his flesh and bones with that reverence from God as he did the losse of his Children and his whole Estate as he did in the first Commission Another particular was this he had too high an esteem of his own uprightness wrought by the spirit of Christ in him who also assisted him to perfect patience under the first Commission consequently he did too much undervalue the glorious imputed righteousness of Christ in which was comprehended the pardon of his sin and eternal life included in the sacrifices which he daily offered therefore O ye Saints of God that are eminent in the fruits of righteousness beware you stumble not at this Rock but endevour with Paul to be found in Christs righteousness more and more in a sole dependencie onely on it for pardon of sin and eternal life And though ye endevour to grow in the fruits of inherent righteousness and at the best as compared to his esteem yours but as filthy rags or as drosse and dung as did Paul Formerly you affirm Object That man in order to become a Saint did in a patient seeking c. But now you affirm none have true patience but Saints According to the being or nature of a thing such is its workings Answ therefore that former patient seeking was but a shadow of this true patience or as to its perfect work for this patience in the Saints ariseth from the root of their inherent righteousness or sanctification which the former hath not but onely a previous disposedness towards it from a remote principle from whence they do by nature the things contained in the Law of Christ therefore the objection is without ground CHAP. XII In which is more fully opened the works of the Saints as under a dolorous and troubled minde IF it be objected The Apostle saith Object He that feareth God and worketh righteousness is accepted of him therefore the Saints are accepted of God for their own works of righteousness as to salvation Although this point be formerly answered Answ and also that I grant that their own works of righteousness is the ground of their acceptance yet I deny it in the sense objected for although Christs righteousness imputed is the Saints own righteousness and that upon a double ground the one is That righteousness is Gods free gift to all mankind as formerly is proved and so theirs with others and so accepted as others the other ground is this That work of Christs righteousness is by beleeving received by them Rom. 5.17 and in it abundance of grace and so a particular ground of their acceptance with God and no men else Again The Saints inherent work of righteousness in one particular branch doth act and work in the receiving of Christs righteousness namely Faith and so Christs righteousness is brought to be their own as the eye by its operation brings that light to be its own which was not its own Hence saith our Lord this is the work of God that ye beleeve so that the one righteousness as in it self is an external object of blessedness the other righteousness in this particular branch is the blessed act of reception and from this union with the subject and object according to the Text He that worketh righteousness is accepted of him and that in two respects First That mans person is accepted of God a member of Christs mystical body whereof he is the head Secondly That mans person is accepted the Son of God by adoption as saith the Text To as many as received him he gave this prerogative to be called the Sons of God even to as many as beleeved in his name You affirm formerly Object the reward from God proper to the works of the Saints is onely in this life by the increase of their graces consequently a more neerer and clearer union and Communion with God then what say you to Heman that holy man whose dayes of life from his youth were in dolor terror and horror Saith he to God Thy terrors have cut me off c. where was the increase of his graces Psal 88.16 either of Faith or love or the quiet fruits of righteousness the reward of his righteous works Questionless Answ He was a most holy man as appeares by his heavenly breathings from his woful minde thoroughout the Psalm therefore it is a hard case to give a right judgement in this particular whether his afflictions were for tryal or chastizement or for neither for this case is very rare and not ordinary for the sacred Scriptures as I remember doth not speak of one man the like as to the whole life of any therefore this is besides our point in hand as to Gods ordinary course of the Saints reward as is proved yet nevertheless in Scriptures we finde one extraordinary proceeding of God in the affliction of a particular man for a time as John 9. God denyed from the womb one man the light of this World being born blind whereupon the Disciples put the question to our Lord Who did sin this man or his Parents that he was born blind Jesus answered Neither hath this man sinned nor his Parents that is not to so transcendent a heighth as to draw on this judgement for that 's implyed but he was so born with respect to Gods glory that Christ might prove himself to be he that was sent of God to give sight and light to man sitting in the shade of death and darkness and accordingly Christ and he met together and the man born blind received sight as never man the like So doubtless as this man so Heman was in some eminent respect to the glory of God for although God thus deeply afflicted him in sorrow and troubles of minde yet it is apparent God secretly preserved him and his minde to himself Vers 1. He saith Oh Jehovah Elohim of my salvation I have cryed day and night c. For God sometimes brings men to a low ebbe of distraction some in respect of Estate some in body and some in minde Psal 9.3 Ps 116 3. but we read not at so great a length as this man as to a troubled minde And then God saith to such men Return again ye Sons of men The Psalmist saith The sorrows of death compassed me the pangs of Hell got-hold upon me I found trouble and sorrow whereupon Vers 4. He prayed to God to deliver his soul and Vers 8. His soul was delivered So without doubt God granted Hemans unfeigned prayers either delivering his soul out of those great troubles of minde in the latter end of his dayes or else over and above what he could think or speak secretly preserved him to his Heavenly Kingdom whereof his deep afflictions were but light in comparison of that glory now revealed Now the main ground why God doth so deeply sink some holy men in sorrows terrors and troubles of conscience as Heman is for the redundancy of his glory that maugre Satan I mean the Apostate Angels by all
denies Angels and Spirits and the Resurrection as did the Sadduces but to those seduced spirits our Lord answered and said unto them Ye do erre not knowing the Scriptures And this error is the first ground upon which this Objection is built But our Lord stayed not there but said neither do ye know the power of God Mat. 22.29 Act. 23.8 that is not knowing or beleeving his infiniteness and the Text affirms he is infinite therefore your ignorance of this is a second ground of your objection And you measure him by your reason or your reasoning which is as if you would empty the Ocean into an Egg-she therefore you cannto but erre And for further explanation how Gods potency and vertue which was essentially in himself and spirited out of himself by Creation yet is not now himself I refer the Reader to my second Treatise pag. 104 105 106. But secondly I answer that all Creatures in Heaven and in Earth principally men and Angels are but a remote shadow of his being and not his being which is the fountain of life for they are all but meer dependents upon his Essence as Job affirms of the Earth It hangs by nothing that is no created thing but dependent upon him as an accident to a substance as for example witheness upon a wall depends on the wall yet the wall was a wall before and will be when that whiteness shall be washed off so God was before all things were created in its dependence upon him And he will be the same though he should please to wash away the whole Creation by an annihilation but for his final ends sake he will never do this as is proved And thou O man who thus disputest to be he art but a remote shadow of him and canst thou imagine the shadow of thy body to be thee or to comprehend what thou art much lesse art thou he or ever wilt be nor able to comprehend him But do thou dispute and beleeve thine own disputings 2 Chron. 20.20 And I will beleeve the Lord and his Prophets so shall I surely prosper but he that will not so beleeve shall be damned Mark 16.16 And in that word he points at thee if thou repent not for the wanton despising and such disputing out thy precious time against Gods long patience which as by a hand of mercy would lead thee to return unto himself to be happy for ever for at the end of our lives when the dust returns to the Earth as it was the spirit shall return to God that gave it and can do no other for then it will be stripped of all those mediums which did interpose its naked approach to God in its apprehension and shall see it self returned to the alone disposing of God and this is the meaning of the Text and the spirit shall return to God that gave it that is to be sent to its place of weal or woe Luk. 12. â—7 according to his works as is figuratively laid down between Dives and Lazrus So much for answer to the blasphemous abuse of this Text. CHAP. V. In which is further amplified the Errors of the Familists and four Quere's answered as to the point of Election ANd in the first place take notice from what ground these men deny the sacred Oracles of God and prayer to him as our heavenly Father and all Ordinances as tending to mans salvation that is from the same ground that the Angels fell which is that they abode not in the truth of God and from the same ground that we in our first Parents fell beleeving not his word of truth So this sort of men forsake the truth and beleeve a lie that is a fancy which they name a light within them and the divine nature and Christ they call their light by the name of Christ But what saith our Lord to these men Joh. 8.44 Ye are of your Father the Devil and the lusts of your Father ye will do and concludes he is a lyer and the Father of lies But you wil say your own grounds imply Object you need not pray as it is in that which you call the Lords Prayer your Father in Heaven because you affirm you are in his Essence and cannot be out of it Then if he be so neer you what need you pray to him at all much lesse as in Heaven a great way off Though it be true that he is so near us Answ yet that is false which you infer form thence That we need not pray for we need to pray because of the foresaid mediums between our spirit and he and it is formerly proved those mediums are three That is this World being but an object of sense and the body of man being but a sensitive thing and the spirit of it self involed in a body of sin and of errors and mistakes Therefore although he be so neer we have great cause to pray unto him to manifest himself unto our spirits as did he that said Lord I beleeve help my unbeleef Again I answer The nature of sin in our mind carries in it enmity to God and therefore our minde being conscious to our sin in our apprehensions keeps at a distance from him therefore as neer as he is unto us we had need to pray unto him to shew himself to us for it is one thing that he is so neer and another thing to beleeve that he is so neer as for example If a man be as neer to one that is blind as possible may be if he neither feel him nor hear him he is to him as if he were 1000. miles off and this is our case by reason of these three mediums before specified therefore we have need to pray to God to draw neer to us not in his Essence for neerer he cannot be but in the manifestation of his mercy and goodness he may Again Our Lord taught us to pray to our Father as in Heaven because it is the ultimate manifestation of his transcendent glory that Men and Angels can be capable of and a place created purposely for that end in which we shall center in him to all eternity therefore we begin our Lords Prayer with Our Father which art in Heaven and conclude it with Thine is the Kingdom power and glory Again Because it is Jehovah that makes a barren Wilderness fruitful and a fruitful Land barren therefore he being so neer us we may the rather pray Give us this day our daily bread that is a competent maintenance for us and ours during this life which is our day Again Because the Apostate Angels do multiply and advance their Kingdom of darkness by mens beleeving lies and lying vanities so forsaking their own mercies and principally this Familistical Crew seemingly Angels of light to deceive therefore in regard God is so neer unto us I say we may the rather pray Let thy Kingdom come and will be done by removing those numerous errors and blasphemies which
off from amidst his people I but mark the reason and ground because he hath despised the word of Jehovah and hath broken his Commandement Here note that God concludes his word and his Commandements to be one and the same thing and concludes That soul shall be utterly cut off his iniquity shall be upon him Exo. 9.20 that is it shall never be forgiven him except God in mercy grant repentance the truth is you are worse than the Heathen for they beleeved the word spoken unto them by Moses to be the word of Jehovah He that feared the word of Iehovah Exo. 2.23 among the Servants of Pharaoh made his Servants and his Cattel flee into the Houses Likewise he conveyed his minde by his word to the minde of the Israelites for to them he spake all these words saying I am Iehovah thy Elohims Deut 4.2 which have brought thee out of the Land of Egypt out of the house of bondage thou shalt have no other Elohims before me Moreover he saith Ye shall not adde unto the word which I command you neither shall ye diminish ought from it Here take notice of this That this Scripture God ownes to be his word therefore admits of no addition or diminution then it is certain it is the spirit of the Devil in you I do not say doth adde or diminish but that which is much worse for you endevour utterly to dissolve the Scriptures Again The Apostle Peter affirms two conclusions of the old Testament First That the then written Scripture in his dayes namely the old Testament was to the Churches of Christ a more sure word of Prophecie than that excellent speech that came from Heaven to Jesus Christ upon the Mount because that was a private and peculiar respect to him alone He renders this reason why Knowing this first saith he that no Prophecie of Scripture is of any private interpretation as all your quaking Doctrines are being bottomed upon your light within which neither you nor any man else knowes what it is Secondly 2 Pet. 1.17 18 19 20. Your Doctrines are of a private interpretation because they are not owned by the publick Oracles of Gods word neither do you own them to be his word The Apostles second conclusion to the Churches as to the old Testament is you do well that ye take heed as to a light that shineth in a dark place until the day-dawn and the day-Starre arise in your hearts and in the 21. Verse he renders a reason thereof for saith he the Prophecie came not in old time by the will of man as your quaking Doctrines do but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the holy Ghost Now the reason why the shining of the old Testament was in a dark place is because it was under types and shadows and Prophecies as to them that had not beleeved the Gospel though then unveiled and by the dawning of the day and the day-starre arising in their hearts is meant the preaching of the Gospel without that veile so beleeving in Christ more clearly manifested to their mindes by his spirit that was the day-starre which was to arise in their hearts Again Our Lord Jesus Christ himself proves the Scriptures to be the word of God Mark 7.8 13. when he had charged them that they had laid aside the Commandements of God as do you more directly then ever they did then in the 13. Verse he affirms that Commandement written in the Scriptures to be the word of God Likewise he affirms the Gospel preached to be the word of God Luk. 8.11 for saith he expounding the parable the Seed is the word of God and it appeares also to be the word of God preached Vers 18. saying Take heed how you hear And from this ground I told you that a wiser man than you did affirm the Scriptures to be the word of God that is the Lord Jesus Christ Likewise he saith unto them Joh. 10.34 35. It is written in your Law I said ye are Gods if ye call them Gods to whom the word of God came and the Scripture cannot be dissolved Here our Lord also affirms the word of God to be the Scripture And in John 17.8 Our Lord to his Father concerning his Apostles saith I have given them thy words which thou gavest me and they have received them and have known surely that I came out from thee and they have beleeved that thou diddest send me Observe here that Gods word which the Father gave to Christ Christ to his Apostles and they beleeving those words preached them to the World the substance whereof is in their Gospels and Epistles and the Scriptures is unto us these words of God and the ground of our Faith But you endevour to dissolve this ground and to lay a foundation of your own making a thing that you call a light within and tell us that that is Gods word and that there is none other but that and you call this thing the everlasting word of God and your Christ and your spiritual King Jesus and this lye is the ground of your Faith But our Lord Jesus Christ in the houre of his Temptation kept his minde close to the word of God in the Scriptures that were written by Moses to repel the Tempter and his temptations saying to the Devil It is written that man shall not live by bread alone but by every word of God that is his minde shall live by beleeving the Scriptures as his body does by bread as in Vers 8. Deur 6.16 Chap. 10. Get thee behinde me Satan for it is written thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him onely shalt thou serve and this word was then written And here our Lord applies those Scriptures to the Devils that were spoken to the Israelites they being his Creatures as well as man Thus the word of God in the Scriptures was the ground of Christs Faith and so are to all that are his that is that are truly godly therefore because you deny the Scriptures to be Gods word and also the sacred Trinity consequently you deny God himself for it is proved that Jehovah is in the Elohims and the Elohims in Jehovah wherefore I told you because you deny principles you ought to be served as they serve such in the Schools that is they kick them out and so ought you to be kicked out of the School of Christ and the company of all Gods people yet nevertheless I did then grant that the Scriptures as a humane expression as printed in Inck and paper was not the word of God for that may be burnt in the fire as the King did the Roll yet that which was express'd to the King in that Roll Jer. 26.29 30. was the word of God and God made it good upon him and so he will make good his word upon you and your Companions though you endevour to dissolve that word as did that King that all men
Again The Apostles were not of the World as he was not of the World because he engaged himself in life and Doctrine in opposition to the Apostate World both men and Angels And so in some degree did the Apostles and all Beleevers and so they were not of the World as he was not of the World from this ground it is that he said to his Father I pray not for the World that is for them as to their course of life and conversation but for them which thou hast given me out of the World that is Apostles and Beleevers that thou wouldest keep them from the evil The third Quere What meaneth our Lord by these words for their sakes sanctifie I my self that they also may be sanctified through thy truth Answ He meaneth that the Apostles should be sanctified by his word of truth because by it he did sanctifie himself to his work as it respected his Fathers final end Therefore cursed be for ever that Doctrine of the sneaking Quakers and our Familistical ranting Popelings by whom the Apostate Angels endevour to adulterate the most pure Oracles of God the old and new Testaments Secondly Although he thus prayes that it might sanctifie them in their work as it had done him yet we must note this by the way he was not unholy before for if we consider him as the second in the one Jehovah so he was infinite in holiness or personally God-man for so he was perfectly holy because that humane seed which was elect out of the fallen Masse to be assumed in the course of nature in the womb of the Virgin was totally separated from the least tincture of the nature of Devils sin I mean because the Virgin was over-shadowed by the Holy Ghost therefore that holy thing was called the Son of the most high Luk. 1.35 that is above all created natures in a superlative degree Quest If you ask me how could he be sanctified by the word of truth who was so sanctified in his divine and humane nature Answ Very well Heb. 5.8 for as he did grow in stature and wisdom so he learned obedience by the things he suffered that is Luk. 2.40 52. he did grow in degrees of heavenly wisdom in the sacred Oracles of God that is the old Testament and also in the words which himself received from his Father and gave them to his Apostles in the 8. v. of Jo 17. which now to us is the new Testament and as he did grow from Child-hood to a youth or young man to a perfect man he still kept close to his Fathers words from whence he was able to dispute with the Doctors at 12. years age to dispute with the Devils alledging It is written and custom makes another nature in good Luk. 4.4.8 as well as in evil for we see by his sufferings he learned obedi-ence that is better and better Object If it be objected Object That if he were more perfect then formerly consequently he was formerly lesse perfect consequently he sinned because he fell short of his Fathers will I answer Answ Not so for his Fathers Law requires man to love God but with all his soul and all his strength and his Neighbour as himself but no more then is proper to his kinde Therefore he sinned not And for his divine nature it being without limits in its Essence is without Law in his operations Again he being not created as was the first Adam a perfect man at once but being born of Woman came to it by degrees as is formerly proved yet in every degree he did as himself saith alwayes those things that pleased his Father Jo. 8.29 therefore he sinned not Again Our Lord did not thus sanctifie himself onely to accomplish his Fathers final end himself but also for his Apostles sake for saith he for their sakes sanctifie I my self that is to give them example how to go on ministerially in that which himself hath done fundamentally whence in the 18th verse he saith As thou hast sent me into the World even so I have sent them into the World that is to a World of Heathens and to a world of proud formal professors the Jewes his Elect Spouse for he came to his own and his own received him not To this end he gave his Commandement to the Apostles to go forth to the World Jo. 1.11 saying Goe ye therefore and teach all Nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost teaching them to observe whatsoever I have commanded you and loe I am with you alwayes that is Mat. 19.28 by my spirit for that is implyed Again He sanctified himself for all beleevers that he that sanctifieth they that are sanctified may be one not only in sufferings but in holiness insome degree in this life and to be perfect in one in the next Heb. 2.11 as is proved for he did know as satans lies believed by our first Parents we in them was und is the universal ground of all unholiness and ungodliness so on the contrary he did know that his Fathers truth beleeved and obeyed is the universal ground of all true holiness and godliness and therefore prayed sanctified them with the truth thy word is truth that is the only alone truth so to do by the spirit of truth which goes along with that word which the world that lives in weakness knowes not Therefore O you friends of the Bride-groom keep close to the pure truth of the Oracles of God for the grounds of your Doctrines expositions and applications and be content with the simplicity thereof and look not too much upon this or that mans expositions as to put too much stresse upon any mans wit or learning for their mistakes are numerous But above all keep to the four grounds manifested in the Oracles of God for in themselves they are infallible The first is Mans pure naturals as he was created by God for in holiness and righteousness created he him The second ground is the Covenant of works between God and Adam and these two States were distinct and each did stand alone before mans fall The third ground is the fall of man The fourth ground is the restauration of the whole Creation by Christ the second Adam The which four grounds in some measure are opened in the four first Chapters of my first Treatise upon which grounds that first Book my second Book and this third Book are built by him who makes use of the foolish things of the World 1 Cor. 1.27 to condemn the wise and when you see a Bee work beyond his wit then know there is a greater efficient than it Again The Father gave not only twelve men of all flesh to be Christs Apostles nor only all right beleevers of all flesh to be his mystical members here but if they continue to the end to be triumphant in Heaven to eternity But also he
ingenious acknowledgement of the divine truth Whereas you affirm Faith arises as a particular branch of the new Creature Object or Saints inherent righteousness yet it is affirmed by others that Faith is the first and Mother of all graces I answer It is one thing that Faith is included in the general nature of the Saints inherent righteousness wrought by the word and spirit of Christ Answ and another thing that in the exercise of their graces in order to perseverance That Faith is the first mover for in this case it is true Faith sets all graces a work and I suppose this is it they mean and I have proved in my second Book pag. 71.72 That mans beleef is the general ground of all his deliberate actions as to the avoiding of any danger and attaining any good hopeful And this is bottomed in the nature of the thing and not in the excellency of faith above the nature of other graces for justifying Faith simply considered in it self as to justification of a sinner is but a dark body till it hath received Christ and his righteousness which is the light of life eternal As is the eye a dark body till it receive the light And as by the Saints exercising all their graces all graces do grow so faith growes up with the rest Hence saith James thou seest that Faith was the helper of Abrahams works and by works Faith was brought to its end that is by offering up Isaac which figuratively was Christ to Abraham for saith our Lord Abraham saw my day and rejoyced Thus Christ is the Authour of eternal salvation to all that obey him otherwise not for that is implyed as to those professors in whom Faith dyed mentioned by James Jam. 2.22 If it be objected what I affirm in my first Book Object pag. 55. That Christ is the Authour of salvation to them that disobey him as old Eli and Miriam and Aaron and Moses whose carcases fell with others in the wilderness by the wrath of God 1 Cor. 1.29 30. and in the Church of Corinth for contempt of the Sacrament wherefore Christ smote some with sickness and some with death Moses and all the Saints that dye under a relaps Answ or back-sliding condition yet if any seed of Gods word sowne by the hand of Christs spirit remain in any degree of inherent righteousness though never so small then there is in them a virtual tendency by faith to Christs imputed righteousness as to the brazen Serpent the smallest tendency of sight that beheld it saved that mans body from death so that virtual tendency to Christs righteousness doth likewise save that man from the guilt and punishment of his sins and renders him eternal life after his departure out of this World yet the death of these Saints is under a Cloud of obscurity as to themselves and to others in respect of their eternal life as Salomon and Eli and those Corinthians which Christ stroke with death yet as for Moses although he dyed under a Cloud yet he dyed not as a barren and fruitless Christian but being filled with the fruits of righteousness although he disobeyed Christ eminently in one particular of unbeleefe for which Christ slew him his Carkasse falling in the Wilderness with the rest yet God rendered him this honour and comfort in his passage from this Vale of misery to eternal felicity for before he destroyed his body he led him to the top of a Mountain to let him see the figure of his eternal felicity Deut. 34.5 6 7. the promised Land of Earthly Canaan still proving that Christ is the Authour of eternal salvation to them that obey him as is formerly proved those that obey him most according to their measure of grace receive most To those Saints he most manifests himself to their secret minde and they that obey him least according to their measure he manifests himself least to their secret mindes for onely the pure in minde see God therefore the more purity of spirit the more sight of God and the lesse the lesse for the sanctified minde of the Saints is the onely Temple of the Holy Ghost and not the Saints persons as personally elected for as personally elected Christs humane body and soul was only the Temple of the holy Ghost as formerly is proved and therefore it is said the God-head dwelt bodily in that person or humane body but of none else for the Text saith In him dwelleth the fulness of the God-head bodily Col. 2.9 that is the fulness of the one Jehovah for that most properly is the God-head therefore the second in the one Jehovah to carry on his Fathers final end was personally elected God-man and his soul and body receives not the spirit by measure as doe the Saints but without measure as saith the Text. CHAP. X. Briefly touching upon the point of Faith but at large upon the point of Love FOr having formerly spoken of the works of the Saints whereof Faith is the first mover It were necessary that I should now treat what faith is but in regard I have handled it in my first Treatise here I passe it over for there I have proved that in justifying faith there are three degrees and shew the difference between that Faith and other Faiths and then I have proved what justifying Faith in its own nature is definitively and defined what its perfection is and also proved how God doth bring the Saints to that perfection and also that justifying Faiths perfection and dissolution are both in this life Pag. 128. to the 140 from pag. 128. to the 140. And because Faith works by love it is requisite to treat upon the nature of love and how that love doth arise in the mindes of beleevers and in a word all love in general in the minde of man arises from that suitable agreeableness between the subject and the object and so in this case of justifying Faith for no man can love that which is not suitable nor agreeable to his minde From this ground Jacob could not love Leah so well as Rachel but because there was a suitable agreeableness between the subject and the object therefore Jonathans love to David was more than the love of women so much to shew how love ariseth in the minde of man but the question will be What is love in its own general nature Quest In a word Answ It may be definitively thus laid down It is in the minde of man a liking and an uniting affection but the point will be more cleared by its natural properties the which are two What is the first property Quest It is to endevour as neer an Union and Communion with the thing loved Answ as possible may be therefore it was that Jonathan and David kissed one another and wept one with another until David exceeded and that David said concerning Jonathan I am distressed for thee my Brother Jonathan 2 Sam. 1.26 1 Sam. 18.1 very pleasant hast thou