Christ in us in its own Nature is above all Ordinances wherfore to speak truth all Rules and Operations and Ordinances to us are useless and void Reply 1 We will examine all those Texts you alleadge and first that in Genesis the Metaphor being taken from breathing spoken of by Moses is taken from Creatures that live by breathing as man or beast or the like and although there be a neer relation between their breath and their Nature yet they are two distinct things that is their breath or breathing is one thing and the Essence or substance of their bodies in another thing still distinct although never totally separated but by death so in this cause the divine Essence or Nature of God is one thing and that Virtue that he was pleased to put forth to give being to the Reasonable Soul of a man are ever distinct As for Example The Nature of God in the person of Christ breathed upon the Apostles and indued them with an Apostolical spirit that is in the Rectitude of their Understandings in Divine light and their Wills in pure affections in love to his Glory in the Conversion of the World by the Gospel yet still that virtue in its Effects in them was one thing and his Divine Nature or Essence in himself was another thing Matth. 5.30 so likewise from the same divine Essence there went virtue to the woman of a bloody Issue for the Text saith He knew there was virtue gone from him and it gave her health and her Nature was not the Divine Nature of God so likewise in the shadow of the Apostles bodies God was pleased to put forth himself by vertue flowing from himself to the cure of many diseased people as they went in the streets yet the peoples bodies that were cured and the shadow of the Apostles bodies and the virtue that flowed from God and Gods own Essence were all distinct things in their several Natures and Kindes even so when God gave being to the Reasonable Soul by breathing into mans Nostrils the breath of lives his own Divine Nature Gen. 2.7 and that Creative power another thing by which he was pleased to put forth to the production of mans Reasonable Soul and as formerly is proved the Essence of God is one thing and that Radical virtue or potency is another thing in its Effects so when he was pleased to reduce that virtue and potency to act creatively that was another thing from which thing it is that the Creature is the Off-spring of God from whom it sprang and in whom it continually is and cannot be otherwise Act. 17.18 he being Infinite In him we live move and have our being but for the manner how we live move and have our being is known to God alone and not perceived by us but because Gods Word hath said it we must believe it Again 1 Cor. 6.17 for the next Text that Believers are one spirit with the Lord The Text refers it onely to Believers and not to all man kinde as the drift of your opinion point at for the words are these But he that is joyned or cleaveth to the Lord is one spirit with him and is apposed to those that did joyn or cleave in their minds as well as with their bodies to Harlots yet these men and women were not one spirit Essentially but Individually still they were twain so on the contrary true Blievers are of one spirit in pure Affections cleaving to God and Christ yet nevertheless the Divine Essence of God is one thing and still their bodies and souls are two distinct Natures so the scope of this Text is directly against your opinion Again for the next Text in regard it refers Believers to Gods precious Promises and Faith 1 Pet. 1.4 5. and Love and Virtue and Knowledge to flee the Corruptions that are in the World through Lusts and that by these they are partakers of the Divine Nature they all imploy the use of their operations as flowing from their Natural Faculties to the said sutable Rule by the assistance of the Spirit of Christ therefore the scope of this Text also is against your Opinion Again the other Texts Christ in you the hope of Glory the drift of it is no more but this Colos 1.23 27. That Christ dwells in Believers hearts by Faith and Love from whence they live in hope of a full fruition and glory with him for ever in the next Life But as for your blaspeamous Error If you be the Divine Nature Essentially it fully injoys it self infinitely therefore your Error is Contrary to the Nature of Hope therefore the drift of this Text is also against you Again Whereas you alleadge the Texts of Scripture and the like it is onely an Introduction to draw mens minds from believing the sacred Scriptures to be Gods Word to believe that the onely true Scriptures is the Divine Essence essentially in themselves and so to believe a lye for what man can believe that is in his right minde that himself is God or Christ and yet cannot walk upon the Sea as Christ did nor deliver himself out of the hand of his enemies and not render himself into their hands till he pleased as did the Lord Jesus Christ when his hour was come nor cause the Sun to go back so many degrees as pleaseth themselves as God did Again for Conclusion take this one Observation more from the precedent premises Gen. 17.10 11 12 13. Namely that there is a threefold ground why God made a Law that Infants as such should be members of Christs visible Church and so under the use of Ordinances in the Church The first is this because the whole Humane Nature as such God Elected in the person of Christ the seed of the Woman in the faln Mass out of that fall into a capacity of the said posture in which they might if they lived to the use of Reason by belief receive in the gift of Righteousness Eternal Life as is proved and this Election is the first ground of their right to be Members of Christs visible Church and so the first ground why God gave that Law Hence it is that Christ saith Matth. 19.14 suffer little children and forbid them not to come unto me for of such is the Kingdom of heaven A Second Ground is this If the whole creation have a right of relation to Christ by Virtue of his Righteousness imputed as interposing the unrighteousness of Adams imputed and by it travels untill now as is proved Then much more hath Humane Nature as such a right of relation to be Christs visible Church and this was the second ground of that Law why Infants should be members the which Law was never repealed A third Ground was this Because as is proved all mankinde dying in Infancy or the like ascended to Heaven and there are Members of the Church Triumphant therefore much more have they a right to the Church Militant and all Churches and Ordinances here upon Earth the which right can never be lost except they live to be able to act unbelieving Operations and so put away their right as did Esaw judging themselves unworthy of Eternal Life and this is a third Ground of that Law whereby Infants are instituted Members of the Visible Church of Christ FINIS
faith implicite as most weak to faith more strong and expressive as formerly is proved His third Reason is Because the wrath of God is revealed from heaven upon all unrighteousness of men which withhold the truth in unrighteousness for as much as that which may be known of God is manifest in them for saith he God hath shewed it unto them namely by the Creation and the Gospel Rom. 1.19 as aforesaid for that is here implyed The first Reason why the Spirit of God thus strives with the spirits of these Heathens and all men else may be this although it be all alike unto God in respect of his final end whether the most or least number of men be made vessels of honour or dishonour unto eternity so all be either one or the other because by his mercifull and just proceedings in the suitable rule his glory in a most sweet righteousness shineth forth eternally in either to his praise and yet nevertheless in respect to man it being his Creature Acts 17. from 25. to 29. his offsprings and generation which as saith the Text he hath made of one blood and under the aforesaid universal election yet in this respect God would rather man would as he should and might according to this rule and Christs Spirit striving with his spirit return by his operation into the said posture to receive the said gift of life and be blessed for ever As I live saith the Lord God Ezek. 18.27 I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turn from his waies and live when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed Ezek. 33.11 and doe that which is lawfull and right he shall save his soul alive The second Reason why the Spirit of Christ thus strives with the spirits of these Heathens and all men is because the Apostate Angels do universally indeavour by their temptations lies and delusions to keep all mankind from receiving the said gift of life and therefore do endeavour not only to extinguish the Preaching of the Gospel but also to extinguish and turn the internal light of Christ in all men into darkness and if they could possible draw all men into eternal darkness and their main end in all this is that God might not have any glory in mans felicity to eternity and therefore to repel this their designe in that particular branch it is that the Spirit of Christ thus strives with all men and for this end we see the seed of the woman was elected to be Christ the Lord and second Adam and for this end God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever by believing operations will receive the said gift of life shall not perish but have everlasting life for therefore we see God elected the falne Mass of mankind out of that despicable estate into the said posture as is proved and also therefore we see that God elected one Nation to be and to be in the said posture to carry on his said final end as it respected this particular branch not for their sakes but for his own names sake and likewise we see to carry on this said final end in this particular branch He hath mercy upon whom he will have mercy and whom he will he hardneth when by their acquired habits in sin against the said posture they are all alike dead in sin and trespasses I say not in love or hatred to any of these men personally considered but only in love to himself in the prosecution of this branch of his said final end as is proved that he called the Gentiles to this posture but denied it at that time to the Iews and so on this sixteen hundred years and that in pursuance of the said branch will call them to this posture again by which they may receive the said gift of life and this is the ground why he precedently made so many glorious promises of calling the Gentiles and also of the Iews according to his Covenant with Abraham Isaac and Jacob and from this cause only they are beloved for their Fathers sakes as is proved and therefore it is that the Spirit of Christ thus strived with the spirits of these Heathens and all men else as is proved The third Reason may be this Because the more men are brought by the striving of Christs Spirit with their spirits to believing operations in this posture by the reception of this gift of life in point of justification the more fruit of righteousness abounds also in their sanctification in a redundancy to Gods glory against the Apostate Angels said designe and therefore it is that the Spirit of Christ thus strives as with these Heathens so with all men The first Use is for Information That if the Spirit of Christ thus strives with the spirits of all mankind to bring them to and to keep them in this posture Hence we learn two things First That the striving of this Spirit to all mankind as is proved is the universal favour of God in Iesus Christ to all men in the world The second is this That those amongst men which by believing operations rightly receive the said gift of righteousness shall muchmore receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness and shall reigne in life by one namely Iesus Christ that as sin had reigned unto death even so might grace reigne through righteousnesse Rom. 5.19 unto eternal life by Iesus Christ The second use is this That God will never revoke that pardon of the guilt and punishment namely eternal death due to all mankind for Adams one offence First because of his said gift of life which came upon all men unto justification in the imputative righteousness of Christ as is proved for for this end he gave the Spirit of Christ thus to strive with the spirits of all men from the beginning of the world to the end thereof that they might receive the said gift of life therefore the pardon of the said guilt and punishment due to all mankind for Adams one offence stands irrevocable to eternity for ever since the fall this is the condemnation now this light of life is come into the world because men love darkness rather then light The third Use God is irrevocable in this Point also namely To give to any man the possession of eternal life in this world by belief and the fruition in the next world which is constant in his believing operations in the said posture according to the striving of Christs Spirit with his spirit for saith our Lord He that endureth to the end shall be saved In the fourth place this informs us also That if any man be by God dispossest of his eternal life in this world and so in the next it must needs follow he quencheth this Spirit of Christ which thus by belief gave him possession of it here and so would have done there had he not
one extended judgement to condemnation upon all Gen. 12.1 even so we see the other removed the guilt and punishment thereof that is of Adams one offence so as never man perished for it that is for Adams one offence once committed for it came as saith the Text upon all men to justification of life as is proved Again observe That in this universal justification in the Point of remission of the said guilt and punishment so far as to put all men into a capacity to the said posture I say Hence observe That mans faith or belief was of no use in this justification for we see it came upon all men when it was neither thought on nor sought by them even when God said Adam Where art thou Seeking to save that which was lost in the seed of the woman by breaking the Serpents head as is proved Again Though in point of remission of the guilt and punishment of Adams one offence so farr as to put man into a capacity to the said posture his faith was of no use but observe that as that righteousness is a gift which brought in it the said life so also in this point mans belief of this truth is now of use namely as an instrumental qualification in point of reception of that gift for as it is a gift so it must be received for as the imputative gift gives man right unto eternal life so his reception of it gives him possession of that gift from this ground It is said He that believeth hath eternal life but he that receives it not has it not and therefore abideth in death because he hath not believed in the only begotten Son of God Again Observe therefore when the Scripture affirms man is justified by faith it is because by his belief he received this justification as is opened in this Point of Eternal life for then he hath the end of what did precede his reception thereof namely of the remission of Adams one offence and the said capacity to the said posture because he hath so received that gift of eternal life Again If this gift of righteousness thus came upon all men to justification as is described hence observe That to ascribe justification to a mans Faith or Belief is to arrogate to man that which is not his because we see it is in the said gift of righteousness and also this doth derogate from Gods glory in that gift of life as also from the glory of Christ who obtained it by his righteousness as well as the remission of the guilt and punishment of Adams one offence the said capacity to that posture in which by faith he may receive the said gift of life as precedently is proved and as will further appear in due place Again If the said gift of life came upon all men as is proved Hence observe That when the Apostle saith Abraham was justified by faith he means as faith is an instrumental qualification submitting to this righteousness of God by receiving it by belief of the Doctrine in Christ as in opposition to a supposed Doctrine of Works to attain eternal life maintained by the children of Abraham in the flesh but not his children after the faith in this Doctrine of Christ as clearly appears in the drift and scope of the third and fourth Chapter to the Romans Again If this gift of righteousness so came upon all men to justification and that before faith it justifies as in pardon of Adams one offence and so brought all mankind into the said capacity and posture and this gift of life to them then certainly God never ordained nor instituted mans faith or belief for his justification that is for acceptance to pardon of his sin and life eternal but it only comes upon man in his gift of this one righteousness as is described but for what this one righteousness is I refer the Reader to my former Treatise in pag. 113. CHAP. VII In which is handled the third Branch of the manifold Wisdom of God propounded and the first Ingredient in the said posture namely that immediately upon the said Election and Imputation God did by the Spirit of Christ put or infuse an internal disposedness into all mankind hereditarily to descend in their natural generations and so in a capacity to the said posture in which man may receive Gods said gift of eternal life TO this end immediately after the fall of Adam God dissolved the total amity of Will and operations which was between man and the Apostate Angels for God no sooner will'd it but immediately he did it by saying to the Serpent I will put enmity between thee and the woman Gen. 3.15 mans productive root for that is implyed but the foundation of it and the derivation of an internal disposedness in all mankind to the said posture was laid in the seed of the woman namely in Humane Nature in the person of Christ who only made way to it by breaking the Serpents head for as Adam in his fall deservedly brought a total internal darkness as well as death upon all men so Christ the second Adam deservedly John 1.4.9 is life and light in himself for as saith the Text In it was life and that life was the light of men this was the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world Thus the Spirit of Christ doth write his Law in the hearts of all mankind Rom. 2.14 as a continued Act in their natural generation from this only ground it is that all mankind do by nature the things contained in Christs Law which as saith the Text sheweth the effect of the Law written in their hearts if written then it must needs be God writ it by Christs Spirit there being no middle state between perfection before his fall and a total devastation of righteousness and holiness in his fall Again If the effect of Christs Law be in the hearts of all mankind and disposeth them naturally to do the same things as saith the Text consequently this is a disposedness to amity with God and consequently this is a disposednesse to enmity to the apostate Angels designe in all mankind according as God said I will put enmity between thee and the woman from this light of Christ in every man it is that their consciences doe accuse and excuse as the Candle of the Lord in every mans breast which he hath thus set up Again We find in men that are apostate from the said posture to Idols by custom or the acquired habits dead in sins and trespasses to that posture to receive the said gift of life yet we find in them the remainders of this light of Christ I do not mean so much remaining only among the best of the Heathens who by a patient well-doing did seek honour and glory immortality and eternal life as in the aforesaid Text Rom. 2. but as for instance those Idolaters mentioned in Jonah as appears in two particulars First they
Sea-shore or as the Stars in Heaven then the same Spirit of Christ strived with their spirits also in the succeeding generations to preserve and increase the one and to depress the other to bring them into the said posture in which they might receive the said gift of life as saith Nehemiah unto God Neh. 9.20 30. Thou gavest them thy good Spirit to instruct them Hagg. 2.5 and saith God to them According to my Covenant with you when I came out of Egypt so my Spirit remaineth with you And Nehemiah saith also Yea many years didest thou bear with them and testifiedst against them by thy Spirit in thy Prophets but for their gain saying this Spirit so striving with them all the day-long in their generations God put a period to this striving of Christs Spirit so denying them the gift of faith to believe that they might not receive his said gift of eternal life and therefore saith the Text excepting to some few of them Behold ye despisers and wonder and perish for I work a work in your daies Esa 49.6 Luke 19.41 42 Hab. 1.5 Acts 13.41 which ye shall in no wise believe although a man declare it unto you Hence it is our Saviour said If thou hadst known even thou in this thy day the things which belong unto thy peace but now they are hidden from thine eyes Again under the Gospel now it is unvailed of Moses vail and that the visible Churches of Christ stand constituted not as Family-Churches only as to the daies of Moses nor constituted a visible Church as was that one Nation a part of Humane Nature as such were they good or bad but now under the Gospel constituted of Believers as such according to the judgement of harity And thus the Spirit of Christ also strived with the spirits of men in the visible Churches as well as unto the men of the world to cherish and increase one and to depress the other to keep them in the said posture in a right reception of the gift of life Hence saith the Spirit of Christ to the Church of Smerna Be thou faithfull unto the death and I will give thee the Crown of Life Thus the Spirit of Christ strived with the spirits of men in the Church of Sardis Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard and hold fast and repent If thou therefore wilt not watch Rev. 2.10 I will come on thee as a thief and thou shalt not know the hour when I will come upon thee Rev. 3.11 And so likewise to the Church of Philadelphia Christs Spirit striveth with their spirits Rev. 1.4 Behold I come shortly hold that which thou hast let no man take away thy Crown And this Point is apparent for the seven Epistles were sent to the seven Churches So much for the Spirit of Christ striving with the spirits of men in the visible Churches under the Gospel Again Not only with the visible but the same Spirit strives with the spirits of the invisible Members of Christ's mystical body to preserve and increase their internal and spiritual graces and to depress the power of original sin in them as in others to keep them in the said posture and right reception of the said gift of eternal life for saith the Text to the said visible Churches Let him that hath an ear hear what the Spirit saith to the Churches these words four times repeated implies That in these visible Churches there were some whose spirits did hear and understand what the Spirit spake And thus the Spirit of Christ strived with the spirits of the eleven Apostles Mark 16.14 which were invisible Members Judas being dead for the Text saith He appeared unto the eleven and upbraided them with their unbelief at another time Thus strives his Spirit with theirs saying As the Father hath loved me so have I loved you continue in my love John 15.9 10. if ye keep my Commandments ye shall abide in my love Another time thus the Spirit strived with theirs Oh faithless and perverse generation Mark 17.17 how long shall I be with you how long shall I suffer you At another time thus the Spirit strived with the spirit of Nathaniel to establish him Because I said I saw thee under the Figg-Tree John 1.50 Believest thou Thou shalt see greater things then these Is is so that Christs Spirit thus strives with the spirits of all sorts of men in the world Hence observe That all those who have not yet received the gift of Faith nor the gift of eternal Life and so do fall into eternal death shall be left without excuse in their own consciences to eternity because it will witness to them that God would have given them both but they refused and if they had received it then their salvation was of God because attained by his Son given by himself As also Christ's Spirit thus striving with their spirits and therefore it will also witness that their destruction is of themselves and so Gods most sweet righteousness in this administration will shine to his glory in their ruine to eternity Again Is it so that Christ's Spirit thus strives with all men to cherish and increase the said light of Christ in them and to depress the seed of the Serpent in them and that they are thus internally meetly disposed towards the said posture Hence observe it must needs follow that all men which become totally dead in sins and in trespasses to that posture so as that they cannot change or alter their operations thereunto no more then the Black Moor can change his skin or the Leopard his spots I say Hence observe That all men that are thus dead in sins and in trespasses in the world it ariseth not from the seed of original sin but as an occasion and only from their custom in sin and wickedness unto the acquired habits therein as the cause for it is custom in any thing that brings another nature Again Is it so that the Spirit of Christ strives with the spirits of all men to preserve and repress as is proved Hence observe That when God by Christs Spirit is pleas'd to inliven the spirits of some men to the said posture which were dead in sin and in trespasses and leaves other some in the same condition so to perish I say hence observe That God in this case neither inlivens the one nor leaves the other from love or hatred to either of them personally considered but out of love to himself in pursuance of his final end for thus he took up the Jews when they lay polluted in their bloud being Terah's Idolatrous brood and said they should live that is in this posture that they might receive his gift of life and that not for their sakes but for his own names sake and thus he had mercy upon some of the Gentiles in the fulness of time that were dead in sins and in trespasses that they might live in this
be under a Covenant of works properly so called the Lord Christ only excepted therefore it is a mistake to affirm that all men which are not true believers are under a Covenant of works and wrath of God and out of the grace and favour of God in Christ For we see proved at large that the favour of God in Christ pardoned to all mankind eternal death due to them for Adams one offence and that every man is born with the internal light of Christ in him and hath reduced the total nature of sin to a seed and also God hath given the Spirit of Christ to strive with the spirits of all men to keep that seed of original sin from the acquired habits if men will be faithfull in their little and to increase the internal light of Christ in them and to bring them to and to keep them into the said posture that they may receive his gift of life in Christ therefore it must needs follow that the former Doctrine is a great mistake Secondly Is it so That this Rule the Gospel Tenor is the only and alone suitable rule for all men to work in reference to their eternal happiness Then hence observe If any man desires or expects union with God in point of blessedness it must only be by his works in the said posture because only by the reception of the said gift of life wrapt up in Christs righteousness imputed man comes to God the fountain of life for so Christ is only the way the truth and the life therefore those fantastick men which dream of an union with the Divine Essence have an union indeed but not in their sense for only this union they have namely That they live and move and have their being in God as have all creatures as such and so have the Apostate Angels and the damned in hell but not that union which they dream of namely an Union in the Divine Essence essencially the same nature and therefore as they reject all Ordinances so their operations in this posture according to the said suitable rule and yet the Text which affirms we are partakers of the Divine Nature shews wherein it consists namely by operations and workings according to this rule to suppress the effects of the seed of original sin for saith the Text We are partakers of the Divine Nature in that we fly the corruptions that are in the world through lusts and this sin and lusts we came to know by the Law that is the Gospel which was once under a vail for saith the Apostle I had not not known sin except the Law had said thou shalt not lust Now the ground of this blasphemous error is this These men fancie to themselves that the Creation is eternal that is without beginning or end and themselves being a part thereof are therefore eternal yea God himself all which is contrary to the testimonies of the sacred Oracles of God for it positively affirms the world had a beginning it shall have an end and God will according to his sacred Oracles as he shaketh the wicked out of the corners of the earth as Iobe speaks so will he shake and make these men vessels of dishonour in torments to eternity according to the justice of this rule of mercy which they now despise and he will laugh when their fear cometh to their destruction if they return not in to the work of the said posture in time therefore let all men beware of these mens fancies and what God saies in his word we must believe it or else do worse for the Scripture speaks in this tone to man from God Thus saith the Lord as did the Prophets in old time implying what God saies in his word we must believe it and so rest and if we believe the Lord and his Prophets we shall surely prosper Again thirdly Is it so That this is the only rule suitable to all men as is proved hence observe This Rule points us unto a twofold righteousness The first is the rectitude of mans internal intentions and external operations by the force of which man rightly receives the said gift of life and this righteousness is called in Scripeure Sanctification The second righteousness is this When man by the said rectitude hath believingly received Gods gifts of Christs righteousness imputed and because in that righteousness is included life eternal Rom. 4. and acceptance with God therefore this righteousness so received is called our justification Therefore let no man presume to be acceptable with God for his own operations in the said posture that is for works as works as did the Jews before mentioned for if we do it is true we may rejoyce in our selves but not in God no more then could Abraham if he had been of this opinion as the Apostle affirms Fourthly Is it so That God makes all men good or bad according to their works vessels of honour or dishonour as is proved and as will more appear in the next Chapter Then hence observe That the absolute power and soveraign pleasure of the infinite God in reducing the reasonable creature to its final end to eternity as the Potter makes one vessel to honour and another to dishonour of the same lump he doth it only and alone by this rule so suitable to all man kind according to their works and not by a decree of reprobation personally considered upon man as is rendred by reverend Calvin in these words Not mans undeservings is the cause of mans reprobations but the will of God to reprobate the which Point the Scripture speaks not and we see it proved that thus to shape men as is thus described is Gods final end beyond which there is none for Calvins instications in the Margent p. 462. for this end he made all things for his glory as we see proved he made the whole world and all its parts for this and he ordained and elected the Lord Christ the seed of the woman to carry on and accomplish this his final end as is proved CHAP. XII In which is handled the sixth Branch of the manifold wisdom of God formerly propounded in the fifth Chapter namely the Executiou of Gods final End upon all men some to honour and some to dishonour by the said Tenor of the Gospel according to their works good or bad to men without the Church and to men within the Church visible yea and the invisible members of Christ ANd first Cain was the first man without the Church from the time he departed from Adams Family the first visible Family-Church of Christ in the world and in reference to this Point Gen. 4.14.16 the Text saith Cain went forth from the presence of Jehovah and saith Cain to him From thy face shall I be hid and saith the Text Cain was of that wicked one and slew his brother and wherefore slew he him The Text answers Because his own works were evil and his brothers righteous wherefore the Spirit of