all men are concluded was prefigurate by the darknesse of the second Tabernacle which was called the Holiest place wherein there was no light at all neither any light to be carried in therein In this Tabernacle the ark of the Covenant was placed and in the ark the word of the two tables of the Law Heb. 9 3 4. the pot of Manna and Aarons rod. Upon the ark was the golden crown the two cherubims with their wings covering the Mercy-seat representing the over-shadowing power of the three distinct persons of the indivisible Trinity in the generation of the word the blessed seed conceived in the womb of the blessed Virgin afterwards more plainly to be declared For this covenant was the covenant of the blessed seed first made with Adam and with all men redeemed in Adam the head shut up in temporall darknesse which covenant was afwards renued to Abraham though after a more peculiar manner For God did promise by his covenant to Abraham that the blessed seed should descend of Abrahams seed and that in Abrahams seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed For this cause the Lord did set down to Moses descended of Abrahams seed the patern of the Tabernacle commanding Moses to erect a Tabernâ—cle according to that patern which was erected to the end that the Jews the posterity of Abraham might understand that the promise made to Abraham was really one with the promise made to Adam for as the second tabernacle called the Holiest place did signifie the first promise made to Adam So the first tabernacle called the Holy place did prefigurate the fulfilling of the promise made to Abraham which was to be fulfilled before the second tabernacle could be opened signifying the promise made to Adam which promise first made to Adam was fulfilled by the rending of the partition-wall by our Savious death more fully to be declared in the third Book In this second Tabernacle Aaron the High Priest as he was the figure of the High Priest after the order of Melchisedeck the blessed seed did enter once ever yeer arrayed in a white vesture besprinckled with the blood of the sacrifice of the brazen Altar with a censure of coales taken from the brazen altar kindled with the fire which came down from heaven and with powdered sweet incense in his hand to be burned upon the coals when he came into the Holiest place that a cloudy sweet fume might ascend between the Mercy-seat and Aaron The end of Aarons entring into the Holiest place once every yâ—er was to obtain pardon for his own actuall sins and for the actuall sins of the congregation to whom as he was High Priest and the figure of the High Priest after the order of Melchisedeck the pardon of actuall sins was given first to himself and in him as he was the High Priest to those whose actuall sins God decreed from all eternity to pardon and forgive Now though the free grace and mercy of Gods holy Spirit cannot be tied neither to time place or person by pardoning of actuall sin for that spirituall wind Joh. 3.8 bloweth when and where it listeth yet God according to his decree from all eternity did decree to grant this grace of pardon of actuall sin at this time to the High Priest in the behalf of the congregation as he was the figure of the High Priest after the order of Melchisedeck for these three weighty Reasons to be precisely understood by all men The first was that all men might know that the power to pardon actuall sin is only and immediately in the High Priest after the order of Melchisedeck the blessed seed as he is God and man to whom all power in heaven and earth is given by the Trinity And this was the reason that the Scribes and Pharisees did accuse our Saviour for saying Luke 7.48 49. Thy sins be forgiven thee as if our Saviour had spoken blasphemy The second Reason is that the Jews might understand that all their externall sacrifice for sin all their sin-offerings and all their legall rites and ceremonies of the ceremoniall Law could not take away their actuall sins and that the pardon of actuall sin is in the only free absolute power of the High Priest after the order of Melchisedeck as he God and man by faith in his only merit The third reason is that all men might understand that the pardon of actuall sin is by the spirituall inlightening of the spirituall darknesse of man by spirituall faith which was signified by the pardon of actuall sin which past through the cloud of the sweet incense from the Mercy-seat to Aaron as he was High Priest and the figure of the High Priest after the order of Melchisedeck by the spirituall light of whose holy Spirit the spirituall darknesse of man is spiritually inlightened by spirituall faith in his merit whereby all the actuall sins of the regenerate man are covered and freely pardoned The second fundamentall point to be observed in this concluding of aâ— men in spirituall unbelief proceeding from this spirituall darknesse is thâ— reason that this spirituall unbelief is called sin by the Apostle The immediate cause of this spirituall unbelief and sin proceeding from this spirituaâ— darknesse is the eternall decree of God And this is the sin which is calleâ— by the Theologs originall sin For a formall difference between actuall siâ— and this originall sin which by the eternall decree of God doth descenâ— from Adam the redeemed head of man upon all men naturally descended anâ— to descend of Adam to the end of the world to the end that by this sin and naturall death which followed this sin all men may know that they are redeemed from the curse of eternall death and darknesse to which all men were eternally condemned for Adams first sin in whom all men transgressed the Law by the cursed death of Christ Jesus the eternall Son of God as he is man and therefore it is said Rom. 5.12 As by one man sin entred in â—he world and death by sin and so death passed upon all men in whom all have sinned where this one man is Adam in his redeemed estate for his sin which entred in the world is necessary to be understood of originall sin which did enter by Adam the redeemed head of man and did descend by degrees upon his posterity And therefore this sin which entred in the world must not be taken for Adams first sin For first Adams first sin cannot be said to have entred in the world by degrees for it did cease upon Adam and all men at one instant For it was as really the sin of all men transgressors of the Law in Adam the head as it was the sin of Adam Secondly temporall naturall death followed this sin that entred in the world by this one man but eternall death followed Adams first sin from which all men are reâ—eemed The sense therefore of the words is this As by Adam the redeemed head of
all men concluded in originall sin originall sin entred in the world by descending upon his posterity and temporall naturall death by that sin that all men may acknowledge that they were all transgressors of the Law in Adam their head So temporall natuâ—all death did passe over all men young and old male and female from Adam â—o Moses In the 14. verse of the 5. Chapter to the Romans the Apostle doth â—ffirm Adam to be the figure of Christ Jesus the second Adam for Adam was â—he figure of Christ in his redeemed estate concluded in spirituall darknesse â—nd originall sin and naturall death which followed that sin where the Apostle makes a threefold comparison between the first and second Adam â—he first is in the 15. verse the sense of the words is this As by the first Adam in whom all men sinned by his first transgression of â—he Law as he is the redeemed head of all men concluded in spirituall darkâ—esse and naturall death many are dead to wit by naturall death So by the â—pirituall enlightning of the spirituall darknesse of man by the spirituall light â—f the second Adam the grace of spirituall faith did abound to many whereby many are alive and in this sense the 19. verse is to be understood The second comparison is in the 16. verse the sense whereof is this 〈◊〉 was for the one sin of the first Adam against the Law of righteousnesse â—hat all men were eternally condemned but it is for the remission of many â—ctually committed against the Law of righteousnesse of faith that the faithfull are justified by faith in the second Adams infinite merit The third comparison is in the 18. verse the sense is this As by the first Adams first sin against the law of righteousnesse all men were condemned to eternall death so by the righteousnesse of the second Adam by his satisfying of the transgressed law of righteousnesse for man by his cursed death the free gift of his merit came upon all men to the justification of life for that first sin so that neither Adam neither any man naturally descended or to descend of Adam to the and of the world shall ever be charged with that first sin of Adam to condemne man Of the concluding of the redeemed naturall man in originall sin arising of the spirituall darknesse and spirituall unbeliefe I infer these ten Theologicall demonstrative conclusions 1. The first transgression of the law by Adam as he was simply obliged to the law of righteousnesse was infinite and mercilesse without any revealed mercy It was infinite because the transgression of the law of righteousnesse is the contempt of God as he is God and the transgression was mercilesse because the second Person in whom is only mercy was not then revealed to Adam 2. The act of the redemption of man from the eternall curse of the law of righteousnesse being performed by man Christ Jesus the eternall Son of God begot man of the seed of woman in time in the justice of God doth equall the eternity of the curse of the law for the transgression of the law of righteousnes by man 3. All men created in Adam the head transgressors of the law in Adam condemned to eternall death and darknesse for Adams first sin are all redeemed from the eternal curse of the law for that first sin by the cursed death of Jesus Christ the eternall Son of God as he is man begot of the seed of the woman And by the eternall Decree of God all men in Adam the redeemed head of man are concluded in originall sin and temporall naturall death which followed that sin 4. It is only for actuall sin by the transgression of the law of righteousnesse of faith for which man is now condemned to the eternall curse of the law of faith and that by finall contempt and impenitency for all men by the old and new Covenant have all the dayes of this life to repent them of their actuall sins 5. Fifthly and consequently the childe in the wombe actually and intellectually informed man and the son of Adam departing this life or being borne and departing this life before the childe come to actuall morall understanding and action the childe doth depart free from actuall sinne and a true Saint in heaven for the childe is redeemed in Adam the head by the sacred blood of Christ Jesus the eternall Son of God begot man of the seed of the woman in time by whose pretious blood all men naturally descended and to descend of Adam the redeemed head of man are saved from the curse of the law of the sinne of Adam And therefore our Saviour saith Mar. 10.14 Suffer little children to come unto mee for of such is the Kingdome of heaven 6. Though originall sin doth descend upon all men from Adam the redeemed head of all men yet Adams actuall sins doe not descend upon his posterity For since the fall and redemption of man the soule that sinneth must only dye for the sin Ezek. 18.4 And therefore while as it is said I wiâ— visit the sins of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation This visiting of God must be understood of his temporall visitation by his temporall judgements in this life which is a caveat for all parents to have a care of their posterity lest by their evill example they induce their children to follow their sin and so draw downe the temporall judgements of God upon their children in this life 7. The doore of the naturall mans spirituall darknesse is only and immediately opened by the spirituall key of David enlightning the understanding of the naturall man with the grace of spirituall faith in the act of regeneration While that door therefore standeth open which all the created powers of God cannot shut againe though the regenerate man doth too too often stumble and fall yet the regenerate man can never fall totally and finally from the grace of spirituall faith 8. The free pardon of actuall sin is onely and immediately by the free mercy of the Lord Iesus Christ For by whose immediate spirituall power spirituall faith is begot by his onely immediate power actuall sin is onely pardoned which power since the power of the high Priest is determined is communicall to all the created powers of God for this power is the immediate act of the holy Spirit 9. Though Adams good workes while he stood in the state of created perfection did proceed from his spirituall faith in the promise of God the Creator yet the reward and eternall blessing of the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousnesse was not due by the Law immediately to Adams faith but immediately to his workes But the eternall blessing of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousnesse of faith is due by the Law immediately to the faith of man and not immediately to the workes of Faith though by the Law of faith the workes of
the Sacramentall bread the breaking of our Saviours body by the curse of the Crosse is signified as by the Sacramentall wine our Saviours heart bloud is signified whereby the bread of life is purchased which being Sacramentally received by faith the receiver hath the temporall blessing of the Lords merit by his Evangelicall seventh dayes rest in this life and eternall rest in the life to come and therefere it is said Wee must not live by bread alone but by every word proceeding from God Mat. 4.4 And this is the reason that the Word is called the Bread of life as by the sensitive bread the sensitive nature of man is temporally continued and preserved so by the spirituall understanding of the Word Christ Jesus the Word and Bread of life spiritually and Sacramentally received by faith the spirituall life of the receiver is eternally continued according to our Saviours owne word This is life eternall to know thee the onely true God and Christ Jesus whom thou hast sent Here a Question may be moved to be answered in the Chapter following CHAP. XI The light of the word is in the sound of the word THe Apostle doth affirme that faith is by hearing of the word Rom. 10.17 The Question therefore may bee moved Is not faith likewise by reading of the word I answer The Question here is of morall fâ—ith And therefore I say That faith is not by reading of the word as the written word is the object of the sence of seeing but as the written word doth presuppose the word spoken for it is the word spoken that is read in which case morall faith may be said to be by reading For many times God by his objective concursive grace doth concurre with the naturall mans reading of the word and with the reading of the spirituall Writers upon the word whereby the naturall mans understanding is enlightened and his will moved morally to beleeve the word and his heart inclined to give morall obedience to the literall command of the word But while God doth not afford his coÌ„cursive objective grace which is in his free pleasure the naturall man readeth but a dead letter for the life of the word is in the sound of the word to the hearing while as by the spirituall Ministers word the heart of man where the redeemed word of the Law is written is rouzed and moved by the sound of the word threatning of Gods judgements for sin whereby man is raised from sin and moved to arme himselfe against Satan and his instruments And this is the reason that the Ministers of God are called Trumpeters for as at the sound of the Trumpet the whole Army is roused to Arme themselves against the enemy so at the sound of the word by the spirituall Minister man is roused and stirred up to resist the temptation of Satan and of his instruments The life of the word therefore is in the sound of the word And this is the reason that the Apostle saith that faith is by hearing of the word which is the word of the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall Law of saith implying the whole Evangelicall Law and Word of God Now as the Evangelicall Word of the Lords day hath bin declared to be the true Evangelicall Word of the seventh day of the Evangelicall Law of faith So for the Readers satisfaction in this fundamentall point the cheife point of Christian faith the manner shall be set downe that the sound of the word of the Lords day doth arise from the written word of God CHAP. XII The sound of the word of the Lords day doth arise from the writen word of God FIrst the whole Evangel is only the sound of the word of the Lords day from the Lords promise of the blessed seed to his conception of the seed of the woman from his conception to his birth from his birth to his death from his death to his rest in the grave whereby he did manifest himselfe first that he was the promised blessed seed the Son of God the light and life of man by his gracious word by his glorious wonders and miracles Secondly that he was love and mercy to man Love by his gracious curing of many sensitive diseases of man incurable by man as he is only man Mercy by his pardoning of sinne as he is the Son of God Thirdly Christ Jesus the Son of God begotten of the seed of the woman did manifest himselfe by his death that he is the Saviour of all men for their sinne in Adam Fourthly by his fulfilling of the Law in his rest in the grave for the whole space of the seventh day of the last Sabbath the eternall life and rest of the first seventh day lost by Adam was manifested to be redeemed by our Saviour All performed by Jesus Christ the Son of God man begotten of the seed of the woman But his resurrection from the grave by his rest from the fulfilling of the Law implying his bloody rest in his grave from the redemption of man was by his infinit power as he is Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God begotten of the seed of the woman by the immediate unction of the holy Spirit God equall with the Father and holy Spirit By whose rest the Lords day the day of the Lords resurrection was blessed and sanctified for the Lords thankfull worship by man implying the light of the word of the whole Evangel Though the Lords day was first called by the Evangelists the day of the Lords resurrection to convince the false report of the Jewes who had suborned the Keepers of the sacred grave to affirme that the Disciples had stolen away the Lords blessed Body from the grave As the Lords day was called by the Apostles the first day of the weeke least by naming of any other seventh day then the great propheticall Sabbath in the first plantation of the Evangel the stubborne Jewes should have utterly rejected the embracing of the Evangel All which is but the light of the sound of the word of the Lords day But of all the sounds of the word of the Lords day in the Evangel Iohn Baptists sound that Elias did passe all for his sound was as if the Lord then had suffered and had risen from the dead For first by Iohns pointing at the Lambe of God that taketh away the sinne of the World our Saviours death was signified Secondly by Iohns baptizing of our Saviour in Christs submersion and rising out of the water his rest in the grave and resurrection was lively expressed Thirdly by Iohns affirming that he did see the Spirit of God in forme of a Dove to descend from Heaven upon our Saviour the calling of the Jewes and Gentiles by the new Covenant was most lively expressed for by the Doves outstreched wings the Lords armes of mercy by his Evangelicall bloody rest were spread out from Heaven to embrace all the Nations of the World Secondly the whole tractate of the acts from
was a singular vertue in the tree of Life to maintain the sensitive natu e of man eternally by the eternall preservation whereof the union of the intellectuall and sensitive nature of man was eternall for by this eternall union man was to have continued eternally upon earth in the state and felicity wherein he was created It was therefore the infinite mercy of God to man to cast man out of the earthly Paradise For if man had had that freedome to eat of the tree of Life as he had formerly man must have lived in sorrow and misery subject to the continuall temptation and afflictions of Satan and of his wicked seed eternally in this life while as then by faith in the promised blessed seed Adam the redeemed head of man after this life should live in the heavenly Paradise eternally in all joy and happinesse For this cause by the fourth branch of this censure the Cherubims and the flaming sword were placed at the East of the Garden to keep the way of the tree of Life that man should not come to the tree of Life growing in the earthly Paradise by the way which he run before Next therefore of the mysticall sense of the censure The main mysticall point of this censure inflicted upon Adam as he is the head of the woman and the redeemed head of man is to let our first parents understand that the word the promised blessed seed to be made flesh of the seed of the woman is the second person of the blessed Trinity First therefore by the curse inflicted upon the earth the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam to which Adam and all men naturally to descend of Adam the created head of man were condemned is mystically signified To the end that all men might then and now know that all men were redeemed from that curse of eternall death and darknesse and that all men are concluded in temporall spirituall darknesse called unbelief and originall sin and that naturall death by the censure of God did follow that sin And therefore it is said Rom. 5.12.14 As by one man sin entred in the world and death by sin so death went overall men from Adam to Moses Secondly by the sorrow labour and pains and sweat of the face which ariseth to man by reason of the curse of barrennesse inflicted upon the earth whereby it doth produce Thistles and Thornes which are to be weeded out by the care and labour of man is mystically signified the sorrows labour sweaty pains and prickly thorny afflictions which our Saviour the promised blessed seed was to sustain by the curse of the Law for man to put man in continuall remembrance of the never to be forgotten love of God to man in his Son Christ Jesus Thirdly by the skins wherewith the Lord clothed and covered our first parents nakednesse the righteousnesse which is the skin of the promised Lamb of God to be sacrificed for the sins of man was mystically signified to the end that our first parents might understand that it was by their only faith in the merit of the righteousnesse of the blessed seed the Word to be made flesh of the seed of the woman that all their actuall sins and unrighteousnesse was covered Fourthly while as the Lord saith Behold man is become like one of us to know good and evill whereby our first parents did see the state which their desire to know good and evill had brought to the Lord would have our first parents understand that the promised Redeemer of man the blessed seed was one of us that is one of the distinct persons of the glorious Trinity Fifthly by the excluding of our first parents from the tree of Life growing in the earthly paradise is mystically signified that our first parents were admitted to the tree of Life growing in the Paradise of God which is the promised blessed seed Sixthly by the Cherubims and flaming sword the morall power and literall light of the sword of the Word is mystically signified by which only light â—ll redeemed men are morally enlightned to enter the way of the tree of Life planted in the heavenly Paradise which is the promised blessed seed By this flaming light of the sword of the Word First the flaming light of the redeemed Word of the Law of Righteousnesse of faith written in the heart of man is signified which is the flaming Light of conscience Secondly by this flaming Light of the sword the flaming literall light of the Word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousnesse of faith is signified which is of one reall flaming light with the light of the word of the Law and life of Righteousnesse of faith writtten in the heart of man of the reall unity of which flaming light morall faith doth arise that by the morall hands of faith the redeemed man may lay morall hold on the word of promise shining with the same reall flaming light which was then the tree of Life growing in the Paradise of God to wit the promised blessed seed who is now our tree of life by his fulfilled promise And though the Cherubims and the flaming sword were placed at the East of the Garden of Eden pointing as it were to the Land of Canaan for the promise of the blessed seed was to be made afterwards to Abraham and to his seed in a more particular manner then it was made to Adam which promise was to be performed before the promise first made to Adam could be fulfilled yet the flaming sword turned every way that as by the power of the sword all men were barred from entring to the tree of Life growing in the earthly Paradise So that by the flaming light of the sword of the Word all redeemed men might be morally enlightned to enter the way to the tree of Life which is planted in the Paradise of God which is the promised blessed seed Here by the way the question may be moved whether this barrennesse whereby the earth was cursed for man doth still remain CHAP. XXVIII The first and second rain TO the Question moved in the former Chapter I answer Though the earth was cursed by a positive barrennesse for man that by his toil labour and pains he may eat the bread of sorrow and the bread of the thorny cares and afflictions of this life inducing naturall death in the end to put him in continuall remembrance of the continued sorrow and afflictions which the eternall Son of God the Word to be made flesh of the seed of the woman by making himself a curse for man did sustain in this life induring the cursed death of the crosse in end yet the curse of barrennesse is removed and the fruitfulnesse of the earth is restored by the morall and spirituall blessing of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousnesse of faith which morall and spirituall blessing of the Word Deut. 11.14 is called the first and second rain in the
the flesh of the Lamb was commanded to be eaten the bitter currse of the wrath of God against the Lamb who made himself a curse for man was mystically signified Thirdly by the anointing of the door posts with the blood of the Lamb that the destroying Angel might passe over the Israelites houses whereby they were saved from the plague was mystically signified that by faith in the merit of the blood of the Lamb of God the promised blessed seed they were saved from the plague and curse of the second death which is for actuall sin as by the promised cursed death of the Lamb they were saved from the first death which was the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam The second memorable act of Moses Ministrie was first in the sanctifying and assembling of the people of Israel at the command of God to hear the word of the Law commanded by God himself immediatly which was in a most majesticall glorious manner delivered by God unto the people of Israel in ten distinct severall precepts The delivery whereof was with such fearfull thundring and lightning and with the sound of trumpet as the mountain was exceedingly shaken all to signifie the power of the sound of the word of the Law commanding the obedience of man By this glorious delivery of the word of the Law the people of Israel were striken with a reverend fear and obedience to the command of God though their fear of the voyce of God was such as they did intreat that Moses might deliver to them what the Lord should further command Wherefore the morall Law being first commanded by God God by the Ministry of Moses did next set down the civill Law between man and man to the end that all men might understand that all the lawes between man and man must be grounded upon the morall Law of God As for the ceremoniall Law it was the same which was before to the Fathers implyed in the ceremoniall altar and sacrifice untill such time as at the erection of the Tabernacle the ceremoniall Law was commanded after a more particular manner to the people of Israel though really one with the ceremoniall Law of the altar and sacrifice prefigurating the promise of the blessed seed Secondly the Lord afterward called Moses up to the mount to deliver to Moses the two Tables of the Law written by God in stone which was formerly delivered by his Word to the end that by the Ministry of Moses his written Word might be delivered to the people of Israel that the people might be instructed in the knowledge of the written Word where one thing is to be observed to wit that Moses by his conversing with God in the mount for the space of forty dayes and forty nights Exod. 34.29 the skin of Moses face became so shining as while Moses was about to deliver the written Word of the Law the people were not able to behold Moses face in so much that Moses was fain to vail his face while he spake to the people by which shining light of Moses face the glorious light of the written Word was mystically signified As for Moses zeal moved at the people of Israels Idolatry in breaking of the Tables of the word of the Law and the renewing of the Tables and all such memorable passages I must leave the judicious Reader to inform himself by the written Word of the sacred History The third remarkable act of Moses ministry was the erection of the Tabernacle at the command of God according to the pattern which God did shew and set down to Moses Exod. 25.40 while he was with God in the mount which of all the types figures and ceremonies prefigurating the promise of the blessed seed to all the Fathers of the former ages was most cleer and significant For by the Tabernacle and Temple which were really one which the Lord calleth his body the fulfilling of the promise both made to Abraham and to Adam were plainly prefigurate For first by the types and figures of the first Tabernacle called the Holy Place as by the golden Altar by the table of Shew-bread Exod. 39.38 by the golden Candlesticks by the brazen Altar and Laver before the porch which did appertain to the service of the Holy place of the Tabernacle by which ceremoniall Rites and Ceremonies the high Leviticall Priest was to discharge the service of the Holy place whereby the fulfilling of the promise made to Abraham was prefigurate For as the Leviticall high Priest who was descended of Abraham was the figure of the high Priest after the order of Melchisedeck to wit the promised blessed seed descended likewise of the seed of Abraham so by the discharging of the Leviticall high Priests office the execution of the high Priests office after the order of Melchisedeck was prefigurate For first as the Leviticall high Priest did offer up the ceremoniall sacrifice of the hard brazen altar So the hard cursed sacrifice of the high Priest after the order of Melchisedeck was offered upon the cursed altar of the crosse who made himself a curse for man Secondly as by the Leviticall high Priest after the offering up of the sacrifice of the brazen altar Exod. 30.19 20 21. did wash his hands and feet before he entred the holy place of the Temple So after the offering of the cursed sacrifice of the crosse the high Priest after the order of Melchisedeck did wash the cursed bloody wounds of his hands and feet and wash all men for whom he made himself a curse before he entred the Tabernacle not made with hands Thirdly as the Leviticall high Priest by his entring into the holy Place of the Temple did offer sweet incense at the golden Altar whereby God was said to smell a savour of rest So the high Priest after the order of Melchisedeck Hebr. 9.24 did enter the Tabernacle not made with hands by his sweet pleasing sacrifice to make eternall peace between God and man for the sin of Adam and to make continuall intercession for the actuall sins of his mysticall members at the altar of Righteousnesse of faith by the pleasing savour of whose bloody sacrifice the wrath of God is eternally appeased for the actuall sins of his mysticall members whereby they rest freed from the curse of the second death in this life and shall rest eternally in their mysticall head in all glory and happinesse in the life By this means the promise of the blessed seed made to Abraham was fulfilled Our Saviour according to the promise made to Abraham did descend of Abrahams seed for he was born man of the seed of the blessed Virgine lineally descended of Abrahams seed and lived man upon the earth and in the end was most cruelly crucified for man At the expiration of whose last breath Mat. 27.51 the great vail of the Temple was rent from the top to the bottome that by this great rent it might be known to all the world that the benefit and
curse of the Law of righteousnes by the curse of eternall death and darknes Adam therefore and all men naturally to descend of Adam as head out of the infinit love and mercy of God to man in his Son Christ Iesus according to his decree from all eternity being redeemed from the curse of the Law by the cursed death of his only Son which was to be sustained in his prefixed time the word of the Law then written in the heart of man was the redeemed Image of God in his Son Christ Iesus by the power of which redeemed word Adam after the fall did live move and had his redeemed grace of naturall and morall being but shut up in spirituall darknes till he was regenerate And the word of the seventh day of the Law was then objected to Adams externall senses as it was the propheticall word of the seventh day of the Law of righteousnes of faith in the promise of the blessed seed then by the name of the Sabbath of the Lord prophesying the rest of the Lord to wit the blessed seed upon the Sabbath from the redemption of man from the curse of the Law for the sinne of Adam whereby Adam and all men naturally to descend of Adam till the promise of the blessed seed was fulfilled were obliged to beleeve the promised rest of the blessed seed To whose faith the blessing of the Lords promised rest by the propheticall Sabbath was due by the Law The word of God therefore to the Fathers till the promise was fulfilled was the propheticall word of the seventh day of the Law of righteousnes of faith in the promise of the blessed seed by the light of the sabbaticall seventh day leading the faith of man to the blessing of the Lords promised rest of the blessed seed By which faith all the Fathers were saved before the promise was fulfilled in the Lords prefixed time according to his eternall decree Thirdly the promise of the blessed seed being fulfilled by the Lords daies Evangelicall rest as by the redeemed word of the Law written in the heart the naturall man doth live move and hath his redeemed grace of naturall and morall being shut up in spirituall darknes till he be regenerate So the Evangelicall word of the Lords day as it is the seventh day of the Evangelicall Law of righteousnes of faith is objected to the externall senses of man as it is the word of the truth of the Lords Evangelicall rest from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed obliging the faith of all the Nations of the World to beleeve the truth of the Lords fulfilled promise to whose faith the blessing of the Lords merit of eternall life and rest by the fulfilling of his promise is due morally by the Law whereby the naturall mans redeemed grace of naturall and morall being is continued while he is in this life and being regenerat hath his eternall life light and rest in the life to come The judicious reader therefore may plainly observe that the Evangelicall word of the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall Law of righteousnes of faith is the same reall word which was from the beginning in the true knowledge wherof is the life light eternal rest of man for as by the literall light of the Lords day the naturall man is literally led to the morall blessing of the Lords merit by the Lords daies Evangelicall rest So by the Lords spirituall light in Gods prefixed time the naturall man apprehending himselfe dead in actuall spirituall sinne as sinne is a fearfull contempt against the infinit Majesty of God The naturall man in this spirituall feare being led by this spirituall light to the Lords infinit merit doth by the hands of his spirituall faith lay such spirituall hold on the Lords infinit merit as all the created powers of God and all the temptations of the Divell and the World are not able to part the naturall man being regenerate from the grace of his spirituall hold And this is that faith which the Lord saith is able to command the greatest Mountaine of temptation and to cast it selfe in the Sea if it stand in the way to seperate the regenerate man from his spirituall hold of eternall life Though his spirituall faith be so litle as a graine of mustard seed For the threatned Mountaine of naturall death it selfe is not able to seperate the regenerate man from this spirituall hold totally and finally This light of the Lords day therefore is that light of that spirituall fire which came downe from Heaven not the fearfull firie light of Gods consuming fire which came downe from Heaven to burne the Holocaust Sacrifice of the Lambe of God but the gracious light of the Lords deare love warning quickning inlightning and raising from the dead where it doth shine By which gracious light as all men were raised from the first death of the curse of the Law for the sinne of Adam So this gracious light doth now shine to enlighten the faith of all the Nations of the World to save them from the merciles curse of the Law of faith which is the second death Heere two speciall things are to be observed by the reader CHAP. VIII THe first is the difference of the word of the Law written in the heart of man and the word of the seventh day of the Law implying the command of the whole Law externally objected to the externall senses of man Tâ—e second is the formall difference of the word of the seventh day of the Law from the beginning First in the state of perfection the word of the Law written in Adams heart was the power of the Image of righteousnes and holines enabling Adam to merit eternall life and rest upon earth And the word of the first seventh day of the Law of righteousnes was objected to Adams externall senses obliging the perfection of Adams obedience to the command of the Law of God to whose merit by his actions of holines the blessing of the first seventh daies eternall rest was due by the Law to Adams merit Secondly man being redeemed from the curse of the Law the word of the Law written in the heart is the redeemed word and Image of God in his Son Christ Iesus first in the promise of the blessed seed enabling Adam from faith to faith to beleeve the promise of the blessed seed And the word of the seventh day of the Law of righteousnes of faith by the name of the Sabbath of the Lord was objected to Adams externall senses prophesying the rest of the blessed seed upon the Sabbath from the redemption of man from the curse of the Law obliging and commanding Adam to beleeve the promised rest of the blessed seed to whose faith the blessing of the Lords eternall rest was due by the Law to Adams faith in beleeving the the promised rest of the blessed seed Thirdly after the Lords resurrection the promise of the blessed seed being fulfilled the
and light it selfe and in that power life and light Truth by his fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed and in that truth love and mercy Lord God and man in the three coessentiall distinct persons of the glorious Trinity All the Nations of the world therefore by the Lords immediate word of his new covenant are oblieged and commanded to the evangelicall worship of the Lords day 14. By the truth of the Lords merit by which dayes evangelicall rest necessarily implying his bloody rest all the Prophesies prophesying of the comming of the blessed seed and all the Altars sacrifices types figures and ceremonies prefigurating his death from the foundation of the world are actually determined All the Nations of the world by the Lords immediate word of his new covenant are obliged and commanded to the evangelicall worship of that day By the truth of the Lords merit by the Lords dayes Evangelicall rest necessarily implying his bloody rest all the Prophesies prophesying the comming of the blessed seed and all the Altars sacrifices types figures and ceremonies prefigurating his death from the foundation of the world are actually determined All the Nations of the world therefore by the Lords immediate word of his new Covenant are obliged and commanded to the Evangelicall worship of the Lords day 15. By the truth of the Lords resurrection from the dead upon which day all men condemned by the curse of the law to eternall death for the sin of Adam are raised and reconciled to the love and favour of God for that sinne All the Nations of the world are obliged to the joyfull worship of that blessed day By the truth of the Lords ressurection from the dead upon the Lords day all men condemned by the curse of the law to eternall death for the sinne of Adam are raised and reconciled to the love and favour of God for that sinne All the Nations of the world therefore are obliged to the joyfull worship of the Lords blessed day 16. That day which the Lord rested from the fulfilling of the law that day was blessed sanctified and commanded by the power of the Lords merit of eternall life due by the law to the Lords fulfilling of the law The Lord rested his owne day from the fulfilling of the law The Lords day therefore was blessed sanctified and commanded by the power of the Lords merit of eternall life due by the law to the Lords fulfilling of the law 17. By the Evangelicall sound of the word of which day all Jewes and Gentiles were called and united in one Church of God by the new covenant All the Nations of the world are obliged to the joyfull jubilizing and worship of that blessed day By the Evangelicall sound of the word of the Lords day all Jewes and Gentiles were called and united in one Church of God by the new covenant All the Nations of the world therefore are obliged to the joyfull jubilizing and worship of the Lords blessed day 18. Without the knowledge of which day no man can know that he is a sinner against the Evangelicall law of faith or that he standeth in need of the Lords merit to save him from the curse of the Evangelicall law That day commands all men to the Evangelicall worship of that day and in that day to the obedience of the whole Evangelicall law Without the knowledge of the Lords day no man can know that he is a sinner against the Evangelicall law or that he stands in need of the Lords merit to save him from the curse of the Evangelicall law of faith The Lords day therefore commands all men to the Evangelicall worship of the Lords day 19. By the only literall light of the sound of the word of which day all the Nations of the world are literally led to the blessing of the Lords merit by his Evangelicall rest By the power of that word all the nations of the world are commanded to the Evangelicall worship of that day By the only literall light of the sound of the word of the Lords day all the nations of the world are literally led to the blessing of the Lords merit by his Evangelicall rest By the power therefore of the word of the Lords day all the nations of the world are commanded to the Evangelicall worship of the Lords day 20. By the only command of which day necessarily implying the command of the whole Evangelicall law the heart of the naturall man is moved to give morall obedience to the command of the Evangelicall law that day commands all men to the Evangelicall worship of that day and in that day the obedience of man to the whole Evangelicall law By the only command of the Lords day nenecessarily implying the command of the whole Evangelicall law the heart of the naturall man is moved to give morall obedience to the command of the evangelicall law The Lords day therefore commands all men to the evangelicall worship of the Lords day and in the Lords day the obedience of man to the command of the whole evangelicall law 21. With the standing or falling of which day the blessing of the Lords merit and the whole evangelicall law of faith doth necessarily stand or fall That is the decreed seventh day of the evangelicall law by the Lords immediate word of his new covenant obliging and cōmanding all the nations of the world to the evangelicall worship of that day With the standing or falling of the Lords day the Lords merit and the whole evangelicall law doth necessarily stand or fall The Lords day therefore is the decreed seventh day of the evanglicall law by the Lords immediate word of his new covenant obliging and commanding all the nations of the world to his evangelicall worship of the Lords day 22. Whom the Lord Jesus Christ by his immediate word did command to preach and teach the Evangelicall blessing of his merit whereby the Lords day is blessed and sanctified them the Lord Jesus Christ by his immediate word did command the Evangelicall worship of the day to which the blessing of his merit is only due The Lord Jesus Christ by his immediate Word did command the Apostles to preach and teach to all the nations of the world the Evangelicall blessing of his merit whereby the Lords day is blessed and sanctified The Lord Jesus Christ therefore by his immediate word did command the Apostles to teach and preach the Evangelicall worship of the Lords day to which the evangelicall blessing of his merit is only due And now to conclude lest I weary my Reader 23. That day of dayes that decreed day sealed by the precious blood of the immaculate Lambe which no power time or day can determine but the second coming of the eternall day when the mysticall members of Christ Jesus shall rest in their head crowned with an incorruptible crown of glory in the heauen of heavens eternally that is the true evangelicall seventh day of the law of faith by the new
Scripture But yet the earth is not restored to the measure of the former fruitfulnesse The reason is that the redeemed man by his continuall labour and care might be put in minde of his thankfull obedience to his gracious Redeemer by his exercise in the commanded works of faith that his faith may be watered with the dew of the morall and spirituall blessing of the Word This blessing of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of Righteousnesse of faith then to the Fathers in the promise of the blessed seed and now to us in the fulfilled promise is twofold The first is the naturall blessing of the word to the naturall life of man as he is man The second is the morall and spirituall blessing of the word to the morall and spirituall life of man by the morall and spirituall grace of faith For without the blessing of the nature of the redeemed man his morall and spirituall life must perish in this life This naturall blessing of the word is freely extended to all redeemed men without all respect to the merit of their obedience or disobedience to the command of the Word And therefore it is said Mat. 5.45 That his Sun doth shine and his rain doth fall upon the just and unjust And this is to the end that as God doth freely confer the blessings of the earth without respect to some in great plenty which he hath denyed to many of his redeemed poor members So the plentiful redeemed man may out of his plenty relieve the wants of his redeemed poor brethren without all respect to their merit who are the Lords redeemed members whereby the plentifull man doth testifie his thankfulnesse to his gracious Redeemer by the works of mercy and charity which are the commanded works of faith For what is freely given to the Lords poor redeemed members who are disabled of all means to supply their necessities it is freely given to the Lord himself as may appear by his own words Mat. 25.40 When I was hungry ye fed me not when I was thirstie ye gave me no drinke when I was naked ye clothed me not For want of means for the preservation of the life is a sore temptation which many times is prevented by the charity of the plentifull For by such means the poor indigent wretched man is diverted from attempting unlawfull courses to supply his necessity Though I must confesse that plenty without the speciall dew of the blessing of the Word be the greater and more dangerous temptation of the two The second blessing of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of Righteousnesse of faith is the morall and spirituall blessing of the word necessarily implying the naturall blessing of the word And this morall and spirituall blessing is due by the Law of faith to the morall and spirituall faithfull worship of the seventh day of the Law of faith For by the morall faithfull worship of the seventh day by the naturall man and by the spirituall faithfull worship of the regenerate man by faith in the Lords merit the whole Law of faith is morally and spiritually fulfilled in the seventh day of the Law And therefore the morall and spirituall blessing of the word of the seventh dayes rest doth rest upon the naturall and regenerate man whereby the naturall man is enabled to bring forth the morall works of faith and to continue in his morall obedience till the time of Gods spirituall calling and the regenerate man is enabled to persevere and continue in his spirituall works of faith by his spirituall obedience to the spirituall command of the Law of faith And this is the first and second rain which is the dew of the Lords influence by the blessing of his Word to the grace of the morall and spirituall faith of man Thus have we briefly set down the literall and mysticall sense of the censure pronounced upon our first parents for the transgression of the Law of Righteousnesse and the second covenant established upon the immediate command of the word of the seventh dayes promised rest of the Law of Righteousnesse of faith then implyed in the propheticall Sabbath whereby Adam the redeemed head of man and all men naturally to descend of Adam were formally prophetically and ceremonially obliged to the command of the Law of Righteousnesse of faith in the promised rest of the blessed seed which is the last part of this second Book yet before we proceed a question is to be resolved which is this How long did this formall propheticall ceremoniall obligement of the Law of Righteousnesse of faith continue and how long were all redeemed men obliged by the propheticall ceremoniall Law of God CHAP. XXIX The continuation of the formall propheticall ceremoniall obligement of the Law of righteousnesse of faith in the promise of the blessed seed in the first age of the Church TO the question moved in the end of the former chapter I briefly answer The formall obligement of man by the propheticall ceremoniall Law of faith in the promise of the blessed seed did continue from the very period of the promise first made to Adam the redeemed head of man till the day of our Saviours resurrection from the grave whereby the promised rest of the blessed seed was totally and absolutely fulfilled The continuation whereof may be divided in these two points The first is the formall obligement of our Fathers by the promise before any part of the promise was fulfilled And this formall obligement did continue till our Saviours coming in the world by whom the promise was fulfilled by degrees which is to be declared in the third Book As for the continuation of the formall obligement of the Law obliging Adam and the Fathers in the promise it may be distinguished in the first three ages of the Church The first was from Adam to Noah the second from Noah to Abraham the third from Abraham to Moses which continued till our Saviours coming wherein my purpose is only to shew that the formall obligement of the propheticall ceremoniall Law by faith in the promise of the blessed seed and that the covenant was really one and the same in all the first three ages of the Church though the figures prefigurating the promise were more significant the more neer that the promise came to be fulfilled After the covenant in the promise of the blessed seed was entred with Adam the redeemed head of man and with all men naturally to descend of Adam Satan that old raging Lion fearing the breaking of his head by the promised blessed seed to be born of the woman did begin to roare afresh intending to devoure the line whereof the blessed seed was to descend as he had devoured all men formally by the betraying of our first parents to fall under the curse of the Law by eternall death For Satan knowing the severity of Gods justice whereof himself had such experience resolved to set the whole world in such a fire of
blessing of his cursed death did belong to Adam and to all men naturally descended and to descend of Adam to the end of the world according to the promise made to Adam And therefore upon the day of his resurrection from the grave both the Jews and Gentiles were graciously called to whose faith the blessing of the promise made to Abraham was freely offered by the new covenant by means whereof the promise made to Abraham that in his seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed was graciously and faithfully fulfilled And this is the reason that the Apostle saith Heb. 9.8 that while the first Tabernacle was standing the second Tabernacle could not be opned for all the nations of the world could not be blessed in this promise till our Saviour did first suffer though his suffering was first and immediately for the Jews which was prefigurate by the Levitical high Priests brest-plate Exod. 39.8.14 wherein the names of the twelve Tribes of Israel were written while he was to offer up the sacrifice of the altar whereby it was signified that our Saviour was first and immediatly to be offered in sacrifice for the Jews and therefore it is said John 4.22 that Salvation is from the Jews Thus have we briefly declared that in the three first ages of the Church the formall propheticall ceremoniall Law was really one and the same obliging of the Fathers before any part of the promise of the blessed seed was fulfilled So by the Tabernacle and Temple which our Saviour calls his body whereby both the promise made to Abraham and the promise made to Adam were prefigurate it was signified that the same formall obligement of the Law did continue from Moses till our Saviours coming in the world and from his coming till the day of his resurrection from the grave which is to be declared in the third Book of our Theologicall key in the mean time for a conclusion to this second Book certain materiall objections are to be answered against the perfection of the redemption of man which doth concern both that which hath been delivered in this second Book and likewise that which is to be delivered in the third CHAP. XXXII Satans cunning by his tempting of man by the sensitive naturall object of his understanding FIrst it is objected Satan hath the power to unite the free love of man so inseparably to the sensitive object of his pleasure as man doth necessarily produce his action contrary to the Law of faith Satan therefore hath the power to necessitate the free will of man to disobedience contrary to the declaration of the perfection of redemption I answer The inference is fallacious For though Satan hath the power by his false envious deceiving light to unite to the love and desire of man to the object of his sensitive pleasure yet it is by the free act of the love of man that man is induced to that union and not by Satans necessitating of his will I cleer the point by Satans cunning in tempting of man Satan doth tempt man to disobedience both by the naturall and morall object of the understanding of man First of Satans cunning in tempting of man by the naturall object and next of his cunning in tempting man by the morall object of his understanding By the naturall externall sensitive object of mans understanding I understand all things in nature whereby the understanding and will of man is produced in act by the mediate senses all which things are the proper objects of the five externall senses of man These severall sensitive objects Satan by himself and his instruments doth so continually and actually enlighten with his false envious deceiving naturall light as the species of these sensitive objects thus Satanically enlightened being received in the understanding the love of man is so incensed to unite it self to the object of its pleasure as it doth hate all things that doth resist the union by which miserable union these fearfull effects are produced First by this foul incensed love and desire of man to apprehend the sensiâ—ive object of his pleasure slaming in the heart of man the light of the redeemed word of the Law written in the heart is so obscured and darkned as wretched man doth greedily grasp the sensitive object without all respect to the Law of faith and this is the first degree of actuall sin which is by the darkning and obscuring of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of Righteousnesse of faith whereby the works of faith are formally commâ—nded for the light of the word of the Law in the heart which is really one with the light of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of Righteousnesse of faith being obscured the light of the word of the seventh dayes rest is necessarily obscured and darkned And therefore this false envious deceiving light of Satan is called the Devils darknesse and the works produced by this false deceiving light are called the works of darknesse Secondly the incensed naturall love and pleasure of man and the sensitive object of his pleasure being once actually united such continuall fewell is added to this incensed fire by Satan and his instruments as wretched man doth lie and continue in his filthy love and pleasure and hate all things which doth resist the enjoying of his foul desire And this is the reason that the Lord saith John 3.20 he that doth evill doth hate the light which is the light of the command of the Law of faith For by the command of the Law of faith all such continued filthy pleasure is condemned And this is the second degree of actuall sin which is by continuance in sin Thirdly by this false envious deceiving light of Satan whereby the love and desire of man and the object of his pleasure are so united the more that wretched man is pressed with the command of the Law the more strictly doth he unite himself to the object of his pleasure by resisting all command of the Law and the pressure of the command And this Medea could see while as she saith we presse against what is forbidden and still affect what is denied And this the third degree of actuall sin while by the continuance of man in actuall sin the long patience of God leading him so graciously to repentance is contemned with such a high hand as God doth justly give him over to such a reprobate minde as he cannot repent though he hath all the dayes of his life to repent For by this means that morall power of repentance which wretched man hath by the redeemed word of the Law and life of Righteousnesse of faith written in his heart is taken away and this is the reason that it is said Luke 19.26 from him that hath not that which he hath shall be taken away that is to say because wretched man will not repent having morall grace to repent therefore he shall be deprived of the power of morall
whereby the faith of man is overthrown And this is the reason that all Imagery painted or carved of our Saviour as he is man implying his death and humility are condemned for Idolatry as hath been formerly declared No such surmised sacrifice therefore being offered by our Saviour in his institution of the Sacrament of his last Supper no command was given to the Apostles to offer any such fictious sacrifice and consequently the Apostles and the Apostolicall successors the Ministers of the Word and Sacraments no commanded Priests to offer any such fictious sensitive sacrifice at the materiall altar as is falsly pretended by the objection Next I answer to the affirmed reall unity of this pretended imaginary sacrifice with our Saviours sacrifice of the crosse Leaving the Philosophicall distinction of unity as genericall sperificall udomericall reall formall and such like In this encounter I take the two last distinctions of unity Theologically to wit one really and one formally This affirmed unity therefore of the two sacrifices cannot be formall and therefore it must be reall This affirmed reall unity therefore of the two sacrifice is all one to say as that our Saviour in the institution of the Sacrament of his last Supper by offering of his reall body and blood under the externall forms of bread and wine in a propitiatory sacrifice for the dead and for the quick did as really and in effect sustain the curse of the Law in the full extent by the cursed death of soul and body as he did by his cursed sacrifice of the crosse which fearfull assertion is repugnant to the truth of all Christian faith For by this affirmed reall unity of the two sacrifices these subsequent inevitable conclusions must necessarily follow First by this affirmed reall unity of the two sacrifices the first surmised propitiatory sacrifice pretended to be offered by our Saviour must be a cursed sacrifice For such was our Saviours sacrifice of the crosse Gal. 3.13 And consequently our Saviours sacrificed reall body and blood which is pretended to be given to the Apostles cursed which is highest blasphemy to affirm Secondly by the affirmed reall unity of these two sacrifices the pretended propitiatory sacrifice affirmed to be offered by our Saviour in the instituting of the Sacrament of his last Supper must be a sensitive reall bloody sacrifice for there is no propitiatory sacrifice for sin Heb. 9.22 without the sensitive blood of the sacrificed for such was our Saviours propitiatory sacrifice of the crosse But the propugnators of this surmised propitiatory sacrifice will acknowledge no sensitive reall blood in their sacrifice and therefore they must acknowledge this pretended propitiatory sacrifice to be no propitiatory sacrifice Thirdly by the affirmed reall unity of these two sacrifices this surmised pretended sacrifice affirmed to be offered by our Saviour must be a deadly sacrifice by the sensitive death of the sacrificed for such was our Saviours sacrifice of the crosse But the propagnators of this surmised sacrifice must acknowledge no such sensitive death of our Saviour by the institution of the Sacrament of his last Supper and therefore they must acknowledge their pretended sacrifice to be no sacrifice Fourthly by the reall affirmed unity of these two sacrifices the only one sacrifice of our Saviour by the death of the crosse as be is high Priest after the order of Melchisedeck once offered for all is plainly denied For by this affirmed reall unity of the two sacrifices our Saviour died twice Fifthly by the affirmed reall unity of the two sacrifices the first surmised pretended sacrifice is a false sacrifice For by the adoration of this imaginary sacrifice the truth of the Lords commanded worship by the Lords Day is contradicted which is commanded to be celebrate in spirit and truth and not in the adoration of such a false sacrifice Sixthly by the affirmed reall uniâ—y of these two sacrifices the first pretended sacrifice is a faithlesse sacrifice For by this pretended sacrifice the faith of man and the immediate object of faith which is the Lords merit are actually separate Seventhly by the reall affirmed unity of these two sacrifices the pretended sacrifice affirmed to be offered by our Saviour in the institution of the Sacrament of his last Supper is an Idolatrous sacrifice For by the adoring of this sacrifice the sensitive object doth interveen between the Lord and his immediate commanded worship Eighthly by the reall affirmed unity of these two sacrifices Christ was really dead before his last Will and Testament was sealed by the sacrament of his last Supper implying the whole Evangel and new Testament and consequently his last Will and Testament no Will. Ninthly by the affirmed reall unity of these two sacrifices man was actually redeemed from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam and the Law was fulfilled for man by our Saviour before his death of the crosse before his bloody rest in the grave and before his resurrection from the dead Tenthly by this affirmed reall unity of the two sacrifices all the prophesies prophcying of the blessed seed from the foundation of the world were fulfilled before our Saviours death by the cursed altar of the crosse and resurrection from the dead Eleventhly by this affirmed reall unity of the two sacrifices all the types rites figures and ceremonies prefigurating the death of the blessed seed from the foundation of the world were actually determined by the first pretended sacrifice which all the sacrifices of all the creatures of God could never determine till they were all actually determined by our Saviours last breath upon the cursed altar of the crosse while as he said It is finished The twelfth conclusion doth necessarily follow from the former three For by the affirmed reall unity of the two sacrifices our Saviours death by the cursed altar of the crosse was superfluous Thirteenthly by the affirmed reall unity of these two sacrifices this first surmised sacrifice pretended to be offered by our Saviour in the institution of the sacrament of his last Supper must be a reall Holocaust sacrifice cursed and burnt up by the fiery consuming wrath of God for sin no part or portion whereof must remain to be given to the Apostles for such was our Saviours sacrifice of the crosse prefigurate by the Holocaust sacrifice of the brazen altar Hence I necessarily inferre that by this affirmed reall unity the Sacrament of the Lords Supper is falsly denied to be given to the Apostles for by this pretended surmised sacrifice our Saviours reall sacrificed body and blood which in this case profiteth nothing Joh. 6.63 is affirmed to be given to the Apostles as a sacrament while as in the sacrament of the Lords Supper by the sacramentall bread and wine given by our Saviour to the Apostles the bread of eternall life purchased by his sacrificed reall body and blood is signified to be given By the faithfull receiving whereof God in his Son Christ Jesus dwelleth in the heart of man by his
believe his promised rest of the blessed seed to rest upon the last Sabbath from the redemption of man from the curse of the Law prophesied by the propheticall Sabbath to whose beliefe the blessing of his promised rest was due by the Law So he graciously and freely obliged himself to man to redeem man from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam and to redeem all which was lost by that sin and consequently to redeem the blessing of the first seventh dayes rest lost by Adam which was the blessing of his promised rest by the propheticall Sabbath all which he graciously performed by his bloody rest in the grave upon the last Sabbath For our Saviour upon the last Sabbath did rest from the redemption of man from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam And by his resting in his sacred grave for the whole space of the last Sabbath our Saviour in the seventh day having fulfilled the whole Law as he was obliged to the fulfilling of the Law in the promise of the blessed seed the eternall rest of the first seventh day lost by Adam was due by the Law of God to the merit of his bloody seventh dayes rest where three main fundamentall points of faith are precisely to be observed by the juditious Reader The first point is that the last Sabbath whereon our Saviour did rest in his sacred grave after his death was no wayes propheticall For all the prophesies prophecying the birth and death of the blessed seed from the foundation of the world were all fulfilled and determined by our Saviours bloody rest upon this last Sabbath by whose bloody rest in his grave for the space of the whole last Sabbath from end to end the Law was fulfilled for man And this is the reason that our Saviour said Mat. 5.17 that he came to fulfill the Law The second point of faith is that no man naturally to descend of Adam was obliged to fulfill the command of the Law by this last Sabbath For Christ Jesus only the Son of God as he is man begot of the seed of the woman was only obliged to fulfill the command of the seventh day by the last Sabbath as he graciously obliged himself by the propheticall covenant The third point of faith is that Adam and all men naturally to descend of Adam were only obliged to fulfill the command of the seventh day of the propheticall Sabbath And therefore Christ Jesus being born under the propheticall Law obliged by the propheticall Sabbath was circumcised the eighth day and did observe other ceremonies of the Law as other men did For though our Saviour did not naturally descend of Adam yet he did descend of the seed of Adam according to the flesh The second mystery of his bloody rest was that by his bloody rest the promise renewed to Abraham was fulfilled which was the same reall promise first made to Adam though renewed to Abraham after a more cleere and particular manner which promise had two branches The first was that the blessed seed according to the flesh should descend of the seed of Abraham which promise was prefigurate first by the glorious light of the Golden Candlestick by the table of shew-bread signifying the life which was in that light wherby the blessed seed who is light and life to descend of Abrahams seed was prefigurate Secondly by the sweet insence burned upon the Golden Altar the appeasing of Gods wrath by the blessed seed to descend of Abraham was prefigurate all which were placed in the holy place of the Tabernacle The second branch of the promise made to Abraham was that in Abrahams seed all the nations of the earth should bee blessed which was likewise prefigurate by the sacrifice of the brazen Altar For at our Saviors giving up of his last spirit upon the cursed altar of the crosse the vaile of the Temple was rent from the top to the bottom within which vaile which was the holiest place was the Arke with the word therin and the Golden Crowne the Cherubint covering with their wings the mercy-seat prefigurating the conception of our Saviour of the seed of the woman wherby the first promise made to Adam was signified Now the vaile of the Temple being rent asunder by the power of our Saviours death the first promise made to Adam was laied open and made patent both to the Jewes and Gentiles who were mutually called the next day by the new covenant which was the day of Christs resurrection Now the new covenant being made with all the nations of the world the promise made to Abraham that all the nations of the earth should be blessed in his seed was fulfilled And so much for the twofold mystery of our Saviours bloody rest The mystery of his joyfull Evangellicall rest did consist in these two maine fundamentall points of faith The first was by his resurrection from the grave wherby our Saviour by his triumphant victory over sin Satan eternall darknes and death the curse of the Law and the grave by the infinit act of his owne immediate power did manifest himselfe Truth to man in his faithfull fulfilling of his promised rest of the blessed seed and in that Truth Lord Jesus Christ God and man in the three coessentiall distinct persons of the glorious Trinity God by the infinit act of his owne immediate power Man begotten of the father of the seed of the woman by the immediate act of the holy spirit in the essentiall union of his divine and humane nature implied in the word Lord which is the sacred name of the essentiall union of the divine and humane nature of the Lord of life comprehending both the names of Jesus and Christ afterwards to be declared For though Jesus Christ as he is the Son of God begotten man of the seed of the woman did performe his bloody rest Yet his Evangelicall rest by his resting from the fulfilling of the Law implying his rest from the redemption of man was performed by our Saviour as he is Lord Jesus Christ God equall with the Father and holy Spirit in whom the Godhead dwelleth bodily And therfore the day of his resurrection is called the Lords day In the second point of the mystery of the Lords Evangelicall rest doth stand the very period of the mystery of the Lords day for man naturally descended of Adā being only obliged to the cōmand of the seventh day of the Prophetical Sabbath and no waies to the seventh day of the last Sabbath to which man Christ Jesus only was obliged the day of our Saviours resurrection from the grave the Lords day doth fall out to be the just seventh day from the last formall propheticall Jewes Sabbath still obliging man to the seventh day of the Law Though by including the last formall propheticall Jewes Sabbath in the account the Lords day is the eight day as it was prefigurate by the eight day of the Sacrament of circumcision To the administration wherof
Virgins wombe in the bringing forth of her first borne the word made flesh without the help of woman or man which was the naturall birth day of the Son of God So by the Virgins bringing forth of her first borne the word made flesh the mysticall bringing forth of the first borne evangelicall Word by the mysticall Virgin Sabbath without the help of any created power was prefigurate Which was the mystical birth day of the Evangelicall word Whose mysticall birth day being the just seventh day frō the last formall propheticall Jewes Sabbath as man naturally descended of Adam is obliged to the Law of God his mystical birth day is the true seventh day of the Evangelicall Law By the power of the word of his seventh daies Evangelicall rest commanding the Evangelicall worship of the seventh day of his Law by man and in the seventh day the Evangelicall obedience of man to his whole Evangelicall Law implied in the seventh day To whose faithfull obedience the eternall blessing of his Evangelicall birth daies rest is due by the Law of God The second type and figure whereby the mysticall Virgin Sabbath was prefigurate was the Sabbaticall yeare of Jubile For first as in the yeare of Jubile all bound men all sold and pawned Land the earth and the labouring Cattell were set at liberty So by the bloody rest of Christ Jesus blessed body in the grave for the space of the whole last Sabbath all men condemned and bound by the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam to eternall death and darknes and the creatures created for man where freed from the eternall curse of the Law and set at liberty Secondly as the yeare of Jubile by the immediate influence of God without all labour help or industry of man the earth of its owne accord did produce the fruit thereof for the comfort of man and for the creatures created for man So by the mysticall Sabbath without all the help aide or asistance of any man naturally descended of Adam did bring forth the Evangelicall word enabled by the immediate act of his owne infinit power upon the joyfull day of his resurrection Who is the life light and foode of man and by whom only man and all the creatures created for man doe live move and have the continuation of their redeemed being The blessed day of whose mysticall Evangelicall birth being the just seventh day from the last formall Jewes prophetical Sabbath as man naturally descended of Adam is obliged to the Law of God the blessed day therefore of the Lords resurrection is the true seventh day of the Evangelicall Law of righteousnes of faith whereby the Son of righteousnes in his blessed day began to shine one high by inlightning the ceremoniall darknesse of the propheticall Sabbath prophesying his death through all the Nations of the world by the light of his blessed day leading all men by the hands of faith to lay hold on the Evangelicall word the Lord of the life light and rest of man and of the creatures created for man to be inbelized by the thankfull praises and Jubiles of all the Nations of the world The mysticall Evangelicall birth day therefore of the Evangelicall word the Lords day is the true joyfull day of all the years of this life prophesied by the mysticall yeere of Jubile which by the truth of the Lords Evangelicall rest from the fulfilling of the promise of the blessed seed arising from his bloody rest is the true Evangelical word of the seventh day of the Law of righteousnes of faith next to be declared CHAP. VII The declaration of the Evangelicall word THe Evangelicall word is taken in a twofold sense first the Evangelicall word is taken essentially for the second person of the sacred Trinity God equal with the Father and Holy Spirit in which sense the Evangelical word is incommunicable to man or Angel Secondly the Evangelical word is taken for the word of the Lords day the 7th day of the Evangelical Law of faith as it is the Image of God in his Son Christ Iesus For as the Lords daies Evangelicall rest is the Image of the Lords eternall life and rest So the light of the Lords day is the Image of his inaccessable light and in this sense the Evangelicall word is communicable to man and it is the life and light of man and hath a twofold acception first the Evangelicall word is taken for the word of the Lords day as it is the Evangelicall word of the seventh day of the Law of righteousnes of faith Secondly the Evangelicall word is taken for the word of promise and new covenant whereby both God and man are mutually obliged For though the word of the seventh day of the Law and the word of promise and covenant be really one yet they are of a formall difference First therefore of the Evangelicall word of the Lords day as it is the word of the seventh day of the Evangelicall Law of righteousnes of faith The Evangelicall word of the Lords day is the same reall word which was from the beginning And therefore it is said by Iohn 1.4.5 that in it that is in that word was life and that that life was the light of man which doth in this manner appeare First in the state of perfection by the word of the Law written in Adams heart spiritually enlightned Adam did live move and had the perfection of his naturall and spirituall being and felicity Wherby Adam was the Image of righteousnes and holines And the word of the first seventh day of the Law of righteousnes implying the command of the whole Law was objected to Adams externall senses obliging Adam to the command of the Law of righteousnes To the merit of whose perfect obedience the blessing of the first seventh daies eternall rest was due by the Law of righteousnes Wherby Adam had the continuation of his created estate of perfection and felicity while Adam did stand in the perfection of his obedience And was to have continued eternally upon earth to Adam by covenant if Adam had continued in the perfection of his obedience The word of God therefore to Adam before the fall as he was the head of all men naturall to descend of his loines was the word of the first seventh day of the Law of righteousnes implying the command of the whole Law Secondly Adam in whome as in the head all were created having transgressed the command of God of the Law of righteousnes the transgression was infinit for the transgression of the Law as it is the Law of righteousnes is an immediate contempt against the infinit Majesty of God and consequently the sinne infinit And the second Person of the Trinity in whom is only mercy being then not revealed to Adam the sinne was without any hope of revealed mercy wherby Adam and all men created in Adam as head naturally to descend of Adam were in the justice of God by covenant condemned to the eternall
new covenant obliging and commanding all the nations of the world to the Evangelicall worship of that day The Lords day did immediatly succeed the last formall Jews prophetical Sabbath The Lords day therefore is the decreed seventh day of the Evangelicall law of faith as man naturally descended of Adam is obliged to the Evangelicall law of God by the Lords immediate word of his new covenant obliging and commanding all the nations of the world to the Evangelicall worship of the Lords day 4. The word of eternall life which all men by the new covenant are obliged to believe to save them from the curse of the second death all the nations of the world are obliged to the Evangelicall worship of that word of eternall life The Lords day by the merit of his Evangelicall rest is the word of eternall life which all men by the new covenant are obliged to believe to save them from the curse of the second death All the nations of the world therefore are obliged to the Evangelicall worship of the Lords day 5. By the immediate power whereby the Lords day is the blessed and sanctified word or eternall life whereby the new covenant is immediatly established by that immediate power the evangelical worship of the Lords day is immediatly commanded implying the command of the whole Evangellicall law By the immediate power of the Lords merit by his Evangelicall rest and resurrection from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed the Lords day is the blessed and sanctified word of eternall life whereby the new covenant is immediately established by the immediate power therefore of the Lords merit by his Evangelicall rest and resurrection from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed the Evangelicall worship of the Lords day is immediatly commanded implying the command of the whole Evangelicall law 6. What the Lords new covenant doth oblige men to believe to save them from the second death The Lords day commands all men to worship for the only object of Christian faith The Lords new covenant doth oblige all men to believe the Lords day by the merit of his evangelicall rest to save them from the second death The Lords day therefore doth command all men to worship the Lords day by the merit of his evangelicall rest for the only object of Christian faith 7. By the onely blessing of which day all the Nations of the world doe live move and have the redeemed grace of being continued by the new Covenant all the Nations of the world by the Lords immediate word of the new Covenant are oblieged and commanded to the joyfull worship of that day By the onely blessing of the Lords day all the Nations of the world doe live move and have their redeemed grace of being continued by the new Covenant All the Nations of the world therefore by the Lords immediate word of his new Covenant are oblieged and commanded to the joyfull worship of the Lords day 8. The light of the sound of the word of which day doth necessarily imply the light and life of the whole word and law of God the whole Evangelicall commanded worship of God and all Christian Religion By the power of the sound of that word all men are commanded to the Evangelicall worship of that day The light of the sound of the Lords day doth necessarily imply the light and life of the whole word and law of God the whole Evangelicall commanded worship of God and all Christian Religion By the power therefore of the light of the sound of the word of the Lords day all men are commanded to the Evangecall worship of the Lords day 9. Without the only blessing of the sound of the word of which day there is no object for Christian faith By the immediate power of that dayes blessing all men are commanded to the Evangelicall worship of that day Without the only blessing of the sound of the word of the Lords day there is no object for Christian faith By the immediate power therefore of the Lords dayes blessing all men are commanded to the Evangelicall worship of the Lords day 10. Without the immediate power of the light and command of which day no man can either know or give obedience to any precept of the Evangelicall morall law of faith That is the necessary seventh day of the Evangelicall law of faith by the Lords immediate word of his new Covenant oblieging and commanding all the Nations of the world to the Evangelicall worship of that day Without the immediate power of light and command of the Lords day blessed and sanctified by his Evangelicall rest no man can either know or give obedience to any precept of the Evangelical moral law of faith The Lords day therefore is the necessary seventh day of the Evangelical law of faith by the Lords immediate word of his new covenant oblieging and commanding all the Nations of the world to the Evangelicall worship of the Lords day 11. To the faithful worship of which day only the blessing of the merit of the Lords Evangelicall 7th dayes rest is due by the law for the fulfilling of the whole Evangelicall law of faith All the Nations of the world by the Lords immediate word of his new covenant are oblieged and commanded to the Evangelicall worship of that day To the onely faithfull worship of the Lords day the blessing of the merit of the Lords seventh dayes Evangelicall rest is due by the Law for the fulfilling of the whole evangelicall law All the Nations of the world therefore by the Lords immediate word of his new covenant are obliged and commanded to the evangelicall worship of the Lords day 12. By the faithfull of which day the whole evangelicall law of faith is fulfilled that dayes worship is commanded by the power of the word of the seventh day of the evangelicall law of faith By the faithfull worship of the Lords day by faith in the Lords merit the whole evanglicall law is fulfilled The Lords dayes worship therefore is commanded by the power of the word of the seventh day of the evangelicall law of faith 13. By that day whereby the Lord by his resurrection from the grave victoriously triumphing over sin Satan hell the curse of the law and the power of the grave did clearly manifest himselfe powe life and light it selfe and in that power life and light Truth by his fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed and in that truth love and mercy to man and in that truth love and mercy Lord God and man in the three coessentiall distinct persons of the glorious Trinity All the Nations of the world by the Lords immediate word of his new covenant are oblieged and commanded to the Evangelicall worship of that day By the Lords day the day of the Lords resurrection from the grave the Lord victoriously triumphing over sinne Satan hell the curse of the law and the power of the grave did clearly manifest himselfe power life
sin as that God in his justice should consume all men off the earth again and Satan put fairly for it For after by his sting of enmity baited by his false deceiving light he had incensed Cain to murder his Innocent brother Abel Satan never left stirring up of Cains ungracious generation from time to time till be set the whole world in such a fire of sin cruelty and uncleannesse as neither the mercies of God by sparing them so long or the judgements of God threatned by his Prophets could reclaim from their sin and cruelty God therefore in end stirred up Noah the tenth from Seth a Preacher of Righteousnesse who was a Preacher of the Law of righteousnesse of faith in the promise of the blessed seed that by his preaching of the Word the miserable people might be reclaimed from their cruelty and uncleannesse to the works of faith by repentance that they might obtain mercy in the promise of the blessed seed and that by denouncing the mercilesse curse of the Law of faith Noah might terrifie the people from their wickenesse But though Noah did continue in the faithfull discharge of his Calling many yeeres yet all was to no purpose Satan had so incensed the miserable people to such obstinacy God therefore in end commanded Noah to build an Ark that by the ark Noah might denounce the utter subversion of the obstinate rebellious people by the flood of his incensed wrath against their sin and cruelty if they did not speedily turn to the Lord and leave their provoking of his long patience For which cause the Ark was so long a building that the wretched people notwithstanding of their continued contempt might have yet time to repent though all was to no purpose for such was the incensed obstinacy of the miserable people as they continued in their rebellious contempt both of the word of the Preacher and of the Ark till the very day that Noah and his family was commanded to enter in the Ark whereby the wrath of God was so incensed as by that fearfull inundation the whole earth was overflowne and eight persons only saved of whom the promised blessed seed was to descend As for the Covenant which is said to be made with Noah after his coming out of the Ark in the continuation of times and seasons and of the creatures created and redeemed for man it was the same reall covenant which was formerly made with Adam in the promise of the blessed seed which after this fearfull judgement was renewed to Noah for the strengthening and confirming of Noahs faith in the continuation of the promise first made to Adam For first after Noahs coming out of the Ark Noah did offer the like reall burnt sacrifices and offerings upon the Atar of such reall clean beasts and fowles as were first commanded to be offred by Adam and the Fathers before Noah which beasts and fowles were preserved in the Ark with Noah by which sacrifices offered by Noah the cruell death of the blessed seed was prefigurate Secondly the Ark it self did prefigurate both the promise and the fulfilling of the promise For first by the Ark the woman of whose seed the Word was to be made flesh was prefigurate Secondly by Noah and his sons daughters who was the eight from Seth the line wherof the promised blessed seed was to descend was prefigurate Thirdly by their receiving in the Ark the conception of the Word to be made flesh of the seed of the woman was cleerly prefigurate Fourthly by the safe delivery of Noah and his sons and daughters out of the Ark the safe delivery of the blessed seed by the woman to wit the blessed Virgine was prefigurate whereby it doth manifestly appear that the covenant and the formall propheticall ceremoniall obligement of the Law of Righteousnesse of faith in the promise of the blessed seed prophesied by the propheticall Sabbath and prefigurate by the ceremoniall worship of the Sabbath was really one and the same from Adam to Noah As by the preservation of Noah and his family of whom the blessed seed was to descend according to the flesh the great power of God by his preservation of his Church against the great power of Satan and his instruments doth manifestly appear to his great glory to the utter shame of Satan and to the confusion of his wicked instruments And so much briefly for the first age of the Church CHAP. XXX The continuation of the formall propheticall ceremoniall obligement of man in the promise of the blessed seed in the second age of the Church AS in the time of Noah the eighth from Seth God stirred up Noah to manifest his power in the preservation of his Church which did then consist in the preservation of the line of the blessed seed So in the second age of the Church God raised up Abraham the tenth from Noah that his glory might appear by his continuall care of the truth of his promise to his Church For God renewed his promise in a more cleer and particular manner to Abraham then he did first to Adam which was that in Abrahams seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed that is that the woman of whose seed the Word should be made man should descend of Abrahams seed by whose promised cursed death As all men were then actually redeemed from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam though the promise was afterward to be fulfilled so all men by faith in this promise might be saved from the curse of the Law of faith for actuall sin In this promise therefore Gen. 22.18 that in Abrahams seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed God doth oblige himself to Abraham and to his seed by covenant and doth mutually oblige Abraham to believe his promise This covenant therefore made to Abraham was the same reall covenant and promise made to Adam though the blessed seed promised to Adam was by this promise to descend of Abrahams seed the only difference is that the woman of whom the Word was promised to be made man was to descend immediately of Abrahams seed though immediatly from Adams seed For Abraham did descend of the seed of Adam and consequently the promise made to Abraham must be performed before the promise made to Adam could be fulfilled For the promise made to Adam could not be fulfiled but by our Saviours birth death and resurrection from the dead By this promise made in this particular manner to Abraham the Church of God was now in the family of Abraham and his seed and posterity To the end therefore that Abrahams family might be distinguished from all the families of the earth God commanded Abraham and his family to be marked with the sacramentall seal of circumcision by shedding of the blood of man whereby it was prefigurate that the blood of the promised blessed seed to descend of Abraham according to the flesh should be shed by the cursed death of the crosse which
new covenant he that doth believe and shall be baptized shall be saved It is neither by the preaching of the Word or by the exâ—ernall administration of the Sacraments but it is by the immediate faith of man in the Lords merit that man is saved from the second death Thus having declared the perfection of the redemption of man from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam shut up in spirituall darknesse called unbelief and originall sin according to the eternall Decree of God as the act of the redemption doth concern all men in generall male and female created in Adam naturally to descend of Adam to the end of the world And having answered and determined the most materiall objections against the declaration thereof we now proceed to the third Book THe Author of this small Tractate having fully ended it did intend to fit it for the Presse as soon as conveniently he could but being at London about his other occasions he did accidentally come into the company where some worthy Gentlemen were earnestly in discourse about some points of Religion After which conference he did resolve at his coming home to draw his Book into as short and plain a way as possibly he could for the Readers better understanding And thus far he went and then it pleased God to take him to himself before he could write one word of the third Book which he did intend to contract very much because he had spoke so much of the Lords day before But I not knowing how to get it done according to his mind and being loth to mangle so excellent a Work have rather thought good to set forth this third Book word for word as it was in his first method and to venture the censure of some rather then to keep it in any longer being exceedingly troubled in mind that it hath been kept almost this six yeeres from the publike view The third Book of the Theologicall Key containing the third Covenant made by God with man CHAP. I. Christ manifesting of himself at his coming in the world WE are now according to our Method to declare such acts of the blessed seed as they are set down in his sacred Word performed by him while he was personally upon earth Christ Jesus the eternall Son of God made flesh of the seed of the woman in time according to the Decree of God from all eternity as he is the first begotten Son of the most High by his birthright Prophet Priest and King so by the execution of his threefold office Christ Jesus did manifest himself Prophet Priest and King First therefore of the execution of his Propheticall office Secondly of his Priestly and Thirdly of his Kingly office The execution of Christs Propheticall office while he was personally upon earth was by the immediate power of his Word as he himself was the promised rest of the seventh day of the Propheticall Sabbath Christ Jesus the Word as the redeemed Word his Image is internally written in the heart of man his Word is the redeemed light and life of man And as his Word is externally objected to the externall senses he is the continuation of the redeemed life and light of man His Word under the propheticall obligement of the Law was the word of the seventh day of the propheticall Sabbath implying the whole propheticall Law and the whole old Testament As the life and light of the promised Sabbaticall rest did proceed from his love to man so Christ Jesus at his being personally in the world did manifest himself light love and life to man His light was in the sound of his Word and by the power of his Word his miracles were wrought and this was the light which did gloriously shine amongst the Jews while he was personally conversant with the Jews This glorious light by the sound of his Word did shine to the Jews first and immediatly by his own immediate Word And secondly by the commanded ministry of the Apostles By the light of his immediate Word first the understanding of the Jews was enlightned in the prophesies prophecying of the coming of the blessed seed from the foundation of the world Mat. 4.17 Mar. 1.21 Luke 4.21 Ioh. 3.13 whereby our Saviour did manifest himself to the Jews that he was the promised rest of their Sabbath and that he was the seed of the woman who must die for the sins of man and rest after his death upon the Sabbath for the recovering of the eternall rest of the first seventh day lost by Adam and that he it was that must rise again to break the head of the Serpent for the betraying of man All which was so many prophesies of himself whereby Christ did discharge his propheticall office Joh. 3.14 as he did likewise prophesie his death by the lifting up of the brazen Serpent and his resting in the grave Mat. 12.40 by Jonas rest in the Whales belly and both his death and resurrection in saying Joh. 2.19 Destroy this Temple and in three dayes I will raise it again So did he prophesie of the destruction of Jerusalem Luke 21.6 So his second coming and the day of judgement and many such like Secondly by this glorious shining light by the sound of his Word our Saviour Mat. 5.20 did cleer the obscured light of the Law corrupted by the false glosse of the Scribes and Pharisees arising from the Devils darknesse Thirdly as Christ Jesus while he was personally in the world by the light of the sound of his Word the Jews understanding was inlightned to know that he was the promised blessed seed So by the light of the power of his Word by his wonders and miracles he did manifest himself to be the eternall Son of God With the glorious fame of whose wonders and miracles the whole world was filled and amazed insomuch that the Jews were constrained to acknowledge the Lord of life to be the Son of God though the Jews darknesse led by the Devils false deceiving light could not comprehend that glorious shining light Fourthly at this glorious light did proceed from the love of the Lord of life to man by his promised Sabbatical rest So he did manifest his love while he was personally upon earth to man in curing of all manner of incurable sensitive diseases of the body and the diseased souls of many by the pardoning of sin None were denied the blessing of his rest who came to him by the light of his love As this glorious light did shine to the Jews immediatly by Christ himself as he was the promised rest of the propheticall Sabbath day so this glorious light did shine immediatly by the ministry of the Apostles whom our Saviour did send abroad Mat. 10.7 to preach and teach this glorious shining light shining from the Son of God whom likewise before his death and resurrection he authorized to preach and to teach the Evangel and to administrate the Sacrament of Baptisme as John did first before Christs manifesting
of himself to the world And to the end that both Jew and Gentile might understand that our Saviour was the promised blessed seed prophesied by the propheticall Sabbath our Saviour himself Mat. 3.13 was baptized by John to let both the Jews and Gentiles understand that as by his submersion as it were in the water by his baptism that he it was who must be drowned in the sea of Gods eternall wrath by his cursed death of the crosse to redeem man from the curse of the Law for the sin of all men in Adam So by his rising out of the water both Jews and Gentiles might understand that he should rise again from the cursed death of the crosse And though our Saviour himself did not baptize yet the night that he was betrayed he did institute the Sacrament of the supper All this was done by our Saviour that all men might then know and understand that Christ Jesus was the end of the Law Here doth arise an objection It was affirmed in the 29.30 31. Chapters of the second Book that the continuation of the propheticall obligement of the Law was from the first period of the promise of the blessed seed to Adam till the day of Christs resurrection from the grave and now by our Saviours own doctrine and preaching of the Evangelicall Word And by his sending of his Apostles to preach and teach and to administrate the Sacrament of Baptisme and by his own administration of the Sacrament of the supper all manifesting Mat. 5.17 Christ Jesus to be the end of the propheticall Law The propheticall Law therefore and the propheticall Sacraments were actually determined by our Saviour before either his death or resurrection I answer It is most truly affirmed by us but the consequence is falsly inferred For though Christ Iesus before his death did make his Evangelicall Will and Testament sealing his Will by the Evangelicall Sacraments yet his Evangelicall Will and Testament was not in force before the death of the Testator And therefore though our Saviour did thus manifest himself before his death by the execution of his propheticall office by making of his last Will Testament and by sealing of his Will by the institution of the Evangelicall Sacraments yet his propheticall Will and Testament sealed by the propheticall Sacraments was in force till the propheticall Sabbath day implying the command of the whole propheticall ceremoniall Law was actually determined by the blessed day of Christs resurrection And so much for the discharging of Christs propheticall office at his first manifesting of himself to the world Next of the execution of his Priestly office CHAP. II. The execution of Christs Priestly office while he was upon earth THough Aaron and the high Leviticall Priest is said to be the figure of Christ Jesus the high Priest of our souls yet our Saviour was not a Priest after the order of Aaron or Levi neither was he of the Tribe of Levi. But Christ Jesus was a Priest after the order of Melchisedeck Psal 110 4. Heb. 7.17 Neither must we conceive that the Leviticall high Priest was the figure of our Saviour in all respects as he was a Priest For though the sacrifice of the brazen altar was offered and sacrificed by the Leviticall high Priest himself yet our Saviour did not offer and sacrifice himself prefigurate by that sacrifice though out of his infinite love to man our Saviour patience it self did lay down his life willingly and freely to be taken away by the bloody cruell hands of the wicked incensed by the malicious darknesse of the great Dragon For all the created powers of God could not have bereaved our Saviour of his life without his own gracious permission The Analogie therefore between the Leviticall high Priest and our Saviour was in the Priesthood though not in every respect and in the sacrifice offered by the high Priest And though the Analogie between the two sacrifices be the chief point of this declaration yet the Analogie between the two high Priests must be first though briefly declared And next the Analogie between the two sacrifices The Leviticall high Priest did prefigurate the Priesthood of Christ Jesus specially in three respects First both the high Priests did make atonement by the sacrifice which was offered The Leviticall high Priest morally ceremonially and temporally Christ Iesus spiritually and eternally The second respect was in the circumstance of time when the atonement was made The Leviticall high Priest beside his morall and ceremoniall atonement Exod. 30.9.10 did once a yeer to wit in the end of the yeer enter the inner Tabernacle to make atonement at the Mercy-seat both for his own actuall spirituall sins and for the actuall spirituall sins of the people by whose entring in the inner Tabernacle once in the end of the yeer the end of the prophetical obligement of the Law was prefigurate But Christ Jesus Heb. 9.28 did enter the Tabernacle not made with hands but once in the end of the yeer as it were of the propheticall ceremoniall obligement of the Law And therefore Christ Jesus is said Heb. 10.10 to have entred but once for all For though the high Leviticall Priest by the quotidian and by the Sabbaticall sacrifices and ceremoniall commanded rites did purge the transgressors of the morall and ceremoniall Law morally and ceremonially according to the command of the Law yet by the command of God by â—is Law the high Priest was to enter the inner Tabernacle once a yeer to obtain the pardon of actuall spirituall sin at the Mercy-seat whereby it was signified that there is no pardon of actuall sin as it is spirituall but by God himself only and immediately and therefore the pardon was given to the high Priest immediatly in the behalf of the people as he was the figure of the high Priest Christ Jesus to whom all power in heaven and in earth is given by the sacred Trinity The third point of the Analogie between the high Priests was that as the Leviticall high Priest before he entred the inner Tabernacle the holiest place first he did sacrifice the Holocaust sacrifice of the brazen altar with the rites and service belonging to that sacrifice as the offering up the sweet insence at the golden altar kindled by the fire of the brazen altar which came down from heaven after the offering whereof Levit. 16.3 4. clothed with a white robe besprinkled with the blood of the sacrifice of the brazen altar and with sweet insence kindled with the same fire the high Priest did enter the holiest place So our Saviour after he was first offered in a sacrifice upon the hard brazen cursed altar of the crosse clothed with the rich white robe of his Righteousnesse besprinkled with the precious blood of his own sacrifice and with the odoriferous insence thereof did gloriously enter the Tabernacle not made with hands by his infinit merit to make eternall intercession and atonement at the Mercy-seat of Righteousnesse for
Devils darknesse obscuring that glorious light as our blessed Saviour like a malefactor was haled to the judgement hall And though Pilat convinced by the power of this glorious light did thrice pronounce the Lord innocent yet Pilat led by Satans light his tongue condemned the Lord of life But Pilate by hearing one of the murthering crue say Joh. 19.7 that Christ affirmed himself to be the Son of God Pilats heart being prickt again by that word sought to set our Saviour at liberty till another told Pilate Joh. 19.12 13. that if he should do so Pilat should shew himself an enemy to Cesar at which words Pilate fearing by his letting of Christ go free the losse of his place if not his life Pilate delivered the King of glory to the murtherers For the Scribes and Pharisees cryed out that they had a Law and that by that Law Christ ought to die and there was a reason of right for all Our Saviour therefore being delivered to the mercilesse band first Mar. 15.15 he was cruelly scourged a fearfull bloody punishment and of no lesse cruelty according to the judiciall Law used amongest the Jews Secondly his glorious head in derision Mar. 15.17 was crowned with a prickly crown of thornes by the sharp pricks whereof streams of his precious blood did besmear his gracious face and blessed body Thirdly being so bloodily crowned Mat. 27.29 a reedy Scepter was put in his hand by their Apish gestures saluting the King of glory for the king of the Jews though by right descent Christ Jesus was their King indeed Fourthly our Saviour was commanded by the cruell torturors John 19.17 to bear his crosse the curse whereof he was to bear both in soul and body Fifthly our Saviour was with mercilesse cruelty nailed to the crosse and most ignominiously hanged between two notorious thieves Sixtly our Saviour thirsting in the agony of his passion Mat. 27.34.38 was offered the bitter potion of vineger and gall to drink so that all the sensitive powers of the Lord of life the Son of God as he is man from his head to his body hands and feet were most cruelly and mercilesly martyred by the bloody murtherers for the space from the sixth hour to the ninth though nothing to the martyrdome of his burned soul burnt up by the fiery wrath of God from heaven proceeding from the actuall inflicting of the curse of the Law to the sustaining whereof the Son of God as he is man out of his love to man did freely oblige himself by covenant The sustaining of which torture upon the cursed altar of the crosse made our Saviour cry out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me All which miseries proceeding from the curse of the law the Lord of life the eternall Son of God God equall with the Father out of his infinite love to man did predestinate himself by his Decree from all eternity to suffer as he is man And last of all these bloody Helhounds that they might be sure that his glorious light might never shine again John 19.34 did with a spear pierce the Lord of life to the heart of which wound issued blood and water And so much for the brief summary relation of the sacrifice of our Saviour offered for man condemned to the eternall curse of the Law whereby the Son of God Christ Jesus out of his love to man made himself a curse for man to redeem man from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam Next some mysticall concerning points are to be observed of the cruell martyrdome of our blessed Saviour CHAP. III. The mysticall sense of the sacrifice of Christ Jesus the Son of God out of his infinite love to man FIrst by our Saviours coaction to bear his crosse to which he was predestinate by the Decree of God from all eternity The crosse of afflictions of his mysticall members predestinate to be made like to the Image of his afflictions in this life is mystically signified For his mysticall members as they are the Image of his afflictions must participate with their mysticall head and taste of the cup which their mysticall head hath drunk charged up to the brim that as they have suffered with their mysticall head in this life so they may raign in their head crowned with an incorruptible Crown of glory eternally in all heavenly happinesse in the life to come For afflictions is the strait gate in this life whereby his mysticall members must enter into the kingdome of heaven Secondly by our Saviours thirsting upon the cursed altar of the crosse while he was offered the bitter potion of vineger and gall by the torturing helhounds to quench his thirst is mystically signified the eternall torments of the Reprobate in hell burnt up with the actuall inflicting of the curse of the Law in the full extent by the consuming fire of Gods eternall wrath who while as they thirst no other liquor shall they have to quench their unquenchable thirst but the gally dregs of the Devils darknesse with the voluptuous sensitive pleasures whereof they did so surfet in this life Thirdly by the words of our Saviour while he did endure and sustain the curse of the Law upon the cursed altar of the crosse saying My God my God why hast thou forsaken me The extremity of his sustaining of the wrath of God in the full extent in the torturing of his soul is mystically signified as the tortures of his sensitive body by his sensitive martyrdome was patient to all whereby our Saviour did manifest himself true man to the world Fouthly by our Saviours words at the giving up of his Spirit saying John 19 30. It is finished was mystically signified that by his death all the materiall altars and sacrifices all the figures types rites and ceremonies prefigurating the coming and death of the blessed seed were all finished and determined by his death never to be reiterate in the Church of God Fifthly by the darknesse from the sixth hour to the ninth which was the hour of his death at which hour the darknesse vanished was mystically signified that all the cloudy darknesse of the propheticall ceremoniall Law were quite vanished away never to be reiterate in the Church of God Sixthly by the rending of the vail of the Temple at Christs giving up of his Spirit which hath been formerly mentioned the calling of the Gentiles with the Jews in one Church was mystically signified who upon the next day following to wit upon the day of the Lords resurrection from the grave were all actually called in one Church by the new covenant to the great joy and comfort of all the nations of the world Seventhly by the piercing of our Saviours heart with the spear where the intellectuall and sensitive spirits of man as he is man are essentially united It was mystically signified again that all the types figures and rites of the ceremoniall Law prefigurating our Saviours cursed death of the crosse from the foundation of
the world were all pierced as it were to the heart never to be reiterate in the Evangelicall Church of God Eighthly by the blood and water issuing from the wound of our Saviours heart the sacramentall seals of the new Testament were mystically signified For as in the sacrament of Baptisme by the sacramentall water the water of eternall life is signified representing the water issuing from our Saviours wounded heart accompanied with his heart blood whereby the baptized's actuall sins are signified to be washed away and whereby the baptized is raised from his death in actuall sin to the new life of saith to let the baptized and all men understand that actuall sin is washed away by our Saviours heart blood which was accompanied with the water issuing from his wounded heart and therefore it is said by the Apostle 1 John 5.6 This is he that came by water not by water only but by water and blood So in the sacrament of the Lords Supper by the sacramentall bread the bread of eternall life is signified as by the sacramentall wine our Saviours heart blood is signified whereby the bread of life is purchased to let all men understand that the new life of faith is fed and nourished by the bread of life purchased by his sacred blood which bread of life is the Word blessed and sanctified by the Lords infinite merit in the spirituall understanding whereof is eternall life according to our Saviours own word John 17.3 This is life eternall to know thee who is only known by his Word Ninthly by our Saviours last words upon the crosse Luke 23.46 Father into thy hands I commend my Spirit which was our Saviours humane Spirit it was signified that as our Saviour was man the Son of God from all eternity so is man begot by his Father of the seed of the woman in time and every way true man the Son of God Tenthly and lastly by our Saviours outstretched armes nailed to the crosse the new covenant to be made with all the nations of the world was mystically signified again And so much for the mysticall points of the sacrifice of Christ Jesus the eternall Son of God as he is man prefigurate by the sacrifice of the brazen altar offered by the Leviticall high Priest Now since our Saviour was not a Priest after the order of Aaron or Levi the question may be moved What manner of Priesthood was this whereby Christ is said to be a Priest after the order of Melchisedeck CHAP. IV. The reason that Christ is called a Priest after the order of Melchisedeck and the execution of Christs Kingly office while he was upon earth THe Question moved in the former Chapter is commonly answered that the Reason that Christ is said to be a Priest after the order of Melchisedeck is that as Melchisedeck was without father or mother So Christ as he is man is without a naturall father naturally descended of Adam and as he is God Christ is without a mother But this point is warily to be conceived For though it be said that Melchisedeck was without father or mother we must understand the words in this sense that Melchisedeck was without any known father and mother for his parents are concealed by the Scripture not that we should conceive that Melchiseck was not man naturally descended of Adam but for another reason which shall be shewed neither must we conceive that there was any such sacrifice offered by Melchisedeck as was offered by our Saviour For Melchisedeck could offer no other manner of sensitive sacrifice then the sacrifice of the Altar which was commanded by the propheticall Sabbath But Christ Jesus is said to be a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedeck in respect of the eternity of the Priest for Melchisedeck having neither known father or mother or kindred Melchisedeck is said to be without beginning or ending and consequently his Priestly office For there was no lineall succession of the Priestly office till it was established in the Tribe of Levi which did only continue during the formall propheticall ceremoniall obligement of the Law Before which time the Priesthood was in private Families Of this lately declared I infer these three necessary demonstrative conclusions First the Apostles and Apostolicall successors are not Priests or to be called Priests either after the order of Melchisedeck or after the order of Levi For first they can be no Priests or called Priests after the order of Melchisedeck for so their Priesthood must be for ever Secondly they can be no Priests or called Priests after the order or by the name of Levi for so they must be ceremoniall sensitive Priests by offering of ceremoniall sensitive sacrifices and gifts still prefigurating the cursed death of our Saviour whereby the truth of his fulfilled promise of the blessed seed is belied and denied Against this it is objected Our Saviour in the institution of the sacrament of his last Supper before his death as he is high Priest after the order of Melchisedeck did by this blessing of the bread and wine change and transubstanciate the substance of the bread and wine in the reall substance of his body and blood and did offer up his reall body and blood under the externall forms of bread and wine in a propitiatory sensitive sacrifice to his Father for the dead and for the quick which sacrifice is really one with his sacrifice of the crosse after the offering up whereof he did give his sacrificed reall body and blood under the externall forms of bread and wine to his Apostles for the sacrament of his last Supper commanding the Apostles and in the Apostles the Apostolicall successors to offer up his reall body and blood in a propitiatory sensitive sacrifice for the dead and for the quick And after the offering up thereof to give his sacrificed reall body and blood for the sacrament of his last Supper to the communicants The Apostles therefore and the Apostolicall successors by the power and authority of his command are still ceremoniall Priests and must offer this propitiatory sensitive sacrifice at the materiall Altar for the quick and for the dead under the externall forms of bread and wine The question therefore here is not of any metaphoricall sacrifice or of the spirituall sacrifice of the Lords mysticall members commanded to be offered at the spirituall Altar of righteousnesse but of a proper reall sensitive propitiatory sacrifice First I answer to the affirmed propitiatory sacrifice of our Saviours reall body and blood which is pretended to be offered up by our Saviour under the externall forms of bread and wine in the institution of the sacrament of his last Supper before his death which is the main ground of the objection Secondly I answer to the affirmed reall unity of this pretended sacrifice with our Saviours sacrifice of the crosse As for the first it is manifest both by the truth of the sacred History and by the very words of the institution