popery was to have brought in Slavery In Scotland Slavery went before and Popery was to follow Which I here transcribe hoping they will impress not as he saith it did on the Scots Phanaticks but so as to endear true Old English to us than which nothing is more distant from Slavery and by consequence puts Popery far from us This Section being directed to the Wisdom and to the Supream of this Nation I must not pursue things too far or descend to more particulars so as to incur their just displeasure or the imputation of over-doing I judge as a Great Man * Sir Walter Kawleigh hath directed me that Temperament best for the Throne which makes the People Loving and free of courage for Kings being attended by Slaves shall be attended in time of necessity by Slavish minds Homer speaks to this purpose God bereaveth man of half his vertue that day when he casteth him into bondage And Charron saith The Popular Estate makes the Sovereign of worse condition than a Carter The Monarchy placeth him above God himself by either of which a Nation is made unhappy If so it is obvious to any what methods a Prince should choose to govern his People by To be a good Governour is a rare Commendation and to preserve the Weal-publick above all respects whatsoever is the vertue justly termed Heroical By what I have said it doth appear Our Bishops in special ought to assist herein because they know that the Humane Law depending on that of Nature deduced from God's Eternal Law which is the Rule of all his Creatures is the guard of Kings Magistrates and Vertuous Men yea the very Spirit and the very Sinews of every Estate in the World by which as Sir Walter Rawleigh saith they live and move Besides if we provide not hereby to have Humane and God-like Kings we may not expect to enjoy Christian and Protestant Bishops Devil and Pope be never long asunder if the one gains the Throne the other will soon possess the Church We being as we are almost universally Protestants once make us no true English it will in short time be no true Religion in England Protestant Bishops to suppose themselves by the Advance so termed though falsly of the King secured is a fatal mistake and mischief To say or think there is no harm if Prerogative be higher now than it was in the time of Queen Elizabeth or before 1660 and to fix it or to permit it to remain so in Law is to bring Pope or Leveller in upon us whereby our Religion as our Liberty will be lost or our King and Lords when least the Bishops shall be deemed useless if not dangerous things 2 Let our Clergy study to be quiet Vide Naked Truth the Second Part printed since I wrote this Book though the Author as I hear be a very bad Man and it may be uttereth against you what is false yet ought you as David did in the matter of Reproach from Shimei to judge God hath a hand there for you to observe or improve unto the speedy inspecting your Foundation and Practice and unto greater circumspection and charity in future Also that you in Preaching cease medling out of your Sphere Such as with matter of Right in the Subject to Petition for a Parliament either to deny to disparage or to lessen it which no wise or good English man will ever do Though some of Excellency therein did some Months since decline countenancing the indiscreet management of some who were then upon it For though the Subject hath ever Right to do it be the King for it or against it yet Prudence may require suspension of Execution and do their Own business i. e. keep within the Churches Pale I will not dispute their right in Civils suppose it theirs yet I think it their interest at this time and most Apostolical to act as more Divine Look ye O Men of God unto JESVS the author and finisher of our Faith unto the Apostles especially to St. Paul to the Cloud of Witnesses in Holy Writ to Archbishop Vsher in his Reduction to Bishop Jos Hall in Pax Terris Peace Maker and Modest offer I say look unto these and many more there are who with those Heb. 12.1 compass you about which should dispose you to lay aside every weight love to this World and the sin which doth so easily beset you fear of Man which disposeth to Cowardize and Treachery whereby you will become not only the Dead Weight but Death to our State and Church or that of Uncharitably pressing Conformity in matters for which you have only fair pretences Ye are taught of God and have been of late so well suggested unto by the Dean of Canterbury in his excellent Sermon to the Men of Yorkshire also heretofore by Mr. Baxter in his Pious Discourses Gildas Salvianus c. that to them I refer 3 Let all Subjects in England c. study to be quiet and do their Own business Bite their own fingers rather than scratch their Head 2. Pet. 2.10 Speak evil of no man Exod. 22.28 Psal 62.4 more especially not of Dignities nor nevile the Gods or curse the Ruler of our People nor covet or consult to cast him down from his excellency but be most suspicious of themselves inquiring rather how far they may go without sin in compliance with his commands than how far he should extend them the nature of things required being more our concern to know than his Authority therein What I have said in a fore-going Section about the Subordination of Duties may much assist you herein for you will find Obedience