or disquiet us then our peace must needs be great This love of God is manifested to us many ways As 1 By Trials Chastisements Corrections which are bitter for the present sweet in the end so that we know God in these was not angry but did love us 2 By strange and wonderful Deliverances wherein his Power his Wisdom and special love unto us do evidently appear 3 By the return of our prayers which is many times such as that we certainly know that we were heard in Heaven and God did far more for us then we desired or could have desired 4 And most of all when we find our Faith strengthned our Graces increased our Power over Sin improved For by these things we know assuredly that God by the Spirit of Christ dwells in us and we are very sensible of his powerful presence in our Souls as in his Temple By these things when we look back we begin to discover God's everlasting love in Predestination and those stable and unchangeable Decrees made in Christ before the Foundation of the World And when we look forward we see Heaven open Christ our Saviour at his Fathers right hand making intercession for us our Eternal Mansions there by him prepared and an excellent estate of glory ready for us as reconciled and adopted to this estate And upon our Prayers our Eyes are enlightned so that we gain a further knowledge of the hope of his Calling and the Riches of the glory of his Inheritance in his Saints and of the exceeding greatness of his power towards us The more we do good and suffer ill for his sake the greater and more certain our hope of eternall glory is And though we live by hope and see somewhat dimly our heavenly Country afar off and have but some glimmerings of the eternal light that there doth ever shine yet for the present Faith is the substance of these things hoped for and the evidence of these things that are not seen nor enjoyed These imperfect Representations and apprehensions of this glorious estate do inflame our hearts with vehement desires of nearer approaches to our God cause us to presse with all our power towards our heavenly Prize and warmes our hearts with unspeakable joy because we know one day we shall have full Communion with our God and shall never be in danger to sin again Yet this joy § XIV and Peace may be interrupted much abated and sometimes seem to be extinct for a while For according to our neglect and abatement in the exercise of that Sanctifying Power God hath given us and the use of those meanes and our opportunities he hath afforded so our peace and joy abate And much more are they lessened and abated by our grievous sins As by word and prayer this heavenly fire was first kindled so by these it 's kept alive and increased Fervent and frequent prayers serious meditations upon Gods holy Precepts and his gracious Promises with constant practise are like fewel to this fire and like Bellows to stirr it up and cause it burn with a clearer and more ardent flame and so improve this joy unto an high degree But as when we either withdraw the fewel or powre water upon the fire it 's abated and ready to be quenched so by neglect of the former duties and especially by grievous sins we grieve and offend the blessed spirit of joy peace comfort and so he begins to withdraw himself Therefore let us not with Ephesus fall from our first love nor with Laodicea cool in our zeal nor with David contract the guilt of haynous Crimes For we must know that the most just God will judge his own people according to their Works and so reward or punish them If we neglect to walk with Him in the light of holinesse He will refuse to give us the light of joy and comfort When we either abate in our performances or fall into grievous sins our God either by afflictions or admonitioâ—s and reproofs or by the working of the blessed Spirit or by some or all these doth cause us to see our guilt and make us sensible of our sins and so bring us back again And upon our serious return our joyes are revived and our peace restored And great and wonderfull is his care over his Children in this kind for as he prevented them with his grace at first to convert them that he might make them his Children much more when they are his Children and do fall will he prevent them by his grace to raise them up again and revive the sparks of fire remayning He will not suffer them to dye He will punish them that He may Reward as He afflicted the offending Corinthians with sicknesse and some of them with death and so judged and chastened them that they should not be condemned with the World Lest this first Regeneration and title to the eternal inheritance should be in vain He will keep them by his power through faith unto salvation which is ready to be revealed in the last time 1 Pet. 1. 3 4 5. And if his power should not preserve their Faith as well as their Persons they must needs perish He hath signified that the Connexion between their Faith Love Patience and eternall glory is indissoluble For the patience and faith of the Thessalonians in all their persecutions and tribulations they endured were a manifest token of the Righteous judgment of God That they might be counted worthy of the Kingdome of God for which they did suffer 2 Thes. 1. 4 5. For if we suffer with Christ we shall be glorified with him Rom. 8. 17. 2 Tim. 2. 11 12. And this is a faithfull saying These things being so there was little reason why the Remonstrants in their Synodaâ— Acts and Writings should so mince the matter as though they were afraid to give any advantage to the Truth Upon the 5th Article of Perseverance they say that God 1 According to his absolute Power not according to the Law of Grace 2 In an extraordinary not an ordinary way 3 May reward not will reward 4 Not constantly but sometimes 5 Not all his Children but some long and much exercised in Piety and tried in Afflictions with the grace of not failing Perseverance 6 This they will not determine but leave indifferent How this can consist with the Scriptures I know not As there be Spiritual Rewards in this life § XV so there be after Death and before the Resurrection As for the Body because it hath been the Tabernacle of a Regenerate and sanctified Soul and with it a Temple of the Holy Ghost Therefore though it be separated from the Soul and turned into Dust yet it 's laid down in certain hope of the Resurrection For if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the Dead dwell in us then He that raised up Christ from the Dead shall also quicken our Mortal Bodies by his Spirit which dwelleth in us Rom. 8. 12. Besides it 's freed
Roof and highest part of the Lower-World These were made not onely for Beauty and Ornament but also for the benefit of the Lower Globe upon which by light and motion they have great power And as the order wherein they were placed and their motion in a certain Line according to a certain Rule which they always observe is excellent so the use and benefit of them is manifold and wonderful Between these and the Earth we have the Meteors which sometimes are Natural sometimes Supernatural and Prodigious The Heaven thus adorned the Glorious Creatour descends into the Water and thence produceth Fish to live spawn and swim in the Water and the Fowl to fly in the Firmament of Heaven and build and multiply upon the Earth Amongst the Watry-Creatures the Whales and Sea-Dragons are most eminent and terrible After all these finished He concludes his Creation with Beasts Cattle creeping things although animate yer irrational And last of all with Man a rational and noble Creature whose Creation requires a more particular and distinct consideration And this is the Genuine Order of Physicks or Natural Philosophie which should inform us not onely of Bodies but Spirits which have Nature and Being and Original of Being as well as other Creatures The Creation of Man § XIII is that whereby God according to his Image and likeness made Man of the Dust of the Earth breathing into his Nostrils the breath of life whereby he became a living soul and Woman of a Rib that they might have Dominion over the Sensitive Creatures and the Earth Gen. 1. 26 27 2. 7 22. Or more briefly It is that whereby he made man Male and Female according to his Image To know the Creation of man doth nearly and very much concern us not onely because we are men and also excellent Creatures but also because this knowledge gives much light unto the knowledge of this Kingdom and tends much to the glory of God and our eternal happiness He is the Abridgment of Heaven and Earth and is virtually the whole World and therefore styled the Micro-cosme or Little World His Body hath affinity with the Earth his Soul with Heaven and Angels Like those pretious stones which though Earth yet participate of Heaven He is the Horizon of Time and Eternity and dwells in the Confines of both as being contiguous both to the one and other He was stamped with the Image of God and was made capable of Heaven and Beatifical Communion with this Eternal King To understand his excellency the better we must consider his Parts and Perfections The Parts are two the Body and the Soul The Body was made of Dust and Dust of nothing at the first As there was a great distance betwixt Dust and nothing so there is between Dust and the Body if we look upon it but as a Carkass much more if we consider it as animated by the presence union and power of the Soul and most of all as glorified This distance between Dust and a Body is so great that nothing but the Hand of Heaven and the Art of the Almighty could make it so excellent a piece The Matter was base the Workmanship was excellent and will more gloriously appear when God who made it out of the Dust at first a Natural Body shall raise it again out of the Dust to make it a Spiritual Body The Perfections of the Body are these The Organs the orderly Composure of them and the Faculties For though it be but a Body and far inferiour to the Soul yet of all other Bodies it is most excellent as being a fit Habitation for the Immortal Soul as no other Body can be The Organs and Members are many their order composure and dependance one upon another excellent and curious the Faculties and Motions are wonderful They who know it best admire it most and know that the very Conception much more the Creation is a kind of Miracle It is not onely a fit Tabernacle for the Soul which was breath'd into it from Heaven but also a fit Instrument and Servant to perform the Works of Righteousness and Holiness jointly with the Soul as directed by it And as it concurs with the Soul to do good or evil so it shall partake with the Soul in rewards and punishments And no Body but this of man can be the Temple of the Holy Ghost and though it be corruptible and may die and by reason of sin is condemned to the Dust from whence it was taken yet this punishment lies upon it but for a time and as it is capable of Immortality so it shall be immortal and glorious upon the Resurrection Yet that which doth more ennoble § XIV and advance man is his reasonable and immortal Soul which is a Spiritual Substance and as a Spirit doth animate act and guide it being concreated and made with it and may and doth live when separated from it The Union of them is wonderful yet dissoluble and for Sin is dissolved It 's said God breathed in his Nostrils or his face the breath of life and man became a Living Soul What Expositors say upon the place I will not now report but onely observe 1. That these words speak of the Creation of the Soul yet especially as it did animate the Body 2. That it was not created first out of the Body and then put into it but created in it as it always is For God creates the Spirit in the midst of Man 3. That though God breathed it into Man yet it was no part nor particle of God's Essence but an effect of his power 4. That his Soul was reasonable and far more excellent then that of Beasts and therefore tearmed by the Chaldy-Paraphrast A speaking Soul for to speak is a proper effect of Reason 5. This Soul was created immediately and invisibly from God in an unspeakable manner as is signified by those words And God breathed in his face And in the face it doth most appear and manifest it self according to that saying Vultus est index Animi 6. By the Breathing it was united to the Body of which it might have kept possession for ever if Sin had not been a Cause of Dispossession Yet the second Union by the Resurrection when God shall breathe upon the Dust again shall be so firm as that it never shall be dissolved What this Soul of man is we do not perfectly know And it was well observed of Learned Vives that God gives us these Souls not so much to know their Essence as to use them Something vve know of them by Reason and Discourse something by Experience but most of all by the Holy Scriptures The Excellency thereof is clearly known by the Acts and Effects thereof it understands and freely wills The Understanding reacheth all things and in some manner and measure knoweth God and reacheth Eternity In this respect it 's said to be all things because it hath some affinity and cognation with all Objectes and a
Haughton octavo Orders of Chancery octavo Illustrious Bashaw in folio The Bloody Inquisition of Spain Twelves Hughs Abridgment of the Common Law Large quarto â—is Abridgment of all the Acts and Ordâ—nances quarto Several Works of Mr. Murret Minister at Dublin in Ireland with his Life quarto A Catalogue of the Chancellours of England quarto A Scripture Chronology By Mr. Al lâ—n Minister in quarto A Catalogue of most Books vendible in England of Divinity History Law c. quarto Annotations upon Job Psalms Proverbs Ecclesiastes Song of Solomon By Arthur Jackson Preacher of God's Word at Faiths under Pauls quarto ERRATA PAg. 6. l. 36. artificiale read inartificiale p. 9. l. 30. yet men r. yet if men p. 17. l. 35. unbelief r. belief p. 17. l. 47. which r. what for it r. is in the Margent by is omitted p. 18. l. 18. Legal r. Regal p 32. l. 36. wrap r. rap p. 23. l. 43. delâ— not p. 36. pro. 34. l. 32. knew r know p. 35. l. 31. if r of p. 39. l. 47. in it is written r it is written p. 40. l. 38. elements r element p. 48. l. 17. they have r God hath l. 35. propriety r variety p. 50. l. 17. resign r reign p. 54. l. 15. r. and attain p. 66. l. 19. convinced r charged p. 70. l. 30. wherein passed r wherein God passed p. 70. l. 21. heart r heel p. 91. l. 26 case r cause p. 94. l. 18. r with godly sorrow l. 40. resently r presently p. 96. l. 8. he r God l. 21. in r to p. 103. l. 50. pardoned r pardonable p. 107. l. 10. charge r care p. 106. l. 7. it is omitted p. 111. l. 16. sure r since p. 147. l. 12. twofoldness r twofold use p. 153. l. 3. ought r would accused r accursed p. 156. l. 39. as he omit as p. 160. l. 47. meer r meerly p. 172. l. 36. because he r man may p. 176. l. 32. to r they who p. 177. l. 35. it is omitted l. 37. omit the word not p. 183. l. 43. rise r risen p. 184. l. 32. the word King is omitted p. 189. l. 27. r in some p. 200. l. 9. is the r its the. l. 16. omit they p. 208. l. 40. all r also p. 233. l. 38. new r mens l. 40. r arbitrary power p. 227. l. 3. unprofitable r profitable p. 242. l. 26. Grenaeus r Iraeneus p. 246. l. 30. Cross r Mass. l. 38. r Heb. 9. 26. p. 264. l. 36. if r that p. 276. l. 49. for nothing r something p. 278. l. 45. but r by p. 285. l. 46. conform r confirm p. 297. Pro. 327. l. 38. was made r was not made p. 328. l. 15. omit the word to p. 330. l. ult r c. p. 394. l. 6. external r eternal The First Scheme Howâ—â—â— the 〈◊〉 the Holy Sâ—riptuâ—â— which being the Word of God written signifie the Mind of God concerning His special Government first known unto Himself alone as contrived by His Wisdom decreed by His Will afterwards revealed from God to Man immediately by inspiration mediately by Man infallibly directed in Words Writings of the Old instrument begun by the Prophets finished by the Apostles New instrument begun by the Prophets finished by the Apostles which are of Divine Authority primarily in the first Origina Languages Copies secondarily in the Transcripts Translations as they agree with the Originals no further fallibly in their Words Writings yet infallibly so far as they follow the infallible Scriptures and attain the knowledg thereof by certain ordinary means appointed by 〈◊〉 communicate the knowledge several ways to others whâ— by Reading Hearing Meditation Prayer Power of the Spiâ—â—â— attain a Divine Faith more Largely in the whole Body of the Canon which upon the Testimony of the Church Reasons added is believed to be Divine Briefly as being contracted in many places of the Holy Scriptures particularly in the words of our Saviours doctrine concerning the Father Son Holy Ghost Math. 28. 19. which is the ground for Matter Method of all Orthodox Creeds Confessions Catechisms Theological Systems declareth the Government of God considered in Himself as onely fit to be the Universal Soveraign Absolutely a most perfect Being great one and onely one alone infinite immense incomprehensible omnipresent eternal existing alwayes necessarily the same in his most eminent Acts perfection of acting by His Understanding knowing himself all things at once fully clearly Will willing indeclinably that which is just readily that which is good Power doing all things exactly according to His Understanding Will. Relatively Father Son Holy Ghost Regal Capacity according to an Actual Power being acquired by Creation continued by Preservation of all things was exercised in the ordering of all things for their ends special Government of Angels who 1. Being created holy became subjects of this Kingdom by their dependence upon God voluntary submission 2. Received Laws Were judged and some of them according to their Disobedience and Apostasie condemned to Eternal Death Loyalty and Obedience justified confirmed rewarded Men according to the Order of Creation in the Constitution of God's Soveraignty Mans Subjection Natural from Creation Moral God's Will Man's voluntary Submission Administration giving Laws Moral Positive concerning the Tree of Life Knowledge of Good Evil. judging Adam and in him all his Posterity according to His Obedience whilest he continued innocent and righteous rewarding him with present comfort hope of future glory Sin which was considered In general as disobedience to the Law of God hath many evil consequents In particular a breach of a positive Law and Committed upon a temptation made yieldedâ— Sentenced to a punishment to be inflicted upon the Tempter 〈◊〉 movable Persons 〈◊〉 as 〈◊〉 by Chrâ—â—â— Transmitted to Posterity by Propâ—â— just 〈◊〉 Redemption and Free-Grace THE DOCTRINE OF The Kingdome of God The First BOOK Chap. I. Shewing the Subject Matter and Method of the ensuing Discourse THE Divine Politicks inform us of the Kingdom of God and of His Power and how it is acquired how exercised both in the Constitution and the Administration of his Government by Laws and Judgments determining both the Temporal and Eternal Rewards and Punishments of Angels and Men according to their Obedience or Disobedience They say little of Angels but much of Men who were first under the Government of Justice and after of Mercy For when Man transgressed the Law given in Creation and made himself liable to the Eternal Displeasure of his Lord and Sovereign the first Government was alter'd and modeâ— anew And thereupon the Laws the Judgments the manner of administration were new and different from the former God acquires a new Power requires a new Obedience and orders Man to Eternal Rewards another way And because these are high Matters great Mysteries glorious Designs and many of them far above the reach of Mans Reason therefore it 's necessary that we have some certain Rules to direct us yet no Direction except from
defects of man 's Vnderstanding Memory Vtterance by immediate inspiration and direction as he did at first and will do in Heaven yet he thought good to make use of Writing which was a more certain and ordinary permanent way of continuing and propagating his Truth to many Generations for Writing is a lasting Monument and Record Whether the Word was written or any part of it upon Record before the time of Israels deliverance out of Aegypt we do not certainly know Yet this is certain that God spake unto man from the Beginning For Abel offered a better Sacrifice then Cain by Faith Heb. 11. 4. But where there is no Word there is no Faith And Enoch by Faith pleased God but this could not have been if he had not believed that God is and that he is a Rewarder of such as diligently seek him Heb. 11. 6. yet this he could not believe without the Word of God If any should say that he knew all this by the Light of Nature The answer is 1. The Light of Nature is the Light of God 2. That God should reward sinful guilty man with eternal glory could not be known by Reason looking upon the Works of Creation but by Revelation from God himself or the instruction of man according to that Revelation The first Books and Writings of God's Kingdom now extant are those of Moses as the last is the Revelation of John the Divine And this Canon of the Scripture was finished within the space of Two Thousand Years or thereabout and the Authors and Pen-men of them were all the Posterity of Jacob if Luke the Evangelist be not excepted The several parts thereof were written as they were revealed at several times They are the most ancient Writings in the World known unto us They are either Historical or Doctrinal or Prophetical The Historical reacheth the Creation The Prophetical the dissolution of the World and toucheth upon Eternity to succeed They were written in Hebrew and Greek two Languages used in the midst and Center of the then known World That Moses and Malachy and all the rest of the Books should be written in the same Hebrew seems strange For that any Nation should continue their Language the same without alteration at least in the Dialect for so many Generations is not probable though possible Yet it may be God did so order it that it should be published in the Learned not the Vulgar Language of that People For the Learned Greek which is now in use amongst Schollers is the same which was used near Two Thousand Years ago Or it may be that Ezra or some inspired Prophet after the Captivity might gather them into one Body and Volum and turn them into the same Hebrew wherein we enjoy them The Old Testament which is the former part of this Canon was translated into Greek before the Incarnation of our Blessed Saviour and made way for the New Testament the second part and for the Gospel to be preached in all Nations The Original Copies are properly and primarily authentical Divines and infallible Transcripts and Translations secondarily and so far as they agree with the Originals and no further That is true of the whole body of the Scripture § 7 which the Divine Apostle affirmed of his Doctrine 1 John 1. 2 3 4. That it was most excellent 1. For the Subject 2. For the certain truth 3. For the end thereof and the great good it tended unto 1. For the subject it was most excellent even the Word of Life and that Eternal Life which was with the Father which was the life and light of men which was made flesh and now is glorified at the right-hand of the Father 2. The truth of it was certain and infallible For 1. It was manifested and manifested unto them the Apostles of that Eternal Word 2. Their apprehension was clear and certain For they had heard that which was manifested They had seen it with their eyes looked upon it and handled it with their hands 3. Their Declaration of it was agreeable to the Manifestation and their knowledge of it For that which they had seen and heard they did declare 〈◊〉 write and nothing else 3. The end was Fellowship with the Apostles themselves and their Fellowship was with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And they wrote these things that the joy of their Disciples might be full In like manner The subject of the Scriptures is the Kingdom of God and that Eternal Word which was with the Father The truth thereof is most certain and infallible in respect of God's Revelation the knowledge of the Prophets and Apostles and their Declaration of it in Word and Writing The end and ultimate effect thereof believed and obeyed is Full Communion with God and Jesus Christ and thereupon Full joy and everlasting glory These Scriptures are sufficient for all ends and purposes God intended them § 8 have their Divine Characters though no man should know or acknowledge them of Divine Authority and unquestionable perspicuous and intelligible in themselves as they came from God and were delivered by men inspired especially in all things generally necessary to salvation For their sufficiency in their times as a Rule of Faith and Life it cannot be doubted of by such as are intelligent and impartial For the Scriptures of the Old Testament in their time were able to save such as believed and obeyed them And aâ—ter the Canon of the New Testament was finished it was able to make men of those times Wise unto Salvation through Faith in Jesus Christ. Yet after the Gospel was revealed the Doctrine of the Old Testament was insufficient to this end The whole body is not onely sufficient but super-abundant For some part or parts of the New Testament though all the other were lost will sufficiently direct us to Eternal Glory For the Divine Character thereof something shall be said hereafter For the Authority and Credit of them that is true of all the whole which the Apostle affirmeth of one principal part concerning the coming of Christ into the World to save sinners That it was a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation For the perspicuity the entrance of his worâ—s give light and giveth understanding to the simple Psal 119. 130. And Timothy of a Child learned them In this extraordinary Communication of God's mind to Man by man § 10 I will pass by his manner of expression at sundry times and in divers manners by the Prophets to the Fathers and take special notice of his speaking to man by man in the fulness of time and in the latter days And I will consider 1. The persons by whom he spake 2. The matter spoken as it was strange and new 3. The confirmation of the Doctrine taught so far as it was new 1. The principal persons were Christ and his Apostles For in these last days saith the Apostle he hath spoken unto us by his Son whom he hath made Heir of all
gives him Laws both Moral and Positive and whilest man is obedient his estate is comfortable But this not continuing long he is tempted sinneth and so is judged yet so that the Sentence in part might be reversed the Eternal Punishment deserved was made upon certain conditions avoidable and might be prevented And least man should perish everlastingly this Government is altered and God acquires a new power by the work of Redemption and doth exercise it by the Redeemer The Redeemer is the Word who was God and the Son of God made flesh and anointed with the Holy Ghost by whom he was conceived to be a Prophet Priest and King As Priest he offers himself a Sacrifice upon the Cross satisfies God's justice merits mans salvation and his own eternal glory and upon his Resurrection he is invested with that glory and power which he had merited and God by him begins to exercise his new acquired power 1. By constituting a new Kingdom whereof the Head must be his Son at his right hand and the Church his body Politick 2. By the administration of this kingdom with victorious power unto the end For Christ must reign till his enemies be made his footstool In this Administration he 1. Appoints officers who must Publish the Laws of his Kingdom and endues them with the Holy Ghost from Heaven Their doctrine toâ—ether with the Power of the Spirit is made known and effectuall in all Nations and some believe some love darknesse rather then light The Believers make up the Body of the Church Unbelievers constitute the body both of Rebels and Enemies and both are the subject of the judgment of God Redeemer by Christ. This judgment is executed in Rewards and Punishments in this life upon particular persons severally and successively considered and is fully consummate upon the Resurrection at the Universall or generall Assizes when the Wicked with the Angels shall be cast into everlasting fire and the Righteous shall be rewarded with eternall glory The punishments determined by this Judgment as also the rewards shall be perpetuall And in all this there is in the matter or the method no difference or variation from the Ancient Creeds or in the expressions from the holy Scriptures Before I conclude this Chapter § VIII I will say something though briefly 1. Of the name of Creed and Confession 2. Of knowledge and Obedience 3. Of faith in Particular 1. These Sums and Methods are called Creeds because the matter of them is Credenda things or rather truths concerning things to be believed And Confessions because the Truths believed in the heart must be Confessed with the mouth For with the heart man believeth unto Righteousnesse and with the mouth Confession is made to Salvation Rom. 10. 10. 2. If we consider the Doctrine of the Holy Scriptures contracted in these Confessions in respect of mans duty all things therein are proposed 1. As Truths 2. Some things as Commands or Laws As Truths mans duty is to believe them as Commands to obey them Thence that distribution of Divine and Saving Doctrine into Faith or Obedience The truths and so the knowledge and unbelief of them are first in order And because the matter of some truths are commands therefore Commands and Obedience follow as the second in order Both are contained in the Scriptures expresly In the Creeds the Commands and Obedience are implied Yet lest we mistake we must distinguish between the knowledge and obedience of Angels and the knowledge and obedience of man And both these may be considered in respect of man innocent man fallen man under the Law man under the Gospell For in all these respects they are different as will appear hereafter 3. Mans knowledge especially since the fall is imperfect and is not so evident as demonstrative and intuitive knowledge is and therefore called Faith which cannot perceive the things known cleerly or immediately but by vertue of a Testimony To define which faith in general it must needs be proper unto Logick which is the rule of mans understanding whereof faith is an act and in general that which we call assent allowing the connexion of the termes of a proposition and yeilds unto it as true Yet this Assent though firm and certain is not so perfect as that which is grounded upon immediate Evidence of the things represented by the Termes Therefore Lincolniensis makes the Genus of it to be Opinion and saith that fides est opinio And that faith which is grounded onely upon probable reasons can be no more then Opinion which alwayes is an Assent yet not firm and certain as this Faith we speak of must be For it is divine and immediately grounded on the testimony or word of God certainly known to be such It 's not the word of God immediately to me as spoken by man either fallible or infallible but either as attested outwardly by miracles or gifts of the Holy Ghost or some other way or inwardly by some real effects of the Spirit writing this word in mans heart powerfully to affect it and incline it to obedience A Speculative and general assent without any Saving effects the Devils may have The Tradition of the Church or testimony of any man cannot possibly represent the word of God as the word of God immediately to the Soul The Practical divine assent is a great part of our Regeneration and the Principle of all divine and noble actions as it is of all Spiritual Solid Comfort CHAP. IV. Of the Divine Essence and Attributes in General IN the Kingdom of God § I the Scriptures represent unto us 1. The King 2. His Government The King must be considered 1. In himself 2. In his Legal Capacity or as King As in himself he is God the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost The term or word GOD puts us in mind of the Essence and being of this King and the terms Father Son and Holy Ghost of his acting in himself and those Wonderful and hidden productions Whence arise severall Relations and Relative properties But before I proceed to speak of these deepest Mysteries I must say something of our knowledge of God and the way how he doth represent himself unto us so that we may understand some little of him in the darknesse of the World till we see him face to face and more fully and clearly in Eternal Glory Such is the excellency of this King and such the brightnesse of his Glory that it denies any near accesse to Silly mortal man who must not curiously Pry into these Secrets but humbly adore and at a great distance That God is most intelligible in himself is certain For the perfect Being is the most perfect object of understanding But it 's one thing to be so clearly visible in himself another to be so to us An Infinite and Eternall Being must needs be far above a finite and limited understanding Such especially ours now is For our Capacity is Shallow and Narrow
them also into 3 sorts in another manner For some say they shew what he is Some how great Some how good he is I desire to have the Liberty that these and others have taken Before I come to the Particular handling of these Attributes wherein I shall not differ much from some of the former it is to be observed 1. That some of the Names given to God in Scripture are Attributes some not 2. That God cannot be defined according to the rules of Logick 3. That which we call a definition of God doth comprehend all the Attributes So that by good consequence all of them may be deduced from it 4. The Definitions I intend to speak of are two The first is that of Doctor Amyes out of Mr. Richardson That God is a Spirit living of himself In this it is supposed 1. That Spiritual Substances are more excellent then bodily 2. That Living Spirits are more excellent then such as have not Life 3. That Such as have intellectual and moral Life are most excellent of all Created beings These are Men and Angels Yet these do not Live in themselves independently For they depend on God From all these presupposed it follows that God being a Spirit Living with the most excellent Life and in himself independently must needs be every way the most Excellent Substance and far above all others The second definition is § V That God is a being absolutely perfect Some if not all understanding Heathens did conceive that God was Ens praestantissimum the most Excellent Being Whereby they did acknowledge 1. That God was because a Being and 2. That He was an Excellent Being 3. That of all others he was most Excellent And this was to be a most perfect Being God is a Being and not any kind of Being but a Substance which is the Foundation of other Beings And not only a Substance but perperfect Yet many Beings are perfect in their kind and in a certain measure of Perfection yet limited and finite But God is absolutely fully and every way infinitely perfect And therefore above Spirits living Spirits above Angels who are perfect comparatively and in an high measure But their Perfection is infinitely short of God's perfection This absolute Perfection includes all the Attributes even the most excellent It excludes all Dependency being after not being Composition Corruption Mortality Contingency Ignorance Unrighteousness Weakness Misery and all Imperfections whatsoever It includes necessity of Being Independency perfect Unity Simplicity Immensity Eternity Immortality the most perfect Life Knowledge Wisdom Integrity Power Glory Bliss and all these in the highest degree and the Abstract And though by these we may know much of God in this Life yet all our knowledge here on Earth is nothing to that we expect in Heaven And the knowledge of Angels is nothing to the knowledge wherewith God knows himself For he being infinite knows himself as infinite infinitely We may know that he is infinite but as infinite we know him not We see but if we may so speak onely the Out-side nay but the Back parts of God We cannot pierce into the secrets of this Eternal Being Our Reason comprehends some little of him and when it can proceed no further Faith comes in and we believe far more then we can understand And this our Belief is not contrary to Reason but Reason it Self dictates unto us that we must believe far more of God then it can inform us of CHAP. V. Of the Divine Attributes in Particular THese Divine Attributes § I included in this absolute perfection are reducible to two 1. The Greatness of GOD. 2. The Goodness of GOD. The Heathens did give unto their great God whom they conceived to be King of their Petty Deities the Titles of Optimus Maximus and so made him the Best and the Greatest Whence they had this Light I know not Clemens Alexandrinus tells us that many of their greatest Schollers were Thieves and did steal out of the Scripture and from the Jews whom they would never acknowledge their Masters the choifest Truths in their Writings Howsoever this is very certain That to be great and good is to be like unto God and the greatest and the best are the most like unto him and to be absolutely the greatest and the best is to be God The Scripture speaks very much of the greatness and goodness of God And by these two God is sufficiently differenced from all other Beings and is manifested by them to be far above and infinitely more excellent then all God's greatness is that § II whereby he is one infinite Being By greatness I do not mean greatness of Power and Dominion For that is Political and agrees unto him as King in relation to his Subjects and is founded in the great Works of Creation and Providence and as such it can be no Attribute Neither is it greatness of strength for that is Physical and manifested in all his Works ad extra and is the same with Potentia which is an Attribute indeed but in another sense Neither is it the greatness of Quantitative extension for that is Mathematical and agreeing onely to Bodies and Bodily Substances Yet 1. If He were not great Essentially he could not be so great in Dominion and Strength 2. This greatness is manifested in the greatness of Dominion of Strength and of great and vast extensive Bodies especially the vast Pile of the World His Greatness is either Vnity § III or infiniteness of Being The Unity of his Being is that Whereby He is one onely God so that there cannot be another Philosophers tell us that Quantity follows the Essence of things quantitative immediatly and is so near unto it as that some conceive that Quantitas is nothing else but Substantia quanta and adds no entity to the substance This Quantity makes a thing measurable two ways 1. By Number 2. By Magnitude And though the greatness of the Divine Essence be neither Physical nor Mathematical yet for the Explication thereof we use the terms of both yet abstracting all imperfection God for number is one for measure infinite and he is infinite that he may be onely one and the greatest That He is One we often read in Scripture yet so that his Unity sometimes signifies his Constanâ—y sometimes his Immutability sometimes his Monarchical Dominion But so it is not here taken Though this Unity be a general Affection agreeing to every Being so that it cannot be a Being except one yet this Unity of God is proper to himself and agrees to nothing else as it agrees to him Some things are so one as that they are many because compounded and have parts but God is a pure Act and hath no parts neither is compounded but is a Pure simple Being And that which some make a distinct Attribute and call Simplicity belongs unto this Unity Some things are so one as that their Being admits of many Individuals of the same kind as Men Angels and other
assumed and so sent how elâ—e could he pray and make intercession For God cannot pray or desire any thing of a Superiour And his Prayer is directed to his Father as God and the supream Cause and Fountain of all those mercies desired in that Prayer and as such he canot be personally considered And it cannot any ways follow that because he to whom flesh assumed did pray was the onely true God that therefore the Word assuming flesh which was in the Beginning before there was any flesh to be assumed and the same with God so that he was God is not God The Text Joh. 1. 1. expresly saith He was God and that God by whom all things were made But he that makes the Holy Ghost to be a Quality and Vertue residing in God and issuing from God upon man as Crellius doth can hardly be reckoned amongst sober Christians The Master of the Sentences and the School-men following him out of Austin § V make the Soul of man an Image of the Trinity And Bacon is resolute according to his Title Doctor Resolutus and saith that the Trinity is Deus intellectus et amatus à Seipso God understood and beloved of himself Yet they agree not in what respect the Soul is this Image Whether in respect of the Substance or the Faculties or the Substance and two Acts as Cameracensis and others do determine which is most probably the sense of St. Austin If the Soul understand and love it Self understood it 's the same one individual Substance which understandeth which is understoood which is loved Yet the Soul as Understanding differs from it Self as understood and as understanding and understood from it self as loving and loved yet this Image and Representation is very imperfect not so much for Peter Lombard's Reasons But 1. Because we do not understand how the Eternal and infinite Deity doth act upon it self 2. The Soul hath no perfect Knowledge of it self as God hath of himself 3. Man's Soul as the Object of it self known and loved is but the Soul intentionally and so the Productions are not real but imperfect but the Divine Productions are perfect But it 's our Duty to be wise and sober and restrain our inclination and propension to curious Speculations in these great Mysteries And we must know that the Predications and Expressions used in the Scripture concerning God the Father Son and Holy Ghost transcend the Rules of Humane Logick Grammar Rhetorick And I am verily perswaded that the mystery of the Trinity is more fully and clearly delivered in Scripture then we understand it By all this § VI we may clearly understand that there is a vast yea an infinite distance between God and all other Beings and he is infinitely more glorious and excellent then the best For 1. He is absolutely and every way most perfect so that there is no imperfection nor possibility of imperfection in him 2. That he knowing and enjoying himself fully and for ever must needs be infinitely and eternally delighted with himself and fully for ever content in himself 3. That he is the most noble Object of the Vnderstanding and Will of Men and Angels 4. His Beauty is such that if we could see but some little of it it would enamour and ravish our hearts and wrap us into such an Admiration that all other things even the most excellent would appear to be base and vile in comparison of him He is that Fountain whence the streams of everlasting joy perpetually issue His Majesty is so excellent as that he is worthy to be adored with the greatest humility and reverence But oh How little of his Excellency do we know How seldome do our choicest Contemplations fix upon him How frozen and congealed are our hearts and affections towards Him Oh! Let us improve our knowledge of him that our love may be more ardent our desires of him more quick and lively our Longings after him more vehement our Hearts more purified that we may hasten to the full enjoyment of him in Eternal Glory The great business in this life we have to do is to be cleansed in the blood of Christ that in the end we may be fully consecrated and so fit to enter the Temple of Heaven and see the brightness of his glory that so we may be fully and for ever happy in the presence of this Great and everlasting King All his Perfections do inform us § VII how worthy He alone is to be an Universal Supream Eternal Lord and King For his most perfect Being tends to make him a most Perfect King His absolute Unity is such that there can be no Competitour to lay claim unto the Soveraignty and so it 's a Foundation of perpetual Peace His Immensity is such that he can be and is personally present in all places of his Dominion His Eternity makes him King in all times as his Immensity makes him Lord in all places His Knowledge and Wisdom are such as that he alone can contrive and model the best Government and administer it in the best manner His Integrity and Rectitude is absolute so that his Laws and Judgments must need be just and he cannot possibly do any wrong This is his proper Prerogative His Power is Almighty and irresistible and always regulated most exactly by his Wisdom and Justice So that he alone is able to give absolute and perpetual Protection and render unto his loyal and obedient Subjects Eternal glory and afflict his Enemies and the Wicked with Eternal Punishments So that He and He alone is worthy to reign as He and He alone is able to make us for ever Blessed CHAP. VIII Concerning the Regal Power of God and how it is acquired AFter the Declaration of the absolute Perfection of the glorious and Eternal God in himself § I whereof we know but little Order requires that we next consider him in his Regal Capacity as he is a King That which essentially constitutes a King or Govenour is his Power And Supream and Absolute Power inherent in one Person makes a Supream and Absolute Monarch and such God is and moreâ— Therefore he must needs have not onely an absolute and Supream but an Vniversal and Eternal Power Seeing he must rule and reign universally and Eternally the Nature and Qualities of this Power will be more easily understood after that we know how he doth acquire and exercise it Therefore we must examine How it is Acquired Exercised It 's Acquired by Creation Continued by Preservation Power must be had and possessed before it can be exercised and therefore God first acquired his Power It was indeed virtually in him from everlasting and he was from everlasting worthy of all Power Honour and Dominion yet â—overning power actually he had not before he had Subjects For Power is a Relative Subjects he had not before the Creation And the beginning of his Creation was the beginning of his Actual Power For the Creatures were no sooner made but they were
face of God have free accesse unto and stand before the throne of the Eternall King Their glory peace and joy are never interrupted by feares troubles grief And though their confirmation be not expressed or expresly delivered yet its severall wayes implyed For we never read that any of them sinned or fell from God since the time of their first trial That they are called the Holy and Elect Angels That they are Angels of Heaven of light and not of darknesse that they do his Commandements hearkening to the Voice of his Word Psal. 103. 20. That they ever praise God that they protect the heirs of Salvation and are Ministring Spirits for their good that they execute Gods judgments and are his Servants and Ministers in the government of the World and are subject and obedient unto Christ now glorified and all this may amount to a Confirmation Yet their reward may seem as yet enjoyed onely in part and not consummate neither shall be till the last Judgment For as yet the work is not finished all enemies are not subdued the date of Christs Commission is not expired the number of the Saints is not yet finished the dead not raised and therefore neither they nor Saints are fully glorified nor compacted into one intire body under Christ their heâ—d and one day they shall be when the Sun of glory shall shine upon them in his full strength and perpetually abide in his Meridian Gods will is that they should not be perfect without us That these Angels continued in obedience it 's an excellent example to perswade us after we are once converted and born from Heaven to Persevere unto the end The race is not long and the Prize is incomparable We shall be as they are Their Confirmation and Assurance of eternal glory and full blisse may much encourage and comfort us and so much the more because they rejoyce at our conversion are Ministring Spirits for our good pitch their tents about us have a charge to keep us protect and guard us in all our wayes And they will do what they can and much they can do to promote our eternall Salvation and the least and meanest of Gods Saints is not without a guard of Angels That they continued Loyall and obedient was not from themselves but from God who made them and did assist and strengthen them so as to prevent their fall And their confirmation and glorious reward issued from Gods free love Therefore they are bound to give all Glory Praise Honour and thanks to him that sits upon the Throne and lives for ever and ever That their fellow Angels sinned it was not from any desertion of God but their own free will and choice CHAP. XI Of the special Government of Man AS God Created the Angels before he made man § I so he began to govern and order the Angels before he began to govern man and therefore this government follows the former and is partly the same partly differenâ— though after the last judgment when they shall be united in one body it shall be more the same then now it is They are both of them the Subject of Gods speciall Ordination They are both intellectual Creatures They are both endued with Free-will and so capable of Lawes punishment reward they are both ordinable to an immortal estate They have both the pure moral Laws and rules of Judgment Yet as they differ much in themselves to the Ordination of them is different in many particulars Angels are Spirits without bodies Men are bodies with spirits And according to this difference the government was different as shall appear hereafter This government of man as it is the principal Subject of the Scriptures so it shall be of this discourse and takeup the rest of the Doctrine following wherein I shall be far larger then formerly I have bin This special government of man is twofold § II 1. That wherein God exerciâ—ed his power acquired by Creation 2. That wherein he exercised his power acquired by Redemption or more briefly it 's The Government of God as Creatour Redeemer As God by Creation became an absolute Lord and had an unlimited power so he reserved the same in part both in the government of Angels and men For though he bounded and limited them yet he sometimes exerciseth an Arbitrary power above his Laws and hath bound himself onely by his promises And therefore when men had Violated the order and Laws of Creation he was at liberty and took occasion to alter and new model his goverment And hence the twofold government of man which take up the greatest part and in some respect the whole book of God in the Historicall the Doctrinall and the Propheticall parts thereof And hereafter I will call the one the first the other the second government or ordination of man This government is neither the naturall government § III which hath the same rules of generall Providence which that of other Creatures hath so far as it agrees with them Neither is it the government wherein Angels have power over men and are used as Ministers by God nor that civil goverment whereby man as God's Vicegerent ruleth over man as his Subject but it considers him in his spirituall capacity as he is ordinable to an immortall estate It 's true it presupposeth the three former ordinatious and makes use of them all especially the Civil as subordinate unto it It 's certain that mankind once 〈◊〉 and divided into severall societies could not long continue in any tolerable condition without some order of government in Families Vicinities and greater Communities Therefore as God assigned them their severall habitations upon the â—ace of the Earth and divided them in severall tribes and Societies according to their Vicinities so he ordained an order of superiority and subjection amongst them and communicated some portion of his power to some in which respect they become Gods deputies and are called Gods and subjected others unto them alwayes reserving a Power to himself to caâ—â— down one and â—et up another and sometimes one or more out of the dust from the Dunghill and of the basest of the People For the Crowns and Scepters of the World are in his hand and he disposeth them at his Will and Pleasure Besides He hath given them certain rules of Wisdom and Justice together with a great strength and power of the â—woâ—d whereby they are enabled to Model and Administer Common-Weales of great extent makes Lawes and Officers and execute Judgment And the end of all this is Peace and Concord that men may serve that God in obeying the Laws of this Spiritual eternal Kingdom and attain a more glorious and excellent estate of eternall felicity The differences between these two governments are many For in the Civil the Governour is man his power reacheth onely the body and temporall estate His wisdom and justice is imperfect his immediate end is justice and honesty amongst men for temporall Peace His Laws
and clearly inform man that the World was not from everlasting but had beginning and that God did create it and so became the universal and supream Lord of Heaven and Earth by the Work of six days The seventh day wherein he rested from his work was a fit time for man's rest that on that day man might contemplate the glorious Works of God acknowledge God to be the Creatour and every Sabbath say Thou art worthy Oh Lord to receive glory honour and power for thou hast created all things and for thy pleasure they are and were created Rev. 4. 11. Besides the example of God's labour rest and Sanctification He knew that six days in the week was a fit proportion of time for man's secular works and one in seven for Diviner Employments And this is given the reason why God sanctified the seventh day and blessed it because that after in six days He had created Heaven and Earth He rested the 7th day And howsoever this great Work of Creation is never to be forgotten by Man yet because to sinful man the Work of Redemption is a greater blessing Therefore the first day of the Week being the day of Christ's Resurrection and the Restauration of Mankind is more to be observed and remembred The Lord said unto Judah Behold the days come when it shall be no more said The Lord liveth which brought up the Children of Israel out of the Land of Aegypt But the Lord liveth that brought the Children of Israel from the Land of the North c. Jer. 16. 14 15. So it may be said to us Christians since the time of Christ's glorification That it shall be no more said the Lord liveth that in six days made Heaven and Earth and rested the 7th day But the Lord liveth who after His Death and cruel Passion is risen again and hath redeemed sinful man from Hell and Eternal Death For if two great Blessings be received one after the other the latter and the greater is more to be remembred and the time thereof rather to be observed Therefore we do not observe the 7th day wherein God rested from the Work of Creation but the first day wherin Christ rose again and rested from His Work of Humiliation And though therein we do not forget the Work of Creation yet we rather remember the Work of Redemption and glorifie our God for the same From this Explication of the Words of God we may understand § XII what is here commanded and what is here forbidden The things commanded are two 1. Rest For we must remember a Sabbath and in the same we must do no manner of work 2. Sanctification For we must remember the Sabbath-day to sanctifie it Rest is two-fold 1. Of the Body 2. Of the Mind and in both these we must rest 1. The Body must rest from secular works which hinder and disturb us in the service of our God 2. The Soul must cease from such Thoughts Cares Meditations and Affections which as much distract us in the Worship of our God as labours of the Body do Again bodily works of man as man endued with understanding cannot be done without the Soul attending directing and moving it much less can Heavenly Duties be performed without the Soul which in the time of these Services must be drawn off from the World and sixed upon far more excellent Objects And because many Games and Sports which are accounted Recreations do as much toyl the Body and distract and take up the Soul as secular Works do therefore we must needs judge them to be contrary to the Rest here commanded And our very words of Conference and Discourse upon this time may be such as are neither consistent with the Rest nor the Sanctification required in this Precept Yet this Rest is not to be so strictly taken as though all kind of Work and Bodily Labour were unlawful on this day Therefore 1. Works of Necessity may be done this day and which those are the Light of Reason is sufficient to determine as to save Man or Beast in danger to receive harm or pâ—rish if not that day relieved Therefore the very Pharisees who were so precise in the observation of the outward Rest could not deny unto our Saviour but that upon the Sabbath it was lawful to lift a Beast out of a Pit or Ditch into which it was then fallen And upon the same ground it cannot be unlawful on that day to fight and defend our selves against an Enemy 2. Works which tend to the refreshment and ordinary preservation of Man and Beast cannot be unlawful Therefore on this day we cloath our selves and take our ordinary food and repast and a Beast may be watered and fed this day as well as others 3. Works which tend unto the Sanctification of the Day are not prohibited For we may travail unto and return from the places of publick Assemblies for Prayer Reading Preaching and other Divine Services The Priests under the Law did kill their Sacrifices and so prophaned the Sabbath and were blameless Math. 12. 5. And it was thought no prophanation to circumcise an Infant upon that day Joh. 7. 23. Of this nature is the toyl and labour of the Ministers in their several Congregations 4. Neither is any work of mercy as visiting the Sick administring Physick relieving the Poor and such like contrary to this Rest. And the reason of all this is because the Sabbath is for man and not man for the Sabbath and therein God intended our good not our hurt The principal thing required is the sincere Worship of God from an heart seriously bent and inclined thereunto nor the performance of some outward piece of service in such a precise nick of time Yet we must take care always to have a sanctified heart and a desire to sanctifie the same and what we lose one time we must endeavour to recompence at another The second Duty here commanded § XIII is Sanctification of the Day and this is the principal Duty â—o which Rest is subordinate For as there can be no Sanctification without Rest so there can be no Rest acceptable to God but that which tends to Sanctification An Holy Rest is the thing here commanded It must be the Rest of a Man and not of a Beast and the Rest of an Holy Man as Holy Therefore this Commandement presupposeth Man to be habitually sanctified For an unsanctified man cannot sanctifie a Sabbath as God requires it to be sanctified This Sanctification consists in the performance of Holy Duties in the Worship of God The Object of this Worship must be God alone The parts of the Worship must be such as He hath instituted and the acts of Worship must be performed by persons who are sanctified and in an holy manner And to consecrate this 7th Day to these Holy Services is the very thing here prescribed Therefore to this Sanctification is required 1. A knowledge of the day that it 's determined by God 2. A
preparation of the whole man with a desire and resolution to observe it 3. An actual application of that time to a performance of Religious Duties and whatsoever Works tend most to the glory of God those do most sanctifie the Day This is the reason why Christ's miraculous Cures did not prophane this day and that Works of Mercy are so suitable to this time Though publick and Congregational Duties are principally intended yet Family and Closet-Duties are required and though other days may be sanctified and observed as times of Humiliation or Thanksgiving yet this is done upon a more general ground and not by vertue of this Commandement which is confined to the Seventh Day What the particular services of the Sabbath be I need not mention For they are such as God hath instituted and the principal are Word and Prayer as you heard in the Explication of the second Precept The sins here forbidden are 1. All prophane and sinful thoughts § XIV words and deeds which unhallow all times and especially this These are sins in the six days but more heynous sins on the seventh 2. All secular thoughts words deeds which are contrary unto and non-consistent with the Rest and sanctification of this time and with Diviner Employments These are lawful at other times unlawful in this 3. The neglect of Holy Duties in this time of Rest. For though we should rest this day not onely from all secular labours and works but also from worldly thoughts and motions of the mind if it were possible and not apply our selves to Religious Worship yet the Day remains to us unsanctified 4. All prophane Sports yea and all Recreations which hinder and distract us in the service of our God 5. All Hypocritical all irreverent yea all imperfect performance of Holy Duties Men may be strict zealous devout in the outward parts of Religion and yet stand at a great distance from their God For God requires not any kind of Sanctification of this day but that which is hearty and sincere And because our best service is imperfect therefore we can keep no perfect Sabbath on Earth that is reserved for Heaven Let us therefore endeavour the best aim at perfection desire pardon of defects and long after the estate of glory wherein we shall perfectly hallow an Eternal Sabbath before the Eternal King There he many causes of the prophanation § XV and impediments of the Sanctification of this holy time and we should take notice of them 1. Some are Atheists who are devoid of Faith and the fear of God These believe not that there is a God who will judge the World and render to every one according to their Works They fear not His Divine Power and Majesty They have no care to worship Him They perswade themselves that all Religious Service is vain and that the Worship of a Deity hath no better reason and ground then the fancy and conceit of some precise superstitious Fools They think that the Rest and Sanctification of every 7th day is a needless expence and loss of time to the hinderance and neglect of many considerable businesses 2. Some though not so prophane do not consider how much the Preservation and continuance of Religion depends upon the observation of Holy Sabbaths Take these away you shall by Experience find that Religion will decay and that in a short time We by the Light of Nature may easily understand that there is a time necessarily required for the dispatch of all business and if so then the Religious Service of our God and the Salvation of our Souls are the greatest and most weighty businesse we have to do in this World and therefore do of necessity require and may justly challenge not onely some time but a competent and due proportion of time Yet we find that men of great understanding and very prudent in these Earthly things are very inconsiderate and imprudent in this particular 3. Some take no notice of those Characters God hath imprinted upon some days and by some glorious work done on them honoured them and made them more excellent then other days They do not consider that the Jews being the people of God from whom Salvation was observed and that according to God's Command and Example one day in seven and that Christians from the Apostles days have consecrated the 7th part of their time unto God and that by sufficient Warrant from Heaven And this forgetfulness and want of consideration is one cause of their neglect and dis-esteem of the Sabbath 4. Some do know believe and profess these things yet are Worldly-minded negâ—igent in matters of Religion and at all times and so on the Sabbath are indisposed to Heavenly Duties so that they hallow no time and unhallow this sacred time which God doth arrogate to himself And such as being Earthly minded are most active in secular business are most careless and negligent in the observation of God's Sabbath 5. The want of preparation before we enter upon the Sabbath and Divine Service our careless carriage in the performance of Holy Duties and our intermixing of secular business prophane thoughâ—s and discourses must needs abate and that very much of the sanctification of the Day 6. Some are perswaded that all days since the abolition of the Jewish Polity are alike and therefore it is Jewish or Superstitious to observe any determinate time and to prefer one day above another 7. Some out of a Spiritual Pride and high conceit of themselves as above all Ordinances neglect Sacraments and Sabbaths as far below their high attainments The Reasons to perswade us to sanctifie the Sabbath are many § XVI and in general the same with those which bound the Jews and therefore must be sought in the Old Testament in Moses and the Prophets 1. God commands us to sanctifie His Sabbath and repeats this Command many times And though their Weekly Sabbath was not the same with ours for the particular Day yet the end and many particular Duties of Sanctification are the same 2. As the Jewish Religion so the Christian depends much upon the Sabbath and as theirs was necessary for the continuance of their Religion so ours is for the continuance of ours 3. God did severely and many times prohibit the Prophanation of this sacred time 4. When and where it 's neglected and prophaned wholly or in part there Religion decays accordingly and that in a short time 5. He hath promised to such as shall observe his Sabbath many and great Blessings both Temporal and Spiritual publick and private to particular Persons Nations and Common-wealths And in these Promises he did not so much regard this or that 7th day as the continuance of Religion by the Sactification of such Times as he himself should determine 6. He hath threatned most fearful Judgments to be inflicted upon them who shall by neglect of Holy Duties or by Worldly and Bodily Labours and Employments or any other way prophane the same 7. According to these