AN EXACT COLLECTION OF THE WORKS OF Doctor Iackson P. of C. C. C. Oxon Such as were not Published before CHRIST EXERCISING HIS EVERLASTING PRIESTHOOD Mans Freedom from Servitude to Sin effected by Christ sitting at the Right Hand of God and there Officiating as a most Compassionate High-priest in behalf of Sinners OR A TREATISE OF THAT KNOWLEDGE of CHRIST which Consists in the true Estimate or Experimental Valuation of his Death Resurrection and Exercise of his Everlasting Sacerdotal Function in the Heavenly Sanctuarie where he now sitteth at the Right Hand of God the Father THIS ESTIMATE Cannot be rightly made without a Right Understanding of the Primaeval State of Adam Of the Nature of Sin How it first came How it still comes into the World Of Mans Servitude unto Sin Of Free-will How we are sett Free by Christ Of Mortification Election Reprobation All which with other Considerable particulars as of the Use of Reason and Arts in Controversies of Divinitie of Baptism the Lords Supper c. are As an Introduction to Christs Priesthood discoursed on in this Tenth Book of Comments on the Creed AND VSEFVLL TABLES ADDED Verily Verily He that committeth Sin is the Servant of Sin If the Son make you Free then ye shall be Free indeed LONDON Printed by R. Norton for Timothie Garthwait at the little North-Door of S. Pauls Church 1654. THE PREFACE To the Christian and Considerate Reader Grace Mercy c. AS to the Great Richness and Goodly Number of This Author's Writings I shall not here say much having spoken most of what I had to say anent Those two Points in The Account or Preface set before the First Volume of His Workes Printed in Folio the last year And yet Thus much I shall say That I am dayly more and more confirmed in my Judgement There passed upon them being likewise perswaded of This That though it be but the Addition of one Single Unitie to the former Number of his Bookes yet will it prove a Multiplyed Accession of Degrees to the weight and excellency of them I shall perhaps better gratifie The Reader if I can present unto his View any Observables worthy his Notice Concerning the Method and References both of This present and Those his other writings published in His Life-Time And such as I think may be usefull do here follow 1. Of this Great Author's Bookes of Commentaries upon the Creed with their Respective Appendices The Five First I Beleive in God viz. The 1 2 3. Of the Eternal Truth of Scripture c. The 4. Of Justifying Faith The 5. Of the Original of Unbeleif Misbeleif c. Relate unto or Explicate the first Words of the First Article of The Creed 2. His Sixt Book being A Treatise of the Divine Essence and Attributes to which append his Sermons upon 2. God The Father Almighty maker of Heaven and Earth Chron. 6. 39. upon Jeremie 26. 29. His Treatise of the Signes of The Times and his Sermon upon Luke 21. 1. Referres to the next words of The Creed Now if any shall Object That nigh the One Half of these Treatises and Sermons too are about Divine Providence of which there is no explicit mention in the Creed The Answer is readie and easie So they ought to be it was meet and right they should be so The Good God that made the world with all the comely Ornaments and rich Furniture thereof did neither leave it to it self so soon as it was made nor transmit the Tuition of it to a Guardian or Locum-Tenens but ever did and still doth keep the Government in That Hand which with so great wisdom made the same And His verie Title 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 His Son our Saviour's Words Pater meus adhuc operatur teach us to depend upon and trust unto his Constant Providence and support for Conservation And This as a Clew leads or as a Terminus Communis Couples our Faith to his Creative power 3. His Two Sermons the Former of them Call'd Bethlehem and Nazareth upon Jeremie 31. 22. The later upon Galat. 4. 4. enstyled Mankinds Comfort from the weaker sex His Treatise entituled Christ's Answer to Iohn's Question or An Introduction to the Knowledge of Christ His 7. Book of Commentaries upon the Creed Call'd The Knowledge of Christ Jesus Containing The Principles of Christian Theologie And in Jesus Christ his onely Son our Lord which was Conceived by the the Holy Ghost Born of the Virgin Mary qua Talis Christ's Eternal Sonship his Conception Birth and Circumcision in the Fulness of Time being if not the intire Subject yet the Main Scope of these last mentioned parcels respectively referre to that Portion of The Creed wherein we avouch our Faith in The Son of God our Lord Jesus Christ incarnate 4. The Subject of this Great Author's Eighth Book of Commentaries upon The Apostles Creed enstyled Suffered under Pontius Pilate was Crucified Dead and Buried The Humiliation of the Son of God is the same God and our Lord who was conceived by The Holy Ghost and born of the Virgin Marie And The Scope of it is to shew That HEE according to the Scripture before Extant 5. His ninth Book Of the Consecration of the Son of God to his Everlasting Priesthood whereof His Agonie and Bloody Death His Rest in the Grave and in this Authors private opinion see Book 8. pag. 385 He descended into Hell the third day he rose again from the Dead He ascended into Heaven His descension into Hell His Resurrection and Ascension were Respectively the several Giests or Moments some as preparations others as Continuations some as Accomplishments others as Consequents Lookes back somewhat towards the former and forward somewhat toward these Later particulars of the Creed 6. All the Tracts or Books mentioned in the three last Paragraphs for those be They which Directly Destinately and Immediately treat of Christian Theologie qua Talis make but up The First and more Easie Part of The Knowledge of Christ And This to use the Author 's own words Consists in the display of that most admirable Harmonie which ariseth from the Concent of Prophetical with Evangelical Writings or from the Correspondencie of Parallels between Matters of Fact recorded in the Old Testament and the Events answering in proportion to them in the New 7 This Tenth Book not published till now is addressed to The Second part of The Knowledge of Christ which Consists in the True Experimental Valuation of His Vndertakings for mans Redemption viz. Of His taking upon Himself the Form of a Servant of His Death Resurrection and Ascension Of all which several steps or progresses of His O Economie as also of the whole Volume of His other whether Actings or Sufferings for us The most precious Beneficial Effects and saving Influences are Actually and only Derived unto us by the Continued Acts and Constant Exercise of His Everlasting Priesthood executed dayly in The Heavenly Sanctuarie by Him there Sitting
from the Forbidden Act or desire It was impossible there should be one Cause of the Act and another Cause of the Obliquity or deformity whether unto Gods Laws or unto God himself For no Relation or Entity meerly relative such are obliquity and deformity can have any other Cause beside That which is the Cause of the Fundamentum or Foundation whence They immediately result It remains then that we acknowledg the old Serpent to have been the First Author and Man whom God created male and female to have been the true positive Cause of that Obliquity or deformity which did result by inevitable Necessity from the forbidden Act or desire which could have no Necessary Cause at all For the Devil or old Serpent could lay no absolute necessity upon our First Parents Will which the Almighty Creator had left Free to eat or not to eat of the Forbidden Fruit. That they did de Facto eat of it was not by any Necessity but meerly Contingently or by abuse of that Free-will which God had given them Briefly to say or think that our First Parents were necessitated by the Divine Decree to that Act or any part of that Act or desire whence the First sin did necessarily result or to imagine that the Act or desire was necessary in respect of Gods Decree is to lay a deeper and fouler charge upon the Almighty That Holy One then we can without slander charge the Devil withall 5. Charity binds me to impute the harsh Expressions of some good Writers and wel-deserving of all reformed Churches Yea the Errors of the Dominicans or other Schoolmen which were more faulty then Zwinglius or his followers in this point rather unto Incogitancy or want of Skill in good Arts then unto Malice or such malignancy as the Lutheran long ago had furiously charged upon the Calvinist as if they had chosen the Devil not the Father of lights Much wrong done to worthy writers by unskilful Apologizers for their harsh expresons maker of heaven and earth to be their God And I could heartily wish that Pareus had not entered into that Dispute with Becanus about this Controversie But seeing I cannot obtain my wish I must be sorry that he came off no better then he did especially for Calvins Credit or for his own I did not believe the relation of the conference which I read long ago in Canisius until I read the like set forth by * Tum D. Serarius Scimus Vestros ita distinguere quod non improbamus Calvinus vero in scriptis suis omnem Dei permissionem in peccatis simpliciter rejicit Et opera malorum etiam quoad malitiam efficaciae Dei tribuit atque sic Deum Authorem Peccari manifestè facit Ego verò Utrum haec sit Calvini sententia quam Vos Eitribuitis postea videbimus Jam accipio quod datis Nostros quos Calvinistas vocatis â—o modo quo dixi distinguere Quódque distinctionem nostram non potestis improbare Hinc verò evidentèr conficitur Calvinistas quos vocatis Deum peccati Autorem nequaquam facere Ac proinde salsam esse D. Becani Minorem quòd Calvinistae faciant Deum Authorem peccati eóque Conclusionem esse calumniosam quòd Calvinistarum Deus sit Diabolus Pareus himself wherein he professeth that he likes better of Cardinal Bellarmines opinion then of Calvins Concerning the Controversies or Questions about the First Cause of sinning But were it any part of my present task I could easily make it appear even by the Testimony and Authority or which is more by the concludent Arguments of some learned Jesuits themselves That Cardinal Bellarmin and many others of Aquinas his followers do make God to be the Author of sin Ibi D. Serarius pro ingenio suo intelligens nodum Ergo inquit deleatur illud starum Erit tamen Diabolus Calvini si non Calvinistarum Deus Quo dicto D. Becanus subrubescens cum Socii ingenuitatem improbare non auderet subjecit ipse Benè deleatur starum Manebit tamen Deus Calvini Diabolus Tum Ego dextra eis praebita pro tanta liberalitate gratias agens Satis mihi nunc est inquam quòd fatemini starum delendum esse ut jam non Calvinistarum sed Calvini Deus secundum Vos sit Diabolus Pareus Act. Swalbacen Parte 1. Coll. 2. De Autore Peccati by as clear infallible Consequence as either Zwinglius or Piscator have done And he that would diligently peruse Aquinas his writings and in particular his resolution of that Question An detur Causa Praedestinationis may find him as strait-lac'd as Calvin was one and the same girdle would be an equall and competent measure for both their Errors The best Apology that can be made for Either must be taken from the Romane Satyrists charity Opere in longo fas est obrepere somnum Calvin and Aquinas were Homines 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is somewhat more then Authors of long works Authors of many various works in respect of the several subjects or arguments which is the best apologie that Jansenius could make for St. Jeromes contradicting of himself in several works as Espenseus doth the like for Saint Austin 6. But of that Pardon which learned Men that wrot much and handled many much different matters may justly challenge such as stand to be their followers though afarr off are no way Capable Men I meane who having other ordinary works or vocations to follow do busie their braines and abuse their Auditors or Readers with idle and frivolous Apologies for those slips or errors of worthy writers which stand more in need of ingenuous censure of mild interpretation or Correction then a Justifiable Defence More there have not been as I hope nor more peccant in this kinde in any of reformed Churches then In this Church of England though not Of it Some Treatises I have read and heard for justifying the Escapes or ill expressions of Calvin and Beza by improving their words into a worse and more dangerous sense then they themselves meant them in or their Followers in the Churches wherein they lived did interpret them Had these Vnscholastick Apologizers been called to a strict account or examination of their Doctrine by the Rules of Art this haply would have bred a new Question in our Schooles Whether to attribute such Acts or decrees unto God as they do and yet withall to deny that they concludently make him the Author of sin doth not argue as great a measure of Artificiall Foppery or which is more to be feared in some of Supernaturall Infatuation as it would do of impietie toresolve dogmatically in Terminis terminantibus That God is the Author of Sin CHAP. VI. The usuall distinction between the Act and obliquitie of the Act can have no place in the first oblique Act of our first Parents 1. The Illustration of the forementioned distinction retorted upon such as use it THe former Question or Probleme might
then at any time as hitherto at all times he hath done deferre the execution of Justice upon us which our adversarie dayly sollicites against us he defers it at the Plea or Intercession of this our Advocate not for our own sakes And it is worth the noteing that as the reason why the Psalmist will not have us ioyn issue with our adversary in point of Justice is because No flesh is righteous in Gods sight so our Apostle to shew that our Advocate though partaker with us of flesh blood is Exempted from this Vniversal Negative enstyles Him by the name of Jesus Christ the righteous If He were not righteous even in Gods sight He could be no fitt Advocate to stand betwixt us and Gods Justice to avert his Judgements from and draw down his mercy and blessing upon us But in respect of what sinnes is Jesus Christ the Righteous said to be our Advocate an Advocate even for the Elect and regenerate Is he their Advocate onely in respect of sinnes committed before their regeneration or before their Confirmation in Grace or an Advocate also for the remission of those sinnes which they have committed after their regeneration by Baptism or after the increase of Justifying or sanctifying Grace whether procured by receiving of Christs Body and Blood or by other meanes If our Advocate he were onely in respect of sinnes committed before Baptism or of sinnes inherent by nature the Apostle had not said If any man sin we have an Advocate but if any man hath sinned he hath an Advocate or Intercession is alreadie made for him by his Advocate The title which he bestowes upon his Disciples Little Children argues them to have been in his esteem men regenerate and more free as he hoped from ordinary sinnes than other men at the least he wrote unto them to the end that they should not sin after they had been cleansed from their sinnes but yet he addes if any man shall hereafter fall into any sin We He saith not YOU as takeing himself included in the number of those which stood in need of Advocation have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous This implyes that Christ doth not cease to execute the Office of an Advocate for the regenerate so long as they live here on earth For it is not the Office of any Advocate to plead for the remission of those sinnes which are alreadie remitted or from which he knowes his Clients to be cleare exempted before they have committed them If then the son of God make intercession for the sinnes of the Elect or regenerate whilest they live here on earth their sinnes are not remitted untill He have made intercession for them nor doth He intercede for actual sinnes till after they be committed 10. However if the Son of God be our Advocate onely unto God the Father It is the Advocate 's Office to plead for pardon The Iudge which hath Power whether in respect of sinnes past or now present He as Advocate doth onely plead our Pardon It is God the Father then which must grant the Pardon and if every sin be a work of Satan the pardoning of sin is the Dissolution or destruction of the work of Satan How then is it said that the Son of God doth destroy or dessolve the workes of Satan in us As the Almighty Father is said to have made the world for he spake the word and it was made yet he made it by the Eternal Word his Onely Son so albeit the Father likewise do give the Fiat or Warrant that our sinnes may be remitted or that the workes of Satan may be dissolved in us yet they must be dissolved by the Son as immediatly by the Son as the world was Created by the Son 1 Iob. 2. 1 2. For this reason the Apostle in the forecited place doth not content himself with the onely Title of Advocate but adds withall that he is the Propitiation for our sinnes and not for ours onely but for the sinnes of the whole world He saith not though that be most true He hath made the Propitiation for our sin lest haply any man should hence collect that all his sinnes were forgiven before they were committed because the Propitiation was made for them before they were committed For albeit the Propitiatorie Sacrifice was of value infinite and all-sufficient for the full ransom of the World yet is it not sufficient for us which believe that Christ dyed for us to look onely upon the Propitiation which he then Made for us for that is past but upon himself as he still continues the propitiation for our sinnes so saith the Apostle He is the propitiation for our sinnes not onely an Advocate to plead for us unto his Father that our sinnes may be remitted but this request being granted he is withall the High Priest which must remit them and not our high priest onely but the Propitiation by which Every work of Satan in us must immediately be dissolved Again though all unto whom St. John wrote this Epistle were not regenerate yet it is certaine that all such as walk in the light are regenerate yet saith St. John Chap. 1. 7. If we walk in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son what hath it done Cleansed us from all our sinnes Though that be in a good sense most true yet our Apostle doth not So speak Lest haply such as had attained unto this Communion of Saints or participation with the Children of Light being thus farre cleansed by Christs bloud might take occasion to think that all their sinnes aswel those that are to come as those which were past were already pardoned by him or that they were as truly cleansed from the guilt of sinnes future as of sins already committed past But the Apostle making himself one of the number to whom he speaks says If WE walk in the light the bloud of Iesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin that is it never ceaseth to cleanse the Elect or regenerate from the sins which they never cease in some measure or other to committ or harbour in them And if there were not a perpetual Remission of our sinnes or if this cleansing us from our sinnes by the bloud of Christ were not as perpetual and continual as our Commission of sinne is our Case even the Case of men regenerate would be Lamentable So farre is it from truth that the sinnes of any man be forgiven before they be committed or that any man is by the bloud of Christ actually cleansed from those sinnes which as yet have not actually polluted his soul and conscience that as bad Diet casts men into a Relapse of those diseases from which they had been lately cured so the sinnes which we commit this hour will call our former sinnes to remembrance in Gods sight until these later as well as the former be actually forgiven or
hearts sprinkled from an evill conscience and our bodies washed with pure water Heb. 10. 19 20 21 22. He consecrated the Way it self by his Bloudy sacrifice upon the Cross from the very moment in which the Vail did rend asunder the door was opened and the Way prepared But we must be qualifyed for walking in this way and for entring into this heavenly Sanctuary by the present exercise of his everlasting Priesthood which is a Priesthood of blessing not of sacrifice And yet he blesseth us by communicating the vertue and efficacie of his Everlasting Sacrifice unto our soules This participation and this Blessing by it the full expiation of our sinnes we are to expect from his heavenly Sanctuary 3. See Book 9. Chapt 19. God saith the Apostle Hebrews 6. 17. willing more abundantly to shew unto the heires of promise the immutabilitie of his Counsel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 interposed himself by an oath or word by word he mediated by an Oath The Tenor of this Oath as you have heard before was That he would requite Abraham as we say in kind * See Book 8. Chapt. 30. and Book 9. Chap. 17 That as Abraham was then willing to offer up his Son his only Son Isaac in bloudy sacrifice unto him So he would offer or give His Only Son for Abraham and for all such as should follow his Example of Faith and obedience It was in the same promise confirmed by oath implyed That This only Son of God should be the seed of Abraham that in this one seed of Abraham all the nations of the earth should be blessed That for the derivation of this Blessing upon all the Nations upon earth this seed of Abraham should be made a Priest after the order of Melchisedek The hope in this Promise thus confirmed by oath to Abraham is by the Apostle in the same 6. Chap. ver 19. termed an Anchor of the soule Both sure and stedfast But why an Anchor sure and stedfast Because it entreth into that within the vaile to wit into the Heavenly Sanctuary which was prefigured by the Most Holy Place within the material Tabernacle or earthly Sanctuary into which none might come besides the high priest nor he saveing once a year and then not without Blood For he was to purifie or sanctifie it by the blood of the sacrifices which were offered without the Camp or Congregation upon the day of the Attonement And thus The Son of God being crucified without the City of Jerusalem did by his blood then shed enter into the heavenly Sanctuary and even purifie it by his blood Heb. 19. 23 24. But what doth our hope apprehend within the vail The Apostle tells us Heb. 6. 20. Even Jesus made an high priest after the order of Melchisedek that is an high priest to blesse us in the Name of the Most High God to make us blessed even blessed as the Sonnes of God or such as he himself as man is that is Kings and Priests unto our God That this his Priesthood is a Priesthood of Blessing and offereth the Blessing promised unto Abraham to all the Nations of the Earth aswell unto the Gentile as unto the Jew though in the first place unto the Jew St. Peter witnesseth Acts. 3. 25 26. Te are the Children of the Prophets and of the Covenant which God made with our Fathers saying unto Abraham and in thy seed shall all the Kindreds of the Earth be Blessed Vnto you FIRST God having raysed up his Son Jesus sent him to blesse you in turning away every one of you from his Iniquities 4. Yet seeing he entred not into the heavenly Sanctuary without blood seeing he purified Even Heaven it self by his Blood We may not expect the Blessing promised unto Abraham otherwise than by the Vertue of his Blood nor may we expect that his Blood or Vertue of it should be communicated to us otherwise than by the Exercise or Office of his everlasting Priesthood unto which he was consecrated by his blood He now workes the like Cures in our soules by the Vertue of this Priesthood which he wrought in mens Bodies whilest he lived here on earth by the Vertue or presence of his Prophetical Function We may Baptize with water in his Name and with water sanctified by his blood yet unless he baptize with the spirit sent from his heavenly Sanctuary and say unto every one whome we Baptize as he did unto the Leper I will be thou clean our washing is but in vain our whole Action is but a Ceremonie We his Priests or ministers may upon Confession made unto us either in General or in Particular Absolve his people from their sinnes for this Authoritie he hath given us whose sinnes ye remitt they are remitted whose sinnes ye retaine they are retained Yet unless He by his spirit or sweet influence of Grace say unto the soule whom we Absolve as he some-times did unto the man sick of the Palsy Be of good chear thy sinnes be forgiven thee Our Absolution is but a Complement although without our Absolution he do not in this sort Absolve his people oftentimes from their sinnes We may Consecrate the Elements ofBread Wine and administer them so consecrated as Vndoubted Pledges of his Bodie and Blood by which the new Covenant was sealed and the General Pardon purchased Yet unless he grant some actual Influence of his spirit and suffer such Vertue to goe out from his Humane Nature now placed in his Sanctuarie as he once did unto the woman that was cured of her Issue of blood unless this Vertue do as immediately reach our Soules as it did her bodie we do not Really receive his Body and Blood with the Elements of Bread and Wine We do not so receive them as to have our sinnes remitted or dissolved by them we do not by receiving them become of his flesh and of his Bones We gain no degree of Real Vnion with him which is the Sole Use or fruit of his Real Presence Christ might be Locally Present as he was with many here on earth and yet not Really Present But with whomsoever he is Vertually Present that is to whomsoever he communicates the Influence of his Bodie and Blood by his spirit he is Really Present with them though Locally Absent from them Thus he was really present with the woman which was cured of her bloodie issue by touching the hemme of his garment But not so really present with the multitude that did throng and press upon him that were locally more present with him She did not desire so much as to touch his Bodie with her hand for she said in her self If I may but touch the Hemme of his garmennt I shall be whole And yet by our Saviours interpretation She did touch him more immediately than they which were neerer unto him which thrust or thronged him And the reason why she alone did more immediately touch him than any of the rest was because Vertue of healing did