Church are mystically signified First those who by the preaching of the Word are morally begotten by moral faith And secondly those whom God according to his eternall purpose doth spiritually enlighten by the grace of spirituall faith who by their morall and spirituall love are morally and spiritually united to their immediate head the Lord Jesus Christ the Word and Truth and by that morall and spirituall union members of his body which is the militant Church of God upon earth Though this enmity and hatred be inflicted upon Satan and his cursed seed as a curse whereby they are induced to hate the truth and to persecute the possessed of the truth yet this enmity is not inflicted upon the Church and upon the seed of the Church as a curse For the Church of God as they are members of the Lord Jesus Christ in whom they live move and have their being they do hate all the professors of his truth who are the Church of God By this enmity therefore put between these parties irreconcileable mortall and bloody wars is raised between Satan and his seed and the Lord Jesus Christ the Word of truth and his members the Church begot of the seed of the Word And from this irreconcileable bloody wars the Church of God upon earth is said to be the militant Church This enmity and hatred to which Satan by the curse is necessitate is not only a simple privation of the former love and amity between God and Satan for Satan as hath been formerly declared was created a most glorious Angel in the high love and favour of God untill such time as Satan for his foul ambitious sin was cast down into a most despicable and disgracefull manner from the heavens and from his conversment with the blessed Angels who are ministring spirits sent out by God for the safety of his Chuâ—ch upon earth against the power of Satan and of his seed and therefore the eternall blessing of the Word of the Lords Evangelicall seventh dayes rest is extended to the blessed Angels according to the eternall Decree of God by the immediate power of which blessing the blessed Angels do stand in their created perfection Satan therefore by this enmity is not only deprived of his former love to God and to his truth but likewise Satan for his betraying of man by his belying of the truth Satan is necessitate by a positive enmity and hatred to hate the truth and to persecute the Professors of the truth and so are his cursed brood whom Satan by the sowing of his seed begets to be bloody finall persecutors of the Church Here two Questions may be moved the first is this Are all those the cursed seed of Satan who are called the children and seed of Satan I answer The seed of Satan is taken in a two-fold sense First all men who are actually sinners as they do sin actually are called the children and seed of Satan for actuall sin is from the Devill and of these many being stung by Satans sting of enmity sweetned by his false deceiving light are stirred up to be persecutors of the Church for a time though afterwards they become pillars of the Church and such a persecutor was Paul before his spirituall darknesse was spiritually enlightned by spirituall faith Secondly the seed of Satan is taken for those whom Satan by his bewitching sting of enmity sweetned by his false pleasing deceiving darknesse hath induced to such a finall hatred of all truth and of all professors of the truth provoking the long patience of God leading them so graciously to repentance till for their finall contempt and impenitency God in his justice doth justly give them over to a reprobate mind whereby they do inherit the curse of their father Satan and these are the only cursed seed of Satan The parties therefore of this irreconcileable mortall bloody wars is first Satan and not only his cursed seed but likewise all those whom by his false deceiving light Satan hath stirred up for a time to be haters of the truth and persecutors of the professors of the truth who are the Church of God The other party of this irreconcileable war is the Lord Jesus Christ the Word and the seed of the Church of which sacred seed the morall and mysticall members of his body are begot who out of their love to their head Truth it self do necessarily and mortally hate all haters of his truth and all persecutors of the professors of his truth The second question may be moved what is the reason that this irreconcileable enmity and hatred is put by the Lord between the parties whereby his Church is so continually and so bloodily persecuted and afflicted in this life by Satan and his seed since the Church is more dear to the Lord Jesus Christ then his own life as he is man was to himself I answer The reason is first that the Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified by the redeemed valour of his militant Church in his continuall preservation thereof against the mighty power of Satan and his seed that the world may know that all their labour is in vain Secondly that his mysticall members in their mysticall head may victoriously revenge the blood of man upon Satan and his cursed seed in the great day by the finall breaking of their head to their eternall confusion Thirdly that in recompence of their valour for their couragious defending of the truth in this life they may be crowned with an incorruptible crown of glory in their mysticall head in the life to come For by the eternall Decree of God the victory of this irreconcileable war is decreed to the mysticall man Christ Jesus and his mysticall members The seed of the woman must break the head of the Serpent according to the second branch of the censure the mysticall sense whereof is next to be declared CHAP. XXI The mysticall sense of the second branch of the censure BY the mysticall sense of this second branch of the censure the victory of this irreconcileable war is decreed to the seed of the woman For as by the false suggestion of Satan the woman was first deceived by the Serpent so by the eternall Decree of God the head of the old murdering Serpent Satan and the head of his cursed seed shall be broke by the seed of the woman The mysticall woman therefore in this branch of the censure is the blessed Virgine and the mysticall seed of the Virgine is the Word who is promised to become man of the seed of the woman by whom the head of the Serpent must be broke In this second branch therefore of the censure the sacred generation conception birth death and resurrection of the Word as he is man of the seed of the woman is necessarily and mystically implied which is the meaning and sense of the promise of the blessed seed mystically set down in this second branch of the censure For the better conceiving of this sacred mystery first the
husband which is in all mutuall love the subjected love and desire of the Church to the Lord Jesus Christ the head is mystically signified who out of his infinite love to his Church by fulfilling of his promise to man as he did subject the desire of his own naturall life to the cursed death of the crosse to manifest himself truth to man So his mysticall members are to subject all their love and desire to his will and to preferre the love of his truth to the love of their own naturall lives for he is unworthy of the crown of life so dearly purchased by the merit of his truth who for any worldly respect whatsoever doth unthankfully deny his truth before men in this life And so much for the literall and mysticall sense of the censure pronounced upon the woman as she is the body and wife of her husband Next of the censure of God pronounced upon man as he is the husband and head of his body the woman CHAP XXVII The literall and mysticall sense of the censure of God pronounced upon Adam as he is the head of the woman his body and wife by matrimoniall union THe last censure is pronounced by God upon Adam the last delinquent as he is the head and husband of the woman his body and wife by matrimoniall union For in this sense only Adam is the redeemed head of all men naturally to descend of Adam The censure is set down by Moses in these words Gen. 3.17 18 19 Because thou hast harkened unto the voyce of thy wife and hast eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee saying Thou shalt not eat of it Cursed is the earth for thy sake in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the dayes of thy life Thornes also and Thistles shall it bring forth to thee and thou shalt eat of the herb of the field In the sweat of thy face thou shalt eat bread till thou return unto the earth For out of it wast thou taken for dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return First the cause of the censure is set down and next the censure is pronounced The sense and meaning of the cause of the censure is this because thou hast obeyed the voyce of thy wife and hast most unthankfully preferred her love to thy love to me thy gracious God and Creator and hast contemned my command which is the command of me God of the Law of Righteousnesse and hast eaten of the fruit whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat Next the censure is pronounced which hath a literall and mysticall sense The literall sense of the censure is set down from the eighteenth verse to the end of the chapter and hath four branches The first is cursed is the earth for thy sake By the second branch of the censure naturall death is inflicted upon Adam as he is the head of the woman his body and redeemed head of man Thirdly Adam is excluded Paradise to till the ground Fourthly the Cherubims and the flaming sword are placed at the East of the Garden of Eden to keep man from entring to the tree of Life growing in the earthly Paradise First therefore of this curse inflicted upon the earth This curse inflicted upon the earth is no wayes to be taken for the curse of the Law For first the earth did no wayes come within the compasse of the transgression of the Law Secondly the curse of the Law which is eternall is cleerly taken away from man and from the creatures created for man by the promised cursed death of the blessed seed except the only curse which was inflicted upon the sensitive Serpent And therefore this curse of the earth is only a privation of the former fertilnes and a positive barrennes inflicted upon the earth instead of that fertilnesse that by that means of that positive barrennesse the earth might bring forth Thistles Thorns for Adam was then by the censure to eat bread of the herbs of the field that is of the corn and grain which was to grow upon the barren earth and therefore Adam by his toil labour and pains was to bring some fertilnesse upon the earth or Adam must starve by means of which toil pains and labour Adam must eat his bread in sorrow and care in the sweat of his face by which forced sweat surfets and colds must arise weakning the sensitive spirits and powers of man inducing temporall naturall death in the end But though this barrennesse was inflicted upon the earth for man yet in the great mercy of God by the power of the redeemed word in the heart of man First man is naturally enabled by his labour pains and industry to procure some fertilnesse upon the earth And therefore it is said 2 Thes 3.10 that he that doth not work and labour is not to eat Secondly by the power of the redeemed word of the Law and life of righteousnesse of faith written in the heart of man man is morally enabled to pray for the blessing of God upon his labour and pains who hath promised to hear his prayers by whose only blessing the curse of barrennesse is taken from the earth Thirdly for the defending of man from the danger of his heats and colds God in his mercy did cloath our first parents with skins By the second branch of the censure inflicted upon Adam the redeemed head of man Adam and all men redeemed in Adam shall return to dust which is to be understood of temporall naturall death by the dissolution of the intellectuall and sensitive nature of man And therefore their sin is set down Because thou wast taken out of the dust of the earth to dust thou shalt return But Adams humane spirit with the word of the Law and life of Righteousnesse spiritually and indivisibly written therein was neither taken out of the dust of the earth neither can it return to dust For first humane spirit is necessarily coeviternall with the Word and Law of God Secondly humane spirit is of the same reall specificall sphere with the humane Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ as hath been formerly demonstrate which was never taken from the earth or can return to the dust of the earth Temporall naturall death therefore by this branch of the censure is iâ—flicted upon Adam as he is the head of his body the woman who is flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone and therefore naturall temporall death being inflicted upon the head is necessarily likewise inflicted upon the body the woman and consequently and necessarily upon all men and women naturally to descend of both For in this sense only Adam is the redeemed head of all redeemed men naturally to descend of Adam By the third branch of the censure Adam the redeemed head of man and consequently the woman are excluded out of the earthly Paradise the reason is set down Lest they should eat of the tree of Life as they did formerly at their pleasure For there
the mysticall members of his body spiritually and indivisibly united to their mysticall head by his indivisible love As for the Analogie between the sacrifice offered up by the Leviticall high Priest and the sacrifice prefigurate thereby it did likewise consist in three speciall points First as the blood of the Leviticall sacrifice of the brazen altar was first shed and then laid upon the brazen altar So the sacred blood of the Son of God was shed first by his crowning with a crown of sharp prickly thornes causing streams of blood to besmeare his glorious face and body Secondly by his cruell scourging which was a most c uell kinde of bloody punishment according to the manner of the Jews Thirdly by the flood of blood by reason of the great boysterous nails to hold his body fast to the cursed altar of the crosse prefigurate by the brazen altar The Analogie of the second point between the two sacrifices was that both was an Holocaust sacrifice For as the Leviticall sacrifice of of the brazen altar was wholy burnt up and consumed by the fire which came down from heaven so the sacrifice of the Lord of life as he is man was burnt up and consumed by the fire of Gods wrath which came down frâ—m â—eaven for the actuall curse of the Law for the sin of Adam to which Câ—â—st did oblige himself to sustaine for wretched unthankfull man by whose to fed death all men are redeemed from that curse The third point of the Aâ—alogie of the two sacrifices was Levit. 4.12 that as the ashes of the whole burnt sacrifice of the brazen altar was taken from the brazen altar and carryed in ash-pans and laid apart from the altar in a clean place So the blessed body of our Saviour Joh. 19.38 39 40 41. was taken down from the cursed altar of the crosse by Joseph of Arimathea Nicodemus and others of that religious company prefigurate by the ash-pans and carried and laid in a new sepulchre wherein no man was formerly laid Because the point of this declaration is in the sacrifice of our blessed Saviour the declaration thereof shall be discharged in these two heads First our Saviours cruell cursed death by the cursed altar of the crosse shall be declared And secondly the place where the Lord was laid prefigurate by the ashes of the sacrifice of the brazen altar which were carried apart from the altar and laid in a clean place Because the sacrifice of our Saviour is plainly set down in the Scripture we will first only make a brief and summary relation of the severall pasges thereof and next certain mysticall concerning points shall be observed of the death and suffering of our Saviour Of all the stratagems of Satan by his false deceiving bewitching light his incensing of miserable men with such bloody cruell hands to crucifie the Lord of life was most admirable and strange For first the power of actuall freedome of naturall and morall gâ—ace which they then enjoyed by the redemption of man from the curse of the Law by the eternall Decree of God though to be performed in time was such as Satan and all the created powers of God could not necessitate the will of man to any morall evill but that man must be willingly and freely led and induced to commit that evill Secondly the propheticall Sabbath was the glory of the Jews nation whereby the Jews were so eminent and had such great preferment above all the nations of the earth which glory and great preferment the Jews did then enjoy by faith in the blessing of the promised rest of the blessed seed prophesied by the propheticall Sabbath as it was the seventh day of the propheticall ceremoniall Law which was then the immediate object of the Jews faith And though our Saviour did manifest himself to the Jews that he was that blessed seed which was prophesied by the propheticall Sabbath shining then so gloriously amongst the Jews by his gracious light leading them to his love which was freely extended towards all rich and poor in his curing of all manner of sensitive incurable diseases of the body and the diseased souls of many engaging thereby so the generall love of all that happy was he who could but touch the Lord of life to none was his love and help denyed who were led to him by this gracious light of the sound of his Word who by the power of his wonders and miracles did manifest himself to be the Son of God ingaging the reverend fear of all by the convincing power of whose wonders and miracles the wretched Jews were constrained to acknowledge so much yet that Satan by his false deceiving light should notwithstanding so induce the unthankfull Jews not to suppresse but with such bloody hands to extinguish the light of their own eternall life and rest it cannot but amaze the heart of man though all was by the hand of Gods permissive power For though the power of Satans false deceiving light be wonderfull yet Satan with all his power must work all his mischief only by the betraying of the willing consent of man to have man to effect what he would of whose help Satan himself did then stand in great need for this miserable act of Satan was not so much out of his malice to man as out of Satans own fear For by the greatnesse of this glorious light of the promised blessed seed Satan began to be afraid that the head of his power must be broke by the seed of the woman and therefore it did stand Satan in hand in time to prevent this so great and eminent danger which that false Serpent did by suggesting such a light of apparent fear to the Priests Scribes and Pharisees of the utter losse of their glorious Sabbath and of the Leviticall dignity means and preferment if they should give way to this glorious light to shine amongst them whereby the world was so led and carried by which false suggested fear of Satans false deceiving light the Scribes and Pharisees and the rest of that rablement were furiously incensed with all greedy desire not to suppresse but extinguish the light it self whereby both might rest secure from any such fear which this barbarous crue did with most cruell bloody hands effect though while their cruell hands were in externall action their hearts were internally pricked with the power of this light as may appear by the sacred History from the first point to the last For first while the Scribes and Parisees did hire their Helhounds to apprehend the Lord of life the Lord told the Helhounds John 18.5 6.12.13 that he was the man whom they did seek And though by the power of his Word they fell back to the ground yet up again and to the Lord they went And though Malcomes eare Luke 22 50 51. being struck off was miraculously cured by our Saviour a glim of the light of the rest of their glorious Sabbath yet such was the power of the
therefore being commanded immediatly by the literall command of the law though necessarily implying the spirituall command in the command of faith the works of truth love and mercy are necessarily commanded which are the works of faith without which faith is but a dead faith and man but a dead man dead in actuall sin though he doth live all the days of this life To the knowledge of which actuall sin as the naturall man is led by the literall light of the law implyed in the command of the Lords day So by the knowledge of death by actuall sin the naturall man is moved to morall repentance And by repentance to amendment of life by the works of truth love and mercy to which he is morally enabled by the power of the redeemed Word of truth love and mercy in his heart which are the works of faith whereby the Lords merit is morally apprehended Eighthly the new covenant made between God and man being established upon the immediat command of the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall law of faith as the Lord doth oblige himself to man to conferre the actuall blessing of the Lords dayes eternall rest to the faithfull believer so the Lord by his covenant doth oblige the finall contemner of his infinit merit to the actuall mercilesse eternall curse of his Law The Lords merit of mercy therefore being infinit there is mercy for man all the day of this life For the new covenant is made to all men whatsoever and at what time soever For Mar. 13.13 whosoever shall endure to the end shall be saved This end to the naturall man is his finall perseverance in his morall obedience till the Lords prefixed time of his spirituall calling by the spirituall grace of faith whereby the naturall man being regenerate is saved who hath nothing to necessitate his morall disobedience And though he doth stumble and fall yet by the power of the redeemed word written in his heart the naturall man hath freedome to repent morally without necessitating of his impenitency for morall repentance must necessarily precede morall faith As the naturall man therefore is no wayes to dispaire of the Lords infinite mercy while there is day in this life for the dispairer of the Lords infinite mercy doth belie the Lords mercy and doth detract from the infinitensse of the Lords merit so the naturall man is no wayes by his presumptuous continuance in sin and wickednesse to contemn the Lords long patience leading him so graciously to repentance lest the Lord in his justice give him over to a reprobate minde that he cannot repent though he hath all the dayes of this life to repent by covenant Ninthly the law of God being eternall eternally obliging man as he is man and the reward of the law due by the law to the merit of man being according to the law eternall there must be therefore resurrection from the dead that man as he is man intellectuall and sensitive may receive the eternall reward of the law in the full extent to wit eternall life and rest to the faithfull believer in the merit of man Jesus Christ the eternall Son of God and the curse of the law by eternall death to the merit of man the proud finall contemner of the Lords infinit merit offered so freely to him in this life The reward therefore of the law in the full extent as the reward is eternall cannot be received by man till the last day Tenthly the Lord being the head of all men redeemed from the curse of the law for the sin of Adam as the Lord hath his universall redeemed Church in all the nations of the world who by the power of the redeemed word of truth love and mercy written in their heart are all morally united by one faith in one body and by that faith morally united to their head the gracious Redeemer of all men So the Lord being the mysticall head of his mysticall members the Lord hath his mysticall universall Church all united in one mysticall body by spirituall faith and by spirituall faith all spiritually and indivisibly united to their mysticall head These are the first ten fundamentall points of faith arising from the literall light of the Evangelicall sound of the word of the Lords day by the Lords rest and resurrection from the grave leading the naturall mans understanding by faith to apprehend the Lords merit to save him from the curse of the law of faith Next therefore of the fundamentall points of faith arising from the Lords resurrection from the earth by his ascention to the heavens to which his resurrection from his grave doth extend where the Lord sitteth at the right hand of the infinite power of the Father whence two fundamentall points of faith doth arise First the Lord according to his promise that the seed of the woman shall break the head of the old Serpent and the head of his cursed seed hath obliged himself by the new covenant that by his second coming from the heavens gloriously united to his mysticall members shall revenge the blood of man upon Satan and his cursed seed First the blood of man first betrayed by Satan to fall under the curse of the law Secondly the blood of man Jesus Christ the eternall Son of God by his redemption of man from the eternall curse of the law Thirdly the blood of the Lords mystical members persecute by Satan and his cursed seed for their valorous defending of his sacred truth in this life For the Lord as head united to his mysticall members is the mysticall man who must break the old Serpents head and the head of his cursed seed in the grat day afterwards more fully to be declared This breaking of the head of the old Serpent and of the head of his cursed seed is by the Lords judging condemning and by the actuall inflicting of the eternall curse and reward of the law in the full extent to the greâ—t glory of God the eternall comfort of the faithfull and to the finall eternall and utter confusion of Satan and his cursed seed in the great day The second fundamentall point of faith arising from the Lords resurrection from the earth by his ascention to the heavens is that the Lord hath graciously obliged himself by the covenant to send the Comforter John 16.7 the Spirit of truth by whose spirituall light enlightening the spirituall darknesse of the naturall man the Lords mysticall members are begot and by the spirituall power of whose spirituall life by that spirituall light the regenerate are enabled with the gift of patience to overcome all the afflictions and temptations of Satan and of his cursed seed in this life which is the Lords earnest of their incorruptible crown of glory in the life to come for their valor in their defence of his truth in this life In these twelve fundamentall points of faith as by the literall light of the sound of the word of the Lords day by his rest
the same reall power of the word spiritually written in the intellectuall spirit of both though after a differing manner And though the intellectuall soule of man while it is in the essentiall union with the sensitive nature doth act by the mediate organicall sensitive powers yet the soule in its intellectuall operations doth advance it selfe above all sensitive power and doth exercise its intellectuall operation without the help of any sensitive organ And therfore Aristotle that true light of all Philosophicall truth doth peremptorily affirme that it is not to be fained or imagined that the soule of man in its intellectuall operations doth use the help of any sensitive organ but that is meerely independent from any sensitive organ And consequently I doe necessarily conclude that the soule of man is likewise independent from any sensitive organ in its being For according to that Philosophicall principle The maner of the creatures action doth necessarily follow the creatures being The intellectuall soule of man therefore being independent from all sensitive organ both in being and in intellectuall operation the soule of man is separable from all sensitive power and consequently immortall And though while the soule is in the essentiall union of both the natures the understanding faculty of the soule doth depend objectively upon the sense of phansie yet the dependence is but an accidence and not essentiall And though Aristotle doth affirme and that most truly that in the act of understanding the species of the eternall object being received in the understanding doth become one with the understanding for in this union doth consist the understanding of the received species yet this union is likewise accidentall and separable for otherwise the understanding should stand alwayes affected which is repugnant to all Philosophicall truth Heere by the way the judicious Reader may observe the prerogative of the soule of man above all sublunary formes informing the materiall composit For as all other sublunary formes doe arise from the materiality of the composit so they doe stand and fall with the composit but though the intellectuall soule of man which is the first act of man as he is man doth essentially informe the sensitive materiall nature of man yet the intellectuall soule being every way independent in being from the sensitive body and no waies arising from the materiality thereof is separable from the sensitive body and consequently immortall Because the immortality of the soule is a most concerning fundamentall point of faith and a maine fundamentall point of this tractat for the Readers more full satisfaction I referre the truth of the point from the truth of the sacred Word First the intellectuall soule of man humane spirit is begotten by the eternall father of spirits as the father therefore is eternity it self to speak with the Schoolmen both from the part before and from the part after that is without all beginning or ending excluding all quantitative termes of time so humane spirit begotten of the eternall father is eternall from the part after For though the soule of man hath its beginning from the eternall father yet the soule of man humane spirit is without all ending with the father This begotten humane spirit by the eternall father since the creation is by the eternall fathers immediate concurring with the sensitive body while as the sensitive body commeth to such sensitive perfection in the wombe as the high elaborate vitall spirits of the heart doe appetite the intellectuall information of the soule For in that point of time the eternall father as he hath obliged himselfe by covenant doth concurre and by the immediate power of the word doth unite the intellectuall nature and spirit of man elaborate to the vitall spirits of the heart from whence the life of man as he is man is diffused o all the parts and powers of the sensitive body By this intellectuall information the infant in the wombe is man and in the prefixed time of birth brought forth man in the world by man female the woman Secondly the intellectuall soule of man humane spirt is of the same spheriphicall sphere with the humane spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ begotten of the same eternall Father The soule of man therefore humane spirit is eternall and immortall Thirdly the Lord himselfe doth affirme Luke 12.4 That the soule of man humane spirit cannot be killed and consequently the soule of man is eternall and immortall Fourthly God is not the God of the dead but of the living Mark 12.27 The soule of the very reprobate therefore though eternally tortured in hell and ever dying yet the soule must live in that eternall dying Fifthly the soule of man by the commanding power of the eternall word spiritually and immediately written in the soule is eternally bound and obliged to the command of the Law of God which is eternall the soule of man therefore and the law of God are necessarily coeviternall one with another Sixthly the twofold reward of the law is eternall as the law of God is eternall which is due by the law to man according to the merit of man The soule of man therefore by the immediate power of the word of the law written in the soule of man must bee enabled to receive the eternall reward of the law according to the merrit of man or the eternity of the reward of the law and consequently the law it selfe must perish which is blasphemy to affirme And as in this eternity of the reward of the law the comfort of the faithfull depâ—rting this life doth rest So in this eternity of the reward of the law the fearefull horror of the reprobate departing this life doth arise for in the point of the dissolution of the soul of the faithfull from the sensitive body by reason of the eternity of the reward of the law as the humane spirit of the faithfull in that instant of time is necessarily and actually united to the mysticall head the Lord Iesus Christ according to the unseparable union of the faiâ—â— of the faithfull to the Lords merit in this life where the soule rests and doth actually enjoy all heavenly happinesse in the mysticall head which is the promise of eternall blessing of the word of the Evangelicall seventh daies rest of the law of righteousnesse of faith So in the point of the dissolution of the humane spirit of the reprobate from the sensitive body the soule of the reprobate in that very instant of time is as necessarily united to eternall death and to the fearefull torture of the unquenchable fire of Gods consuming wrath which is the promise of the eternall curse of the Evangelicall law of righteousnesse of faith for as there is no intermission of time either for the actuall injoying of the Kingdome of glory by the humane spirit of the faithful howsoever the faithfull doth depart this life according to our Saviours word this night shalt thou be with me in paradise Luke 23.43 So there is no intermission of
old Serpent Rev. 20.2 from his stinging and killing of man from the beginning The poison of his sting is malice the bait whereby he doth bait his sting is his false pleasing deceitfull light called Satans darknesse for by the pleasing light of his miserable sting man doth greedily swallow the bait whereby man is stung to the heart From the great power of Satans sting whereby he did sting all men to eternall death from the beginning Satan Isa 27.1 is called a Dragon Satan Rev. 20.2 is called the great Leviathan which devoureth so many fishes at one mouthfull Satan from his stinging of all men from the beginning is called the Murderer of mankinde From his continuall stinging of man to make them fall by finall impenitency under the mercilesse curse of the Law of Faith Joh. 8.44 Satan is likewise called a Murderer Rev. 12.9 Satan is called the Devill because Satan having stung man by inducing man to commit sin upon sin Satan doth object to wretched man the severity of Gods justice continually accusing man for his sins against God and the impossibility of Gods mercy to the multitude of his sins whereby wretched man without Gods preventing mercy in his Son Christ Jesus is stung with the sting of despair Satan for his stinging of all men by his first blasphemous lie against God whereby he betrayed all men is called Joh. 8.44 the father of lies For lying is the first seed that he sowes amongst men even in a manner from the cradle From the great power of the false light wherewith he baits his sting to deceive man Satan is called the Prince of darknesse because by the power of his great false light the literall light of the word of the Law and life of righteousnesse written in the heart of man is obscured and darkned and in this sense Satan is likewise called 2 Cor. 4.4 God of the earth from the multitude of his followers As the cause of the curse is first set down and then the curse of the Law is literally pronounced upon the sensitive Serpent So the cause is first mystically set down to Satan and then the curse is pronounced upon the old Serpent Satan The cause is set down in these words because thou hast done this The mysticall sense of the words is this Satan because thou hast done this that is because thou hast been the first cause and author of this mischief to wit not only of the condemnation of Adam and of all men naturally to descend of Adam to eternall death and darknesse by the curse of the Law of righteousnesse but because thou art likewise the cause of the cursed death of Christ Jesus the eternall Son of God as he is man in redeeming of man from the eternall curse of the Law cursed therefore art thou above all the intellectuall creatures of God as thy instrument the Serpent is cursed above all the cattle and beasts of the field because thou hast done this According to the two branches of the curse literally inflicted upon the sensitive Serpent The two branches are mystically inflicted upon Satan in the Serpent The first is Vpon thy belly thou shalt goe Mystically Satan must go upon his belly the mysticall sense of the words is this Satan thou art cast down upon the belly of thy great power whereby thou didst so maliciously betray and deceive the first Adam and all men created in Adam the head so that thou shalt never rise again Rev. 20.10 with such a high hand of power to deceive and betray the second Adam to wit Christ Jesus and his mysticall members This mysticall sense of the first branch of the curse inflicted upon Satan is set down by the Apostle Jude chap. 6. to be the eternall chains of darknesse to which Satan ever since is chained like a Bear to the stake the compasse of which chain Satan must not passe over neither do within the compasse of that chain but what Satan is permitted by God For though Satan was cast down from the heavens like lightning Luke 10.18 by the curse of the Angelicall obligement of the Law which he did transgresse For Satan sinned Satan therefore transgressed the Law whereby he was Angelically obliged Yet Satans power was wonderfull untill he brought himself within the compasse of the curse of the humane obligement of the Law by his betraying of innocent man which is now pronounced by God upon Satan whereby Satans high power is curbed and himself confined and chained till the great day when Satan shal receive his final judgement and be cast down in the eternall burning lake Rev. 20.10 for his malicious betraying of man Who as he did first betray the woman man female so by man the seed of the woman he shall be condemned in the great day to wit by man Christ Jesus and his mysticall members who is the mysticall man which must break the head of the great Serpent in the great day to his eternall confusion And this is the reason that Satan did so saucily challenge our Saviour Mat. 8.29 for tormenting of him before his time Because our Saviour crossed Satan by dispossessing of the man possessed with Satans malicious spirit The second branch of the curse literally inflicted upon the sensitive Serpent as the literall curse doth concern the Serpent in particular is mystically inflicted upon the old Serpent Satan in these words Dust shalt thou eat all the dayes of thy life By the mysticall sense of this branch of the curse Satan is necessitate to feed upon the dust of the earth By the dust of the earth the foul dusty stinking sins of man since the fall is mystically signified which Satan must lick up and feed upon Mich. 7.17 or Satan must starve himself with his malice Prov. 14.28 Satans hunger and thirst therefore to make wretched man sin is one of the chief causes that Satan goeth about continually like a roaring Lion 1 Pet. 5.8 seeking whom he may devoure for Satan is necessitate by the curse to feed upon the sins of man whose insatiable hunger and thirst by reason of the necessity of this curse is never satisfied Another cause of Satans continuall going about seeking whom he may devoure is Satans fear lest too many should be regenerate and become mysticall members of the mysticall man and become Satans heavie judges in the great day For the Lord Jesus Christ united to his mysticall members is the mysticall man by whom Satants head and the head of his cursed seed in the great day must be finally and eternally broke to their eternall confusion And so much of the censure of God as it doth concern the sensitive Serpent and mystically the old Serpent Satan Next of the censure inflicted upon the Serpent as the censure doth likewise concern the woman CHAP. XIX As the censure inflicted upon the Serpent doth concern the woman THe censure of God upon the Serpent as it doth concern the woman is set down by Moses in these words Gen.
3.15 I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed it shall break thy head and thou shalt bruise his heel This censure hath likewise a literall and mysticall sense and doth divide it self into three branches The first is I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed The second is It shall break thy head The third is Thou shalt bruise his heel In the three branches of this censure as the censure doth concern the woman and her seed doth consist the foundation of all Christian faith from the first promise of the blessed seed made to Adam For in the second branch of this censure the second covenant is made by God with man in the promise of the blessed seed The Declaration therefore of this censure as it doth concern the Serpent and the woman shall be discharged in these two points First the literall and mysticall sense of the three branches of the censure shall be declared Secondly the second covenant in the promise of the blessed seed shall be set down After the declaration of which two points the censure of God upon the two last parties delinquents shall be followed according to the order set down by Moses First therefore of the literall sense of the thee branches of the censure and next of the mystall sense By the literall sense of the first branch of the censure a naturall enmity and hatred is put between the Serpent the woman who were formerly so loving and conversant one with another which enmity and hatred is put likewise between the seed of both By reason of this enmity and hatred mortall bloody irreconcileable wars are stirred up between the parties This was a miserable censure inflicted upon the Serpent not only to be cast down by the curse from the former estate to craul so despicably and loathsomely upon the belly and to eat the dust of the earth but likewise to be so necessitate by the curse to such a base condition as neither man or woman can abide the Serpent who were formerly so loving and familiar one with another which hatred according to the eternall Decree of God must continue till the worlds end This hatred is not only a simple privation of the former love between this sensitive creature and man but it is a positive enmity accompanied with such a necessitate fear of man in the Serpent as if the fire stand in the way while man doth pursue the Serpent the Serpent to flie the presence of man will craul thorow the fire it self Though this enmity be inflicted upon the Serpent and its seed as a curse yet it is no wayes inflicted as a curse upon the woman or upon her seed but doth naturally proceed from both to the Serpent for the Serpents betraying of man to fall under the eternall curse of the Law for whose redemption the sacred blood of Christ Jesus as he is man was so truly and necessarily shed though it be no small cut to man while man at whose frown the most cruell Lion did most submissively stoop must now be afraid of the sting of such a base crauling creature as the Serpent The second branch of the censuâ—e is It shall break thine head whereby the word it is to be understood man the seed of the woman as shall appear by the mysticall sense of the censure By the eternall Decree of God therefore the seed of the woman must break the head of the Serpent which is the most miserable curse of all to the Serpent For the head implying the brain which is the originall of the sensitive powers of the sensitive creature being broke and bruised as it were in pieces both the sensitive and vegetative life of the Serpent is extinguished in the originall and consequently the venemous power of the sting of the Serpent bruised and broken And by whom By man the seed of the woman and why because thou hast done this The victory therefore of this irreconcileable wars is by the eternall Decree of God decreed to man the seed of the woman But though the victory of this bloody irreconcileable wars be decreed to the seed of the woman yet the conquest is not without some fear and danger to wit Thou shalt bruise his heel that is the heel of man the seed of the woman By the heel the lowest part of man as he is sensitive is to be understood for neither the Serpent or Satan or any created power must enter the soul of man to sting man as he is a spirituall man The Serpent therefore by its sting must bruise the naturall man as he is sensitive and not as the man is intellectuall and a spirituall man By this power given to the Serpent to bruise the heel of man Numb 21.8 Eccl. 10 11. the Serpent is said to bite or sting man the seed of the woman And though by the sting of the Serpent being venemous the wound by the inflamation of the sensitive powers without speedy remedy doth many times prove mortall yet such mortality by naturall death is an advantage to the faithfull while thereby all the afflictions of this life by the old great Serpents sting are determined And though the Serpent many times having mortally stung man by subtilty nimblenesse doth scape the deadly wound yet die the Serpent must if not by man naturally descended of Adam yet by man spiritually begot of the seed of the woman by whose sacred blood the dead by the Serpents sting was redeemed and by whose câ—mmand the blood of man killed must be revenged For by whom mans blood is shed the blood of the shedder whether by man or any sensitive creature must be shed according to the Law of God And so much for the literall sense of the three branches of the censure inflicted upon the sensitive Serpent and its seed as the censure doth concern the woman and her seed Next of the mysticall sense of the three branches of the censure CHAP. XX. The mysticall sense of the first branch of the censure BY the mysticall sense of the first branch of this censure the enmity put between the sensitive Serpent and the woman is mystically put between the old murdering Serpent and the Church of God which is the body of our Lord Jesus Christ the head of the Church mystically signified by the woman For this mysticall woman is the blessed Virgine By the seed of the Serpent is mystically signified those whom Satan by the sowing of his seed of enmity even in a manner from the cradle doth beget to be haters of the truth of the word and persecutors of the Professors of the Word are called the children and seed of Satan By this mysticall woman therefore to wit the blessed Virgine the redeemed militant Church of God upon earth is mystically to be understood By the seed of the woman first Christ Jesus the Word secondly the children begot of the Word brought forth by the
God is mystically signified by the woman the reason whereof is the twofold naturall conception of the woman which is as it were the embleme of the twofold conception of the morall and mysticall members of the Lord Jesus Christ which are brought forth by the Church For as the morall conception of the naturall man by morall faith by the preaching and sowing of the seed of the Word doth resemble the seminall and first conception of the woman So doth the spirituall conception of the regenerate man by the Church resemble the second conception of woman For though the regenerate man be spiritually enlightned by the immediate light of the holy Spirit yet that spirituall light is the spirituall light of the Word which is the seed of the Church and the regenerate man is enlightned thereby as he is a member of the Church which is the body of our Lord Jesus Christ The third main fundamentall point to be observed in this gracious promise is the immediate cause of the Lords love to his militant Church For the immediate sole efficient cause of his love to the Church is the essentiall union of this divine and humane nature of the Word As the immediate cause of this essentiall union is the Lords infinite love to all men eternally condemned to the curse of eternall death for the sin of Adam Whence the infinit joy and gladnesse of the sacred Trinity did arise to rest eternally upon the essential union of which essentiall union and unction doth arise the Lords love to his Church by his sacred Word as his Word by his love is the Image of this essentiall union For as by the literall light of his Word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousnesse of faith proceeding from his love which is of one reall light with the redeemed word in the heart of man the naturall man is morally led to the Lords merit So by the Spirituall light of the Word proceeding from his spirituall love which is the spirituall light of his holy Spirit the regenerate man is spiritually led to the Lords merit and spiritually mystically and indivisibly united to his mysticall head For by this spirituall love all the regenerate are coupled and united joynt to joynt one to another and all indivisibly to their mysticall head whence the spirituall joy and gladnesse of the regenerate doth arise which is called the joy of the Holy Ghost for this spirituall union and unction is really one in the head and members but it is essentiall in the head and spirituall in the members spiritually flowing from the essentiall union and unction of the head and this is the reason that it is said by the Prophet David prophecying of this union and unction Psal 45.7 Thou hast anointed him with the oil of gladnesse above his fellowes Whose fellows are his mysticall brethren begotten of the same Father for both the head and the members are the sons of God the head essentially and therefore the naturall Son of God the members spiritually and therefore the spirituall and adopted sons of God in their mysticall head who are therefore predestinate to be made like to his Image that he might be the first born Son amongst many brethren And in this sense our Saviour is called Luke 2.7 The fiâ—st born Son of the Virgine the woman in respect of his mysticall members who are begot of the woman the Church Though the spirituall joy therefore of the regenerate doth many times ebbe and flow yet the spirituall love whereby they are spiritually united to their mysticall head whence this spirituall joy doth arise is indivisible in the head and members It is as impossible therefore for the regenerate to fall totally and finally from the grace of their spirituall love whereby they are indivisibly united to their mysticall head As for the humane nature of the word to fall from the divine nature and alone For the essentiall union of the divine and humane nature of the Word is the sole immediate efficient cause of this indivisible union and must mutually stand together By this spirituall union and unction whereby the regenerate are indivisibly united to the truth of the Lords merit the regenerate man is so armed with the spirituall valour of patience as he is enabled to resist the strongest temptation of the Devill and of his powerfull instruments and to stand to the Lords truth even the losse of his naturall life by which spirituall valour the regenerate man doth overcome the power of Satan and of all his cruell crue in this life For this spirituall valour doth proceed from the decreed victory of this irreconcileable bloody war to the seed of the woman For the seed of the woman must break the head of the Serpent and the head of the Serpents seed though the victory be not without temporall danger and afflictions as may appear by the mysticall sense of the third branch of the censure next to be declared CHAP. XXII The mysticall sense of the third branch of the censure SAtan and his cursed bloody brood by the mysticall sense of the first branch of the censure being necessitate to hate the truth and the professors of the truth who are the Church of God and to induce all others to his power to hate and persecute the Church Satan first by the mysticall sense of this third branch of the censure is limited how far his power shall extend mystically signified by the word Heel which is the lowest part of man as he is man intellectuall and sensitive whereby the sensitive power of man as he is man is signified Satan therefore by his cursed sting of enmity hath the power to sting and bite man as he is a naturall man intellectuall and sensitive but no wayes as he is a spirituall man For Satan with all his power cannot sting the regenerate man not so much as to induce him to commit the least actuall sin For the regenerate man is born of God 1 John 3.9 and cannot sin as he is a spirituall man And therefore the Apostle Paul Rom. 7.17 18. doth disclaim his actuall sins to be his to wit as he is a spirituall and a regenerate man but doth attribute his actuall sins to his rebellious flesh as he is a naturall man and the old man corrupted by Satan and his wicked instruments even in a manner from the cradle Secondly by the mysticall sense of this word His Satan and his cursed brood according to the eternall Decree of God is permitted first to sting the Word the blessed seed made flesh of the seed of the woman whom that old murdering blood-hound and his cursed bloody brood did sting most cruelly to the cursed death of the crosse Secondly by the word His Satan and his seed is permitted to sting and bite the heel of the Lords mysticall members who are predestinate to be made like to the Image of their mysticall head that they may taste of the cup of his afflictions in this
life which our Saviour hath drunk of charged up to the brim for the sins of man to the end that his mysticall members may feel the sorrows and afflictions which he did sustain for man and that they may testifie their redeemed spirituall valour by their maintaining of his truth in this life in recompence whereof an incorruptible crown of glory is laid up for them in the life to come By this the permissive decreed power to Satan and his seed the Church of God hath been continually stung and afflicted ever since the promise of the blessed seed was made to man How soon did that murdering Dragon stir up Cain to murder his innocent brother Abel and what fearfull effects did follow that murder while of Cains wicked race the world was set in such a fire of all sin cruelty and uncleannesse as the whole world was brought to the number of eight persons And so hath this bloody Hell-hound and his wicked seed continued ever since by stinging the Prophets and Saints of God before Christ and since his Apostles and Martyrs in all ages And was there ever greater stinging and bloody persecutions of the truth and of the professors of the truth then there is in this miserable age The regenerate man therefore while he is in this life must resolve to march under the white and bloody colours of the immaculate Lamb and to stand to the defence of the purity of the truth of his mysticall head fight he must for Satan the great Dragon and his bloody brood are naturally inclined to bite and sting The regenerate man therefore must resolve himself both to give and many times to take the foil And though Satan and his wicked crue by byting of his heel do make him trip stumble and fall yet up he must and to it again for the prize is an incorruptible crown of glory due by covenant to him that overcometh Rev. 2.10.11 And though in the conflict the regenerate man be stung to naturall death yet the prize is his own For according to the eternall decree of God he must rise again and in his mysticall head revenge the blood of man upon Satan and his cursed feed by breaking of their heads to their eternall confusion and in recompence of their valour in this life be crowned with an incorruptible crown of glory in his mysticall head in the life to come For by the eternall Decree of God the seed of the woman must break the head of the Serpent What I say to the regenerate man I say likewise to the naturall man whom God in his mercy hath preserved from Satans overcomming to be his cursed seed and whom God in his eternall purpose hath decreed in his prefixed time to call spiritually for both are commanded to resist Satan For if the naturall man out of the power of his redeemed morall grace doth but resist Satan twice or thrice Satan Jam 4.7 like a coward will turn tail and flie away as the sensitive Serpent from the presence of man Let the regenerate and and the good naturall man therefore look up continually to the crown that that is laid up for them and withall remember that he that doth deny the Lords truth totally and finally in this life Mat. 10.33 the Lord will deny him before his Father in the great day Of the mysticall sense of the last branch of this censure I infer the third necessary conclusion that it is impossible for the regenerate man to fall totally and finally from the grace of his spirituall love whereby he is spiritually and indivisibly united to his mysticall head For Satan with all his power is not able to make the regenerate man to sin as he is a spirituall man for he is born of God much lesse to fall totally and finally from the grace of his spirituall love and indivisibly united to the truth of the Lords merit Thus having declared the literall and mysticall sense of the censure upon the sensitive Serpent and upon the old Serpent Satan in particular and also the literall and mysticall sense of the three branches of this censure as it doth concern the Serpent and the Serpents seed and the woman and her seed literally and mystically Before we come to the declaration of the censure upon the last two delinquents in particular First the second covenant comprehended in the second branch of this censure is to be set down according to the literall and mysticall sense CHAP. XXIII The second covenant in the promise of the blessed seed entred with Adam the redeemed head of all men which is called the old covenant IN the opening the second covenant in the promise of the blessed seed two two things are first necessarily to be observed First as the first covenant was made with Adam as under the name of Adam man male and female was necessarily comprehended for so Adam is the head of all men naturally to descend of Adam So the second covenant is made with Adam in his redeemed state though then unknown to Adam as under the name of Adam both man male and female is comprehended for so Adam is the redeemed head of all men naturally to descend of Adam The second thing to be observed is that according to the eternall decree of God the redemption of man in the promise of the blessed seed was in every respect as actuall to man in the promise by the second covenant as after the promise was fulfilled by the new covenant To come therefore to the covenant God in the majesty of his incensed wrath against the sensitive creature called the Serpent for betraying of man did as a terrible Judge in the presence of our first parents by his Word pronounce the curse of the Law upon this sensitive creature so beloved of our first parents by the immediate power of whose all commanding Word down falleth this sensitive creature from walking upon the legs as other cattle and beasts of field to craul in a most fearfull despicable and loathsome manner upon the belly to lick up and feed upon the dust of the earth At which unexpected horrible loathsome spectacle our first parents fearing their turn next to have the curse of the Law inflâ—cted upon them the Serpent being only the instrument of theâ—r transgression whiâ—e â—ur first parents in this agony of fear to be swallowed up and drowned in thâ— sea of Gods fiery wrath in this mean time God according to his eternall decree out of his infinite love and mercy to man in his Son Christ Jesus made the gracious unexpected promise to Adam That the seed of the woman should break the head of the Serpent because the Serpent did first betray the woman And this is the literall promise the mysticâ—ll sense whereof is formerly declared The mysticall sense therefore of this graciâ—us promise that the seed of the woman shall break the head of the Serpent is this The Word shall be made flesh of the seed of the woman that as
love And this was the greatest subjection of the wise to the husband in the state of perfection which was in this twofold union of mutuall love And therefore it is said Let no man separate whom God hath joyned together to wit in marriage This inseparable union of man and wife in the state of perfection as it was without any essentiall or spirituall reall difference so it was equall without all imperious authority either of naturall or spirituall subjection neither was it possible to be otherwise for the naturall and spirituall love of both being inseparably and indivisibly one as the love of the head to the body and of the body to the head Man the head could no otherwise command his body his wife but by a sweet pleasing regiment of love directing his body as head in all naturall and spirituall love And therefore woman was made neither of the lowest or highest part of man but of the rib equall in situation with the region of the heart Though this censure therefore was pronounced upon woman as she was the body of her husband for being the instrument to induce her head Adam to the transgression of the Law of God being first betrayed her self by Satans false deceiving bewitching light yet let man love and honour woman who was the happy instrument of the greatest blessing that ever came to man or Angel And therefore now in this state of Grace man is by a more strict union obliged to love his wife then if man had stood in the state of his created perfection For by his first estate man had been but an earthly creature for his perfection must have been eternally upon earth while as the woman is the happy instrument that man is advanced to be crowned with an incorruptible crown of glory in the kingdome of heaven eternally And this is the reason that the husband even now in the state of Grace is to love his wife as himself and to expresse his love Ephes 5.33 by his care in providing and cherishing his wife even as he doth his own naturall life and that she may be as dear to him as his naturall life And consequently to bear much with the weaknesse of her sex for otherwise man must manifest his base unthankfulnesse both to God and to woman whom God hath made the happy instrument of so great a blessing never to be forgotten by man Let no man therefore think that the woman is given him to wife to be made his slave but to love her as his own naturall body As the wife his body is to love her head as a mutuall help and comfort to her head to her full power with all submissive reverence in love to be directed by her head This subjection therefore is still in the sweet regiment of love without all usurping imperious authority or rigorous command Here it may be objected Gen. 3.37 Adam is punished for giving way to his wifes perswasion and consequently Adam had an imperious authority over his wife in the state of perfection I answer This Text doth necessarily inferre an equall and mutuall love between Adam and Eve and no wayes any imperious authority of command neither doth God punish Adam simply for being perswaded by his wifes love but because Adam did preferre the love of his wife to the command of his gracious God and Creator to whose infinite love both Adam and Eve were so infinitely obliged In which respect all the love and command of man and woman whosoever must be misregarded And so much for the two branches of the censure pronounced against the woman as she is the body of her husband her head Next therefore of the mysticall sense of the two branches of the censure CHAP. XXVI The mysticall sense of the two branches of the censure pronounced upon the woman as she is the body of man her husband BY the mysticall sense of this censure literally pronounced upon the woman as she is the body of her husband First by the woman the Church of God is mystically to be understood As by the husband the Lord Jesus Christ the head and husband of the Church Secondly by the concepon and the bringing forth of children by the woman the conception and bringing forth of the morall and spirituall children of the Church by the Ministers of the Word is mystically signified For by the preaching of the Word and by the Ministers exemplary instruction 2 Tim. 4.2 in season and out of season the children of the Church are first brought forth by morall faith to know and practise the works of faith that morall obedience may be given to the Word Thirdly by the sorrow and grief of the woman in conceiving and bringing forth of children the sorrow grief and pains of the Minister is mystically signified by his hard conceiving and bringing forth of the rebellious natural man nuzled up in the lusts and pleasures of the flesh by the continued temptation of Satan and his seed whereby the naturall man is led to all wickednesse of life to the sorrow and grief of the whole Church As by the joy of the woman that man is brought forth in the world the joy of the Church at the conversion of the penitent sinner is mystically signified Fourthly by the barrennesse of the woman in bringing forth of children not only the Ministers barrennesse in the neglect of his weighty calling but also the barrennesse of faith in the particular members of the Church is mystically signified Fifthly by the second conception of the woman while by the intellectuall information of the Infant in the womb by the immediate act of God man as he is man is conceived and brought forth man by the woman the spirituall conception of the regenerate man by the Church whereby he is brought forth a spirituall man is mystically signified For in the act of regeneration the naturall man having continued in his morall obedience to the preaching of the Word till Gods prefixed time of spirituall calling the naturall mans spirituall darknesse is enlightned by the immediate spirituall light of the Lords holy Spirit by spirituall faith whereby he is actually regenerate and so conceived and brought by the Church a mysticall indivisible member of his mysticall head to the great joy and comfort of the Church Sixthly by the strict naturall and spirituall union between man and wife the strict union of the Lord Jesus Christ to his body the Church is mystically signified which is both naturall and spirituall For as the Church his body is flesh of his naturall flesh and bone of his bones as he is man of the seed of the woman so the Church morally and spiritually brought forth is of the same spirit with the head whereby the head and body are spiritually mystically and indivisibly united arising of the essentiall spirituall union and unction of the divine and humane nature of the Word in the womb of the blessed Virgin Seventhly by the subjected desire of the woman to her
Devils darknesse obscuring that glorious light as our blessed Saviour like a malefactor was haled to the judgement hall And though Pilat convinced by the power of this glorious light did thrice pronounce the Lord innocent yet Pilat led by Satans light his tongue condemned the Lord of life But Pilate by hearing one of the murthering crue say Joh. 19.7 that Christ affirmed himself to be the Son of God Pilats heart being prickt again by that word sought to set our Saviour at liberty till another told Pilate Joh. 19.12 13. that if he should do so Pilat should shew himself an enemy to Cesar at which words Pilate fearing by his letting of Christ go free the losse of his place if not his life Pilate delivered the King of glory to the murtherers For the Scribes and Pharisees cryed out that they had a Law and that by that Law Christ ought to die and there was a reason of right for all Our Saviour therefore being delivered to the mercilesse band first Mar. 15.15 he was cruelly scourged a fearfull bloody punishment and of no lesse cruelty according to the judiciall Law used amongest the Jews Secondly his glorious head in derision Mar. 15.17 was crowned with a prickly crown of thornes by the sharp pricks whereof streams of his precious blood did besmear his gracious face and blessed body Thirdly being so bloodily crowned Mat. 27.29 a reedy Scepter was put in his hand by their Apish gestures saluting the King of glory for the king of the Jews though by right descent Christ Jesus was their King indeed Fourthly our Saviour was commanded by the cruell torturors John 19.17 to bear his crosse the curse whereof he was to bear both in soul and body Fifthly our Saviour was with mercilesse cruelty nailed to the crosse and most ignominiously hanged between two notorious thieves Sixtly our Saviour thirsting in the agony of his passion Mat. 27.34.38 was offered the bitter potion of vineger and gall to drink so that all the sensitive powers of the Lord of life the Son of God as he is man from his head to his body hands and feet were most cruelly and mercilesly martyred by the bloody murtherers for the space from the sixth hour to the ninth though nothing to the martyrdome of his burned soul burnt up by the fiery wrath of God from heaven proceeding from the actuall inflicting of the curse of the Law to the sustaining whereof the Son of God as he is man out of his love to man did freely oblige himself by covenant The sustaining of which torture upon the cursed altar of the crosse made our Saviour cry out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me All which miseries proceeding from the curse of the law the Lord of life the eternall Son of God God equall with the Father out of his infinite love to man did predestinate himself by his Decree from all eternity to suffer as he is man And last of all these bloody Helhounds that they might be sure that his glorious light might never shine again John 19.34 did with a spear pierce the Lord of life to the heart of which wound issued blood and water And so much for the brief summary relation of the sacrifice of our Saviour offered for man condemned to the eternall curse of the Law whereby the Son of God Christ Jesus out of his love to man made himself a curse for man to redeem man from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam Next some mysticall concerning points are to be observed of the cruell martyrdome of our blessed Saviour CHAP. III. The mysticall sense of the sacrifice of Christ Jesus the Son of God out of his infinite love to man FIrst by our Saviours coaction to bear his crosse to which he was predestinate by the Decree of God from all eternity The crosse of afflictions of his mysticall members predestinate to be made like to the Image of his afflictions in this life is mystically signified For his mysticall members as they are the Image of his afflictions must participate with their mysticall head and taste of the cup which their mysticall head hath drunk charged up to the brim that as they have suffered with their mysticall head in this life so they may raign in their head crowned with an incorruptible Crown of glory eternally in all heavenly happinesse in the life to come For afflictions is the strait gate in this life whereby his mysticall members must enter into the kingdome of heaven Secondly by our Saviours thirsting upon the cursed altar of the crosse while he was offered the bitter potion of vineger and gall by the torturing helhounds to quench his thirst is mystically signified the eternall torments of the Reprobate in hell burnt up with the actuall inflicting of the curse of the Law in the full extent by the consuming fire of Gods eternall wrath who while as they thirst no other liquor shall they have to quench their unquenchable thirst but the gally dregs of the Devils darknesse with the voluptuous sensitive pleasures whereof they did so surfet in this life Thirdly by the words of our Saviour while he did endure and sustain the curse of the Law upon the cursed altar of the crosse saying My God my God why hast thou forsaken me The extremity of his sustaining of the wrath of God in the full extent in the torturing of his soul is mystically signified as the tortures of his sensitive body by his sensitive martyrdome was patient to all whereby our Saviour did manifest himself true man to the world Fouthly by our Saviours words at the giving up of his Spirit saying John 19 30. It is finished was mystically signified that by his death all the materiall altars and sacrifices all the figures types rites and ceremonies prefigurating the coming and death of the blessed seed were all finished and determined by his death never to be reiterate in the Church of God Fifthly by the darknesse from the sixth hour to the ninth which was the hour of his death at which hour the darknesse vanished was mystically signified that all the cloudy darknesse of the propheticall ceremoniall Law were quite vanished away never to be reiterate in the Church of God Sixthly by the rending of the vail of the Temple at Christs giving up of his Spirit which hath been formerly mentioned the calling of the Gentiles with the Jews in one Church was mystically signified who upon the next day following to wit upon the day of the Lords resurrection from the grave were all actually called in one Church by the new covenant to the great joy and comfort of all the nations of the world Seventhly by the piercing of our Saviours heart with the spear where the intellectuall and sensitive spirits of man as he is man are essentially united It was mystically signified again that all the types figures and rites of the ceremoniall Law prefigurating our Saviours cursed death of the crosse from the foundation of
end to end is nothing else but the light of the sound of the word of the Lords day For by the sounding of the word of the Lords resurrection by the Apostles what a world of wonders and miracles were wrought and how many thousands by the light of the sound of the word came by the hands of faith to lay hold on the Lords daies Evangelicall rest Thirdly the new Covenant is immediatly established upon the Evangelicall word of the Lords day by inseperable union Fourthly the Apostle doth affirme that the sound of the word to wit of the Lords day went to the ends of the earth Fiftly Iohn doth call the day of the Lords resurrection the Lords day Sixtly the Apostle to the Hebrews doth set downe the Lords day the Evangelicall Word of the seventh day of the Law of righteousnesse of faith most plainly saying first that after a long time which was the time of the promised rest of the propheticall Sabbaticall seventh day there was another certaine seventh day appointed in David that is in Davids seed Secondly that the Lord of life to wit the Son of David did enter this day into his rest from his resting from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed which is his Evangelicall rest necessarily implying his bloody promised Sabbaticall rest from the worke of the redemtion As he did first rest from the workes of the creation Thirdly the Apostle proveth that this day appointed in David was for the people to enter into this seventh daies rest For saith the Apostle Hebrews 4.8 if Joshua could have given the people of Israel rest to wit by the promised rest of the propheticall Sabbaticall seventh day then bad not David bin appointed to speake of another day that sâ— another seventh day which the Apostle Hebrews 4.12 cals the lively powerfull word of God which is the word of the Lords day the true Evangelicall Word of the seventh day of the Law of righteousnesse of faith by the Evangelicall sound thereof sharper then any two edged sword dâ—viding and seperating the soule from the spirit where the soule is taken for the soule of man as he is a naturall man and the spirit is taken for the soule of man as he is regenerate and a spirituall man for by the spirituall sanctifying understanding of the wâ—rd the rebellious powers of the flesh of man as he is a naturall man are devided and subdued by the power of the Spirit though not totally in thâ—s life And therefore the Apostle Paul doth affirme that the sins pro eeding from his rebellious flesh are none of his to wit as he is a spirituall man Seventhly David doth prophetically affirme Psal 118 24. First that this is the day which the Lord hath made exhorting all men to rejoyce in this blessed day which day David did see with his spirituall eyes of faith for the Lord did fulfill this prophesie of David indeed for the Lord made this day with his precious bloud Secondly David doth prophetically affirme Psal 118.22 that it was the glorious light of this seventh dayes rest which David calls the corner stone which the Judaicall builders did refuse and now is made the head of the corner mounted above the heaven of heavens the Tabernacle not made with hands wherein the Lord of life Head of his mysticall members is entered to make continuall intercession as their Advocate at the Throne and Alter of righteousnesse by the merit of his fulfilling of the Law of righteousnesse whereby all the actuall sins of his mysticall members united to their mysticall head by his indivisible love are covered and freed from the curse of the Evangelicall Law of faith by the new Covenant As by his cursed death of the altar of the Crosse they are freed from the curse of the Law for their sinne in Adam by the first Covenant Eightly the Lord himselfe doth affirme John 8.56 that Abraham did see this his joyfull day to wit with his spirituall eyes of faith in the eight day of the Sacrament of circumcision wherein there doth lye no small mysterie for the child was to be circumcised upon the eight day though the eight day did fall upon the propheticall Sabbath day upon which day no worke was to be done under the paine of death much lesse the shedding of mans bloud The shedding of mans bloud therefore upon the Sabbath was onely lawfull by the command of the Sacramentall circumcision for both the propheticall Sacraments implying the whole propheticall ceremoniall Law were commanded in the Church of God before the Law was given to Moses to the end that the Jews might understand that the Law to the fathers before Moses and after Moses till Christs resurrection was really one and the same Law of God and one and the same formall obliegement of the Law The point of the mysterie lyeth in this That the Sacrament of circumcision which was the eighth day was preferred to the command of the Sabbath which was the seventh day of the Law implying the command of the whole Law Now the Sacrament of circumcision was but the shadow of the Sacrament of the Lords day which was the eight day from the last propheticall Sabbath reckoning the propheticall Sabbath inclusively for the first day in the accompt of the eight dayes though by beginning the accompt from the last formall Jews propheticall Sabbath exclusively the Lords day as man naturally descended of Adam is oblieged to the Law is the just seventh day from the last formall Jews propheticall Sabbath as hath beene declared What an admirable faith was this of Abraham to see this day so farre off which the Lord affirmeth that Abraham did see and that Abraham did rejoyce in the sight of this blessed day Ninthly the Lord of life the Lord of the Evangelicall law of the righteousnesse of faith the true eternall rest of the Evangelicall seventh day of the Law doth call this blessed day his owne day John 85.6 His owne day by all true title and right of righteousnesse it selfe his owne which in spite of the power of darkenesse must shine till the eternall day Tenthly this is the most joyfull day of dayes for by the Evangelicall sound of the Lords dayes Evangelicall rest the Jews and Gentiles were actually called to one Church and were made one fold to the joyous and thankfull jubilising of all the Nations of the world Eleventhly by the Evangelicall sound of the Lords daies Evangelicall rest arising from his bloudy rest all the propheticall Sabbaths all the jubilees of Sabbaths and all the prophesies prophesying from the foundation of the world of the comming and suffering of the Lord of life the promised blessed seed are actually determined Twelfthly by his bloudy Sabbaticall rest necessarily implyed in his Evangelicall seventh dayes rest of the Lords day All the altars and sacrifices the foundation of the partition wall of the ceremoniall Law and all the figures types rites and propheticall ceremonies from the foundation of
first sin with such freedom of morall grace as all the created powers of God are not able to necessitate the will of the redeemed naturall man to morall disobedience To whose finall perseverance in his redeemed grace by his morall obedience till Gods prefixed time of spirituall calling the grace of spirituall faith is due by the new covenant which is established with all men in the grace of this redeemed estate Of this redeemed estate of man God without all impeachment to his justice did decree from all eternity to elect to his mercy a certain number of this redeemed state of man known to himself by preserving of them from being finally overcome by the temptation of Satan and of his instruments in this life and to leave a certain number known only to himselfe in this redeemed estate of naturall and morall grace to be induced or not induced by Satan and his instruments to finall disobedience at their pleasure and perill For there is nothing to necessitate their will morally and finally to disobedience The immediate cause of Gods election of man in this redeemed estate is the freedome of his mercy who in this case will shew mercy on whom he will have mery in his Son Christ Jesus The immediate cause of his shewing of mercy to some in this redeemed estate is his foreknowledge of them whom from all eternity he hath predestinate to be made like to the Image of his Son in this life The immediate cause that they are predestinate to be made like to the Image of his Son in this life is that Christ Jesus the eternall Son of God made flesh of the seed of the woman in time may be the first born amongst many brethren who are his mysticall members The immediate cause that they are the mysticall brethren and members of their mysticall head Christ Jesus is that as their mysticall head by the bloody persecution of Satan and his cruell instruments did seal the truth of his fulfilled promise of the blessed seed with his heart blood So his mysticall brethren and members by tasting of the cup of his afflictions by the bloody persecutions of Satan and his cursed crue may stand in the defence of the truth of their mysticall head valiantly to the end of this life The immediate cause whereof is to the end that whereas the Lords mysticall members hath born the Image of his bloody persecution in this life So in the great day they may in their mysticall head revenge the blood of man upon Satan by the finall breaking of the old Serpents head and the head of his cursed seed to their eternall confusion And that in recompence of their valour they may in their mysticall head be crowned with an incorruptible crown of glory eternally and triumphantly in all heavenly happinesse in the life to come The immediate cause whereof is the Lords promise of the blessed seed that the seed of the woman shall break the head of the Serpent which seed of the woman is first the Word the Lord Jesus Christ begot by his Father man of the seed of the blessed Virgine And next his mysticall brethren begot by the literall and spirituall light of the Word brought forth by the woman the Church The immediate cause of the Lords promise of the blessed seed is Gods eternall decree of predestination upon his eternall prescience of the full of man by the malicious treachery of Satan The immediate cause of Gods eternall decree is Gods infinite love a and mercy to man in his Son Christ Jesus the Word made flesh of the seed of the woman from whose infinite love to man as all the effects of his sacred decree do proceed So all return to the infinit eternall word second person of the glorious Trinity God and man God equall with the Father and holy Spirit to whom with the Father and holy Spirit three coessentiall distinct persons one incomprehensible indivisible infinite essence God of all power and majesty be ascribed of all creatures all eternall honour glory power praise and thanksgiving for his infinite truth love and mercy to man the only Rock and Rest of the faith of man FINIS
his word is the command of his Law of righteousnesse commanding man but as his word is the command of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousnesse for all the commands of God commanding man by his word which are the commands of his Law of righteousnesse doe retain strength and power of command from the immediate power of the word of the seventh dayes rest Of this declaration of the first Covenant I inferre the first formall obligement of the Law of God obliging man in his state of perfection The formall obligement of the Law obliging man in his severall state and condition is immediately by the formality of the Covenant and the formality of the covenant is by the formall manner that God doth manifest himselfe to man by the word of his severall seventh dayes rest of the Law in the severall state and condition of man obliging man to the formall worship of the seventh day and in the seventh day obliging the obedience of man to the command of the whole law by which formall obliged worship of the seventh day the whole law implyed in the command of the seventh day is formally obliged obliging and commanding man in his severall state and condition to the formall worship of God as God by the word of his seventh dayes rest hath manifest himselfe to man both upon the eternall blessing of the word of his seventh dayes rest and upon the curse of eternall death and in that commanded worship of the seventh day commanding the obedience of man to the whole Law God therefore by the word of his first seventh dayes rest of the Law having manifest himselfe to man God of the Law of righteousnesse Creator and conservator of heaven of earth of man and the creatures by the first Covenant the first seventh dayes worship was the formall worship of God of the Law of righteousnesse Creator and Conservator by which obliged formall worship of the first seventh day of the law the whole law implyed in the command of the first seventh day was formally obliged obliging and commanding man to the formall worship of God of the law of righteousnesse Creator and Conservator both upon the eternall blessing of the word of the first seventh dayes rest and upon the curse of eternall death and in that formall commanded worship of the first seventh day commanding the obedience of man to the command of the whole Law of God of the Law of righteousnesse Creator and Conservator of heaven earth man and the creatures created for man By this first formall obligement of the Law of righteousnesse obliging man in his state of perfection the second and third obligement of the law were formally distinguished from the first for the first obligement of the law was simply the law of righteousnesse of God the Creator which is called the simple formall obligement of the law because it was without the revelation of the second person of the Trinity who was manifest to man by the word of his second and third seventh dayes rest after a generall manner according to which severall manner the law was formally obliged by two severall Covenants whereby the first simple formall obligement of the law of righteousnesse was determined and the law of righteousnesse of faith in God â—he Redeemer actually established first by faith in the promise of the blessed â—â—edâ— and secondly by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ by his fulfiling of the promise afterwards particularly to be declared Of this obligement of man created in the state of naturall and spirituall perfection to the first Covenant established upon the immediate command of the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the Law of God I inferre these even Theologicall demonstrative conclusions following CHAP. IX Seven necessary conclusions inferrent of the obligement of man to the first Covenant 1. ADam being created in the state of naturall and spirituall perfection the head of all men naturally to descend of Adam all men naturally to descend of Adam the body of the head were all really created in Adam the head and in Adam the head really bound and obliged to the first Covenant though not actually descended from the head 2. All men naturally to descend of Adam the head being bound and obliged to the Law of God in Adam the head by the first Covenant Adams obedience and disobedience to the command of the law of righteousnesse was as truly really and necessarily the obedience and disobedience of the body to wit the obedience and disobedience of all men naturally to descend of Adam the head as it was the obedience and disobedience of Adam the head though none were actually descended from the head Even as we see the water flowing from a Conduit the water flowing from the head is the same reall water which was in the head before it did flow from the head which was the water of the naturall and spirituall life of man arising from the lively spring of the word of the law in Adams heart naturally and spiritually enlightened and sanctified Adam therefore as he was head by his transgression of the law having polluted the spring in the head it was the necessary reall act of his body in the correlative respect of the head with the body and of the body with the head 3. The transgression of the law of righteousnesse obliged by the first Covenant was without all hope of mercy known to man or Angel for all mercy is in the Lord Jesus Christ second person of the Trinity who according to the eternall decree of God was not at first revealed to man created in such admirable state of naturall and spirituall perfection 4. By the denyall of the first Covenant made by God with man the truth of God to man is fundamentally denyed for it is by Gods fulfilling of his promise to man by his Covenant that God doth manifest himselfe truth to man 5. God according to his eternall decree of predestination having created man male and female in the naturall and spirituall perfection of man God could not annihilate man for so his transeant act had been contradictory to his imminent act 6. The first Covenant being established upon the immediate command of the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the law of righteousnesse and man having transgressed the Law God could not annihilate man for his transgression of the Law of righteousnesse for so his justice could never have been satisfied by man 7. God and man being mutually bound and obliged by the first Covenant established upon the immediate command of the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousnesse whereby God did binde and oblige himselfe to Adam by the eternall blessing of the word of his seventh dayes rest to continue the naturall and spirituall perfection of Adam upon the eternall continuation of the perfection of Adams obedience God without highest in justice by the breach of his Covenant could neither withdraw his actuall
first patents continue in their created state and felicity Secondly what could be the efficient cause of the fall of man created in such perfection advanced to such high honor happines For answer to the first question though the Scripture doth not set down and determine the precise time of the fall of man yet there is no ground at all to imagine that Adam did fall the same very day wherein he was created for so Adam and all men created in Adam must have falne without the curse of the Law for before the seventh day that God did rest from the works of the Creation there was neither any formall Law or Covenant to binde or command Adam to the Law of God which command was by the onely word of the first seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousnesse upon the immediate command whereof the first Covenant was established betweene God and man But the maine reason of this imaginary opinion standeth in this point to wit Eve did or at least might have conceived the sixt day which Eve was given Adam to wife hence it is concluded that if Adam had falne after Eve had conceived the conception had not been lyable to Adams sinne because it was not then in the head but actually descended from the head in which case the Son in the Justice of God is not lyable to the sin of the Father for in this case the soule that sinneth must dye To this I answer Admit that Eve had conceived the same night which Eve was given to Adam to wife yet this conception was not man and the sonne of Adam untill such time as Eves sensitive conception was brought to such perfection as the intellectuall information of the soule the sensitive body was perfect man and the son of Adam Before which time if Adam the created head of all men naturally to descend of Adam had falne the posterity of Adam notwithstanding must have necessarily falne in the head for God did not make his first Covenant with the sensitive seed of Adam or Eve or with the sensitive conception or with the sensitive body of man but with man Adam the head and with all men naturally to descend of Adam the head as they are men intellectuall and sensitivâ— created in the state of naturall and spirituall perfection in Adam the head Before such time therefore as Eve had conceived perfect man and the sonne of Adam Adams fall could not have been prevented from being the fall of his posterity all which time after the first Covenant was established our first parents might have stood before their fall and yet in all that time Adams fall must have been the necessary fall of his posterity till the very instant time of Eves conception of man which is by the second conception of woman while as the sensitive body in the wombe is brought to such perfection as the high elaborate vitall spirits of the heart doe appetite the intellectuall forme humane spirit to be begot by the eternall Father of spirits and by the power of the word essentially united to the heart whereby man is man and conceived man by woman and in the prefixed time of naturall birth brought forth perfect man by man female the woman though Eve in her state of perfection was to bring forth man in the image of righteousnesse and holinesse as in the second conception the intellectuall soule essentially united to the heart was to be spiritually enlightned and sanctified by God for otherwise man could never be enabled to bring forth man in such perfection as man was created to fulfill the command of the Law by the first Covenant As God therefore by his first Covenant did binde and oblige Adam and all men created and bound in Adam to his first seventh dayes commanded worship and in that commanded worship to the obedience of the whole Law upon the curse of eternall death So God in his Justice by his first Covenant did oblige himselfe to enable man to bring forth man in such state and perfection as he was created that God might be honoured and worshipped by the perfect obedience of all men to descend of Adam as he was to be worshipped and honoured by Adam And therefore to conclude my Answer to the first Question though the Scripture hath not set downe the precise time of Adams fall yet by Covenant Adams fall must have been the fall of his posterity till Eve had conceived man though Adams sinne had been his owne and not the sinne of his posterity if after Eve had conceived Adam should have falne But to affirme that Adam did fall the very day which he was created it is contrary to the truth of the sacred Word for so Adam as hath been said must have falne without any curse of the Law Neither is there so much as any colour of humane reason to imagine that man being created in such perfection and advanced to such a large extent of honour and felicity to be Lord over the Earth and over the creatures and yet that this very day man must fall under the fearefull eternall curse of the Law and be arraigned and censured by God for his transgressions before man could have any time or experience so much as to consider the exâ—ent of his advancement and felicity to which he was preferred by God CHAP. II. The immediate efficient cause of Adams fall was not internall but externall THe second question may be moved What could be the immediate efficient cause of Adams fall being created in such estate of naturall and spirituall perfection advanced to such high honour and felicity and in such high love and favour with God for as it will appeare by the subsequent declaration of all the creatures created by God man was his most deare belâ—ved creature The efficient cause of Adams fall by some moderne Theologues is affirmed to bee internall and externall That there was an externall efficient cause of Adams fall it is most certaine for the externall efficient cause of Adams fall is set downe by Moses but the question of the intrinsecall or internall efficient cause of Adams fall whereof there be divers opinions amongst the Theologues for some will have the internall cause of Adams fall to be a deficient cause some Adams abusing of the freedome of his will some will have the internall cause a true positive efficient cause which threefold internall cause doth trench upon the perfection of mans creation for if any of the three can be necessarily concluded Adam must not be created in the state of spirituall perfection it doth therefore stand us in hand to remove these three supposed internall causes of Adams fall from the perfection of mans creation before we come to the declaration of the fall of man First therefore to come to the first internall efficient cause which is thus inferred Adam by his fall produced a defective effect the internall cause therefore of this defective effect was defective internally proceeding
shift by sewing of figtree leaves together with strawes or some such like thing to cover their deformity Here by the way another Question may be moved What was the reason that our first parents were so carefull to cover their privie parts more then any other part of their bodies I answer briefly because under the name of Adam as Adam is the head of all men to descend of Adam by naturall generation man male and female is comprehended For of Adam as he is man male simply no man can naturally descend of Adam by naturall generation And therefore it is said that God made man male and female Our first parents therefore by this act in covering of the instrumentall parts of generation do most lively expresse the shame and overthrow of their posterity by their first sin which is a main fundamentall point of faith I return to Adams answer Notwithstanding of Adams ungracious and unthankfull answer to God yet God will not thus leave Adam God therefore doth presse Adam in these words Gen. 3.12 Who told thee that thou wast naked And to the end that God might move Adam to the confession of the fact God still presseth Adam in these words Hast thou eaten of the fruit which I commanded thee that thou shouldst not eat By which words God much like a temporall Judge who intending to save a delinquent guilty of death by the Law doth teach the guilty what to say for himself For the Question taken affirmatively is the confession of the fact By this Question Adam was so prest by God that Adam in a manner doth confesse the fact but it was like the confession of a naturall man by adding sin to sin for by his confession most shamefully and unthankfully first Adam doth charge God as the cause of his foul transgression to wit because God had given him Eve to wife Secondly Adam for all his love to Eve doth charge Eve likewise with the cause of his transgression hoping by this means to excuse himself and to make Eve suffer a dying death for his own foul ambition where we may observe that when God by his Word doth threaten the natural man by his judgements for sin all the dearest pleasures which hath induced him to sin are blamed as the cause of his sin hoping thereby to free himself from wrath though all in vain yet God mercy and patience it self doth patiently bear with Adams impenitent obstinacy and next calleth Eve CHAP. XVI Eves arraignment by God for her transgression of the Law GOd doth in like manner call Eve graciously by his Word to repentance in these words Gen. 3.13 And the Lord said to the woman Wby hast thou done this as if the words had been set down after this manner by Moses Eve what hast thou done Did not I create thee with such power and perfection as that thou shouldest have been a mutuall help and comfort to thy husband and thou most ungraciously art the instrument and means of the ruine of you both and of your posterity Eve fearing the curse of the Law by a dying death to be inflicted both upon her self and Adam according to the covenant doth post over the cause of her transgression upon the Serpent in hope thereby to have freed her self and Adam from the curse notwithstanding of Adams unkinde charging of Eve for being the cause of his own wilfull disobedience and to have had the curse inflicted upon the Serpent who had so maliciously betrayed both her and Adam where it may plainly appear that as yet there was no remorse in either of both for their horrible sin notwithstanding of Gods so gracious calling of both by his immediate Word but God mercy and patience it self doth bear patiently with both For God in his eternall purpose did decree to move both to repentance by another means afterwards to be declared when we come to the entring of the second covenant In the mean time the judicious Reader may manifestly observe that though our first parents by their answers to God upon their arraignment did shew themselves like naturall men without any manner of spirituall understanding or action being shut up in spirituall darknesse according to the eâ—ernall Decree of God yet by their free answers to God it doth plainly appear that though they were condemned to the curse of eternall death and darknesse yet the curse of the Law was not actually inflicted upon either of both for the necessary reasons formerly declared For it was for fear of the curse of a dying death to be actually inflicted upon them to which they were so necessarily obliged by the first covenant that they did so shift and post over the cause of the horrible fact from one to another And so much briefly for the arraignment of our first parents for their transgression of the Law of righteousnesse as they were simply obliged to the Law by the first covenant Next therefore of the censure of God for the transgression of the Law CHAP. XVII The sensitive creature called the Serpent before the curse did walk upon legs as other sensitive cattle and beasts of the field GOd doth pronounce his censure for the transgression of the Law upon all the parties accessary to the transgression beginning at the first party where the cause of the transgression doth begin and so in order to the last party delinquent The first party delinquent which was the first and immediâ—te cause of the transgression of the Law was the sensitive Serpent The second was the old murthering Serpent Satan The third party was the woman man female which was betrayed by the Serpent The fourth and last party delinquent was Adam man male First therefore of the censure of God upon the Serpent The censure of the Serpent is set down by Moses after a twofold manner First the censure is set down as it concerns the Serpent in particular Secondly the censure is set down as the censure inflicted upon the Serpent doth likewise concern the woman but after a farre differing manner The censure as it doth concern the Serpent in particular is set down in these words Gen. 3.13 Because thou hast done this thou art cursed above all cattle and above every beast of the field Vpon thy belly thou shalt go and dust shalt thou eat all the dayes of thy life The censure upon the Serpent hath a literall and mysticall sense First of the literall sense By the literall sense of the censure the sensitive Serpent is cursed above all the cattle and beasts of the field and first the cause of the curse is set down and secondly the curse is pronounced by God by his Word The cause of the curse is because thou hast done this that is because by thy false suggestion thou hast betrayed man to fall under the curse of the Law The curse of the Law is pronounced by God upon the sensitive creature called the Serpent without all calling or examination which of all judgements is the most
by the extremity of their pains they are put to it to flie to Christ the only Author of faith by whose only merit the woman is only saved And this likewise is the reason that it is said John 16.21 that the sorrows and pains of childbirth are forgotten because man is brought into the world For it is a great joy and comfort to all men and women that man is brought into the world freed from the eternall curse of the Law for the sin of Adam and a hopefull member of the Church of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ And though sorrow and pain in conception and childbirth be a great weakning to women leading to naturall death and though childbirth many times be accompanied with the losse of naturall life to the mother yet it is with great advantage to the woman the childe of God while by the determining of all the sorrows crosses and afflictions of this life she enters to the eternall joyes in the life to come It is true that it doth please God to give such strength of nature to divers thanklesse women whereby they are more able to bear this sorrow and pains in concâ—â—tion and childbirth then other women but for the most part this sorrow and pain in childbirth is fearfull sudden and dangerous in so much that while God doth threaten the disobedience of man by his unexpected judgements they are expressed by the sudden dangerous unexpected sorrows and pains of women in childbirth And though it may be conceived that some women barren and childlesse are happy in this case as not being subject to such temporall danger and hazard yet I say that the fruitfulnesse of women doth far exceed the fear of such hazard and danger for children are the greatest blessings of God and a great comfort both to poor and rich And though for the most part children too too often prove crosses and afflictions to the parents stirred up by the temptations of Satan and of his wicked instruments which is a sore affliction to the parents yet it is the hand of God in permitting of Satan to afflict their parents by their children to put them in minde of their own disobedience to Gâ—d their chief Parent or to their own naturall parents or for their triall in this life whereby they are humbled under the hand of God For by afflictions we must enter the Kingdome of heaven Against this here delivered it may be objected Though man had stood in his state of perfection yet woman must have had such sorrow and pains in conception and childbirth for they are the inseparable companions of both I answer Grief sorrow and pain and sensitive perfection do mutually plant and subplant one another for passion by sorrow and grief is the immediate cause of most sensitive diseases Sorrow and grief therefore is far from that state of sensitive perfection wherein man was created which was eternall In which state if man had continued the woman must have had eternall joy and comfort upon earth without all sensitive sorrow pain or grief either in conception or childbirth But in the mean time let it not trouble any married woman barren of children because the Apostle saith that women are saved through child-bearing for the Apostles meaning is that the extremity of labour and fear in childbirth is a means to move the woman to flie to the Lord by faith and to relie upon the Lords merit to save her from the second death and if it be his will from the present danger of childbirth and therefore the Apostle saith 1 Tim. 2.15 that the woman is saved through bearing of children if she continue in faith love holinesse and modesty which are the true works of faith by which faith she is only saved Far be it threfore from any woman to conceive that child-bearing is the cause of any womans safety from eternall death which is only and immediately by faith in the only merit of the Lord of life Let never therefore the barrennesse of child-bearing discourage woman if she continue in the fruitfull works of faith for by faith she is only saved And though she be denied the bearing of children in this miserable age while so many of the children of faithfull parents are led away with the crying sins of the times and miscarry to the great sorrow and grief of their parents yet let her not take her barrennesse of children for any reproach For though barrennesse in the time of Abrahams posterity Gen. 30.23 was counted a reproach amongst women before our Saviour was born Luke 1.25 Yet the blessed child being born all reproach of barrennesse of children is taken away from women CHAP. XXV The second branch of the censure literally pronounced upon the woman as she is the body of man her husband THe second branch of the censure literally pronounced upon the woman as she is the body of her husband is subjection to the husband Hence I necessarily infer that in the state of perfection before the fall there was no other subjection of the wife to the husband but the endeavouring of the wife in all mutuall love to be led and governed by the husband her head This branch of the censure therefore doth stand with as great opposition to the state of perfection as the former which doth manifestly appear by the twofold inseparable union of man and wife in the state of perfection which was both naturall and spirituall the strictest union that can be conceived by man The naturall union is set down by Moses in these words They shall be both one flesh For the woman was made of the rib of the man which is the most solid and condensate sensitive part of man as he is sensitive for the matter of the bone is of the blood of man And therefore when Eve was first brought before Adam Adam out of the perfection of his naturall understand affirmed that Eve was flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone And therefore called her Mannes according to the originall affirming her to be man essentially adding only the distinction of the sex of man In which sense the Apostle doth call the woman mans own flesh So that if man love his own flesh naturally he must love his wife as himself Ephes 5.29 The second union of man and wife in the state of perfection was spirituall for both were equally created in the lively Image of God in the indivisible union of mutuall spirituall love to righteousnesse far surmounting the most strict union under the heavens By this twofold inseparable union of man and wife in the state of perfection by matrimoniall union the union was inseparable And therefore our Saviour speaking of Moses bill of divorcement Mat. 19.8 told the Jews that Moses did permit that bill for the hardnesse of their heart and that it was not so from the beginning For they were created male and female whereby the one did strive to overcome the other by the mutuall offices of