For Mark 13.13 Whosoever shall continue to the end shall be saved This end to the naturall redeemed man is the prefixed time of Gods spirituall calling by spirituall faith For by spirituall faith the naturall redeemed man is saved from the second death which is the curse of the Law of righteousness of faith as by the cursed death of Christ Jesus the Son of God as he is man naturall man is saved from the first death which is the curse of the Law of righteousness for the first sin of Adam Fifthly though Satan and his wicked instruments cannot necessitate the will of the redeemed man morally to disobedience yet Satan by his false deceiving light can induce and betray man without Gods speciall concursive grace to transgresse the Law of righteousness of faith by his works of unbelief and unrighteousness and to draw down the evill reward of the Law by sore afflictions proceeding from the wrath of God upon the naturall man for his transgression of the Law The redeemed naturall man therefore by the power of the redeemed word of the Law and life of righteousness of faith in his heart is inabled with the morall grace and gift of morall prayer to call upon the Lord in the day of affliction and trouble who hath promised to hear the prayer of the redeemed naturall man And therefore the Lord saith Psal 50.15 Call upon me in the day of trouble and I will hear thee for prayer is one of the principall works of worship and a chief work of faith Sixthly the naturall and morall blessing of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousness of Faith is morally due by the Law to the redeemed naturall mans morall faith by the immediate power of which blessing the naturall mans power to produce his morall good works of faith is continued Though the good morall action therefore of the redemed naturall man be necessary spirituall sin by reason of his concluding in spirituall darknesâ— which is spirituall unbelief for whatsoever is not of spirituall faith is necessarily spirituall sin yet the good morall action of the naturall man is not actuall spirituall sin for so God must be the first author of actuall spirituall sin since the fall which is blasphemy to affirm For this spirituall sin is not by the positive act of the will of man but from the will of God according to his eternall Decree by concluding man in spirituall unbelief which is called sin for the reasons set down in the Chapter following But this spirituall unbelief proceeding of the spirituall darkness wherein all redeemed men are concluded is not actuall sin For actuall sin is the transgression of the Law which is the only sin that condemnes man For as the Law of righteousness of Faith doth command the works of Faith So the Law doth condemn the works of unbelief whereby the Law is transgressed by man we must therefore distinguish between the good morall action of the naturall man as it is spirituall sin for want of spirituall faith and the morall evill action of the naturall man which is both actuall morall and actuall spirituall sin for there is but one Law of God as God is one literally and spiriritually commanding man and consequently the morall transgression is a necessary spirituall transgression of the Law The good morall action therefore of the naturall man according to the literall command of the Law cannot be actuall spirituall sin for the naturall man being shut up in spirituall darkness is dead as he is a spirituall man and therefore the naturall man as he is a spirituall man being dead is freed from the Law of actuall sin And his morall good action proceeding from his morall faith being without either morall or spirituall actuall sin The morall blessing of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousness of Faith is as due by the Law to his morall faith as the spirituall blessing is due by the Law to the spirituall faith of the regenerate man For as the Law is first and immediately literally commanded so the blessing of the word of the seventh dayes rest is first immediately due by the Law to morall faith which must necessarily precede spirituall Faith in the ordinary calling of God Seventhly though the naturall man do too often stumble and fall by the temptation of Satan and his instruments yet he hath all the dayes of this life to repent him of his actuall sins for the arms of Gods mercy are out-stretched all the dayes of his life to imbrace the repenting sinner And therefore is said Ezek. 18.21 22. At what time soever a sinner doth repent him of his sins from the bottome of his heart I will put away all his sins out of my remembrance As the naturall man therefore must not despair of Gods mercy in his Son Christ Jesus which is the greatest sin that can be committed by man proceeding from unbelief for by desparing in the mercy of God wretched man doth detract from the infiniteness of the Lords merit So it is one of the most fearfull sins for wretched man by continuing in actuall sins and wickeness to presume on the mercy of God while by his contemning of the long patience of God leading him so graciously to repentance God in his justice doth most justly give him over to a reprobate minde that though he hath all the dayes of this life to repent yet he cannot repent And this is the reason that it is said Matth. 12.13 from him that hath not that which he hath shall be taken from him that is the grace of morall repentance which he hath by the power of the redeemed word of the Law and life of righteousness of faith written in his heart And now to conclude the perfection of the redemption of the naturall man by the cursed death of the Son of God Christ Jesus as he is man Though the redeemed naturall man according to the eternall decree of God Rom. 11.31 be shut up and concluded in spirituall darkness till he be regenerate called unbelief and sin yet the redeemed naturall man by the immediate power of the word of the Law life and light of righteousness of Faith necessarily implying the power of naturall life and light written in the heart of the redeemed naturall man the naturall man is inabled to live the naturall life of man and the life of righteousness of faith morally without any manner of any necessitating of the act of his understanding will or senses either naturally or morally Whosoever therefore doth presume to deny the freedome of the will of the redeemed naturall man either naturally or morally doth necessarily deny the perfection of the redemption of man by the cursed death of the eternall Son of God Christ Jesus as he is man The eternall death and darkness to which all men in Adam the head were condemned was prefigurate by the darkness of the first Tabernacle called the Holy place which was made
all men concluded in originall sin originall sin entred in the world by descending upon his posterity and temporall naturall death by that sin that all men may acknowledge that they were all transgressors of the Law in Adam their head So temporall natuâ—all death did passe over all men young and old male and female from Adam â—o Moses In the 14. verse of the 5. Chapter to the Romans the Apostle doth â—ffirm Adam to be the figure of Christ Jesus the second Adam for Adam was â—he figure of Christ in his redeemed estate concluded in spirituall darknesse â—nd originall sin and naturall death which followed that sin where the Apostle makes a threefold comparison between the first and second Adam â—he first is in the 15. verse the sense of the words is this As by the first Adam in whom all men sinned by his first transgression of â—he Law as he is the redeemed head of all men concluded in spirituall darkâ—esse and naturall death many are dead to wit by naturall death So by the â—pirituall enlightning of the spirituall darknesse of man by the spirituall light â—f the second Adam the grace of spirituall faith did abound to many whereby many are alive and in this sense the 19. verse is to be understood The second comparison is in the 16. verse the sense whereof is this 〈◊〉 was for the one sin of the first Adam against the Law of righteousnesse â—hat all men were eternally condemned but it is for the remission of many â—ctually committed against the Law of righteousnesse of faith that the faithfull are justified by faith in the second Adams infinite merit The third comparison is in the 18. verse the sense is this As by the first Adams first sin against the law of righteousnesse all men were condemned to eternall death so by the righteousnesse of the second Adam by his satisfying of the transgressed law of righteousnesse for man by his cursed death the free gift of his merit came upon all men to the justification of life for that first sin so that neither Adam neither any man naturally descended or to descend of Adam to the and of the world shall ever be charged with that first sin of Adam to condemne man Of the concluding of the redeemed naturall man in originall sin arising of the spirituall darknesse and spirituall unbeliefe I infer these ten Theologicall demonstrative conclusions 1. The first transgression of the law by Adam as he was simply obliged to the law of righteousnesse was infinite and mercilesse without any revealed mercy It was infinite because the transgression of the law of righteousnesse is the contempt of God as he is God and the transgression was mercilesse because the second Person in whom is only mercy was not then revealed to Adam 2. The act of the redemption of man from the eternall curse of the law of righteousnesse being performed by man Christ Jesus the eternall Son of God begot man of the seed of woman in time in the justice of God doth equall the eternity of the curse of the law for the transgression of the law of righteousnes by man 3. All men created in Adam the head transgressors of the law in Adam condemned to eternall death and darknesse for Adams first sin are all redeemed from the eternal curse of the law for that first sin by the cursed death of Jesus Christ the eternall Son of God as he is man begot of the seed of the woman And by the eternall Decree of God all men in Adam the redeemed head of man are concluded in originall sin and temporall naturall death which followed that sin 4. It is only for actuall sin by the transgression of the law of righteousnesse of faith for which man is now condemned to the eternall curse of the law of faith and that by finall contempt and impenitency for all men by the old and new Covenant have all the dayes of this life to repent them of their actuall sins 5. Fifthly and consequently the childe in the wombe actually and intellectually informed man and the son of Adam departing this life or being borne and departing this life before the childe come to actuall morall understanding and action the childe doth depart free from actuall sinne and a true Saint in heaven for the childe is redeemed in Adam the head by the sacred blood of Christ Jesus the eternall Son of God begot man of the seed of the woman in time by whose pretious blood all men naturally descended and to descend of Adam the redeemed head of man are saved from the curse of the law of the sinne of Adam And therefore our Saviour saith Mar. 10.14 Suffer little children to come unto mee for of such is the Kingdome of heaven 6. Though originall sin doth descend upon all men from Adam the redeemed head of all men yet Adams actuall sins doe not descend upon his posterity For since the fall and redemption of man the soule that sinneth must only dye for the sin Ezek. 18.4 And therefore while as it is said I wiâ— visit the sins of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation This visiting of God must be understood of his temporall visitation by his temporall judgements in this life which is a caveat for all parents to have a care of their posterity lest by their evill example they induce their children to follow their sin and so draw downe the temporall judgements of God upon their children in this life 7. The doore of the naturall mans spirituall darknesse is only and immediately opened by the spirituall key of David enlightning the understanding of the naturall man with the grace of spirituall faith in the act of regeneration While that door therefore standeth open which all the created powers of God cannot shut againe though the regenerate man doth too too often stumble and fall yet the regenerate man can never fall totally and finally from the grace of spirituall faith 8. The free pardon of actuall sin is onely and immediately by the free mercy of the Lord Iesus Christ For by whose immediate spirituall power spirituall faith is begot by his onely immediate power actuall sin is onely pardoned which power since the power of the high Priest is determined is communicall to all the created powers of God for this power is the immediate act of the holy Spirit 9. Though Adams good workes while he stood in the state of created perfection did proceed from his spirituall faith in the promise of God the Creator yet the reward and eternall blessing of the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousnesse was not due by the Law immediately to Adams faith but immediately to his workes But the eternall blessing of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousnesse of faith is due by the Law immediately to the faith of man and not immediately to the workes of Faith though by the Law of faith the workes of
makes his vessels of honour and dishonour Rom 9.21 But the masse of man actually condemned to the curse of the Law by eternall death and darknesse for the transgression of the Law in Adam is a masse of the Devils tempering for it was by the Devils false betraying of man that man was brought to that cursed estate It is therefore impossible that God should make his vessels out of this cursed masse of man and that this state of man should be the immediate object of Gods election in the order of cause The masse of man therefore whereof the Potter of Righteousnesse doth make his vessels of honour and dishonour is the only state of man redeemed from the curse of eternall death and darknesse for the sin of Adam shut up in temporall spirituall darknesse called unbelief and originall sin which masse of man is tempered with the sacred blood of Christ Jesus the Son of God as he is man Gal. 3.13 who made himself a curse for man to redeem man from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam For out of this only estate of man it is in the free pleasure of God in his Son Christ Jesus without all impeachment to his justice to shew mercy on whom he will shew mercy and to deny his mercy to whom he will deny his mercy and at his free pleasure out of this masse to make vessels of honour or dishonour The reason whereof is next to be declared CHAP. XXXVII The reasons that the redeemed state of man is the only immediate object of Gods election THat the redeemed state of man in the order of cause is the only immediate object of Gods election the reasons are these First in this estate of man Gal. 3.13 all men condemned to eternall death and darknesse to the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam by the first covenant are equally redeemed from that curse by the cursed death of Christ Jesus the eternall Son of God as he is man begot of the seed of the woman in time Secondly Rom. 11.32 all men freed from the cuâ—se of eternall death and darknesse for that first sin are shut up in temporall spirituall darknesse called unbelief and originall sin whereby God hath mercy equally upon all Thirdly by the cursed death of the Lord of life 2 Cor. 5.19 whereby the transgressed Law by man was satisfied all men in this redeemed estate are justified by the Law for that first sin Fourthly all men by his death in this redeemed estate Rom. 5.10 are perfectly reconciled to the love and favour of God for that first sin Fifthly by the perfection of the redeemed word of the Law and life of Righteousnesse first written in the heart of man from the curse all men by the power of the redeemed word in the heart are equally enabled again to live the naturall life of man and morally to live the life of Righteousnesse of faith without any manner of naturall or morall necessitating the will of man to morall disobedience For unlesse all men were so naturally and morally enabled by the perfection of the redemption it were impossible for God to make any covenant with man since the fall as hath been formerly demonstate In this redeemed state of man therefore all men were equally and morally enabled to enter the old covenant with God and now all men are equally enabled to enter the new covenant and to give morall obedience to the Evangelicall command of the Law without any manner of power to necessitate their will to morall disobedience And this is the first grace of God to man and therefore called the state of grace for the state of the redemption of man doth so far surmount the state of the created perfection of man as far as the invaluable sacred blood of the Son of God doth surmount all the creatures created by God Out of this redeemed state of man God according to his eternall purpose hath decreed from all eternity to elect a certain number by predestinating them to be made like to the Image of his Son whereby they are preserved from being overcome by the temptation of Satan and of his instruments till they be spiritually called that by spirituall faith they may overcome the strongest temptation of Satan in this life and that in recompence of their spirituall valour in this life they may be crowned with an incorruptible crown of glory in their mysticall head in the life to come And these are the vessels of honour mentioned here by the Apostle As for the vessels of dishonour which are said here by the Apostle to be made by God it is most warily to be conceived For as it is most certain that God hath decreed to elect a certain number to be made like to the image of his Son out of the redeemed state of man So it is as certain that God hath decreed from all eternity to relinquish a certain number in the grace of this redeemed estate and to leave them at their pleasure to be finally overcome or not overcome by the temptation of Satan and his instruments For by mans wilfull yeelding to be finally overcome by Satans temptation he wilfully deprives himself of his spirituall calling But in this dereliction of man in the grace of his redeemed estate four main points are to be judiciously considered The first is that this number of men who are thus relinquished are known to God alone The second is that these men are so armed by the perfection of their redemption against the power of Satan and his instruments as all the powers of hell are not able to necessitate the will of the redeemed man to morall disobedience but that he must freely and willingly yeeld himself to be induced by the temptation of Satan and his instruments or he can never be overcome by Satan The third point is this that such is the power of their morall grace that though Satan by his false envious deceiving light do make them stumble and fall yet by the perfection of their redemption they are morally enabled to rise again to repent them of their sin to pray to God to pardon their actuall sin and to reconcile themselves again to God without any manner of created power to necessitate their impenitency and God hath so obliged himself by covenant as his arms of mercy are outstretched to the penitent sinner at what time soever The fouth point to be considered is that the new covenant is as freely made to these whom God hath relinquished in the grace of their redeemed estate as to the elect For the new covenant is made to all the nations of the world obliging the morall faith of the naturall man to the obedience of the Evangelicall Law of faith as the spirituall faith of the regenerate man to his spirituall obedience and therefore the Evangelicall Law of Righteousnesse of faith is first and immediately morally commanded though necessarily implying the spirituall command and the morall blessing of the
is most certain that all things that doth or can come to passe in this world falls under the compasse of Gods decree but all things that comes to passe in this life are not from the positive actuall power of his Decree For a world of things comes to passe by the permissive power of his Decree and so doth his suffering of his long patience to be so contemned by these wicked wretches on whom he hath decreed to shew his wrath and to declare his power to their eternall destruction which is never actually inflicted upon man till the great day because this fiery wrath of God doth proceed from the curse of the Law inflicted upon man in the full extent as he is man intellectuall and sensitive which never can be inflicted upon man in this life because of the dissolution of man in the intellectuall and sensitive nature of man and because of the new covenant whereby man hath all the day of this life to repent Out of this which is declared in these last two Chapters arising from the light of the truth of the sacred Word of God I do inferre this necessary conclusion That absolute imaginary decree whereby God is affirmed out of his alone meer pleasure to elect a certain number of men to salvation without all respect to the immediate object of his election without respect to his spirituall calling whereby the election doth stand without respect to the immediate object of his spirituall calling which is the Lords only merit and consequently without all respect to the Lord himself second person of the glorious Trinity And that absolute imaginary decree whereby God is affirmed out of his alone free pleasure to condemne the rest of the world to the eternall torments of hell which is the curse of the Law without all respect of mans meriting by his transgression of the Law without respect to the first covenant whereby God and man were mutually obliged without respect to the creation of man in the state of naturall and spirituall perfection whereby man was perfectly enabled to fulfill the command of the Law of Righteousnesse withot respect to the fâ—ll of man from that state of perfection under the eternall curse of the Law without respect to the redemption of man from that fearfull curse by the sacred blood of the Son of God without all respect to the new covenant whereby all the nations of the world are called to believe in the Lords merit by his fulfilling of the pomise of the blessed seed to whose faith the blessing of the Lords merit by his Evangelicall rest which the blessing of eternall life is most freely offered which is most freely cut off from all men by this miserable imaginary fictious decree for by this blasphemous fictious decree the immediate cause of the salvation and damnation of man is peremptorily affirmed to be the alone free act of the will and pleasure of God which is but the only immediate cause that God doth elect one and not another out of the redeemed estate of man for the immediate cause of his election is his eternall love to the elect in his Son Christ Jesus by his spirituall calling as the immediate cause of the condemnation of the reprobate is their own immediate act by their obstinate finall contemning of the long patience of God as may appear by the words of the Apostle faithfully delivered in these two last Chapters CHAP. XXXVIII The childe departing this life unbaptized is saved by the precious blood of Christ Jesus by the immediate act of the redemption NInthly it is objected out of our Saviours words John 3.5 Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdome of God Children therefore departing this life in originall sin unbaptized are condemned by the eternall curse of the Law I answer the inference is fallacious For first our Saviour speaks here to Nicodemus a Ruler and Teacher of the Jews and not to man that is a child Secondly Christ speaks not here to Nicodemus simply of the externall sacrament of Baptisme which was then administred by John and the Apostles but of spirituall Baptisme which the externall sacrament did represent by which spirituall Baptisme the naturall mans spirituall darknesse wherin he is shut up and dead as he is a spirituall man is spiritually inlightned by the sanctifying power of which spirituall light the naturall man is quickned again and raised a new lively spirituall man by spirituall faith who by the eyes of his spirituall faith doth now see to enter the spirituall Kingdome of God And this is the spirituall Baptisme which our Saviour doth call the birth of the Spirit and tels Nicodemus that a man by externall Baptisme simply without this spirituall Baptisme cannot enter the Kingdom of God because it is the free gift of God and not tied to the externall administration of the Sacrament of Baptisme And therefore our Saviour doth compare this free gift of God by regeneration Joh. 3.8 to the freedome of the wind For as the wind doth freely blow where it listeth so doth the spirituall light of God enlighten whom he listeth by dispercing the spirituall darknesse of the soul of man to see the way to enter into the Kingdome of heaven As concerning the childs departing this life unbaptized by the externall sacrament of Baptisme First the child is freed from the curse of the Law in Adam the redeemed head of man in whom the child transgressed the Law who by the perfection of the redemption is freed from the eternall curse of the Law by the first covenant Secondly there is no actuall sin in the child whereby the child can be liable to the curse of the law of faith by the new covenant which curse is due only for actual sin by final obstinate contempt of the Law of faith The child therefore is baptized with the sacred blood and water issuing from the blessed heart of our Saviour upon the crosse which the externall sacrament of Baptisme doth represent The child therefore departing this life is saved by the sacred blood of Christ Jesus and a glorious Saint in heaven for of such are the Kingdome of heaven As the child therefore is said to sin in Adam so the child is redeemed in Adam It is not therefore the want of externall Baptism which can condemne the child unlesse the child were of such discretion of understanding as the child did contemne the sacrament of Baptisme by the sacramentall water signifying the water of eternall life wherby the baptized is washed from his actuall sins wherein he is as it were drowned and dead and is raised to the new life of faith to believe in the Lords merit to save him from the second death For in the primitive Church they were only baptized who did actually believe Al children therefore in the Primitive Church departing unbaptized by the consequence of this fearfull objection should be damned contrary to the very words of the
Virgins wombe in the bringing forth of her first borne the word made flesh without the help of woman or man which was the naturall birth day of the Son of God So by the Virgins bringing forth of her first borne the word made flesh the mysticall bringing forth of the first borne evangelicall Word by the mysticall Virgin Sabbath without the help of any created power was prefigurate Which was the mystical birth day of the Evangelicall word Whose mysticall birth day being the just seventh day frō the last formall propheticall Jewes Sabbath as man naturally descended of Adam is obliged to the Law of God his mystical birth day is the true seventh day of the Evangelicall Law By the power of the word of his seventh daies Evangelicall rest commanding the Evangelicall worship of the seventh day of his Law by man and in the seventh day the Evangelicall obedience of man to his whole Evangelicall Law implied in the seventh day To whose faithfull obedience the eternall blessing of his Evangelicall birth daies rest is due by the Law of God The second type and figure whereby the mysticall Virgin Sabbath was prefigurate was the Sabbaticall yeare of Jubile For first as in the yeare of Jubile all bound men all sold and pawned Land the earth and the labouring Cattell were set at liberty So by the bloody rest of Christ Jesus blessed body in the grave for the space of the whole last Sabbath all men condemned and bound by the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam to eternall death and darknes and the creatures created for man where freed from the eternall curse of the Law and set at liberty Secondly as the yeare of Jubile by the immediate influence of God without all labour help or industry of man the earth of its owne accord did produce the fruit thereof for the comfort of man and for the creatures created for man So by the mysticall Sabbath without all the help aide or asistance of any man naturally descended of Adam did bring forth the Evangelicall word enabled by the immediate act of his owne infinit power upon the joyfull day of his resurrection Who is the life light and foode of man and by whom only man and all the creatures created for man doe live move and have the continuation of their redeemed being The blessed day of whose mysticall Evangelicall birth being the just seventh day from the last formall Jewes prophetical Sabbath as man naturally descended of Adam is obliged to the Law of God the blessed day therefore of the Lords resurrection is the true seventh day of the Evangelicall Law of righteousnes of faith whereby the Son of righteousnes in his blessed day began to shine one high by inlightning the ceremoniall darknesse of the propheticall Sabbath prophesying his death through all the Nations of the world by the light of his blessed day leading all men by the hands of faith to lay hold on the Evangelicall word the Lord of the life light and rest of man and of the creatures created for man to be inbelized by the thankfull praises and Jubiles of all the Nations of the world The mysticall Evangelicall birth day therefore of the Evangelicall word the Lords day is the true joyfull day of all the years of this life prophesied by the mysticall yeere of Jubile which by the truth of the Lords Evangelicall rest from the fulfilling of the promise of the blessed seed arising from his bloody rest is the true Evangelical word of the seventh day of the Law of righteousnes of faith next to be declared CHAP. VII The declaration of the Evangelicall word THe Evangelicall word is taken in a twofold sense first the Evangelicall word is taken essentially for the second person of the sacred Trinity God equal with the Father and Holy Spirit in which sense the Evangelical word is incommunicable to man or Angel Secondly the Evangelical word is taken for the word of the Lords day the 7th day of the Evangelical Law of faith as it is the Image of God in his Son Christ Iesus For as the Lords daies Evangelicall rest is the Image of the Lords eternall life and rest So the light of the Lords day is the Image of his inaccessable light and in this sense the Evangelicall word is communicable to man and it is the life and light of man and hath a twofold acception first the Evangelicall word is taken for the word of the Lords day as it is the Evangelicall word of the seventh day of the Law of righteousnes of faith Secondly the Evangelicall word is taken for the word of promise and new covenant whereby both God and man are mutually obliged For though the word of the seventh day of the Law and the word of promise and covenant be really one yet they are of a formall difference First therefore of the Evangelicall word of the Lords day as it is the word of the seventh day of the Evangelicall Law of righteousnes of faith The Evangelicall word of the Lords day is the same reall word which was from the beginning And therefore it is said by Iohn 1.4.5 that in it that is in that word was life and that that life was the light of man which doth in this manner appeare First in the state of perfection by the word of the Law written in Adams heart spiritually enlightned Adam did live move and had the perfection of his naturall and spirituall being and felicity Wherby Adam was the Image of righteousnes and holines And the word of the first seventh day of the Law of righteousnes implying the command of the whole Law was objected to Adams externall senses obliging Adam to the command of the Law of righteousnes To the merit of whose perfect obedience the blessing of the first seventh daies eternall rest was due by the Law of righteousnes Wherby Adam had the continuation of his created estate of perfection and felicity while Adam did stand in the perfection of his obedience And was to have continued eternally upon earth to Adam by covenant if Adam had continued in the perfection of his obedience The word of God therefore to Adam before the fall as he was the head of all men naturall to descend of his loines was the word of the first seventh day of the Law of righteousnes implying the command of the whole Law Secondly Adam in whome as in the head all were created having transgressed the command of God of the Law of righteousnes the transgression was infinit for the transgression of the Law as it is the Law of righteousnes is an immediate contempt against the infinit Majesty of God and consequently the sinne infinit And the second Person of the Trinity in whom is only mercy being then not revealed to Adam the sinne was without any hope of revealed mercy wherby Adam and all men created in Adam as head naturally to descend of Adam were in the justice of God by covenant condemned to the eternall
is that iâ— our ascending from the Covenants with the resolutâ—â—â— when weâ— come to the third mediate cause in both the Covenants as they are referred to God we must stop from ascending with our resolution till by resolving of the Covenants as they are referred to man wee meet with the like collaterall causes which will be in all foure in number And then we ascend from these foure causes as they are effects produced by one and the same next and immediate superiour cause till we come to the supreame indemonstrable case of all To begin therefore with the first Covenant First as the Covenant is referred to God and next as the first Covenant is referred to man God by his first Covenant doth first oblige himselfe to Adam and to all men created in Adam naturally to descend of Adam to the eternall continuation of the naturall and spirituall perfection of man and the felicity wherein he was created by the blessing of his first seveth dayes rest Secondly God by his first Covenant doth mutually reoblige Adam and all men naturally to descend of Adam to the eternall continuation of the perfection of Adams obedience to the command of his law both upon the eternall blessing of his first seventh dayes rest to Adams obedience and upon the eternall curse of the law to Adams disobedience From this reobliging of man by God to his Covenant the word Religion doth take the name implying the whole obedience of man to the law of God To come therefore to the resolution of the first Covenant first as the Covenant is referred to God The last and lowest effect of the first Covenant as the Covenant is referred to God is Gods obliging of man to the obedience of the command of his law upon the eternall blessing of his first seventh dayes rest and upon the eternall curse of the law by the first Covenant The immediate cause of this obliging of Adam by God in his state of perfection was Gods eternall purpose to manifest himselfe to man in his attribute of justice by rendring the reward of the law according to the merit of man The immediate cause whereof was Gods enabling of Adam with such naturall and spirituall perfection as was equall to the perfection of the command of the law whereby Adam was enabled to merit the continuation of the perfection and felicity wherein he was created eternally upon earth whose standing or falling was left to the freedome of Adams election by the first Covenant The immediate cause of Gods thus enabling of Adam was the perfection of Adams creation we must stop our resolution at this cause till we have the like collaterall cause arising from the first Covenant as it is referred to man The first Covenant as it is reffered to man must be resolved both as the first Covenant was fulfilled by Adam while Adam stood in the state of perfection and likewise as the first Covenant was broke and transgressed by man The last and lowest effect of Adam as hee was obliged by the first Covenant while Adam stood in his state of perfection was his perfect worship of the first seventh day for in the fulfilling of the seventh day the whole law was fulfilled by Adam by fulfilling whereof Adams faith and the eternall blessing of the first seventh dayes rest were actually but not eternally united for the continuation of the blessing of the first seventh dayes rest to Adam was according to the continuation of the perfection of his obedience The immediate cause of Adams fulfilling of the command of the law while Adam stood in his state of perfection was Adams saith in the eternall continuation of his eternall rest by God which was due to his obedience by the law and promised by Covenant to which God obliged himselfe The immediate cause of Adams faith was Adams love to spirituall righteousnssse that is to God spirituall righteousnesse it selfe his gracious Lord God and Creator The immediate cause of Adams spirituall love was the spirituall sanctifying light of the holy Spirit enlightning Adams intellectuall soule in the understanding of the law as the law is spirituall The immediate cause of this spirituall perfection of spirituall light and love in Adam was the perfection of his creation as he was created in the perfection of a spirituall man and in the lively Image of God And here we meet collaterally with the first cause as the first Covenant is referred to God and so we have two of the foure causes but we must not proceed to make the other two causes arise from the new Covenant till we resolve the first Covenant as it is referred to man by Adam transgressing of the lâ—w obliged by the first Covenant The lowest and last effect therefore of Adams breaking of the first Covenant was Adams transgression and contempt of the command of the Law which is sin by which transgression Adam and all men created in Adam naturally to descend of Adam were eternally united to the curse of the law by the first Covenant whereby all men were condemned to eternall death and darknesse for the curse of the law the transgression of man by the first Covenant was peremptory without all time of repentance or hope of revealed mercy The immediate cause of Adams transgression of the law was the suggested vertue of the objective forbidden fruit offered by Eve by eating whereof Adam did apprehend himselfe that he should become like God Where by the way the Reader may observe that the immediate cause of Adams fall was externall to Adam which was the forbidden fruit and Eves suggestion of the vertue of the fruit The immediate cause of Eves presenting of the fruit and of her suggestion of the vertue of the fruit of Adam was here deere love to Adam to have Adam equall to God himselfe as Eve did apprehend her selfe to be by the vertue of the fruit which she did first eate The immediate cause of Eves eating of the forbidden fruit was her ambicious desire to have her selfe equall to God and to be freed from that dying death threatned by the Covenant The immediate cause of Eves foule desire was the false suggestion of the Serpent in suggesting such admirable vertue in the fruit To the eating whereof without all doubt Eve was the more easily enduced to beleeve the Serpents suggestion of the vertue of the fruit of the tree of knowledge because there was such vertue in the fruit of the tree of life for by eating thereof the sensitive nature of man was eternallv preserved and therefore after the fall both Adam and Eve were excluded from Paradise The immediate cause therefore of Eves fall was the Serpent and the beautifull objective fruit of the tree of knowledge and the suggested vertue of the fruit which were all externall to Eve Next before wee arise with the resolution to the supreme cause of all the new Covenant is first to be resolved both as the new Covenant is referred to God and as it is
though Adam being created in the state of spirituall perfection by the spirituall light of his understanding of the word of the Law in his heart really one with the spirituall light of the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the Law Adam must needs understand that God was to be worshipped upon the seventh day of the Law of righteousnesse yet without the word of the first seventh dayes rest Adam could never have known the certain first seventh day of Gods commanded worship Secondly without the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the law Adam could neither have known the formall manner of Gods commanded worship to have worshipped God upon the first seventh day of the Law of God to whose perfect worship of God the eternall blessing of the first seventh dayes rest of the Law was due by the Law by which only immediate blessing the created state of man and the creatures were continued while Adam did stand in the perfection of his Creation Thirdly without the word of the first seventh dayes rest no Covenant could be made by God to binde himselfe to man in the word of his promise or man to God for the word of the seventh dayes rest and the word of promise of eternall life as hath been formerly delivered are really one for the word of promise whereby God doth bind himselfe by Covenant to the eternall continuation of the present estate of man is enjoyed by the eternall blessing of the word of the seventh dayes rest Fourthly without the word of the first seventh dayes rest which is really one with the word of promise of eternall life as there is no covenant to bee made by God with man so there was neither any object for the faith of man to rest on for though the eternall blessing of the word of the first seventh dayes rest was not due by the law immediately to Adams faith but due by the Law immediately to the merit of Adams works of righteousnesse yet Adams workes of righteousnesse did necessarily proceed from his faith in the promise of God of the Law of righteousnesse for without faith it is impossible for Adam to have pleased God while he stood in his state of perfection Fifthly without the light of the word of the first seventh dayes rest Adam could never have understood that God was the Creator and Conservator of man the world and the Creatures created for man neither could Adam have known the formall worship of God whose worship is commanded to be after that formall manner as he did reveale himselfe by the word of his first seventh dayes rest according to which formall worship Adam by the command of the first seventh dayes rest of the Law as it is the great command of the Law implying the command of the whole Law was commanded to worship God upon the first seventh day of the Law for Adams solemn perfect worship of God upon the first seventh day of the Law was as if all the workes of the Creation had falne downe with Adam to worship God the great Creator for as Adam was the life ornament and perfection of the workes of the Creation so Adam was the sum and compend of the workes of the Creation for all the creatures of God are either of an intellectuall or corporeall nature which were essentially united in the nature of man Sixthly without the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the law of righteousnesse to our first parents there could have been no law of God to command the obedience of man to the command of his law for all the power of life light and command of every severall precept of the whole Law is immediately from the power of the word of the seventh dayes rest without the power whereof there is no power of any severall precept of the Law to command man or any light for man to know that it is a precept of the Law of God And therefore we see that in the Decalogue set downe to Moses the word of the second seventh dayes rest then by the name of the Sabbath of the Lord is placed in the end of the first Table of the Law uniting as it were both the Tables to the seventh day of the Law from whence all the severall precepts of the law receive the power of life light and command much like the last binding stone of an Arch whereon the strength and power of the whole Arch doth rely and depend for as the last binding stone of the Arch being removed the whole Arch as it is an Arch must fall to the ground so by the removing of the immediate command of God by his word commanding the whole law in the seventh day the whole law and the eternall blessing of the seventh dayes rest must necessarily fall and perish together which is necessarily removed while as the command of the seventh dayes worship is attributed to the immediate authority and command of man The writing of the word of the seventh dayes rest as it were in the heart of the Law in two Tables of stone to Moses is the true embleme of the word of the Law written in the two Tables of the intellectuall and sensitive nature of man in the heart of man for as from the immediate power of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law life light and power of command is diffused to all the severall precepts of the Law so from the immediate power of the word of the Law in the heart of man life and light is diffused to all the parts and powers of man as he is man And this is the maine reason that in the command of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the law the whole law is necessarily commanded which the Lord calleth the great command of the Law necessarily implying the lesser command which is like to the great command Seventhly without the command of the word of the first seventh dayes rest necessarily implying the command of the whole Law neither Adam or any man created in Adam as he was the created head of all men naturally to descend of Adam could have transgressed the Law Rom. 4.15 obliged by the first Covenant for where there is no Law there is no transgression of the Law And so much briefly for the declaration of the word of the first seventh dayes rest upon the immediate command whereof the first Covenant was established between God and man next to be declared CHAP. VIII GOD according to his eternall Decree of predestination having created man male and female in this state of naturall and spirituall perfection advanced to the high love and favour of God and to the soveraignty and dominion over the earth and over the creatures of the earth God entred his first Covenant with Adam not with Adam as he was a private person but with Adam as created man the head root and originall of all men naturally to descend of Adam to the end of the world and therefore God according
to his eternall Decree intending the Creation of man said Let us make man Gen. 1.26 and not let us make Adam to wit as a private person Adam therefore was created in such admirable state of naturall and spirituall perfection as he was the head of the river of men naturally to descend and flow from Adam the head The first Covenant therefore was made with Adam as the created head of all men naturally to descend of Adam who were all really created in the same naturall and spirituall perfection that Adam their head was created in whō all men were as truly really bound obliged in Adam head to the first Covenant and to the command of the word of the first seventh daies rest of the law of righteousnesse in every respect as Adam their head though not actually descended of Adam for as all men sinned in Adam their head to wit really so all men were as really and necessarily bound and obliged to the command of the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the Law in Adam their head as Adam was as all men found by experience and consequently the naturall and spirituall perfection of Adam the head of all men whereby he was enabled to merit eternall life upon earth was as really truly and necessarily due by Covenant established upon the immediate command of the Law to Adams posterity as they should actually descend of Adam as to Adam himselfe for as all men were bound to the same reall Law in Adam their head so in the justice of God all men as they should naturally descend of Adam must be enabled with the like power of obedience with Adam their head The first Covenant made by God with man is set downe by Moses Gen. 2.16 17. The word of promise of eternall life whereby God doth binde and oblige himselfe and man to his first Covenant is in the 16. verse the words are Eating thou shalt freely eate of every Tree of the Garden and consequently Adam was to eate of the Tree of life by eating whereof Adam as he was created a naturall man intellectuall and sensitive was to live eternally upon earth for by the doubling of the word eating thou shalt eate is signified an eternall eating and by an eternall eating an eternall living in the state and felicity wherein Adam was created God therefore in these words doth promise to Adam and to all men created in Adam naturally to descend of Adam that his created estate and condition shall be continued eternally upon earth which promise was to be fulfilled by God and enjoyed by Adam by the eternall blessing of the word of the first seventh dayes rest for by the onely immediate eternall blessing of the word of the first seventh dayes rest Adam the world and the creatures created for man were to rest eternally upon earth in the state and condition wherein they were created for which cause God blessed the first seventh day for Adam and God sanctified the first seventh day for his perfect worship of the first seventh day by Adam If Adam therefore will have the actuall enjoying of the word of promise of eternall life Adam must have it by his perfect worship of God upon the first seventh day of the Law according to that formall manner that God did manifest himselfe to Adam by the word of his first seventh dayes rest which is the condition of the Covenant As God therefore in his word of promise of eternall life doth binde and oblige himselfe to Adam by his Covenant so God doth mutually binde and oblige Adam to the formall perfect worship of the first seventh day that by the eternall blessing of the word of the first seventh daies rest of the Law Adam might enjoy the promise As God doth binde and oblige Adam by his Covenant to obedience the promise of eternall life by his perfect worship of God upon the first seventh day of the Law so God by his first Covenant in the command of the seventh dayes worship as it is the great command of the Law doth likewise binde and oblige Adams obedience to the command of the whole Law of righteousnesse upon a dying death which is eternall death ever dying without all end of dying contained in the 17. verse in these words But of the Tree of knowledge of good and evill thou shalt not eate of it for in the day that thou eatest thereof dying thou shalt dye Gen. 2.17 In which words God doth binde and oblige Adams obedience to the command of the whole Law upon a dying death for by the transgression of the command of God of the Law of righteousnesse by his word commanding Adam to abstaine from eating of the fruit of the Tree of knowledge the whole Law of righteousnesse is necessarily transgressed for he that doth offend in one doth offend in all Jam. 2.10 By this negative command therefore necessarily implying the affirmative command of the Law Adams obedience is bound and obliged to the command of the whole Law of righteousnesse upon a dying death which is eternall death Now as the promise of eternall life whereby God doth oblige himselfe and Adam mutually by his Covenant was to be enjoyed by the eternall blessing of the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the Law the Covenant doth bind and oblige Adam to the immediate command of the Law and the Law doth formally command Adam by the immediate power of the word of the first seventh dayes rest implying the command of the whole law both upon the eternall blessing of the first seventh dayes rest and upon the curse of a dying death which is eternall death and therefore the curse of eternall death is called the curse of the Law The first Covenant being thus established upon the immediate command of the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousnesse implying the command of the whole Law between God and Adam the created head of all men naturally to descend of Adam to the end of the world the first Covenant was ratified by the Tree of life and by the Tree of knowledge of good and evill placed in the midst of the Garden of Paradise as the Sacraments of the first Covenant made between God and Adam the created head of all men that Adam as he was man intellectuall and sensitive created in the state of naturall and spirituall perfection advanced to such felicity by the Tree of life might rest secured of the promise of God by eternall life upon his perfect obedience to the command of the Law commanding him by the power of the word of the first seventh dayes rest so Adam by the Tree of knowledge of good and evill might rest as assuredly in the promise of eternall death upon his transgression of the command of God by his word commanding Adam which was the necessary command of the word of the first seventh dayes rest of his Law of righteousnesse for God cannot command man by his word as
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
blessing from Adam before the law was transgressed by Adam for so Adam must necessarily fall under the eternall curse of the law neither could God by any act or decree whatsoever necessitate the will of man to fall under the fearefull eternall curse of the law by necessitating his free intellectuall creature man to a ten thousand million of times a worse being than if man should have had no being at all 8. The first Covenant being established between God and Adam and Adam being left to the freedome of his election by covenant to stand or fall at his pleasure or perill God without infinite prejudice to his justice could neither barre Satan from tempting of Adam created in such state of spirituall perfection neither could God uphold and support Adam tempted by the mighty temptation of Satan for so the Covenant had not been made with man but with God himselfe Against the truth of that which hath been here faithfully delivered arising from the truth of the sacred word it is objected that Adam in his state of perfection was neither obliged to the Law of God or commanded to the seventh dayes worship of God and consequently and necessarily I conclude First Adam in his state of perfection was not obliged to the first Covenant made by God with man for the first Covenant is established upon the immediate command of the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousnesse necessarily implying the command of the whole Law Secondly and consequently the first Covenant being denyed the Covenant in the promise of the blessed seed and the new Covenant made with all the nations of the world is necessarily denyed which doe necessarily and fundamentally depend upon the first Covenant Thirdly there was no law to command man in his state of perfection for the Law of God formally commanding Adam was the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the law of righteousnesse necessarily implying the command of the whole law Fourthly neither could Adam or any man created in Adam transgresse the Law of God for where there is no law there is no transgression of the law and the seventh day of the law of God being denyed there is no law of God to command man Fifthly and consequently Christ suffered the ignominious curse of the Crosse in vaine for the transgression of the Law of God by man Sixthly by denying of the obligement of man to the command of the Law of righteousnesse by the first Covenant the truth of God is fundamentally denyed Seventhly and consequently by this denyall all Christian faith is rased from the very foundation for the foundation of all Christian faith is in the obligement of all men in Adam the head to the first Covenant established upon the immediate command of the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the law and upon the transgression of the law by man But the objection is proved by two strong Arguments the first is that the formall obligement of the Law now commanding man was not sutable to the perfection of Adam which is most certaine for neither the formall propheticall ceremoniall obligement of the law or the formall Evangelicall obligement of the Law of righteousnesse of faith was sutable to Adam in his state of perfection But the simple formall obligement of the Law of righteousnesse was so sutable to Adams state of perfection as the objecter Adam and all men created in Adam their head for the transgression of the Law of righteousnesse were condemned by the law to the curse of eternall death and darknesse which nothing could redeem but the sacred Blood of the Son of God which the objecter by denying that Adam in his state of perfection was not bound to the law of God doth most unthankfully deny The second Argument to prove this fearefull objection is this Adam in his state of perfection had no other obligatory precept but the command of abstenance from eating of the fruit of the Tree of knowledge and in the very termes of this Argument a flat contradiction is necessarily involved for this obligatory precept doth necessarily imply the command of the whole Law of righteousnesse as hath been formerly declared for by the transgression of this obligatory precept the whole Law of righteousnesse was necessarily transgressed and therefore Adam and all men naturally to descend of Adam for the transgression of this obligatory precept were condemned to the eternall curse of the law of righteousnesse But of all the fearefull blasphemous objections which was ever objected by the devill or man against the truth of God this may stand upon record for the first Thus have we finished the first Book of our Theologicall Key wherein the fundamentall points of the first Covenant are Theologically and fundamentally opened for the foundation of all Christian faith containing the first part of the exercit act of the sacred decree of predestination execute by the infinite essentiall word in the Creation of heaven and the Hoast thereof of the earth of man and of the creatures created for man and in the obligement of man to the first Covenant established upon the immediate command of the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the law of righteousnesse The Second Booke of the Theologicall Key Contayning the second Covenant made by God with man CHAP. I. It is contrary to the truth of the sacred Word to affirme that our first Parents did fall the same day that they were created AS the first Covenant made by God with man did necessarily presuppose the perfection of mans creation so the second Covenant doth as necessarily presuppose the fall of man from the perfection wherein he was created unto the eternall curse of the law of righteousnesse and the redemption of man from the eternall curse of the Law condemned by the first Covenant The second Covenant therefore doth containe the second part of the exercit act of the sacred decree of predestination in the declaration whereof the order and method set downe by Moses Gen. 3. shall be observed where first the transgression of the law by our first parents is set downe Secondly the arraignment of our first parents by God for their transgression of the law Thirdly the censure of God upon the arraignment containing the second Covenant according to which method this second Booke shall be divided in these two parts In the first part the fall of man under the eternall curse of the law shall be briefly declared In the second part the arraignment of our first parents and the censure of God upon the arraignment shall be set downe containing the second Covenant necessarily presupposing the declaration of the redeemed state of man first therefore of the fall of man from his created state of perfection under the eternall curse of the law of righteousnesse as he was obliged by the first Covenant In the declaration of the fall of man two questions may be moved first it may be demanded how long did our
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
from Adam To this I answer first with the first Philosopher A deficient cause doth put no entity in being this effect of Adam therefore by transgression of the Law of God being a true positive effect must have a true positive and not a deficient cause Secondly I answer Theologically as this effect of Adam by transgression of the Law was simply a formall morall effect it was neither defective or the internall cause producing the formall morall effect defective which was the will of Adam but as this formall morall effect was produced by Adam contrary to the command of God of the Law of Righteousnesse by his word commanding Adam which was the command of the word of the first seventh day of the Law of Righteousnesse the formall morall effect produced by Adam by his contemning of the command of God was defective morally evill and the greatest morall evill defective effect which was ever committed by man for it was the morall evill effect of all men created in Adam naturally to descend of Adam to the end of the world who were all bound and obliged to the first Covenant in Adam their head As the defect therefore of this foule monstrous evill effect was externall which was the repugnance of the effect with the command of the Law of God so the cause of the effect was meerly externall to Adam which was the deceiving light of Satan whereby Adams will was morally produced in act The efficient cause therefore of Adams transgression of the Law was not any deficient cause internally proceeding from Adam but a true positive exâ—ernall efficient cause As for the second internall cause of Adams fall which is affirmed to be Adams abusing of the freedome of his will it is all one to say that Adams will in his state of perfection did abuse his will and that his perfection did abuse his perfection for the created perfection of the will of man is in the free act of his will Adams will therefore by his transgression of the Law of God did act most freely without abusing of the freedome of his will as it was simply the act of his will but Adam by the act of his will in the transgression of the Law of God did too freely abuse the command of God The third internall efficient cause of Adams fall is affirmed to be the eternall decree of predestination by the irresistable power whereof Adams will in his state of perfection is affirmed to be internally and subjectively necessitate to fall under the fearefull eternall curse of the Law of Righteousnesse by the first Covenant for it is peremptorily affirmed by the Authors and propugnators of this opinion that God out of his alone meere pleasure did decree from all eternity to elect a certaine number of men to salvation and to condemne the rest of men to the eternall torments of hell without all subordinate respect to the creation of man or to his first Covenant obliging the obedience of man to his Law or to the merit of man by transgressing of the Law without respect to his Law which is the image of the infinite essentiall word or without any respect to the word made flesh of the seed of the woman in time and consequently without respect to God himselfe By the irresistable power of this respectivelesse decree Adams will in his state of perfection is affirmed to be internally and subjectively necessitate to fall under the eternall curse of the Law to the end that way might be made for the execution of this fearefull decree But because we must not divert at this time from our subject in hand the examination of this miserable distracting surmised decree shall be deferred to the end of the Third Booke In the meane time I returne to the point By the irresistable power of this surmised absolute decree Adams will in his state of perfection is affirmed by the Authors and propugnators of this opinion to be subjectively necessitate to fall under the curse of the Law by the first Covenant and consequently and necessarily I do conclude that by this assertion God is made the first author of the first and greatest sinne that ever entred in the world for by the subjective necessitating of Adams will by the pretended absolute decree his will was inevitably necessitate both morally and spiritually for the morall and spirituall act of the will doth necessarily and subjectively depend upon the naturall act of the will This necessarily inference is attempted by the propugnators of the absolute decree to be taken away by a three-fold instance whereby they doe pretend that God is freed from any imputation of being the first author of sinne notwithstanding that it is affirmed that Adams will was subjectively necessitate to fall under the eternall curse of the Law by the irresistable power of the absolute surmised decree The first instance is this Though Adams will in his state of perfection was subjectively necessitate by the absolute decree to fall under the fearefull eternall curse of the Law yet Adam did freely act in his falling Adam therefore notwithstanding of his subjective necessitating by the absolute decree Adam having freedome of election to stand or fall at his pleasure the cause of Adams fall is not to be imputed to Gods decree and therefore it is a received position amongst the propugnators of this opinion that the freedome of the will of man may stand with internall subjective necessitating but not with externall coaction and this position I doe contradict and doe peremptorily affirme that the internall free act of the will of man may stand with externall coaction but no wayes with internall subjective necessitating for though a man bee imprisoned chained and fettered yet the free act of his will is at liberty to invent and devise the meanes to enlarge himself But the internal free act of the wil being subjectively necessitate the natural moral and spirituall freedome of mans will is inevitably necessitate for as hath been said the morall and spirituall act of the will of man doth subjectively and necessarily depend upon the naturall act of the will of man though the spirituall act of the will may be necessitate without any impeachment at all either to the freedome of the naturall or morall action of man As for example in the state of grace the naturall man before he be regenerate being shut up and concluded in spirituall darknesse called unbeleefe and sin is dead as he is a spirituall man without any spirituall act of his understanding and will but the naturall man is alive as hee is a redeemed naturall man without any manner of necessitating of his will either naturally or morally for otherwise God without highest injustice could never bind and oblige all the nations of the world to his new Covenant upon the mercilesse curse of the Evangelicall Law of righteousnesse of faith afterwards to be more plainly declared The second instance whereby God is pretended not to be the first author of sinne
and therefore to conclude this Point As it had beene highest presumption in Adam in his state of perfection by his contemning of the revealed light of the word of the first seventh dayes rest to have attempted by any false light to search into the secret Councell of God to know what God had decreed concerning man So it is a most presumptuous attempt in men of this age by transcending and contemning the very foundation of the light of the whole Scripture of God which is the light of the word of the first seventh dayes rest and of the first Covenant established thereon and to obtrude the fearefull light of such a miserable absolute decree to the conscience of man as to affirme that God of the Law of Righteousnesse contrary to all righteousnesse out of his alone meere pleasure without all subordinate respect did decree to condemne all the world to the eternall torments of hell except a certaine number of men whom hee decreed to elect and save and that for the execution of this miserable decree God did decree from all eternity to necessitate Adams will by the irresistable power of this decree to fall under the eternall curse of the Law and that without any respect to his Covenant made with Adam without any respect to his Law or to Adams merit by Adams transgression of the Law Thus having removed from the perfection of mans creation the obtruded internall causes of the fall of man I come next to the declaration of the true efficient cause of the fall of man as it is set downe in the sacred Word CHAP. IV. The Angels bound and obliged to the Law of God AS Eve the woman man female was first in the transgression wee are to begin with the declaration of the efficient cause of Eves transgression of the Law of God which was meerly externall The externall efficient cause of Eves fall was principall and instrumentall The principall externall efficient cause as it will appeare by the subsequent declaration was Satan The instrumentall efficient cause of Eves transgression was first the Serpent secondly the objective fruit of the Tree of knowledge of good and evill thirdly the words of the first Covenant Gen. 2.17 dying thou shalt dye though the two last were but causes by accident The causes inducing Adams fall were these three and Eve her selfe which was the fourth cause Satan therefore that old crooked Serpent enemy to God and man was the principall efficient externall cause of the fall of man the rest Satan did use or rather abuse for his instruments The cause of Satans betraying of man was Satans malice against God and his envy to man advanced to such high honour of dominion over the earth and over the creatures of the earth in such high love and favour of God from whose love and glorious presence Satan was disgracefully cast downe from the Heavens for Satan by the infinite word being created a most glorious Angelicall spirit in the heighth of angelicall perfection by the power of the word of the law actually and spiritually enlightned as all Angels were created for by the immediate power of the word the Angels do live move intellectually and spiritually and have their intellectuall and spirituall being The Angels therefore according to the internall power of the word were obliged to the command of the Law of God as well as man and therefore it is affirmed by the Apostle 2 Pet. 2.4 that the Angels sinned and sinne being the transgression of the Law the Angels must be obliged to the command of the angelicall word of the Law and consequently and necessarily the Angels by the power of the word in the justice of God must be enabled with equall power to fulfill the command of the Law for as it may appeare by Satans fall the Angels are obliged to the command of the Law upon the curse of eternall death for there is but one reall word of the Law of God obliging all the intellectuall creatures created by the word though formally differing according to the differing sphere of the intellectuall creature man in the humane sphere is formally and humanely obliged to the Law of God the Angels in the angelicall sphere formally and angelically and both eternally obliged Now Satan by his proud contempt of God by his transgression of the Law having falne from the heighth of his angelicall perfection and felicity wherein hee was created under the eternall angelicall curse of the Law Satan was cast down like lightning from heaven to eternall darknesse Luk. 10.18 Eph. 6.12 without all hope of redemption eternally banished from the glorious presence of God and from the society of the numberlesse number of the blessed Angels who according to the eternall Decree of God do stand in the grace of their created perfection by the power of the Resurrection of the word made flesh of the seed of the woman as they were created by the power of the word for the Lords infinite merit by his rest from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed Seed doth descend to the Angels by whose infinite merit the Angels are conserved in their created estate as ministring spirits for the safety of the Elect. By reason of this shamefull and ignominious disgrace of Satan by such a high fall by the angelicall curse of the Law Satan became malitiously desperate against God for though Satan by the angelicall curse of the Law was deprived of all spirituall understanding and action yet the angelicall intellectuall power of his understanding and action which is so admirable did remaine for by this power Satan works all his mischiefe against God and man Satan therefore being puft up maliciously against God and knowing man to be the most beloved creature of God and seeing that man should hold such high soveraignty and such high favour and esteeme with God from whose favour Satan had so disgracefully fallen This did so aggravate Satans infelicity as that his malicious impatiency did carry him as it were headlong in contempt of God to work his malice upon innocent man and to induce man by the transgression of the Law of God by the word of his Law commanding man to fall into the like condemnation with himselfe for Satan no doubt did apprehend that it was as impossible for man to be redeemed from the eternall curse of the humane obligement of the Law as for himselfe to be redeemed from the angelicall curse of the Law By this meanes Satan thought to be revenged on God in the destruction of his darling man and to make the whole works of the Creation suffer in the destruction of man who was created the ornament and perfection of the works of the Creation Satan therefore knowing man to be created in such an admirable estate of naturall and spirituall perfection Satan did excogitate such a mighty temptation as was able to shake the perfection of the most perfect intellectuall creature of God as it is an intellectuall creature which may
partner of her expected transcendant felicity as Adam was the true owner of her lov◠〈…〉 beautifull hand present the fruit to Adam using her most pâ—rswâ—â—â—â—â—â—â—ions to move Adam to eate of the fruit and no question Eve was the more instant that both in time might prevent threatned death by the Covenant which Eve was confident to be prevented by their mutuall eating of the fruit whereby both were suggested to be equall to God and free from all feare and danger of death Adam therefore presuming on Eves judgement and wisdome which he knew to be equall with his owne by hearing of the suggested vertue of the fruit suggested by the Serpent and confirmed by such apparent reasons Adam did begin to be as confident and as much affected with the hopefull expected felicity of the suggested vertue of the fruit as Eve her selfe for otherwise all Adams love to Eve and all Eves amorous perswasions of Adam could never have induced Adam to runne upon so desperate a hazzard Wretched Adam therefore in confidence by eating of the fruit to bee equall to God himselfe did take of the forbidden fruit and eate thereof mounting himselfe upon the ambitious wings of so neere affected Deity in flying at so lofty a pitch till by the glorious splendor thereof Adams ambitious wings being scorched Adam with his posterity Icarus-like fell down in the bottomlesse sea of Gods eternall wrath under the fearefull curse of the Law hopelesse helplesse eternally upon earth and all by the miserable sting of the old Serpents darknesse ending alwayes in afflictions though this was the affliction of afflictions for as Adams transgression of the command of God of the Law of Righteousnesse was the transgression of all men created in Adam the head of all men naturally to descend of Adam to the end of the world whereby the first Covenant made betweene God and man upon the immediate command of the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the Law of Righteousnesse was broken by man so Adam and all men created and falne in Adam the head according to the first Covenant were eternally condemned by the Law of Righteousnesse to the curse of eternall death without all hope of mercy or redemption Now though it be manifest by the Scripture that by the transgression of one precept the whole Law of God is necessarily transgressed and therefore this precept of the forbidden fruit transgressed by Adam being the necessary command of the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the Law of Righteousnesse for as hath beene formerly declared the word of God commanding man hath the onely power of command but as it is implyed in the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law and therefore the curse of the Law of Righteousnesse was due by the Law for the transgression of the command though I say by the transgression of this one command the whole Law was transgressed yet for the Readers satisfaction it shall be declared that by the transgression of this one command every severall precept of the Decalogue set downe to Moses was necessarily transgressed taking the Law in the simple formall obligement without any respect either to the Propheticall or Evangelicall obligement of the Law CHAP. X. By the transgressing of the command of the forbidden fruit every Precept of the Law was transgressed FIrst our first parents being condemned to the eternall curse of the Law for the transgression of the command of the forbidden fruit they were utterly disabled from the first seventh dayes commanded worship whereby the fourth precept of the first Table was transgressed Secondly our first parents by following the Serpents advice and by expecting by eating of the forbidden fruit to become Gods they had other Gods contrary to the first precept of the Decalogue Thirdly the false deceiving words of the serpent being imprinted and as it were graven in the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge to induce our first parents to eate of the fruit was the first graven image of the devils erection to which our first parents did bow and bend all the whole powers of their love and affection contrary to the second precept of the Decalogue Fourthly by our first parents assenting to the Serpents blasphemous belying of God the sacred Name of God was taken in vaine contrary to the third precept of the first Table in which foure precepts is the summe of the first Table of the Law Fifthly by the transgressing of the command of the forbidden fruit Adam and Eve did dishonour their parents contrary to the first precept of the second Table whose parents were the blessed Trinity though the second Person was not then revealed Sixthly Adam by transgressing of the command of the forbidden fruit did kill all his posterity by the procuring the curse of eternall death upon himselfe and his posterity contrary to the second precept of the second Table Seventhly our first parents by their spirituall adulterous whoredome with their idoll of the Devils erection did commit adultery contrary to the third precept of the second Table Eighthly Adam by procuring of the curse of the Law against his posterity did steale away all the naturall and spirituall gifts wherein they were created which by the first Covenant were as due to them as to Adam himselfe contrary to the fourth precept of the second Table Ninthly by our first parents assenting to the false calumnious lie of the Serpent against God our first parents did bear false witness against God for the command of the fifth Precept of the second table doth extend as well to God as to man Tenthly and lastly our first parents by coveting to be Gods did transgress the last precept of the second table whereby every precept of the whole Law was necessarily transgressed by our first parents Before we do proceed an Objection is to be answered CHAP. XI The Decree of Predistination was not suspendible by Adam though created in the estate of naturall and spirituall perfection ADam being created in the state of such naturall and spirituall perfection as did equall the perfection of the Law to which he was so necessarily obliged it was in the freedome of Adams power to have resisted Satans temptation by resisting whereof the Decree of Predestination had been suspended It is therefore concluded by the Authors and maintainers of the absolute Decree that there was a necessity that the freedome of Adams will must be necessitate by the absolute Decree to yeeld to the temptation of Satan lest the Decree of Predestination should be suspended I answer to the Objection It is true that Adam was created in such estate of naturall and spirituall perfection as did equall the command of the Law but this perfection was with equall freedome of naturall morall and spirituall action without the determining of the act of the one by the act of the other as hath been formerly declared Adam therefore in respect of his freedome of election had the power to be induced or not induced
cursed Altar of the cross the only Son of his love Christ Jesus begot man of the seed of the woman in time as he is man the eternall Son of God before all time to redeem man from the eternall curse of the Law for the sin of Adam by his cursed death of the cross that as Satan in the Serpent did first so maliciously betray the woman to procure the fall of man So by the resurrection of the blessed seed from the dead the head of the old Serpent Satan and his cursed seed for his malicious betraying of the woman should be broke in the great day to his eternall confusion For which cause first God decreed from all eternity to enter his second covenant with man in the promise of the blessed seed that the blessed seed should rest from the redemption of man from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam upon the seventh day of the last Sabbath from end to end that by his fulfilling of the whole Law in the seventh day the whole Law might be fulfilled as he did bind and oblige himself to man by covenant by fulfilling whereof the first seventh dayes eternall rest lost by Adams transgression of the Law might be due to his merit by the Law that the eternall blessing of the next seventh dayes rest the redemeed state of man might be continued Secondly God by his eternall decree did decree to bind and oblige himself to man to fulfill the promise of the blessed seed by his resurrection from the grave and to enter his new covenant with all the nations of the world As God did decree from all eternity to bind and oblige himself to man in the promise of the blessed seed by the second covenant So God decreed from all eternity to bind and oblige man mutually by his second covenant to believe in his promise of the blessed seed both upon the eternall blessing of the word of the second seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousness of faith and likewise upon the eternall merciless curse of the law of faith The promised redemption of man therefore in the promise of the blessed seed by the second covenant was as effectuall and actuall to Adam and to all men naturally to descend of Adam the head untill the promise was fulfilled as it was effectuall and actuall in the fulfilled promise by the new covenant to all the nations of the world Adam therefore and all men naturally to descend of Adam by the redeemed word of the Law literally written in the the heart of man were necessarily inabled with the power of naturall life and light and with the power of the life and light of righteousness of faith to believe morally in the promise of the blessed seed as they were oblieged by covenant though by the eternall Decree of God Adam and all men redeemed in Adam the head from the curse of eternall death and darkness were shut up and concluded in temporall darkness called unbelief and sin till they be regenerate afterwards to be declared from this enabling of man with the life of righteousness of faith to believe the promise of the blessed seed the Law of righteousnes was first called the Law of righteousnes of faith for by the formall obliegement of the Law by the second covenant the formall simple obliegement of the Law of righteousness was actually determined by the command of the word of the seventh day of the Law of righteousness of faith in the promise of the blessed seed By this decreed work of the redemption of man by predestinating the Lamb of God to the cursed altar of the cross for the sin of man the sacred Decree of God doth principally take the name to be called The eternall decree of Predestination as from the more noble and excellent part so far surmounting the works of the creation as the sacred blood of the Son of God doth surmount the excellency of all the creatures created by God And so much for the eternall Decree of Predestination for the present Next the perfection of the redemption of man is to be declared CHAP. XIII Of the perfection of the redemption of man from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam by the cursed death of the Son of God Christ Jesus as he is man AS God by his decree from all eternity did decree by the cursed death of the promised blessed seed made flesh of the seed of the woman to redeem all men from the curse of eternall death and darkness to which all men were eternally condemned in Adam the head So God from all eternity did decree to shut up and conclude all men redeemed in Adam the head in temporall spirituall darkness till they be regenerate which is called unbelief and sin and therefore it is said Rom. 11.32 that God did conclude all men in unbelief which is spirituall unbelief proceeding from that spirituall darkness that he might have mercy upon all men to wit by enlightning of that spirituall darkness by the grace of spirituall faith in the act of regeneration In which two points the perfection of the redemption of man doth consist First therefore of the perfection of the redemption of man from the curse of eternall death and darkness And secondly of the shutting up and concluding of all men redeemed from the curse of eternall death and darkness in temporall spirituall darkness called unbelief and sin according to the eternall Decree of God The perfection of the redemption of man condemned to eternall death and darknes is by the intervention of the cursed death of the Word made flesh of the seed of the woman between man condemned to the curse of the Law and the actuall inflicting of the curse by God upon the word of the Law and life of righteousness written in the heart of man whereby man was inabled with the power of naturall life and light and with the power of the life and light of righteousness before his fall By which intervention of our Saviour by his sustaining of the actuall curse of the Law due to man condemned by the Law the word of the naturall life of man and of the life of righteousness writen in the heart of man and consequently man is redeemed from the curse of eternall death and darkness and by the power of the redeemed word in the heart of the redeemed man The naturall man is naturally and morally inabled again to live the naturall life of man and the life of righteousness of faith to believe first in the gracious promise of the blessed seed by the old covenant and now to believe in the fulfilled promise by the new Covenant As Adam therefore and the Fathers by the literall light of the Word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousness of faith then by the name of the Sabbath of the Lord which was really one with the literall light of the redeemed word of the Law and life of righteousness of faith in the heart
of man were morally enabled to believe the promised rest of the blessed seed from the redemption of man from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam upon the Sabbath and by the power of the word of righteousness of faith in their heart were inabled to bring forth the morall and ceremoniall works of faith according to the formall command of the Law of faith So now by the power of the redeemed word of the law of Faith written in the heart of man really one with the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Evangelicall Law of righteousness of faith the redeemed naturall man is morally inabled to believe the fulfilled promise of the blessed seed and to bring forth the morall works of faith according to the command of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Evangelicall Law of righteousness of faith And therefore though the redeemed naturall man from the curse of eternall death and darkness be shut up and concluded in temporall spirituall darknes till he be regenerate and dead as he is a spirituall man without any manner of spirituall understanding or action and necessitate to spirituall unbelief yet the redeemed naturall man is not shut up and concluded in naturall and morall darkness and dead as he is a naturall man necessitate to morall unbelief but by the power of the redeemed word written in the heart of man The naturall man is alive with freedome of naturall and morall grace by the act of his understanding will and senses to believe the promise of the blessed seed by the old covenant and the fulfilled promise by the new covenant for the word of the Law of righteousness of faith obliged both by the old and new covenant is first and immediately morally commanded though necessarily implying the spirituall command and that as well upon the merciless curse of the Law of Faith as upon the eternall blessing of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousness of faith If the redeemed naturall man therefore were concluded and necessitate to morall unbelief as by his concluding in spirituall darkness he is necessitate to spirituall unbelief First it were impossible for the redeemed naturall man to give morall obedience to the command of the Law of faith obliged either by the old or new covenant But more impossible for God in this case to make his old or new covenant with man For it were high injustice in God to oblige man redeemed from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam to believe his promise upon the merciless curse of the Law of faith while the redeemed naturall man in the mean time was necessitate both to morall and spirituall unbelief Secondly in the free naturall and morall act of the understanding will and senses of the redeemed naturall man which naturall and morall act is really one though formally differing the perfection of the redemption of the naturall man as he is man intellectuall and sensitive doth consist which being necessitate man is no man Thirdly such morall necessitating of the redeemed will of man and consequently of his externall senses doth inferre a necessary contradiction in the act of the redemption of the naturall man for by the literall light of the redeemed word of the Law and life of righteousness of faith written in his heart really one with the literall light of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousness of faith the naturall man is morally inabled to believe the word preached for the literall light of the word is in the sound of the word and therefore it is said Rom. 10.17 that Faith which is morall faith is by the hearing of the Word And by the necessitating of the morall act of the understanding will and consequently of the senses of the naturall man he is necessitate to morall unbelief which is a manifest contradiction Hence I inferre these seven Theologicall necessary conclusions First the redeemed naturall man by the redeemed word of the Law and life of righteousness of Faith written in his heart which is of one reall light and command with the eternall light and command of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousness of Faith the redeemed naturall man is morally inabled with the grace of morall faith to believe the word of promise which is really one with the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousness of Faith First in the promise of the blessed seed by the old covenant and now by faith in the fulfilled promise by the new covenant made with all the nations of the world Secondly and consequently by the power of the redeemed word of the Law and life of righteousnes of Faith written in the heart of the redeemed naturall man the naturall man is morally inabled to bring forth the works of morall faith according to the formall command of the Law of Faith without any manner of necessitating of his will to morall disobedience by the temptation of Satan or his instruments for if either Satan or any created power of God could necessitate the will of the redeemed man to morall disobedience God in his justice could never oblige man to the command of his Law upon the curse of eternall death either by the old or new covenant Though Satan therefore be necessitate to tempt man as shall be declared hereafter yet Satan with all his power must either induce the redeemed naturall man freely and willingly to disobedience or no way Thirdly the redeemed naturall man by the power of the light of the word of the Law and life of righteousness of faith in his heart really one with the literall light of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousness of Faith is morally inabled to know when he doth transgresse the Law of faith by bringing forth the works of unbelief and unrighteousness by his actuall sins and to repent him of his actuall sins for fear of the curse of the Law For the grace of morall faith doth necessarily presuppose the grace of morall repentance And this is the reason that from the promise of the blessed seed throughout the old and new Testament all men are continually called upon to forsake their actuall sins and unrighteousness and by repentance to turn and reconcile themselves to God for all naturall men by the perfection of their redemption are inabled with the morall grace of repentance without any manner of necessitating of their impenitency by the power of Satan or his instruments For the grace of morall repentance being necessitate the grace of morall faith is likewise inevitably necessitate Fourthly the redeemed naturall man being morally inabled with the grace of morall faith and repentance without any manner of necessitating of his will to morall unbelief and impenitency The grace of spirituall faith is promised by the old and new covenant in God prefixed time to the continuation of his morall obedience by the morall works of faith
close and dark without any light at all And the redeemed naturall life and light of man and the life and light of righteousness of faith to which all men are inabled by the cursed death of Christ Jesus the eternall Son of God made flesh of the seed of the woman was prefigurate by the loaves upon the Table of shew-bread and by the glorious lights of the golden Candlestick placed in the first Tabernacle for the lamps of the golden Candlestick were enlightened by the fire of the brazen Altar prefigurating the cursed altar of the Cross whereon the Lamb of God was to be offered And the fire of the brazen altar whereby the Holocaust sacrifice of the Lamb was burned up did come down from heaven which did prefigurate the fiery wrath of God whereby the Lamb of God was to be burned up upon the cursed altar of the cross for the sins of man And so much for the perfection of the redemption of man condemned to eternall death and darness Next of the concluding of all men redeemed in temporall spirituall darkness called unbelief and sin CHAP. XIV Of the concluding of all men redeemed from the curse of eternall death and darkness in temporall spirituall darkness called unbelief and sin IN the concluding and shutting up of all men in spirituall darkness and unbelief Rom. 11.32 and in the spirituall enlightening of that spirituall darkness standeth the very period of the perfection of the redemption of man and therefore it is said that God did conclude all men in unbelief that he might have mercy upon all For though God hath mercy upon all by the first grace of morall faith to which all men are inabled by the immediate power of the redeemed word of the Law and life of righteousnesse of faith written in the heart of the redeemed man yet his speciall mercy is in his second grace which is by the enlightening of the spirituall darknesse wherein the redeemed naturall man is shut up with the spirituall light of the holy Spirit whereby the naturall man is inabled with the grace of spirituall faith without this concluding of man therefore in spirituall darknesse and spirituall unbelief which is called sin it is impossible that any naturall man in the ordinary calling of God could be spiritually called by the grace of spirituall faith by the only grace whereof man is saved from the second death By this spirituall light inlightening of the darknesse of the understanding of man in the immediate act of spiritual regeneration the understanding of the naturall man is first spiritually inlightened to see himself dead both in actuall morall and actuall spirituall sin under the curse of the Law of Faith which he could never see before For though the naturall man before he be regenerate cannot sin actually and spiritually as he is a spirituall man being dead in spirituall darknesse yet the naturall man by his morall evill action doth sin actually both morally and spiritually though the naturall man before he be regenerate cannot know that his morall evill action is a necessary spirituall transgression of the Law For from the first evill morall action of the naturall man which is a necessary transgression of the Law of faith the naturall man till he be regenerate is condemned by the Law of Faith and dead by the Law in actuall sin as he is a naturall man till he be raised by the grace of spirituall Faith for all actuall sin doth begin morally by the morall transgression of the Law which is both a morall and spirituall transgression as the Law is morally and spiritually commanded But the pardon and remission of actuall sin doth begin spiritually by spirituall faith untill which time the naturall man is necessarily dead in actuall sin though he doth not neither can know that he is dead in actuall sin till his spirituall darknesse be spiritually inlightned And therefore the Apostle Rom. 7.9 saith I was once alive without the Law to wit while as he knew not the spirituall command of the Law but when the command came that is the spirituall command which came by the spirituall enlightning of his spirituall darknesse by spirituall faith sin revived and I dyed For then the Apostle did see himself dead in actuall sin All naturall men therefore before they be regenerate are dead in actuall sin And in this sense our Saviours words are to be conceived while as he saith Luke 9 60. Let the dead go bury their dead By the spirituall light therefore in the immediate act of regeneration the naturall man is spiritually inlightned to see himself dead in actuall morall and spirituall sin and ready to sinck in the bottomlesse sea of Gods fiery wrath for sin under the eternall curse of the Law of Faith while in the mean time he is led by this spiritually light to lay fast spirituall hold on the Lords infinite merit by which spirituall hold the faith of the naturall man proceeding from his spirituall love and the Lords merit by his love to the naturall man are really spiritually and divisibly one by which spirituall union the naturall man is actually and spiritually regenerate and mystically united to his mysticall head the Lord Jesus Christ by whose infinite merit all the regenerate mans finite actuall sins are covered For by this spirituall union the Lords merit by his fulfilling of the Law is made the regenerate mans merit by imputation and imputed to his spirituall faith whereby the regenerate man is justified by the Law by our Saviours fulfilling of the Law And by this spirituall union inabled to live the spirituall life of righteousness and holinesse of faith And therefore it is said Rom. 1.17 The just shall live by faith And this is the faith which is able to remove the greatest mountain of temptation even the mountain of naturall death it self if it stand in the way and offer to make a breach in his spirituall love from the truth of the Lords merit This spirituall darknesse wherein all men are concluded by the eternall Decree of God is that door which is so shut up by God as no man can open And this spirituall Light whereby this spirituall darknesse is enlightned is that key of David that is the key of the son of David by which spirituall key the door of the spirituall darknesse of man being once opened all the devils darknesse and all the powers of earth and hell are not able to shut the door again totally and finally though by the devils darknesse the regenerate man doth too often stumble and fall and foulely fall Of this concluding of all men redeemed from the curse of the eternall darknesse in temporall spirituall darknesse called unbelief and sin two fundamentall points are to be observed The first is the prefigurating of this spirituall darknesse by the darknesse of the second Tabernacle The second is the Reason that this spirituall darknesse and spirituall unbelief is called sin by the Apostle This spirituall darknesse wherein
all men are concluded was prefigurate by the darknesse of the second Tabernacle which was called the Holiest place wherein there was no light at all neither any light to be carried in therein In this Tabernacle the ark of the Covenant was placed and in the ark the word of the two tables of the Law Heb. 9 3 4. the pot of Manna and Aarons rod. Upon the ark was the golden crown the two cherubims with their wings covering the Mercy-seat representing the over-shadowing power of the three distinct persons of the indivisible Trinity in the generation of the word the blessed seed conceived in the womb of the blessed Virgin afterwards more plainly to be declared For this covenant was the covenant of the blessed seed first made with Adam and with all men redeemed in Adam the head shut up in temporall darknesse which covenant was afwards renued to Abraham though after a more peculiar manner For God did promise by his covenant to Abraham that the blessed seed should descend of Abrahams seed and that in Abrahams seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed For this cause the Lord did set down to Moses descended of Abrahams seed the patern of the Tabernacle commanding Moses to erect a Tabernâ—cle according to that patern which was erected to the end that the Jews the posterity of Abraham might understand that the promise made to Abraham was really one with the promise made to Adam for as the second tabernacle called the Holiest place did signifie the first promise made to Adam So the first tabernacle called the Holy place did prefigurate the fulfilling of the promise made to Abraham which was to be fulfilled before the second tabernacle could be opened signifying the promise made to Adam which promise first made to Adam was fulfilled by the rending of the partition-wall by our Savious death more fully to be declared in the third Book In this second Tabernacle Aaron the High Priest as he was the figure of the High Priest after the order of Melchisedeck the blessed seed did enter once ever yeer arrayed in a white vesture besprinckled with the blood of the sacrifice of the brazen Altar with a censure of coales taken from the brazen altar kindled with the fire which came down from heaven and with powdered sweet incense in his hand to be burned upon the coals when he came into the Holiest place that a cloudy sweet fume might ascend between the Mercy-seat and Aaron The end of Aarons entring into the Holiest place once every yâ—er was to obtain pardon for his own actuall sins and for the actuall sins of the congregation to whom as he was High Priest and the figure of the High Priest after the order of Melchisedeck the pardon of actuall sins was given first to himself and in him as he was the High Priest to those whose actuall sins God decreed from all eternity to pardon and forgive Now though the free grace and mercy of Gods holy Spirit cannot be tied neither to time place or person by pardoning of actuall sin for that spirituall wind Joh. 3.8 bloweth when and where it listeth yet God according to his decree from all eternity did decree to grant this grace of pardon of actuall sin at this time to the High Priest in the behalf of the congregation as he was the figure of the High Priest after the order of Melchisedeck for these three weighty Reasons to be precisely understood by all men The first was that all men might know that the power to pardon actuall sin is only and immediately in the High Priest after the order of Melchisedeck the blessed seed as he is God and man to whom all power in heaven and earth is given by the Trinity And this was the reason that the Scribes and Pharisees did accuse our Saviour for saying Luke 7.48 49. Thy sins be forgiven thee as if our Saviour had spoken blasphemy The second Reason is that the Jews might understand that all their externall sacrifice for sin all their sin-offerings and all their legall rites and ceremonies of the ceremoniall Law could not take away their actuall sins and that the pardon of actuall sin is in the only free absolute power of the High Priest after the order of Melchisedeck as he God and man by faith in his only merit The third reason is that all men might understand that the pardon of actuall sin is by the spirituall inlightening of the spirituall darknesse of man by spirituall faith which was signified by the pardon of actuall sin which past through the cloud of the sweet incense from the Mercy-seat to Aaron as he was High Priest and the figure of the High Priest after the order of Melchisedeck by the spirituall light of whose holy Spirit the spirituall darknesse of man is spiritually inlightened by spirituall faith in his merit whereby all the actuall sins of the regenerate man are covered and freely pardoned The second fundamentall point to be observed in this concluding of aâ— men in spirituall unbelief proceeding from this spirituall darknesse is thâ— reason that this spirituall unbelief is called sin by the Apostle The immediate cause of this spirituall unbelief and sin proceeding from this spirituaâ— darknesse is the eternall decree of God And this is the sin which is calleâ— by the Theologs originall sin For a formall difference between actuall siâ— and this originall sin which by the eternall decree of God doth descenâ— from Adam the redeemed head of man upon all men naturally descended anâ— to descend of Adam to the end of the world to the end that by this sin and naturall death which followed this sin all men may know that they are redeemed from the curse of eternall death and darknesse to which all men were eternally condemned for Adams first sin in whom all men transgressed the Law by the cursed death of Christ Jesus the eternall Son of God as he is man and therefore it is said Rom. 5.12 As by one man sin entred in â—he world and death by sin and so death passed upon all men in whom all have sinned where this one man is Adam in his redeemed estate for his sin which entred in the world is necessary to be understood of originall sin which did enter by Adam the redeemed head of man and did descend by degrees upon his posterity And therefore this sin which entred in the world must not be taken for Adams first sin For first Adams first sin cannot be said to have entred in the world by degrees for it did cease upon Adam and all men at one instant For it was as really the sin of all men transgressors of the Law in Adam the head as it was the sin of Adam Secondly temporall naturall death followed this sin that entred in the world by this one man but eternall death followed Adams first sin from which all men are reâ—eemed The sense therefore of the words is this As by Adam the redeemed head of
faith be as necessarily commanded to be produced according to the formall command of the law as the faith of man is obliged by covenant to live the life of righteousnesse of faith as he is inabled by the power of the redeemed word of the law written in his heart For as the commanded worship of the seventh day is the great command of the Law necessarily implying the lesser command all the workes of faith are necessarily commanded as hath been formerly and necessarily demonstrate All the workes of man therefore be they never so morally good according to the literall command of the law are not able to merit the pardon of the least actuall sin of man committed against the law of righteousnesse of faith much lesse able to merit tâ—â— salvation of man from the second death but quite contrary by the intervention of the presumptuous merit of man between his faith and the Lords merit his vain faith is utterly destroyed 10. Though originall sin doth descend upon all men redeemed in Adam the redeemed head of man yet originall sin is no manner of cause of actuall sin For first originall sin is immâ—diately from God the eternall Father of the immortall spirit of man by the essentiall union of the intellectuall spirit of man to the vitall spirits of the heart of the Infant in the wombe So soon therefore as the Infant is man and the son of Adam the childe is concluded in originall sin in Adam the redeemed head of man and so brought forth man by man female the mother Secondly actuall sinne is from the devill and neither from God or from the parents for the generation of man by man male and female and the production and bringing forth of man by man female as it is the naturall action of man the humane intellectuall good creature of God is a good naturall action without any actuall sinne for it is not the naturall or the voluntary action of man simply that is sinne but it is the voluntary action of man as it is formally morall And so much for the redemption of man from the curse of the Law for the sinne of Adam as it doth concerne both the old and new Covenant The redemption of man is the next to be declared as it doth concerne the old Covenant CHAP. XV. Adams arraignment by God for his transgression of the Law of righteousnesse obliged by the first Covenant AS the act of the redemption of man from the curse of eternall death and darknesse doth concerne the old Covenant it doth necessarily presuppose the arraignment of our first parents and the censure of God for their transgression of the Law which in the infinite mercy of God is onely temporall in this life First therefore of the arraignment of our first parents as it is set downe by Moses so farre briefly thereof and of the censure as both doe concerne the subject in hand In the araignment of the parties delinquents for the transgression of the Law God doth beginne with the examination of the last delinquent but God doth beginne his censure where the sinne did first beginne The last delinquent by the transgression of the law of righteousne obliged by the first Covenant made by God with man was Adam God therefore as may appeare Gen. 3.9 doth first graciously call Adam by his word who hearing the voyce of God hid himselfe with Eve amongst the trees of the garden flying from the presence of God and from his gracious calling by his Word How fearfull is the voyce of God by his Word calling a sinner to account for the transgession of his Law as he is a naturall man For so soon as Satan doth induce the naturall man to sin by the transgression of the command of God by his Word as it is his Law commanding man Satan doth perswade the naturall man to flye from the gracious calling of God by his Word yet God according to his eternall purpose Psal 119.176 will finde out both Adam and Eve God therefore doth first call Adam saying Adam Where art thou as if the Lord had not knowne where Adam was O infinite mercy of God to man though man had lately committed high treason against God yet God mercy it selfe doth call Adam by his sacred Word graciously to repentance Who art thou therefore that wilt despaire of the infinite mercy of God in his Son Christ Jesus calling thee so graciously by his word to repentance while Adam who had committed the greatest sin that ever was or can be committed against God by man was graciously called by God Here a Question may be moved Was not the sin of our first parents for their first transgression of the Law freely pardoned by the eternall Decree of God by predestinating the only Son of his love Christ Jesus as he is man to the cursed Altar of the Crosse for that first sin wherefore then doth God call Adam or Eve to repentance for that first sin I answer first This was more then was knowne to our first parents till the promise of the blessed seed was made Secondly all the punishments inflicted upon our first parents for the transgression of the Law are only temporall in this life and all inflicted by God to put all men in continuall remembrance of the infinite love and mercy of God in his Son Christ Jesus for the redemption of man by the cursed death of his onely Son as hee is man without whose cursed death all men must have dyed eternally under the fearfull curse of the Law by eternall death and darknesse and so to returne to Adams examination The words set downe by Moses are emphaticall as if they had been set downe after this manner Adam Where art thou This is strange that thou shouldest flye from my presence who have dealt so graciously with thee where it may appeare that God was then conversant with our first parents before their fall even by externall apparition Adam by his answer to Gods calling like a naturall man most ungraciously in stead of the humble acknowledgement of his horrible fact doth goe about to shift his accusation for hiding himselfe by pretending his shame by his nakednesse saying Gen. 3.10 I was afraid to come into thy presence because I was naked Naked indeed both internally and externally which is the true effect of sin Adam and Eve were both ashamed of their deformed estate to which they were brought unto by the base foil which they received by believing the Serpent both were sensible of their misery but both as yet insensible of their sin which was the cause of their misery such is the nature of sin till the sinner be spiritually called by God Now did Adam and Eve begin to feel the evill which they did so long to know and now was the perfection of our first parents understanding brought to such a passe as they knew not which way to begin to cover so much as their externall nakednesse but were fain to make a poor
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
fearfull while the judgement doth so suddenly and unexpectedly fall without all pre-meditation or prevention As for the reason wherefore God doth thus speak to the Serpent being an irrationall creature it will appear by the mysticall sense of the censure The curse upon the Serpent doth divide it self into two branches The first is Vpon thy belly shalt thou go The second is Dust shalt thou eat all the dayes of thy life Because the literall sense of the censure upon the Serpent is plain we will only answer to a two-fold objection arising of the words of the censure The first whereof is this The Serpent being a sensitive and an irrationall creature it may be objected that the Serpent in the justice of God could not be liable to the curse of the Law because the irrationall creature cannot be capable to be obliged to the Law of God I answer The Law of God doth spare neither the intellectuall sensitive animate or inanimate creature if the creature do but come instrumentally within the compasse of the transgression of the Law of God So the brazen Serpent which was commanded by God though the instrument of saving so many in the Wildernesse yet because it was the instrumentall cause of the people of Israels Idolatry 2 King 18.4 the brazen Serpent was commanded to be broken in pieces So the golden Calf worshipped by the Israelites was ground to powder some part whereof was cast down the river some part burned with fire for being the instrumentall cause of the people of Israels Idolatry which if all the sins of man is most fearfull and most distastefull to God For by the sin of Idolatry God is necessarily denied to be God which fearfull sin God doth never leave unpunished at some time or other and so much for answer to the first objection The second objection is this The curse of the Creator for the transgression of the Law is the destruction of the creature as it is such a creature Now before and after the curse is inflicted upon this sensitive creature called the Serpent it is called by Moses a Serpent And the nature of the Serpent being to go or craul upon the belly and to eat at the least for the most part of the dust of the earth This censure therefore inflicted by God upon the Serpent for being the instrumentall cause of the transgression of the Law could be no curse at all I answer to the objection and do affirm that Moses doth call this sensitive creature a Serpent from the effect produced therein by the immediate curse of the Law of God pronounced by the power of his Word And therefore that this sensitive creature did walk upon the legs as other cattle and beasts of the field before the curse was pronounced by God I thus inforce the point First God himself in pronouncing of the curse doth call this sensitive creature one of the cattle and beasts of the field saying Gen. 3.13 Cursed art thou above all the cattle and beasts of the field The sense of the words is this Thou art the only curst beast of all the number of the cattle and beasts of the field amongst whom thou livest This sensitive creature therefore before the curse was one of the number of the cattle and beasts of the field Secondly by the power of the curse this sensitive beast is necessitate to go upon the belly and craul This sensitive beast therefore called the Serpent before it was cursed by the power of the Word did not go and craul upon the belly but did walk upon the legs as other sensitive cattle and beasts of the field Thirdly this sensitive creature called the Serpent by the power of the curse is necessitate by crauling upon the belly to eat and feed upon the dust of the earth This sensitive creature therefore before the curse did not live by licking up of the dust of the earth but by walking as other cattle did feed upon the herbs and grasse of the field Fourthly it is said that this sensitive creature called the Serpent was Gen. 3.1 more subtill then any beast of the field that is in sensitive apprehension This sensitive beast therefore according to the subtilty of sensitive apprehension above all other cattle and beasts of the field was created with an organicall sensitive body answerable to discharge the internall sensitive perfection equall if not above the externall shape and form of other cattle and beasts of the field Fifthly the enmity inflicted by the censure between the Serpent and its seed and the woman and her seed doth necessarily presuppose a former amity and love between man and this sensitive creature For as this sensitive creature was of a more nimble and sensitive apprehension above all the other cattle and beasts of the field So it was next to man in sensitive apprehension and therfore more conversant with man then any of the other sensitive creatures and in all probability did wait as it were upon Eve and therefore the more fit instrument for Satan to work his mischief Sixthly by the mysticall sense of this curse upon the sensitive creature called the Serpent wherby it is cast down from walking upon the legs to craul upon the belly the old murdering Serpent Satan is so cast down upon the belly of his great power for the betraying of man as he shall never betray all men again with such a high hand at one clap as he did before more plainly to be declared in the next Chapter Seventhly by the fearfull sudden unexpected judgement pronounced by God in his fierce wrath as a terrible Judge upon this sensitive creature in the presence of our first parents amazed at the terror of the curse and fearing no lesse then their turn next to have the curse of the Law actually inflicted upon them ouâ— first parents were moved to repentance and prepared for the imbracing of the gracious promise of the blessed seed which was presently after made by God whereby the second covenant was entred between God and man Lastly to conclude this point either there must be a supernaturall sensitive mutation in this sensitive creature by the curse of the Law as it was such a creature though transcendent to all Philosophicall reason whereby this sensitive creature was cast down from walking upon the legs and from eating of the herbs of the field to craul upon the ground and to eat and feed upon the dust of the earth or the plain words of the Scripture must be contradicted And so much for the literall sense of the censure of God by the curse of the Law as the censure doth concern the Serpent in particular Next of the mysticall sense of the censure CHAP. XVIII The curse of the Law by the first covenant literally inflicted upon the sensitive Serpent is mystically inflicted upon the old Serpent Satan THe curse of the Law literally inflicted upon the sensive Serpent is mystically inflicted upon the old Serpent Satan who is called 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
be broke by the seed of the woman which suggested remedy the Jews did divers times attempt but the Lord did prevent their purpose by escaping their bloody hands because his hour was not come yet this fear did so possesse Satan as he never left with all diligence to watch his opportunity till the hour was come that our Saviour was to suffer for the sins of man for then Satan did bestir himself by incensing of the high Priest Scribes Pharisees and the rabblement of the Jews and Gentiles with most cruell bloody hands to murder the Lord of life the Word whereby the light of the whole Word was obscured and darkned for a time And then both Satan and the Jews thought themselves secure But after the Lords resurrection from the dead Satan apprehending himself so horribly deceived the roaring Lyion did so rage as he did incense the Jews to keep afoot the ceremoniall worship of the Jews propheticall Sabbath for which effect Satans instruments were set awork to persecute the planters of the Evangell amongst wâ—ich crue who was so busie as Paul before his conversion By this means Satan again did attempt to obscure and darken the light of the whole Word by a false deceiving morall light contradictory to the Evangelicall light of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Evangelicall Law â—f Righteousnesse of faith For by keeping afoot the ceremoniall worship of the propheticall Sabbath the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ was plainly denied and the Evangelicall light of the Lords day implying the whole Evangell attempted to be obscured As Satan by his false morall light did obscure the light of the word of the seventh dayes rest from the beginning totally and in generall So doth he now by his false deceiving morall light obscure the Evangelicall light of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of Righteousnesse of faith in particular which Satan doth effect by suggesting a false morall deceiving light contradictory to the light of the Evangelicall Law of faith whereby some fundamentall points of faith is subverted and stifly maintained contrary to the Evangelicall Law of faith some of which points be ancient some modern of the ancient subjected points of faith such are these First salvation from the curse of the Evangelicall Law of righteousnesse of faith may be merited by the good works of man Secondly Christ died for originall sin only Thirdly the actuall sins of the dead and of the quick are taken away by the surmised sacrifice of the fictious ceremoniall altar Fourthly the power to pardon actuall sin as it is a transgression against the spirituall command of the Law is in the Church Fifthly universality of spirituall grace to fulfill the command of the Law is by the act of the externall sacrament of baptisme The authority of canonicall Scripture depends upon the allowance of man and a world of such errors So of modern fundamentall errors be such as these First the elect only not all men lost in Adam the head are redeemed from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam Secondly all the promises of salvation are made to the elect only and not to all men in generall Thirdly universall grace of morall faith by the perfection of the redemption is peremptorily denyed and consequently and necessarily the grace of morall repentance Fourthly the morall freedome of the will without any necessitating of the will of man to morall disobedience is denyed by the act of the redemption Fifthly the election of man to salvation is out of the alone free pleasure of God without all subordinate respect to the Lords merit Sixthly the condemnation of man to the eternall torments of hel is out of the alone pleasure of God without all subordinate respect to the Law of God or to the merit of man by transgression of the Law Seventhly children dying unbaptized are saved by the parents faith and a number of such All which pretended fundamentall points of faith are contradictory to the light of the truth of the Evangelicall Law of righteousnesse of faith for removing of which false fundamentall errors and of all manner of erronious tenents repugnant to the command of the Evangelicall Law of faith the judicious Reader is enabled by a short rule or canon in the third Book And so much for answer to the first objection by answering whereof the judicious Reader may plainly observe that though Satan and his instruments hath the power by his false deceiving naturall light to unite the naturall love of man irresistibly to the sensitive object of his pleasure yet the union is by the free yeelding and assent of the will of man to be so induced by Satan and not by Satans necessitating of the free love of man And that it is in the freedome of mans naturall election before Satans temptation to be induced to disobedience by his false deceiving envious naturall light As for Satans false deceiving morall light whereby he doth incense the heart of man to maintain such pretended points of faith so contradictory to the Evangelical Law of faith The judicious Reader may likewise plainly perceive that it is in the freedome of manâ— morall election to be induced or not induced by any such false moral light to maintain any such pretended points of faith while as by his maintaining of which erronious tenents he doth divide his faith from the proper object of the Lords merit by the intervention of a false object though after the faith of man and the false object be once united and the erronious tenent being once set abroach it shall not want a world of propugnators whose hearts by the Devils false morall light are incensed to maintain the tenent for a main pretended point of faith by the multiplication of which united maintainers of the opinion such strength is added to the tenent as doth resist all Evangelicall light of the Word and command of the Evangelicall Law of faith by the only power of which Evangelicall light all tenents contradictory to the Law of faith are discovered and by the power of command of the Evangelicall Law of faith all exploded from the Church of God And so much for answer to the first objection CHAP. XXXIV The true sense of the words that both the will and deed is from God and the sense of the words that the thoughts of man are only and continually evill originall sin is not the corruption of nature and of the rebellious will of the flesh which is said to be enmity against God IT is secondly objected God giveth both the will and the deed man therefore by the perfection of the redemption hath neither the free power of will neither to will or do any good I answer the Antecedent is most true but the Inference is false for the grace of morall faith which is the act of the redeemed will of man proceeding from the power of the redeemed word of the Law and life of
redeemed word of the Law written in the heart of man is the Image of God in his Son Christ Iesus in the truth of his fulfilled promise of the blessed seed enabling all men by morall saith to beleeve the Lords fulfilled promise of the blessed seed And the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall Law of faith blessed and sanctified by the truth of the merit of the Lords Evangelicall rest is now objected to the externall senses obliging all the Nations of the World to believe the truth of the Lords merit by his rest from the fulfilling oâ— the promise of the blessed seed To whose faith the blessing of the Lords eternall rest is due by the Evangelicall Law of faith As for the formall difference of the word of every severall seventh daies rest of the Law from the beginning it doth consist in these two pointes First the formall difference of the seventh day of the Law implying the command of the whole Law doth arise from the formall manner of Gods revealing of himselfe by the word of his severall seventh daies rest by the formallity of which severall rest the formall worship of the seventh day is commanded The second difference is that by the least transgression of the Law of righteousnes in the state of perfection the sinne was without all hope of any revealed mercy or time of repentance But the transgression of the Law of righteousnes of faith is withall hope of mercy and time of repentance while there is day in this life Of this declaration of the Evangelicall word as it is the redeemed word of truth written in the heart of man And as it is the Evangelicall word of the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall Law of faith implying the perfection of the redepmtion of man from the curse of the Law for the sinne of Adam I infer these subsequent necessary demonstrative conclusions CHAP. IX Conclusion 1. IT is by the redeemed word of the Law as the Law is spirituall immediatly written in the soule of man necessarily implying the power of intelectuall life and light that the soule doth live and hath its intellectuall moving and being which is the first act of the soule of man as he is intelectuall and a true humane spirit in potency to his second intelectuall act And it is by the word of the Law literally written in the heart of man necessarily implying the power of naturall life and light that man as he is man doth live move and hath his redeemed being which is the first act of man as he is man and a rationall creature in potency to his second naturall and morall act by the species of the externall sensitive object and this is the reason that Iohn saith Iohn 1.4 in it was life and that life was the light of man Conclusion 2. It is by the litterall light of the word of the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall Law of faith objected to the externall senses which is one reall light with the literall light of the redeemed word of the Law in the heart that the understanding and will of the naturall man is formally and morally produced in act necessarily implying the naturall light without which the species of the externall object can neither be morally or naturally apprehended by the act of the understanding of man Conclusion 3. Though man as he is a spirituall man shut up in spirituall darknesse till he be regenerate be said to be dead as he is a spirituall man because he is deprived of the spirituall light of the holy Spirit for the time yet by the word of the Law immediately and spiritually written in the soule necessarily implying the intelectuall life and light the soule of man humane spirit doth live and move intelectually which intelectuall life and light the spirituall light of the holy Spirit doth necessarily presuppose for the formall action of holines doth as necessarily presuppose the intelectuall act of the soule as the formall morall action the naturall action of man which are both by one reall light though the intelectuall be a pure unmixed light and the naturall a mixed light by the essentiall union of the intelectuall and sensitive nature of man without which light man were neither an intelectuall or rationall creature as hath bin formerly demonstrate Conclusion 4. As by the internall word of the Law which is eternally spiritually and immediatly written in the soule the soule of man humane spirit is spiritually immediatly and eternally obliged to the Law as the Law is â—pirituall So by the eternall word of the Law literally written in the h art of man man as he is man is eternally and morally obliged to the Law of God and consequently the sensitive body being resolved from the soule must remaine in its principle to be reunited to the soule in the great day Conclusion 5. The Lords day blessed and sanctified by the Lords blessed resurrection and rest from the fulfilling of the promise of the blessed seed in time was in the eternall purpose and councell of God before all time the decâ—eed seventh day of the Evangelicall Law of righteousnes of faith Conclusion 6. The literall light of the Lords day the seventh day of the Lords Evangelicall rest doth farre surmount the light of all the severall seventh dayes rest of the eternall word from the foundation of the world for by the literall light of the Lords day the naturall man is fundamentally and literally led to all the former seventh daies rest of the eternall word from the beginning all proceding from the love of God to man Conclusion 7. The literall light of the word of the Lords day doth emply the literall light of all the Scripture of God and consequently the whole excercite act of the sacred decree of predestination so farre as is revealed to man in this life Conclusion 8. By the Lords daies Evangelicall rest from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed arising from his bloody rest the Lord did manifest himselfe truth and in that truth love and mercy to man Conclusion 9. As our Saviour by his birth life death and by his rest in the grave did manifest himselfe true man and by his wonders and miracles did manifest himselfe the Son of God begot of the seed of the woman by the immediate unction of the holy Spirit So by the infinit power of his Evangelicall rest in his triumphant victory over the power of Satan sinne eternall death and darknesse of Hell over the power of the curse of the Law and over the power of the grave his last enemy the Lord did manifest himselfe Lord God and man in the three coessentiall distinct Persons of the glorious Trinity the maner whereof is clearly set downe in the Chapter following Conclusion 10. As by the Lords Evangelicall rest from the fulfilling of the promise of the blessed seed arising from his bloody rest was by his infinit power So his merit by his rest
from the redemption of man from the curse of the Law and from his fulfilling of the Law for man by his bloody rest was likewise infinit By the power of whose infinit merit by the Lords daies Evangelicall rest as it is the word of the eternall life and rest of man the formall worship of the Lords day is commanded in spirit and truth And therefore the Lord told the Samaritan woman The houre commeth and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father and consequently the Son and holy Spirit in Spirit and truth For God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and truth By which words the formall Evangelicall worship of the Lords day is both set downe and commanded by the Lord of the Lords day For first the Lord told the Samaritan woman commanding her to beleeve that the houre should come which is the houre of the Lords day which was then to come Secondly the Lord commanded the Samaritan woman to beleeve that God is a Spirit and must be worshipped in Spirit and truth that is in the Spirit of faith in the truth of his Evangelicall rest fâ—om the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed Which is the formall Evangelicall commanded worship of the Lords day which must be sanctified by man after that formall manner in the Spirit of faith in the truth of the Lords merit by his Evangelicall rest as he hath manifested himselfe to man by the day of his resurrection to wit Lord God and man in the three coessentiall distinct Persons of the glorious Trinity Thirdly whereas the Lord told the Samaritan woman that God must be worshipped in Spirit and truth and that the Father requireth such worship The formall Evangelicall worship of the Lords day is immediatly commanded by the Lord of the Lords day for Gods will and requiring of man by his word is the Lords immediate command to man Fourthly whereas the Lord said to the Samaritan woman the houre is in these words the Lords last will testament to be executed after the testators death is fully implied for in the commanded worship of the Lords day the whole Evangelicall morall Law of God which is the whole Evangelicall word is necessarily implied Fiftly while as the Lord saith to the Samaritan woman the houre cometh when ye shall neither worship the Father in this Mountaine or at Jerusalem By these words the formall ceremoniall worship of the propheticall Sabbath implying the whole propheticall ceremoniall Law is actually determined by the actuall immediate commanded Evangelicall worship of the Lords day to the great comfort of both Jewes and Gentiles in tâ—eir freedome from the sore yoake of the ceremoniall Law Conclusion 11. All propheticall ceremoniall worship is barred from the truth of the Lords commanded worship for by such ceremoniall worship the truth of the Lords fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed is belied and necessarily denied by the will worship of man Conclusion 12. All ceremoniall pretended worship of God by any maner of carved or painted Image objectively representing to the eyes of man the Son of God as he is man is contradictory to the truth of the Lords commanded worship by his Evangelicall rest from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed as he is God and man For first by this ceremoniall pretended worship God is immediatly worshipped as he is man Secondly by the intervening of the sensitive object between the Lord and his worship the Lords worship is necessarily interrupted and consequently the worship a false faithles idolatrous worship necessarily denying the truth of the Lords commanded worship Conclusion 13. All mediate pretended worship of God by invocation of Angels or Saints departed this life is repugnant to the Lords infinit merit by the truth of his Evangelicall rest For first by the immediate object of such worship intervening between the worshipper and the Lord as by his infinit merit he is eternall life rest the infinitnes of his merit is confined Secondly prayer being a most essentiall part of Gods immediate worship by such invocation of the object to which the prayer is directed the worship of God is necessarily interrupted while as man by the Lords owne immediate command is commanded to call upon the Lord himselfe immediatly in the day of trouble and neither upon Saint or Angel And consequently such mediate pretended worship of God equall idolatry with the former Conclusion 14. As all men for their first sinne in Adam as head were condemned to the curse of eternall death and darknes So by the infinit powâ—â— of the Lords merit all men were redeemed in Adam as head from the curse of eternall death and from eternall naturall and spirituall darknes shuâ— up its â—â—mâ—orall spirituall darknes called unbeleefe and originall sinne for â—he infinit good of man Conclusion 15. As by the perfection of the redemption of man by the power of the Lords infinit free merit all men are freed from the curse of eternall naturall morall and spirituall death and from the eternall curse of naturall morall and spirituall darknesse though shut up in temporall spirituall darknes So all men by the redeemed free power of the word in the heart as they are naturall men are restored to the free grace of naturall and morall life and light without any manner of necessitating the act of the understanding will or senses either naturally or morally Conclusion 16. All men redeemed from the curse of the Law by the eternall decree of predestination being concluded in spirituall darknes called unbeleefe and originall sinne all naturall men comming to actual morall understanding and action before they be regenerate are necessarily dead in actuall sinne by their transgression of the Law of faith Conclusion 17. By the redeemed word of the Law in the heart of man man is the Image of God in his Son Christ Jesus as he hath revealed himselfe by the light of the word of the Lords day truth love and mercy First therefore the naturall man by the power of the redeemed word of the Law written in his heart is enabled to produce the workes of truth love and mercy morally though not spiritually which are the workes of morall faith Secondly and consequently by the reall unity of the power of light and command of the word of the Law in his heart with the light and command of the Lords day the naturall mans heart is morally moved to assent and to beleeve the truth of the Lords day and to give morall obedience to the command of the Law implied in the Lords day Thirdly and consequently by the power of the redeemed word in the heart man is enabled to morall repentance which doth necessarily proceed the act of morall faith Conclusion 18. All tenents and assertions denying the universall grace of the redemption of all men from the curse of the Law for their sinne in Adam shut up in spirituall darknes called unbeleefe and sinne
rest which is the blessing of the Lords day is the immediate object of faith and therefore the Evangelicall law is called the law of righteousnesse of faith though the works of faith which are the works of truth love and mercy are equally commanded in the command of faith which is the necessary sole immediate efficient cause of the works of faith and therefore necessarily commanded in the command of faith while the Apostle therefore doth affirm that man is justified by faith without the works of the law we must understand that the works meaned by the Apostle are the ceremoniall works of the Propheticall law and not the Evangelicall works of faith to which works the Apostle doth exhort both the Jews and Gentiles and therefore the Apostle James saith shew me thy faith by thy works Now the Lords merit of eternall life which is the blessing of the Lords day being really one the word of promise and new covenant and the word of the seventh day of the Evangelicall law are really one and so much for the reall unity of both next of the formall difference The formall difference of both doth consist in this that by the new covenant God and man are mutually obliged in the Evangelicall word of the Lords day For as God by his new covenant doth formally oblige man to believe the truth of his fulfilled promise of the blessed seed by his Evangelicall rest So the Lord doth mutually oblige himself by the truth of his merit by his Evangelicall rest to save the believer from the curse of the second death obliging likewise the unbeliever and finall contemner of his free gracious offer to the mercilesse curse of the law of faith But by the Evangelicall word of the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall law the Lord doth formally command man to testifie his beliefe to the word of eternall life as the Lords Word is his law to man The chief precept of whose law is the commanded worship of the Lords day in which commanded worship the whole Evangelicall law of righteousnesse of faith as formally and necessarily commanded commanding the faith of man in the originall which is the love of the heart where the redeemed word of the law is written really one with the Evangelicall word of the seventh day of the law the Lords day by the power of which redeemed word in the heart which is the Image of God in his Son Christ Jesus truth love and mercy it self all men are morally enabled by the works of truth love and mercy to give morall obedience to the command of the Evangelicall law which are the works of faith the chief work whereof is the truth of the commanded worship of the Lords day whereby the Lord by his Evangelicall rest hath manifested himself truth love and mercy to man The judicious Reader therefore may plainly perceive that though there be a formall difference between the word of the seventh day of the Evangelicall law and of the word of promise and the new covenant yet they are really one and the one necessarily implyed in the other For as hath been formerly declared God cannot morally command man to his new covenant but by the immediate command of the word of the seventh day of the law implying the command of the whole Evangelicall law which is the Evangelicall word of the Lords day For there is neither life light or the power of command in any precept of the Evangelicall law of righteousnesse of faith but by the only immediate commanded worship of the Lords day in that commanded worship implying the command of the whole law And therefore the blessing of the Lords merit by the Lords dayes Evangelicall rest is only and immediatly due by the law to the faithfull worship of the Lords day for the fulfilling of the whole law which is fulfilled by faith in the Lords infinite merit by whose infinite sanctified merit by his Evangelicall resurrection and rest from the fulfilling of his promise the Lords day is the word of eternall life and the immediate object of Christian faith without the command therefore of the Lord day as it is his law to man there is neither life or light for man or any law or new covenant or any object for the faith of man dead in actuall sin as all men freed from the curse of the law for the sin of Adam are before they be regenerate by their transgression of the law of faith And therfore as our Saviour by his bloody rest in the grave by his fulfilling of the command of the seventh day did fulfill the whole law as our Saviour was oblieged to the law for man to whose merit the eternall life and rest lost by Adam is due by the law so the Lord Iesus Christ eternall life and rest by his resurrection and rest from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed upon the day of his resurrection did obliege all men again to his new Covenant by the immediate command of the Lords dayes commanded worship blessed and sanctified by his merit to believe in his fulfilled promise of the blessed seed to whose faith the blessing of his merit of eternall life is due by the law which is commanded in the cōmanded worship of the Lords day as may appear by the word of promise new covenant Go and teach preach the Evangel to all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Spirit Mar. 16.15 16. he that shal believe shall be saved but he that wil not believe shall be condemned The sense of the word of the covenant is this Go and preach the Evangel that is go and preach proclaim the glad tidings of my resurrection and rest this day from the fulfilling of my promise of the blessed seed which is the summe of the whole Evangel implied in the Lords day by the Lords Evangelicall rest go therefore preach the Evangel to all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Spirit as my my resurrection and rest this day from the power of sin Satan hell eternall death the curse of the law and the power of the grave I have manifested my self by mine own infinit immediate power Truth to man by the fulfilling of my promise and in that truth love and mercy to man and in that truth love and mercy God and man in the three coessentiall distinct persons of the Trinity whosoever shall believe in me to wit eternall life and rest by the power of my infinit merit by my Evangelicall rest shall be saved from the curse of the second death for the transgression of the law of faith as by my bloody rest in the grave from the cursed death of the crosse all men are saved from the curse of the law for their transgression of the law in Adam which is the first death he that will not believe in me shall be condemned to
his spirituall understanding did perfectly apprehend God to bee the Creator of Heaven of earth of man of the creatures and that by the immediate eternall blessing of the first seventh dayes rest of God the world man and the creatures were continued and preserved in the perfection of their created estate And upon the immediate command of the word of the first seventh dayes rest implying the command of the whole law of righteousnesse the first Covenant was made with man afterward to be declared As Adam by the spirituall light of his understanding really one with the spirituall light of the word of the seventh dayes rest did perfectly understand God as God revealed himselfe to Adam by the word of his first seventh dayes rest wherein the perfection of Adams understanding of God did consist so Adam by the created perfection of his spirituall action of holinesse did adequate the perfection of the command of the Law as Adam was first obliged to the Law of God for if Adams spitituall action of holinesse had not been of equall power with the perfection of the command of the Law which is in the spirituall command and the first Covenant being established upon the immediate command of the word of the first seven dayes rest of the Law both upon the eternall blessing of the first seven dayes rest and upon the curse of eternall death Adam could never have fulfilled the perfection of the command of the Law but must have necessarily fallen under the curse of eternall death which had been most high injustice in God in binding and obliging his intellectuall creature man to a law upon the curse of eternall death above the power of his obedience by his spirituall action of holinesse for it was only by Adams spirituall action of holinesse that the law was to be fulfilled for though Adam was created with the power of morall action yet while Adam stood in his state of perfection Adams morall action was not actuall neither could his spirituall action of holinesse be called formally and properly morall which denomination is extended both to the obedience and transgression of the Law as hath been formerly declared Adams morall action therefore was not actuall till the Law of righteousnesse was transgressed by Adam and then Adams morall action was actuall and formally morall and morally evill and the greatest evill that ever was or can be committed by man Now as Adam by the perfection of his spirituall understanding of the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousnesse did perfectly understand God as God revealed himselfe to be honoured and worshipped by his rest from the works of the Creation So Adam by the perfection of his naturall understanding must needs apprehend the being power perfection goodnesse life light knowledge understanding wisdome in himselfe and the creatures to flow from the infinite perfection of the Creator whereby Adam was led in the understanding of the essentiall Attributes of God which essentiall understanding of God in Adam must be imperfect God as he is essentiall being infinite and incomprehensible Adams perfect understanding of God therefore was perfected by the perfection of his spirituall understanding of the word of the first seventh dayes rest as God did manifest himselfe to man to be understood and worshipped by man for God can no otherwise be comprehended by the act of the understanding of man or Angel but after that formall manner that God doth minifest himselfe to be understood and worshipped by either And so much briefly of the created naturall and spirituall perfection of man with whom the first Covenant was made by God which is the contents of the first part of the first Book Before we come to the second part an objection must be removed CHAP. V. Of a threefold comparison between the created naturall and spirituall perfection of the first Adam with the naturall and spirituall perfection of the second Adam IT is said That the first Adam was made a living soule a naturall man and from the earth earthly 1 Cor. 15.45 46 47. Adam therefore was not created in the state of naturall and spirituall perfection neither could he be created the image of righteousnesse and holinesse or a true spirituall man I answer briefly to the Objection The Apostle in these three verses of this chapter doth make a threefold comparison between the first and second Adam The first is in the 45. verse the sense whereof is this The first Adam was made a living soule to wit to live the perfect life of righteousnesse necessarily implying the perfection of his naturall life but the second Adam was not only made a living soule but likewise a quickning spirit where the power of the naturall and spirituall life of the first Adam is compared with the power of the naturall and spirituall life of the second Adam The first Adam by the power of his naturall and spirituall life was not able to quicken himselfe or any man else being dead but the second Adam by the power of his naturall life in sustaining the cursed death of the Crosse did redeem the first Adam and all men condemned and dead under the curse of the Law by eternall death in Adam their head for the transgression of the Law by Adam and by the infinite power of his Resurrection from the dead did raise up Adam and all men condemned and dead in Adam their head quickning and reconciling all men by the price of his blood to the love and favour of God for that first sinne The first Adam therefore notwithstanding of his naturall and spirituall perfection in respect of the second Adam may be truly said to be but a living soule and not a quickning spirit The second comparison is in the 46. verse where the spirituall perfection of the first Adam is compared with the spirituall perfection of the second Adam the sense of the words is this Though the first Adam was created in such spirituall perfection yet his spirituall perfection was not essentiall but habituall and conditionall But the spirituall perfection of the second Adam the Lord Jesus Christ is Essentiall and therefore the first Adams spirituall perfection in respect of the second Adams essentiall perfection was but the perfection of a naturall man as the spirituall perfection of the second Adam was the essentiall perfection of an essentiall spirituall man the eternall Sonne of God begot of the seed of the woman in time The third comparison is in the 47. verse where the humane sensitive nature of the first Adam is compared with the humane sensitive nature of the second Adam The sense of the words is this The first Adam as he is man sensitively was created of earthly principles immediately and therefore from the earth earthly But the second Adam as he is man sensitively Christ Jesus the naturall Son of God was begot of the sanctified seed of the woman immediately and every way from the heaven heavenly in respect of whose humane
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
Satan by the sensitive Serpent did first deceive the woman so the old Serpent Satans head shall be broke by man the seed of the woman This gracious promise was to be fulfilled First by the resurrection of the blessed seed the Word made flesh of the seed of the woman from the grave his last enemy to the face of the earth whereby he did manifest himself God and man by his rest from the fulfilling of the promise of the blessed seed Secondly by his resurrection from the face of the earth to the heavens from whence he came whereby he did manifest himself again by his infinite power God and man from whence he shall return again the second time in all glory and majesty united to his mysticall members who is the mysticall man that must break the head of the Serpent Satan and the seed of his cursed seed to their eternall confusion This last promised rest of the blessed seed the Word to be made flesh of the seed of the woman doth necessarily presuppose and imply his bloody rest in the grave from his cursed death of the crosse whose merit by his bloody rest as he is the eternall Son of God begot of the seed of the woman in time was twofold First by his rest from the cursed death of the crosse our Saviour was to merit the redemption of all men condemned to the curse of the Law of righteousnesse for the sin of Adam whereby all men in Adam their redeemed head were saved from the first death Secondly by his bloody rest in the grave upon the seventh day of the Law from end to end by his fulfilling of the Law in the seventh day as he obliged himself to man the eternall life and rest of the first seventh day lost by Adam was due by the Law to his merit that by faith in his merit all redeemed men might rest by faith till the promise was fulfilled whereby as all faithfull redeemed men were saved from the second death which is the curse of the Law of righteousnesse of faith for actuall sin So by the fulfilling of the promise of the blessed seed by his resurrection from the grave all faithfull believers are now saved from the second death which is the curse of the Evangelicall Law of righteousnesse of faith for actuall sin And this is the mysticall sense of this gracious promise which was made to Adam the redeemed head of man and to all men naturally to descend of Adam and was really fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Christ The benefit of which gracious promise was then actually to Adam and to all men to descend of Adam though the promise was to be fulfilled in time For by vertue of this promise the word of the Law and life of Righteousnesse first written in the heart of man was then the redeemed word of the Law of righteousnesse of faith whereby Adam was morally enabled to believe the promise and by believing in the promised rest of the blessed seed to have eternall life But before the second covenant can be declared whereby God doth oblige himself and Adam in this gracious promise first the word of the seventh dayes rest must be set down upon the immediate command whereof the second covenant was established between God and man For without the light of the word of this seventh dayes promised rest the second covenant can no wayes be known for the knowledge whereof we must necessarily understand that the day wherein this gracious promise was made to Adam was the seventh day of the Law from the creation by morall account as man naturally descended of Adam the head is obliged to the Law of God And this doth plainly appear by the words of the fourth Precept of the Decalogue set down to Moses where it is said Remember the Sabbath day be kept holy six dayes shalt thou labour and do all thy work but the seventh day to wit whereby Adam was obliged to the Law of righteousnesse by the first covenant in his state of perfection is now the promised rest or Sabbath of the Lord thy God to wit the promised blessed seed who hath promised to rest upon the Sabbath day in his sacred grave for the redemption of man from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam and to rise from the grave to break the Serpents head for the betraying of man to fall under the eternall curse of the Law The reason is given For in six dayes the Lord made heaven and earth the sea and all that therein is Wherefore the Lord blessed the seventh day and hallowed it that is to say as the Lord by his rest from the works of the creation did blesse the first seventh day of his Law for man and did sanctifie the first seventh day for his worship by man So from his promised rest from the works of the redemption of man the Lord hath blessed the Sabbath day for man and hath sanctified the Sabbath day for his worship by man This day therefore wherein this gracious promise was made was the seventh day by morall account from the creation sanctified by the word of promise then by the name of the Sabbath of the Lord to Adam This gracious promise made to Adam being to be performed in time was formally propheticall and consequently the Sabbath day wherein this promise was made was likewise formally propheticall For by the literall light of the propheticall Sabbath day Adams faith was led to rest upon the promised rest of the blessed seed And this is the reason that our Saviour said Mat. 11.13 The Law and Prophets did prophesie to John For the Law did then prophesie by the Sabbath which did necessarily imply the whole Law of righteousnesse of faith in the promise of the blessed seed where it is to be marked that the Lord saith that the Law did prophesie to John lest the Jewes might conceive that the first seventh day of the Law obliging Adam did prophesie which did no wayes prophesie Now because this promised rest of the blessed seed upon the Sabbath was propheticall and mysticall therefore for the strenghthening of Adams faith and the faith of the Fathers in the promise the formall worship in the propheticall Sabbath was commanded to be celebrate by the ceremoniall Altar prefigurating the cursed Altar of the crosse and by the ceremoniall sacrifice of the altar prefiguraring the cursed death of the blessed seed that as Adam faith by the ceremoniall light of the Altar and sacrifice might be led to the cursed death of the blessed seed So by the literall light of the Sabaticall seventh day of the Law of righteousnesse of faith Adams faith might be morally led to the grave of the blessed seed and from the grave to his resurrection from the grave for the breaking of the head of the Serpent In which commanded formall worship by the ceremoniall altar and sacrifice all the rites and ceremonies of the ceremoniall Law are implied and immediately referred to the Altar and
and ceremoniall worship of the Sabbath was to be performed were as necessarily commanded by the command of the seventh day of the propheticall Sabbath both upon the eternall blessing of the Sabbaticall seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousness of faith and upon the eternall curse of the Law of faith Secondly though the propheticall and ceremoniall works of faith were necessarily commanded by the Law yet the blessing of the eternall promised rest of the blessed seed was due by the Law immediately to faith and not to the works of faith The reason is because it was by the Spirit of faith that the merit of the promised rest of the blessed seâ—d was to be apprehended and not by the greatest works of faith which hath no spirit at all And therefore the eternall blessing of the seventh dayes promised rest of the blessed seed by the Law of righteousnesse of faith was not due by the Law to the greatest morall or ceremoniall works of Adam but immediately to the merit of man the promised blessed seed by the immediate power of whole redeemed word of the Law and life of righteousnesse of faith written in the heart of Adam Adam was morally enabled to believe the promise and to produce the morall and ceremoniall works of faith as by the spirituall grace of faith in Gods prefixed time Adam was spiritually enabled with the spirituall grace of faith by the hands of spirituall faith to apprehend the merit of the blessed seed by his promised rest by which spirituall union Adams faith and the merit of the blessed seed were really and indivisibly one whereby Adam was saved from the second death which is the curse of the Law of faith And so much for the literall and mysticall sense of the second covenant comprehended in the second branch of the censure as the censure doth concern the woman and her seed We proceed therefore next to the censure of God upon the two last delinquents for the transgression of the Law of righteousnesse obliged by the first covenant CHAP. XXIV The literall sense of the censure in particular upon the woman FOr the better conceiving of the censure of God upon the last two delinquents for the transgression of the Law of righteousnesse by the first covenant it is necessarily to be understood that Adam is said to be the head of man after a twofold manner First as under the name of Adam man male and female is comprehended For so Adam is the created head of all men naturally descended and to descend of Adam and in this sense as all men are said to have sinned in Adam the created head of all men Rom. 5.18 so all men are said to be redeemed in Adam the redeemed head of man from the curse of eternall death and darknesse by the promised rest of the blessed seed from the redemption of man from the curse of the Law and by the eternall decree of God shut up in temporall spirituall darknesse called unbelief and originall sin and temporall naturall death which followed that sin which was then according to the eternall decree of God pronounced upon Adam thâ— redeemed head of man by the censure of God in which censure of naturall death all the punishments inflicted by the censure are comprehended And therefore in the infinite mercy of God all the punishments by this censure pronounced upon man male and female are all temporall in this life to the end that all men and women might be put in continuall remembrance of the never to be forgotten love and mercy of God in his Son Christ Jesus for the redemption of man from the fearfull eternall curse of the Law for the sin of Adam which nothing could redeem but the only cursed death of Christ Jesus the eternall Son of God made flesh of the seed of the woman who therefore as he is man was made a curse for man Gal. 3.13 Secondly Adam is said to be the head of man as he is man male the head of the woman by matrimoniall union in which sense Adam is said to be the head of his wife the woman and the woman the wife is said to be the body of her husband To proceed therefore with the censure which is first pronounced upon the woman because she was first in the transgression to wit before Adam man male The censure upon the woman is set down by Moses in these words Gen. 3.16 I will greatly multiply thy sorrows and thy conceptions In sorrow shalt thou bring forth children and thy desire shall be to thy husband and he shall rule over thee The censure hath a literall and mysticall sense First of the literall sense of the censure which is pronounced upon the woman in particular as she is the wife and body of her husband The censure doth divide it self into two branches to wit sorrow in conception and child-birth and subjection to the husband First of the literall sense of the two branches and next of the mysticall sense As this sorrow in the infinite mercy of God at that time was not without greatest comfort to women so it is with no lesse comfort to women at this present For as 〈◊〉 in the bringing forth of children the promise of the blessed seed was confirmed to be born of the seed of the woman by whose cursed death the curse of the Law was removed from man the benefit whereof our first parents did then actually enjoy though the blessed child was afterwards to be born according to the eternal decree of God So there is great comfort at this time under the Law of Grace in the bringing forth of children by women For the child is brought forth actually freed from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam by the first covenant and born a hopefull member of the Lord Jesus Christ And though it doth please God many times to take away the childe by temporall death yet it is no small comfort to the sorrowfull parents that the childe is a glorious Saint in heaven It is said here I will greatly multiply or increase thy sorrows because of the pronounced enmity between the old Serpent Satan and his seed and the woman and her seed of whose continuall afflictions the woman is never free while she is in this life And now her sorrows are increased by her conception and bringing forth of children which are inflicted upon women to the end that the woman in her greatest extremity by her sorrow in conception and childbirth should be put in mind of the eternall sorrows and pains of eternall death by the first covenant from which she was redeemed by the blessed childe then to be born and now born of the seed of the woman upon whose merit Eves faith may safely rest as upon a rock from any fear of the second death by the new covenant In which sense only the words of the Apostle are to be conceived to wit 1 Tim. 2.15 that women are saved through the bearing of children for
sin as that God in his justice should consume all men off the earth again and Satan put fairly for it For after by his sting of enmity baited by his false deceiving light he had incensed Cain to murder his Innocent brother Abel Satan never left stirring up of Cains ungracious generation from time to time till be set the whole world in such a fire of sin cruelty and uncleannesse as neither the mercies of God by sparing them so long or the judgements of God threatned by his Prophets could reclaim from their sin and cruelty God therefore in end stirred up Noah the tenth from Seth a Preacher of Righteousnesse who was a Preacher of the Law of righteousnesse of faith in the promise of the blessed seed that by his preaching of the Word the miserable people might be reclaimed from their cruelty and uncleannesse to the works of faith by repentance that they might obtain mercy in the promise of the blessed seed and that by denouncing the mercilesse curse of the Law of faith Noah might terrifie the people from their wickenesse But though Noah did continue in the faithfull discharge of his Calling many yeeres yet all was to no purpose Satan had so incensed the miserable people to such obstinacy God therefore in end commanded Noah to build an Ark that by the ark Noah might denounce the utter subversion of the obstinate rebellious people by the flood of his incensed wrath against their sin and cruelty if they did not speedily turn to the Lord and leave their provoking of his long patience For which cause the Ark was so long a building that the wretched people notwithstanding of their continued contempt might have yet time to repent though all was to no purpose for such was the incensed obstinacy of the miserable people as they continued in their rebellious contempt both of the word of the Preacher and of the Ark till the very day that Noah and his family was commanded to enter in the Ark whereby the wrath of God was so incensed as by that fearfull inundation the whole earth was overflowne and eight persons only saved of whom the promised blessed seed was to descend As for the Covenant which is said to be made with Noah after his coming out of the Ark in the continuation of times and seasons and of the creatures created and redeemed for man it was the same reall covenant which was formerly made with Adam in the promise of the blessed seed which after this fearfull judgement was renewed to Noah for the strengthening and confirming of Noahs faith in the continuation of the promise first made to Adam For first after Noahs coming out of the Ark Noah did offer the like reall burnt sacrifices and offerings upon the Atar of such reall clean beasts and fowles as were first commanded to be offred by Adam and the Fathers before Noah which beasts and fowles were preserved in the Ark with Noah by which sacrifices offered by Noah the cruell death of the blessed seed was prefigurate Secondly the Ark it self did prefigurate both the promise and the fulfilling of the promise For first by the Ark the woman of whose seed the Word was to be made flesh was prefigurate Secondly by Noah and his sons daughters who was the eight from Seth the line wherof the promised blessed seed was to descend was prefigurate Thirdly by their receiving in the Ark the conception of the Word to be made flesh of the seed of the woman was cleerly prefigurate Fourthly by the safe delivery of Noah and his sons and daughters out of the Ark the safe delivery of the blessed seed by the woman to wit the blessed Virgine was prefigurate whereby it doth manifestly appear that the covenant and the formall propheticall ceremoniall obligement of the Law of Righteousnesse of faith in the promise of the blessed seed prophesied by the propheticall Sabbath and prefigurate by the ceremoniall worship of the Sabbath was really one and the same from Adam to Noah As by the preservation of Noah and his family of whom the blessed seed was to descend according to the flesh the great power of God by his preservation of his Church against the great power of Satan and his instruments doth manifestly appear to his great glory to the utter shame of Satan and to the confusion of his wicked instruments And so much briefly for the first age of the Church CHAP. XXX The continuation of the formall propheticall ceremoniall obligement of man in the promise of the blessed seed in the second age of the Church AS in the time of Noah the eighth from Seth God stirred up Noah to manifest his power in the preservation of his Church which did then consist in the preservation of the line of the blessed seed So in the second age of the Church God raised up Abraham the tenth from Noah that his glory might appear by his continuall care of the truth of his promise to his Church For God renewed his promise in a more cleer and particular manner to Abraham then he did first to Adam which was that in Abrahams seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed that is that the woman of whose seed the Word should be made man should descend of Abrahams seed by whose promised cursed death As all men were then actually redeemed from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam though the promise was afterward to be fulfilled so all men by faith in this promise might be saved from the curse of the Law of faith for actuall sin In this promise therefore Gen. 22.18 that in Abrahams seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed God doth oblige himself to Abraham and to his seed by covenant and doth mutually oblige Abraham to believe his promise This covenant therefore made to Abraham was the same reall covenant and promise made to Adam though the blessed seed promised to Adam was by this promise to descend of Abrahams seed the only difference is that the woman of whom the Word was promised to be made man was to descend immediately of Abrahams seed though immediatly from Adams seed For Abraham did descend of the seed of Adam and consequently the promise made to Abraham must be performed before the promise made to Adam could be fulfilled For the promise made to Adam could not be fulfiled but by our Saviours birth death and resurrection from the dead By this promise made in this particular manner to Abraham the Church of God was now in the family of Abraham and his seed and posterity To the end therefore that Abrahams family might be distinguished from all the families of the earth God commanded Abraham and his family to be marked with the sacramentall seal of circumcision by shedding of the blood of man whereby it was prefigurate that the blood of the promised blessed seed to descend of Abraham according to the flesh should be shed by the cursed death of the crosse which
the flesh of the Lamb was commanded to be eaten the bitter currse of the wrath of God against the Lamb who made himself a curse for man was mystically signified Thirdly by the anointing of the door posts with the blood of the Lamb that the destroying Angel might passe over the Israelites houses whereby they were saved from the plague was mystically signified that by faith in the merit of the blood of the Lamb of God the promised blessed seed they were saved from the plague and curse of the second death which is for actuall sin as by the promised cursed death of the Lamb they were saved from the first death which was the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam The second memorable act of Moses Ministrie was first in the sanctifying and assembling of the people of Israel at the command of God to hear the word of the Law commanded by God himself immediatly which was in a most majesticall glorious manner delivered by God unto the people of Israel in ten distinct severall precepts The delivery whereof was with such fearfull thundring and lightning and with the sound of trumpet as the mountain was exceedingly shaken all to signifie the power of the sound of the word of the Law commanding the obedience of man By this glorious delivery of the word of the Law the people of Israel were striken with a reverend fear and obedience to the command of God though their fear of the voyce of God was such as they did intreat that Moses might deliver to them what the Lord should further command Wherefore the morall Law being first commanded by God God by the Ministry of Moses did next set down the civill Law between man and man to the end that all men might understand that all the lawes between man and man must be grounded upon the morall Law of God As for the ceremoniall Law it was the same which was before to the Fathers implyed in the ceremoniall altar and sacrifice untill such time as at the erection of the Tabernacle the ceremoniall Law was commanded after a more particular manner to the people of Israel though really one with the ceremoniall Law of the altar and sacrifice prefigurating the promise of the blessed seed Secondly the Lord afterward called Moses up to the mount to deliver to Moses the two Tables of the Law written by God in stone which was formerly delivered by his Word to the end that by the Ministry of Moses his written Word might be delivered to the people of Israel that the people might be instructed in the knowledge of the written Word where one thing is to be observed to wit that Moses by his conversing with God in the mount for the space of forty dayes and forty nights Exod. 34.29 the skin of Moses face became so shining as while Moses was about to deliver the written Word of the Law the people were not able to behold Moses face in so much that Moses was fain to vail his face while he spake to the people by which shining light of Moses face the glorious light of the written Word was mystically signified As for Moses zeal moved at the people of Israels Idolatry in breaking of the Tables of the word of the Law and the renewing of the Tables and all such memorable passages I must leave the judicious Reader to inform himself by the written Word of the sacred History The third remarkable act of Moses ministry was the erection of the Tabernacle at the command of God according to the pattern which God did shew and set down to Moses Exod. 25.40 while he was with God in the mount which of all the types figures and ceremonies prefigurating the promise of the blessed seed to all the Fathers of the former ages was most cleer and significant For by the Tabernacle and Temple which were really one which the Lord calleth his body the fulfilling of the promise both made to Abraham and to Adam were plainly prefigurate For first by the types and figures of the first Tabernacle called the Holy Place as by the golden Altar by the table of Shew-bread Exod. 39.38 by the golden Candlesticks by the brazen Altar and Laver before the porch which did appertain to the service of the Holy place of the Tabernacle by which ceremoniall Rites and Ceremonies the high Leviticall Priest was to discharge the service of the Holy place whereby the fulfilling of the promise made to Abraham was prefigurate For as the Leviticall high Priest who was descended of Abraham was the figure of the high Priest after the order of Melchisedeck to wit the promised blessed seed descended likewise of the seed of Abraham so by the discharging of the Leviticall high Priests office the execution of the high Priests office after the order of Melchisedeck was prefigurate For first as the Leviticall high Priest did offer up the ceremoniall sacrifice of the hard brazen altar So the hard cursed sacrifice of the high Priest after the order of Melchisedeck was offered upon the cursed altar of the crosse who made himself a curse for man Secondly as by the Leviticall high Priest after the offering up of the sacrifice of the brazen altar Exod. 30.19 20 21. did wash his hands and feet before he entred the holy place of the Temple So after the offering of the cursed sacrifice of the crosse the high Priest after the order of Melchisedeck did wash the cursed bloody wounds of his hands and feet and wash all men for whom he made himself a curse before he entred the Tabernacle not made with hands Thirdly as the Leviticall high Priest by his entring into the holy Place of the Temple did offer sweet incense at the golden Altar whereby God was said to smell a savour of rest So the high Priest after the order of Melchisedeck Hebr. 9.24 did enter the Tabernacle not made with hands by his sweet pleasing sacrifice to make eternall peace between God and man for the sin of Adam and to make continuall intercession for the actuall sins of his mysticall members at the altar of Righteousnesse of faith by the pleasing savour of whose bloody sacrifice the wrath of God is eternally appeased for the actuall sins of his mysticall members whereby they rest freed from the curse of the second death in this life and shall rest eternally in their mysticall head in all glory and happinesse in the life By this means the promise of the blessed seed made to Abraham was fulfilled Our Saviour according to the promise made to Abraham did descend of Abrahams seed for he was born man of the seed of the blessed Virgine lineally descended of Abrahams seed and lived man upon the earth and in the end was most cruelly crucified for man At the expiration of whose last breath Mat. 27.51 the great vail of the Temple was rent from the top to the bottome that by this great rent it might be known to all the world that the benefit and
blessing of his cursed death did belong to Adam and to all men naturally descended and to descend of Adam to the end of the world according to the promise made to Adam And therefore upon the day of his resurrection from the grave both the Jews and Gentiles were graciously called to whose faith the blessing of the promise made to Abraham was freely offered by the new covenant by means whereof the promise made to Abraham that in his seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed was graciously and faithfully fulfilled And this is the reason that the Apostle saith Heb. 9.8 that while the first Tabernacle was standing the second Tabernacle could not be opned for all the nations of the world could not be blessed in this promise till our Saviour did first suffer though his suffering was first and immediately for the Jews which was prefigurate by the Levitical high Priests brest-plate Exod. 39.8.14 wherein the names of the twelve Tribes of Israel were written while he was to offer up the sacrifice of the altar whereby it was signified that our Saviour was first and immediatly to be offered in sacrifice for the Jews and therefore it is said John 4.22 that Salvation is from the Jews Thus have we briefly declared that in the three first ages of the Church the formall propheticall ceremoniall Law was really one and the same obliging of the Fathers before any part of the promise of the blessed seed was fulfilled So by the Tabernacle and Temple which our Saviour calls his body whereby both the promise made to Abraham and the promise made to Adam were prefigurate it was signified that the same formall obligement of the Law did continue from Moses till our Saviours coming in the world and from his coming till the day of his resurrection from the grave which is to be declared in the third Book of our Theologicall key in the mean time for a conclusion to this second Book certain materiall objections are to be answered against the perfection of the redemption of man which doth concern both that which hath been delivered in this second Book and likewise that which is to be delivered in the third CHAP. XXXII Satans cunning by his tempting of man by the sensitive naturall object of his understanding FIrst it is objected Satan hath the power to unite the free love of man so inseparably to the sensitive object of his pleasure as man doth necessarily produce his action contrary to the Law of faith Satan therefore hath the power to necessitate the free will of man to disobedience contrary to the declaration of the perfection of redemption I answer The inference is fallacious For though Satan hath the power by his false envious deceiving light to unite to the love and desire of man to the object of his sensitive pleasure yet it is by the free act of the love of man that man is induced to that union and not by Satans necessitating of his will I cleer the point by Satans cunning in tempting of man Satan doth tempt man to disobedience both by the naturall and morall object of the understanding of man First of Satans cunning in tempting of man by the naturall object and next of his cunning in tempting man by the morall object of his understanding By the naturall externall sensitive object of mans understanding I understand all things in nature whereby the understanding and will of man is produced in act by the mediate senses all which things are the proper objects of the five externall senses of man These severall sensitive objects Satan by himself and his instruments doth so continually and actually enlighten with his false envious deceiving naturall light as the species of these sensitive objects thus Satanically enlightened being received in the understanding the love of man is so incensed to unite it self to the object of its pleasure as it doth hate all things that doth resist the union by which miserable union these fearfull effects are produced First by this foul incensed love and desire of man to apprehend the sensiâ—ive object of his pleasure slaming in the heart of man the light of the redeemed word of the Law written in the heart is so obscured and darkned as wretched man doth greedily grasp the sensitive object without all respect to the Law of faith and this is the first degree of actuall sin which is by the darkning and obscuring of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of Righteousnesse of faith whereby the works of faith are formally commâ—nded for the light of the word of the Law in the heart which is really one with the light of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of Righteousnesse of faith being obscured the light of the word of the seventh dayes rest is necessarily obscured and darkned And therefore this false envious deceiving light of Satan is called the Devils darknesse and the works produced by this false deceiving light are called the works of darknesse Secondly the incensed naturall love and pleasure of man and the sensitive object of his pleasure being once actually united such continuall fewell is added to this incensed fire by Satan and his instruments as wretched man doth lie and continue in his filthy love and pleasure and hate all things which doth resist the enjoying of his foul desire And this is the reason that the Lord saith John 3.20 he that doth evill doth hate the light which is the light of the command of the Law of faith For by the command of the Law of faith all such continued filthy pleasure is condemned And this is the second degree of actuall sin which is by continuance in sin Thirdly by this false envious deceiving light of Satan whereby the love and desire of man and the object of his pleasure are so united the more that wretched man is pressed with the command of the Law the more strictly doth he unite himself to the object of his pleasure by resisting all command of the Law and the pressure of the command And this Medea could see while as she saith we presse against what is forbidden and still affect what is denied And this the third degree of actuall sin while by the continuance of man in actuall sin the long patience of God leading him so graciously to repentance is contemned with such a high hand as God doth justly give him over to such a reprobate minde as he cannot repent though he hath all the dayes of his life to repent For by this means that morall power of repentance which wretched man hath by the redeemed word of the Law and life of Righteousnesse of faith written in his heart is taken away and this is the reason that it is said Luke 19.26 from him that hath not that which he hath shall be taken away that is to say because wretched man will not repent having morall grace to repent therefore he shall be deprived of the power of morall
grace to repent For the better conceiving of this point two questions are to be answered The first is wherein stands Satans cunning that he thus betrayes man to lie and continue in the pleasure of sin I answer Satans cunning standeth in this that by his false deceiving envious light the free act of the naturall love and pleasure of man to apprehend the object of his pleasure is extended to the pleasure of pride that is to say by Satans false deceiving envious light the formall naturall act of the will which worketh by love and is naturally good is strained and extended to the formall morall evill act of the will and to the height of pride by continuance in actuall sin For all continuance in actuall sin is originally from pride and pride from the devils darknes And this is the reason that actuall sin is called Idolatry for pride in the pleasure of sin is the Idol of the heart resisting all command of the Law of faith To make this appear by one example which shall serve for all It is in the free act of the naturall will of man which works by the love of man to the sensitive object of his pleasure to drink a cup of wine sometimes for his health but while his love and desire to wine by Satans false deceiving envious light is so continued as he hateth all company but only such as love that which he loveth For in this union standeth the pleasure of sin because by this multiplied union the strength of the pleasure of sin is multiplied and extended to such a height as it doth resist all power of command of the Law For the drunkard out of his pride hates all light which is averse to his filthy pleasure And this is the old Serpents sting of enmity whereby he stings wretched man to such a height of unlawfull pleasure which doth beget sin upon sin as by daily experience is seen in the drunkard And this is the Devils cunning in all actuall sin whatsoever for by his false deceiving envious light he doth incense the good naturall act of the concupiscence of man to the pleasure of pride which is Idolatry and in this only sense the act of the concupiscence 1 Tim. 6.10 is said to be the root of all evill which is otherwise good by nature The second question may be moved Doth Satan by his false envious deceiving light thus enlighten all the severall sensitive objects of the naturall love and pleasure of man this were an endlesse work for Satan I answer Satan either by his own immediate suggestion by enlightening the species of some former sensitive object in the phansie or by the help of his instruments doth actually enlighten all the severall externall sensitive objects of the naturall love and pleasure of man by his false envious deceiving light and these instruments be such as Satan by the sowing of his cursed seed of enmity baited by his false lying deceiving naturall light hath begotten his children in a manner from the cradle who by their so often swallowing of the pleasing bait are become as cunning and expert in the faculty of tempting as Satan himself in so much that there is not that severall naturall pleasure proceeding from the love of man to the exernall sensitive object which is not incensed by some or other of Satans instruments who swarm so in all places as an honest Christian hath much ado to avoid the danger of their cunning such is their audacious officiousnesse to invite the naturall love and pleasure of man to sin and mischief And these are the old roaring Lions welps and the false deceiving lights of the Devils lanthorn that leads the hopefull youth of this Kingdome from one consuming place of filthy pleasure to another till their hearts are so incensed with the pride of pleasure as all is so spent and consumed that for the most part the poor wretches are necessitate to such wants as without the preventing mercy of God they must either starve or take some such desperate course to supply their wants as they are brought to a shamefull end to the shamefull scandall of the Church of God while under the Law of Grace the hopefull plants of his Church are by this miserable means brought to despair of all Grace What hard hearted Christian is not sensible of this misery But all are at their wits end how to remove the cause of the misery such is the hellish power of this cursed brood Let the morall power therefore of the slaming sword of the Word be put in the right hand and neither the Devill or his instruments shall have such domineering power For by the slaming light of the Word the most rebellious roaring rakeshame is either conformed to the command of the Law of faith or by the stroke of the sword cut off from being such a foul scandall to the Church and without repentance and submission banished the Kingdome So by this means such wilde Boars of the forrest shall not have such power to root up the hopefull plants of the Lords Vineyard and as for such plants as these wilde Boars did so labour to root up out of the Lords Vineyard and are brought to such a low ebbe let never their case seem desperate either to themselves or to us while as they are sensible of the shame that they are brought unto by the pride of sin for shame for the the pride of sin is the first grace that the Lord doth confer upon those whom he hath predestinate to be made like to the Image of his Son for such the Lord doth enable with patience to indure his hand till they be throughly humbled for their pride and then they are fitted for the grace of spirituall preferment For God doth give his spirituall grace to the humble but he doth resist the proud and therefore it is said Isai 40.4 every valley shall be exalted and every high mountain which is the mountain of pride shall be brought low for the Lord never leaves his own till by their humiliation they be brought so low as they are fitted with patience to wait upon his prefixed time for their spirituall calling that by the grace of his spirituall light that they may be led by the hands of faith to lay such fast hold on the Lords merit as all their actuall sins are covered which was the cause of their shame and afflictions And that by the power of his merit that as the Lord hath removed the cause of their shame so he is able even in this life to raise and exalt them from the greatest affliction or if for the continuance of their obedience they are not totally freed in this life yet their comfort is that their greatest scarlet sins shall never have power to condemn them the reason is because their spirituall faith and the Lords merit are really and spiritually one whereby they are justified by the Law and who is he that dare condemn them for it is the
Lord that doth justifie them by his merit And therefore though it be the Lords pleasure for their triall to keep them in some measure under the yoak of affliction in this life yet they are enabled with patience to bear his hand till in his good time he determine their afflictions by calling them to himself where they shall be exalted to an incorruptible crown of glory and in their mysticall head enabled to tread on the neck of the old roaring Serpent and upon the neck of his cursed brood to their eternall confusion for betraying them by the pride of sin to the shame and afflictions of this life And now to conclude this point of Satans cunning by this tempting of man by the naturall sensitive object Of all the temptations of Satan his accusing of man whom he hath betrayed to such long continuance in actuall sin is the most fearfull And from this fearfull accusing of man Satan is called the Devill and in this diabolicall faculty stands the master-piece of the Devils cunning For when the Devill doth once begin to accuse wretched man for his continuance in unrepented sin the fearfull severity of Gods justice for the high contempt of the Law of faith and the impossibility of his mercy to such high continued contempt is so continually suggested by Satan as he never leaves night and day racking and torturing of the guilty conscience of the wretched sinner till his spirit be so insupportably wounded as he is induced to believe that all repentance comes too late and to despair of all mercy and unlesse by the Lords unexpected concursive grace the fearfull blow be prevented such is the insupportable wounded spirit of the wretched sinner by the Devils continuall accusation as the Devill doth easily induce the tortured restlesse desperate man to lay violent hands on himself as a present remedy for his torture and pain O that the wretched sinner would in time but by morall repentance accuse and condemn himself for his obstinate continuance in actuall sin as he is morally inabled thereto by the perfection of his redemption and then he shall prevent the Devils cunning For by that happy means the Devils fearfull accusation should come too late for there is alwayes such mercy in store to the least repenting sinner as there is no place for the Devill to plead at the barre of the Lords mercy and to accuse man for actuall sin I next proceed to the declaration of Satans cunning in his betraying of man by the morall object of mans understanding CHAP. XXXIII Satans cunning by his betraying of man by the morall object of mans understanding BY the morall object of mans understanding I understand the word of the seventh dayes rest implying the command of the whole Law whereby man from the beginning by every severall covenant is formally obliged to produce his action according to the formall command of the Law as he is actually enabled to produce that formall action by the power of the Word of the Law and life of Righteousnesse written in his heart This light of the word of Law in the heart Satan from the beginning hath and doth obscure by a false deceiving morall light contradictory to the light of the word of the seventh dayes rest By the obscuring of which light of the word of the Law written in the heart the light of the word of the seventh dayes rest is necessarily obscured and darkned by means whereof man doth produce his action without all respect to the formall command of the Law By this false morall deceiving light as Satan from the beginning did obscure the light of the Law of God totally and in generall so by his false deceiving morall light Satan doth now obscure and darken the light of the Law of faith in particular by his obtruding and suggesting false fundamentall particular points of faith whereby the Church of God hath been so miserably distracted in all ages So Satan by his false deceiving morall light did betray our first parents to transgresse the Law of God For while God by his first covenant had obliged man to fulfill the command of his Law by his Word commanding man to abstain from eating of the fruit of the tree of knowledge upon the curse of a dying death Satan by the Serpent did suggest a false morall deceiving light contradictory to the light of the command of God which was that by eating of the forbidden fruit our first parents should not only be freed from all fear of any dying death by covenant but that by eating of the fruit they should be equall to God himself by which false great suggested morall light the hearts of our first parents was so incensed to such a height of pride to be equall to God as they did greedily grasp the fruit without all respect to the command of God by his Word commanding man which was the command of the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the Law of Righteousnesse For by the foul incensed desire of our first parents to be equall to God flaming in their hearts the light of the Word in their hearts was obscured and darkned by obscuring whereof the light of the word of the first seventh dayes rest was so totally obscured and darkned as the whole Law was transgressed whereby Adam the created head of man and all men naturally to descend of the head were condemned to the curse of the Law of Righteousnesse by the first covenant So after the second covenant was made in the promise of the blessed seed by the promised rest of the propheticall Sabbath and after the word the blessed seed was born man of the seed of the woman and after he did manifest himself to the Jews by his glorious works wonders and miracles that he was that promised blessed seed of the woman and the eternall Son of God by whom they were to enjoy the promised rest of their propheticall Sabbath extending his love and mercy so generally towards all by curing of all sensitive diseases incurable by nature and the diseases of the souls of many whereby he did so ingage the reverend love and fear of all leading the world so by that glorious light that happy was he that could but touch the Lord of Life In so much that the glory of his light was such as the Jews began to be possest with a jealousie that by this great glorious light the glory of their great propheticall Sabbath should be obscured whereby they were so famous above all nations and that the honour and dignity of the Leviticall Priesthood and the great preferment which they did hold by the Priesthood should be quite taken away from them At this jealousie of the Jews the Devill takes occasion to suggest a remedy for this fear and that was that they should kill the Word which did so gloriously shine amongst them though this suggestion of Satan was but a cloak to colour his own fear lest the head of the Serpent should
righteousnesse of faith written in the heart of man and the deed of the will which is the work of morall faith proceeding from the immediate power of the life of righteousnesse of faith is the gift of God in his Son Christ Jesus by the immediate act of the redemption given to man by the immediate act of which gracious gift man doth both will and do moral good Neither is it affirmed by us that the redeemed man by the morall free act of his will hath the power simply to will or do any good but that he hath this morall freedome without any manner of necessitating of his will to morall disobedience For otherwise as hath been formerly and necessarily demonstrate it were impossible for God without injustice to oblige man either to his old or new covenant Thirdly it is objected The thoughts of man are only and continually evill Gen. 6.5 Man therefore by the perfection of the redemption cannot so much as think of any good much lesse to do any good To this I answer The thoughts of man in this place and in all such other places of the Scripture to this purpose must be understood of the thoughts of the naturall man and not of the regenerate as he is a spirituall man for the regenerate man 1 John 3.9 is born of God and cannot sin neither can his thought be evill as he is a spirituall man And though the regenerate man as he is a naturall man and not perfectly sanctified in this life doth actually sin too often against the command of the Law both as the Law is spirituall and literall for as the regenerate man doth know but in part so he doth do but in part while he is in this life yet by the regenerate mans spiriâ—uall faith in the Lords merit all his actuall sins are covered and herein stands the regenerate mans only comfort And therefore Paul doth affirm Rom. 7.22 23. that in the inner man that is as he is regenerate he doth delight in the Law of God and doth disclaim his actuall sins both of thought and deed to be his to wit as he is regenerate but as he is a naturall man attributing all his actuall sins to the rebellious will of his flesh The thoughts of man therefore in this place are to be understood chiefly of the thoughts of the wicked man though they may be always understood of the naturall man in generall before he be regenerate For all the naturall mans thoughts and works before he be regenerate are spirituall sin and spirituall evill because he wants spirituall faith and because his morall evill action is both actuall spirituall and morall sin and evill and therefore his thoughts accordingly are evill continually for at the best they spiritually and continually evill and this is the reason that Job saith Job 14.4 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean thing that is to say who is able to bring forth a clean thought or work out of an unclean heart For Job doth acknowledge himself as he is a naturall man to be corrupted from his youth by actuall sin But Job doth justifie himself as he is regenerate by faith in the assurance of his salvation But though the naturall man before he be regenerate hath not the spirituall power either to think or do any spirituall good yet by the power of the redeemed word of the Law and â—ife of Righteousnesse of faith written in his heart he is enabled with the morall power both to think and to do a good morall work of faith without any manner of necessitating of his will to morall disobedience As by the power of that word he is likewise enabled with the morall grace of repentance to repent morally of his sin when he falls by the Devils temptation and that without any power to necessitate his impenitencie Fourthly it is objected that the will of the flesh is enmity against God Rom. 8.7 and cannot be subject to the Law of God The redeemed naturall man therfore by the perfection of the redemption cannot produce a good morall work of faith because his best morall work is enmity against God I answer This subjection of man to the Law of God meaned in this place by the Apostle is the subjection of man to the spirituall command of the Law as the Law is spirituall and this enmity is spirituall enmity against God In which sense it is impossible for the redeemed naturall man before he be regenerate to be subject to the spirituall command of the Law but though the naturall man before he be regenerate cannot be subject to the spirituall command of the Law as the Law is spirituall yet as the command of the Law is literall and morall the naturall man by the power of the word of the Law and life of righteousnesse of faith in his heart he is morally enabled to be subject to the literall command of the Law without any manner of necessitating of his will to morall disobedience and though the moral act of his will be necessarily spirituall enmity against the spirituall command of the Law through want of spirituall faith yet the act of his morall obedience is not morall enmity against God or his Law Fifthly it is objected Man is born in the corruption of nature which is originall sin by which naturall corruption man is necessitate to actuall sin The act of the will of man therefore by the perfection of the redemption is not free from all manner of necessitating to morall disobedience I answer Though originall sin be commonly called the corruption of nature yet it is falsly called the corruption of nature though I do not deny that actuall sin may be called the corruption of nature and yet this assertion must be warily conceived For we must not think that the nature of man is essentially corrupted for so the incorruptible soul of man which is the first act of man as he is man must be corrupted which is impossible But it is the formall morall act of the will only which is corrupted by the multiplied acts of sin which is only actuall and not originall sin For if we should take the corrupted act of the will by the multiplied acts of sin for originall sin God must be the inevitable author of actuall sin since the fall and originall sin which is no sin to death must be a sin to death I mean actuall death contrary to all truth for God by concluding all redeemed men in spirituall darknesse Rom. 11.32 which is called unbelief and originall sin hath mercy upon all men for without the concluding of man in spirituall darknesse it is impossible in the ordinary calling of God that any man can be regenerate by spirituall faith and consequently and necessarily originall sin is not the corruption of nature Sixthly the objection is further prest The Apostle Ephes 2.3 doth affirm that all men are the children of wrath by nature This wrath of God therefore must be for the originall sin
and consequently originall sin is the corruption of nature I answer If the wrath of God must be for originall sin then Gods wrath must be upon his own immediate act for originall sin is the immediate act of God proceeding from the Spirituall darknesse and unbelief wherein all redeemed men are concluded by God that he might have mercy upon all and not that his wrath should be upon all But it is plain that in this whole Chapter the Apostle speaks of actuall and not of originall sin For the Apostle doth acknowledge that he had his conversation in times past amongst the children of disobedience which disobedience is by the multiplied acts of sin and actuall sin from the false deceiving light of Satan and his instruments in a manner from the cradle by the continued acts whereof sin becomes so habituall and connaturall as it seemeth to be naturall to man and this is the sin and not originall sin which doth draw down the wrath of God upon man temporally in this life and without repentance and amendment eternall wrath in the life to come and therefore because Paul before his conversion had his conversation amongst the children of disobedience from his youth Paul calls himself the child of wrath by nature for the children of disobedience are the begotten children of Satan for such is Satans vigilancy and early care to breed up his children by the sowing of his cursed envious seed sweetned with his false naturall deceiving light as he begins to sow his seed in the ears and hearts of all children before the children can sin actually or know any kinde of evill To this end Satan hath his young instruments that by their conversement with children they may be taught to lie curse and swear in a manner so soon as they are able to speak By this means little children do begin to be acquainted with the terms of evill though the envious poison of the evill do not burst out untill children come to actuall morall understanding and action and then by the poyson of Satans envious seed children do begin to practise childish evill and to be averse and with a childish obstinacy to resist any controler of their childish evill actions for the more they are checkt such is the power of Satans seed that they will bend their power to do evill the rather by this means unlesse they be sanctified from the womb the act of the childs will by degrees becomes to be morally corrupted with sin and evill and as the child groweth up in yeers sin and evill groweth up with the childe and becomes so habituall and connaturall to man as without the great mercy of God by his concursive grace and the great care of the parents it is as easie to take away his nature as to win him from the pleasure of sin such is the corrupted multiplied act of his will morally to all evill and mischief by his continuall conversement with Satans instruments the torch-bearers of Satans false deceiving naturall light For by the power of Satans envious deceiving naturall light the heart of man is so incensed to every foul object of sensitive pleasure as the naturall pleasure of man is extended to the pride of naturall pleasure And this is the reason that actuall sin is called the corruption of nature For it is the formall naturall act of the will of man which is so abused by Satans false deceiving naturall light as it is extended to such a height as the formall naturall act of the will becomes formally morall and morally sin and evill And these are the children of disobedience Ephes 2.3 which are called the children of wrath by nature and these are the children of disobedients amongst whom Paul doth acknowledge himself to have had his conversation in times past This corruption of the naturall act of the will of man by the multiplied acts of sin is called the rebellious will of the flesh because the will of the naturall man before he be regenerate rebels against the spirituall command of the Law and cannot be subject to the Law It is called the old man First because this corruption of the naturall act of the will of man by Satan and his instruments is from his childhood Secondly it is called the old man in respect of the regenerate man who is called the new man It is called the body of sin because the naturall man before he be regenerate is dead in actuall sin and therefore Rom. 6.23 it is likewise called the body of death because death is the wages of sin It is called concupiscence because by the multiplied acts of sin all the parts and powers of the naturall man are corrupted By the long continuance of man in actuall sin whereby the long patience of God leading man to repentance is contemned with such an high hand as God in his justice doth give wretched man over to a reprobate minde He is called by the Apostle the compacted vessell of Gods wrath For the wretched obstinate sinner is compacted of actuall spirituall sin and of actuall morall evill and therefore the body of sin and death By my answer to this objection I hope the judicious Reader is fully satisfied that originall sin is not the corruption of nature And that it is plain blasphemy to be so called for so God must be the inevitable author of actuall sin yet the objection is further prest CHAP. XXXV Though David was conceived and born in originall sin yet there was neither any naturall morall or spirituall corruption in that sin SEventhly it is objected Psal 51 5. David doth affirm himself to be conceived and born of his mother in sin and iniquity which sin and iniquity must be by the corruption of the naturall morall and spirituall act of his will Though David therefore was not conceived and born in any essentiall corruption of his nature yet David was conceived and born of his mother in the naturall morall and spirituall corrupted act of his will I answer In Davids first conception by his mother which is the seminall and sensitive conception of man there is neither any naturall morall or spirituâ—ll corruption in the act for it was the good naturall act of Davids mother as she was the good redeemed creature of God And as for his mothers second conception while as David was conceived man and the son of Adam in the womb by the essentiall union of his intellectuall and sensitive nature this was the immediate act of the Father of spirits by which immediate act of God as David was redeemed in Adam the redeemed head of man according to his eternall decree So David by the immediate act of God in the womb was shut up in temporall spirituall darknesse and so brought forth by his mother shut up in that spirituall darknesse which is called unbelief and originall sin But there was neither any spirituall or morall corruption in that spirituall darknesse For though David by his concluding in spirituall darknesse
was dead as he was a spiriâ—uall man without any spirituall understanding or action till he was regenerate yet the spirituall act of his will cannot be said to be corrupted for he had no spirituall act at all but was dead and therefore freed from the Law of sin as he was a spirituall man though David was alive as he was a naturall man and did actually and freely sin by his morall evill action both spiritually and moralâ—y Neither was there any morall corruption of the will in this spirituall darknesse wherin David was shut up in the womb and conceived and born by his mother for the morall corrupted act of the will is actuall and not originall sin And this is the manner that originall sin doth descend upon all men from Adam the redeemed head of man and this is the sin and iniquity which is spirituall sin and iniquiquity through descent of spirituall faith wherein David doth acknowledge that he was conceived and born by his mother proceeding from the spirituall darknesse wherein David was shut up and concluded in the womb and this is that sin which is said Rom. 5.12 to have entred by one man in the world and naturall temporall death which followed that sin Though David therefore out of the agony of his spirituall passion for offending of his gracious God doth extend his passion to his very conception bewailing as it were the time of his conception and birth by his mother yet far be it from any Christian heart to conceive that David did attribute the cause of his foul adultery and murther to his mother for so David must charge not only his mother but God himself as the cause of his foul fact For God did conclude David in originall sin and his mother did conceive and bring forth David in originall sin But David doth not attribute the cause of his sin either to his conception or to his birth no not so much as to the Devill and his instruments by whose false envious deceiving naturall light Davids heart was so inflamed to that miserable adulterous bloody fact but David doth attribute the cause of all to his own heart For after David was rowzed up from his deadly security by the Prophet Davids heart for his sorrow and grief for his sin was broke as it were in pieces for he fell down before God humbly confessing his sin and acknowledgeing that by the foulnesse of his sins he had most justly deserved to be cast from the eternall presence of God which with all humblenesse of his broken heart he prayeth to God to be forgiven and that God would renew his heart which the sorrow of his sins had so broken For it is the unclean foul heart of man corrupted by Satan and his instruments that is the immediate cause of all actuall sin and neither the father or mother which the Lord called the storehouse of evill And therefore David doth pray to the Lord again and again to purge and purifie his heart from the uncleannesse of his adulterous bloody fact But it may be instanced Davids mother was to offer by the Law a sin-offering for the purification of her uncleannesse in bringing forth of David which was the uncleannesse and corruption of originall sin wherein David was conceived and born I answer There was neither any naturall morall or spirituall corruption or uncleannesse in women in bringing forth of children under the ceremoniall Law only the flux of blood in women by bringing forth man was made ceremoniall sin and uncleannesse by the positive command of the ceremoniall Law that by the offering up a sacrifice for her ceremoniall sin the woman might be put in minde of her thankfulnesse to God for the bloody sacrifice of the blessed childe to be born of woman whose blood was to be shed for the redemption of man the benefit whereof the woman did then enjoy whereby she was enabled to bring forth man into the world The Objection is yet further prest David was circumcised the eighth day By the amputation of Davids foreskin the corruption of David by originall sin was signified I answer The sacrament of circumcision was not instituted either for originall or actuall sin but it was instituted for the sacrament of the second covenant in the promise of the blessed seed and that for these two reasons First that the childe coming to the yeers of actuall understanding might be put in minde by the shedding of his blood by the sacrament of circumcision that he was saved from the first death for the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam by the blood of the blessed seed to be born of woman and that by faith in the promised merit of the blessed seed he was saved from the second death The second reason was that by the sacrament of circumcision the childe might be assured that he was as really and truly in the covenant as either Adam or Abraham to whom the promise was made CHAP. XXXVI The immediate object of Gods eternall purpose by his Decree of election in the order of cause is the redeemed state of man EIghtly it is objected Rom. 9.13 God did hate Esau in the womb whose hatred to Esau must be for originall sin By originall sin therefore the will of man is necessitate to disobedience from the womb I answer Gods hatred to Esau was neither for originall or actuall sin but that the purpose of God might stand according to election by him that calleth to wit by spirituall faith The denying therefore of this election by him that calleth to Esau is signified by this word hate For in this case by the word hatred the free act of God is expressed in electing one by his spirituall calling and not another and this was only Gods hatred to Esau For though Esau was Isaacs first born and the naturall seed of Abraham and heir of Isaacs temporall estate yet Esau was not heir of the spirituall promise the reason is because the spirituall promise is only by spirituall faith which is the free gift and grace of the holy Spirit and cannot be tied to the naturall seed of man to any time place or person but it is in the free gift of God in his Son Christ Jesus to bestow on whom he will And this is that free gift by conferring or denying whereof God is said to have mercy or not to have mercy upon man For though God should bestow the greatest temporall blessing of this life upon man yet without the free gift of spirituall faith such great temporall blessings are but so many temptations to induce man to actuall sin Who could have more temporall blessings then great King Pharoah or Esau of whom so many Princes and Nobles did descend yet neither Pharoah or Esau had the gift of spirituall faith which was from all eternity decreed to be denied to both And why because the gift of spirituall faith is the free gift of God Rom. 9.18 who will shew mercy on whom he will
shew mercy and wil deny his mercy to whom he will deny his mercy for in this case Gods love and mercy in his Son Christ Jesus is free and not obliged to any redeemed man naturally descended or to descend of Adam I say to any redeemed man because this promise of spirituall faith in the blessed seed was made to Abraham and his seed in his redeemed state And because the grace of spirituall faith is the free gift of God God did decree from all eternity that Jacob and not Esau should be heir of the spirituall promise And therefore God decreed from all eternity that the blessed seed should not descend of Esaus line for God in his eternall prescience did foresee that Esau would sell his birthright without any manner of morall reason to necessitate his ungracious sale For though the spirituall promise was never intended to Esau yet it was more then Esau knew who by his ungracious sale did contemn and misregard the spirituall promise made to his father Isaac and therefore it was said of the children before they were born Rom. 9.12 The elder shall serve the younger which was afterwards accomplished For the Edomites were expelled the Land of Edome and overrun and subdued by the Israelites And this is the reason that David saith Psal 108.9 Over Edom will I cast my shooe whereby the trampling down and subjection of the Edomites is mystically signified Of this example of Jacob and Esau set down by the Apostle two speciall points are to be observed First Paul having to do in this ninth Chapter with the bragging Jews who did brag that they were heirs of the spirituall promise made to Abraham because they were the naturall seed of Abraham and because the Oracles of the propheticall ceremoniall Law was committed to them the Jews therefore secured themselves that by the performing of the ceremoniall works of the Law that they were heirs of the spirituall promise Paul therefore brings in the example of Jacob and Esau to check the Jews of their arrogancie and tels them plainly that though they were the naturall seed of Abraham and had the Oracles of the Law yet they were never the neerer because the spirituall promise is according to election by him that calleth by faith and not by the works of the Law and that the Jews by their ceremoniall works of the Law did utterly overthrow all faith by which they were called The Apostle therefore to the end of the Epistle out of his true love to the Jews doth exhort the Jews now under the Evangelicall Law of faith to leave off the ceremoniall works of the Law if they intended to be heirs of the spirituall promise which is by faith of him that calleth and to bring forth the works of faith by repentance and amendment of life that by continuation in their morall obedience till Gods prefixed time of spirituall calling they might be spiritually called whereby they should be assured that they were heirs of the spirituall promise made to Abraham The second point to be observed of the words is this that in the order of cause the redeemed estate of man from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam shut up in spirituall darknesse called unbelief and originall sin is the immediate object of Gods election For though this estate of man doth necessarily presuppose both the condition of man created in the state of naturall and spirituall perfection in Adam the head and the state of man condemned to the curse of the Law by eternall death and darkness for the sin of Adam the head yet neither of both the states of man in the order of cause can be the immediate object of Gods election for it is impossible that the state of naturall and spirituall perfection wherein man was created can be the immediate object of Gods election in the order of cause For the Law by which man was obliged by the first covenant was the Law of Righteousnesse and not the Law of righteousnesse of faith Now by the Law of Righteousnesse the eternall blessing of the first seventh dayes rest was due by the Law immediately to the works of mans obedience whereby man was enabled to live eternally upon earth in the state of perfection and felicity wherein he was created while man therefore did stand in the perfection of his obedience there was no place or need of Gods eternall purpose of election by him that calleth to wit by spirituall faith For the period of Gods election by his calling by spirituall faith is that man may be crowned with an incorruptible crown of glory after this life while man in the state of perfection was to live eternally upon earth in that state of felicity wherein he was created And as the eternall blessing of the first seventh dayes rest was due by the Law immediatly to the works of mans obedience so upon the last merit of mans disobedience man was inevitably condemned by the Law to the eternall curse of the Law to the actuall inflicting of which curse God according to his decree from all eternity did so bind and oblige himself by covenant as there was no mercy to be shewed to man For in this case man being condemned by the Law to the curse of eternall death by the first covenant it had been all one for God not to be God as not to inflict the actuall curse of the Law upon man For by this means Gods truth and justice had been overthrown His truth had been overthrown by the breach of his covenant and his justice by disabling the power of his Law There was no place therefore for God to shew mercy or not to shew mercy by his Decree of election in the condition of man created in the state of naturall and spirituall perfection either to the merit of mans obedience or to the merit of mans disobedience It was likewise equally impossible in the order of cause for the state of man actually condemned by the curse of the Law to eternall death and darknesse to be the immediate object of Gods election For first Gods eternall fiery wrath proceeding from the curse of the Law to which man was eternally condemned and Gods mercy by his election doth stand at an eternall distance and opposition without a mediator by whose mediation in satisfying the transgressed Law for man and in reconciling of man to the love and favour of God there may be place for the freedome of Gods mercy by his election Secondly if this state of man actually condemned under the eternall curse of the Law in the order of cause should be the immediate object of Gods election then the elect only and not all men fallen under the curse of the Law in Adam the head for the sin of Adam should be redeemed contradictory both to the old and new covenant and to the whole current of Scripture Thirdly the Potter of Righteousnesse is said to make and temper the lump and masse of man whereof he
seventh dayes Evangelicall rest is as due morally to the morall faith of the naturall man as spiritually to the spirituall faith of the regenerate And this is all that can be affirmed to God by his relinquishing of man in the grace of his redeemed estate Who is therefore able to say that these men are the vessels of dishonour do not the regenerate man many times foulely fall and many times more foulely then the naturall man for these men whom God hath thus relinquished are known to God alone except a few who are branded in this life that all men may be warned by forsaking of their sins Phil. 2.12 to work out their salvation with fear and trembling And therefore we are commanded not to judge for who knows the time of Gods spirituall calling doth not the greatest sinner many times by his spirituall calling in Gods prefixed time become a pillar of the Church and such was Paul Then the question may be moved How comes these men thus relinquished by God to be made by God the vessels of dishonour The Apostle doth answer the question which is this in a word God doth suffer these wicked men to contemne his patience so long with such a high hand as God to shew his wrath and to make his power known Rom. 9.22 hath justly made them to destruction and these are the vessels of dishonour and the vessels of his wrath The immediate cause therefore that God hath made these wicked men the vessels of his wrath is their obstinate finall contemning of Gods long patience and the immediate cause of their finall contemning of Gods long patience is the base abusing of the freedome of their morall grace purchased at the high rate of the sacred blood of the Son of God for by their finall continuing in unrepented actuall sin and wickednesse they abuse the free power of their morall grace without any manner of power to necessitate their disobedience and by their abusing of the grace of their redemption they do tread underfoot the blood of the new covenant It is in the behalf of these wretched men that the Apostle doth move the objection in the 19. verse of this Chapter and answers to the objection The sense of the objection is this If God hath made me to destruction who hath resisted his will or who can help it God hath made me thus and I much not be against it To this the Apostle answers O man who art thou that pleadest so injustly against God shall the thing formed say to the former why hast thou made me thus to wit while thou hast given him so just reason to make thee thus Hath not the Potter power of the clay to make of the same lump one vessel to honour and another to dishonour As if the Apostle would have said Was thou not made of the same lump of the redeemed state of man that the elect was made and was not thou left in the like grace of morall power with the elect and was there any thing to necessitate thy foul finall contempt and disobedience more then was in the elect And now while by thy wilfull finall obstinate contempt of God thou hast brought thy self to such a miserable passe that God hath most justly made thee the vessel of his wrath thou dost now most injustly blame God for thy own miserable act But in the mean time we must warily consider against whom Paul doth presse this point For Paul doth here dispute against the Jews whose salvation he prefers to his own And therefore we must consider that the Apostle by pressing of this point is far from giving any occasion to the Jews to dispair of the mercies of God in his Son Christ Jesus which of all sins is the most fearfull For the Apostle by pressing of this point labours to break the Jews from their ceremoniall works of the Law whereby they did so obstinately contemn the Evangelicall Law of Righteousnesse of faith exhorting them to the end of the Epistle by the works of repentance and amendment of life and as it were to work out their election and salvation with fear and trembling and to leave off their ceremoniall works of the Law to the upholding whereof they were so incensed by the power of Satan and his instruments whereby they did so contemn the long patience of God leading them so graciously to repentance Here ariseth an objection to be answered God by his Decree of election hath predestinate a certain number out of the redeemed state of man to eternall salvation God therefore according to the rule of contraries by his eternall Decree hath predestinate a certain number relinquished in their redeeemed estate to destruction reprobation and actuall condemnation I answer First the inference is most false and blasphemous For by this inference God is made the inevitable author not only of actuall sin but of the finall continuance of man in actuall sin and of mans contemning of his long patience whereby man is made the vessell of wrath to his eternall destruction and all by God Secondly I answer that the election of man out of his redeemed estate of man to salvation and the reprobation destruction or condemnation of man are no wayes immediate contraries and therefore the inference most false and fallacious For though the election of man out of the grace of the redeemed estate and the relinquishing of man in the grace of the redeemed state of man be immediatly opposite yet many things doth interveen before God can make man the vessell of his wrath to destruction to shew his wrath and to manifest the glory of his power according to the Apostles words For first temptation of Satan and his instruments must incense the heart of man to the pleasure of sin Secondly man must continue in sin wickednesse and uncleannesse Thirdly though the naturall man continue in sin yet all this while he may morally repent for as yet there is nothing to necessitate his morall impenitency For it is only the finall ostinacy contempt and impenitency of man that bars him from morall repentance Fourthly God must suffer his patience to be long provoked untill the obstinate finall contemner make himself the compacted vessell of Gods wrath past all feeling of sin giving himself over to all uncleannesse with greedinesse And this is the man whom the Apostle saith that is made by God to destruction the immediate cause whereof is the immediate precedent act of man for God cannot condemn man but by the mediate condemnation of the Law and his Law can never condemne man but by the merit of mans finall obstinate contempt and impenitency to the command of the Law interveening Against this it is instanced all things that comes to passe in this world are by the power of Gods Decree of predestination That these men therefore do so contemne the long patience of God and that God doth so suffer in this world it is by the power of his Decree To this I answer It
of himself to the world And to the end that both Jew and Gentile might understand that our Saviour was the promised blessed seed prophesied by the propheticall Sabbath our Saviour himself Mat. 3.13 was baptized by John to let both the Jews and Gentiles understand that as by his submersion as it were in the water by his baptism that he it was who must be drowned in the sea of Gods eternall wrath by his cursed death of the crosse to redeem man from the curse of the Law for the sin of all men in Adam So by his rising out of the water both Jews and Gentiles might understand that he should rise again from the cursed death of the crosse And though our Saviour himself did not baptize yet the night that he was betrayed he did institute the Sacrament of the supper All this was done by our Saviour that all men might then know and understand that Christ Jesus was the end of the Law Here doth arise an objection It was affirmed in the 29.30 31. Chapters of the second Book that the continuation of the propheticall obligement of the Law was from the first period of the promise of the blessed seed to Adam till the day of Christs resurrection from the grave and now by our Saviours own doctrine and preaching of the Evangelicall Word And by his sending of his Apostles to preach and teach and to administrate the Sacrament of Baptisme and by his own administration of the Sacrament of the supper all manifesting Mat. 5.17 Christ Jesus to be the end of the propheticall Law The propheticall Law therefore and the propheticall Sacraments were actually determined by our Saviour before either his death or resurrection I answer It is most truly affirmed by us but the consequence is falsly inferred For though Christ Iesus before his death did make his Evangelicall Will and Testament sealing his Will by the Evangelicall Sacraments yet his Evangelicall Will and Testament was not in force before the death of the Testator And therefore though our Saviour did thus manifest himself before his death by the execution of his propheticall office by making of his last Will Testament and by sealing of his Will by the institution of the Evangelicall Sacraments yet his propheticall Will and Testament sealed by the propheticall Sacraments was in force till the propheticall Sabbath day implying the command of the whole propheticall ceremoniall Law was actually determined by the blessed day of Christs resurrection And so much for the discharging of Christs propheticall office at his first manifesting of himself to the world Next of the execution of his Priestly office CHAP. II. The execution of Christs Priestly office while he was upon earth THough Aaron and the high Leviticall Priest is said to be the figure of Christ Jesus the high Priest of our souls yet our Saviour was not a Priest after the order of Aaron or Levi neither was he of the Tribe of Levi. But Christ Jesus was a Priest after the order of Melchisedeck Psal 110 4. Heb. 7.17 Neither must we conceive that the Leviticall high Priest was the figure of our Saviour in all respects as he was a Priest For though the sacrifice of the brazen altar was offered and sacrificed by the Leviticall high Priest himself yet our Saviour did not offer and sacrifice himself prefigurate by that sacrifice though out of his infinite love to man our Saviour patience it self did lay down his life willingly and freely to be taken away by the bloody cruell hands of the wicked incensed by the malicious darknesse of the great Dragon For all the created powers of God could not have bereaved our Saviour of his life without his own gracious permission The Analogie therefore between the Leviticall high Priest and our Saviour was in the Priesthood though not in every respect and in the sacrifice offered by the high Priest And though the Analogie between the two sacrifices be the chief point of this declaration yet the Analogie between the two high Priests must be first though briefly declared And next the Analogie between the two sacrifices The Leviticall high Priest did prefigurate the Priesthood of Christ Jesus specially in three respects First both the high Priests did make atonement by the sacrifice which was offered The Leviticall high Priest morally ceremonially and temporally Christ Iesus spiritually and eternally The second respect was in the circumstance of time when the atonement was made The Leviticall high Priest beside his morall and ceremoniall atonement Exod. 30.9.10 did once a yeer to wit in the end of the yeer enter the inner Tabernacle to make atonement at the Mercy-seat both for his own actuall spirituall sins and for the actuall spirituall sins of the people by whose entring in the inner Tabernacle once in the end of the yeer the end of the prophetical obligement of the Law was prefigurate But Christ Jesus Heb. 9.28 did enter the Tabernacle not made with hands but once in the end of the yeer as it were of the propheticall ceremoniall obligement of the Law And therefore Christ Jesus is said Heb. 10.10 to have entred but once for all For though the high Leviticall Priest by the quotidian and by the Sabbaticall sacrifices and ceremoniall commanded rites did purge the transgressors of the morall and ceremoniall Law morally and ceremonially according to the command of the Law yet by the command of God by â—is Law the high Priest was to enter the inner Tabernacle once a yeer to obtain the pardon of actuall spirituall sin at the Mercy-seat whereby it was signified that there is no pardon of actuall sin as it is spirituall but by God himself only and immediately and therefore the pardon was given to the high Priest immediatly in the behalf of the people as he was the figure of the high Priest Christ Jesus to whom all power in heaven and in earth is given by the sacred Trinity The third point of the Analogie between the high Priests was that as the Leviticall high Priest before he entred the inner Tabernacle the holiest place first he did sacrifice the Holocaust sacrifice of the brazen altar with the rites and service belonging to that sacrifice as the offering up the sweet insence at the golden altar kindled by the fire of the brazen altar which came down from heaven after the offering whereof Levit. 16.3 4. clothed with a white robe besprinkled with the blood of the sacrifice of the brazen altar and with sweet insence kindled with the same fire the high Priest did enter the holiest place So our Saviour after he was first offered in a sacrifice upon the hard brazen cursed altar of the crosse clothed with the rich white robe of his Righteousnesse besprinkled with the precious blood of his own sacrifice and with the odoriferous insence thereof did gloriously enter the Tabernacle not made with hands by his infinit merit to make eternall intercession and atonement at the Mercy-seat of Righteousnesse for
whereby the faith of man is overthrown And this is the reason that all Imagery painted or carved of our Saviour as he is man implying his death and humility are condemned for Idolatry as hath been formerly declared No such surmised sacrifice therefore being offered by our Saviour in his institution of the Sacrament of his last Supper no command was given to the Apostles to offer any such fictious sacrifice and consequently the Apostles and the Apostolicall successors the Ministers of the Word and Sacraments no commanded Priests to offer any such fictious sensitive sacrifice at the materiall altar as is falsly pretended by the objection Next I answer to the affirmed reall unity of this pretended imaginary sacrifice with our Saviours sacrifice of the crosse Leaving the Philosophicall distinction of unity as genericall sperificall udomericall reall formall and such like In this encounter I take the two last distinctions of unity Theologically to wit one really and one formally This affirmed unity therefore of the two sacrifices cannot be formall and therefore it must be reall This affirmed reall unity therefore of the two sacrifice is all one to say as that our Saviour in the institution of the Sacrament of his last Supper by offering of his reall body and blood under the externall forms of bread and wine in a propitiatory sacrifice for the dead and for the quick did as really and in effect sustain the curse of the Law in the full extent by the cursed death of soul and body as he did by his cursed sacrifice of the crosse which fearfull assertion is repugnant to the truth of all Christian faith For by this affirmed reall unity of the two sacrifices these subsequent inevitable conclusions must necessarily follow First by this affirmed reall unity of the two sacrifices the first surmised propitiatory sacrifice pretended to be offered by our Saviour must be a cursed sacrifice For such was our Saviours sacrifice of the crosse Gal. 3.13 And consequently our Saviours sacrificed reall body and blood which is pretended to be given to the Apostles cursed which is highest blasphemy to affirm Secondly by the affirmed reall unity of these two sacrifices the pretended propitiatory sacrifice affirmed to be offered by our Saviour in the instituting of the Sacrament of his last Supper must be a sensitive reall bloody sacrifice for there is no propitiatory sacrifice for sin Heb. 9.22 without the sensitive blood of the sacrificed for such was our Saviours propitiatory sacrifice of the crosse But the propugnators of this surmised propitiatory sacrifice will acknowledge no sensitive reall blood in their sacrifice and therefore they must acknowledge this pretended propitiatory sacrifice to be no propitiatory sacrifice Thirdly by the affirmed reall unity of these two sacrifices this surmised pretended sacrifice affirmed to be offered by our Saviour must be a deadly sacrifice by the sensitive death of the sacrificed for such was our Saviours sacrifice of the crosse But the propagnators of this surmised sacrifice must acknowledge no such sensitive death of our Saviour by the institution of the Sacrament of his last Supper and therefore they must acknowledge their pretended sacrifice to be no sacrifice Fourthly by the reall affirmed unity of these two sacrifices the only one sacrifice of our Saviour by the death of the crosse as be is high Priest after the order of Melchisedeck once offered for all is plainly denied For by this affirmed reall unity of the two sacrifices our Saviour died twice Fifthly by the affirmed reall unity of the two sacrifices the first surmised pretended sacrifice is a false sacrifice For by the adoration of this imaginary sacrifice the truth of the Lords commanded worship by the Lords Day is contradicted which is commanded to be celebrate in spirit and truth and not in the adoration of such a false sacrifice Sixthly by the affirmed reall uniâ—y of these two sacrifices the first pretended sacrifice is a faithlesse sacrifice For by this pretended sacrifice the faith of man and the immediate object of faith which is the Lords merit are actually separate Seventhly by the reall affirmed unity of these two sacrifices the pretended sacrifice affirmed to be offered by our Saviour in the institution of the Sacrament of his last Supper is an Idolatrous sacrifice For by the adoring of this sacrifice the sensitive object doth interveen between the Lord and his immediate commanded worship Eighthly by the reall affirmed unity of these two sacrifices Christ was really dead before his last Will and Testament was sealed by the sacrament of his last Supper implying the whole Evangel and new Testament and consequently his last Will and Testament no Will. Ninthly by the affirmed reall unity of these two sacrifices man was actually redeemed from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam and the Law was fulfilled for man by our Saviour before his death of the crosse before his bloody rest in the grave and before his resurrection from the dead Tenthly by this affirmed reall unity of the two sacrifices all the prophesies prophcying of the blessed seed from the foundation of the world were fulfilled before our Saviours death by the cursed altar of the crosse and resurrection from the dead Eleventhly by this affirmed reall unity of the two sacrifices all the types rites figures and ceremonies prefigurating the death of the blessed seed from the foundation of the world were actually determined by the first pretended sacrifice which all the sacrifices of all the creatures of God could never determine till they were all actually determined by our Saviours last breath upon the cursed altar of the crosse while as he said It is finished The twelfth conclusion doth necessarily follow from the former three For by the affirmed reall unity of the two sacrifices our Saviours death by the cursed altar of the crosse was superfluous Thirteenthly by the affirmed reall unity of these two sacrifices this first surmised sacrifice pretended to be offered by our Saviour in the institution of the sacrament of his last Supper must be a reall Holocaust sacrifice cursed and burnt up by the fiery consuming wrath of God for sin no part or portion whereof must remain to be given to the Apostles for such was our Saviours sacrifice of the crosse prefigurate by the Holocaust sacrifice of the brazen altar Hence I necessarily inferre that by this affirmed reall unity the Sacrament of the Lords Supper is falsly denied to be given to the Apostles for by this pretended surmised sacrifice our Saviours reall sacrificed body and blood which in this case profiteth nothing Joh. 6.63 is affirmed to be given to the Apostles as a sacrament while as in the sacrament of the Lords Supper by the sacramentall bread and wine given by our Saviour to the Apostles the bread of eternall life purchased by his sacrificed reall body and blood is signified to be given By the faithfull receiving whereof God in his Son Christ Jesus dwelleth in the heart of man by his
love and man by faith in the love of God which is the only means whereby a man knoweth himself to stand in the state of Grace whereof no man can be ever assured till he find his love such to the truth of the Lords love by his merit implying the truth of the whole Evangell and Law of God as neither all the hopefull preferments of this life nor all the threatned dangers of naturall death it self can move him to deny the truth of that merit and this is that faith which our Saviour saith is able to remove the greatest mountain of temptation By the reall affirmed unity therefore of these two sacrifices all Christian faith is rased from the foundation And so much for answer to the objection And for the declaration of our Saviours sacrifice by his death of the crosse we are next to return to the place where the Lord was laid But because the main point doth consist in the Declaration of the new covenant immediatly depending upon the Lords resurrection from the grave which we must no wayes interrupt We will therefore first briefly in a word set down the discharge of our Saviours kingly office upon earth prefigurate by Melchisedeck and then come to the declaration of the place where the Lord was laid Melchisedeck was the figure of Christ as he was Priest Prophet and King And though we reade not of any Prophesie of Melchisedeck yet Melchisedeck as he was Priest in discharging of the Priestly office did necessarily prophesie For by the Priests ceremoniall execution of the sacrifice of the altar and of the rites of the propheticall Sabbath the Priest did necessarily prophesie And this is the reason that Christ saith Luke 11.50 51. that the Law and the Prophets did prophesie from Abel which is chiefly meant by the Priestly office And therefore it is said that Caiphas did prophesie the death of our blessed Saviour as high Priest that yeer saying Joh. 11.49 50 51 52. Ye perceive nothing neither do ye consider that it is expedient that one man die then the whole nation should perish Though Caiphas did prophesie out of his fear of the overthrow of the Priestly preferment yet his prophesie was no other indeed then the prophesie of the propheticall Sabbath As Melchisedeck therefore did prefigurate our Saviour as he was Priest and Prophet so Melchisedeck did prefigurate Christ Jesus as he was King For Melchisedeck was king of peace and righteousnesse and so he was the true type and figure of our Saviour Exod. 25.11 whose regall authority was signified by the golden crown placed above the ark of the Covenant compassing the cherubims overshadowing with their wings the Mercy-seat The discharge of our Saviours Kingly authority upon earth was chiefly in these three respects First Christ Jesus by the infinite act of his own immediate power by his resurrection from the grave in his resting from the work of the redemption did as a royall King redeem his subjects to wit Adam and all men naturally descended and to descend of Adam from the captivity of sin Satan eternall death and darknesse from the curse of the Law to which all men were condemned for the sin of Adam Secondly our Saviour as he is King of Peace did reconcile all men to the love and favour of God by removing of the wrath of God from all men for the sin of Adam Thirdly Christ Jesus as he is King of Righteousnesse out of his Kingly authority did command all his subjects of the world thus redeemed to the obedience of his Law of righteousnesse of faith upon the twofold reward of his Law by his new covenant And so much briefly for the discharge of our Saviours Kingly office upon earth We do therefore now return to the Declaration of the second part of the sacrifice of our blessed Saviour the high Priest after the order of Melchisedeck and to the Declaration of the place where the Lord was laid after his cruell bloody death prefigurate by the ashes of the sacrifice and the clean place where the ashes were laid apart from the Altar CHAP. V. The mystery of the last Sabbath which was no wayes propheticall VVE are come to the Declaration of the most sorrowfull mournfull and most lamentable estate of the Church of God from the foundation of the world And likewise to the declaration of the most joyfull comfortable and Evangelicall estate that ever came to all the nations of the world arising from that sorrow For there could never come a sorer cut and temptation to the Church and children of God then to see the rock of their hopes thus troden under foot massacred despised and cast down to the ground Though for fear of the Priests Scribes and Pharisees they durst not shew their sorrow and passion And though by this tragicall bloody persecution of the Shepherd the sheep were scattered yet Joseph of Arimathea one of Christs Disciples and a man of note and worth with honest Nicodemus and others of that religious company out of the loyalty of their love to our Saviour did gracefully intomb his gracious body in a new tomb hewn out of a rock wherein no man was formerly laid And though for their great care and gracefull neatnesse in intombing of the body of our blessed Saviour they be only named yet out of all doubt there must be more at the carryiâ—g of the blessed body of our Saviour from the crosse to the place where the Lord was laid though the place was not far distant from the crosse But to the point of our purpose in hand In our Saviours rest in the grave and in his resurrection from the grave doth consist the very period of the mystery of all mysteries hid from the beginning of the world to wit the mystery of the Lords Day Aâ—d though the mysterie be plainly revealed yet because some men will have it a mysterie still we must use the help of our Theologicall Key to open this mysterie by the concealing of the truth whereof the glory of the Lords Day implying the command of the whole Evangelicall Law hath received for too long a time such great prejudice The declaration of the truth of this fundamentall point of faith doth consist in the twofold rest of the eternall Word The first was his bloody rest as he is man made flesh oâ— the seed of the woman by his resting in his sacred grave after his bloody cruâ—ll dâ—â—â—h for the full space and time of the last Sabbath from end to end Thâ— sâ—cond was his Evangelicall joyfull rest as he is the infinite eternall Word by the day of his resurrection from the grave whereby he did rest from the fulfilling of the promise of the blessed seed both which rests were mysticall The mysterie of his bloody rest is twofold The first mysterie is in the propheticall covenant and in the last Sabbath obliged by the covenant For as the eternall Word did oblige Adam and all men naturally to descend of Adam to
believe his promised rest of the blessed seed to rest upon the last Sabbath from the redemption of man from the curse of the Law prophesied by the propheticall Sabbath to whose beliefe the blessing of his promised rest was due by the Law So he graciously and freely obliged himself to man to redeem man from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam and to redeem all which was lost by that sin and consequently to redeem the blessing of the first seventh dayes rest lost by Adam which was the blessing of his promised rest by the propheticall Sabbath all which he graciously performed by his bloody rest in the grave upon the last Sabbath For our Saviour upon the last Sabbath did rest from the redemption of man from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam And by his resting in his sacred grave for the whole space of the last Sabbath our Saviour in the seventh day having fulfilled the whole Law as he was obliged to the fulfilling of the Law in the promise of the blessed seed the eternall rest of the first seventh day lost by Adam was due by the Law of God to the merit of his bloody seventh dayes rest where three main fundamentall points of faith are precisely to be observed by the juditious Reader The first point is that the last Sabbath whereon our Saviour did rest in his sacred grave after his death was no wayes propheticall For all the prophesies prophecying the birth and death of the blessed seed from the foundation of the world were all fulfilled and determined by our Saviours bloody rest upon this last Sabbath by whose bloody rest in his grave for the space of the whole last Sabbath from end to end the Law was fulfilled for man And this is the reason that our Saviour said Mat. 5.17 that he came to fulfill the Law The second point of faith is that no man naturally to descend of Adam was obliged to fulfill the command of the Law by this last Sabbath For Christ Jesus only the Son of God as he is man begot of the seed of the woman was only obliged to fulfill the command of the seventh day by the last Sabbath as he graciously obliged himself by the propheticall covenant The third point of faith is that Adam and all men naturally to descend of Adam were only obliged to fulfill the command of the seventh day of the propheticall Sabbath And therefore Christ Jesus being born under the propheticall Law obliged by the propheticall Sabbath was circumcised the eighth day and did observe other ceremonies of the Law as other men did For though our Saviour did not naturally descend of Adam yet he did descend of the seed of Adam according to the flesh The second mystery of his bloody rest was that by his bloody rest the promise renewed to Abraham was fulfilled which was the same reall promise first made to Adam though renewed to Abraham after a more cleere and particular manner which promise had two branches The first was that the blessed seed according to the flesh should descend of the seed of Abraham which promise was prefigurate first by the glorious light of the Golden Candlestick by the table of shew-bread signifying the life which was in that light wherby the blessed seed who is light and life to descend of Abrahams seed was prefigurate Secondly by the sweet insence burned upon the Golden Altar the appeasing of Gods wrath by the blessed seed to descend of Abraham was prefigurate all which were placed in the holy place of the Tabernacle The second branch of the promise made to Abraham was that in Abrahams seed all the nations of the earth should bee blessed which was likewise prefigurate by the sacrifice of the brazen Altar For at our Saviors giving up of his last spirit upon the cursed altar of the crosse the vaile of the Temple was rent from the top to the bottom within which vaile which was the holiest place was the Arke with the word therin and the Golden Crowne the Cherubint covering with their wings the mercy-seat prefigurating the conception of our Saviour of the seed of the woman wherby the first promise made to Adam was signified Now the vaile of the Temple being rent asunder by the power of our Saviours death the first promise made to Adam was laied open and made patent both to the Jewes and Gentiles who were mutually called the next day by the new covenant which was the day of Christs resurrection Now the new covenant being made with all the nations of the world the promise made to Abraham that all the nations of the earth should be blessed in his seed was fulfilled And so much for the twofold mystery of our Saviours bloody rest The mystery of his joyfull Evangellicall rest did consist in these two maine fundamentall points of faith The first was by his resurrection from the grave wherby our Saviour by his triumphant victory over sin Satan eternall darknes and death the curse of the Law and the grave by the infinit act of his owne immediate power did manifest himselfe Truth to man in his faithfull fulfilling of his promised rest of the blessed seed and in that Truth Lord Jesus Christ God and man in the three coessentiall distinct persons of the glorious Trinity God by the infinit act of his owne immediate power Man begotten of the father of the seed of the woman by the immediate act of the holy spirit in the essentiall union of his divine and humane nature implied in the word Lord which is the sacred name of the essentiall union of the divine and humane nature of the Lord of life comprehending both the names of Jesus and Christ afterwards to be declared For though Jesus Christ as he is the Son of God begotten man of the seed of the woman did performe his bloody rest Yet his Evangelicall rest by his resting from the fulfilling of the Law implying his rest from the redemption of man was performed by our Saviour as he is Lord Jesus Christ God equall with the Father and holy Spirit in whom the Godhead dwelleth bodily And therfore the day of his resurrection is called the Lords day In the second point of the mystery of the Lords Evangelicall rest doth stand the very period of the mystery of the Lords day for man naturally descended of Adā being only obliged to the cōmand of the seventh day of the Prophetical Sabbath and no waies to the seventh day of the last Sabbath to which man Christ Jesus only was obliged the day of our Saviours resurrection from the grave the Lords day doth fall out to be the just seventh day from the last formall propheticall Jewes Sabbath still obliging man to the seventh day of the Law Though by including the last formall propheticall Jewes Sabbath in the account the Lords day is the eight day as it was prefigurate by the eight day of the Sacrament of circumcision To the administration wherof
the great propheticall Sabbath did necessarily give place wherby the Lords day was mystically prefigurate to succeed in place of the Jewes propheticall Sabbath The day of our Saviours resurrection therefore being the next day immediatly succeeding the last Sabbath wheron our Saviour rested in his sacred grave is the just seventh day of the Law from the last formall propheticall Jewes Sabbath As man naturally descended of Adam is obliged to the command of the seventh day of the Law of God implying the command of the whole Law The Lords day therefore the day of the Lords resurrection from the grave is the true seventh day of the Evangelicall Law of God decreed by God from all eternity Where three fundamentall points of faith are necessarily to bee observed by the Christian Reader First as the first seventh day of the Law was blessed sanctified by the Lords rest from the workes of the creation And as the next seventh day of the propheticall Sabbath was blessed and sanctified by the truth of the word of the Lords promised rest in the promise of the blessed seede to rest upon the last Sabbath from the redemption of man from the curse of the Law for the sinne of Adam So the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall Law of faith is blessed and sanctified by the truth of the Lords fulfilled promise by his Evangelicall rest The last period of whose fulfilled promise was in his conquest of his last enemy by his resurrection from the power of the grave upon the Lords day Whereby the Lord rested from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed By the power of whose infinit merit by his Evangelicall rest the Lords day is the blessed and sanctified seventh day of the Evangelicall Law the word of eternall life rest and the immediate object of Christian faith Secondly as the seventh day of the propheticall Sabbath was immediatly commanded by the power of the Lords word by his promised rest commanding Adam and the Fathers to beleeve in the truth of his merit by his promised rest which was then prophesied by the word of the propheticall Sabbath commanding the ceremoniall worship of the Sabbath immediatly as it was the seventh day of the propheticall Law and in the seventh day the obedience of man to the command of the whole propheticall Law by faith in the promise of the blessed seed to whose faith the eternall blessing of the Lords promised Sabbaticall rest was due by the propheticall Law So the Lords day is immediatly commanded by the power of his immediate word commanding all the nations of the world to beleeve the truth of his fulfilled promise by his seventh daies Evangelicall rest as the Lords day is the seventh day of the Evangelicall Law implying the command of the whole Law first immediatly commanding the seventh daies worship by faith in the truth of the Lords fulfilled promise to whose faith the blessing of the Lords merit by his Evangelicall rest is due by the Evangelicall Law of faith which is the blessing of the Lords day This is therefore the howre and blessed day which the Lord told the Samaritan woman should come when God should be worshiped In spirit and truth that is in the spirit of faith in the truth of the Lords fulfilled promise Thirdly as by the light of the propheticall Sabbath day Adam and the Fathers were literally lead to the blessing of the Lords promised rest So by the light of the Lords day all the nations of the world are literally lead to the blessing of the Lords merit by the truth of his fulfilled promise Whosoever therefore doth denie the light of the truth of the Lords day sealed by the precious blood of his blessed heart doth necessarily denie the Lord truth it selfe By this opening of the mystery of the Lords day blessed sanctified by his Evangelicall rest necessarily implying his bloody rest the judicious Reader may easily perceive the reason of the mistake of the lords day the only cause of which mistake is in the mistaking of the last Sabbath for the formall propheticall Jewes Sabbath which was no waies the Jewes propheticall Sabbath neither was either Jew or Gentile obliged to the command of this last Sabbath or had any hand in the fulfilling of the command of this last Sabbath being too hard and impossible a task for man as he is man Let us leave therefore the command of this last Sabbath to the Lord of the Sabbath who as he did in his great mercy oblige himselfe to the obedience of the command of this last Sabbath so in his love and mercy to man the Lord graciously fulfilled the command thereof for man Let us leave I say this last Sabbath to the Lord of the Sabbath who was only obliged to the command of this last Sabbath as it is the seventh day of the Law obliging the Lord himselfe as he is man and we shall have the Lords day the just seventh day of the Evangelicall Law as the Law of God obligeth man naturally descended of Adam And this is properly the Sabbath whereby the Lord is intituled Lord of the Sabbath And the Sabbath properly that the Lord saith was made for man For by the Lords fulfilling of this last Sabbath by his bloody rest the Lord rested from his cursed death of the Crosse for the redemption of man and by his bloody rest in the grave did merit the eternall rest lost by Adam By whose resurrection from the grave the Lord did triumphantly and Evangelically rest from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed This twofold rest of the eternall word arising from the last mysticall Sabbath was prefigurate by a twofold type and figure Of which twofold type and figure next CHAP. VI. The twofold type and figure whereby the last Sabbath was prefigurate THe last Sabbath according to the mysticall sense was prefigurate by a twofold type and figure First the fulfilling of this Sabbath was prefigurate by the blessed Virgin Secondly by the yeare of Jubile First therefore of the prefigurating thereof by the blessed Virgin As by the Arke with the word placed therein and the Cherubins overshadowing the Mercie-seat the blessed Virgin was prefigurate from her conception of the blessed seed till her delivery of the blessed Child So by the bessed Virgin the rest of Christ Jesus in the grave upon the last Sabbath till the day of his resurrection was prefigurate Wherein a threefold type most worthy of observation is to be marked First by the virginall conception of the blessed seed the virginall conception of the blessed body of our Saviour in the new hewen Tombe out of a Rocke wherein no man was ever laid was prefigurate Secondly by the Virgins going three quarters of a yeare with the blessed Child the three daies rest of the blessed body of Christ Jesus in the grave was prefigurate Thirdly as the renting the Vaile of the Temple did prefigurate the renting of of the sacred
curse of the Law of righteousnes by the curse of eternall death and darknes Adam therefore and all men naturally to descend of Adam as head out of the infinit love and mercy of God to man in his Son Christ Iesus according to his decree from all eternity being redeemed from the curse of the Law by the cursed death of his only Son which was to be sustained in his prefixed time the word of the Law then written in the heart of man was the redeemed Image of God in his Son Christ Iesus by the power of which redeemed word Adam after the fall did live move and had his redeemed grace of naturall and morall being but shut up in spirituall darknes till he was regenerate And the word of the seventh day of the Law was then objected to Adams externall senses as it was the propheticall word of the seventh day of the Law of righteousnes of faith in the promise of the blessed seed then by the name of the Sabbath of the Lord prophesying the rest of the Lord to wit the blessed seed upon the Sabbath from the redemption of man from the curse of the Law for the sinne of Adam whereby Adam and all men naturally to descend of Adam till the promise of the blessed seed was fulfilled were obliged to beleeve the promised rest of the blessed seed To whose faith the blessing of the Lords promised rest by the propheticall Sabbath was due by the Law The word of God therefore to the Fathers till the promise was fulfilled was the propheticall word of the seventh day of the Law of righteousnes of faith in the promise of the blessed seed by the light of the sabbaticall seventh day leading the faith of man to the blessing of the Lords promised rest of the blessed seed By which faith all the Fathers were saved before the promise was fulfilled in the Lords prefixed time according to his eternall decree Thirdly the promise of the blessed seed being fulfilled by the Lords daies Evangelicall rest as by the redeemed word of the Law written in the heart the naturall man doth live move and hath his redeemed grace of naturall and morall being shut up in spirituall darknes till he be regenerate So the Evangelicall word of the Lords day as it is the seventh day of the Evangelicall Law of righteousnes of faith is objected to the externall senses of man as it is the word of the truth of the Lords Evangelicall rest from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed obliging the faith of all the Nations of the World to beleeve the truth of the Lords fulfilled promise to whose faith the blessing of the Lords merit of eternall life and rest by the fulfilling of his promise is due morally by the Law whereby the naturall mans redeemed grace of naturall and morall being is continued while he is in this life and being regenerat hath his eternall life light and rest in the life to come The judicious reader therefore may plainly observe that the Evangelicall word of the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall Law of righteousnes of faith is the same reall word which was from the beginning in the true knowledge wherof is the life light eternal rest of man for as by the literall light of the Lords day the naturall man is literally led to the morall blessing of the Lords merit by the Lords daies Evangelicall rest So by the Lords spirituall light in Gods prefixed time the naturall man apprehending himselfe dead in actuall spirituall sinne as sinne is a fearfull contempt against the infinit Majesty of God The naturall man in this spirituall feare being led by this spirituall light to the Lords infinit merit doth by the hands of his spirituall faith lay such spirituall hold on the Lords infinit merit as all the created powers of God and all the temptations of the Divell and the World are not able to part the naturall man being regenerate from the grace of his spirituall hold And this is that faith which the Lord saith is able to command the greatest Mountaine of temptation and to cast it selfe in the Sea if it stand in the way to seperate the regenerate man from his spirituall hold of eternall life Though his spirituall faith be so litle as a graine of mustard seed For the threatned Mountaine of naturall death it selfe is not able to seperate the regenerate man from this spirituall hold totally and finally This light of the Lords day therefore is that light of that spirituall fire which came downe from Heaven not the fearfull firie light of Gods consuming fire which came downe from Heaven to burne the Holocaust Sacrifice of the Lambe of God but the gracious light of the Lords deare love warning quickning inlightning and raising from the dead where it doth shine By which gracious light as all men were raised from the first death of the curse of the Law for the sinne of Adam So this gracious light doth now shine to enlighten the faith of all the Nations of the World to save them from the merciles curse of the Law of faith which is the second death Heere two speciall things are to be observed by the reader CHAP. VIII THe first is the difference of the word of the Law written in the heart of man and the word of the seventh day of the Law implying the command of the whole Law externally objected to the externall senses of man Tâ—e second is the formall difference of the word of the seventh day of the Law from the beginning First in the state of perfection the word of the Law written in Adams heart was the power of the Image of righteousnes and holines enabling Adam to merit eternall life and rest upon earth And the word of the first seventh day of the Law of righteousnes was objected to Adams externall senses obliging the perfection of Adams obedience to the command of the Law of God to whose merit by his actions of holines the blessing of the first seventh daies eternall rest was due by the Law to Adams merit Secondly man being redeemed from the curse of the Law the word of the Law written in the heart is the redeemed word and Image of God in his Son Christ Iesus first in the promise of the blessed seed enabling Adam from faith to faith to beleeve the promise of the blessed seed And the word of the seventh day of the Law of righteousnes of faith by the name of the Sabbath of the Lord was objected to Adams externall senses prophesying the rest of the blessed seed upon the Sabbath from the redemption of man from the curse of the Law obliging and commanding Adam to beleeve the promised rest of the blessed seed to whose faith the blessing of the Lords eternall rest was due by the Law to Adams faith in beleeving the the promised rest of the blessed seed Thirdly after the Lords resurrection the promise of the blessed seed being fulfilled the
Word doth comprehend the twelve Articles of Christian faith all depending one upon another like as many links of a chain linked one into another all arising from the literall light of the Lords day by his rest and resurrection from the fulfilling of his promise of the blâ—ssed seed as the Lord did graciously oblige himself to man by the covenant First therefore of the Lords resurrection from the grave and next of his resurrection from the earth by his ascention to the heavens The Lords resurrection from the grave doth comprehend these ten fundamentall points of faith First by the literal light of the sound of the evangelicall Word of the Lords day really one with the literall light of the redeemed Word of the Law written in the heart of man whereby man doth live move and hath his redeemed state of being the naturall mans understanding is morally produced in act by the mediate sense of hearing to understand that the Lords resurrection from the grave was the last period of his rest from the redemption of man and all things lost by man from the curse of the Law for the first sin of Adam And that the Lords resurrection from the grave was from the bloody rest in the grave and his bloody rest in the grave from his sustâ—iâ—ing of the bloody cursed death of the crosse and his bloody cursed death of the crosse from his love and mercy to man Secondly as by our Saviâ—urs bloody death and rest in the grave necessarily presupposing his birth and life our Saviour did manifest himself true man so by our Saviours gracious words glorious wonders and miracles while he was personally upon earth as our Saviour was man the Son of God before all time so he did manifest himself man the Son of God in time begot of the seed of the woman by the overshadowing act of the Almighty Thirdly as our Saviour as he is the eternall Son of God by his sustaining of the eternall curse of the Law did merit the salvation of Adam and of all men naturally to descend of Adam from the first death which was the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam so our Saviour by his bloody rest in the grave for the full space of the seventh day of the last Sabbath whereby the Law was fulfilled as he was obliged to the Law for man as our Saviour is the eternall Son of God he did merit the eternall life and rest of the first seventh day lost by Adam due by the Law to his eternall merit which is the blessing of the Lords day offered to the faith of all the nations of the world by the new covenant whereby all the faithfull are saved from the second death which is the curse of the Law of faith Fourthly by the literall light of the sound of the word of the Lords day the naturall mans understanding is morally produced in act by the mediat sense of hearing to understand that the Lords resurrection from the grave was by his rest from the power of eternall death and darknesse of hell from the eternall curse of the Law the cause of eternall death from sin which he made himself for man the cause of the curse of the Law from the power of Satan the cause of sin and from the power of the grave his last enemy whereby the Lord by the immediate act of his own immediate infinite power did gloriously and triumphantly manifest himself truth to man by the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed and in that truth love and mercy to man and by that truth love and mercy Lord God and man in the essentiall union of the divine and humane nature Lord God and man equall with the Father and holy Spirit Lord God and man equall with the Father by the work of the redemption of man eternally lost by the eternall curse of the Law and by the redemption of the creatures which were cursed for the sin of man which are equall to the works of the creation and the Lord did manifest himself Lord God and man equall with the holy Spirit as by the continuall influence of his blessing the creatures which he hath redeemed are conserved in their redeemed estate which is the proper blessing of the holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son The name Lord therefore is the name of the essentiall union of the divine and humane nature necessarily implying the three coessentiall distinct persons of the glorious Trinity and consequently implying the name Jesus and Christ For as by the Lord God and man the lost creatures are râ—stored the Lord is the Father Lord and commander of the creatures And as he is the Saviour of man from eternall death he is Jesus the eternall Son of God aâ—d as by the continuall influence of his blessing the creatures are conserved he is Christ the anointed with the oile of gladnesse the holy Spirit and sanctifier and consequently as the redeemed word written in the heart of man by the power of which redeemed word the naturall man doth live move and hath his redeemed state and grace of naturall and morall being is the Image of God in his Son Christ Jesus so the redeemed word in the heart of man is the Image of the Lords truth love and mercy whereby the naturall man is morally enabled by the act of his understanding and will to produce the works of truth love and mercy Fifthly the Lords rest and resurrection from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed being by his infinite immediate power his merit by his resurrection and rest is infinite and his love and mercy to man by his rest is infinite Sixthly as by the infinit power of the Lords merit by his resurrection and rest the day of the Lords resurrection is blessed and sanctified for his worship by man to whose faithfull worship the infinite blessing of the Lords merit of eternall life and rest is due by the Evangelicall law of faith so by the infinite power of his merit the Evangelicall worship of the Lords day is immediatly commanded and in that immediate worship as the Lords day is the Evangelicall seventh day of the Evangelicall law of faith implying the command of the whole law the whole Evangelicall law is commanded obliging all the nations of the world to believe the truth of the Lords fulfilled promise to whose faith the blessing of the Lords Evangelicall eternall rest is due by the law whereby the faithfull man is saved from the second death which is the curse of the law of faith and doth enjoy eternall life Seventhly the naturall man being commanded to believe that by faith in the Lords merit he is saved from the second death and Evangelicall faith being the act of the redeemed heart of man and the originall of all his naturall and morall actions to which all men are inabled by the power of the redeemed Word of truth love and mercy written in the heart of man faith
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
and resurrection from the grave the naturall mans understaning is morally enlightened So by the power of the redeemed Word of truth written in the heart the naturall man is morally enabled to believe these twelve fundamentall points of faith And therefore by the new covenant all men are obliged and commanded to believe these tweâ—ve fundamentall points of faith upon the twofold reward of the law By this literall light therefore of the sound of the truth of the Evangelicall word of the Lords day the judicious Reader is enabled with all boldnesse to condemn all tenents and assertions of faith repugnant to the truth of this light for false adulterous tenents and assertions And with the like boldnesse to condemn all pretended worship of God repugnant to the truth of the Lords Evangelicall commanded worship in spirit and truth for a false adulterous worship of God arising from the false light of error This false light from whence this adulterous worship of God doth arise is the ceremoniall light of some sensitive visible object whereby the understanding is produced in act by the mediate sense of seeing which for the most part is the sensitive objective carved or painted image of the eternall Son of God as he is man which is a most faithlesse false adulterous and idolatrous worship It is faithlesse because faith is by hearing of the Word the Image of God in his Son Christ Jesus and not by the seeing of the Image of our Saviour in his humility as he is man It is false worship because it doth belie the truth of the Lords glorious resurrection it is an adulterous worship because it is repugnant to the truth of the light of the Lords commanded Evangelicall worship in spirit and in truth It is an adulterous worship because the sensitive visible object doth interveen between the Lord and his worship and in this sense a lier is called an Idolater because the falshood which the lier doth maintain doth interveen between the lier and the light of the Word of truth love and mercy in his heart which is the Image of God obliging the heart of the lier to declare and witnesse the truth which is called the light and law of conscience and so is the covetous man under which name the lier hypocrite coozener cheater extortioner briber whoremaster drunkard murderer and in a word the foul malitious cruell affection of man for by all such foul desire of the covetous man the light of the word of truth love and mercy in the heart redeemed by our Saviours sacred blood is belied darkned and obscured and the foul desire worshipped as an Idol contrary to the light of the command of the word of the seventh day of the law really one with the literall light of the law written in the heart of man And though our Saviours bloody rest be necessarily implied in the Lords Evangelicall rest yet his bloody rest is not to be represented by any sensitive visible object to the sense of seeing but by the light of the sound of the commanded word of truth to wit the Lords day to the sense of hearing preached by the faithfull Minister of the Word Neither must any man excuse the hanging up of our Saviours Image in his humility as he is man pretending that he hath the Image objected to his eyes only to put him in minde of our Saviâ—â—â— love by his death To whom I answer that by this manner of putting thee in minde of our Saviours love thou putst the Lord in minde of his fearfull wrath against thee For first it is by the Lords Evangelicall rest that thou art immediatly saved the truth whereof thou art commanded to worship in the Spirit of faith upon the mercilesse curse of the law Secondly the species of the sensitive Image doth interveen between thy mind and the Lords worship whom thou art commanded to worship immediatly and consequently thy putting in minde an Idolatrous mentall worship for preventing of which Idolatrous worship the faithfull Minister by the sound of the word is commanded to instruct the people committed to his charge at his peril for by the new covenant the Apostles are immediately commanded to teach and to preach the truth of the Lords Evangelicall worship to all the Nations of the world as the Lord hath revealed himselfe by the Evangelicall rest of the Lords day And in the Apostles the Apostolicall successors the Ministers of the word are commanded to the like teaching and preaching of the truth of the Lords Evangelicall commanded worship to the people committed to their charge The new Covenant therefore being commanded as well upon the mercilesse curse of the Law of faith as upon the blessing of the Lords Evangelicall rest It doth stand the Ministers of the Sacred word in hand to look to the faithfull discharge of so strict an imposed task Now though in the commanded Evangelicall Sacraments implying the Lords whole last Will and Testament which is the Evangelicall word the word be objectively presented to the sense of seeing touching tasting and smelling as by the light of the sound of the word it is objected to the sense of hearing that man as he is man may receive the word sacramentally that is by faith in the word represented by the externall elements Yet this sacramentall object doth not represent the object of faith to wit the Word Jesus Christ the Son of God to come and to suffer for the sins of man but doth represent him by his cursed death of the Crosse by his bloudy rest in the grave and by his Resurrection from the grave to be received sacramentally by faith in his merit by his cursed death of the Crosse by his bloudy rest in the grave and by his Resurrection and rest from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed which both the Sacraments doe most lively signifie for the better conceiving whereof it is to be understood that the Sacraments were not delivered in the primitive Church but to such as were come to actuall naturall and morall understanding and action First therefore in the Sacrament of Baptisme by the baptizeds ducking and as it were drowning in the water according to the manner of the primitive Câ—â—â—ch the party to be baptized freed from the curse of the Law 〈◊〉 â—n of Adam is signified to be drowned and dead in actuall sin by 〈◊〉 â—â—anâ—gression of the â—aw of faith as by his arising out of the water his rising 〈◊〉 the death of actuall sin to the new life of faith and that his actuall â—â—ns arâ—â—â—â—ffied â—waâ— by his faith in the Lords merit which is the water of eternall life purchased by the water and bloud issuing from our Saviours â—eaâ—â— represented by the sacramentall water So in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper by the sacramentall bread the bread of life is signified whereby the baptizeds faith is nourished and preserved as by the naturall bread his naturall life is maintained and continued By the breaking of
the Sacramentall bread the breaking of our Saviours body by the curse of the Crosse is signified as by the Sacramentall wine our Saviours heart bloud is signified whereby the bread of life is purchased which being Sacramentally received by faith the receiver hath the temporall blessing of the Lords merit by his Evangelicall seventh dayes rest in this life and eternall rest in the life to come and therefere it is said Wee must not live by bread alone but by every word proceeding from God Mat. 4.4 And this is the reason that the Word is called the Bread of life as by the sensitive bread the sensitive nature of man is temporally continued and preserved so by the spirituall understanding of the Word Christ Jesus the Word and Bread of life spiritually and Sacramentally received by faith the spirituall life of the receiver is eternally continued according to our Saviours owne word This is life eternall to know thee the onely true God and Christ Jesus whom thou hast sent Here a Question may be moved to be answered in the Chapter following CHAP. XI The light of the word is in the sound of the word THe Apostle doth affirme that faith is by hearing of the word Rom. 10.17 The Question therefore may bee moved Is not faith likewise by reading of the word I answer The Question here is of morall fâ—ith And therefore I say That faith is not by reading of the word as the written word is the object of the sence of seeing but as the written word doth presuppose the word spoken for it is the word spoken that is read in which case morall faith may be said to be by reading For many times God by his objective concursive grace doth concurre with the naturall mans reading of the word and with the reading of the spirituall Writers upon the word whereby the naturall mans understanding is enlightened and his will moved morally to beleeve the word and his heart inclined to give morall obedience to the literall command of the word But while God doth not afford his coÌ„cursive objective grace which is in his free pleasure the naturall man readeth but a dead letter for the life of the word is in the sound of the word to the hearing while as by the spirituall Ministers word the heart of man where the redeemed word of the Law is written is rouzed and moved by the sound of the word threatning of Gods judgements for sin whereby man is raised from sin and moved to arme himselfe against Satan and his instruments And this is the reason that the Ministers of God are called Trumpeters for as at the sound of the Trumpet the whole Army is roused to Arme themselves against the enemy so at the sound of the word by the spirituall Minister man is roused and stirred up to resist the temptation of Satan and of his instruments The life of the word therefore is in the sound of the word And this is the reason that the Apostle saith that faith is by hearing of the word which is the word of the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall Law of saith implying the whole Evangelicall Law and Word of God Now as the Evangelicall Word of the Lords day hath bin declared to be the true Evangelicall Word of the seventh day of the Evangelicall Law of faith So for the Readers satisfaction in this fundamentall point the cheife point of Christian faith the manner shall be set downe that the sound of the word of the Lords day doth arise from the written word of God CHAP. XII The sound of the word of the Lords day doth arise from the writen word of God FIrst the whole Evangel is only the sound of the word of the Lords day from the Lords promise of the blessed seed to his conception of the seed of the woman from his conception to his birth from his birth to his death from his death to his rest in the grave whereby he did manifest himselfe first that he was the promised blessed seed the Son of God the light and life of man by his gracious word by his glorious wonders and miracles Secondly that he was love and mercy to man Love by his gracious curing of many sensitive diseases of man incurable by man as he is only man Mercy by his pardoning of sinne as he is the Son of God Thirdly Christ Jesus the Son of God begotten of the seed of the woman did manifest himselfe by his death that he is the Saviour of all men for their sinne in Adam Fourthly by his fulfilling of the Law in his rest in the grave for the whole space of the seventh day of the last Sabbath the eternall life and rest of the first seventh day lost by Adam was manifested to be redeemed by our Saviour All performed by Jesus Christ the Son of God man begotten of the seed of the woman But his resurrection from the grave by his rest from the fulfilling of the Law implying his bloody rest in his grave from the redemption of man was by his infinit power as he is Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God begotten of the seed of the woman by the immediate unction of the holy Spirit God equall with the Father and holy Spirit By whose rest the Lords day the day of the Lords resurrection was blessed and sanctified for the Lords thankfull worship by man implying the light of the word of the whole Evangel Though the Lords day was first called by the Evangelists the day of the Lords resurrection to convince the false report of the Jewes who had suborned the Keepers of the sacred grave to affirme that the Disciples had stolen away the Lords blessed Body from the grave As the Lords day was called by the Apostles the first day of the weeke least by naming of any other seventh day then the great propheticall Sabbath in the first plantation of the Evangel the stubborne Jewes should have utterly rejected the embracing of the Evangel All which is but the light of the sound of the word of the Lords day But of all the sounds of the word of the Lords day in the Evangel Iohn Baptists sound that Elias did passe all for his sound was as if the Lord then had suffered and had risen from the dead For first by Iohns pointing at the Lambe of God that taketh away the sinne of the World our Saviours death was signified Secondly by Iohns baptizing of our Saviour in Christs submersion and rising out of the water his rest in the grave and resurrection was lively expressed Thirdly by Iohns affirming that he did see the Spirit of God in forme of a Dove to descend from Heaven upon our Saviour the calling of the Jewes and Gentiles by the new Covenant was most lively expressed for by the Doves outstreched wings the Lords armes of mercy by his Evangelicall bloody rest were spread out from Heaven to embrace all the Nations of the World Secondly the whole tractate of the acts from
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
the world built thereon by which partition the Gentiles were barred from the judiciall service of God all are rased from the very foundation never to be reiterate in the Church of God Last of all Mary Magdalen did not know the Lord of life John 20.16 17 the eternall rest of his blessed day though Mary did see the Lord with her bodily eyes till she heard the sound of the word of the Evangelicall seventh dayes eternall rest calling Mary At the hearing of the sound of whose Evangelicall word while Mary knowing the Lord would have embraced him in her armes the Lord said Mary touch me not to wit but by thine arms of faith The Lord after his resurrection did first honour Mary to be the joyfull trumpeter to sound the news of the word of his mysticall Evangelicall birth-day to the Apostles themselves as the Lord of life the Son of God as he is man did honour Mary the blessed Virgin to be inclosed in her wombe and to be the first proclaimer of the joyfull day of his naturall birth Though woman therefore seduced by the false trechery of Satan was the instrument of the fall of man yet woman first and last was the most happy news-bringer of the most joyfull tidings that ever came to man or Angel Let a man therefore honour woman whom God the Lord hath so highly honoured For first woman was the happy instrument of the salvation of man and of the confirmed grace of the Angels Secondly woman was the happy instrument that man is crowned with the incorruptible crown of glory eternally in all heavenly happinesse whereas though man had stood in the state of perfection man must have enjoyed his perfection and felicity but eternally upon earth And so much for the declaration of the Evangelicall word as the word is the seventh day of the Evangelicall law of faith implying the command of the whole law which is the Lords day the blessed day of dayes We are next according to our method to declare the Evangelicall word as it is the word of the new covenant and promise of God But a question doth arise of the Lords day first necessarily to be answered CHAP. XIII The Evangelicall sense of the bowing of the knee at the name of Jesus THe Question here may be moved Since at the name of Jesus every knee must bow Phil. 2.10 11. of things in heaven of things upon earth and of things under the earth wherefore is not the seventh day of the Evangelicall law of faith called rather by the name of Jesus day then by the name of the Lords day I answer because it is by the light of the seventh day of the Evangelicall law of faith by the truth of the Lords Evangelicall rest and resurrection from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed that Jesus is known to be the Saviour of man the eternall Son of God Lord God and man equall to the Father and holy Spirit as hath been formerly declared by the infinite sanctified power of whose blessed merit the Lords day is blessed and sanctified and the Evangelicall worship of the Lords day immediatly commanded Though Jesus therefore be the name of the Son of God as he is man begot of the seed of the woman and the Saviour of man by his cursed death and bloody rest in the grave without whose resurrection from the dead Jesus the Son of God Adam and all men created in Adam as head must have diâ—d eternally under the eternall curse of the law yet the name Lord is 〈◊〉 name by his infinit power he hath overcome the power of death and the grave necessarily implying the name Jesus and Christ as hath formerly been declared The Lords day therefore is the day of our Lord Jesus Christ immediatly and not immediatly the day of Jesus And consequently the bowing of the knee at the name of Jesus is the bowing of the knee at the name of the Lord Jesus by which bowing of the knee the Evangelicall commanded worship of the Lords day is implied as may plainly appear by the Apostles words saying that God hath given him a name above all names that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and that every tongue shall confesse that Jesus Christ is the Lord For as the religious bowing of the knee is from the believing heart implying the Spirit of the mind that Jesus the Saviour of man is the Lord wherâ—by the internall and externall worship of God is expressed So the confession of the tongue as likewise from the Spirit of faith in the heart that Jesus the Saviour of man is the Lord by the truth of his merit by his Evangelicall rest and resurrection from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed upon the Lords day whereby the worship of the Lords day is commanded in spirit and truth In which commanded worship â—ll the internall and externall worship of God is necessarily implied In this sense thâ— Apostle saith Rom. 10.10 with the heart man doth believe to righteousnesse and with the mouth man doth confesse to salvation that is with the heart implying the Spirit of the mind enlightened by the light of the Lords day really one with the light of the redeemed word of the law in the heart man doth believe that the Lord hath fulfilled the law of righteousnesse by whose merit the believer is saved and with the mouth man doth confesse before God and man that he is saved by faith in the truth of the Lords only merit for as by his only merit all men are saved from the first death which is the curse of the law for the sin of Adam so all the faithfull are saved from the second death which is the curse of the law of faith The externall bowing of the knee therefore at the name of Jesus without adding or implying Lord proceeding from the believing of the heart is but a faithlesse and irreligious worship of God by man In these words of the Apostle concering the bowing of the knee which is a Prophesie and now fulfilled by the Lords dayes Evangelicall rest and resurrection three speciall things are to be observed First though the name Jesus signifying a Saviour be given to man as at the power of the Lords command â—â—n is saved by man from temporall danger yet the name Jesus as he is Lord God and man is incommuâ—icable to man or Angel and a name above all names propâ—rly and immediatly ascribed to the Son the second person of the Trinity And therefore we see that in the Apostles salutations by their Epistles they do pray for peace and grace from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ For as the Lord is man the Son of God equall with the Father and holy Spirit before all time so he is man the Son of God in time of the seed of the woman in the essentiall union of the divine nature of the Father Son and holy Spirit with the humane nature
Lord God and man And consequently the three coessentiall distinct Persons of the Trinity Lord God and man The second thing to be observed in the words is that by the things in Heaven the Saints departed this life and the blessed Angels are to be understood for as the Saints in Heaven doe with all humility acknowledge their glory and heavenly felicity to the only merit of the Lord Jesus Christ So doe the Angels with all humility acknowledge the conserved grace of their created perfection to the merit of the Lord Jesus Christ to whom his merit doth extend who are conserved as ministring spirits for man First for man Christ Jesus while he was personally upon earth that his fooâ—e should not dash against a stone Luke 4.10 and secondly they are ministring spirits for his mysticall members that the foot of their fayth shall not be dashed totally and finally against the stony temptation of Satan and his instruments in this life The third thing to be observed is that by things upon earth man and the sensitive and insensitive creatures created for man are to be understood and by things under or within the earth the waters mineralls and other things created for the use of man which as they were all cursed for man so they are all redeemed from the curse with man in whose behalfe man is to bend the knees of his heart with all thankefulnesse to the Lord Jesus Christ and to testifie his thankfulnesse by his thank-worship of the Lords day as the Lord hath revealed himselfe by the Lords dayes Evangelicall rest Lord Jesus Christ God and man in the three coessentiall distinct persons of the glorious Trinity And so much for the declaration or the Evangelicall Word as it is the word of the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall Law Next according to our methode the Evangelicall Word is to be declared as it is the word of promise and new Covenant made by God with man CHAP. XIV The Evangelicall Covenant made by God with man in his Son Christ Jesus called the new Covenant The Evangelicall Word of the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall Law of righteousnes of faith the Evangelicall Word of promise and new Covenant are really one but of a formall difference First of the reall unity of both and next of the formall difference The reall unity of both doth consist in this that the word of promise and new Covenant which is the Lords merit of eternall life by his resurrection and rest from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed is the blessing of the Lords day For by the Lords infinit merit by the Lords daies Evangelicall rest the Lords day is blessed sanctified and commanded for the seventh day of the Evangelicall Law implying the command of the whole Evangelicall Law of faith And consequently the word of promise and new Covenant and the word of the Lords day really one for the one is necessarily implied in the other as may appeare by the severall names of the new Covenant First the new Covenant is called the Covenant of grace because the Lords merit of eternall life by the Lords dayes Evangelicall rest from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed which is the blessing of the Lords day is freely offered to all beleevers by the new Covenant without all respect to the merit of any man naturally descended of Adam whereby all beleevers are saved from the second death which is the curse of the Law of faith And consequently the word of promise and the word of the Lords day are really one Secondly the new Covenant is called the Covenant of truth because the Lord by his Evangelicall resurrection and rest from the faithfull fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed upon his blessed day did manifest himselfe truth to man by the truth of whose infinite merit by his Evangelicall rest the Lords day is blessed sanctified and commanded Which blessing of eternall life is word of promise and new Covenant and consequently the word of promise and the word of the Lords day really one Thirdly the new Covenant is called the Covenant of mercy because as the Lord by his Evangelicall rest did manifest himselfe truth to man so in that truth the Lord by his infinite merit did manifest himselfe love and mercy to man for as by his cursed death of the Crosse our Saviour did merit the salvation of all men from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam So by his bloudy rest in the grave by his fulfilling of the law in the seventh day of the last Sabbath the eternall life and rest lost by Adam from the first seventh day of the law was due to the Lords merit whereby all beleevers are saved from the second death extending his twofold love and mercy to all men by the new Covenant whose mercy according to the truth of his infinite merit being likewise infinite The Lords gracious armes of mercy are outstretched to the penitent sinner for all the daies of this life by the new Covenant And this is the reason that wretched men do so insult upon the Lords infinite mercy by their continuance in sin and wickednesse because they see the daily love and mercy of God extended to all men in this life whose Sun doth shine and his rain doth fall both upon the just and the unjust Mat. 5.45 And this is likewise the reason that many though most unjustly do grudge the temporall blessings of God to the wicked who though they do enjoy the temporall blessings of the Lords merit by his Evangelicall rest yet they are far from the spirituall blessing of the Lords merit whereby man is only saved But the Lord hath thus graciously obliged himself by the new covenant first that wretched man should not dispair of the Lords mercy while he hath all the dayes of this life to repent him of his actuall sins Secondly that the wicked may be excuselesse For though God willeth that all men should be saved 1 Tim. 2.4 by testifying of their thankfulnesse for their redemption by the works of truth love and mercy to which they are morally enabled by the redeemed word of the law written in their heart yet while the wicked man without any created power to necessitate his morall disobedience doth by his obstinate continuance in sin and wickednesse make himself the cursed seed of Satan The Lord doth justly give him over to a reprobate minde and doth most justly will his condemnation where by the way the difference between the first and second covenant is to be observed for the least transgression of the law by the first covenant was without all revealed hope of mercy or time of repentance but the second covenant both Prophetically and Evangelically is with all hope of mercy by repentance for all the days of this life Fourthly the new covenant is called the covenant of faith because the Lords merit of eternall life by his Evangelicall
wit to the mercilesse curse of the Evangelicall law of faith which is mercilesse This salvation and condemnation of man being the twofold reward of the Evangelicall law due by the law according to the obedience or finall disobedience of man The Lord commands man to his new covenant by the immediate word and command of the Evangelical law by which command the reward is only due The chief precept of whose Evangelicall law being the precept of the Lords commanded worship implying the command of the whole Evangelicall obedience and Religion of man The Lords day therefore by the Lords immediate word is commanded and in the Lords day as it is the seventh day of the Evangelicall law the obedience of man to the whole Evangelicall law is necessarily commanded Thus according to the truth of the sacred word having set down the true sense of the new covenant I next set down the formall obligement of man to the Evangelicall law of God by the new covenant As the Lords resurrection and rest from his fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed upon the Lords day doth extend to the safety of all men from the curse of eternall death for the first sinne in Adam And to the safety of all beleevers dead in actuall sinne for their owne naturall transgression of the Evangelicall law of righteousnesse of faith So the merit of the Lords resurrection doth likewise extend to the confirmation of the blessed Angels in the grace of their created perfection who are sent as ministring spirits for the saving of the elect from being finally overcome by the temptation of satan and his cruell instruments The Lords resurrection and rest therefore upon the Lords day being the most joyfull newes that ever came to Man or Angell his seventh dayes rest is formally Evangelicall and consequently the commanded worship of the Lords day formally Evangelicall which is therefore commanded in spirit and truth that is in the spirit of faith in the truth of the Lords merit to the joy and comfort of all the Nations of the world For both Iew and Gentile by the immediate command of the Lords dayes commanded Evangelicall worship are freed from the sore yoke of the sabbaticall seventh dayes Propheticall ceremoniall worship implying the whole ceremoniall law According to the formall Evangelicall worship therefore of the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall law the whole Evangelicall law of righteousnesse of faith is formally and Evangelically both obliged and commanded by the immediate word of the Lord of the Lords day by his new Covenant obliging and commanding the faithfull obedience of all the Nations of the world first and immediately to the commanded Evangelicall worship of the Lords day and in that commanded worship commanding the faithfull obedience of man to the command of the whole Evangelicall law of faith that by beleeving in the Lords merit by the Lords dayes evangelicall rest they may be saved from the curse of the second death to which command all men are morally enabled by the redeemed word of the law written in their heart really one with the command of the Lords day CHAP. XV. It was impossible in any morall right by the command of the law that the last Sabbath could have been worshipped either for the Jewes formall Propheticall Sabbath or for the Lords day OF the declaration of the Lords day a twofold Question may be moved The first is whether in any morall right by the command of the law the last Sabbath by the whole space whereof the sacred body of the Lord did rest in his grave might not have been worshipped for the formall Iewes Propheticall sabbath The second question is Whether in any morall right by the command of the law the last Sabbath might not have been worshipped for the Lords day the first Evangelicall seventh day of the law of faith First I answer to the first Question Lest there be a mistake in this Discourse I first state the Question The question here is not in the matter of fact whether the Jews did celebrate or did not celebrate the ceremoniall worship of the last Sabbath for the Jews propheticall Sabbath But the Question is whether in any morall right by the command of the Law the Jews might have worshipped that day by the Ceremoniall worship of their propheticall Sabbath And now I answer And do affirme that it is impossible by any right of the command of the law of God that the Jews might have celebrated the last Sabbath for their propheticall Sabbath for such commanded worship had inferred a twofold necessary contradiction in the command of the law For first by such ceremoniall worship of the last Sabbath Christs death should have been prefigurate to be hereafter while as his sacred body lay in the grave Secondly though the formall propheticall Jews Sabbath day was not actually determined till it was immediately determined by the day of Christs resurrection from the grave yet all the prophesies of all the propheticall Sabbaths all the jubilees of Sabbaths and all the prophesies prophesying of Christ from the foundation of the world were all actually determined by his rest in the grave for the whole space of the last Sabbath So that if there should have beene any such command of the law the prophesies should have beene fulfilled and not fulfilled as by the ceremoniall worship of the last Sabbath Christ should have beene dead and not dead which is a twofold contradiction Neither in all reason durst the High Priest that day offer to celebrate the ceremoniall worship of the golden Altar which he was to discharge after the service of the brazen Alter and that for this twofold feare First the great rent from the top to the bottome of the Vale of the Temple was just betweene the golden Alter and the Table of Shew-bread where a great deale of stones and rubbish must fall whereby the table of Shew-bread and the golden Alter were parted mystically signifying to the High Priest that the bread of life was seperate and departed from the ceremoniall worship of the golden Altar Now the golden Altar standing so neere to the great ruinous wall the Priest in his comming up to offer sweet Incense at the golden Altar might have beene afraid to be brained with the stones falling from the great rent of the Vale. The next feare was farre greater for the high Priest in his comming up to offer Incense at the golden Alter the rent of the wall being so great must have seene the Arke of the Covenant the golden Crown and the Cherubims covering the Mercy-seat to which the glorious lights of the golden Candlesticks were directly opposite Now it was death for the Priest himselfe to looke on the Arke of the Lord with any materiall light Insomuch that out of all question by the reflex of the light of the golden Candlesticks from the golden Crowne Cherubims and Mercy-seat and from the glistring gold of the golden Alter All the Priests were
that day confounded Though the High Priest or any man that day without any feare might have entered the highest place and have touched and looked on the Arke but it was more then was then knowne to the high Priest Against this it may be objected Luke the Evangelist saith Luke 23 56. That the women according to the command of the Law rested from going to the sacred grave that day which command of the Law was the command of the propheticall Sabbath day I answer Luke the faithfull Historiographer of the sacred History doth faithfully relate the act of the religious women with the precise circumstance of the time of the act what the women then full of sorrow for the Lord of life were constrained to doe out of their respect to the command of the Sabbath which was that day in force for ought that the women did know But Luke doth not relate what the women might have done that day Neither had it been sitting for the Evangelist so to have done for the formall command of the Sabbath day as it was the formall propheticall Jews Sabbath day was not actually determined till it was determined by the next day the day of Christs resurrection from the grave to wit the Lords day though the prophesies of the Sabbath were then actually determined And so much for answer to the first Question To the second Question I answer That it had beene as impossible in any morall right by the command of the Law that the last Sabbath for the whole space whereof the blessed body of our Saviour rested in the sacred grave could have beene worshipped for the Lords day For first the mournfull sorrowfull and lamentable light of the sound of the word of the seventh day of the last Sabbath had been repugnant to the joyful Evangelicall sound light of the word of the Lords day Secondly the Evangelicall worship of the Lords day to have beene celebrate upon the last Sabbath had implyed a manifest contradiction in the command of the law for so the law should have commanded the day of the Lords resurrection to be worshipped in spirit and truth while as contrary to all truth the sensitive body of our Saviour did lye dead in the grave that day Thirdly by the commanded worship of that Sabbath to be celebrate by the Evangelicall worship of the Lords day had been contradictory to the sacred written Word of God by his eternall decree for the last enemy to be conquered by the Lord of life was the grave Fourthly the commanded Evangelicall worship of that day had been contradictory to Christs own prophesie which was that he should rise again the third day while by his Evangelicall worship he must have risen the second day Fifthly by such commanded Evangelicall worship of the last Sabbath the Apostles must have been false witnesses in preaching and proclaiming that the Lord was risen from the grave while his sacred body did rest in the grave Sixthly such Evangelicall worship of the last Sabbath had overthrown the chief Article of Christian faith For all Christians are obliged to believe that the Lord of life rose the third day from the grave and not the second day and so much for answer to the second question against this declaration of the Lords day three obejections are to be answered CHAP. XVI The reason that God is said to be Alpha and Omega the first and the last FIrst it may be objected that by the establishing of the Lords day for the Evangelicall morall seventh day of the law of faith there is one seventh day of the law implying the whole law lost in the account Now heaven and earth must perish before a jot or a tittle of the law shall perish Luke 86.17 For the law of God is eternall I answer By this account there is neither any jot or tittle of the seventh day of the law of God lost neither by this account is there my prejudice at all to the decreed six dayes work allowed by the law to man For the seventh day of the last Sabbath implying the whole law as Christ Jesus was obliged thereby as he is man was fulfilled by himself Now by the fulfilling of the law the law is established and not lost if man by his finall obstinate contempt of the law should escape the curse of the law at Christs second coming then the law we lost indeed Or if the Lord had not fulfilled the command of the seventh day of the last Sabbath as the Lord did oblige himself by the propheticall covenant the seventh day of the law implying the command of the whole law had been likewise utterly lost as man Christ Jesus the Son of God was obliged to the command of the law This objection therefore is easily answered by the former declaration For God and man being mutually obliged to the propheticall covenant by the seventh day of the law then by the name of the Sabbath of the Lord the obligement of man to the propheticall covenant was formally twofold First man to wit Adam and all men naturally to descend of Adam were formally obliged to the command of the seventh day as it was then the propheticall Sabbath obliging the faith of man to believe the promised rest of the blessed seed prophesied by the prophetical Sabbath untill the promised rest was fulfilled by the blessed seed Secondly man the Son of God Christ Iesus the blessed seed was formally obliged by the propheticall covenant to fulfill his promised rest by his obedience to the command of the seventh day of the last Sabbath as it was prophesied by the propheticall Sabbath who having fulfilled the command of the last Sabbath by his obedience even to the death of the Crosse by his redemption of man from the curse of the law for the sinne of Adam And by his rest in the grave after his death upon the last Sabbath haveing fulfilled the whole law in the command of the seventh day The eternall life and rest of the first seventh day lost by Adam was redeemed likwise for man and due by the law to our Saviours merit Now the eternall life and rest of man being in our Saviour The Lord by his resurrection from the grave did manifest himselfe truth to man by the fulfilling of his promised rest and in that truth Lord God Jesus Christ the eternall Son of God God equall with the Father and holy Spirit the eternall life and rest of man The day of whose resurrection being the just seventh day of the law as man naturally descended of Adam is obliged to the law of God the Lord by the power of his merit by his Evangelicall rest from the fulfilling of the law for man implying his bloody rest from the redemption of man from the curse of the law for the sinne of Adam doth command the day of his resurrection the Lords day to be worshipped by man for the seventh day of his Evangelicall law And therefore to conclude this answer The seventh
new covenant obliging and commanding all the nations of the world to the Evangelicall worship of that day The Lords day did immediatly succeed the last formall Jews prophetical Sabbath The Lords day therefore is the decreed seventh day of the Evangelicall law of faith as man naturally descended of Adam is obliged to the Evangelicall law of God by the Lords immediate word of his new covenant obliging and commanding all the nations of the world to the Evangelicall worship of the Lords day 4. The word of eternall life which all men by the new covenant are obliged to believe to save them from the curse of the second death all the nations of the world are obliged to the Evangelicall worship of that word of eternall life The Lords day by the merit of his Evangelicall rest is the word of eternall life which all men by the new covenant are obliged to believe to save them from the curse of the second death All the nations of the world therefore are obliged to the Evangelicall worship of the Lords day 5. By the immediate power whereby the Lords day is the blessed and sanctified word or eternall life whereby the new covenant is immediatly established by that immediate power the evangelical worship of the Lords day is immediatly commanded implying the command of the whole Evangellicall law By the immediate power of the Lords merit by his Evangelicall rest and resurrection from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed the Lords day is the blessed and sanctified word of eternall life whereby the new covenant is immediately established by the immediate power therefore of the Lords merit by his Evangelicall rest and resurrection from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed the Evangelicall worship of the Lords day is immediatly commanded implying the command of the whole Evangelicall law 6. What the Lords new covenant doth oblige men to believe to save them from the second death The Lords day commands all men to worship for the only object of Christian faith The Lords new covenant doth oblige all men to believe the Lords day by the merit of his evangelicall rest to save them from the second death The Lords day therefore doth command all men to worship the Lords day by the merit of his evangelicall rest for the only object of Christian faith 7. By the onely blessing of which day all the Nations of the world doe live move and have the redeemed grace of being continued by the new Covenant all the Nations of the world by the Lords immediate word of the new Covenant are oblieged and commanded to the joyfull worship of that day By the onely blessing of the Lords day all the Nations of the world doe live move and have their redeemed grace of being continued by the new Covenant All the Nations of the world therefore by the Lords immediate word of his new Covenant are oblieged and commanded to the joyfull worship of the Lords day 8. The light of the sound of the word of which day doth necessarily imply the light and life of the whole word and law of God the whole Evangelicall commanded worship of God and all Christian Religion By the power of the sound of that word all men are commanded to the Evangelicall worship of that day The light of the sound of the Lords day doth necessarily imply the light and life of the whole word and law of God the whole Evangelicall commanded worship of God and all Christian Religion By the power therefore of the light of the sound of the word of the Lords day all men are commanded to the Evangecall worship of the Lords day 9. Without the only blessing of the sound of the word of which day there is no object for Christian faith By the immediate power of that dayes blessing all men are commanded to the Evangelicall worship of that day Without the only blessing of the sound of the word of the Lords day there is no object for Christian faith By the immediate power therefore of the Lords dayes blessing all men are commanded to the Evangelicall worship of the Lords day 10. Without the immediate power of the light and command of which day no man can either know or give obedience to any precept of the Evangelicall morall law of faith That is the necessary seventh day of the Evangelicall law of faith by the Lords immediate word of his new Covenant oblieging and commanding all the Nations of the world to the Evangelicall worship of that day Without the immediate power of light and command of the Lords day blessed and sanctified by his Evangelicall rest no man can either know or give obedience to any precept of the Evangelical moral law of faith The Lords day therefore is the necessary seventh day of the Evangelical law of faith by the Lords immediate word of his new covenant oblieging and commanding all the Nations of the world to the Evangelicall worship of the Lords day 11. To the faithful worship of which day only the blessing of the merit of the Lords Evangelicall 7th dayes rest is due by the law for the fulfilling of the whole Evangelicall law of faith All the Nations of the world by the Lords immediate word of his new covenant are oblieged and commanded to the Evangelicall worship of that day To the onely faithfull worship of the Lords day the blessing of the merit of the Lords seventh dayes Evangelicall rest is due by the Law for the fulfilling of the whole evangelicall law All the Nations of the world therefore by the Lords immediate word of his new covenant are obliged and commanded to the evangelicall worship of the Lords day 12. By the faithfull of which day the whole evangelicall law of faith is fulfilled that dayes worship is commanded by the power of the word of the seventh day of the evangelicall law of faith By the faithfull worship of the Lords day by faith in the Lords merit the whole evanglicall law is fulfilled The Lords dayes worship therefore is commanded by the power of the word of the seventh day of the evangelicall law of faith 13. By that day whereby the Lord by his resurrection from the grave victoriously triumphing over sin Satan hell the curse of the law and the power of the grave did clearly manifest himselfe powe life and light it selfe and in that power life and light Truth by his fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed and in that truth love and mercy to man and in that truth love and mercy Lord God and man in the three coessentiall distinct persons of the glorious Trinity All the Nations of the world by the Lords immediate word of his new covenant are oblieged and commanded to the Evangelicall worship of that day By the Lords day the day of the Lords resurrection from the grave the Lord victoriously triumphing over sinne Satan hell the curse of the law and the power of the grave did clearly manifest himselfe power life
and light it selfe and in that power life and light Truth by his fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed and in that truth love and mercy Lord God and man in the three coessentiall distinct persons of the glorious Trinity All the Nations of the world therefore by the Lords immediate word of his new covenant are oblieged and commanded to the evangelicall worship of the Lords day 14. By the truth of the Lords merit by which dayes evangelicall rest necessarily implying his bloody rest all the Prophesies prophesying of the comming of the blessed seed and all the Altars sacrifices types figures and ceremonies prefigurating his death from the foundation of the world are actually determined All the Nations of the world by the Lords immediate word of his new covenant are obliged and commanded to the evangelicall worship of that day By the truth of the Lords merit by the Lords dayes Evangelicall rest necessarily implying his bloody rest all the Prophesies prophesying the comming of the blessed seed and all the Altars sacrifices types figures and ceremonies prefigurating his death from the foundation of the world are actually determined All the Nations of the world therefore by the Lords immediate word of his new Covenant are obliged and commanded to the Evangelicall worship of the Lords day 15. By the truth of the Lords resurrection from the dead upon which day all men condemned by the curse of the law to eternall death for the sin of Adam are raised and reconciled to the love and favour of God for that sinne All the Nations of the world are obliged to the joyfull worship of that blessed day By the truth of the Lords ressurection from the dead upon the Lords day all men condemned by the curse of the law to eternall death for the sinne of Adam are raised and reconciled to the love and favour of God for that sinne All the Nations of the world therefore are obliged to the joyfull worship of the Lords blessed day 16. That day which the Lord rested from the fulfilling of the law that day was blessed sanctified and commanded by the power of the Lords merit of eternall life due by the law to the Lords fulfilling of the law The Lord rested his owne day from the fulfilling of the law The Lords day therefore was blessed sanctified and commanded by the power of the Lords merit of eternall life due by the law to the Lords fulfilling of the law 17. By the Evangelicall sound of the word of which day all Jewes and Gentiles were called and united in one Church of God by the new covenant All the Nations of the world are obliged to the joyfull jubilizing and worship of that blessed day By the Evangelicall sound of the word of the Lords day all Jewes and Gentiles were called and united in one Church of God by the new covenant All the Nations of the world therefore are obliged to the joyfull jubilizing and worship of the Lords blessed day 18. Without the knowledge of which day no man can know that he is a sinner against the Evangelicall law of faith or that he standeth in need of the Lords merit to save him from the curse of the Evangelicall law That day commands all men to the Evangelicall worship of that day and in that day to the obedience of the whole Evangelicall law Without the knowledge of the Lords day no man can know that he is a sinner against the Evangelicall law or that he stands in need of the Lords merit to save him from the curse of the Evangelicall law of faith The Lords day therefore commands all men to the Evangelicall worship of the Lords day 19. By the only literall light of the sound of the word of which day all the Nations of the world are literally led to the blessing of the Lords merit by his Evangelicall rest By the power of that word all the nations of the world are commanded to the Evangelicall worship of that day By the only literall light of the sound of the word of the Lords day all the nations of the world are literally led to the blessing of the Lords merit by his Evangelicall rest By the power therefore of the word of the Lords day all the nations of the world are commanded to the Evangelicall worship of the Lords day 20. By the only command of which day necessarily implying the command of the whole Evangelicall law the heart of the naturall man is moved to give morall obedience to the command of the Evangelicall law that day commands all men to the Evangelicall worship of that day and in that day the obedience of man to the whole Evangelicall law By the only command of the Lords day nenecessarily implying the command of the whole Evangelicall law the heart of the naturall man is moved to give morall obedience to the command of the evangelicall law The Lords day therefore commands all men to the evangelicall worship of the Lords day and in the Lords day the obedience of man to the command of the whole evangelicall law 21. With the standing or falling of which day the blessing of the Lords merit and the whole evangelicall law of faith doth necessarily stand or fall That is the decreed seventh day of the evangelicall law by the Lords immediate word of his new covenant obliging and cōmanding all the nations of the world to the evangelicall worship of that day With the standing or falling of the Lords day the Lords merit and the whole evangelicall law doth necessarily stand or fall The Lords day therefore is the decreed seventh day of the evanglicall law by the Lords immediate word of his new covenant obliging and commanding all the nations of the world to his evangelicall worship of the Lords day 22. Whom the Lord Jesus Christ by his immediate word did command to preach and teach the Evangelicall blessing of his merit whereby the Lords day is blessed and sanctified them the Lord Jesus Christ by his immediate word did command the Evangelicall worship of the day to which the blessing of his merit is only due The Lord Jesus Christ by his immediate Word did command the Apostles to preach and teach to all the nations of the world the Evangelicall blessing of his merit whereby the Lords day is blessed and sanctified The Lord Jesus Christ therefore by his immediate word did command the Apostles to teach and preach the Evangelicall worship of the Lords day to which the evangelicall blessing of his merit is only due And now to conclude lest I weary my Reader 23. That day of dayes that decreed day sealed by the precious blood of the immaculate Lambe which no power time or day can determine but the second coming of the eternall day when the mysticall members of Christ Jesus shall rest in their head crowned with an incorruptible crown of glory in the heauen of heavens eternally that is the true evangelicall seventh day of the law of faith by the new
the Theologicall Principle whereon the two first opinions are grounded which are flat repugnant to the twofold Theologicall Canon set downe in the tenth Chapter of the third book of the Theologicall Key and consequently to the whole written word of God CHAP. II. The absolute decree subverted THe third opinion concerning the sacreed decree of predestination is the fearefull absolute respectivelesse decree which according to the authors and maintainers is set downe after this manner God out of his alone inscrutable will and pleasure to be adored by man by his decree of predestination without all respect to the creation fall and redemption of man and without all subordinate respect whatsoever did decree from all eternity to elect a certaine number of men to eternall salvation and to condemne a certaine number of men to wit the rest of the world to the eternall torments of hell And because nothing can come to passe which must not fall under this irresistible decree therefore it is peremptorily affirmed that by this decree Adams will was necessitate to fall under the eternall curse of the law and in Adam all men created in Adam But we must likewise conceive by this opinion that though by this necessitating o the will of Adam Adam was irresistibly necessitate to fall under the eternall curse of the law yet Adam as he was man did likewise freely fall and this falling of man implying his creation is called by the Authors and maintainers of this opinion the execution of his decree of whom if we doe aske the efficient cause of the fall of man it is answered that it was the willing yeelding of man to Satans temptation but necessitate by this absolute irresistible decree Now because the impossibility of the necessitating of Adams will to fall under the fearefull eternall curse of the law by any act or decree of God whatsoever hath beene formally necessarily and demonstratively concluded in the second Chapter of the second booke of this tractâ—◠〈◊〉 contradictory to the written word and truth of God I must therefore without reiterating thereof thither remit the Christian Reader Next therefore it doth rest that this absolute decree be examined which wee will doe by looking thereon with the light of the truth of the sacred word that the Reader may see whether or not there was any such irresistible power in this decree to necessitate Adams will to such as fearefull fall being created in the state of such spirituall perfection as was equall to the perfection of the command of the law whereby he was oblieged though it was in the freedome of his election by the first Covenant to stand or fall at his pleasure or perill First therefore I say and doe boldly and peremptoâ—ily affirme that it doth transcend the power of the understanding of all the intellectuall creatures of God as farre as the absolute decree doth transcend all manner of respect to conceive what manner of God this should be who should decree such a cruell decree or to conceive the man who is pretended to be condemned by this decree to the eternall torments of hell which is the eternall curse of the law of God without respect to the merit of man by transgressing of the law Or to conceive that any man can be elected out of the alone free pleasure of God without respect to his mercy to man in his Son Christ Jesus by fulfilling of the law of faith By the conceiving of God therefore by this opinion First God must be conceived without respect to God as he is God of the law of righteousnesse and secondly and consâ—quently without respect to his justice For by this opinion man is condemned out of the alone pleasure of God without respect to the merit of man Thirdly God must be conceived by this opinion without respect to his attribute of Creator for such respect is subordinate to this absolute decree Fourthly God must be conceived without respect to his word and fiftly and consequently without respect to his law Sixtly by this opinion God must be conceived without respect to the creation of man to his owne Image as God from all eternity decreed to create man whereby man was to be enabled to fulfill the law whereby he was to be obliged by Covenant Seventhly by this opinion God must be conceived without respect to his Covenant whereby he did decree from all eternity to oblige both himselfe and man Eightly by this opinion God must bâ— conceived without respect to his omniprescience in his foreseeing of the inevitable fâ—ll of man under the eternall curse of the law Ninthly â—y this opinion God must be conceived without respect to the redemption of man from the curse of the Law decreed by God from all eternity Tenthly by this opinion God must bee conceived to elect man out of his alone pleasure without respect to the redeemed state of man from the curse of the law by the sacred bloud of the Sonne of God which in the order of causâ— is the immediate object of his election Eleventhly man by this decree must be conceived without respect to his creation or to his merit by his fall or to his redemption by the blood of Christ Iesus Twelfthly by this opinion man must be conceived to be elected without respect to the love and mercy of God to man in his Sonne Christ Iesus and to be condemned by the eternall curse of the law without respect to his merit by any transgression of the law All which respects are subordinate to this absolute decree which the decree doth transcend for it is out of the alone pleasure of God summounting all such subordinate respect And so much for my first affirmation Secondly I doe boldly and peremptorily affirme that man is to conceive and apprehend God only as he hath revealed himselfe to man by his sacred word and covenants established upon his severall seven dayes rest and not to prye saucily in the secret counsell of God and to imagine such a fictious opinion contrary to his word and truth and to obtrude the same to man for his sacred truth for by this opinion all the promises of salvation offered to all the Nations of the world by a world of frivolous distinctions are made onely to the elect and consequently this absolute decree is absolutely repugnant to the truth of the sacred word of God What is regestred in the sacred word of God wee may boldly conclude to bee decreed by God from all eternity but we must not imagine a decree to be decreed by God to constraine us to wrest the Scripture to maintaine the credit of any such imaginary opinion of man Thirdly I doe boldly and peremptorily affirme that the very tearmes whereby the authors and maintainers doe expresse this pretended absolute decree doth necessarily imply all the respects formally set downe by us For first in the naming of God we necessarily name God as God hath revealed himselfe to man which was first God of the law of
righteousnesse Creator by his word of the first seventh dayes rest Secondly God of the law of righteousnesse of faith in the promise of the blessed seed by the word of his Sabbaticall seventh dayes rest whereby God did manifest himselfe to man God in the three coessentiall distinct persons of the Trinity Creator and Redeemer of man first Prophetically by the woâ—d the Propheticall seventh day of the law then by the name of the Sabbath of the Lord And now Evangelically by the word of the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall law of righteousnesse of faith Secondly by the word of election which is onely in the Lord Iesus Christ the eternall Sonne of God God equall with the Father and holy Spirit the creation of man in the state of perfection the obliging of man to the first covenant the fall of man under the eternall curse of the law and the redemption of man from the curse is necessarily implyed Thirdly by the condemnation of man out of the alone pleasure of God to the eternall torments of hell which is the curse of the law both the merit of man by the transgression of the law and the justice of God by condemning of man are necessarily implyed So that this absolute pretended decree which the Authors doe obtrude to us as free from all respect by the very tearms whereby they doe expresse their imaginary decree is charged with all manner of respect subordinate to God and consequently there is a flat contradiction between the furmised opinion and the tearmes whereby the opinion is expressed The absolute decree therefore being repugnant to the literall light and truth of the word of the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall law of faith necessarily implying the literall light of all the severall word of the seventh dayes rest from the foundation of the world The absolute decree according to our twofold Theologicall Canon set downe in the tenth Chap. of the second book of our Theologicall key is a false and adulterous tenent of faith arising from the spirit of error This error doth proceed from the confounding of the immanent and transeant act of God which must no wayes be confounded for the immanent act of God being God himselfe essentially is only absolute necessary infinite and incomprehensible by the act of any created understanding And his transeant act is only free which as it is transeant and terminate to man it is onely by his word which is his law to man the image of his eternall life and light of righteousnesse necessarily implying the naturall life and light of the word for by the onely power of the word written in the heart of man man is inabled to understand God by the word of the seventh day of the law as God hath revealed himselfe to man by his severall seventh dayes rest from the beginning Now the surmised decree being absolute and without all subordinate respect it is pretended to be the immanent act of God but because the immanent act of God is infinite The maintainers of the absolute decree are constrained to expresse their imaginary opinion by the tearmes of the transeant act of God which is by his word for the salvation and damnation of man is the twofold reward of the word and law of God to wit the blessing and curse of the law Fourthly and lastly by the salvation of man out of the alone pleasure of God without respect to the Lord Jesus Christ the alone pleasure of God doth intervene between the faith of man and the Lords merit whereby the faith of man is overthrown and by the damnation of man out of the alone pleasure of God without respect to the merit of man the alone pleasure of God by the condemning of man doth intervene between the merit of man by the transgression of the law and the law whereby the justice of God is overthrowne Now though the fearefull unworthinesse of this miserable opinion doth not merit the refutation thereof by any Theologicall penne yet for the Readers satisfaction I thus demonstrate that such a pretended absolute decree never was or could be decreed by God 1. That absolute decree whereby God is affirmed to elect and condemne man out of his alone pleasure without all respect to God as he is God of the law of righteousnesse That decree never was or could be decreed by God By this absolute decree God is affirmed to elect and condemne man out of his alone pleasure without all respect to God as he is God of the law of righteousnesse This absolute pretended decree therefore never was or could be decreed by God 2. That pretended absolute decree whereby God is affirmed out of his alone pleasure to elect and condemne man without all respect to his subordinate word as his word is his law to man That decree never was or could be decreed by God By this absolute pretended decree God is affirmed out of his alone pleasure to elect and condemne man without respect to his subordinate word as his word is his law to man This absolute pretended decree therefore never was or could be decreed by God 3. That absolute pretended decree whereby God is affirmed out of his alone pleasure to elect man to salvation without all subordinate respect of his love and mercy to man in his Sonne Christ Jesus that decreee never was or could bee decreed by God By this pretended decree God is affirmed out of his alone pleasure to elect man to salvation without all subordinate respect of his love and mercy to man in his Sonne Christ Iesus This pretended absolute decree therefore never was or could be concluded by God 4. That pretended miserable absolute degree whereby God out of his alone pleasure is affirmed to condemne man to the eternall curse of the law without any subordinate respect to the merit of man by transgressing of his law That miserable decree never was or could be decreed by God By this miserable pretended absolute decree God is affirmed to condemne man to the eternal curse of the law out of Gods alone pleasure without all subordinate respect to the merit of man by transgressing of the law This miserable absolute pretended decree therefore never was or could be decreed by God 5. That pretended miserable absolute decree which is repugnant to his suordinate justice by his law of righteousnesse whereby he decreed from all eternity to oblige both himselfe and man That miserable decree never was or could be decreed by God This miserable pretended absolute decree is repugnant to Gods subordinate justice by his law of righteousnesse whereby he decreed from all eternity to oblige both himselfe and man This miserable pretended decree therefore never was or could be decreed by God 6. That miserable absolute pretended decree whereby it is affirmed that the will of man in his state of perfection was necessitate to fall under the fearefull eternall curse of the law contrary to Gods obliging of himselfe by his
first covenant to man That miserable absolute decree never was or could decreed by God By this miserable pretended decree Adams will in his state of perfection is affirmed to be necessitate to fall under the fearfull eternall curse of the law contrary to Gods obliging of himself to man by his first covenant This miserable pretended decree therefore c. 7. That miserable pretended decree whereby it is affirmed that the elect only are redeemed from the curse of the law for the sin of Adam by the sacred blood of the Lord of life and not all men naturally descended and to descend of Adam that decree never was or could be decreed by God By the maintainers of the absolute decree it is absolutely affirmed that the elect only and not all men naturally descended and to descend of Adam are redeemed from the curse of the law for the sin of Adam by the sacred blood of the Lord of life This absolute miserablee decree therefore c. 8. That miserable absolute pretended decree whereby all the gracious promises to salvation made by the new covenant to all the nations of the world are restrained to the elect only that miserable distracting absolute decree never was or could be decreed by God By this miserable pretended distracting absolute decree all the gracious promises of salvation made by the new covenant to all the nations of the world are restrained to the elect only This miserable distracting absolute pretended decree therefore never was or could be decreed by God 9. That absolute pretended opinion which is transcendent and repugnant to the joyfull light of the Evangelicall seventh dayes rest necessarily implying his blody rest That decree never was or could be decreed by God This absolute pretended decree is transcendent and repugnant to all such subordinate joyfull gracious light This miserable pretended transcendent absolute decree therefore never was or could be decreed by God 10. By that miserable distracting opinion whereby the alone pleasure of God doth necessarily interveen between the subordinate respect of the faith of man and the merit of Christ Jesus by his Evangelicall seventh dayes rest that miserable decree never was or could be decreed by God By this miserable distracting opinion of the absolute pretended decree the alone pleasure of God doth necessarily interveen between the subordinate respect of the faith of man and the merit of Christ Jesus by his Evangelicall seventh dayes rest this miserable opinion therefore by this absolute pretended decree never was or could be decreed by God 11. By that miserable distracting pretended absolute decree whereby the absolute alone pleasure of God is affirmed to interveen and come between the merit of man by the transgression of the law and condemnation of man by God to the eternall torments of hell such a miserable pretended distracting absâ—lute decree never was or could be decreed by God By this miserable distracting absolute pretended decree the absolute alone pleasure of God doth interveen and come between the merit of man and the transgression of the law Such a miserable distracting pretended decree therefore never was or could be decreed by God And so much for the third opinion concerning the sacred decree of predestination CHAP. III. The fourth assertion concerning the sacred decree of Predestination BEcause the fourth assertion concerning the sacred decree of predestination is so much oppugned by the maintainers of the absolute decree The fourth assertion thererefore shall be set down as I finde it set down by the oppugners of the assertion which is in this manner God in his eternall purpose hath decreed from all eternity to offer his gracious promises of salvation in his Son Christ Jesus lost in Adam in the state of corruption of which corrupted estate God hath decreed from all eternity to elect a certain number by predestinating them to be glorified with his Son Christ Jesus and to relinquish the rest in their state of corruption who because they do wilfulfully contemn the grace so freely offered God therefore hath most justly decreed to condemn them This assertion I do affirm by receiving of a safe instruction to be the true effect of the sacred decree of predestination as the decree is execute by the eternall word immediatly by his severall covenants made with man established upon his immediate severall seven dayes rest which is the reason that this opinion is so distastfull to the maintainers of the absolute decree being so repugnant to such false adulterous light for this assertion doth necessarily imply all the respects which are denied by the absolute decree First by this assertion contrary to the absolute decree Gods free purpose of the election of man is with respect of his love and mercy to man in his Son Christ Jesus Secondly contradictory to the absolute decree Gods condemnation of man is with respect to the finall contempt of man by his contenming of the gracious promises of salvation so freely offered by the new covenant Thirdly contradictory to the absolute decree by this assertion Gods free election in his Son Christ Jesus is affirmed to be with respect to the object of his election which in the order of cause is the state called by them the state of corruption to wit the state of man freed from the curse of the law for the sin of Adam shut up in spirituall darknesse By which estate of mâ—â— man being deprived of spirituall action because the best morall action of the natâ—â—â—ll man before he be regenerate must be actuall spirituall unbeliefe and sin therefore the action of man in this redeemed estaâ—e is said to be corrupted by reason whereof this estate of man is commonly called the state of corruption which estate doth necessarily imply First the creation of man in his state of perfection Secondly his obliging to the first covenant Thirdly the fall of man under the curse of the law by the first covenant Fourthly the redemption of man from the curse of the law for the sin of Adam shut up in spirituall temporall darknesse called unbeliefe and originall sin Fourthly contradictory to the absolute decree this assertion is with respect to the naturall and morall freedome of the action of the naturall man by the immediate act of the redemption without any manner of necessitating of the naturall or morall act of man by any decree of God For by affirming that the gracious promises offered by the new covenant are wilfully contemned by man this redeemed freedome of naturall and morall action of the naturall man is necessarily implied Fifthly contradictory to the absolute decree this assertion is first with respect to the subordinate obliging of man to the law of righteousnesse by the first covenant necessarily implied in the corrupted estate of man named by the authors of the last assertion Secondly the assertion is with respect to the new covenant for the Evangelicall promises of salvation are offered by the new covenant Sixthly contradictory to the absolute furmised decree by this
referred to man where we shall meet with the two like collaterall causes all which 4. Causes as they are effects they are al produced by one and the same next and immediate superior cause from whence we arise to the supreme cause of all By the last and lowest effect therefore of the new Covenant as it is referred to God God in his Son Christ Jesus doth oblige the naturall man in his redeemed state of natural and morall grace First and immediately to the Evanglicall faithfull worship of the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall law as the eternall word Christ Jesus hath revealed himselfe by his Evangelicall seventh dayes rest arising from his bloudy rest Truth in the fulfilling of his promise to man and in that truth God in the three coessentiall distinct persons of the glorious Trinity cleerely and Evangelically without all propheticall mystery or Ceremony Secondly God doth oblige the faithfull Evangelicall obedience of man to the command of his whole Evangelicall law of righteousnesse of faith implyed in the Evangelicall seventh dayes commanded worship both upon the eternal blessing of the Lords dayes Evangelical rest upon the mercilesse curse of the law of faith The immediate cause of Gods obliging of man thus by his new Covenant is Gods eternall purpose to manifest himselfe mercy and justice to man by rendring of the reward of his Evangelicall law of faith according to the faith of man obliged by his law The immediate cause whereof is Gods enabling of the naturall man with such freedome of naturall and morall grace as he is able to give morall obedience to his calling by the new Covenant without any manner of necessitating of his morall disobedience To the naturall mans finall perseverance in which morall obedience till Gods prefixed time of spirituall calling the spirituall grace of faith is due to the naturall man by Covenant whereby he hath the temporall blessing of the Lords dayes of Evangelicall rest in this life and eternal rest in the life to come The immediate cause of such naturall morall grace is the perfection of the redemption of man And here we fall in with the two former causes of the first covenant for both the creation and redemtion of man are by the same immediate cause we must therefore yet stop our resolution till we meet with the fourth colatorall cause arising from the new covenant as the new covenant is referred to man which must be likewise resolved both as the new covenant is fulfilled by man and as the new covenant is broke and transgressed by man The last and lowest effect of the regenerate man as he is obliged to the command of the law of faith by the new Covenant is the faithfull Evangelicall worship of the Lords day to whose thankefull faithfull worship the blessing of the Lords daies Evangelicall rest is temporally naturally and spiritually united in this life and eternally in the life to come as the temporall naturall morall blessing of the Lords daies rest is morally united to the morall worship of the naturall man The immediate cause of the regenerate mans faithfull worship of the seventh day implying his obedience to the command of the whole law is his spirituall faith The immediate cause of his spirituall faith is his love to spirituall righteousnes The immediate cause of his spirituall love is the sanctifying light of the holy Spirit enlightning his understanding by his spirituall calling in the immediate act of regeneration The immediate cause of his spiritnall calling is the finall perseverance of the naturall man in his morall obedience according to the word of promise Mat 13.13 whosoever shall endure to the end shall be saved This end to the naturall man is Gods prefixed time of spirituall calling for the naturall man by his spirituall calling being actually regenerate is saved by spirituall faith and consequently justified The immediate cause of the naturall mans finall perseverance in his morall obedience is first and immediately the perfection of the redemption and secondly Gods speciall free concursive grace in saving of the naturall man from being overcome by Satans temptations This immediate cause of the perfection of the redemtion doth fall in collaterally with the three former causes and so we have foure in number But yet we must not rise without resolution from these foure causes till the new Covenant be resolved as the law is finally contemned and transgressed by man obliged to the new Covenant The lowest and last effect to the Reprobate obliged to the new Covenant is his finall willfull obstinate contempt of the gracious promises of Salvation purchased by the sacred bloud of the son of God To the reprobates finall wilfull contempt whereof by his unthankfull merit the mercilesse curse of the law of fayth is eternally united whereby the reprobate is eternally condemned by God upon his eternall prescience of the reprobates finall contempt according to his eternall decree which is actually inflicted upon the soule of the reprobate so soone as he departeth this life and in the full extent both of soule and body in the great day while by the resurrection from the dead the soule and body being essentially reunited the curse of the Law in the full extent is actually and eternally inflicted upon man as he is man The immediate cause of the reprobates finall wilfull obstinate contempt is the hardning of his heart The immediate cause whereof is the reprobates wilfull impenitent obstinat continuance in all sin and wickednesse by his contemning of God in the contemning of his law and truth and of the professors of the truth The immediate cause whereof as the cause is externall is the objective temptations of Satan and of his wicked instruments whereby the reprobate is spiritually and morally corrupted from his childhood The immediate cause of the reprobates continuance in sin as the cause is internall is his wilfull yeelding to be induced by the temptations of Satan and of his instruments while there is nothing to necessitate his morall disobedience whereby the reprobate doth so wilfully ungraciously unthankfully and presumptuously contemn the blood of the new covenant Thus having the foure causes met together we are to ascend from the foure causes as they are effects produced by the next superior immediate cause to the supreme cause of all The immediate cause therefore of these foure severall effects as they are the immediate subordinate effects of the next and immediate superiour cause is Gods eternall purpose of the election of man in his Son Christ Jesus For the immediate object of Gods eternall purpose of election is the state of man redeemed from the curse of eternall death and darknesse shut up in temporall spirituall darknesse till he be regenerate For in this estate all men are equally redeemed from the curse of eternall death and darknesse for their sin in Adam all equally shut up in temporall spirituall darknesse all equally reconciled to the love and favour of God for that