posture and thus the Jews which have been dead in sins and in trespasses this sixteen hundred years this Spirit of Christ will inliven their dead spirits that so they shall or may receive the said gift of life again for in this sense the gifts and callings of God to mankind are without repentance that is to call men and thus to give them as is said in pursuance of his said final end Again Is it so that the Spirit of Christ strives with the spirits of all sorts of men in the world to preserve and increase the one and to suppress the other as is proved Hence observe That all men which as yet have not the gift of faith are to be carefull that they are faithfull in that little they have received but especially not to resist this Spirit striving with their spirits as we see did Cain the old world Noah's posterity at Babel as did Shems in Terah's and Israel Gods Elect the offspring of Abraham lest God denying them the gift of faith and so his gift of life For then in seeing they shall not see and in understanding they shall not understand and shall never truely nor rightly be able to see the things which do belong to their eternal peace Again Is it so That this Spirit of Christs thus strives with all men of the world and also with all men in the visible Churches of Christ and also with the invisible Members as is proved then let them which think they have the true Spirit of faith in God and love to God and their neighbour kindled in their breasts by this Spirit of Christs beware they quench not the Spirits flame of love and firm faith by inordinate cares and love of this worlds profits or pleasurable lusts lest they having begun in the Spirit doe end in the flesh and reap corruption Again Is it so that the Spirit of Christ thus strives and effects in the hearts of the invisible Members of Christs true faith and love and other graces Then hence observe That although in attaining eternal life they can do nothing but in that Christ alone doth all and also that in the gift of internal light of Christ and in the gift of faith and in the gift of other graces and in the increase and grouth of them the invisible members of Christ are meerly passive in all this yet hence observe That by the same spirit of faith and love they are inabled to keep their hearts with care and diligence so that no man or power shall take away their Crown of comfort and hope of glory First because in the said gifts they have received the spirit of love of power and of a sound mind in some degree therefore they are able so to doe A second Reason is this The Spirit of Christ is at hand when they so put forth that power they have not only to assist them to keep their hearts in these endeavours but also to add that wherein they are meerly passive as I said before namely to add the increase of all these graces they have and so they grow from strength to strength in Sion and therefore they may and are able to keep their hearts as is said And therefore saith our Lord As I say unto all men so I say unto you Watch lest ye enter into temptation The Reason why I call the third in the one God or the third Person in Trinity the Spirit of Christ is this Because that as all that the Father hath is Christ's in pursuance of this said final end so Christ by the third in the one Iehovah in Gods mercifull voice in the Creation and most eminently and most properly by the voice of the Gospel in the tongue of man to man by the Ministry of this Spirit doth strive with the spirits of all men to depress the mind of the Devil in them and to implant the similitude of the mind of Christ in them which is mans sanctification in order to the Fathers will to a right receiving of his said righteousness imputed to their eternal life or to be either as is proved CHAP. IX In which is handled the fifth branch of the manifold wisdom of God precedently propounded and the last ingredients which makes up the said posture namely that God by the seed of the woman immediately after the fall gave a rule suitable to all men to work or operate by in reference to his said final end THis Point divides it self into three parts two whereof are handled in this Chapter the third in the next The first declares unto all men who it is that Governs them by this Rule for a Governor is imployed The second is to let all men see what this Rule is The third is that all men may see how suitable this rule is unto them Of these in their order As for the first Certainly he that restoreth all mankind out of the falne mass of death into the said posture to receive the said gift of life he it is that governs man by his own Rule and therefore saith man believing truth To us a Child is born and to us a Son is given and the Government shall be laid upon his shoulders and his name shall be called Wonderfull Councellor and the mighty God and so forth And saith the Lord himself Esa 9.6 All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth and then goes on governing all men in this Government by his Apostles by the said suitable rule Mat. 28.18 19. For he commanded them saying Mar. 16.16 Goe ye therefore into all the world and Preach the Gospel to every creature He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved but he that will not believe shall be damned From this ground it is that the Father judgeth no man because he committeth all judgement to the Son John 5.22 So much for the first Point Secondly That all men may see what this Rule is And in a word it is no more but this namely The Tenor of the Gospel and that is a Rule of Justice and Mercy for the Gospel it self is one thing and its Tenor is another and the Gospel it self is no more but this Gods highest mercy manifested by Christ to man to relieve him out of his deepest misery First implyed immediately upon the fall Gen. 3.15 Luke 2.10 11. when God said unto the Serpent The seed of the woman shall bruise thy head Secondly In the fulness of time when the Angel said Behold I bring you glad tidings of great joy that shall be unto all people that is That unto you is born this day in the City of David a Saviour which is Christ the Lord and the Gospels Tenor is no more but this as is said A Rule of Justice and Mercy for all men to work by and not a Rule of Justice only as was that to Adam in his innocency before the fall in pursuance of Gods said final end For proof of this Point the Oracles
that posture in which they might receive the said gift of eternal life wherefore saith the Apostle The Scriptures fore-seeing that God would justifie the Heathen through faith Preach the Gospel before unto Abraham saying In thee shall all the Nations be blessed Hence observe Observe that in the said taking hold of this Nation in Abrahams loyns or seed God not only elected that Nation to be as a part of the whole nature of man but as such to be Christs visible Church and Spouse I say the nature of man as such but not Angels nature as such nor elected he this Nation upon his fore-sight of their faith or believing operations Esa 44.1 Psal 147.20 but to be put in the said posture in which they might believe and in believing operations receive the said gift of eternal life Rom. 3.2 Hos 2.19.20 For unto them was committed the Oracles of God when denyed to all Nations wherefore saith God to this Nation I will marry thee unto me for ever and so forth Rom. 11.29.30 in pursuance of my final end for that 's imply'd and in this sense the gifts and calling of God are without repentance From this ground God did call the Gentiles to the said posture and so will the Iews that now lay in their apostacy and I say in this sense the gifts and callings of God are without repentance to mankind with respect to his said final end Observe Again observe this Election conferred upon that Nation the greatest honour that ever any Nation had Nationally considered First that of them concerning the flesh Christ came who is God over all blessed for ever The second was the aforesaid Election of humane nature as such in them to be Christs Spouse elect Rom. 9.5 The third was this as saith our Lord Salvation is of the Iews John 4.22 because the Oracles that were committed to them was from them derived being the light of eternal peace to all Nations that then sate in darkness or shades of death Observe Again observ that this election confer'd not their being nor their being so honor'd for their own sakes no more then any other people who had none of these honorsbut only for Gods own namesake in pursuance of his said final end Esa 43.25 Esa 48 9.11 Ezek. 36.29 30.31 Not for your sakes do I these things saith the Lord God be it known unto you O House of Israel So Samuel tels them saying The Lord will not forsake his people for his great names sake 1 Sam. 12. c. 22. because it hath pleased him to make you his people Again Observe Observe that the visibility of Christs Church is in the flesh or bodily part of man or in bodily operations which as saith our Lord profiteth little therefore let all men within the visible Churches of Christ Tim. 1.4.8 take heed they perish not in making the visibility of their profession their religion but to be sure to make eternal life as obtained by Christ and so Christ their Religion in their Intellectual spirit and in truth according to the Scriptures for the quintescence of true Religion is invisible because as God and Christ the object is invisible so the intellectual acts of mans belief or credit he gives to God and acts of love are invisible Rom. 2.28.29 whose praise is of God and not of men that cannot see invisibly or invisible things CHAP. VI. In which is opened the second Branch propounded That as Adams unrighteousnesse in its guilt and punishment by God imputatively in the falne Mass was extended unto all mankind even so in that falne Mass the righteousness of the seed of the woman was by God imputatively extended to all mankind to justification of life that is to put them in a posture in which they may receive his said gift of life eternal or to be either as is said FOr proof of this Point the Scripture saith Ioh 1.29 Therefore as by the offence of one judgement came upon all men to condemnation Rom. 5.18 Heb. 2.9 1 Ion 2.2 2 Cor. 5.14 1 Cor. 15.22 even so the free gift of the righteousness of one came upon all men to justification of life Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world Again men from their believing operations in Scripture speaks the same for say they We see Jesus who was made a little lower then the Angels for suffering of death crowned with glory and honour that he by the grace of God should taste of death for every man and he is the propitiation for our sins and not for our sins only but for the sins of the whole world and we thus judge that if one died for all then were all dead And as in Adam all died even so in Christ shall all be made alive that is to the said posture in which they might receive life as well as to receive judgement according to their works good or evil Again the same men say also that all things are of God who hath reconciled us to himself in Iesus Christ and hath given unto us that is Us Apostles and those that succeed us in the Ministry of Reconciliation to wit that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself and not imputing their trespasses unto them And then the Apostle demonstrates a reason of this reconciliation of all mankind into the said posture namely because God hath made Christ to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him But sin inherently was not in him nor actually committed by him for the Text saith He knew no sin and himself saith Sathan has nothing in me therefore he was only imputatively made sin for us and contrarily we were imputatively only made the righteousness of God in him to justification and acceptation into the said posture to a right reception of the said gift of eternal life in pursuance of Gods said final end Therefore as by one mans offence death reigned by one much more they namely believers which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reigne in life by one Iesus Christ Thus all mankind were put into the said posture by the imputation of Christs righteousness Again if the whole frame of nature was put into a posture by Christs righteousness imputed in opposition to the unrighteousness imputed of Adam as is proved and so travelleth untill now from the bondage of corruption to be partakers of the glorious liberty of the Sons of God then much more did the force of the imputation of that righteousness put the principal part of the frame of Nature namely man into the said posture of reception of eternal life Hence observe that the imputed guilt and punishment of Adams one offence and the imputed gift of Christs one righteousness were both of one universal extent to the whole Creation and so to all mankind the principal part thereof for even as
Christ by Jude 2 Epist Joh. 3.12 Jude ver 7. concludes the execution of the justice of the said Rule upon Cain as upon Balaam and Corah and so a vessel of dishonour for ever consequently thus God executed his final end upon those of the old world who were without the Church 2 Pet. 2.5 that is which were not of the Family-Churches of the first ten Fathers before the Flood for the Text saith God spared not the old world and brought in the Flood upon the world of ungodly and the like execution after the Flood on men without the Church namely Noah's posterity Rom. 2.11 12. when they became Heathens upon their confounding and scattering at Babel for of them the Text saith As many as have sinned without Law shall perish without Law and God will render to every man according to his deeds Consequently thus this execution doth and shall proceed upon men without the Church to the worlds end So much for those without the Church Secondly concerning the visible Church God declared this execution impartially unto Cain when he was a member of the visible Church when he said unto him If thou dost well Shalt thou not be accepted meaning as is Abel thy brother implying Yea most certainly thou shalt But if thou dost not well sin lies at thy dore And accordingly the justice and mercy of this Rule was executed upon Abel for because his operations were Right in belief Heb 11.4 therefore according to the justice of this Rule God rewarded his labour of love by mercy receiving him into glory in the imputed righteousness of his Son both which is implyed in the Text which saith By faith Abel offered unto God a more acceptable sacrifice then Cain and obtained witness that he was righteous consequently thus the Lord proceeded in execution in the Families of the ten Fathers before the Flood and it is implyed Genesis the fixth in that he took special notice of their degeneration from their operations to him in their posture to amity with the world in that the Text saith The Sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair and took them wives of all which they chose for thus did God when there was but one Family-Church of Christs left and that was Noahs for saith God to him Come thou and thy house into the Ark for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation that is Thee only for that is implyed Again this execution proceeded thus upon the Family-Churches of Christ after the Flood as is implyed in the eleventh of Genesis For there all that did apostate at Babel and were scattered from being a visible Church of Christ their names are wholly left out in the Genealogy of Noah in that Chapter implying this execution had cut them off and left them in the vanity of their minds to perish excepting some few of them which did seek honour and glory in that narrow way to eternal life as before is proved but the contrary it implies the mercy of this rule was executed upon Shems Family-Church of Christ Gen. 11.10 to verse last which kept to this posture and so were preserved to be vessels of honour as is implyed in this that Shems Family their names are all upon Record their births their lives their deaths written as it were in the book of life Again thus this impartial execution proceeded upon the next visible Church which sprang out of Terah's idolatrous brood namely elect in Abrahams seed then unborn to be a visible national Church of Christ as before is proved and of this Church the Text doth say Although the number of the children of Israel be as the sand on the Seas shore a remnant shall be saved for God will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness that is according to this righteous rule of justice and mercy and therefore when the generality of that people did degenerate by undervaluing the righteousness of Christ which as to us so to them was the righteousness of God in which was included life and glory for them by overvaluation of their own works and operations in that posture they were in by this they brought on the execution of the justice of the said rule of mercy as is implyed in the Text which saith They sought it not by faith but as it were by the works of the Law and they stumbled at that stone they being ignorant of Gods righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God and thus they fell by degrees under the execution of Gods said final end this sixteen hundred years and now are to this day no visible Church of Christ Again the next visible Churches of Christ to this were those under the New Testament and were chosen and elected into those Churches by a new way as never none was before that is only of believers according to the judgement of charity and not mixt of believers and undbelievers as it was in the said Family-Churches from the beginning now as in the Jewish Churches to the times of the Gospel and the said admittance into the Church as believers only under the Gospel unvailed is implyed in the words of our Lord in his great Commission Rev. 2.12 Rev. 2.7 And as more may appear at large in c. 2 3. He that believeth and is baptized that is he that believeth and is received into the Church by Baptism is in the Ark of salvation and God executes his final end by the said just and mercifull rule as before some to honour some to dishonour according to their works to eternity as appears in those Epistles to the seven Churches of Asia in that the Lord Christ takes special notice of their good works and their bad to their good works in the said posture he makes gracious promises and incouragements as that he will give them a Crown of life and so forth and for their several evil works many grievous threatnings among the rest to remove their Candlestick of light and life in him and so to leave them in darkness as vessels of dishonour for ever that is to be no Churches of his Again thus God executes his final end by the justice and mercy of the Gospels Tenor upon the invisible members of Christs mystical body according to their works good or bad some to honour some to dishonour for ever for Paul speaking of these men as of himself saith We walk by faith and not by sight implying they were the invisible members of Christ which walk not by sight only as do those which are only visible members Wherefore we labour saith he being present or absent we may be accepted of him And in the next words he gives a reason why they do so 1 Cor. 3.16 17. namely We must all appear before the judgement Seat of Christ that every one may receive the things done in his body according to that