Conditionall Absolute are things absolutely promised or spoken without condition on our part Conditionall when God willeth any thing of us but with condition as hee willeth that all men should be saved namely if they will beleeve in Christ Mat. 28.20 As God hath a determining will concerning his creatures so hee hath an appointing will unto them Heb. 10.5 6 7. Whatsoever God willeth absolutely and of it selfe is good Jam. 1.13 Psal. 119.12 God willeth sinnes not simply but by accident as hee knoweth and meaneth to bring good out of them Gods appointing will is wholly manifested in the law of nature and in the written law Gods appointing will pertaines to all men God would have all to beleeve as beleefe is a point of obedience and honour to him but as beleefe is a grace and a gift of God hee willeth not all men to beleeve but his elect God doth not onely know all things and prescribe his will but also his providence and determinate counsell reacheth unto all his creatures Jer. 10.23 Lam. 3.37 Gods providence extendeth even to the very least things Mat. 20.29 Prov. 16.9 Gods providence consisteth in conserving and governing his creatures which creatures are of foure sorts 1 some that have beeing as heaven and earth 2 some that have beeing and life as plants and herbes 3 some that have beeing life and sense as beasts birds and fishes 4 some that having beeing life sense and reason as men God conserveth in his creatures their existence or beeing and their vertues Gods conservation of their existence is the continuing of the substance of the creatures In him wee live move and have our beeing moving being not only locall bul the moving of the heart spirit reason will c. Gods government is the ordering and ruling and disposing of his creatures to his owne pleasure and glory Psal. 104. Esay 45.7 Job 12.10 Gods government in speciall is towards Angels and Men for in them first hee determineth and ordereth their actions secondly hee giveth them lawes thirdly hee executeth justice God determineth and ordereth the actions and inclinations of men moving them and directing them to their end Mans actions and inclinations hee moveth and ruleth effectually God ordereth them to the good of this life and of the life to come which is the chiefest good God ordereth sinne two wayes first by limitation and binding it that it shall goe no further than hee please Secondly by turning it against the nature and will of the sinner into good Gods providence is double mediate and immediate mediate is when he conserveth and governeth one creature by another as by instruments immediate is when he useth no meanes or worketh against means God useth not meanes of necessity but of pleasure these meanes are not to be excluded from Gods providence but included God can use evill instruments for good against their power and will The chiefe meanes to governe the world are Angels The end of all is Gods glory Deus vult gloriam suam necessitate naturae suae non libere The foundation of true glory is vertue or goodnesse Gods glory is spoken of two wayes 1 As an essentiall property of his 2 As the glorifying of himselfe so Gods glory consisteth in the knowledge of himselfe God when he had created the world saw all that he had made and lo it was very good but after God looked upon the earth and loe it was corrupt for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth It is then now to be minded how corruption and evill came into the world The corruption of the world is set forth by divers names in respect of truth it is called lying or falshood in respect of good it is called evill in respect of righteousnesse it is called iniquity or unrighteousnesse in respect of Gods law it is called unlaw sunesse or transgression of the law generally it is called sinne that is aberration or missing of the scope or marke in respect of duty it is called disobedience rebellion defection or apostasie disloyalty perfidiousnesse in respect of our first estate it is called a fault or ruine Evill hath no efficient cause but a deficient evill hath neither nature nor substance for all such are of God but so is not evill all such are good but so is not sinne Evill is an accident cleaving unto natures substance actions Rom. 7.21 The creatures were made of nothing and being of themselves not able to sustaine themselves have an inclination to come to nothing if God do not uphold them so evill is caused of nothing Evill began in Heaven amongst the Angels and so spread into other reasonable creatures as men is called sinne their fall and is the privation of Gods Image in them God himselfe cannot do evill or be tempted thereto and he onely hath this priviledge men and Angels want it The Angels therefore being subject to temptation were tempted of their owne motions and willingly gave place to their evill thoughts and being not sustained of God did fall Jud. 5 6. Though wee know not how many yet there were many that fell from their heavenly estate of those many that fell one seemeth to be the chiefe and others drawne by or accompanying him called therefore his Angels Mat. 25.4 Being falne they could not of themselves rise againe neither did God minister any grace or helpe unto them therefore they added sinne unto sinne and so doe continue sinning still extremely untill the appointed time of their damnation The Angels that are falne have divers names to denote their evill condition sometime they are called evill Spirits lying Spirits uncleane Spirits Devill that is a calumniator Mat. 25.41 Sathan that is adversary or fiend Job 1.6 demons of their knowledge Mat. 9.34 wasters or destroyers Deut. 32.17 rugged satyrs of their horrible hew Lev. 17.7 dragon and serpent of their craft and venemous nature Rev. 12.9 the Tempter Mat. 4.3 the Malitious one 1 Joh. 3. the Enemie Mat. 13.28 Roaring Lyon 2 Pet. 5.8 the Strong-armed one Mat. 12.29 Prince of the World Job 12.31 that ruleth in the aire Eph. 6.12 2.2 Beliall the unruly or without yoke Mans first sinne is fitly called disobedience or fall for the Law was significatively given to testifie man to be subject to Gods Law and his obedience And whereas before man walked with a steady foote in Gods ordinance by this fact hee stumbled and fell from the seat of integrity The efficient immediate cause was man himselfe of his owne free will without any necessity inward or outward transgressing the Law The efficient cause remote and mediate was the Devill tempting man to sinne The instrumentall cause was the serpent whose tongue the Devill abused to frame arguments to beguile with The arguments or causes to move inwardly were first directly perswading for good that they should be as Gods Secondly perswading from feare of punishment Adde to
tempter of the man as was in originall sinne There is an impression from the mother to the children in her wombe of which impression this sinne buddeth as tinder taketh fire which is not fire it selfe this impression children draw as they do naturall diseases as stone gout not the actuall griefes but impressions which are the beginnings of them Though the soule be not in the seed yet is there in it a dispositive vertue of the body for the receiving of the soule which when it is put into the body it conformed in his manners thereunto hence it is that one angry man begetteth another one harty man another for though the feet which is the subject of the gout be not in the head nor the soule which is the subject of anger be not in the seed a formative vertue of the naturall members and a dispositive vertue unto the soule The soule is at one instant both created and united unto the body and deprived of the grace of the spirit which Adam had for all and lost for all as actuall sinne is done by the persons sinning so originall sinne is the sinne of nature done by the will of the beginning of humane nature for as one man hath many members so one mankind hath many persons and as one actuall sinne done by the hand and not the reason of the guilt from the will of the hand but from the whole heart from which as from a fountaine the motions of sinne are derived unto the members so from the will of Adam which was the beginning of mankind the whole inordination of nature hath the reason of guilt and as actuall sinne which is the sinne of the person is drawne unto all the members by some personall act so originall is drawne unto all men by naturall act which is generation and as humane nature is drawne by gnneration so the defect of humane nature is drawne also yet this rather of Gods ordination than of mans generation 1 Cor. 15.22 Originall sinne remaineth in the baptized and in the regenerate and in their posterity Rom. 7.22 and man begetteth children not by the spirit but by the flesh and therefore hee draweth not the spirit but the flesh Joh. 1.13 Ps. 51.7 yet hath not Originall sinne so great degree and efficacie in the regenerate as in the wicked The parts of this native sinne are foure first in respect of the mind want of understanding a ready inclination to doubt of God and his will Secondly in respect of the will a ready inclination to take hold on and to performe evill Thirdly in respect of the affections a prone inclination to too much or to too little as inordinate anger love and the like Fourthly in respect of the appetite a pronenesse to immoderatenesse as meat drinke venery c. Actuall sinne is that which floweth from the originall and that which is so properly called is the difference from Gods Lawes unrighteousnesse or disorder of the action from the Law and Will of God The unrighteousnesse of actions must be discerned from the actions and motions themselves as defects from effects as a man goeth halting his halting as it is a moving of the body or naturall is good as it is a lame imperfect or wrong moving it is evill against nature Actuall sinnes are all actions inward and outward contrary to Gods law in the will thoughts purposes demises desires and in the outward members all our actions aberring from Gods law Sinne leaving a spot or staine in the soule as the Leopards spoâ— in the skin Jer. 13.23 Sinne distinguished by the causes are either ignorance as Pauls persecuting the Church or of infirmity as Peter through feare and trouble of mind denyed Christ and 3. of malice as Judas betrayed Christ 4. of negligence when a man is not wary of Sathans subtilties Against ignorance is opposed the revelation of Gods will to man against infirmity the strengthning of the spirit to withstand the assaults of the flesh the world and the Devill against malice is the changing of the stony heart into flesh against negligence is true and holy feare in the hearts of the Saints Actions are twofold 1 Inward 2 Outward Inward of the mind and appetite Actuall sinne of the minde is an unrighteousnesse of mans thoughts as doubtings of God false opinions evill imaginations Jer. 10.24 Psal. 14.2 3. Actuall sinne of the appetite is the inordinatenesse of the motions of it called concupiscence Jam. 1.14 Concupiscence remaineth in the regenerate Rom. 7.1 The first motions of concupiscence or lust are sinne though there be not a full assent of the will Outward sinnes are the unlawfulnesse of and unorderlinesse in outward actions as in false worshipping of God swearing killing stealing lying whoring and the like Sinne is pardonable or unpardonable sinne unpardonable is the sinne against the Holy Ghost other sins are pardonable not of their owne nature properly but of Gods mercy against whom they are done The sin against the Holy Ghost is the denying of the faith and truth which was once acknowledged and this done of meere presumption and contemned unto the end without repentance Mat. 12.24 Heb. 6. 1 Joh. 5. This sinne is onely in the reprobates Againe sinne either raigneth or raigneth not raigning sinne is that which is against manifest conscience that the sinner doth please himselfe with it or at least doth not repent for it Ro. 6.12 He that committeth sinne is of the devill that is with will and delight falleth into it and continueth in it Not raigning sinne is for which the sinner is sorry and repenteth Actuall sinne imperfectly so called is sinne of omission not doing in respect of our duty to God men our selves Mat. 25. I was an hungry c. Sinne against negative Commandements as not to preserve life chastity good name when a man can or against an affirmative precept as when one curseth his parents are sinnes of omission The punishment of sinne comes now to be handled touching the Angels that sinned whom God spared not but cast them downe into hell and delivered into chaines of darknesse to be kept unto damnation 2 Pet. 2.4 Jud. 6. for overthrowing of mankind Gods wrath was heavy against Satan and his kingdome was threatned to be destroyed and his head crushed Gen. 3. Touching the serpent Satans instrument there was a curse above all other beasts creeping on his belly eating of dust and enmity betweene mankind and him Touching the punishment of Adam and his wife 1 there was a perceiving with shame of their nakednesse 2 Sorrow and paine in diseases and in labour 3 Griefe of mind and pricke of conscience Gen. 3. Adams punishment in speciall labour and sweat The womans punishment in speciall sorrow of child-bearing Their outward punishment casting out of Paradise The punishment layd on all mankind was in respect of the mind and of the body Punishments in respect of the mind are
use which all men have of the Law is to bind them to perfect obedience unto God though they cannot performe it and to rule their outward actions and inward motions that confusion be not amongst men Lev. 18.5 The speciall use which the regenerate hath of the Law is 1 That they may know sin Ro. 3.20 2 That it might move them to repentance Ro. 7.23 24. 3 That it might move them to desire mercy in Christ Gal. 3.24 4 That it may direct their motions words works which by the sanctification of the spirit they walk in The speciall use which the unregenerate hath of the Law is 1 To torment their conscience 2 To restraine them from outragious sinnes The partition of good workes whereof the Law is a rule is that some are referred unto God some to our selves some to our neighbours There appertaineth to the worship and service of God for his perfection wisedome powers and goodnesse the invocation and celebration of his name Invocation or Prayer is the lifting up of our minds unto God as to a most bountifull and good doer Psal. 25.1 It is also a powring out of the hearts meditation before God Psal. 62.8 In prayer note five essentiall things 1 Who is to pray 2 To whom wee must pray 3 What things are to be asked 4 For whom we must pray 5 How wee must pray 1 The Commandement to pray is given to Christs Disciples hypocrites and infidels sometime so pray as that God heareth them 2 King 13.2 4. 1 King 21.27 28. yet Gods people only effectually receive the Commandement and pray in faith that is farre from the wicked but he heareth the prayer of the righteous 2 Prayer is to be made to God onely Mat. 6. Say Our Father Psal. 65.2 Psal. 50.15 Prayer is to be made holily according to Gods will and the directions by him given Prayer must be made with preparation and meditation Psal. 10.17 Eccles. 5.1 The preface in the form of prayer teacheth thus much Mat. 6. There must be a feeling of our wants and a fervent desire of the thing wee would have Jam. 1.5 The name of prayer supplication or desire teacheth this Prayer must be in faith and confidence as to a Father that is willing and in hearing able Jam. 1.6 It must be in humility as beggers Heb. 11.6 for God is in heaven Eccles. 5.1 our kneeling and prostrating our selves sheweth this It must be in the name of our Mediator It must be in few words Bable not much Eccles. 5. Mat. 6. No certaine words are limited 1 Tim. 2.8 1 Thess. 5.17 In prayer wee must be carefull to purge our selves by faith and repentance that sinne be not in us before the Lord Psal. 68.16 Wee are to pray for others and not onely for our selves Mat. 6. Say Our Father The things to be prayed for are taught by Christ in Mat. 6. Luk. 11. whereof there are two parts 1 Petitions 2 Confession or blessing 1 Petitions there are 6 whereof the first concerneth the principall end of our life and beeing which is Gods glory Hallowed be thy Name The second concerneth the secondary and subordinate end of our life which is our salvation Thy Kingdome come The third concerneth the principall meanes to bring us to the foresaid ends which is godlinesse wrought in us here on earth Thy will be done The fourth concerneth the secondary meanes to bring us to the aforesaid ends which are the outward blessings of this life Our daily bread The fifth concerneth the removall of such lets past as may hinder us from attaining the foresaid ends which are our sinnes committed Forgive us our debts The sixth concerneth the removall of such lets to come as may hinder us which are our future sinnes and relapse Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evill Confession blessing or thanksgiving is for three things belonging unto God 1 Kingdome whereby we acknowledge his Kingly or Fatherly right dominion or authority over us for ever 2 Power whereby wee celebrate his might and ability to doe all that he will for ever 3 Glory whereby wee magnifie this most wise just and mercifull administration of all things according to his soveraignty and might for which hee is to be celebrated for ever Amen teacheth us first fervently to desire the things aforesaid secondly to beleeve they shall be accomplished Hitherto of Invocation now followeth celebration of Gods name which is when wee confesse our Lord God his properties and workes This done two wayes by Speech by Song By speech when rehearsall is made to others to strangers and to our children of Gods powerfull and gratious workes By songs when to our selves or others wee celebrate Gods workes by Psalmes and Hymnes and spirituall songs Exod. 15.1 Songs are of two sorts suggested to the mind by the spirit and mouth of man or prescribed by God in his word 1 Cor. 14.26 Songs of holy Scripture are to be sung in the Church first because God hath given his Word partly in prose to be read partly in meter to be sung Col. 3.16 2 Sam. 23.1 2. Songs ministred by the spirit are to be sung by one 1 Cor. 14.26 Songs by the spirit unlesse in extraordinary person are subject to errour 1 Cor. 14.29 32. Songs of Scripture are authenticke as all other Scriptures are Luk. 24.44 Secondly because God hath given men not onely the faculty of speaking but also of singing and all our faculties are to be used in the praysing of God Psal. 103.1 2. 1 Cor. 6.20 Thirdly because the Church of old used to sing such Psalmes 2 Chron. 29.28 29 30. Fourthly because all people are exhorted to sing Psalmes not onely by David but by the Apostles themselves Eph. 5.19 Col. 3.16 Jam. 5.13 The manner of singing is to be holy reverent grave orderly with understanding feeling and comfort to the edification of the Church Psal. 93.5 and 5.7 44. 7. 33. 2 Cor. 14.15.19.44 Instruments of musicke were coannexed to the songs in the Temple as incense to the prayers 2 Chron. 29. Such shadowes are ceased but the substance remaineth The times of Psalmes were not prescribed but left to the discretion of the singers each country therefore is to use the most decent order and manner of singing according to forme given 1 Cor. 14.40 Psal. 93.5 The rules of singing Psalmes are 1 The glory of God and celebrating his name 2 Teaching instructing and comforting our selves and one another Psal. 78. Col. 3. Eph. 5. 3 The allaying of our inordinate affections of sorrow griefe care 4 The stirring up of good affections in us as zeale fervencie 2 Sam. 6.15 16. Psal. 57.7 8. 5 Faculty and ease to learne the Lawes of God with delight Deut. 32. The saving grace of God teacheth us to live soberly in respect of our selves righteously towards God and godly in this present world Tit. 4.1 11 12.
Absolution from sinne is not sufficient to salvation unlesse there be also a restoring or putting on of good called Sanctificatâ—on Heb. 12.14 As Election is the peculiar worke of the Father Eph. 1.3 4. Redemption of the Sonne 1 Joh. 2.1 2. so Sanctification is the proper worke of the Holy Ghost 1 Cor. 6.11 Christ by his obedience and death hath merited for us the gift of sanctification of the Spirit 1 Cor. 1.30 This he hath merited with God who for his Sonnes sake giveth us the Spirit Gal. 4.6 Our Sanctification hath two parts 1 the putting off the old which is corrupt through the deceiveable lust 2 the putting on the new man which is after God created in righteousnesse and true holinesse The putting off the old man is the subduing breaking and abolishing of the sinfull disposition and inclination that is in our nature 1 Pet. 4.5 and of it there be two parts 1 Death 2 Buriall of the old man Death or mortification is an actuall effect of the application of Christs death by the holy Ghost to our nature whereby our corruption or body of sin receiveth a deadly wound is feebled and dyeth daily Buriall is the going forward of death and is an effect of the application of Christs buriall by the Spirit whereby the old man our body of sinne is more and more corrupted and as it were rotted in the grave Rom. 6.4 Putting on the new man is when wee take againe Godf habits and disposition to vertue and it is called the rising or the quickning of the new man which is an effect of the application by the Spirit of Christs resurrection whereby inherent holinesse is begunne and by degrees continually increased Rom. 6.4 Thus Christs death buriall and resurrection is to us 1 A gift of justification Rom. 5.15.18 2 A power to mortifie and quicken us Eph. 1.19 20. and 2.1 5 6. And an example or type to follow in â—â—r course of life 1 Pet. 2.21 The 〈…〉 The justified â— understanding 〈◊〉 will 3 The 〈…〉 The 〈…〉 is 〈…〉 By teaching and 〈…〉 necessary knowledge 〈…〉 Gods favour to the 〈…〉 4.17 Rom 5.5 3 By confirming us in the 〈◊〉 of perseveraâ—ce and eternall life 2 Cor. 1.22 The will is 〈…〉 by making 〈◊〉 and ready Right when the will is inclined and carried in a straight course to that which is good rightly knowne 〈◊〉 when there 〈…〉 and faculty to follow and to the good â—â—rehended and hee 〈…〉 〈…〉 when our desires of meats drinks and other things that wee lust after are moderated according to Gods Law and reason Rom. 13 1â— And when our affections of joy sorrow love hatred 〈…〉 to Gods Law 〈…〉 and too 〈◊〉 and keepe the holy meaâ—â—e Psal. â—â—0 Psal. 119. This sanctification is 1 begun 2 perfected 〈…〉 in this life Alwaies in this life there is a mixture of the old 〈◊〉 with the new an 〈…〉 to good by 〈…〉 are contrary 〈…〉 The 〈…〉 Eph. 6.13 14. The conflict is the resisting of sinfull temptations arising in us or suggested any way to us and the victory is when wee so resist as sinne ruleth not in us Rom. 6.14 The infirmities and defects of our sanctification are forgiven us in Christ Sanctification hath many degrees sometime more sometime lesse Rev. 2 3. The children of God have some speciall sinne or sinnes whereunto they are most prone which they must have most speciall care to mortifie Any one sinne reigning in a man argueth him to be wicked and unsanctified Ezek. 18.10 11. The effect of regeneration or sanctification is good workes namely acts and operations proceeding from a regenerate will understanding and affections In good workes are to be considered 1 The rule 2 The partition of them The rule of good workes is Gods Law comprehended in the ten Commandements which God gave by voyce and by writing on 2. Tables of stone at mount Sinay The 1 Table containeth foure Commandements informing us of our duties and good workes towards God The first commandement chargeth us not to be Atheists without God Psal. 14.1 Secondly not to have false gods with the true Exod. 20.23 1 Cor. 10.20 Thirdly not to have false gods without the true 2 King 17.25 Fourthly not to have the true God neare in thy mouth and farre from thy heart Esay 29.13 〈◊〉 1.16 but requireth us to have Jehovah the true God and him onely and sincerely to be our God Deut. 4.35 The second Commandement forbideth us to make in Gods worship any shape image representation or ordinance whereby to worship God or to bow downe or to submit to any such made by any other Act. 17.29 Mat. 15.9 Col. 2.23 and commandeth us to worship the true God truly according to his owne prescription The third Commandement forbiddeth all profanation and abuse of Gods Name Word Ordinances and requireth a reverent and holy use and estimation of those meanes and instruments whereby God hath made knowne himselfe unto us and requireth to be worshipped of us Deut. 19.12 23.21 and 18.20 Lev. 19.12 24.11 The fourth Commandement requireth the observation of the due time of Gods publique worship and of all holy means whereby we may grow in grace knowledge and sanctification Act. 15.21 16.13 17.2 3. The second Table containeth sixe Commandements all teaching love and duty to our neighbour The first requireth speciall duties to our parents governours and all superiours that we honour them The second concerneth our neighbours life and good Thou shalt not kill The third concerneth his chastity as our owne Thou shalt not commit adultery The fourth concerneth our neighbours goods that wee steale not The fifth concerneth his good name that we beare not false witnesse but speake the truth The sixth forbiddeth all lust or desire to anything that is our neighbours and requireth us to be contented with our owne Thou shalt not covet The summe of these Commandements is to call men from all naturall corruption or vice unto the true God having him in an unfained love above all and our neighbour as ourselves Touching the Law of God these rules are to be considered As the Law was given by God who is most perfect so in the keeping of it is required absolute perfection Psal. 19. Jam. 2.10 Gen. 6.4 5. This perfection is inward and outward Inward in the Image of God expressed in the understanding will and appetite of man Outward in the intire effect of this image shewed in operation Rom. 7.14 Esay 2.10 Unregenerate men are utterly unable to keepe the Law the regenerate are able to keepe it in part but but not fully in this life Gen. 8.22 Psal. 14. Eph. 2.1 Rom. 7.22 23. 1 Joh. 1.8 10. Seeing the Law cannot be by us perfectly fulfilled wee may not seeke for justification by the workes of the same Gal. 2.16 3.10 13. Psal. 3 9. The common