had brought down his will into subjection to Christ in hopes to obtain eternal salvation by him and his love a full satisfaction Therefore he saith after he had spoken of the righteousness of Abraham Gal. 3.7,8 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith the same are the Children of Abraham And the Scripture foreseeing that God would justifie the heathen through faith preached before the Gospel unto Abraham saying in thee shall all the nations be blessed This is as I before told you was upon the publication of the Gospel that all that were converted thereby so as to be brought into the fold of Christ they no sooner so believed but that all original and actual sins that they had aforetime committed were done away and they accepted as perfectly righteous in and through the imputed righteousness of Christ by faith in him And so they were excluded from the curse oâ— the law for all their past sins before conversion done by them Gal. 3.9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham That is if they continue faithful as he did And St. Paul farther saith Gal. 3.13,14 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us for 〈◊〉 is written cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ that we might receive the promise of the spirit through faith That is if we have not our spirits brought over into a conformity and suitableness to the spirit of Christ then are we not of this faith and so not delivered from the curse of the law And it is further said Rom. 8.6 For to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace And St. Paul also saith Rom. 3.20,21,22 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight for by the law is the knowledge of sin That is we cannot fulfill the law to that perfection as to become justified thereby But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested being witnessed by the law and the prophets That is by the law with the paschal Lamb and the bloody Sacrifices by the Prophets in that they did all along Prophesie of him Rom. 3.23,24,25 Even the righteousness of God which is by â—aith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all â—hem that believe for there is no difference 〈◊〉 all have sinned and come short of the â—…ry of God Being justified freely by his â—ace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ Whom God hath set forth to â—e a propitiation through faith in his blood 〈◊〉 declare his righteousness for the remission 〈◊〉 sins that are past through the forbearance 〈◊〉 God Here he tells them when their â—ns are to be forgiven that it was their â—ast sins before they were brought into â—e faith of Christ that upon their conâ—ersion were all forgiven them As the â—postle saith Rom. 3.26 To declare I say at this â—ne his righteousness that he might be â—ct and the justifier of him which belieâ—…th in Jesus Whereas he saith that â—e might be just which was in that he â—…t the Son of his love according to his â—…omise and so justified them that belieâ—ed in Jesus which belief is as I beâ—…e proved to you for we are no sooner 〈◊〉 Christ but we must become new Creaâ—…res 2 Cor. 5.17 And he saith Rom. 3.27,28 Where is boasting â—en it is excluded by what law of works â—y but by the law of faith Therefore we â—nclude that a man is justified by faith â—ithout the deeds of the law Here Paul â—akes this conclusion that a man is juâ—…fied by faith without the deeds of the law For he here wrot to the Gentiles that had been given to all sin and idolatry to let them understand how they became justified that it was by faith which faith has as large an extent as I have before shewed you and that it must be a faith like Abrahams And in the 25. v. before-mentioned He there tells them when their sins are forgiven so as they become justified without the works of the law Rom. 3.25 that it is upon their conversion that then their forepast sins shall be forgiven them and that they are then justified by faith without the deeds of the law so that iâ— they are suddenly after taken away by death they shall be accepted through the righteousness of Christ And St. Paul saith Rom. 3.29,30 Is he the God of the Jews only is he not also of the Gentiles Yes of the Gentiles also Seeing it is one God which shaâ—… justifie the circumcision by faith and the uncircumcision through faith Now Stepheâ— saith to the Jews Acts 7.51 they were uncircumcifed in heart and ears although they were circumcised in the flesh Now the Gentiles were not circumcised yet they aâ—… said to be circumcised by faith then thaâ— must be in heart and ear by which wâ— may also see that this justifying faith 〈◊〉 such as doth produce a holy life Anâ— the Apostle saith Rom. 3.31 Do we then make voâ—… the law through faith God forbid ye 〈◊〉 establish the law That is none can obey the law with that sincerity delight and desire as those that are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands And St. Paul saith of the outward circumcision Gal. 5.6,7,8 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but faith which worketh by love Ye did run well who did hinder you that you should not obey the truth This perswasion cometh not of him that calleth you We also here see that saving faith worketh by love and there is no such obedience as that wherein the heart is engaged And he here tells the Galatians that they did run well who did hinder them that they should not obey the truth And before he told them that they had begun in the Spirit by which it was certainly sure they were in the right And he farther lets them understand that it was not of him that called them that this delusion or perswasion came therefore it was by the wiles of Satan and his Instruments that they foolishly were insnared But St. Paul saith Rom. 2.7,8,9,10,11,12,13 To them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory and honour and immortality eternal life But unto them that are contentious and do not obey the truth but obey unrighteousness indignation and wrath Tribulation and anguish upon every Soul of man that doeth evil of the Jew first and also of the Gentile But glory honour and peace to every man that worketh good to the Jew first and also to the Gentile For there is no respect of Persons with God For as many as have sinned without the law shall also perish without the law and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law For not
for a shadow to them in the day time from the heat and for a covert from the storm and from the rain Of which Tabernacle I shall speak more to hereafter Now whereas it is in some places of Scripture set down the first coming of the Lord with his second coming whereby it hath made those Scriptures appear more dark to the Reader but it is no other than as the Kingdom of Christ is intermixt in several places of the Psalms and elsewhere with the Kingdom of David and Solomon and whilst some lie poring on these places they leave Twenty nay many more clear Texts of Scripture unregarded whereas they should look in all places to the Scriptures way of speaking But I must needs own that a false receiv'd Opinion does mightily blind the Understanding And also in that it is the ordinary way of Scripture speaking both in the Old and New Testament of things that are decreed shall be done to mention them as though they were already done the which does something darken the meaning of it to the Reader But the Omnipotent God looking on all things that he has determined to be done in time to be as though it were already done But when we find it hath not been done it remains sure and certain to us that it will be done being promised by that God and Lord that cannot lie Neither will he perform his promise unto us by the halves But when I consider the Strong Promises of God to Israel even to both the Houses of Jacob which are scattered through the Face of the whole Earth that he will again restore them and that all these wonderful Blessings shall be then made good unto them in their own Land and to their Children after them and that they should have all the good things of this Life and that in such a wonderful manner And also God having promised an Everlasting Covenant with them that he will never depart from them nor leave them to depart from him and that the City shall be built upon her own Heap and that they should continue a Nation upon the Earth as long as the Sun and Moon endureth And in that these things are set down in so many places of Scripture when they should be made good to Israel as at the day of the great slaughter when the Towers fall when a Nation shall be born at once and at the End of this World And when there is a New Heaven and Earth all which will be when the Lord comes to judge the World in the Valley of Jehoshaphat Having these plain places of Scripture it strikes me with Astonishment to think with what Darkness we have read them But whereas St. Paul saith in 1 Cor. 15.50 That Flesh and Blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God neither doth corruption inherit incorruption It is true Flesh and Blood cannot inherit the Kingdom which is in the Heaven of Heavens Neither as it is here said can Corruption inherit Incorruption which is Flesh and Blood with its corrupt Affections and Lust cannot inherit the Kingdom of Christ which then will be made like to Eden the Garden of God as it is said in Isa 31.3 no more than Adam could enjoy Paradice after he had sinned But as for Flesh and Blood we know he had it in the first Creation but it was his sin made him obnoxious to God for which he was cast out of Paradice But Israel when again restored will be past that danger through the Everlasting Covenant that God will then make with them when they are made partakers of the Glory that shall be revealed And St. Paul speaking of the Resurrection of the Dead saith in 1 Cor. 15.42,43,44 So also is the Resurrection of the Dead It is sown in corruption it is raised in incorruption it is sown in dishonour it is raised in glory it is sown in weakness it is raised in power 44. It is sown a natural body it is raised a spiritual body There is a natural body and there is a spiritual body Now the Apostle tells us that this great Change in Verse 52. will be in a moment in the twinkling of an Eye at the last Trump for the Trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed 53. For this corruption must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on Immortality 54. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption and this mortal shall have put on immortality then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written Death is swallowed up in Victory 45. O Death where is thy sting O Grave where is thy Victory 56. The sting of Death is sin and the strength of sin is the Law 57. But thanks be to God which giveth us the Victory through our Lord Jesus Christ We see there is no other raised here but them that truly sing O Death where is thy Sting O Grave where is thy Victory Now whereas St. Paul saith in 1 Thes 4.13,14,15,16 I would not have you ignorant brethren concerning them which are asleep that ye sorrow not even as others which have no hope 14. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him 15. For this we say unto you by the Word of the Lord that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep 16. For the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a Shout with the Voice of the Archangel and the Trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first 17. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the Clouds to meet the Lord in the Air and so shall we be ever with the Lord. Now whereas St. Paul saith 1 Cor. 15.51,52 We shall not sleep but we shall all be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an Eye at the last Trump for the Trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed Here he saith we shall all be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an Eye at the last Trump Now in these words the wicked are not included for they are never numbered with the righteous And it is said When Christ cometh the wicked shall be slain by the Sword that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord and that all Fowls were filled with their Flesh as in Rev. 19.21 Therefore not changed because they then knew a temporal Death as well as a spiritual Therefore by this word we all the Apostle doth only include those that were to bear their Testimony to the Truth as the first Churches did and as the Vaudois have remained a continual Standing Witness to the Truth If by this Change here spoken of he doth include also at that moment an Immortal Change then it doth appear to be none but the Witnesses that are said to lie in the Street
was one of those who then upon his conversion had his iniquities forgiven and his sins covered yet he said Wo be to him if he preacht not the Gospel 1 Cor. 9.16 Whereby he sheweth he must yield his obedience or else vengeance would overtake him Heb. 10.30 And also after that Abraham had been obedient in leaving his Countery and his kindred the Lord again appeared to him Gen. 17.1 and said I am the Almighty God walk before me and be thou perfect The which shews God requires our continuance in our obedience to him The which in being sincere therein is man's perfection And after God further tryed and proved Abraham whether he would obey in all things even to that in which the desire of his Soul was set upon which was in the offering up of his Son Isaac And that God commanded him to do without a promise of reward but afterwards for his willingness to be obedient therein God redoubled his promise to him For God's promises are generally attain'd and retain'd in the way of our love and obedience And St. Paul saith Rom. 6.16 Know ye not that to whom ye yield your selves Servants to obey his Servants ye are to whom ye obey whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness By these words the Apostle puts it out of all dispute clearly shewing that we are his Servants to whom we do yield our selves Servants to obey And the Apostle saith to the Church in the following verse That they were the Servants of sin but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of Doctrine which was delivered you Now the form of Doctrine was that they should observe all things whatsoever Christ had commanded This being the last charge Christ left with his Disciples promising such as did accordingly obey that he would be with them to the end of the world Matth. 28.20 Rom. 4.2 If Abraham were justified by works be hath whereof to glory but not before God That is not before God as tho' he had by his good works merited all those great blessings that God had promised him No this is quite contrary to truth and contrary to the understanding that still remains in us that he or we by our poor endeavours when at the best should for them deserve an everlasting inheritance and an eternal weight of glory and that procured by the Sacrifice of the Son of his love No so to think is an offence to God And also the Lord Christ saith When ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you say ye are unprofitable Servants Luk. 17.10 For God needed not us for his eternal blessedness would not have been diminished if we had eternally perished For he would have remained eternally blessed without us altho' we should have remained eternally miserable without him For a poor Soul before God has no more reason to glory than a poor condemned Malefactor that a great Prince had taken pity of therefore paid his ransome taken him into his Service withal promising him as long as he kept to the Rule or way that he had set him and did not wilfully depart from it he would be with him to carry him through all difficulties and that if he so continued to do he would not leave him nor forsake him and that for the short time that he should set him if he therein was found faithful to his service he then would adopt him his Son and give him an inheritance as a Son of his Now should this Servant boast and glory before his Prince and say I think for the small time of service that thou requirest of me I deserve all that thou hast done or hath promised to do for me this would immediately disinherit him of his Princes favour But on the contrary if this Servant's heart is drawn out in love and obedience to his Prince for the great kindness received and for the future promises made to him he having a sense how infinitely above any thing that his deservings could be his Prince had promised to reward him And therefore he resolving to do his utmost endeavour that he might be found faithful in his service he having strong confidence and faith in his Prince that if he was found diligent in his Service his Lord would not only be willing but had power according to his promise to reward him His Prince also giving him orders that he should come to him upon all occasions for fresh supplies whereby he might be enabled to do him service This Servant observing diligently all the orders his Lord gave him therefore at the appointed time receives the promised reward But not as tho' he had merited these great things but that his great benefactor had promised such great rewards to all his Servants that should be found faithful in his Service So Christ of his free grace and mercy hath paid the ransom for sinners for all that will yield to him their love and sincere obedience And at the time he takes them into his Service he then clears them of all their past sins and for the time to come promises his assistance whilst they keep the way which he hath set them and do not willingly depart from it And if they should be overtaken in a fault against their wills they then shall not be utterly cast down for Christ remains an Advocate for them And if they accordingly continue faithful to the death hath promised then to give them the Crown of life but not as tho' their service had merited so great a reward but that of his great mercy and rich grace he hath promised such great rewards to all that are faithful in his Service Accordingly God said to Abraham That he would be his exceeding great reward Gen. 15.1 Thereby shewing that God would reward him for what he did and exceedingly above what he deserved So Christ is said to be the Author of Eternal Salvation to all them that obey him Heb. 5.9 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory honour and immortality eternal life Rom. 2.7 Now tho' Abraham or any other cannot have whereof to glory before God yet they may rejoyce in that they have walked in sincere obedience to him whereby they at last become accepted of him as to have the reward of the Crown of life For whosoever renders their sincere obedience to God and Christ comes in as an heir to the promise of life For he shall have the righteousness of Christ imputed to him for his justification Acts 10.35 whilst others thro' their unwary walking go out of the way that God hath set them whereby they fall away and so lose that Crown which otherwise they might have had Rev. 3.11 and 2.10 And those that by their wary walking have kept the way tho' they have not to glory before God yet for their so doing they shall have praise of God 1 Cor. 4.5 And tho' St. Paul saith in the 7. v. Who maketh thee to differ
Brother sin a sin which is not unto death he shall ask and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death Now were there none but those that were so absolutely chosen of God that they could not fall away it could not then be so properly said of them that prayers should give them life that never were in danger of death And so on the contrary if others by the determinate Counsel of God were left under a necessity of damnation then prayers for such would be altogether unavailable it being impossible that the offender should receive life by them neither would the Apostle have given orders for them to have been so prayed for Chap. XII How it is that he that is born of God sinneth not and keepeth himself that the evil one toucheth him not THE Apostle saith 1 John c. 5. v. 18. We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself and the wicked one toucheth him not These words admit of a two-fold meaning First That there was a remnant of Israel so secured in Christ as they could not be deceived Secondly They have a reference to all that that are born of God so as to be brought off from the ways of sin And whilst they are thus born or brought off from sin so as to maintain a continual combat with the World the Flesh and the Devil Such an one theâ— cannot wilfully commit sin because their wills and inclinations are set against sin And if they in their wills and inclinations remain thus stedfast it keeps them in a continual resistance so as the evil one cannot touch them Now we are to take notice that by their improving their season of grace or the Talents which God had given them the Apostle saith They kept themselves so as the evil one toucheth them not For they which had the five Talents were to improve them as well as they which had the two and one But whosoever is again brought off from the ways of God to the World as to yield themselves again servants to sin the grace of God was by them received in vain Rom. 6.16 Know ye not that to whom ye yield your selves servants to obey his servants ye are to whom ye obey whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness And St. John saith chap. 2. v. 3,4 And hereby we do know that we know him if we keep his Commandments He that saith I know him and keepeth not his Commandments is a lyar and the truth is not in him This is so plain that it needs no explanation to shew that it is the practical knowledge of God that is required Chap XIII The meaning of being born again explained JOHN 3.1,2,3 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus a Ruler of the Jews the same came to Jesus by night and said unto him Rabbi we know that thou art a Teacher come from God for no man can do these Miracles that thou doest except God be with him Jesus answered and said unto him Verily verily I say unto thee except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God This the Lord said to a man that was a Pharisee and a Ruler in Israel and to a man that had a desire after the knowledge of the Lord but was ashamed to come to him in the sight of the World and so came to Jesus by night and therefore the Lord said unto him as in the foregoing words in which the Lord had only his reference to such as were ashamed to own him before men and such as live after the flesh Now Nicodemus wondering at the answer of the Lord in verse 4. said unto him How can a man be born when he is old can he enter the second time into his Mothers womb and be born ver 5,6 Jesus answered Verily verily I say unto thee except a man be born of Water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the spirit is spirit These words of the Lord here has no reference to Children as to their thus being born again nor to those persons that have always lived in a holy in and upright conversation For first the Believers Children are in Covenant and if they die in their Infancy are accepted in and thro' Christ And John Baptist was moved by the Spirit of God with joy in his Mothers womb upon the salutation of the blessed Virgin And Christ saith Suffer little Children to come unto me and forbid them not for of such is the Kingdom of God Mark 10.14 Therefore what is here spoken by the Lord of being born after the flesh hath not its reference to the natural birth But as the Lord had a figurative meaning in saying they must be born after the Spirit or they cannot enter into the Kingdom of God So the Lord hath here a figurative meaning as to these here spoken of which are born of the flesh That is those that embraced the desires of the flesh and the world and thereby begotten or born of it from which they must be again new born that is brought off by forsaking that which before they delighted in and their wills and affections brought into a complying frame to the Spirit of God or they cannot enter into the Kingdom of God John 3.8 The Lord saith The Wind bloweth where it listeth and thou hearest the sound thereof but thou canst not tell whence it cometh and whither it goeth so is every one that is born of the Spirit By these words the Lord doth seem to have a reference in the first place to them that were in a peculiar manner chosen and appointed to partake of the Holy Ghost and also these words have a reference in general to all to whom the Word of the Gospel should come accompanied with the good motions of the Spirit of God as thereby to be brought off from sin And also it did signifie the Lord 's then withdrawing his Spirit from Israel the which was for their sinfulness for which cause also it was the twice fallen Children of Ham became more estranged from God And tho' the Spirit compared to the Wind bloweth where it listeth yet the Spirit listeth not to blow on them by whom it is grieved Therefore it is said grieve not the holy Spirit of God Ephes 4.30 Accordingly it is said concerning them that were sanctified That if they did sin wilfully they then did despight to the Spirit of grace and to such the Lord will recompence vengeance Heb. 10.26,29,30 For tho' the Disciples or standing Witnesses could not be ensnared nor drawn off by the Devil yet the others of the first Churches did not so securely stand Chap. XIV Of being in the Faith or turning Reprobate SAInt Paul saith 2 Cor. 13.5 Examine your selves whether ye be in the faith prove your selves know ye not your own selves how
method of Salvation which if accordingly be lieved they should be saved Therefore Christ saith to the Church Rev. 3.3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard and hold fast and repent If therefore thou shalt not watch I will come on thee as a thief and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee Here we see the Lord calls upon them to put in practice what they have heard Which if they do not he will come upon them at an hour they are not aware of And as the Thief comes to destroy so the Lord will come to the destruction of them that have his word and will not according thereunto wait for him with a prepared heart in love to receive him For he saith If ye keep my Commandments ye shall abide in my love John 15.10 and in the 14. v. Ye are my Friends if ye do whatsoever I command you And also the Lord saith John 8.31 If ye continue in my word then are ye my Disciples indeed And the offer of mercy by Christ is to all that will take his Yoke upon them Matth. 11.29 And the Lord saith Mark 8.34,35,36 Whosoever will come after me let him deny himself and take up his Cross and follow me For whosoever will save his life shall lose it but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the Gospel the same shall save it For what shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own Soul This losing of the life for Christ is to be taken under a twofold head Not only when we are called to lay down our life for the defence of the Gospel but also in denying our selves the pleasures delights and advantages of this world for this is spoken in general to all that will save their lives to life eternal According to this the Lord saith John 12.25 He that loveth his life shall lose it and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal And Christ saith Matth. 7.21 Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in Heaven Matth. 7.24 Christ saith Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine and doth them is like to a wise man that built his house upon a rock So if we lay hold upon the promise of life according to the conditions offered by Christ we build upon that rock that will never fail us So as when the greatest storm ariseth that man will securely stand because he is faithful that hath promised But if we believe in Christ for justification yet walk according to our own imaginations and not according to his Commands it is building upon a sandy foundation for which they will have damnation According to the word of the Lord when he sent his Disciples to teach the Doctrine of the Gospel which was the conditions of the Covenant of grace He then said He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned Mark 16.15,16 That is it was the Gospel which then Christ sent forth his disciples to teach which they that heard were to believe Accordingly the Lord saith Matth. 28.19,20 Go ye therefore and teach all Nations baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I command you and lo I am with you to the end of the world That is with the race of the Disciples which is of the remnant he will be with to the end of the World for they are those that none can pluck out of his hand And of whom it is said they follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth And also he will never forsake any whilst they keep his way in observing to do whatsoever he Commands them Now the Belief in Christ that is saving is to be grounded upon the words of Christ that his righteousness is to be applied for the justification of the sinner according to the conditions as it is tendred by him which is in the observing to do whatsoever he commanded them For tho' at the first receiving of the Gospel by his free grace they were saved from their sins by yielding to the conditions that Christ required Yet all of them that were not immediately taken away by death were to be judged according to the performance of those conditions before they could be thought meet to partake of the Crown of life And in every believer is required the faith of God's Elect that in the way of their love and obedience they shall become Heirs to the promise Zacheus desired to be a Disciple of the Lord and he knew in being so his Obedience was required Therefore he said Lord half of my goods I give to the poor and if I have taken any thing from any by false accusation I will restore him fourfold Luke 19.8 But many of us like the Jews of old by their Tradition made the Commands of God of no effect So many with us by their half-faith or believing but half way in that they leave out the conditions upon which life and salvation is offered by Christ have made their faith in Christ of none effect to the saving of their Souls because the promise of life is upon condition of our Obedience In which whosoever remains faithful to the death shall have the Crown of life But for any to think that Christ dyed to give them a liberty to sin it is of such God saith Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such a one as thy self but I will reprove thee and set them in order before thine eyes Now consider this ye that forget God lest I tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver Psal 50.21,22 This forgetting God is forgetting their duty as to yield Obedience unto his Commands But for our having Faith in the righteousness of Christ separate from good works is dead standing alone James 2.20,21,22 But wilt thou know vain man that faith without works is dead Was not Abraham our Father justified by works when he had offered Isaac his Son upon the Altar Seest thou how faith wrought with his work and by works was faith made perfect Thereby shewing that a lively and perfect Faith always includs good works As first the inward work upon the will and affections and afterwards good works put in practise Therefore he saith in the 26 verse For as the body without the Spirit is dead so faith without works is dead also And Chap 1. v. 25. But whoso looketh into the perfect Law of Liberty and continueth therein he being not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work this man shall be blessed in his deed Now why is it term'd the Law of Liberty Because such as walk in obedience thereunto are by Christ set free from the condemning power of sin and death 26. v. If any man among you seem to be religious and bridleth
are there is the Kingdom of God which Vision was a Figure of the Glory which shall be Revealed For there Christ appeared in his Glory accompanied with his Saints from Heaven and with his Living Saints on Earth and the Voice of God thereby to inform us that we might not mistake and take mean and low things for the glorious Kingdom of God and Christ of which our Lord is not yet in possession of It was then within two days before he that is now in Possession was to be turn'd out for a Thousand years is but as one day and one day as a Thousand years with the Lord nor to us a Thousand years will appear but as one day compared with Eternity Heb. 10.37 And at the appointed time he that shall come will come and will not tarry But as to what the Lord said after he arose in Matt. 28.18 Jesus came and spake unto them saying all Power is given unto me in Heaven and Earth That was He then had compleated the Purchase thereof and had the full assurance of it from the Father altho he was not in the real possession of it But it is our way of speaking and much more the Scripture way of speaking that when any thing is given us and so confirm'd on us that we cannot be disappointed of it then we say such an Estate is given us altho the other that injoys it is not at present put out of Possession The which the Apostle in Hebrews 2. doth make it more plainly appear wherein he saith in the 8. v. God hath put all things in subjection under his Feet for in that he put all things in subjection under him he left nothing that is not put under him but now we see not yet all things put under him That is we see not yet the Kingdoms of this World become the Kingdoms of our God and of his Christ 9. v. But we see Jesus who was made a little lower than the Angels for the suffering of Death crowned with Glory and Honour And St. Paul saith much the same words in 1 Cor. 15.27,28 And it is also said in Heb. 10.12 This man after he had offered one Sacrifice for Sin for ever sate down on the Right Hand of God 13. v. From henceforth expecting till his Enemies be made his Footstool This ever signifies whilst this our World lasteth all which time he expecteth till his Enemies be made his Footstool but by these words it is fully Evident to us that his Enemies are not made his Footstool Now David was a Type of Christ and he was anointed King whereby he was assured of the Kingdom a long time before he received the Power of the Kingdom But his Followers knowing him to be the Lord 's Anointed owned him to be their Prince and King when he was not in the Possession of the Kingdom but at the time God had determined he removed his Enemies and set him on the Throne of Israel his People So Christ will not have only his suffering time with David here where none but a few shall own him to be their Prince and King But also his Reigning time on the Throne of his Father David at which time all his Enemies shall be made his Footstool and then it is that all the Kingdoms of this World shall become the Kingdoms of our God and of his Christ Now that the Lord does speak of things that are to come as tho they were already past I will give you one more clear proof which is in Jer. 31.15 Thus saith the Lord a Voice was heard in Ramah lamentation and bitter weeping Rachel weeping for her Children refused to be comforted for her Children because they were not You see that this is spoken of as tho it were already done and past altho it was about five hundred years before this Prophesy was fulfulfil'd as in Mat. 2.16 Then Herod when he saw that he was mocked of the Wise Men was exceeding wrath and sent forth and slew all the Children that were in Bethlehem and in all the Coast thereof from two years old and under according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the Wise men 17. v. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the Prophet saying 18. v. In Ramah was there a voice heard lamentation and weeping and great mourning Rachel weeping for her Children and would not be comforted because they are not Now Herod by Slaying these Children did think to take off the Lord of Glory but God disappointed him upon which remarkable thing Rachel was Prophesied of And also these things gives us light how to read the Scriptures as I before told you That those Prophesies and Sayings in Scripture which speak as if they were already done if we do not find they are done it remaineth good to us they shall be done Now although the Lord did say all power was given him in Heaven and in Earth yet the Lord to let us understand that his time was not yet saith in John 18.36 His Kingdom is not of this World Therefore the Lord Instructeth us in Luke 9.23 If any man will come after me let him deny himself and take up his Cross daily and follow me 24. v. For whosoever will save his Life shall lose it but whosoever will lose his Life for my sake the same shall save it 25. v. For what is a man Advantaged if he gain the whole World and lose himself or be cast away 26. v. For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and my words of him shall the Son of man be ashamed when he shall come in his own Glory and in his Fathers and of the Holy Angels By this we see when the Lord's time will be that is when he comes to Judg the World and at the time of the Restitution of all things And the Apostle tells us Ephes 6.11,12,13,18 That our Life here must be a continual Warfare Heb. 11.13 And that the Saints are but strangers and pilgrims upon the Earth 1 Pet. 5.8,9 And that we have an Adversary the Devil as a roaring Lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour Whom resist stedfast in the Faith Put on the whole Armour of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the Devil 12. v. For we wrestle not against Flesh and Blood but against Principalities against Powers against the Rulers of the Darkness of this World and against Spiritual Wickedness in high-places 13. v. Wherefore take unto you the whole Armour of God that ye may be able to withstand in the Evil Day He also adviseth us To be fervent in Prayer serving the Lord. And to do this let us not go out in our own strength but with strong Crying and Prayers unto our God that we may be able to stand in the evil Day And St. John perswades us 1 John 2.15,16,17 not to love the World neither the things that are in the World If any man love the World the love of the
are put out of a Capacity of being such any longer And had this City been in Heaven as some would have it when the Wine-press is trod it must have taken up the whole confine of the Heavens or otherwise the Wine-press of God's wrath would appear to be trod in the Heavens without the City But this being too great an absurdity St. John to end all Controversy saith in Rev. 2. He saw the New Jerusalem coming down from God out of Heaven And in the first verse he saith I saw a New Heaven and a New Earth for the first Heaven and the first Earth were passed away and there was no more Sea The New Heavens and the New Earth is as I before shewed you The New Powers and New People in whom dwelleth Righteousness As Christ and his raised Saints the New Heaven and his Elect the New Earth Now whereas he saith there was no more Sea And St. Jude terms the wicked The Raging Waves of the Sea foaming out their own shame And where the Destruction of Babilon is spoken of the Multitude that came against her is said to be the Sea Jer. 51.42 The Sea is come up upon Babilon she is covered with the multitude of the Waves thereof Now the Sea has a prevailing Power therefore the Sea spoken of in Revelations which shall be no more is that the wicked shall then have no more prevailing Power For altho the Devil does gather together after the thousand Years his Gog and Magog yet it will be to their utter Destruction And the Lord spenking in Isa 57.20,21 of Israel's Peace and Healing and of the Wicked Worlds Destruction as in the 20. v. But the wicked are like the troubled Sea when it cannot rest whose waters cast up mire and dirt There is no Peace saith my God to the Wicked Here the wicked are said in the day of their Destruction to be like the troubled Sea And at the time when Israel shall be delivered from under the Power of all his Enemies it is said Psal 68.22 The Lord saith I will bring again from Basham I will bring my People again from the depths of the Sea Here we see that the wicked are the depths of the Sea from which God will bring his People from under their Power And the wicked as a Sea shall never more prevail And it is said Jer. 33.23,24 Thy tacklings are losed they could not well strengthen their Mast they could not spread the Sail. Then is the Prey of a great spoil divided the lame take the prey The Inhabitants shall not say I am sick the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their Iniquity When the Lord comes then the wicked can neither spread their Sail nor strengthen their Mast Then will the prey of a great spoil be divided then will the lame take the prey That is the Afflicted People of Israel And at that time the Inhabitants shall not say I am sick And whereas St. John saith Rev. 21.2,3,4 And I John saw the Holy City New Jerusalem coming down from God out of Heaven prepared as a Bride adorned for her Husband And I heard a great Voice out of Heaven saying behold the Tabernacle of God is with men and he will dwell with them and they shall be his People and God himself shall be with them and be their God And God shall wipe away all Tears from their Eyes and there shall be no more death neither sorrow nor crying neither shall there be any more pain for the former things are past away And the Lord saith Rev. 3.12 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 the New Jerusalem which cometh down out of Heaven from my God and I will write upon him my New Name Here the Lord as well as St. John saith the New Jerusalem comes down out of Heaven from God Now as to what this City is that comes down out of Heaven from God it does plainly appear to be the whole Church triumphant for St. John saith it is this City the New Jerdsalem which he saw prepared as a Bride adorned for her Husband Then it cannot be any outward glorious Fabrick which the Lord is said to espouse or is fit to be the Lamb's Wife But the Lord has promised to espouse his Church to himself at the great Wedding-Supper For as yet the Souls are said to be under the Altar and therefore not yet made Partakers of the Glory that shall be revealed But at the Last Trumpet when the Dead shall be raised incorruptible and the Bodies of the Saints again to them re-united and those that have been the Lord's Witnesses mentioned in the Revelations with them caught up in the Clouds to meet the Lord in Air. And then as it is said God shall wipe away all tears from their Eyes and then there shall be with them no more Death neither sorrow nor crying And by the promised new Covenant Israel will then fall little short of this when the Lord hath taken away their sins and so secured them in himself as they shall never more sin against him For altho afterward thay shall know a temporal Death Yet the Lord in John 11.26 John 6.50 Terms that not a dying And Revelations 19.11 It is there declared how the Lord shall come For St. John saith Râ—v 19.11,14 That he saw Heaven opened and behold a white horse and he that sate upon him was called faithful and true and in righteousness he doth Judge and make war 14. And the Armies which were in Heaven followed him upon white horses cloathed in fine Linen white and clean By which we see these Armies here spoken of come out of Heaven And St. John in the 14 Chap. 14. v. Doth open to us what these white horses are For he there saith Rev. 14.14 He beheld a white Cloud and upon the Cloud one sat like unto the Son of Man having on his head a Golden Crown and in his hand a sharp sickle You see here that the white horses are white Clouds and that the Lord will come in the Clouds of Heaven as was declared by the Angels in Acts 1.11 And the Lord also told his Disciples John 14.2 In my fathers house are many mansions if it were not so I would have told you I go to prepare a place for you 3. And if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you unto my self Now without doubt in the Clouds there will be Receptacles of Glorious mansions for the Lord and his chief raised Saints and Angels And St. John saith Rev. 21.9 There came unto him an Angel and talked with him Saying come up hither and I will shew the bride the lambs wife 10. And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high Mountain and shewed me that great City
Maker 〈◊〉 Heaven and Earth and all things â—…rein contained whether visible or inâ—…ble and that out of the Gen. 2.7 dust of the â—…und God created Man and breathed inâ—… him the breath of life and thereby â—…n became a Gen. 28. living Soul and was plac'd 〈◊〉 God in Gen. 1.26,27 Eden the Garden of God in â—…oly happy blessed State and God â—…ve them Power over the Fish of the 〈◊〉 the Fowl of the Air and the Beast 〈◊〉 the Field and over all the Earth and over every thing that creepeth on the Earth And Man should have so continued in this blessed and happy State Gen. 2.17 never to have known decay sickness forrow or death had he not there sinned against his great Creator and his most liberal Benefactor Gen. 3.4,5 in that they did adhere to the Enemy of God which is the Devil and believed what he said and did not believe the God of Truth for which they were turn'd out of Paradise Gen. 3.23 and became more vile and miserable than all Creatures that have their Being upon Earth and so 't would have succeeded to his unborn Posterity Job 14.4 Psal 51.5 Job 4.8 for now their Natures became corrupt so as Righteousness and Holiness and Wisdom which was the Image of God stampt upon them now had left thâ—m and was quite defaced in them and they became 〈◊〉 like the Prince of Darkness which is â—…e Devil who for his Pride and Rebelâ—â—n against God he and his Adherents were cast out of Heaven and from glorious Angels became Devils in Hell and are kept in Chains of Darkness unto the Judgment of the Great Day of God who are to be punished eternally in Hell-fire Joh. 3.44 Joh. 3.8 Jude 6. 2 Pet. 2.4 But God looking on Mankind in their forlorn and miserable Condition with an eye of pity and compassion gave them a word of Comfort which was That the Gen. 3.15 Seed of the Woman should bruise the Serpent's head which is the Devil and God said that he would put enmity between the seed of the Woman and the seed of the Serpent And in that God had compassion on Mankind rather than upon the fallen Angels so as to send them a Saviour Luk. 2.11 Mat. 1.21 There was this reason the fallen Angels were the principal and alone Causes of their own Rebellion but Mankind was stirr'd up to it through the subtil Insinuations and Lyes of the Devil Gen. 3.1 and therefore Mankind had a Tender of Grace offered them if we receive it according to the condition as it is offered us which is with Repentance towards God and Faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ with Love and Obedience to him to whom all the Prophets bear witness â—…aring he should be born of a Virgin 〈◊〉 speaking of his Sufferings and of his Death and of his Rising again Act. 20.21 Act. 4.12 Act. 3.23,26 Isa 7.14 Isa 53. Ps 16.10 Act. 2.24 13.34 I believe in this Lord Jesus Christ â—hat he is the onely begotten Son of God who gave himself to satisfie Divine Justice and to make Reconciliation for poor â—ost and undone Creatures which were dead in Trespasses and Sins through that â—f Adam's Transgression Joh. 1.14 Joh. 10.15,18 Eph. 2.1 Heb. 9.14 2 Cor. 3.5 Gen. 6.5 Rev. 3.17 Rom. 7.15 Job 4.20 Isa 30.33 2 Pet. 2.4,5 whereby our Nature became so corrupt that we have â—est us neither Strength to stand 〈◊〉 Willâ—… striâ—… nor 〈…〉 〈…〉 in which woful condition we should have spent some few Days here and after which been plunged into Hell it self for ever and there to have been tormented with the Devil and damned Spirits Luk. 16.32 Jud. 7. Isa 5.15 Deut. 32.22 Joh. 1.1,2,3 without any redress had not the Son of God the second Person in the Trinity who to fulfil his Fathers promise and for the wonderful Love he bare to his Creatures he left the Throne of his Fathers Glory where he had been from all Eternity and did vouchsafe to take upon him the means of our Flesh and therein was conceived by the Power of the Holy Ghost in the Womb of the Virgin Mary Matt. 1.20,21 Luk. 1.30,31,32 but born of her without sin and when he came into the World he then suffered the Miseries of this Life the Wrath of God and the cursed Death of the Cross that through Death he might destroy him that had the Power of Death which is the Devil and deliver them who through the fear of Death were all their Life-time subject to bondage Luk. 23.35,36 Luk. 23.33 and 44 45 46. Heb. 2.14,15 and the Lord of Life was buried descended into Hell and continued under the Power of Death till the third Day Luk. 24.6,7 in which he rose again from the Dead as a triumphant Victor over Sin Death and Hell and after his Resurrection he was seen oâ— all his Apostles 1 Cor. 15.5,6 and of above 500 Brethreâ— at once and remained upon the Earth for the space of forty Days and then he went to Mount Olivet with his Disciples and more Witnesses Act. 1.3.9,10,11,12 and from thence he ascended up into Heaven and now sitteth at the Right-hand of God the Father and there maketh intercession for the Saints according to the Mind of God Heb. 1.3 Joh. 12.41 Rom. 8.34 Heb. 6.7.25 I believe also that assuredly there is Life and Salvation to be had through our Lord Jesus Christ if we come to him by faith and repentance so as to confess and forsake our sins and believe in him and his word so that we unfeignedly love and fear to offend him we shall be beloved of him and made eternally blessed by him through his perfect Righteousness which shall be imputed to us who is able to preserve us in time and in Eternity I believe in the Holy Ghost that he is the Sanctifier of our Natures whereby our Wills are renewed so as to desire to serve the living God in truth and in sincerity and also in time of trouble he doth often administer comfort and consolation to the Saints Acts 20.21 and 3.19 John 14.21 Joh. 8.31 Jer. 23.6 Rom. 8.14 1 Cor. 3.15 Gal. 5.16 1 Cor. 1.22 Joh. 5.26 I believe there is a Holy Catholick Church a member of which is every sincere hearted Christian throughout the World that worships the Lord in spirit and truth for our blessed Lord saith John 4.23,24 that the Father seeketh such to worship him I believe there will be the Resurrection of the Body and Life everlasting for the Righteous and eternal Damnation for them that go on in their wicked Ways I believe also that the Lord will come in the last Day in the Clouds of Heaven to render vengeance to his Adversaries and those that know not God and will not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ 1 Cor. 15.21,22 Joh. 5.28,29 Col. 1.18 Matt. 25.46 John 11.24 Acts 1.11 2 Thess
having slighted his mercy Therefore this is no incouragement to us that live under the call of the Gospel to deferr repentance For the day of grace and the day of life have not one and the same date For if we will go on frowardly in the ways of our own hearts God will leave us to blindness of mind and hardness of heart Now God said that David was a Man after his own heart and why because his heart immediatly answered the call of God by his Word or Messengers as the Psalmist saith Psal 27.8 When thou saidst Seek ye my face my heart answered unto thee thy face Lord will I seek This is the voice which God requires of us The which he found not in Israel As saith St. Paul Rom. 10.21 To Israel he saith all the day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying People And also in Proverbs Prov. 1.24,26 Because I have called and ye refused I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded I also will laugh at your calamity I will mock when your fear cometh By this we may plainly see God complain'd of them because they were wanting to themselves in not improving the season of grace which he had put into their hands Therefore God saith in the 32. v. Prov. 1.32,33 The turning away of the simple shall slay them and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them But whosoever shall hearken unto me shall dwell safely and be quiet from fear of evil What is here spoken is to the foolish and wise Christians and of the near approaching time to come Now the Epistle to the Romans St. Paul sent presently after their conversion when as dayly there were new converts brought over to the Church for their comfort to let them understand that if they should immediatly after their conversion be taken away by a natural death or a violent one upon the account of their faith that they should no ways be startled or dismayed because they had not time after their conversion to do any good action even so much time as to be baptized but only believed as the Thief did and thereupon called upon the Lord for mercy and so departed this life yet they should be saved upon which occasion they were baptized for the dead as the ancients say and of which St. Paul speaketh 1 Cor. 15.29 What shall they do which are baptized for the dead if the dead rise not at all why are they then baptized for the dead Now that they that call upon God so as to have salvation his following words make out where the Apostle saith Rom. 10.14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed By which we see their calling is insignificant without believing and if they savingly believe it must be according to the tenor of the Gospel Which requires of us repentance from dead works and love to and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and if we live amendment of life for he that is in Christ must become a new Creature and walk as he himself walked 1 Joh. 2.6 And as St. Paul to the Romans saith Rom. 8.1,8 There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit 6. v. For to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace By which we may plainly see St. Paul's meaning was not that they might remain in their own natural state and so call upon God and be saved but that his meaning was as I before shewed you for what is set down here and what is set down in the 10. Ch. was writ at one and the same time being one and the same Epistle And the Jews wisely tell us that we must look to the words which go before and the words that follow after if we intend to come to a right understanding of the Scripture Now God by the Prophet Jeremiah makes mention of the miscarriage of Judah and how she did but feignedly call upon him as in the 10. v. Jer. 3.10 And yet for all this her treacherous Sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart but feignedly saith the Lord. And the Apostle saith Rom. 6.16,17,18 Know ye not that to whom ye yield your selves servants to obey his servants ye are to whom ye obey whether of sin unto death or obedience unto righteousness But God be thanked that you were the servants of sin but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you Being then made free from sin ye became the Servants of righteousness The which is an evident token that we have no share in Christ's righteousness if we our selves walk not in the ways of righteousness And also we sin our sins over again if we do but delightfully think on them And the Apostle relates to Titus what they were before they were converted Titus 3.3,4,5,6,7,8 For we our selves also were sometimes foolish disobedient deceived serving divers lusts and pleasures living in malice and envy hateful and hating one another But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared Not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour That being justified by his grace should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life This is a faithful saying and these things I will that you affirm constantly that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works The Apostle having here set down what they were before the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared And whereas he said Not by the works of righteousness which they had done but according to his mercy he saved them by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost Here we see was an inward change wrought in them from whence did arise their hopes of salvation And whereas he said that the Spirit was shed on them abundantly it was for the establishing the Gospel And as to what he saith as to their being justified by his grace they should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life That is as I before told you upon their first conversion and resigning themselves up to Christ to be wholly guided and governed by him according to the rule of his word then it is the righteousness of Christ is imputed to them whereby they become justified in sight of God And whereas he saith I will that they affirm constantly that they that have believed in God might be carefull to maintain good works The which he said to let them understand that if they did not persevere in a holy life they might be cast off According to what the Lord saith Joh. 15.2.6,8,9,10,14 Every
branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away and every branch that beareth fruit he purgeth it that it may bring forth more fruit If a man abide not in me he is cast forth as a branch and is withered and men gather them and cast them into the fire and they are burned Herein is my father glorified that ye bear much fruit so shall ye be my disciples As the father hath loved me so have I loved you continue in my love If ye keep my commandments ye shall abide in my love even as I have kept my fathers commandments and abide in his love Ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever I command you By all these words of the Lord it is fully evident that although we were grafted in him and beloved of him yet if we bear not fruit and keep not his commandments we shall neither remain in him nor be beloved of him Now St. Paul saith to the Galatians Gal. 1.6,8 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another Gospel And he saith in the 8. v. But though we or an angel from heaven preach another Gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you let him be accursed Now by the words of St. Paul there was deceivers got in among the Church of Galatia which would have brought them to circumcision and made them also to observe the ceremonial law Therefore he saith Gal. 5.2 I Paul say unto you that if you be circumcised Christ shall profit you nothing And again he saith Gal. 2.16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by the faith of Jesus Christ even we have believed in Jesus Christ that we might be justified by the faith of Christ and not by the works of the law for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified Now whereas he saith no man is justified by the works of the law That is man is not able to fulfil all the works of the law in that perfection as is required of him Neither can it take away original sin so as a man cannot become justified by it yet they were so far able to fulfill the law as to walk blamelesly in it as in Luke 1.6 And in the Old Testament time accepted of God for it through the then promised Messiah And whereas he saith not by the works of the law but by the faith of Jesus Christ That is by the faith that Jesus Christ requires of us And he saith we have believed in Jesus Christ that we might be justified by the faith of Christ Now whereas he saith they had believed in Christ that includes a belief in his whole revealed will in his word And in his word he tells us if we will enter into life we must keep the commandments Therefore St. Paul by what he here saith hath no intention to take them off the moral law for they cannot be saved if after they are received into the Church of Christ they will not walk in obedience to it But it is the ceremonial law which some false Brethren would have brought in to have burthened the Church withal whereby they would have made the sufferings of Christ of none effect for man's salvation and justification Therefore he saith Gal. 3.1,2,3,4,5,6 O foolish Galatians who hath bewitched you that you should not obey the truth before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth crucified among you This only would I learn of you receive ye the Spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith Are ye so foolish having begun in the Spirit are ye now made perfect in the flesh Have ye suffered so many things in vain if it be yet in vain Here we see that these Galatians had upon the preaching of the Gospel received the Spirit and that they had suffered many things as the Church of Christ Yet St. Paul was here afraid of their final falling off by reason of deceivers that were got in among them which would have had them trusted to Circumcision Purifications and Sacrifices for Justification and not unto Christ Which Laws were all abolished at the death of Christ he being that only Sacrifice that could make satisfaction to take away sin and all other Sacrifices were but to figure out him who was alone able to make that great atonement with God Therefore St. Paul reproves them sharply that having begun in the Spirit they should think to be made perfect by the flesh And he saith to them in the 5. v. He therefore that ministreth to you the spirit and worketh miracles among you doth he it by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith 6. v. Even as Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness Faith or belief in us toward God and Christ consists of three distinct parts first a belief in and a practical consent to the conditions upon which life and salvation is offered by God! the second is a belief in the power and faithfulness of the promiser for the thing promised The third is an intire affection with real thankfulness to the promiser for the thing promised Now these three things were found in the belief of faithful Abraham for he left his own Country to follow the Lord and gave himself wholly up to love and obey him as witness the offering of his Son and also judging him faithful that had promised him the Blessing And St. Paul saith to the like effect of himself in the foregoing Chap. Gal. 2.19,20 For I through the law am dead to the law that I might live unto God That is dead to the ceremonial law not to the moral law for he as well as Abraham was conformable to the law of the Lord to do justice and judgment for which the Lord did confirm his promise to Abraham As in the 19. v. Gen. 18.19 God said I know him that he will command his children and his houshold after him and they shall keep the way of the Lord to do justice and judgment that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him And St. Paul saith in the 20. v. Gal. 2.20 I am crucified with Christ nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me We see here St. Paul saith he was crucified with Christ That is he was dead to the World and to the pleasures thereof yet he said that he lived yet he says again not I but Christ liveth in me That is he had so wholly given himself up to Christ and brought down his thoughts into subjection unto him so as Christ had the reigning power in him so as the life which he then lived was by faith in the Son of God Which faith was he
But by the word it may be easily proved there is several ways for the elect to be brought into Christ For first after the fall of Adam they were to observe the ordinances then declar'd to them by God and also looking to the promis'd Seed for satisfaction and reconciliation if they were found in their obedience to God After which Moses his time God gave them the Law upon mount Sinai But still they were to look to Christ in the promise in that he should bruise the Serpents head and take away the sting of Death from them And here God saith to Israel as he said to Cain Gen. 4.7 If thou doest well shalt thou not be accepted but if thou doest evil sin lyeth at the Door So God saith to the Seed of Jacob Deu. 11.26 Behold I set before you this day a blessing and a curse 27. A blessing if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you this day 28. And a curse if you will not obey the Commandments of the Lord your God but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day You see here was the free Grace of God manifested to them above the rest of the World in that God had so far renewnewed or inlightned them as to bring them to the knowledg of himself the which the rest of the world was almost wholly ignorant of And here God gave Israel a rule by which they should walk the which it they had so done they had enjoyed the blessings that God had there promised them and that He would also be their God for ever and they should be his people And after Christ came the Gospel was published wherein all Nations were invited that whosoever would might come and take of the Waters of Life freely Rev. 22.17 But although there was none excluded yet there was the Condition of the tender of Grace to be observed by all them that are made partakers of the blessedness Which Condition was Repentance from Dead Works with Love and Obedience to God and Christ and thankful acknowledgment of the mercy and benefit purchast by Him Now as concerning Election which consists of Three Distinctions FIrst The Election of the Church Secondly The Election of the children of the Church as being in covenant and if they die in their Infancy accepted for their Parents sake so as they shall not see Hell and in the Last Judgment there is none condemned to feel punishment in that body in which they never had offended Therefore the children shall return from the Land of the Enemy as I shall hereafter prove And Thirdly Of the special Elect which the Lord terms the very Elect of whom he said they should not be deceived And now to make clear these Elections I shall here prove to you that there was neither Predestination nor Reprobation before the Foundation of the Material Heavens and Earth And in the first place I shall prove there was none reprobated as I shall make appear by the Word and Oath of God For God saith in Ezekiel 33.11 Say unto them as I live saith the Lord God I have no pleasure in the Deash of the Wicked Now had God made a Decree before the Foundation of the Material Heavens and Earth that the greater part of mankind should be Reprobates and for being so they should be damned and 〈◊〉 Decree to pass before they had a being or the World in which they offended then of necessity God must have delight in the Death of a sinner But God foreseeing that Israel and we would be apt to attribute their miscarriage unto him therefore by his Oath he confirms to us the contrary swearing by Himself because he could swear by no Greater And in 2 Esdras 8.59 it is said For it was not his Will that man should come to nought And Abraham said to God Shall not the Judge of all the World do Right And how would the Justice of God appear to make so many Millions of Souls on purpose to damn them and only in pretence put them in a capacity of Obedience when his unrevokable Decree was to the contrary The which be it far from any soul to think it being contrary to his Justice and Mercy and contrary to his Oath and Word Now as St. Paul saith in Ephes 1.4 They were chosen in him before the Foundation of the World The which Foundation admits of several Interpretations The First Foundation was the Material Heavens and Earth Secondly The People of the World is far oftner termed the World than the Real Earth is For in John 15.18,19 the Lord terms the People the World no less than six times in two Verses And so by the Prophets and Apostles the People is term'd the World Now the Foundation of the World of People has been several â—mes laid The Old World in Adam this World in Noah and the Foundation of the World to come in the Seed of Jacob as I shall hereafter prove to you when the Lord brought them out of the Land of Egypt at which time he marked them for himself to be the chief Foundation of the World to come at which foundation the Lord Christ was figuratively slain in the Paschal Lamb. As it is said in Rev. 19.8 The Lamb stain from the foundation of the World And it is said 1 Pet. 1.20 That Christ was foreordain'd before the foundation of the World but was manifested in these last times for you These words admit of a two fold interpretation in as much as there is several Foundations and it may as well be rendered that Christ was Ordained at the Fall of Adam to make satisfaction for mankind which was before the foundation of that World which is to come which afterwards the Foundation was laid in Israel when the Pascal Lamb was slain as I shall make clear to you And whereas St. Peter saith was manifest in these last times the which is the last times of this World of People Now whereas St. Paul saith in Ephes 1.9 Blessed be God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Heavenly places in Christ At which time he spake this it is evident they were not in Heaven and therefore spoken for time to come And whereas he saith in verse 4. According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the World that we should be holy and without blame before him in Love Now after Israel had fallen off the Lord tells Esdras in chap. 2. verse 11. Their glory also will I take to me and give these the everlasting Tabernacles which I had prepared for them Verse 12. They shall have the Tree of Life for an Oyntment of sweet savours they shall neither labour nor be weary By which it doth seem to appear that God did make choice of others for the Glorious Tabernacle before them which were the Foundation And St. Paul saith Ephes 2.20,21,22 That they are built
that ye walk not in the ignorance of Youthfulness and Fornication wherein I over shot my self and defiled the Bed of my Father Jacob. For I assure you that the Lord did therefore strke me with a sore Plague in my Flanks the space of seven Months and I had perished if my Father Jacob had not Prayed to the Lord for me because he was minded to have slain me I was thirty years old when I did this evil in the Sight of the Lord and seven Months was I sick to Death and with a free heart did I afflict my self seven years before the Lord I drank no Wine nor Strong Drink no Flesh came within my Mouth I tasted not any fine Bread but I mourned fot my Sin for it was great and there shall none such be done in Israel And my Sons hear me that I may shew you what I saw concerning the seven Spirits of Error in my Repentance Belial giveth seven Spirits against a Man which are the Well-Springs of Youthful Works seven Spirits are given a Man in his Creation whereby all his Works are dore the first is the Spirit of Life wherewith is Created his Being The second Is the Spirit of Seeing wherewith cometh Lusting The third The Spirit of Hearing wherewith cometh Learning The fourth The Spirit of Smelling wherewith cometh delight by drawing of the Air and breathing it out again The fifth I the Spirit of Speech wherewith Knowledg is made The sixth Is the Spirit of Tasting whereof comes the feeding upon things that are to be Eat and Drank and through them is ingendred strength The seventh Is the Spirit of Seed and Generation wherewith entereth in the Lust of Pleasute Fot this cause it is the last of Creation and the first of Youth because it is full of Ignorance and Ignorance leadeth the younger sott as a blind body into the Ditch and as an Ox to the Stall Amongst all these is the Eight which is of Sleep with whom is Created the wasting away of Nature and the Image of Death With these Spirits are mingled the Spirit of Error whereof the first is the Spirit of Lechery who lieth within the Nature and Senses of a man The Second Spirit of unsatiableness lieth in the belly The Third Spirit of Strife lieth in the Liver and in Choler The Fourth Syirit is of Bravery and Gallantness that the party may seem comely by Excess The Fifth is the Spirit of Pride which maketh a man to mind over-great things or to think well of himself And the sixth is the Spirit of Lying or vain-gloriousness in boasting a man's self and in desire to fill his Talk concerning his own Kindred and Acquaintance The Seventh is the Spirit of Unrighreousness which stirreth up the Affections that a man should perform the lustful pleasures of his heart for Unrighteousness worketh with all the other Spirits by taking Guile unto him Unto all these Spirits is matched the Eighth Spirit which is the Spirit of sleep or sluggishness in Error and Imagination and so the Souls of Young Folks perish because their minds are darkned and hidden from the Truth and udderstand not the Law of the Lord neither obey the Doctrine of their Fathers as befell me in my Youth But now my Children love the Truth and that shall preseve you For Fornication is the destruction of the Soul separating it from God because it leadeth the mind and understanding into Error For Whoredom hath undone many men And although a man be Ancient or Noble yet doth this make him a Laughing Stock But Joseph because he kept himself from all Women and cleansed his Thoughts from all Fornication found Favour both before the Lord and Men. Therefore my Sons fly Fornication charge your Wives and Daughters that they trim not their Heads and will them to chasten their Looks for every woman that dealeth deceitfully in these things is reserved to the punishment of the World to come That is to the Sentence of Judgment which will be in the World to come Now since it was Woman that was first in the Transgression therefore Women and Gentlewomen imploy all your Diligence to escape the near approaching Judgment of the World to come Now whereas Kuben saith had not his Fathers Prayers prevailed with God that God would have killed him Yhe which had the Lord then taken him off where would then have been the Twelve Tribes To which I answer God could raise up Two Tribes out of One Stock as there was of Joseph or God could have given Jacob another Son in his stead For Ruben did at time lose his birthright And Eve said when she had born Seth that God had given her another Seed instead of Abel whom Cain slew Gen. 4.25 And God said unto Cain before he committed that Murder Gon. 4.7 If thou doest well shalt thou not be accepted And if thou dost not well sin lieth at the door And also the rest of the Patriarchs that was guilty of that sin against Joseph they at their Death declared what terrible Afflictions they fell under for that sin of theirs and the great Repentance they had for it And Judah likewise gives an account of his Affliction and Repentance for the sin that he was overtaken in And where the Old World is spoken of Gen. 6.3 The Lord said my Spirit shall not always strive with man The which words argue the striving of the Spirit of God with Man that had not Man been wanting to himself but had used his utmost endeavour he might have obtained salvation For although after the Fall of Adam the Entrances into Life were made strait yet not so strait but with Labour and Diligence thro' the promised Messiah it was and is attainable But it is said in the fifth verse God saw the wickedness of Man was great in the Earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth and it grieved him at his heart And the Lord said I will destroy man whom I have created from the Face of the Earth both Man and Beast and the creeping things and the Fowls of the Air for it repenteth me that I have made them But Noah found Grace in the Eyes of the Lord. Noah was a just man Now whereas the Lord doth express that it repented him that he had made man and that it grieved him at his heart the which shews a concern in God that man had not then lived up to his Decree whereby his Mercy was attainable Numb 23.19,20 Now whereas it is said That God is not a man that he should lie neither the Son of Man that he should repent Hath he said and shall he not do it or hath he spoken and shall he not make it good I have received Commandment to bless and he hath blessed and I cannot reverse it Now whereas it is said that God is not a man that he should lie neither the Son of
him also freely give us all things That is God will freely give us all things if we will receive it according to the tender of his Grace in his Word and with patience wait for it as these did And whereas he saith in 33. v. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's Elect it is God that Justifieth 33. Who is he that condemneth it is Christ that died yea rather that is risen again who is even at the Right hand of God who also maketh interessione for us That is as I elsewhere said that we are no sooner converted and brought into an holy Resignation of our selves unto God but we are accepted of God through the satisfaction made by the Death of Christ who now lives to make intercession for such And as to what we were before we were Converted those sins will not be laid to our charge But this is no incouragement to us to sin and defer Repentance for those Romans never had the knowledg of the truth before But we are born Children of the visible Church and if we defer Repentance and check the good motions of the Spirit and refuse to be obedient to the word thinking it will be time enough hereafter to look after Heaven In so doing we tempt God to leave us to hardness of Heart and blindness of mind therefore the Apostle doth so earnestly exhort the Hebrews To day whilst it is called to day not to harden their Hearts That is not to put off Repentance till to morrow And when we are brought home to Christ by Repentance and resigning up our selves to him we are then no sooner in him but we must walk in newness of Life Of which St. Jude puts in remembrance Jude 6.7 Of the Angels which kept not their first estate but left their own habitations he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the Judgment of the great day Even as Sodom and Gomorrha and the Cities about them in like manner giving themselves over to fornication and going after strange Flesh are set forth for an Example suffering the vengeance of eternal Fire By which we see if we give our selves a liberty to sin God does with hold his restraining Grace from us and so through sin we become subjects of God's wrath And whereas St. Paul saith Rom. 8.35 Who shall separate us from the Love of Christ shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword 36. As it is written for thy sake we are killed all the day long we are accounted as Sheep for the Slaughter 37. Nay in all these things we are more than Conquerers through him that lovedus 38. For I am perswaded that neither Death nor Life nor Angels nor Principalities nor Powers nor things present nor things to come 39. Nor height nor depth nor any other Creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. By these words we see that St. Paul was of this perswasion That they being once in Christ that it was not any nor all of these forementioned things should be able to separate them from the Love of God through Christ By which we see there is nothing but wilful sin that can separate the Soul from the Love of God in Christ if once accepted And whereas St. Paul saith 2 Thes 2.13.14 We are bound to give thanks alway to God for you Brethren beloved of the Lord because God hath from the beginning chosen you to Salvation thro' Sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth whereunto he called you by our Gospel to the obtaining of the gloey of our Lord Jesus Christ Now whereas St. Paul saith That God from the beginning chose the Thessalonians to Salvation Now were these words to be taken as hitherto we have done there is a contradiction in the Apostles own words For in the Ephesians he there saith that they were chosen in Christ before the Foundation of the World And here in the Thessalonians he saith from the beginning Now were they chosen from the beginning of the material Heavens and Earth or from the beginning of the first world of People which was in the seed of Cain and Seth. Then were they not chosen before the foundation of the World but at the foundation of the World therefore these words admit of a contradiction And from the beginning here spoken of could not reach to God and Eternity for there is neither beginning nor end therefore his words here and in the Ephesians admit of two meanings The first is as I before proved to you That the Churches that first trusted in Christ was made choice of for the glorious Tabernacle and so will appear to the praise of his Glory as being approv'd of of God as to matter of choice or liking in God for the glorious Tabernacle sooner then Israel or before Israel which is the foundation of the world here spoken of as I have already clearly proved Now whereas he saith that the Thessalonians were chosen from the begining to Salvation is no other then from the begining of the preaching of the Gospel The which begining I shall make clear to you by the words of our blessed Lord and St. John First what the Lord saith to his Disciples in John 15.27 And ye shall also bear witness because ye have been with me from the begining And St. John saith 1 John 2.24 Let that therefore abide in you which ye have heard from the begining If that which ye have heard from the begining shall remain in you ye also shall continue in the Son and in the Father By what is here said it is evident that the Apostle had no other meaning then from the begining of the publishing of the Gospel by reason Christ and the Apostles did express themselves so And the Apostles own words are to the like effect in Phil. 1.5 For your fellowship in the Gospel from the first day until now which is no other then from the first day they heard the word Now the Thessalonians their being chosen to salvation was not so absolute but that they might through their own neglect fall short of salvation as St. Pauls own words make appear Because he saith in the 2 Thes 1.11 Wherefore also we pray alwaies for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness and the work of faith with power By what is here said it doth appear that the Thessalonians being chosen to salvation was like that of the children of Israel who was chosen of the Lord for the Land of Canan for God brought them out of the Land of Egypt That was God by his own out stretched arm brought them out of Egypt and through the red Sea This being that which lay not in their power to do But when he brought them into the Wilderness they were to fight for the Land of Canan or else they were never to
have it in possession So it was with these Thessalonians who were chosen to salvation for God brought them out of the Egyptian darkness of Heathenism and delivered them out of the red Sea of their sins which would have drowned them in perdition and from which they could no way deliver themselves and it was onely the out stretched arm of God that did or could deliver them which was done through the satisfaction made by the blood and death of Christ Who dyed for all that will live unto him Now the Thessalonians being thus renewed by the Spirit of Grace and brought into the knowledge of God by the preaching of the Gospel And delivered from the condemning power of sin and accepted in and through the righteousness of Christ and so set free in the Wilderness of this world After which they were to fight for the heavenly Land of Canaan which was the Salvation they were chosen to or else it was not to be had And God having put us into a Captivity of Obedience we are to wrestle for the blessing Therefore St. Paul saith Phil. 2.12 Work out your own Salvation with fear and trembling 13. For it is God that worketh in you both to will and do of his own good pleasure That is It is so far the good will and pleasure of God to work in us as to call us and enlighten us by his word whereby he puts us into a capacity of obedience in which capacity we must 2 Pet. 1.10 work out our own Salvation with fear and trembling and so as it is said Heb. 4.1 We must make our calling and election sure For if we improve not our Talent that God hath given us and labour in his service We must expect the same sentence from the Lord as he had who is mentioned in the Gospel Mat. 25.26,30 And therefore the Apostle saith Let us therefore fear lest a promise being left us of entring into his Rest any of you should seem to come short of it Therefore this Election of the Christian Church is like that of the Jewish The which is as we Elect our Mayors for a City before they are put into the Government of the place the which is if they do not persist in their Obedience to the Supreme Power they shall not come to be Mayor altho he were Elected So is the Election of the Church for the Heavenly City The which is if they do not persist in their Obedience they shall not be made partakers of the Promise which is everlasting Life And whereas St. Paul saith Eph. 3.8 Vnto me who am less than the least of all Saints is this Grace givers that I should Preash among the Gentiles the unsearchable Riches of Christ 1. And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the Mistery which from the beginning of the World hath been hid in God who created all things by Jesus Christ For this Secret was hid from Adam who was the beginning of the first World And also from Noah who was the beginning of the Second World And from Abraham who was the beginning of the third World which is the World that is to come And so all along this Mistery was kept secret till Christ had suffered And he saith 10. v. To the intent that now unto the Principalities and Powers in Heavenly places might be known by the Churches the manifold wisdom of God Whereas he saith principalities and Powers in Heavenly Places That is those principalities and powers which in the Old and New Testament are termed the Heavens are here said to be in Heavenly places that all of them that are called into the Churches might know the manifold Wisdom of God And he saith in the 11. v. According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Now take it for granted that God did from all Eternity intend to make man and also had a foreknowledg of Mans miscarriage and from thence did arise a purpose in God to save Man through Christ yet from this there is nothing to be gathered that God did then Reprobate Man but that he had from all Eternity a purpose through Christ to save Man But the Apostles words will not bear this for he doth not say that God had from all eternity a purpose in Christ but the word is according to the eternal purpose as looking forward to the Eternity that lies before us In which through Christ there was a purpose in God as to mans Salvation And according to this St. Paul again saith That Christ is become the Author of Eternal Salvation to all them that obey him both which carries one and the same meaning with it for it only reaches forward to the Eternity that lies before us And whereas St. Paul saith Ephes 1.9,10 Having made known to us the misteries of his will according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself 10. That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ both which are in Heaven and which are on the Earth even in him Now when Christ first came it was said That it was in the last times Here it is said in the fulness of times the which must be when the time of this World is fulfilled that then it will be the fulness of times both of this and the old World at which fulness of times God will gather together in one all things in Christ both which are in Heaven and which are on the Earth which will be when the Lord again comes Now whereas St. Paul saith Ephes 11.12 In whom also we have obtained an Inheritance being Predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the Counsel of his own will Now the question is what this Predestination according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the Council of his own will was or is To which St. Paul answers himself in the 12. v. according to what the Angel told Esdras That others should have the glorious Tabernacle which was prepared for them According to what St. Paul saith in Phil. 1.12 That they should be to the praise of his Glory who first trusted in Christ By which we may see that the purpose in God as to Predestination was not in the choosing of every individual person so as he could not fall away but to all that did lay hold on the tender of Grace according to the conditions as it is Offered of God through the Redemption purchased by Christ Therefore the Apostle goes on as in the 13. v. In whom ye also trusted after that ye heard the word of truth the Gospel of your Salvation in whom also after ye believed ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise We see that this sealing was after they believed and as I have proved this sealing was not so absolute but that some of them might fall off as Saul did who had the Spirit of Prophecy The which
reign over the house of Jacob for ever and of his kingdom there shall be no end Now as to what the Pen-man of Psal 99. saith in the rehearsal of the message sent by Nathan to David which has its special Reference to Christ beginning at the 27. v. of Psal 89. Also I will make him my first born higher than the Kings of the Earth 28. v. My mercy will I keep for him for evermore my Covenant shall stand fast with him 29. v. His seed also will I make to endure for ever and his Throne as the days of Heaven 30. v. If his Children forsake my Law and not walk in my Judgment 31. v. If they break my Statutes and keep not my Commandments 32. v. Then will I visit their Transgressions with a Rod and their iniquity with stripes 33. v. Nevertheless my loving kindness will I not utterly take from him nor suffer my faithfulness to fail 34. v. My Covenant will I not break nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips 35. Once have I sworn by my Holiness that I will not lie unto David 36. v. His Seed shall endure for ever and his Throne as the Sun before me This being peculiarly meant by Christ in the time of his glorious Kingdom and that to us and the body of the Jewish Church it belongs not in that God Christ St. Peter and St. Paul do declare the contrary for St. Paul saith Heb. 6.5,6 If we wilfully fall away after we have tasted the good word of God and of the Powers of the World to come the Apostle saith we cannot be Renewed again by Repentance And therefore this Promise is not made to us And also now God proves and tries his and here in this world commonly God's best Saints suffers the greatest Afflictions And as the Apostle saith Hebrews 12.6 For whom the Lord loveth he chastneth and scourgeth every Son whom he receiveth 7. If ye endure Chastening God dealeth with you as Sons For what Son is he whom the Father chasteneth not 8. But if ye be without Chastisement whereof all are partakers then are ye Bastards and not Sons And after all if we fall away as in Heb. 10.26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledg of the truth there remaineth no more Sacrifice for sins 27. v. But a certain fearful looking for of Judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the Adversaries But when this promise was made annext to this Threatning there is no Afflictions threatned to them that do well Now Israel at their first entring into the Land of Canaan was upon their Obedience promised Prosperity and Plenty of all things as in Deut. 28. but we by the Gospel are promised no such thing but on the contrary sorrow affliction and persecution and if we hold out to the end we shall receive a Crown of Life which the Lord the righteous Judg shall give at that day unto all them that Love his Appearing 2 Tim. 4.8 not only to the raised Saints but unto them that he will find so at his coming for when we are put past the power of the Second Death and all sin and sorrow done away then we receive a Crown of Life And the Lord saith of them that keep his sayings John 5.24 That they shall never see death and if so after sin and sorrow is gone then it is we have the Crown of Life When Christ again comes to take the Kingdom then Israel will be so fixt in the Lord as they shall not sin against him And for the thousand years that the Glory of the Lord is more eminently visible and Satan bound up then shall all the Families of the Earth be blessed in Christ But after that time when the Eminent Glory of the Lord is not so Visible and Satan again loosed then will he seek for the new Brood of the young ones that was left of the old Stock and who these young ones are said to be I have already told you was sold by Israel and so scattered upon the Earth and he will draw off as many of the Gentiles as he can with them with the chief Prince of Meshech and Tubal which are of the Race of Japhet as in Gen. 10.2 and in 1 Chr. 1.5 which will be the Gog and Magog spoken of in Ezek. 38.2 Son of Man set thy face against Gog the land of Magog the chief Prince of Meshech and Tubal and Prophesy again him And in Rev. 20.8 There is Gog and Magog again spoken of Now after Satan has deluded these to their Destruction then it is said Zac. 14.16 It shall come to pass that every one that is left of all the Nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King the Lord of Hosts and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles Now these here spoken of that are left of all the Nations that came against Jerusalem are those that came not up to Fight against Jerusalem for as many as went up to Fight against Jerusalem of all the Nations as many as were left of them will be destroyed by the Plagues that are set down in the 12. v. of the same chap. and after the Destruction of Gog and Magog the Devil is said to be cast into Hell for ever and for ever which signifies it will be a long time before the final Judgment because there is mention made of two evers For the next World consisteth of one ever Now after the destruction of these forementioned Enemies of Israel the Lord saith in Zach. 14.17 And it shall be that whosoever will not come up of all the Families of the Earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King the Lord of Hosts even upon them shall be no Rain Here we see God threatens them but with a Temporal Punishment So when this glorious time is come that Christ and his People hath the Supreme Power then will this Promise in the 89. Psalm be of force to the People of the World to come For altho Israel will be so secured in the Lord that they cannot sin against him Yet the other promised Elect will not so securely stand And here finding in Zachariah but a Temporal Punishment threatned after that last overthrow I therefore do believe that the words in the Psalms hath a reference to that time to come For where this Chastisement is spoken of in that Psalm it is also said in the 29. v. That his Throne shall continue as the days of Heaven And now this particular Throne of Christ is not for he is said to sit now on the Throne of his Father as in Heb. 10.12,13 But this man after he had offered one Sacrifice for sins for ever sate down on the right hand of God From henceforth expecting till his Enemies be made his Footstool The ever here Spoken of is meant of the ever of this World which World is the wicked People and when the ever of their time is
by-end or other neither out of hatred to good but to attain that which they have desired And that through the fervent Prayers of the Faithful God hath made the Devil to Resign up their bond again the which Faustus thought to do but in the end he was miserably deceived And whereas St. John saith 1 John 2.1,2 My little Children these things write I unto you that ye sin not And if any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the Righteous He is the propitiation for our sins And he farther saith in 1 John 5.16,17 If any man see his Brother sin a sin which is not unto Death he shall ask and he shall give him Life for them that sin not unto Death There is a sin unto Death I do not say that he shall pray for it All unrighteousness is sin and there is a sin not unto Death And the Lord saith Mat. 12.31,32 All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men but the Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven unto men And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man it shall be forgiven but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven him neither in this world neither in the World to come That is whosoever ignorantly speaks against the Son of Man which is Christ it shall be forgiven him But if he speaks against the Son of Man Christ Knowingly so as the Spirit of God doth bear Witness to them that he is the Son of God then there appears to be no forgiveness for them in this World nor in the World to come And although all these sins and Blasphemies are to be forgiven unto men except the sin against the Holy Ghost The which forgiveness is before Conversion upon Repentance but after they are Regenerated there is no such Pardon for such crying sins as the words of St. Paul makes clearly Evident as in Heb. 6.4,5,6 and in Heb. 10.26,27,28,29 2 Pet. 20.21 and Christ himself saith in Mat. 10.33 Whosoever shall deny me before men him will I also deny before my Father which is in Heaven Now the sins in the Saints consists of three sorts First sins of Ignorance Secondly sins of Infirmity Thirdly sins of Surprisal The which if we so fall it is said in Psal 37.24 He shall not utterly be cast down for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand Now Peter is no example to us for the Lord withdrew from him for having any confidence in himself and to admonish us that we might not trust ourselves but go to God for strength Of the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledg both of good and evil When God Created Man he so far Created them as he did the Angels in that he gave them Eternal Life so if they had never sinned they had never died and also in that God made Man perfectly Righteous and gave them a freedom of will so as they might have chosen the Good and refused the Evil but there being then in Paradice an opposite to God and all Good God forewarned Man of it underneath the Name or by the representation of the Tree of Knowledg of Good and Evil for all was of God made Good but by the Devils departure from him he became Evil and so thereby he became as the Tree of Knowledg of Good and Evil. Now where the Trees are spoken of Gen. 2.9 And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every Tree that is pleasant to the Sight and good for Food the Tree of Life also in the midst of the Garden and the Tree of Knowledg of Good and Evil. Whereas it is said That out of the Ground the Lord made to grow every Tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for Food after which it is said the Tree of Life also in the midst of the Garden and the Tree of Knowledg of Good and Evil. Now it is not plainly said that these two Trees grew out of the Ground but by the words that go before we have taken it to be so But by what Esdras saith it appears but as a Vail put on that word but however it is certain that the Tree of Life was the representative of Christ and the Tree of Knowledg of Good and Evil was the representative of the Devil And had Man first taken and eaten of the Tree of Life without doubt he had then been past the power of Satan's delusion so that he should in no wise have adheard to him which in Scripture is term'd eating as in John 6.57 As the living Father hath sent me and as I live by the Father So he that eateth me even he shall live by me So Adam eating of the contrary Tree it became Death in him for they had no sooner eaten of that Tree but the whole mass of mankind was corrupted and then they found their Natures and Inclinations changed whereby the shame of their Nakedness did appear and by which way Satan got an entrance into the Soul so as to suggest what he pleaseth and also to sute his temptations according to our inclinations but when the time of restitution cometh as the bodies of the Saints are raised and Israel again restored then in paradice also is the Tree of Life but then the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil is not there but seal'd up from them as in Esd 8.51 But understand thou for thy self and seek out the Glory for such as be like thee 52. v. For unto you Paradice is opened the Tree of Life is planted the time to come is prepar'd plenteousness is made ready a City is builded rest is allowed the perfect goodness and wisdom 53. v. The Root of evil is sealed up from from you weakness and the moth is hid from you and corruption is fled into Hell to be forgotten Here the Lord saith the evil root shall be sealed up And in Revelations it is shewed who this evil root is that will be sealed up As in the Rev. 20.1 And I saw an Angel come down from Heaven having the Key of the Bottomless Pit and a great Chain in his hand 2. v. And he laid hold on the Dragon that Old Serpent which is the Devil and Satan and bound him a thousand years 3. v. And Cast him into the Bottomless Pit and shut him up and set a seal upon him that he should not deceive the Nations no more till the thousand years be fulfilled And after that he must be loosed a little Season Here it is clearly shewed who this evil root is that shall be sealed up and although it said he shall be loosed for a little season yet never after to deceive them of the Glorious Tabernacle nor Israel And in Rev. 22.2 There is made mention of the Tree of Life but no mention of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil Therefore by all these places it is sufficiently proved that the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil