that he may be meet for the masters use and prepared unto every good work I instance in some dark expressions on purpose to shew that even in them there is by interpretation an acknowledgment That we are elected by Father Son and Holy Ghost to Grace Peace and Glory and therefore ought to admire beleeve worship love obey all three Persons as one and the same God blessed for ever we must be holy before them in faith and love 2. If we consider our Creation we are created by Father Son and Holy Ghost as hath been proved and therefore we were created for the worship and service of all three The spirit of Elohim sate upon the waters hatched the world and all the beauty and glory of it 3. If we consider the vigorous providence of God all things are preserved upheld maintained ordered governed by Father Son and Holy Ghost the Holy-Ghost governs the Church and over-rules the world also 4. If we consider our fall and therein our abominable sin and the intolerable curse due unto it 1. Our sin which we committed in Adam the first sin it was a sin of cursed atheisme divellish pride unbelief rebellion apostacy a sinning sin because it did disable pollute infect poyson both our souls and bodies with originall and damnable corruption all sins against Father Son and Holy-Ghost proceed from this root of bitternesse 2. The curse due to this sin is intolerable unavoidable it is the curse of an Omniscient and Omnipotent God a temporal spiritual eternall Curse the Curse of the Father Son and Holy Ghost Men and Angels cannot help us we cannot be pardoned Redeemed Sanctified Adopted Comforted Saved but by the Father Son and Holy Ghost still this doctrine of the Coessentiall Trinunity must be preached and applyed for our spirituall and eternal good as will appeare by our following discourse 5. If we consider our effectuall vocation The father cals us in Christ by his Spirit speaking in Law and Gospel and working powerfully upon our consciences and hearts all three Persons do joyntly performe this saving work Shew which Person can be spared 6. Our Iustification is by the free-grace of the Father manifested in the Covenant of grace by the righteousnesse of Christ imputed by the Father and applyed by the Spirit our faith is grounded on the Testimony of the Spirit and wrought by the efficacy of the Spirit 7. Our Redemption is by the Father who gave us his Son by Christ who gave us himself by the Spirit who doth draw us unto Christ and puts us into the armes and bosome of our Redeemer We are redeemed from the guilt and punishment of sin more eminently by Christ but we are redeemed from the power and dominion of sin from our vaine conversation from this present evill world and tyranny of Sathan not only by the death resurrection and intercession of Christ but by the efficacy and power of the holy Ghost And it is to be observed that though Christ makes the Purchase yet the Spirit makes and gives the Assurance 8. Our Adoption is by all three The Father doth adopt us in Christ by the Spirit of Adoption 9. The Covenant of Grace is made and confirmed by all three 10. The Church is gathered instructed preserved saved by all three the Church enjoyes and maintaines spirituall and heavenly communion with all three in all Ordinances and duties 3 Cor. 13. 4 1. In hearing the word Father Son and holy Spirit do all teach us as hath beene proved at large John 6. 45. 1 Cor. 2. 13. Heb. 1. 1 2. Heb. 3. 7. 2. We are baptized in the name of all three devoted dedicated consecrated to the service of all three 1 Cor. 12. 12 13. Mat. 28. Tit. 3. 5 6. 1 Pet. 3. 21. Matth. 3. 11. Iohn 3. 5. Rom. 6. 3 4 5 6. we are adopted into the family of God that we may be married to the Son of God and made coâ—heirs with Christ in glory 3. In the Lords Supper the Father invites and entertains us gives us his Son for our Head Husband Saviour Feast and all Christ gives us his Body and Blood to nourish us and the Spirit enables us to receive this spirituall nourishment after a spirituall manner that we may thrive and grow thereby the Spirit mortifies our lusts strengthens our faith renews our repentance inflames our zeale pacifies our conscience purifies our heart assures us of the favour and love of God seals our pardon to us and seals us up to the day of redemption The love of the Father The Grace of the Son The Communion and Peace of the Spirit is so plentifully vouchsafed to experimentall Christians in this Sacrament that I may well subscribe Probatum est 4. In Prayer and thanksgiving we do manifestly hold Communion with all three First We pray to the Father in the name of Christ by the power of the spirit of supplication Ephes. 2. 18. 1 Cor. 1. 2. 1 Thes. 3. 11. Rom. 8. Gal. 4. 2 Thes. 2. 16. Rev. 1. 4. Secondly Our thankfull praises Eph. 3. 21. Ephes. 5. 18 19 20. are presented to all three 5. We keep a Sabbath to Father Son and holy Spirit all our Fiduciall breathings after God all our Penitentiall meltings before God our Obedientiall closing with God our pangs of love raptures of zeale extasies of joy do arise and spring from the beliefe and consideration of the rich grace tender mercies and sweetest love of our deare Father our beloved Saviour and our sanctifying Comforter Gal. 2. 20. Col. 1. 12. Ephes. 1. 3 5 6 11 13 17. Eph. 2. 4 5 6 8. 1 Pet. 1. 8. Every Lords day much more every Sacrament-day should be a sealing day a sanctifying day an edifying saving Sabbath God doth upon such daies take as wholy off from our own business that we might make it our only business to serve and enjoy God by maintaining an holy Communion with God in Christ by the effectuall working of the holy Ghost for a whole day together that we may in the close of the day attaine the end of our Sabbath-service which is a rest of complacency sweet content and full satisfaction in the armes and bosome of a Father a Saviour and a Comforter this this is to enjoy a Christian Sabbath The heathens knew something of a Sabbath The Jewish Holy days were Appendices to the fourth Commandement and therefore might be well taken off again the morall Commandement remaining entire For it is granted that they are taken off from the second Commandement and yet that remaines entirely morall and I beleeve it will be cleare to any man that studies the point that the Jewish holy daies did belong most properly and directly to the second Commandement Indirectly and but Reductively to the fourth because they were at most
his Father loves them and â—ears good wil to them The Father himself loves you Ioh. 16. 27 and Christ gave himselfe for to deliver us from sin and the World Death and Hell according to the will of God and our Father Gal. 1. 4. And God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever beleeveth c. II. God the Son is the object of our Faith Ioh. 14 1. Ye beleeve in God beleeve also in me even the very Jews did beleeve in God they who are Christians indeed beleeve in Christ also For this end the whole Gospel was written that men might be perswaded to beleeve that Iesus is the Christ the Son of God Joh. 20. 31 and that the belief of this grand point is necessary and effectual unto salvation is presently declared in the very same verse that beleeving ye might have life through his Name I0 â—0 31. And this is the record that God hath given to us eternal life this life is in his Son He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son hath not life These things have I written to you that beleeve on the name of the Son of God that ye may know that ye have eternal life and that ye may beleeve on the name of the Son of God Ioh. 5. 11 12 13. And if God give us an understanding to know this the knowing of beleeving and living in Iesus Christ the Son of God the true God will be effectuall unto life eternal And we know that the Son of God is come and hath given us an understanding that we may know him that is true and we are in him that is true even in his Son Iesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life 1 Ioh. 5. 20. It is for want of spirituall understanding if we do not discern that all our hopes of salvation are built upon the Sonship Godhead of Iesus we must beleeve in Christ as he is the naturall proper Son of God as he is the true God the self-same God with the Father 1. We must beleeve in Christ as he is the Naturall and Proper Son of God because this is exactly answerable to that deare and fatherly relation of God the Father of which we have discoursed so largely in this chapter For as we are encouraged to beleeve in God as the Father of Christ so are we encouraged to beleeve in Christ as the naturall Son of God and therefore I have purposely insisted on such Scriptures as do evidently demonstrate this truth That we are to beleeve on the name of the Son of God and to have life through his name 1 Joh. 5. 11 12 13 20. Joh. 20. 31. We are to beleeve in Christ as a Mediatour that our faith and hope may be setled in God Who by him do beleeve in God that raised him up from the dead that your Faith and hope might be in God 1 Pet 1. 21. Now the great encouragement to beleeve in Christ as an all-sufficient Mediator is this Iesus Christ is the naturall Son of God and therefore if Christ will but present us to his Father we are confident that the Son of God his natural Son his proper Son his only begotten Son will prevaile with his Father for us his relation to God and his interest in God doth assure us that the intercession of our High-Priest will be irresistible undenyable Christ glorified not himself to be made an High-Priest but he that said unto him Thou art my Son to day have I begotten thee As he saith also in another place Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchise dech Heb. 5. 5 6. We must for the understanding of this Scripture compare three places together Psa. 1â—0 1. 4. Psa. 2. 2 7 8. Heb. 7. 25 28. The Lord said unto my Lord sit thou at my right hand Thou art a Priest Psa. 110. 1. 4. The Lord said Thou art my Son ask of me Psal. 2. 7 8. Aske what thou wilt I can deny thee nothing thou art my Son it is thy birth-right to be a Priest and it is proper for a Priest to aske and intercede Other High-Priests were men of infirmity but the Son who is consecrated and perfected for evermore is able by his powerfull intercession to save those to the uttermost who come unto God by him Heb. 7. 25 28. Nay all the offices of Christ are grounded on his Sonship his kingly power Psal. 2. I have set my King c. Thou art my Son ver 6 7. His Propheticall power is grounded on his Sonship also Mat. 17. 5. And behold a voice out of the cloud which said This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased heare ye him I have promised that ye shall be all taught of God and therfore I send my own naturall Son to teach and instruct you he is the great Prophet and Tutor of the Church hear ye him and beleeve in him for he is the true Messiah who is to teach you all things and I haue sent him on purpose for to instruct you And this is the work of God that ye beleeve on him whom he hath sent Joh. 6. 29. But enough of this because I have spoken something of it already in the seventh chapter of this book and cleerly proved that Christ could not have gone thorough with any of his divine Offices if he had not been the Natural and Proper Son of God equal to God read Nathaniels Creed Ioh. 1. 4â— and Pauls life of Faith Gal. 2. ver 20. 2. We must beleeve in Christ as God the self-same God with the Father When we know Christ to be God we must glorify him as God by beleeving in him Now I have by many undenyable Arguments proved Christ to be God and therefore I may safely conclude that we ought to beleeve in him as God for cursed is he who beleeves in an arme of flesh When Peter preached to Cornelius he told them that Jesus Christ was Lord of all Act 10. 36. Iudge of all ver 42. And that all the Prophets gave witnesse to him that through his name whosoever beleeveth in him shall receive remission of sins ver 43. I need say no more but this He that abideth in the Doctrine of Christ he hath both the Father and the Son The second Epistle of Iohn the ninth verse Every tongue must confesse that Iesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father Phil 2. 11. The Father is glorifyed in the Son Joh 14. 13. And the Son is to be glorifyed in all them whom the Father hath given him Iohn 17. 10. and Christ is to be glorified by their beleeving in him Joh. 17. 23. And the Father himselfe loves them because they beleeve in the Son Joh. 16. 27. And he who honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father Joh.
This only true God who is God by nature doth subsist And if we will seek after him we shall finde that he doth not subsist very far from any of us Act. 17. 27. But the Godhead doth not subsist out of the Father Sonne and Holy Ghost For all the fulnesse of the self-same Godhead is in every one of the three and therefore the name of God is attributed to every one of the three in holy Writ 1. To the Father Rom. 7. 25. Rom 8. 3. 2. To the Sonne Act. 20. 28. Tit. 2. 13. 1 Tim. 3. 16. 1 Tim. 6 15 16. 3. To the Holy Ghost Act. 5. 3 4. Ps. 95. 3. 8 9 compared with Heb. 3. 1 Cor. 3. 16 17 Heb. 1. 1. compared with 2 Pet. 1. 21. 1 Cor. 12. 5 6. And when the name of God is specially attributed to the Father in regard of order and that gracious dispensation which is by consent of all three vouchsafed for our salvation the Son and Spirit are not excluded as we shall prove at large in this very Chapter 1. The eternal Godhead doth subsist in the Father for we read of his subsistence Heb. 1. 3. Christ is the expresse image of his Fathers subsistence or person as we do commonly translate the word but I do not hear that any but grosse Atheists have been so bold as to deny the subsistence of God the Father and therefore I need not superadde any thing to so plaine a Text. 2. The same Godhead doth subsist in the Lord Jesus who is equall to the Father because he doth subsist in the nature of God Phil. 2. 6. The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is best rendred subsisting in that place because there is a comparison there between two subsistences or persons the Father and the Son and therefore the Son counts it no robbery to be equal with the Father because he subsists in the nature of God He hath the same Divine nature the same Godhead with the Father all the fulnes of the Godhead dwells truly really bodily in the Son for Body is opposed to shadow Nay it may be rendred thus The Godhead dwels personally in the Son for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth many times signifie a person and therefore some learned men take 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be as much as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All the fulnesse of the Godhead dwells really in the subsistence or person of the Son Col. ◠9. Christ is the illustrious brightnesse of his Fathers glory the lively character of his Fathers subsistence or person Heb. 1. 3. Christ is not the character of his own subsistence but of his Fathers subsistence and therefore the Sonne hath a peculiar subsistence distinct from the subsistence of his Father Christ is the expresse image of his Fathers person and therefore the person of the Son is distinct from the person of the Father for no person is the image or character of it self Concerning the word Subsistence or Person I shall speak fully in the two next Chapters and make it evident that the Divine subsistences or Persons do infinitely excell the subsistences or persons of Men and Angels In the mean time I shall clearly prove that the Godhead doth subsist in the Son and Holy Spirit The Godhead doth subsist in Jesus Christ who was before the beginning Ioh. 1. 1. Was doth note what is past therefore had his being before the begining of time And that his eternall being is a divine being is clear because eternal and because it is not only said that he was with God before the beginning but he was God and therefore it doth clearly follow that Iesus Christ is the same eternall God with his Father for it is impossible that there should be more then one God as I shall clearly demonstrate before I conclude this Chapter I wonder at the impudent blasphemy of some who pretend to be Saints in these dayes of errour and vanity and yet are bold to affirm that they themselves are as well and as truly God as Jesus Christ because it is said that they have their being in God Act. 17. 28. are partakers of the Divine nature 2 Pet. 1. 4. and are one with Christ Joh. 17. 21 22 23 26. I shall intreat the men of this perswasion to consider that Jesus Christ is over all God blessed for ever Rom. 9. 5. God manifest in the flesh 1 Tim. 3. 16. The blessed and only Potentate the King of kings and Lord of lords who only hath immortality c. to whom honour and power everlasting is ascribed 1 Tim. 6. 16. He is the great God Tit. 2. 13. The true God 1 Joh. 5. 20. Dares any mortall man lay claime to these titles and this honour To which of the Saints or Angels did God say at any time Thou art my sonne the heire of all things the illustrious brightnesse of my glory and lively character of my person Thy throne O God is for ever and ever and all the Angels of God shall worship thee Heb. 1. These things are so cleare and plain that I am even almost ashamed to write more upon this Argument and yet I am encouraged and even provoked to proceed Jesus Christ was the Wonderfull Child a Child and yet a Father the Father of Eternity a Child and yet a Councellour the wisest of all Counsellours for he is Wisedome it self a Child and yet a God a mighty God Isa. 9. 6. Certainly this one Text is sufficient to put them to the blush who presume to compare themselves with the Lord Jesus the mighty God Iehovah is a Title proper and peculiar unto God Isa. 43. 11 12. Jehovah is the only Saviour the only God Psal. 83. 18. That men may know that thou whose name alone is Iehovah art the most High over all the earth But the Lord Christ is Jehovah and therefore the Lord Christ is God Jehovah sits on a Throne in majesty and glory Isa. 6. 1 3 5 8. but the Lord Christ is this Iehovah as the Apostle assures us Ioh. 12. 41 42 The Lord Christ is that Iehovah to whom every knee must bow as appears by comparing Isa. 45. 21 22 23 24 25. with Rom. 14. 9 10 11 12. and Phil. 2. 6 9 10 11. The like is cleare by comparing Psal. 102. 19. 22 25 26. with Heb. 1. 10 11 12. Once more compare Num. 14. 26 27. with 1 Cor. 10. 9 10. Num. 21. 6. And hence it is that Christ is so gloriously described Rev. 1. 5 6 7 8. He is Alpha and Omega the beginning and the ending which is which was and which is to come the Almighty And therefore he is Jehovah For the Apostle doth in that place and so to the end of that Chapter insist upon these and the like expressions which do comprise in them the sense and meaning of that divine and glorious Title of Iehovah I might farther insist upon this argument and
exclude false gods but I say it doth also deny Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost to be different Gods other gods from God the Father because they are one and the same God with the Father as is evident in those two places 1 Iohn 5. 7. 20. cited before Those learned men doe well to exclude false gods the Socinians do ill to exclude the Son and Spirit who are the same God with the Father onely doth exclude every false god but the Son and Spirit are as the Father is the onely true God blessed for ever The term onely doth not exclude any Divine person but it doth exclude all and every one of the creatures because every Divine person hath the same Divine nature but no creature is capable of the Divine nature unlesse we do understand it as 2 Pet. 1. 4. is to be understood of the image of God or having such an interest in the Divine Attributes that God will exercise and put forth his wisdome power and all for their everlasting good and be himself their all sufficient reward portion and objective happinesse And it is to be observed that the termes Only and True are both applied to the same part of the Proposition namely to the Praedicate alone 5. This is life eternall to know thee But the Text saith This is life eternall to know Iesus Christ also that is this is the way and meanes for the obtaining of eternall life and this is the beginning of eternal life to know believe love and obey Jesus Christ. But eternall life is perfected by knowing of God in heaven not by faith but by sight Now eternall life doth not consist in the knowledge belief or love of any meer creature and therefore the Godhead of Jesus Christ is proved out of this very Text which they urge who deny his Godhead to justifie their blasphemy in the denial of it 6. Eternall life doth consist in knowing of Jesus Christ whom God hath sent to be our Mediatour and this eternall life will be perfected in heaven when the mediation of Christ will have an end and therefore it is the knowing of and believing in this Mediatour as God satisfying for us which makes us happy for he doth perfect the work of Mediatour as God by his eternall Spirit that is his divine nature Heb. 9. 14. and by the bloud of God Act. 20. 28. By the sufferings of the Lord of glory 1 Cor. 2. 8. for he obtained eternall redemption for us by vertue of his eternall spirit Heb. 9. 12. 14. 7. To know Jesus that is to know him as a Saviour as one that saves us from our sins is to know him as a God as one God with his Father as the true God the only God according to that which we read Isa. 43. 10 11 12 25. that ye may know and believe and understand that I am he I even I am Iehovah and beside me there is no Saviour And Isa. 45. 21 22 23 24 25. There is no God else beside me A just God a Saviour there is none beside me Look unto me and be ye saved all the ends of the earth for I am God and there is none else to me every knee shall bow in Jehovah have I righteousnesse In Iehovah shall the seed of Israel be justified Compare this with Rom. 14. 10 11 and the Socinians may as safely conclude that theâ—e is no other God but Jesus Christ as they maâ— conclude that there is no God but God the Father from the 17. of Iohn But they and we ought to conclude from these and the other Scriptures mentioned before that Iesus Christ is not a different God from his Father but is one and the same God with him These exclusive and restrictive Terms One and Alone c. doe not then exclude any of those three who are one in nature and essence though they differ in their manner of subsistence for I cannot conclude from that â—ext 1 Cor. 8. 6. To us there is but one God the Father c. that the Father only is God no more then I can conclude from the words following in the very samâ— verse and one Lord Jesus Christ that Christ only is Lord and so exclude the Father from Lordship as the Socimans would exclude the Son from the Godhead 1 Tim 6. 14 15 16. is urged by some to prove that Jesus Christ only hath immortality but they dare not conclude from thence that God the Father is not immortall I read Mat 23. 10. One is your Master even Christ but I must not conclude that the Father is not our Master for the Father teaches Ioh. 6. 45. and the Holy Ghost was Doctor Master Teacher even to the Apostles themselves Ioh. 14. 26. Ioh 16. 13. If that Text 1 Tim. 6. 15 16. be meant as some conceive it is of God the Father yet I find the same Titles given to Jesus Christ Rev. 19. 16. and therefore I conclude That both are one and the same immortall God and King 1 â—im 1. 12 16 17. 1 Joh. 5. 20. I read 1 Cor. 12. 4. That the same God worketh all in all v. 11. that one and the self same Spirit worketh all but I dare not conclude from thence that the Spirit only is God and that the Father and the Sonne work nothing at all From these and many other such like expressions we may safely conclude 1. That these terms one and only are not alwayes universally exclusive in the Scripture sense if all circumstances be duly considered and the Scriptures rightly compared 1 Cor. 9. 6. I only and Barnabas The word only doth not exclude Barnabas but include him Barnabas was joyned with Paul but Jesus Christ is more nearly joyned with the Father Ioh 8. 9. Jesus was left alone but the woman was with him all that were for her condemnation are excluded 1 King 12. 20. There are two exclusive termes There was none followed the house of David but the Tribe of Iudah only and yet the Tribe of Benjamin adhered to David as you may read in the next verse But surely the Father Son and Holy Ghost are more closely united then the Tribe of Iudah was with the Tribe of Benjamin Deut. 1. 36. None should see the good Land save Caleb but Iosuah is joyned with him v. 38. and therefore he was not excluded You see here is some union or conjunction still between the persons that are included but there is the highest union nay unity between the Father Sonne and Spirit because these three are one in nature and that nature most simply single and singularly one 2. When the term Only or any the like term is applied to the Divine nature or to any Divine Title Attribute or Work the Father Son and Holy Ghost being one in nature cannot be divided or separated by that exclusive terme though there is a personal difference between them and a speciall order
and dispensation to be observed amongst them as we shall hereafter prove But the intent of the Holy Ghost is to exclude all that are not Gods by nature as the Apostle speaks Gal. 4. 8. from the Godhead and from laying any claim to the naturall Attributes of God or pretending to do any work that is proper and peculiar to God The true and living God is opposed to Idols 1 Thes. 1 9. But Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost are to be acknowledged and served as oneâ— rue and living God with the Father The living God the God of truth and King of eternity is opposed to those counterfeit Gods Jer 10 11 12. And therefore when the Apostle saith There is no other God but one 1 Cor. 8 4. He tells you whom he doth exclude such as are but conceited gods so called and so reputed equivocal gods v. 5 6. The Lord Jesus and the Holy Ghost are God by nature the same God with the Father and therefore they are not excluded In like manner when it is said that Iehovah alone did lead the people in the wildernesse and condâ—ct them unto Canaan that exclusive particle is put to exclude strange gods such as were then idolized but were indeed no Gods as is most evident Deut. 32. 12. So Iehovah alone did lead him and there was no strange god with him but these strange gods who are here excluded were no gods as is cleare by comparing the 16. and 21. verses of the same Chapter I have already proved that the title of Iehovah is given both to Christ and the Holy Spirit and therefore when it is said Iehovah alone did lead them in the wildernesse the Son and Spirit are not excluded for the Spirit did instruct and guide them in the wildernese Nehem. 9. 20. and the Spirit did instruct their teachers also but they rebelled against the Spirit Isa. 63. 10. And Iesus Christ the Angel of Gods presence was present with them to guide them Exod 23. 21. The Name of God and the Nature of God is in him for he is to pardon sin or punish as â—e pleases Our Saviour is called The onely Lord and The onely wise God Iude Epistle in the 4 and 25. verses but the Father is not thereby excluded from being God for he is the onely wise God also 1 â—im 1. 17 and therefore by the same reason the Father is the onley true God and the Son and Spirit are the very same onely true God also When our Saviour presses that Text Mat. 4. 10. Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve he doth not exclude himself or the Holy Ghost for both are to be worshipped with divine worship as hath been already proved at large in this very Chapter Many other proofs might be produced from other Scriptures and divers other arguments colleâ—ed from the 17. of Iohn to prove that Jesus Christ is not excluded from being the same only God with his Father To know Christ who is God and annointed of God Heb. 1 8 9 Psal. 45. To know Christ whom thou hast sent Eâ—go he was a divine Person before he was sent to take the humane nature and he had eternal glory with his Father before the world was Iohn 17. 5. Naâ— his calling of God Father makes him equall with God nay he is not only equall to but one with his Father Ioh. 5. 18. Ioh 10. 30. Moreover if the Father have not a divine and eternal Son how is he a divine and eternal Father Finally if the Father Son and Holy Ghost are not all three the same true God there is no God for these three are one and therefore all three are one God or else there is no God at all from whence it will follow that if we will be Socinians we must be Atheists The Son and Spirit have the same nature with the Father and therefore if his nature be divine so is theirs CHAP. V. The Manner of GOD'S Being or Subsisting in the Father Sonne and H. Ghost is the best manner of Being that is or can be and the single Godhead is thereby thrice illustrious throughout the woâ—ld HItherto we have contended for the truth of this Divine Being or Subsisting Now â—e shall demonstrate the excellency thereof God is made known to us as the everlasting Father of our Lord Iesus Christ and is to be adored worshipped as the Father of our Lord Iesus Rom. 15. 6. Ephes. 1. 3. 2 Cor. 1. 3 If God had been the Father of men and Father of Angels only and not the Father of our Lord Jesus he would not have been so exceeding glorious as now he is for Angles have but a sinite excellency but when he begets a Son equall to himself without any change in himself and the begetting of this glorious Person is as eternal as the divine nature it self This mysterie is exceeding glorious and admirable and like the Godhead incomprehensible Moreover the Lord Iesus Christ his own Son Rom. 8. 32. and his only Son begotten by eternal generation Ioh. 1. 14. being the illustrious brightnesse of the Fathers glory and the expresse character of his subsistence is so exceeding glorious that the most glorious Angels above are commanded to adore and worship him Heb. 1. 3 4 5 6. For to which of the Angels said God at any time Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee And therefore when he brings his first-begotten and his only begotten Son into the world he saith And let all the Angels of God worship him Behold how the Godhead shines gloriously not only in one single Person but in Father and Son both by this manner of subsistence that every tongue may confesse Iesus Christ to be God and Lord to the glory of God the Father And therefore the Father is not lessened or robbed of his glory by the glory of his coequal Son Phil. 2. 6. 11. but there is a pious acknowledgment made of this glorious mysterie which doth very much redound to the glory of God the Father For by this meanes God the Father is acknowledged to be the First personall Principle subsisting of himself and by himself for he received not his subsistence from any other and he gives subsistence unto two glorious Persons equall with himâ—elf The Socinians seem to be very zealous for the glory of God the Father and therefore they deny the Godhead of Christ and the Holâ— Spirit to the glory of God the Father as they pretend but the Scripture teaches us the contrary namely to confesse the Godhead of Christ and the Holy Spirit to the glory of God the Father For it doth exceedingly redound to the glory of the Father that he gives subsistence unto two glorious Persons who are equall to himself and yet receives no subsistence from them or any other For as the Father hath life in himself so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself Joh
5 26. There is a subsisting life given to the Son by an eternal generation and the Father hath life in himself and self-subsistence also And yet on the other side it is no dishonour to the Son to be begotten of the Father and to receive subsisting life from the Father for the Son hath life in himself also and being God of himself quickens whom he will by his divine power even as the Father doth for he hath the very same power and will which the Father hath because they have both one and the same divine nature and therefore the Jewes did conclude aâ—ight when they said that our Lord Iesus made himself equall with God by saying he was the Son of God Ioh 5. 18. It is no dishonour to Jesus Christ to receive subsisting life in such a glorious way from the â—ather as that he is equall with the Father nay one with the Father and therefore is to be worshipped with one and the same worship with the Father with divine and spiritual worship inward and outward worship the worship of our bodies and soules of our whole man For all men are bound to honour the Son as they honour the Father Joh. 5. 23. And let all Socinians take speciall notice of what followes He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him Joh. 5. 23. â—et them not then pretend that they dishonour the Son by denying his Godhead to the glory of God the Father for the Father will maintain and vindicate the honour of his first-begotten and only begotten Sonne And let them diligently consider that Text in the 2. Epist. of Iohn Whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God he who abideth in the doctrine of Christ he hath both the Father and the Son It is for the honour of our great Ruler Iesus Christ that he was begotten from the dayes of Eternity Mic. 5. 2. Finally it doth much redound to the glory of the Father and the Son that both do concur to give Subsisting life to the Coequal Spirit by Eternal Spiration The Father and Son do both breathe forth this glorious Spirit The Spirit of Elohim of both Persons Gen. 1 2. The Spirit that proceeds from the Father Ioh. 15. 26. is sent by Christ from the Father and the Spirit is given by Christ. Christ breathed upon the Apostles when he gave the Holy Ghost to them to shew that the Spirit was breathed forth by himself as well as from the Father Ioh. 20. 22. And he is often called the Spirit of the Son The Holy Ghost doth receive of that which is Christs as well as the Fathers Ioh. 16. 14 15. and Christ is glorified by the Spirit Ioh. 16. 14. as the Father is glorified by Christ. For Christ receives from the Father the Spirit from Christ what they both reveale to the Church of Christ. Nor is it any dishonour to the Spirit to proceed from the Father and the Son in such a glorious way as to be equall with them nay one with them 1 Ioh. 5. 7. For all the Churches of Christ are obliged by the first Sacrament of Christianity to honour the Holy Ghost with their bodies and souls which are his holy temple as they honour the Father and the Son The Spirit of â—ehovah is the God of Israel 2 Sam 23. 2 3. The Holy Ghost as he is one God with the Father and the Son hath an infinite essence which doth exist of it self though as he is the third Person he hath not subsistence from himself but by Emanation Procession Spiration from the Father and the Son and yet both concurre to build a Temple to the Holy Spirit that he may be worshipped as God These three Father Son and Holy Ghost do take mutual delight content and satisfaction in one another The distinction between them is not Absolute but Relative only they do mutually subsist in one another and all of them subsist in the same glorious Godhead which Godhead dwells equally in its fulnesse in all three and is as truly the nature of the Holy Ghost as it is the nature of the Father and the Son And this Divine nature is infinite not included in or excluded from any place The Divine works whereby the glory of the Godhead is so much manifested unto 〈◊〉 are performed by the Godhead subsisting in the Holy Ghost as well as in the Father and the Son For all the works of God upon or about the Creature for their creation sustentation or regulation are inseparably united as â—ugustine often argues and the schoolmen from him All things are of the Father by the Son and through the Spirit 1 Cor. 8. 6. Iohn 5. 19. Iohn 1. 3. Gen. 1. 2. 1 Cor. 12. 11 13. Ephes. 2. 18. so that by the majesty of all three shining in the Word and the joynt concurrence of all three in every work that is properly Divine the Godhead is made thrice illustrious thorowout the world and yet the Godhead remains singly and singularly one in all three Subsistences Finally the Naturall and Infinite perfection of the Godhead requires this wonderfull Communication of Subsistence by the Father as the First Personall principle to the Son and by the â—ather and the Son to the Holy Ghost For it is most certain that God is not capable of any other being or any other maner of being or subsisting then what he hath for he hath the best being that is nay the best that Can be because the being of God and the manner of being or subsisting of the Godhead in these three Father Son and Holy Ghost is infinitely perfect and there can be no better being or manner of being or subsisting then that which is perfect infinite and infinitly perfect The Father did not Arbitrarily beget his Sonne nor did the Father and the Sonne Arbitrarily concur in breathing forth the Holy Ghost but the Naturall and infinite perfection of the Godhead did require this wonderfull communication of it self because such is the Naturall perfection of the Divine Nature or Godhead that it could not be fully communicated unlesse subsistence were communicated by the Father to the Son and by both to the Spirit for their mutuall Eternall Infinite satisfaction and delight and therefore the Father did not beget his Son nor did the Father and Son breath forth the Spirit Arbitrarily but Naturally and Necessarily though Voluntarily for the Eternall satisfaâ—â—ion of all three Susistences that the whole Godhead might be in every one of these three according to its infinite perfection and all three subsist in the unity of the Godhead and dwell in one another mutually possess love glorifie one another from everlasting to everlasting because all three are Coessential Coequal Coeternal every one of the Persons the third as well as the first being God by Nature Gal
have been but there is no reall thing in God which might not have beene 2. There can be no reall relation between two extremes one of which two extremes is unchangeable and the other might not have been 3. God was not in any passive Potentiality or Power before he did create the world to receive any reall act because he is really a pure act and it is evident that a new reall relation is a kind of act wherof the pure single perfect and unchangeable essence is uncapable 4. Our weak understanding comparing God with the creatures is apt to frame many denominations which according to the manner of signifying seem to import as if God were in potentiâ ad multa yet if we do consider the thing signified as we ought in a way agreeable to the pure single and infinite Perfection of God we shall find that these are but extrinsecall denominations This point is much beaten upon by the most acute Schoolmen and Writers of Metaphysicks and therefore I need not insist upon it only observe that when I say created persons are distinguished by a heap of Accidents I do not mean that a person is made compleat in his subsistence by any Accident or an heap of Accidents for I have refuted that conceit in this present chapter pag. 73. I hasten to the eighth Difference VIII Humane Persons with whom we are best acquainted may exist in a very different time as well as in different places some lived before some since the flood some before the Incarnation others since the Death and Resurrection of our Lord and Saviour but herein all agree that time is the measure of them all their duration is very imperfect their duration is not always contemporary never Coessentiall But all three uncreated Persons are Coeternal because they are Coessential because they have the same divine eternal Essence Angels are said to have an eternall duration but they are not eternall in the same sense that the Father Son and Holy Ghost are Eternall 1. Because they were created Coloss. 1. 16. and therefore did begin to be they have not as the Schools say an interminable or interminated duration à parte ante 2. If they had been created from eternity yet they could not have beene esteemed Coeternall with their Creatour who did create them out of nothing and did not beget or breath them forth in the unity of his own divine Essence 3. There can be no lesse then an infinite difference between the finite dependent changable defective duration of an Angel and the infinite independent immutable duration of these three uncreated and all creating persons who are one independent unchangeable eternall infinite God the eternity of the three glorious persons is interminable indefectible immutable 4. If Angels had been created from eternity yet they would not have been essentially or intrinsecally eternall because their essence doth not include any repugnancy to an actuall beginning 5. If Angels had been created from eternity yet God might have annihilated them afterwards and then they had actually ceased to be 6. Although they were not actually annihilated yet the very possibility of being annihilated is enough to prove their duration terminable changeable defectible and therefore though they had been created from all eternity they would not have been coeternall with their maker nor would three Angels have been coessentially coeternall with one another 7. If Angels had been created from eternity they would have been eternall not by any intrinsecall or naturall duration as hath been proved and therefore they would have been eternall only by an extrinsecall denomination taken from the Eternity of God 8. Upon consideration of the Premises many Reverend Doctours of the Church conclude that Angels are eternall only à parte post and they are eternal à parte post not by their own nature but by the free favour and appointment of God and therefore there is an infinite difference between the duration of these three uncreated persons and the duration of the most glorious Angels in Heaven Angels are muâ—able and God is free Agent both in respect of Creation and in respect of preservation and therfore God and Angels are not Coeternall as the Peripateticks dreamt God did voluntarily engage himself to create and preserve Angels by his own Decree and therefore that subordinate aeternity which they have à parte post is vouchsafed unto them by the free and undeserved favour of God For as Damascen saith well whatsoever had a beginning would soon have an ending if he who gave a beginning to it by his infinite power should think fit to suspend his upholding and preserving influence or put forth his Almighty and irresistible power against it in a destructive way I will not take this faire occasion to speak of the acts or motions of Angels to make this difference seeme greater for that which hath been said is suâ—â—â—cient to make it evident that Angels do not coexist with God the Father with the same duration wherewith God the Son and God the Holy Ghost do coexist with him because these three coessentiall persons are Coeternall they are all three one God who is his owne Essence his owne Eternity The Scripture calls the God of Israel the Eternity of Israel 1 Sam. 15. 29. and Aristotle calls him life it selfe the best life an Eternall life that hath neither beginning nor ending nor succession and therefore it is evident that he did not beleeve God to be subject to change or variation God is saith he a self-sufficient and eternall life God is truly self-sufficient because he is alsufficient he is infinite in perfection and therefore infinite in duration his infinite perfection and duration is nothing else but but his infinite Essence and this infinite Essence is the self-same in all three Coessentiall Coeternall and Coequall persons as hath been proved And therefore we have good cause to rejoyce and triumph in this glorious difference between created and uncreated persons Give me leave to sweeten this dispute with some devotion We have an everlasting Father an everlasting Saviour and an everlasting Comforter and we have good cause to lay a charge upon our immortall souls to blesse praise all three Coeternal persons for their eternall love our eternall redemption and salvation Praise the Lord O my soule while I live will I praise the Lord whilst I have any being will I sing praises to my God and put confidence in him for with the Lord there is plenteous and eternall redemption But O put not your trust in Princes nor in those sons of men in whom there is no salvation for their breath goeth forth they returne to their first earth and in that day all their thoughts and counsels perish Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help whose hope is in the Lord his God which made heaven and earth the sea and all that therein is
most wonderfull and glorious way Now it is cleare that the Father did not beget himselfe and therefore the Son is another Person truly distinct from the Father and yet equall to the Father because he is begotten in the Unity of the same Godhead and hath life in himselfe John 5. 26. the living Essence of God who is life it selfe being communicated to him by an eternall generation The unbegotten Father is clearly distinguished from the only begotten Son But I dare not say as some do that the Father is Active and the Son Passive in this eternall generation because this generation is eternall For nothing which is eternall can be truly said to be in a Passive Power to any thing much lesse can it be said to be in a Passive Power to be The Son hath life in himselfe is life it self hath life essentially and as he is the same Essence with the Father is of himselfe and hath all that is essentiall from that very Essence but that Essence is communicated to the Son by the Father and therefore the Son is said to receive all from the Father But then we must consider that the Son receives nothing from the Father as from an externall cause but as from an intrinsecall Principle rather the cause for the Son doth not depend upon the Father as an Effect upon its Cause And I call the Father an Intrinsecall Principle of the Sons Subsistence because the Father doth beget the Son of and in himself in the unity of the same Godhead their Divine Nature is one and the same and their Persons are Coequall and Coeternall because they are Coessentiall This is the very Mystery of Mysteries which corrupt and wanton Reason derides but prudent Faith admires and adores The Socinians tell us that they cannot beleeve that the Father did beget a Son of his owne substance because God is eternall and unchangeable the single essence of God is indivisible and being most singularly one is incommunicable part of the Divine Essence could not be communicated say they to the Son because the essence is impartible indivisible and the self same whole Essence cannot be communicated because it is most singularly one and therefore incommunicable Essentia quae est una Numero est incommunicabilis To this grand Objection I shall return a plain Answer out of pure Scripture and deliver it in certain Propositions or Conclusions that the Answer may be more direct cleare and satisfactory Conclusions concerning the eternal generation 1. The Father did beget his Son the Father himself bears witnesse to this truth and his witnesse is full and clear and true Jehovah hath said unto me Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee Psal. 2. 7. Nay the Father declares this truth to men and Angels as a Practicall truth that they may direct and regulate their worship according to this Mystery The Apostle proves that Christ is more excellent then Angels because he hath a more excellent Name then they For unto which of the Angels said he at any time thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee And again I will be to him a Father and he shall be to me a Son Hebr. 1. 4 5. Here 's a double proof of the point he hath a more excellent name because he is the Son of God in a peculiar sense and hath the divine nature communicated to him as shall be fully proved ere we conclude this point for the name of Son is not an empty Title he hath the divine nature of his Father in him Now that he is the Son of God is testifyed again and again saith the Apostle verse 5. And he begins the sixth verse thus And again c. You see how he doth inculcate this point how he beates upon it again and againe and the reason is because this truth is Fundamentall both of Faith and Worship as is most evident in the sixth verse of that chapter And again when he brings in the first-begotten into the world he saith And let all the Angels of God worship him Hebr. 1. 6. You see this Mystery of the unbegotten Father and the only begotten Son is held forth to men and Angels in order to worship that their worship may be directed to Jesus Christ as the Son of the living God and to God the Father as the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ. God declared this truth after a glorious manner from heaven that it might be more diligently considered And lo a voice from heaven saying this is my beloved Son Matth. 3. 17. when he was baptâ—zed and the like we read of when he was transfigured in the presence of the Disciples in the holy Mount And the Apostle doth take notice of these solemne declarations from heaven and layes them down as Fundamentals of the Christian Religion 2 Pet. 1. from the 16. verse to the twentieth All the glorious Miracles wrought by our Saviour Iohn 5. 36 and his resurrection from the Dead bear witnesse to this fundamental truth that Christ is the first begotten and the only begotten Son of the living God be pleased to compare Acts. 13. 32 33. with Romans 1. 4. and it will be evident that he was not made but onely declared to be the Son of God at the time of his Resurrection 2. The Father did beget his Son from all eternity before his works of old I saith the Son who is the wisdome of the Father was set up from everlasting when as the highest part of the dust of the earth was not made when he prepared the heavens I was there c. Prov. 8. from 21 verse to the 31. his goings forth were of old from the dayes of eternity Micah 5. 2. Iohn 1. 1. 2 3. he was with God he was God before the beginning he had glory with his Father before the world was Iohn 17. 5. Relata simul sunt 3. The Father did beget his Son in the unity of the Godhead the Scripture speaks expressely that Christ is the Proper or Naturall Son of God he spared not his own Son or his Proper Sonne Rom. 8. 32. God is the Father of Christ his own Father Iohn 5. 18. the Iewes did well understand the importance and force of that expression for say they in that he said God is his own Father he hath made himself equall with God and therefore that Phrase doth import that he is the Naturall and Coessentiall Son of God else he could not be Coequall with his Father Iohn 5 18. Philip. 2. 6. All those Texts which prove that Christ is God and that there is but one God do prove that Christ is the Naturall and Coessentiall Son of God God hath but one Coessentiall Son to whom he hath given to have life in himself Iohn 5. 26. because the Divine Nature which is life it self is communicated to the Son by this eternall and ineffable generation It is proper to living
creatures to communicate their nature by generation in their low and imperfect way but the great God who is not subject to imperfection doth after the most glorious and perfect manner beget a Son in the unity of his own living Essence who is therefore called the Son of the living God that is the Naturall and Coessentiall Son of God who hath the same Divine Life Nature Essence with the Father and therefore Peter is so highly commended for confessing that Christ is the Son of the living God Blessed art thou saith our Saviour for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee but my Father which is in heaven upon this fundamentall truth Christ hath built the Christian Church as on a Rock Matth. 16. 16. 17 18. He who hath life in himself is the Naturall and Coessentiall Son of the living God he hath the same Will Power Nature Essence Life with his Father Iohn 5. 18 26. Iohn 16. 15. Iohn 10. 30. 1 Iohn 5. 7. The same single and infinite Essence is in Father Son and Holy Ghost the whole undivided and indivisible Essence of God dwels in the Son in its fulnesse and infinite perfection Coloss. 2. 9. 4. The Father did beget his Son without change or motion after a most glorious and wonderfull manner there can be no change motion or succession in this eternall and most perfect generation The Essence of God is spirituall Iohn 4. 24. and therefore the Son is not begotten of the Fathers seed or any materiall substance because God is a single and pure Act who doth beget a Son within himself Essentially one with himself and therefore his Sonne doth not subsist out of himself John 14. 10. Iohn 10. 30. for an infinite nature cannot be poured forth beyond it self There can be no essentiall change in the Son by this generation because the generation is eternall and the nature which is communicated by generation is unchangable the Father did unchangably beget his Son and his Son is unchangably begotten there is no shadow of changing or turning either in the Father of lights or the Son of righteousnesse because they are one and the same unchangable Jehovah Iames 1. 17 Malach. 3. 6. They are too carnall and base who make an unworthy and odious comparison between the material generation of a weak man and this more then spirituall and supernaturall generation The eternall and unchangable Father doth beget an eternall and unchangable Son according to the perfection of his eternall unchangable infinite nature The Father doth beget his Son naturally and therefore in a way agreeable to his unchangable Nature if the Son were not necessarily begotten his being would not be necessary and then his Essence would not be divine V. Jesus Christ is truly and properly the onely-begotten Son of God and therefore the only Naturall Son of God Jesus Christ is called the Son of David according to his humane nature but the Lord of David and the Son of the living God according to his divine nature as appeares by our Saviours discourse with the Pharisees Matth. 22. from the 41. verse to the 46. And the Jewes sought to kill Christ because he called God his proper Father as appears by the originall text for our English translation doth omit that most observable Emphasis the words are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iohn 5. 18. and Christ is called Gods proper Son 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 8. 32. and the Apostle gives the reason why he is called the proper Son of God in a more excellent way then the most glorious Angel is the Son of God because Christ is begotten by the Father but the Angles were only created by him observe the words of the Apostle For unto which of the Angels said he at any time Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee so that the proper reason why he is called the proper Son of God is because he is begotten of God there is the most excellent reason why Christ is said to obtain a more excellent name then Angels Christ was begotten in the unity of the Godhead and therfore he alone is properly the Son of God with a supereminent excellency The Angels are not such excellent sons as Christ is 1. Because Christ is begotten of God v. 5. 2. Worshipped by Angels with divine honour worshipped as God v. 6. 3. He hath the Throne Scepter Kingdom of God v. 8. 4. He hath the soveraign and proper Title of God v. 8. 5. The Attributes of God eternity v 8 10 â—1 12. 6. He sits at the right hand of God v. 13. All these excellencies are due to Christ as the proper Son of God Hebr. 1. wheras the Angels the most excellent sons by creation are but ministring spirits From theâ—e proper and excellent reasons we infer that Christ is the only proper or naturall Son of God because he is the only-begotten Son of God We saith Iohn beheld his glory As of the only begotten Son of God The word As is not assimilative but declarative and demonstrative in that place for it doth declare to us that the glory of Christ is agreeable to his divine nature he being the only naturall Son of God because he is the only begotten Son of God just as if when we see a King sitting in his Royall robes on his Throne with a Crowne on his head and a Scepter in his hand we should say now we see him as a King that is now he is like himselfe his state is agreeable to his Majesty even so was the glory of Christ which the Apostles beheld agreeable to the majesty of the only begotten Son of God Iohn 1. 14. and therfore the word As was not inserted tanquam terminus diminuens to diminish the glory of the only begoten Son of God for the word As is left out in the 18. verse of this very chapter The only begotten Son which is in the bosome of the Father Iohn 1 v. 18. The Scripture doth abound with several expressions to the same purpose But we are specially to observe that the only begotten Son of God is propounded to us as the object of saving Faith and therefore this point ought to be diligently studied and considered by us For so God loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever beleeves in him should not perish but have everlasting life John 3. 16. The Socinians observing how much it concernes us to stand stedfast and not yeeld one whit of ground in this point have tryed their wit to deceive and seduce us and therefore they object Isaac is called the only Son of Abraham Gen. 22. 2. 12. To this we answer without any great study That Isaac was the only Son which Abraham had by Sarah he was the onely begotten Son of the Promise though Ismael was the son of Abraham by Hagar the bond-woman in an unworthy and dishonourable way and therefore this example will
Sabellians and Arrians do acknowledge to be the true God but this is spoken of Christ saith Saint Iohn chap. 12. 41. These things said Isaiah when he saw his glory and spake of him But the Holy Ghost hath his share in this prophesie Acts â—8 25. therefore they who beleeve both â—estaments must concluâ—e that the Father Son and the Holy Ghost are one and the same God Finally the Personall actions and properties of these three declare them to be distinct persons therefore it is easie to conclude that Father Son and H. Ghost are three distinct persons and yet one and the same God That the Spirit is a person of the Godhead hath been proved in the fourth chapter of this Book That he is a distinct person from the Father and the Son is most clear by that which hath been said both in that chapter and in this and all those places might be heaped up which prove the personal appearance of the Spirit when he did assume the shape of a Dove and appeared as in Tongues of fire his teaching leading acting ruling comforting distributing of gifts and the like together with the several phrases of him in Scripture and frequent joyning him with the Father and Son as their equall in power and authority in bestowing all spiritual and eternall blessings do evince the same The notes of distinction Another even the Spirit These three c. The change of the gender in relative Articles which must necessarily be referred to the Spiâ—it is very considerable But I have said more then enough upon this point and therefore proceed to make the distinction of these three uncreated persons yet more evident V. These uncreated persons are sufficiently distinguished by their Order The Scripture doth most commonly place the Father first in order the Son second the Holy Ghost third when all three are named and by the inward and personall actions which have been mentioned it doth appear that this is the Naturall Order of these uncreated Persons for the Son cannot be placed in Order before the Father because he is naturally begotten of the Father the Holy Ghost cannot be placed in order before the Son because he doth naturally proceed from the Son this is the proper and natural order Basil the great in his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 complains that some in his time did place the Son in order before the Father and the Holy Ghost before the Son that they might gain some advantage by that device Basil tels them that he had received order from the Lord to Baptize in the name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost and therefore was resolved to preserve that order 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 inviolable notwithstanding any devices or attempts for to prevent it When the Witnesses in Heaven are reckoned up in a businesse of the highest consequence they are reckoned in this very order 1 Iohn 5. 7. The Father the Word and the Spirit But it is confessed that sometimes it is most agreeable to the scope and purpose of the Holy Ghost to place the Son before the Father as appears 2 Cor. 13. 13. Gal. 1. 1. and hence it is likewise that the Holy Spirit is sometimes placed before the Son as Revel 1. 4 5. and sometimes before the Father and the Son 1 Cor. 12 4 5 6. But the natural order doth not overthrow either the equality or coeternity of the Persons nor doth that order of Enumeration which is pro instituto overthrow the natural order and both do sufficiently prove the distinction of the three uncreated Persons VI. The Divine Persons are sufficiently distinguished by their Personal Properties The property of the Father is to subsist of himself that is to receive subsistence or subsisting life from none but himself I shall not enter into that sad dispute whether this Personal Property be Absolute or Relative whether 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth not import something as Positive and absolute as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is pleaded that the selfe subsistence of the Father is not his Fatherhood and that that rule is beyond dispute Habere subsistentiam à se non dicit respectum ad Aliud vel Alâ—um And therefore I humbly offer it to the consideration of the learned whether that self subsistence whereby the first person is dâ—stinguished from the Son and the Spirit be Absolute or Relative I will not take upon me to determine any thing in so deep a point or suffer my reason to wax wild and wanton in discoursing of so great a mystery and therfore though there be something hinted which may amount to a videtur quod sic in the behalf of the lesse common opinion in the 142 age of this book and it is clear that all three Persons are nothing else but the Godhead considered with all absolute and Relative perfection yet I conceive it safest to wave that point and conclude with that learned divine Nos fidelem ignorantiae professionem temerariae assertioni praeferendam judicamus Whether then this self-subsistence be Absolute or Relative it is enough for our present purpose to prove that the first Person of the Godhead is distinguished by his self-subsistence from the blessed Son and holy Spirit The self-subsistence of the Father is Incommunicable It is proper and peculiar to the first Person to have subsistence from none but himselfe and to be the first Personal Principle which gives subsistence to the other two coessentiall and coequall persons The Son receives subsistence from the Father the Spirit receives subsistence from the Father and the Son as hath been proved above and therefore this self-subsistence doth make a very remarkable and undeniable difference between the Father and the two other uncreated Persons Some learned men have from hence inferred that because the Father alone hath subsistence from himselfe therefore the Father alone is God of himself But the consequence is absurd for they do not distinguish between the Essence of God the peculiar subsistences in the Godhead The Essence of God is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and is one and the same in all and every one of the uncreated Persons it is if I may so speak a self-essence and essence it selfe a self-Deity because every one of the Persons is truly properly essentially God God himselfe and therefore if the Essence of the Father be a self-Deity so is the Essence of the Son and Spirit The Divine Essence of the Son is not begotten caused produced any more then the Essence of the Father the subsistence of the Son is begotten but not caused the Divine Essence is communicated to the Son but it is not begotton by the Father for the Father doth communicate that selfe same Divine and entire Essence which is in himselfe by begetting the personal subsistence of the Son in the Unity of the Godhead from the dayes of eternity Christ is not God by grace but by nature and the Will of the Father did not precede and
his people from their sins The first of these Propositions cannot be refused because it is grounded upon clear Scripture and he who rejects a point of the least concernment which he knowes to be revealed in Scripture doth not indeed and truth beleeve and embrace any truth at all no not truths which are of the highest concernment upon the right ground and true reason namely because God hath revealed them to us in the holy Scriptures of truth A Fundamentall point is of such high concernment that whosoever is ignorant of it is condemned for his meere Negative Infidelity and whosoever doth refuse to beleeve it is condemned for his Positive Infidelity because he rejects a truth delivered upon the Authority of God and a truth so highly credible that it is necessary to be known and beleeved for his own salvation Our Faith Piety Hope Charity Salvation are all grounded upon these necessary and Fundamentall truths Those truths or points of Doctrine are Fundamentall without the plaine and expresse knowledge whereof we can neither savingly beleeve in Christ nor rightly worship God in Christ to the obtaining of eternall life The Grand Mystery of three Divine and Coessential Subsistents in the single Godhead is a Fundamentall point I desire to make this point very plain 1. For the satisfaction of the weak 2. Information of the ignorant 3. Conviction of the obstinate 4. Edification of the meek and humble It is most cleare and evident that it doth highly concerne Christians to acknowledge 1. A Deity against the Atheists 2. The Unity of this Deity against the Pagans 3. A Trinity in this Unity against Turks Jewes Heretiques both Ancient and Modern We must 1. Know 2. Beleeve 3. Acknowledge 4. Worship 5. Obey 6. Trust to and depend upon three Persons and one God Our blessed Lord in that excellent prayer of his which is most largely recorded Iohn 17. saith That this is life eternall to know the Father the only true God and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent ver 3. This Text hath been opened and vindicated at large in this Book already from the 44. page to the 54. and therefore I shall make quick work now and desire you but to compare this Text with 1 Iohn 5. 20. We are in him that is true even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternall life both texts tell us that it is eternall life for to beleeve that the Father and the Son are the only true God and therefore this is a fundamentall point And the Scripture speakes expresly that these three the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost are one one God for the witnesse or testimony delivered by these three is the witnesse of God 1 Joh. 5. 7. 9. But it is objected by some that the words These three are one 1 Joh. 5. 7. are not to be found in some ancient Copies and therefore it will not be safe to build a point of such weight and consequence upon such a weake foundation To which we answer It is true that these words are not to be found in the Syriack Edition but they who speake most modestly do acknowledge that the Syriack Edition is not Authentick Learned Heinsius is much offended with that Edition as appeares by his Annotations upon 1 Ioh. 5. 7. And if we consult the Scriptures and compare this Text with the following Verses and with some other places of Scripture which are more plaine and then adde the testimony and Interpretations of the ancient and Reverend Doctors of the Church concerning the words in question we shall be able to passe a right judgement upon the point in hand 1. The equality of the Number of witnesses suites very right three witnesses on earth and three in heaven 2 The opposition between the quality of the witnesses witnesses on earth and witnesses in heaven and yet their sweet harmony and agreement in one testimony all six beare witnesse to one and the same truth 3. The diversity of the very nature of those three who beare witnesse on earth and the unity of their divine nature who bear witnesse in heaven is very considerable and it is excellently expressed in the variation of the Phrase These three are one ver 7. and these three agree in one namely in one testimony ver 8. Though their Nature be different yet their Testimony is the same But it is objected that the Complutensian Bible saith of the heavenly witnesses that these three agree in one ver 7. I humbly offer this satisfaction to pious and learned men That we have good reason to beleeve that there is an imprudent addition in the Complutensian Bible rather then an omission of so many ancient and approved Bibles and therefore it is fit that that addition should be expunged out of that one Copy by the concurrent testimony of so many Copies Moreover it is cleer by the joynt testimony of other Copies that the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are omitted in the 7 ver and the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 belong to the eight verse and therefore there is an inexcusable omission and an imprudent transposition in that corrupt edition But then it is farther objected that these words These three are one are wanting in some other Greek copies for answer I proceed in my observations 4. If we look upon the Scripture account in other places we shall find it exactly agreeable to the account in this place 1 Ioh. 5. 7. In the eighth of Iohn our Saviour pleads that two witnesses in Law were sufficient for the proof of any point Joh. 8. 17. and in the tenth verse saith he I am one and my Father that sent me is another they are two witnesses and yet but one God I and my Father are one Joh. 10. 30. One in power and therefore one in nature He speaks not of the spirit because Christ was not yet glorified nor was the Spirit yet manifested by that eminent and glorious mission and effusion which was to follow after the Ascension of our blessed Lord. But he did foretell that the third witnesse was to be sent from the Father by the Son Joh. 15. 26. But when the comforter is come whom I will send unto you from the Father even the spirit of truth which proceedeth from the Father he shall testifie of me I might adde to these testimonies all other places of Scripture wherin all the three witnesses are named together and then produce all the places which have been formerly cited in this booke to prove the coessential Trin-unity of those heavenly witnesses 5. The copulative And in the beginning of the verse 1 Ioh. 5. 8. doth very fitly connect the whole seventh verse with the eighth as they are printed in our ordinary translation 6. Hierome doth assure us that the words in question were expunged by the Arrians because these few words do hold forth an undeniable proofe of the divine and
brings in a Christian Catechising the heathens in the Doctrine of the Trinity 3. The forme of Baptism strictly observed in the Churches notwithstanding the great ignorance and contention in the East and the grand Apostacy in the West doth sufficiently prove that this Doctrine of the Trinity had taken deep root in the minds of men and that they were by the providence and speciall grace of God very diligent and faithfull in communicating of it to their posterity from time to time 4. The Doxology or as some call it the Hymn of glory doth evince the same and therefore the Arrians endeavoured to make an alteration in the Doxology and instead of saying Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy-Ghost they said Glory be to the Father By the Son and In the Spirit from whence we may observe by the way that if we suffer the Fundamentall Doctrine of our Faith to be corrupted we shall not be able to preserve the Fundamentals of our worship pure and uncorrupt 5. The Form of Apostolicall Benediction which stands upon record 2 Cor. 13. 14. doth cleerly hold forth the Doctrine of the Trinity to be a Fundamentall both of Faith and Worship And all who desire the grace of our Lord Iesus Christ the love of God the communion of the Holy-Ghost for their everlasting comfort salvation must beleeve and adore all three as onâ— God blessed for ever 6. All who beleeve in God are commanded to beleeve in Christ as God as one and the same God with the Father Ye beleeve in God beleeve also in me Joh. 14. 1. They are commanded to honour the Son as they honour the Father Joh. 5 23. And therfore the Doctrine of the divine person of Christ as Coessential with his Father is a Fundamentall both of Faith and worship 7. The Doctrine of the incarnation of the Word the naturall and proper Son of God the Doctrines of Christs satisfaction of our Redemption and justification by Christ as an all-sufficient Saviour are Fundamentall Doctrines necessary to be known beleeved and embraced for our eternall Salvation for we know the blood of a meere man cannot give satisfaction to the justice of God for those grosse affronts injuries and abuses which have been offered by man to the infinite Majesty of God The Church of God is purchased with the blood of God Act. 20. 28. And if Christ hath not redeemed the Church with the blood of God then the Church is not redeemed your Faith and our preaching are both vain because you and we are yet in our sins for then God hath not received satisfaction for our sins nor a sufficient ransome for our souls If the Son of God did not take flesh then was not God manifested in the flesh then the whole mystery of godlinesse which should be without controversie great and precious in the eyes of Christians will be cheap and vile and of no account for the whole mystery of godlinesse 1 Tim. 3. 16. depends upon the manifestation of God in the flesh Now the divine person of the Son took flesh the person of the Father was not incarnate 8. It is not enough to beleeve that the Son of Mary is risen from the dead we must beleeve that the Son of God is risen Rom. 1. 3 4. It is Iesus our Lord that rose for our justification Rom. 4. 24 25. Rom. 10. 9. 9. It is not sufficient to beleeve that there is a man sitting at the right hand of God we must beleeve that Iehovah sits there Psal. 110. 1. Mat. 22. 43 44 45. And the like must be said of our Advocate he must be such a one as can plead the worthinesse of his person the merit of his obedience and sufferings one who is able to save us to the uttermost Heb. 7. 25. 1 Ioh. 2. 1. 2 One who can plead with some Authority Majesty Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am Ioh. 17. 24. He speaks with Authority I will he speaks like a Coessentiall and Coequall person and it is for the glory of the Father to beleeve that the Father is in the Son and the Son in the Father that the Son is Lord equal to the Father Ioh. 14. 10 11. Phil. 2. 6 11. Many arguments more might be collected from divers places of Scripture cited above in the fourth chapter of this book and I shall enlarge upon this argument in the ninth Chapter 10. The Holy Ghost is the same God with the Father and Son the same object of divine Faith and Evangelical worship the same Author of the Scriptures and all-saving Grace Mat. 28. 19. 1 Cor. 12. 6. 11. 2 Cor. 13. 14. Through the Son and by the spirit we have accesse to the Father Eph. 2. 18. All Church administrations are to be performed in the power of the Holy Ghost and are made acceptable by the merit of the Lord Iesus Christ. If we will heare the Spirit speaking in the Scriptures to the Churches if we feel the Spirit Sanctifying of our hearts if we do not desire to undermine the foundation of the Christian Church and so overthrow the Church of Christ if we do not renounce our Christian Faith and our Baptisme the Sacrament thereof if we do not reject the fundamentall blessing the best portion of our selves and little ones the grace of Christ the love of God and communion of the Spirit why then I beseech you as the Apostle doth for the Lord Iesus Christs sake and for the love of the Spirit Rom. 15. 30. and for the glory of God the Father Phil. 2. 11. that you will beleeve adore embrace love and obey the Father Son and Holy Ghost as three Divine and Coessentiall Subsistents in the single God-head as one God blessed for ever the adaequate object and Authour of your Faith hope love and happinesse I do not desire to obtrude any thing upon the acutest disputant as Fundamentall that is curious or unnecessary Nay there are many things necessary for the maintenance of â—his truth and refutation of contrary errors when we are to deal with subtile Hereticks which I do not set before the common people as food fit to nourish them and for that reason I do desire them that they will look upon much of my sixth chapter and of some other chapters in this booke as â—t for the direction of young Scholers in this weighty point for I find young wits apt to be seduced by Logicall subtilities or rather fallacies Metaphysical notions Poetical raptures nice distinctions and vaine curiosities from the simplicity of the Gospel of Christ and therefore I have taken some pains in divers chapters but specially in the margine for the direction of hopefull youths who have been too often entangled and ensnared by Socinian fallacies and at last tempted into loud and hideous blasphemies We do therefore lay down these plain truths as necessary to be known and beleeved for the
and perseverance victory and triumph This is the life of God or that godly life to which the Ephesians were all strangers till they had learned the truth as it is in Iesus Ephes. 4. 20 21. And how come we to be quickned to this Godly life but by being begotten of the Father Iam. 1. 17 18. borne of the Spirit Ioh. 3. 6. and hearing the voice of the Son of God Ioh. 5. 25 26 When we have learnt of the Father and are drawne by the Spirit we come unto the Son who is the way the truth and the life Ioh. 6. 44 45. Ioh. 14. 6. And how is this Spirituall life maintained but by the Supply of the Spirit of Iesus Christ Philip. 1 19. Let us take the whole frame of a godly life to pieces and view every part and Spring and wheel and pin and then put it together againe and then we shall be able to judge what effectuall influence these three Coessentiall persons considered as one and the same God or as three distinct persons subsisting in the single God-head have into the Practicall Mystery of Godlinesse and Power of Religion The Doctrine of Godlinesse containes 1. Our Faith in God 2. Worship of God 3. Obedience to God 1. Our Faith in God I have spoken of this grand Mystery of Faith and shewn that it is necessary to be known and beleeved in the eight Chapter at large But I shall now treat of it in a more practicall way Adam in his Innocency was bound for to beleeve in the Father Son and Holy Ghost who are one Almighty God Creator Upholder and Governour of Heaven and Earth Self-sufficient and All-sufficient blessed in and of himselfe the only cause and adaequate object of the blessednesse of his creatures Adam was created by all three after the Image of all three for God said Let us make man in our Image after our likenesse Gen. 1. 26. and therefore we cannot conceive but that all three were revealed to Adam that he might know and beleeve in all three surely Adam was better Catechized then Jews Turkes and Pagans are in this great point and therefore did know beleeve and Worship all three There is no question but he entred into Covenant with all three and therefore beleeved in all three I cannot beleeve that two of the Divine Persons had no worship or service from Adam their creature before his fall And doubtlesse Adam knew whom he beleeved and whom he worshipped as his Almighty Creator and All-sufficient God Adam under the first Covenant was bound to beleeve in the second Person as God but not as God-man the Mediatour betwixt God and sin full man Adam did owe the right of subjection to all three from whom he received the Honour of Dominion The world was made for man man for the honour and glory of Father Son and Holy Ghost Adams originall righteousnesse did incline and enable him to beleeve in all three and surely Adam understood that severe rebuke which was given him presently after his fall Gen. 3. 22. And the Lord God said Behold the man is become as one of us But because I will forbeare disputes I will not proceed further upon this Argument The Faith of Christians delights to exercise it selfe upon God the Father Son and holy Spirit God the Father is pleased to be our Tutor to condescend so far as to teach us and oportet discentem credere Schollers must beleeve their teachers It is written in the Prophets and they shall be all taught of God Every man therefore that hath heard and hath learnt of the Father cometh unto me Ioh. 6. 45. We must beleeve the Record that God the Father gives of his Son 1 Ioh. 5. 10. When we look upon God as the father of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ look upon him as our God and Father in Christ these neer and deare relations do encourage us to beleeve him and beleeve in him to beleeve his truth to beleeve his love his fatherly tender bowels do perswade and even constraine us to fix our beleife and place our confidence in God the Father The heires of Promise have good encouragement to beleeve their Father who gives them all they have and hope for when he declares the immutability of his Counsell in a faithfull promise and confirmes it by an unchangeable Oath Heb. 6. 17 18. Surely the Father will not deceive his owne children of their Inheritance which he hath made over to them by promise and Oath this is the ground of all our hope and comfort we may safely cast Anchor here Heb. 6. 18. 19. In the Old Testament the Covenant runs in the names of Abraham Isaac and Iacob but in the New Testament it runs in the name of Christ there we read the God of Abraham Isaac and Iacob but here we read God our Father the God and Father of our Lord Iesus Christ that is our God and Father in Christ and for Christ our Father because Christs Father Grace be to you and peace from God our Father and blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Iesus Christ who hath blessed us with all Spirituall blessings in heavenly things in Christ Ephes. 1. 2 3. We cannot but look up with Faith and confidence to the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ and our Father as the fountaine of all blessing the fountain of grace and peace and glory This deare Fatherly relation of God to Christ and in Christ to us is sometimes darkly intimated and but hinted and sometimes cleerly fully expressed to encourage our Faith The Disciples were very sad because they heard our Saviour speak of going to his Father go saith Christ to my brethren and say unto them Ioh. 20. 17. What should Mary say for their consolation was it enough to tell them my Lord is alive and calls you his brethren no that were too darke an intimation and therefore our Saviour gives her her message in words at length Go to my brethren and say unto them I ascend unto my Father and your Father and to my God and your God Joh. 20 17. here 's an Evangelical ground of faith hope and comfort in the time of the saddest distresse The great Argument used to encourage poor trembling beleevers to come to Christ when they have interrupted their fellowship with God the Father Christ and the Holy Comforter by any grievous wounding sinne is this If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Iesus Christ the Righteous God is a Father both to us and our Advocate therefore renew the sense of your justification by faith at a Ihrone of Grace you see our faith is encouraged in the saddest tryals by this Argument The Father of our Lord Iesus Christ is the Father of mercyes and the God of all comfort 2 Cor. 1. 3. the fountaine of grace and peace Rom 1. 7. Gal. 1. 3. Iesus Christ make it his oâ—â—inesse to perswade poor tempted soulâ—s to beleeve that
Arminians the constant enemies of the Grace of God should consider that the Pelagians the advocates of Free-wil and corrupt nature were confounded with those plain Scriptures which were urged by the Councels of Carthage Milevis Orenge and Holy Augustine in his fragrant works The Socinians the enemies of the onely true God Father Son and Holy Ghost should consider that the Arrians were overthrown by the Scriptures in the Nicene councel and by the godly Pastours of the Church who instead of broken Scriptures which the Arians urged with as much fraud as the devil did Mat. 4. produced plain Scriptures and the whole Series of both Testaments and so did invincibly refute their blasphemous errours The Libertines who claym a liberty of publishing damnable Heresies and blasphemies under pretence of Prophesying might learn that where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty true liberty but no where else for he who protends to speak by the Holy Ghost and yet denies Iesus to be the Lord doth at once blaspheme Christ and the Holy Spirit and is an Anti-spiritual Lyar an Antichristian Blasphemer and hath neither Father Son nor Spirit dwelling in him For he who speaks by the Spirit doth acknowledge Jesus to be the Lord 1 Cor. 12. 3. And he who denies the Son hath not the Father Who is a lyer but he who denies that Iesus is the Christ He is Antichrist who denies the Father and the Son whosoever denies the Son the same hath not the Father 1 Jo. 2. 22 23. In like manner every Spirit which confesseth not that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God but of Antichrist 1 Joh. 4. 2 3. This is that Vorstian liberty which hath undone so many Nations already and is now Idolized in England under the name of Liberty of Conscience by such as have neither Conscience nor liberty Reverend Dr. Sibbs did exceedingly cry out against this kind of Liberty in his time He would not have way given to Vorstian lawlesse licencious liberty of prophesie that every one so soone as he is big of some new conceit should bring forth his abortive Monster for then the Pillars of Christian Faith will soon be shaken and the Church of God which is an house of Order will beâ—ome a Babel an house of Confusion The dolefull issues of which pretended Liberty we see in Polonia Transylvania and in Countries neerer hand I might proceed but this is sufficient for a taste and if I should but name all the errours of this age and not confute them I should abuse my Reader and therefore I desire to stop in time and beseech all that are spiritually minded to heaâ—ken to the Spirit speaking in the word Beloved beleeve not every spirit but beleeve the Holy Spirit who is the Author of the Scriptures the Author of Faith the Iudge of Controversies the interpreter of the Scriptures the Doctor and comforter of the Elect and he will lead you into all necessary truth for your present edification and everlasting Salvation The Holy Spirit will assure you that the Scriptures of truth were all written by his own Authority and you may safely set to your seale when you have received the infallible testimony of the Holy Ghost We are witnesses of these things saith the â—postle and so is the Holy-Ghost also Act. 5. 32. We shall never receive the word as the Word of God with joy reverence submission and assurance of Faith specially in times of â—ffliction and temptation unlesse we receive the witnesse of the Spirit and ground our Faith upon the wisdome and evident demonstration of the Spirit When we look upon the word of God and consider 1 The wonderfull consent of all those Holy and selfe-denying men that penned it 2. The marvellous fulfilling of all the strange Prophecies in the fullnesse of time appointed by God 3. The Admirable Providence of God in preserving the Scriptures notwithstanding all the rage and malice of Hereticks and persecutors 4. The supernaturall Miracles wrought for to confirm it 5. The Harmonious testimony that the Church Martyrs Saints have in all ages given to it 6. The Antiquity Majesty Efficacy of it 7. The divine and heavenly matter contained in it 1. Mysteries above reason 1 Cor. 2. 9. 2. Commands contrary to our corrupt nature sent to all Nations and even to the greatest and proudest of men 3. Threats beyond the strength of man to inflict or the capacity of man to comprehend an hard heart a seared Conscience and yet a trembling Spirit a reprobate mind and sense a spirit of madnesse giddinesse horrour or slumber an everlasting worm eternall fire torments with the devil and his Angels 4. Promises and rewards beyond the power of man to bestow or wisdome of Angels to comprehend 1 Pet. 1. 12. Ephes. 3. 10. 5. The fall corruption Redemption Salvation of man wonderfully declared in the Holy Scriptures the inward frame and disposition of mans heart his secret thoughts and most intimate projects his reserved wishes desires ends and purposes undenyably discovered for his conviction even to admiration and amazement 1 Cor. 14. â—5 then the reason of man is even confounded the obstinacy of mans heart subdued all the pride of humane glory stained and the Scriptures appeare to be the word of God But now all these Arguments and many more which I could name will not be effectuall for our regeneration and conversion untill the Spirit be pleased to set all home upon the heart by his own irresistible efficacy and seale this truth to the Conscience by his own infallible testimony But when the Spirit speaks to and works upon our spirits then we do assent and consent to all the proposals of God our very thoughts are captivated and subdued unto the obedience of Christ 2 Cor. 10. 5. Our Conscience is convinced swayed and undeniably obliged to beleeve what is promised allow what is commanded our will made willing to chose both the affections to embrace both our whole man to follow after both according to the directions of God for performing what is commanded and obtaining of what is promised Rom. 7. 12. 22. Psa. 119. 106 112 113 127 128 167 173 174. I must acknowledge my absolute total and universal dependance upon the infallible wisdome infinite truth power majesty greatnesse and goodnesse of the Holy Spirit and confesse that he hath soveraigne Right and divine authority to reveale and prescribe whatsoever he pleases upon the rewards and penalties of everlasting life and death And I am obliged to beleeve and embrace al that the Spirit teacheth without any contradiction though it seeme never so improbable to my carnall reason and be really contrary to my corrupt affections ends and esianes The spirit teaches me how to apprehend and judge of spirituall things after a spirituall manner for the spirit teaches me what to approve and
Saviour saith God is a Spirit and from thence concludes that God is to be worshipped in Spirit and truth but in respect of the Divine Persons also We are to worship God as a Creator as the first of Causes last of Ends best of Beings to whom we owe our Being and our well-being but we must worship God the Father as God and look upon him as the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ and as our Father reconciled to us in Christ this is that worship which becomes the Gospel and therefore we ought to worship God the Father considered after this Evangelicall manner that he may be glorifyed we moved and affected with those endearing expressions O God the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ and our Father in him Such expressions as these do beget in us 1. Holy boldnesse mixed with Reverence 2. Christian confidence our Father wil supply the wants of his children out of his rich treasure for he commands Heaven earth 3. Filial Love and cheerefull obedience which are even con-naturall to our new man upon due consideration of this sweet relation between God and us Ier. 3. 19. 4. A thankefull acknowledgement of Gods fatherly bounty even unto admiration Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God 1 Joh. 3. 1. Nay heyres of God Rom. 8. 17. What are we vile wretches wormes and no men yea by reason of our filthinesse Dogs and Devils that we should be adopted into the family of God married to the Sonne of God and made co-heyrs with the Lord of glory When the Spirit of a man is raised by such thankfull acknowledgements unto an Holy admiration then it is brought into a Gospel frame and by such high and sweet thoughts of Gods fatherly love and bounty fitted for filiall and Gospel-worship But it will be said that the whole Trinity is our Father and therefore all three persons are to be worshipped under that fatherly consideration and in that deare Relation To which I answer 1. That when the word Father is attributed unto God essentially though all creatures are excluded yet all the three Divine persons are included because they are co-equal they have one nature will and worship they are one and the same God and they are one Father also in opposition to Images Ier. 2. 27. To Saints Is. 63. 16. Doubtlesse thou art our Father though Abraham be ignorant of us and Israel acknowledge us not Thou O Lord art our Father our Redeemer thy name is from everlasting And in opposition to all creatures Mat. 23. 9. and in the Lords Prayer Father Son and Holy Ghost are all called upon as our Father 2. The word Father is sometimes taken personally and attributed to a single person of the God-head More frequently and more peculiarly to God the Father who is the first Principle of subsisting life even in respect of his own naturall and Co-essentiall Son as hath been proved at large in this Treatise and is to be reckoned first in order and finally in regard of our Adoption and the mysterious and divine Oeconomy and dispensation vouchsafed for the salvation of man and yet these peculiar notions do not exclude the other persons from being God as hath been proved above in the fourth chapter nor do they exclude them from being our Father in the common notion of Father in opposition to creatures and Idols nay all three persons have a Fatherly care of us and love to us and therefore Christ is called our Father Isa. 9. 6. Heb. 2. 13 14. And it is the proper office of the Holy Ghost to Regenerate us as it is of the Father to Adopt us but then the Father doth Adopt us in Christ who is a Father to us though a Son to God the Father and the holy Spirit is the Spirit of Regeneration and Adoption and therefore all three Co-essentiall persons are our Father 3. We may direct our Prayers to any one person as Steven directed his to the Lord Jesus Act. 7. 59. Lord Iesus receive my Spirit 4. We may direct our Prayers expressely unto two of the divine persons Now God himself and our Father and our Lord Iesus Christ direct our way unto you 1 Thes. 3. 11. 5. We may direct our Prayers unto all three as we do in the administration of Baptisme and in that Fundamentall Benediction 2 Cor. 13 14. 6. When we direct our prayers to one of the divine persons we exclude none because the Persons are in one another the Father is in the Son and they are all three coessentiall coequall They are one God and therefore are to be worshipped with that selfe same religious and divine Worship which is due to their single and undivided Godhead 7. When we direct our prayer to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ the terme Father is taken in a peculiar notion not in the common notion and the Apostle directs his prayer after this peculiar manner Eph. 3. 14. For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ of whom the whole Family in Heaven and Earth is named God the Father looks upon us poore wormes as part of his Family nay as his deare children whilest we are here on earth as well as he looks upon his other children the glorious Saints who are made perfect in heaven Oh what a quickning consideration is this to bring us upon our knees at a Throne of grace before Christs Father and our Father that we may have a childs Portion and be prepared for that place which Christ is now preparing for us We are part of the Family numbred amongst those of the best ranke we are children and have the same Father that Christ and the Saints in heaven have Iohn 20. 17. Ephes. 3. 14. and therefore shall come to be Coheires with Christ and them Here is heavenly encouragement unto Gospell-worship and Gospell-conversation It is no wonder then if that Gospell-worship be frequently performed to God under this endearing consideration and in this sweet and comfortable relation The Apostle wishes us grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ Rom. 1. 7. and in like manner 1 Cor. 1 3. 2 Cor. 1. 2. Observe that solemn forme of thanksgiving Blessed be God even the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort 2 Cor. 1. 3. Oh how willingly and cheerefully do we run to the God of all mercies and comfort in a time of temptation and affliction 2 Cor. 1. 4. For the Father discovers his bowels of mercy on purpose to invite us to him The Father himselfe loves you Iohn 16. 27. All spirituall glorious eternall blessings our Election Redemption Salvation are ascribed to this Father of all grace mercy comfort glory
Christ redeemes us according to the will of God and our Father Gal. 1. 4. Iohn 10. 17 â—8 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Iesus who hath blessed us with all spirituall blessings in heavenly things in Christ according as he hath chosen us Ephes. 1. 3 4 11. Much more might be said to this purpose but this may suffice It is now time to proceed to my next Point which is that 2. Divine Worship is due to the second Person of this Coessentiall Trinity to Jesus Christ our Lord and God There is but one immediate formall proper Adaequate and Fundamentall reason of Divine Worship or Adorability as the Schooles speak and that is the Soveraign Supreme singular Majesty independent and infinite excellency of the eternall Godhead There is a peculiar and singular esteeme Faith Love and Worship due to Father Son and Holy Ghost who are one God the only true God These three are the only Object of Religion and therefore the only Object of religious Adoration There is but one kind of Divine Worship that Worship and all degrees of it is due to this one God Father Son and Holy Ghost this truth is made good against the Papists as well as against the Socinians and divers others whom I need not name the Ubiquitists and Arminians by a cleare stating of the point in Controversie and invincible demonstrations to confirme the Truth First For the cleare stating of this Point we must look a little into the rise of this Controversie and consider how far it hath been discussed by Learned men and stated by such as are Orthodoxe and prudent men since the Socinians Ubiquitists and Arminians have endeavoured to make the question more perplexed and the truth more obscure The Papists are deeply engaged to prove that religious honour may be given to a Creature at least in some degree their distinctions are so well known that I need not to insist upon them Cardinall Perron exceeds them all for sophisticall distinctions which he who is at leisure may read in his fifth Book and twentieth Chapter of his Answer to King Iames. But Smiglecius being engaged against the Socinians states the Point right he distinguisheth between Christs Naturall Power as he is the Naturall and Coessentiall Son of God and his Delegated Power which he hath as Mediatour and concludes that Christ is to be worshipped as he is the Naturall Son of God with Divine Worship because his Naturall Power is his Divine Nature But saith he Christ is not to be worshipped in the second consideration with Divine Worship Doctor Rainolds in his Book de Idololatria Romana hath abundantly refuted all that the Papists bring to excuse their Idolatry and proves clearely that It is Idolatry to give Religious honour to any Creature I shall not therefore trouble my Reader with any set-dispute upon that Argument The Socinians tell us that The Father is the only Absolute Supreme Independent God but Christ is a Dependent and subordinate God And therefore may be worshipped as he is Mediatour with a Relative and subordinate Worship which they are not affraid to call Divine Worship But they confess that they worship the Father only as the supreme Cause the First Efficient and the last End But they worship Christ as the second or middle Cause of our Salvation and the intermediate end of Religion The ground and formall Reason of this subordinate Worship is as they conceive Christs mediatory Office the new subordinate Godhead and Lordship over us bestowed upon him for his obedience unto death which they say is the Mediate as his Exaltation is the Immediate Cause of this Subordinate glory The Arminians in their Apology and other writings endeavour to excuse and gratifie the Socinians for they deny that our grand Argument taken from the Divine Honour and Worship of Christ doth sufficiently prove his Nature to be Divine and Christ to be one God with his Father This Argument say they is not invincible and irrefragable nay they call it a leaden Argument because this Divine Honour is given to him by his Fathers gratification in time Some Lutherans are very much to blame in this Point for they say That the Divine Majesty Worship Glory Omnipotence Omnipresence of the Son of God are communicated to Christ as man but enough of that Divers Learned Orthodoxe Judicious Doctours of the Church have given the Enemy too much advantage by their unwary expressions in this Point and the vigilant Enemy hath taken that advantage and made a very vnhappy use of it to the great prejudice of Christianity Vno absurdo dato mille sequuntur Error parvus in Principio fit magnus in Fine I do therefore entreat the most accurate and nice Reader at his best leasure to read Iunius Chamier Polanus Polyander Pareus Camero Maccovius Cluto Beza Heidan Diest Zanchius Voetius Altingius and other sate Writers upon this Point who have observed every turn ward shift of the Enemy and have given a very faire account of all For the present State of the Question be pleased seriously to consider these plaine and weighty conclusions following 1. Divine excellency infinite Majesty and Perfection is the Formall and Adequate ground and reason of Divine Worship For by Divine Worship we do acknowledge and declare the Infinite Majesty Truth Wisdome Goodnesse and Glory of our blessed God We do not esteeme any thing worthy of Divine Honour and Worship which hath but a finite and created glory because Divine Honour is proper and peculiar to the only true God who will not give his glory to any other who is not God God alone is the Adequate Object of divine Faith Hope Love and Worship because these graces are all exercised and this worship performed in acknowledgement of his infinite perfection and independent excellency and therefore no such worship can be due to any thing below God But the most glorious and excellent Creatures are all below God and therefore that point is cleare 2. The Father Son and Holy Ghost are one and the same God as hath been proved in the fourth Chapter of this Treatise and therefore one and the same worship is due to all three because they are Coessentiall Coequall Coeternall they have one and the same divine nature excellency perfection and essentiall glory and therefore the same acknowledgement is due to all three both from men and Angels There is not one kind of divine honour due to the Father and another to the Son nor one degree of honour due to the Father and another to the Son for there can be no degrees imaginable in one and the same excellency which is single because infinite and what is infinite doth excell and transcend all degrees and bounds And if there be no degrees in the ground and Adaequate reason of Divine Worship there can be no ground or reason of a difference of degrees in the
grace and peace from this Co-essentiall Trinunity the Father the seven Spirits and Iesus Christ doth sufficiently instruct us in this mystery of Evangelicall Worship Some object that then the Spirit will be set before the Son but the answer is easie that there is a Metathesis in the words and it is observable that the Son is sometimes named before the Father 2 Cor. 13. 14. and sometimes the Spirit is named before the Son as Rev. 1. 4. 1 Pet. 1 2. and sometimes the naturall order is observed the Father is named first the Son second and the Holy Ghost third The naturall order is not overthrown when the Father is named after the Son or the Spirit before the Son Nor is the equality of Persons overthrown when the naturall order is observed And therefore that objection is not considerable Naturall worship is due to the Holy Ghost because he hath the same divine nature with the Father and the Son That divine Faith is due to the Spirit hath been proved at large That divine love is due to him is cleare Rom. 15. 30. I beseech you for the Lord Jesus Christs sake and for the love of the Spirit The Spirit is the Author and object of all those graces which are called divine ex parte objecti faith hope and love Rom. 15. 13 16 30. In a word Instituted Worship is due to the Holy Ghost by vertue of both Sacraments Mat. 28. 19. By one Spirit we are all baptized into one body and have been all made to drink into one Spirit 1 Cor. 12. 13. 2 Cor. 13. 14. Mat. 3. 11. Ioh. 5. 5. In hearing of the Word we must hearken to the Spirit with the self-same attention devotion as we do to the Father and the Son Heb. 3. 7 8. compared with Ps. 95. The holy Ghost forbids us to harden our hearts against himself speaking in the Word Acts 7. 51. We grieve the Spirit when we resist the Spirit and will not put our seale to the Word by a Spirituall assent and fiduciall consent and hinder the Spirit from sealing up our Election and Redemption to us For though Christ makes the Purchase yet the Spirit makes the assurance 1 Iohn 3. 24. Iohn 14. 16 17. Iohn 15. 26. In Prayer we are to call upon the Holy Ghost 2 Cor. 13. 14. Rev. 1. 4. because the Holy Ghost is God 1 Cor. 12 6 11. Act. 5. 3 4. I cannot but wonder at them who say that holy and spirituall worship is not due to the holy Spirit when the truth is we can give no worship at all to the Father or the Son untill we are enabled by the holy Spirit Rom. 5. 5. 1 Cor. 12. 3. 2 Cor. 4. 13. 2 Cor. 13. 14. And when by the Communion of the Spirit we have Communion with the Father and Son in Gospell-worship we are the Temples not only of the Holy Ghost but of the Co-essentiall Trinunity of Father Son and Holy Ghost all three do dwell in us walk in us and abide in us For when we receive the Spirit of truth he abides with us dwels in us perswades and enables us to love God the Father and the Lord Jesus and then all three Co-essentiall Persons make their abode with us as is clearely held forth to us Ioh. 14. 16 17 23. 2 Cor. 6. 16 18. 1 Cor. 3. 16. Ephes. 3. 16 17. But if a man have not the Spirit of Christ he hath no saving interest as yet in Iesus Christ. Rom. 8. 9. because he is not as yet the Son of God by Regeneration or Adoption he is not a member of Jesus Christ he is not the Temple of the Holy Ghost He doth not worship this Co-essentiall Trinunity as he ought to do in Spirit and in truth He who hath the Spirit in him doth worship the Spirit in spirit and truth because the Spirit is the Power of the Highest even as Christ is the Son of the Highest a Personall Power Luk. 1. 32 35. compared The Spirit is the spirit of Elohim Gen. 1. 2. The Spirit of Iehova Isa. 11. 2. The God of Israel 2 Sam. 23. 2 3. The spirit of God and the spirit which is God 1 Cor. 2. 11. 12. Acts 5. 3 4. This point hath been sufficiently proved in the fourth Chapter and therefore I need say no more considering that the Socinians have no Arguments which are considerable when compared with these plaine places of the Holy Scriptures and those many places and proofes which have been formerly produced in this Treatise If any desire to have their Arguments such as they be answered at large he may read Mr. Estwicks learned Treatise concerning the Godhead of the Holy Ghost lately published I proceed to the third part of Godliness which is Obedience 3. Obedience is due to the Father Son and Holy Ghost all three Co-essentiall Persons because they are Co-essentiall because they are one God blessed for ever 1. Obedience is due to God the Father This truth is generally acknowledged by all that are not Atheists the Iews and Socinians subscribe to it If we do acknowledge God the Father to be the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and our Father in him the inference will be immediate cleare and strong that we ought to honour and obey our heavenly Father For how shall God put us among his Children unless every one of us say unto him my Father my Father I do obey thee and will not depart from thee But I said how shall I put thee among the Children and give thee a pleasant Land a goodly Heritage of the hosts of Nations And I said Thou shalt call me my Father and shalt not turne away from me Jer. 3. 19. And when God speaks to them as to Children they presently submit Return ye backsliding children And I will heale your backslidings they presently reply Behold we come unto thee for thou art the Lord our God Ier. 3. 22. A Son honoureth his Father if then I be a Father where is mine honour Mal. 1. 6. Mal. 2. 16. Mat. 12. 50. Mat. 23. 9. When God is considered under this endearing relation of a Father we yeeld a filiall obedience unto God we performe a foederall obedience a sincere and Evangelicall obedience I saith Jehovah will be your God I will be your Father Having these Promises saith the Apostle let us cleanse our selves from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the feare of God 2 Cor. 6. 16 18. 2 Cor. 71. 1 Pet. 1 14 17 18. As we are to worship God in this Fatherly relation Mat. 6. 9. Gal. 4. â— so are we to obey him also Whosoever shall do the will of my Father c. Mat. 12. 50. That all three Co-essentiall Persons are our Father hath been proved already in this very Chapter pag. 326 327. and that
13 14 16 Here is the freewill of the Elect but Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Iesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spirituall blessings in heavenly places in Christ according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and unblameable before him in love c. Ephes. 1. 3 4 5. Our thankfulnesse should be shewen for this free Grace to all three Persons in our thanksgiving believing obeving as is cleare from these places and so our prayers should be answerable to our faith love and thankfulness and therefore it is observable that in the very same Chapter the Apostle makes his addresse after this modell That the God of our Lord Iesus Christ the Father of glory may give unto you the Spirit of Wisdome and Revelation in the acknowledgement of Christ Ephes. 1. 17. and so 2 Thes. 2 16. Rev. 1. 4 5. 2 Cor. 13. 14. many other places may be urged which containe the mystery of faith worship and obedience and if Christ and his Spirit be not alwaies named in them yet the benefits of Christ the gifts graces fruits comforts of the spirit which are named do direct us to both Moreover when the name of God is used indefinitely all three Persons must be understood to be comprehended in that essentiall Title because they are one and the same God Finally one Person doth subsist in another and the same honour is due to all three because all three have the same divine Nature which is single because infinite and therefore there is enough discovered to prevent all scruples in the upright-hearted and Cavils in the contrary-minded Read the third and fourth Chapters of the Epistle to the Colossians and there you will see a very pregnant proofe of this point Put on therefore as the Elect of God holy and beloved bowels of mercies kindnesse humbleness of mind above all these things put on charity let the peace of God rule in your hearts do all in the name of the Lord Iesus giving thanks to God and the Father by him What ever you do do it heartily as to the Lord. And then the summe of all their requests is That they may stand perfect and compleat in all the will of God This takes in the full scope of Law and Gospell whatever belongs to faith worship or obedience whatever is just and equall or well-pleasing unto God Col. 3. 20. Col. 4. 1. And the Epistle to the Ephesians runs parallel with this to the Colossians Ye are elected and therefore ye must be holy before all three Coessentiall Persons by whom ye were elected ye must beleeve the Word of truth as the truth is in Iesus that ye may be sealed with the Spirit and filled with all the fulnesse of God ye must bow your knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ you must study the unity of Faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God ye must keep the unity of the Spirit ye must grow up into Christ in all things ye must not grieve the holy Spirit whereby ye are sealed unto the day of Redemption but maintaine a fruitfull fellowship with God in Christ by the communion of the holy Ghost for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousnesse and truth ye must be filled with the Spirit giving thanks alwaies for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Iesus Christ ye must do whatsoever is right or equall Ephes. 6. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this is right just and equall Put on the whole armor of God take the sword of the Spirit the shield of Faith pray alwaies with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit Peace be to the Brethren and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity I need make no inferences the words are so plaine that they prove the point in terminis terminantibus as we use to say Consider the discourse of the Apostle in the Epistle to the Romans where the Apostle hath even lost his reader in the depth of this Mystery of the eternal counsel of Father Son and holy spirit he puts this question to all the busie disputants who hath known the mind of the Lord or who hath been his Counsellour and concludes that of him and through him and to him are all things to whom be glory for ever Amen We have mercy from him faith and repentance from him by an effectual vocation according to his purpose of election Rom. 8 28 29. Rom. 9. 11. 15. 16. 18 23 24 29 30. Rom. 10. 20. Rom. 11. 2 5 6 7 29 30 32. 36. We have mercy grace and glory from all three and therefore all honour and glory be to all three for ever Amen And the Apostle doth beseech the God of patience and consolation the God of hope and the God of peace to fill them with all joy and peace in beleeving that they may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost who is the God of hope comfort and peace for the Kingdom of God doth consist in righteousnesse and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost Rom. 14. 17. and if wee serve Christ who is God blessed for ever Rom. 9. 5. in these things we shall be acceptable to God and approved of men Rom. 14. 18. The fruits of the spirit in us are markes because fruits of our election by God The Apostle writing to the Church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ begs grace and peace for them from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ remembers their work of faith labour of love and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of God and our Father and then concludes their election of God because the Gospel came to them in power and in the Holy Ghost for they received the Word in much affliction with joy of the Holy Ghost The Apostle exhorts them in every thing to give thanks because it is the will of God in Christ Jesus and bids them beware of quenching the Spirit and beseeches the Spirit who is undeniably the God of Peace and by special office our Sanctifyer and Comforâ—er to sanctfy us wholly The very God of peace sanctify you wholly c. And the Apostle discourses in like manner in the second Epistle to Timothy God saith he hath given us the spirit of power of love and of a sound mind saved us and called us with an holy calling according to his own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Iesus before the world began And tells us that every one who doth pretend to be elected or presumes to call upon Christ and claim an interest in him must depart from iniquity be sanctifyed
but Appendices to the fourth Commandement But even Jewish Holy daies and the most solemne services upon them did in their Primary and Principall Institution as Wallaeus himself doth acknowledge point at Christ and his benefits and the point is cleare by the Epistle to the Hebrewes and more especially by the ninth and tenth Chapters of that Epistle Heb. 9. 10 11 14. Heb. 10. 1 4 9 10. Luk. 4. 18 19. 1 Cor. 5. 7. The Sabbath was instituted before the Law was given on Mount Sinai but the fall of man defaced the whole work of the first Creation and therefore it is no wonder if Christ the Lord of the Sabbath require us to keep a Sabbath in remembrance of the new Creation by the work of Redemption which was actually finished by the Resurrection of our blessed Lord upon the first day of the week For Christ entred into his Estate of Rest in the day of his Resurrection though he did not enter into his place of rest in the third Heavens till the day of his Ascension and the place is but accidentall in respect of the State of rest and rest it self The Will of our Lord was the instituting cause the Rest of our Lord the moving cause When God rested from the work of Creation he was refreshed Exod. 31. 17. and when Christ rested from the work of Redemption he was refreshed and his Father took delight in the work of the new Creation which he could not take in the old Creation which was so defaced that he did repent of it Gen. 6. but God will never repent that he sent his Son to redeem or his Spirit to sanctifie his Elect but Father Son and Spirit will be refreshed and satisfied with all the sweet fruits of this new Creation and Renovation by the death resurrection and Spirit of the Lord Iesus Mat. 17. 5. Ioh. 19. 30 Isa 53 10 11. Rom. 4. 25. Rom. 8. 33 34. Rom. 11. 29. Heb 7. 21 22. The approved practice of the Primitive Christians declares the Doctrine of the Apostles and the Doctrine of the Apostles shews what was the Command of Christ the Lord of the Sabbath concerning the sanctification of the first day of the week which is therefore called the Lords day and the Christian Sabbath The Jewish Sabbath was the Holy day or Sabbath of Jehovah as Creatour and all three Co-essentiall persons did create us The Christian Sabbath is called the Lords-day since the Lord Christ hath been declared to be the Son of God by his resurrection Rom. 1. 4. and the Lord of all Rom. 14. 9. Mat. 28. 17 18. The Ministry and Sacraments under the new Testament are appointed by Christ and therefore used by vertue of the second Commandement though the outward worship be changed in like manner the Sabbath appointed by Christ must be observed by vertue of the fourth Commandement though the day be changed because this is the generall scope both of the second and fourth Commandements that we ought to observe all the Institutions of God from time to time We are then obliged both by Law Gospel to observe the Lords day we may with confidence expect a blessing upon our observation of it for he who sanctified the day did blesse it also that is annexe a blessing to the sanctification of it Read Peter Martyr upon the second of Genesis and the fourth Commandement when God rested from the works of Creation he appointed a Sabbath although he did not rest from works of Providence and in like manner Christ hath appointed a Sabbath upon his resting from the work of Redemption by price although he doth not rest from the work of Redemption by Power till all his Enemies be vanquished and his Elect saved These grounds being laid it is most evident that we are to keep a spirituall rest to Father Son and holy Ghost upon the Lords day We are not only to draw neare to the Ordinances but to God and Christ in them by the power of the holy Spirit because all spirituall Communion with God in Christ is maintained by the power of holy Ghost 2 Cor. 13 14. And our Communion with God upon the Lords day ought to be more immediate and eminent more spirituall and heavenly than at other times Christians do enjoy God not only in his Creatures providences and works of their callings according to the variety of their occasions but also in acts of Immediate worship and service even upon the week daies but we are to do God some more eminent service on the Lords day we should not content our selves with week-dayes-prayers and praises our holiness and communion should be extraordinary upon this solemne day and therefore 1. Eminent for the degree of it there should be a Sequestration of our minds and hearts from the world and a consecration of them to the blessed Trinity in the highest degree and after the most immediate manner in all exercises of Religion with admiration confidence love reverence delight and thankfulness that we may come as neare to God who comes down on purpose to meet us in his Ordinances with a full blessing as it is possible for Creatures that are cloathed with flesh We must abstaine not only from servile works but servile thoughts cares affections The Sacrifice was doubled on the Sabbath to shew that our holiness should be redoubled on that day Num. 28. 9. The Sabbath was called holiness Exod. 31. 15. and the Holy of Jehovah Isa. 58. 13. to shew that we should be exceeding Holy upon this Holy day We should be transported beyond flesh and the world and have our conversation in heaven that day for the day requires some transcendent holiness 2. Our Holiness and Communion should be Restorative for we contract much soile abate the vigour of our graces by converse with the world upon the week days and now there should be Restauratio deperditi We should sadly review our experiences and failings all the week and make up all our defects upon this acceptable day this season of Grace when God sits in state and scatters treasures of grace amongst hungry and thirsty Saints that are poor in Spirit and wait for spiritual Alms at a Throne of Grace 3. Constant Communion we should maintaine a continued and un-interrupted Communion with God in private as well as publike all the whole day together It is lawful for us on the week days to go about our worldly occasions after we have been at prayer but we find that when we have been well warmed by Family duties we are apt to catch cold againe presently when Company or worldly businesses break in upon us but we must keep our hearts in a Sabbaths days frame all the Lords day yea and at night also when our bodies are wearied in service we must not be weary of Service but our hearts must be panting and working after more of God and Christ and the holy Spirit 4.
much acquaintance do usually vent to the great dishonour of Christ and Christianity 2. That a meere man a very Creature is to be worshipped with divine Honour and therefore they are Idolators Master Fry must prove that he himselfe is to be worshipped with divine Honour also or else he cannot make good his proud assertions in his blasphemous Pamphlet or else he must say as David George did that Christ is not to be worshipped with divine Honour Now then the question is What respect is to be shewn or Communion ought to be held with blasphemous and Idolatrous Hereticks who are Seducers also and do zealously endeavour to poyson soules as it doth well become Apostatizing Renegadoes They who are acquainted with Ecclesiasticall Writers know what respect was shewne or Communion held with Arians and others who did deny the God-head of Christ though they did maintaine that Christ was to be worshipped with divine Honour I shall not tell long stories of Cerinthus Ebion Photinus Arius and their adherents but it is cleare and evident that the Arians were condemned because they were a pack of blasphemous and Idolatrous Hereticks Seducers Apostates upon the grounds which I shall presently relate and such as are above mentioned They did deny the divine nature of Christ and yet acknowledged that Divine worship was due unto him But I had rather produce proofs then tell-stories and therefore I shall give you the true grounds and reasons why they are rejected from Christian Communion and why even civill respect is denied to such who upon mature deliberation after more admotions then one deny the Godhead of Christ and the holy Ghost I shall begin with Christian Communion because that makes most for my purpose 1. These vaine men are rejected from Christian Communion for these reasons 1. Because they do not agree with Christians in the common unity of the Christian Faith for all who are come into the unity of the Faith are come into the knowledge of the Son of God Ephes. 4 13. And into the knowledge of the holy Ghost because these are the Baptismall Principles of the Doctrine of Christ. Acts 19. 2 3. Heb. 6. 1 2 4. Mat. 28. 19. Ioh. 14. 17. 1 Cor. 2. 1 4 12 13. 1 Cor. 12. 13. Eph. 4. 4 5 6. 2. They do not agree with Christians concerning the Adequate Object of Divine and Evangelicall Worship The Father Son and holy Ghost are the Adequate object of Divine and Evangelical worship of Divine Faith Hope Love 1. Iohn 5. 6 7. 2 Cor. 13. 14. Rev. 1. 4. 5. Mat. 28. 19. Ioh. 14 1 Ioh. 5. 23. Rom. 15. 30. 1 Cor. 3. 16 17. 1 Cor. 6. 19 20. 1 Cor. 12. 6 8 11. They may well go joyn with Pagans Jews Mahumetans in worship who say that Christ is a meere man Mahomet did collect his Alcoran with great dexterity out of such common Principles as that he might take in Iews and Christians And Socinus he followed Mahomets inctructions he saith Arians and Calvinists may be both saved so they do but live morally Barlaeus saith that Jews may be very pious towards God in their Religion though they do deny and reject Jesus Christ as Videlius shews in his Book de Deo Synagogae And this as Barlaeus is pleased to call it is accounted the most accurate Divinity of the high flying Mercuries Beza in his Epistle to Petrus Statorius hath given our great wits a faire warning I have read of one Nuserus a Minister in the Palatinate who did first fall away to the Socinians and deny the Trinity and afterwards turned to the Turks and did solemnly profess himself to be a Mahumetan at Constantinople And the like is written by Authors of good credit concerning that Schole master who fell away to Judaisme and wrote Letters from Thessalonica that the reason why he went off from the Christian profession was because he could not digest the mystery of the Trinity We that are Christians worship the only true God Father Son and holy Ghost and therefore we must be true to our Religion and beware of such impostors who would seduce us to worship a meere man instead of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. My heart rises with just indignation against Mr Fryes blasphemous Pamphlet when I read there That according to his understanding of the word subsistence he may be said to be God too as well as Iesus Christ pag. 16. I know he will wrangle about the word subsistence but that word is found in Scripture and applyed unto the Father Heb. 1 3. and we read of the being or subsisting of the Son in the Forme that is the Nature of God he thought it not robbery to be equall with God Sure Master Fry ought to think it robbery to make himself equall with Christ in subsistence when Christ is equall to his Father and hath no humane but a divine subsistence only which doth uphold the humane nature which Christ hath assumed and all Christianity is built upon the divine subsistence of Christ God-man as hath been shewn and shall be yet more clearely manifested In like manner they that receive not the holy Ghost cannot be received by us whose happiness it is to beleeve adore obey the spirit as hath been shewn at large 3. They do not agree with Christians concerning the substance of the Gospel and Covenant of Grace Whatsoever we receive in point of Religion ought to be received upon the credit of all three Persons but more especially upon the Divine Testimony of the Spirit of Christ the holy and eternall Spirit sent down from heaven 1 Pet. 1. 11 12. 1 Corinth 2. 1 4 5 12. 13. They then who do reject the Spirit and deny his testimony to be divine because his nature as they blasphemously maintain is not divine do indeed reject both Testaments and therefore reject the whole Gospel and Covenant of Grace Moreover this Covenant is made by all three Persons for the Covenant doth containe the love of the Father the grace of Christ and the Communion of the holy Ghost The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ doth enter into Covenant to be our Father in the Lord Christ The Covenant is established upon the satisfaction and Righteousness of God-man and therefore they who deny the Godhead of Christ must rest upon their own righteousness and obedience for justification and salvation as the Socinians do and then Christ will profit them nothing because they overthrow the New Covenant and are fallen from Grace Gal. 5. 4 5. The Covenant is sealed with the bloud of Christ who is not only the Son of Mary but the natural Son of God This is the substance of the Gospel the same Person is God and man The Son of Mary is the true Messiah the Lord Christ the only Son of God equall to his Father the Head and Saviour of the Church
the true God the blessed God the great God the mighty God We are redeemed with the bloud of Christ the bloud of God the bloud of Christ who is God The Covenant is to quicken and cure us 1. To quicken us for we were dead before the Medicine came and Christ and his Spirit raise us from death and give us a spirituall life 2. To cure us for when our Physitian hath restored us to life he can more easily restore us to health In the Covenant God promises to give us himself his Son and his Spirit The bond of the Faederal and mystical union on Gods part is the Spirit and on our part Faith which is wrought in us by the same Co-essentiall Spirit And Christ is the only Mediatour of this Covenant 1. We have but one Mediatour and surely of this Covenant 1 Tim. 25. 1 Cor. 8. 6. 2. This one Mediatour is God and man in one Person the Son of man Mat. 16. 13. the Son of God ver 17. Rom. 1. 3 4. Rom. 9. 5. Heb. 7. 3. Ioh. 8. 58. Acts 20. 28. 1 Ioh. 1. 1. Ephes. 4. 10. Joh. 3. 13. Ioh. 6. 62. Ioh. 1. 14. Phil. 2. 6. He for whom are all things and by whom are all things even he himself and not another person he also himself took part of the same flesh and bloud whereof we are partakers Heb. 2. 10 14. I hope by this time it is evident that the Covenant is made in Christ the natural and co-essentiall Son of God who is God and man in one Person and therefore we cannot close with them who will not close with this saving Truth for this is an Article of everlasting life Mat. 16. 16 17 18. Ioh. 17. 3. 1 Ioh. 5. 20. Ephes. 4. 13. I humbly intreat Mr. Fry to consider what hath been said that he may repent and retract his unhappy opinion namely That the word subsistence holds forth no more of Christ his being in the Godhead then may be affirmed of every Creature That whatsoever the head did partake of that did the members also And that according to his understanding of the word subsistence Mâ— Fry himself might be said to be God too as well as Iesus Christ p. 15 16. This is the unsavory breath of Mr Fry his blasphemous Bellows printed at Addle-hill in February 1648. If his confutation be as publike as he thought fit to make his blasphemous errour which he accounts but a molehill pag. 17. he may thank himself I might adde many other reasons but I must be briefe 4 I might argue from the very nature of Christian Communion which is a Christian and spiritual Communion with the Father in the Son by the Spirit but I have said enough of that already in this very Chapter and handled it practically and at large in the ninth Chapter of this Treatise 5. I might argue from the Sacraments of Communion and seales of that Covenant of grace which they who do deny the Trinity overthrow as hath been proved 1. In Baptisme we Christians are devoted and consecrated to the beliefe worship and service of God the Father God the Son and God the holy Ghost who are all three one and the same God the only true God blessed for ever and therefore they who do not beleeve and worship God the Son and God the holy Ghost as the same God with the Father do indeed renounce the Faith and Baptisme of Christians they take away the Adequate Object of Christian Faith and Evangelical Worship God promises to be a Father Saviour and a Comforter to us he seales his promise to us by Baptisme and fullfils his Promise by giving us his Son for our Saviour and his Spirit for our Sanctifier and Comforter for he shews himself to be a Father to us in Christ by sending the spirit of Regeneration and Adoption into our hearts We are regenerated by the spirit of God adopted into the Family of God married to the Son of God that we may be heires and coheires with Christ the King of Heaven and Lord of Glory and all this is to oblige and encourage us in the beliefe worship and service of Father Son and holy Ghost 2. In the Sacrament of the Lords Supper we Christians sanctifie the Name of Christ the natural Son of God and the name of the Co-essential Spirit the everlasting counsels of Gods Fatherly love the riches of his free grace all the treasures of the Covenant and Spirit of grace all the sufferings of our crucified Redeemer the Lord of glory are in this great Ordinance evidently set before the eye of our faith that by the grace of Christ assistance and fellowship of the holy Ghost we may have a more intimate Communion with God for this sweet Communion with the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ is by the Communion of the bloud of God Acts 20. 28. compared with 1 Cor. 10. 16. and of the Spirit of God 2 Cor. 13. 14 This is the grand Ordinance for the highest sweetest strongest Communion with the Father in the Son and by the spirit that can be attained to whilest we are cloathed with flesh The Gospel is appointed both for the begetting and encrease of grace this Ordinance is annexed to the Gospel that the Gospel and this Ordinance both together may by the power of Christ and his holy Spirit be effectual according to the Counsel of Gods will for bringing of lost Sinners into a saving communion nay a growing thriving communion with Father Son and holy Ghost that we may come to be enriched at last with the unsearchable riches of Christ and filled with all the fulness of God 1. When we see the Bread and Wine consecrated and set apart for this holy use we should consider the unspeakable love of God the Father setting his co-essential Son Jesus Christ apart in his secret and eternall Counsell for to be the Surety and Saviour of his chosen people This is the great mystery which the very Angels desire to look into and which will be the subject of all the praises and Hallelujahs both of Saints and Angels to all eternity in the highest heavens 2. When we see the bread broken and wine poured out we must remember the love of Christ whose body was broken and bloud shed for our sins 3. When the Bread and Wine is distributed and divided we should meditate upon the Application of Christ crucified to every one of our own soules in particular Now this speciall Application is made by the assistance and communion of the holy Ghost And therefore this mystery of the Co-essentiall Trinunity must be acknowledged by all who are admitted to this sacrament because this is the greatest confirmation of the great Bond of the highest Communion which we can have with Father Son and holy Ghost and with the most pretious Christians who are sound in faith and
the right foundation of faith hope worship justification as hath been proved lay a wrong foundation they bring in a new Christ a meer man and a new Gospel a new Iudge in the highest matters and mysteries of Religion their own reason which they might infallibly know to be not only fallible but corrupt They deny the true causes and means of salvation the right application of them Their impiety in not worshipping of the Spirit Their Idolatry in worshipping one whom they esteeme to be a meere man and refusing to be washed and purged with the bloud of the Covenant will justifie all that reject them and their Confederates from Christian Communion I am not at leasure to handle the Magistrates duty in this point nor are many of them at leasure to consider all that is fit to be considered in that weighty point but for the present satisfaction of such as know not how to study in these busie times I shall point at some unquestionable truths for the ending of that unhappy and fatall Controversie in the Church of Christ. 1. There is no warrant given in the Word to any Minister of the State or Officer of the Church to molest oppresse or persecute any man for Righteousnesse sake he who doth persecute a man for following his conscience when rightly informed by the Word and Spirit of the Lord Jesus doth certainely persecute the Lord Jesus Christ. Saul Saul why persecutest thou me I am Iesus whom thou persecutest it is a fit Text to be preached on this twenty second of February 1649. But I am now learning another Lesson which is to suffer persecution patiently for righteousnesse sake and pray for such Benefactours who do besides their intention and against their will make Christians happy by endeavouring to make them miserable in their outward man by an unexpected persecution Yet I could not but take notice of the seasonablenesse of this truth and put down the day the moneth and the yeare as the Prophet did Ezek. 8. 1. And it came to passe in the sixth yeare in the sixth moneth in the fifth day of the moneth as I sate in mine house and the Elders of Iudah the Princes of the people sate before me c. The great Statesmen were at leasure now in the time of the Captivity to hear the Prophet if they would have heard beleeved obeyed before they had never gone into Captivity for the misusing of the Prophets and despising of their message was the sin against the most Soveraigne remedy and when there was no other remedy then God sent them away Captive c. 2 Chron. 36. 16 17. Let all such consider this who are poasting on in the high-way to Captivity 2. No man ought to be punished for following his mis-informed conscience untill he hath been better informed and spiritually admonished as we have formerly shewn twice or thrice and is so unconscionable as to despise good information reject prudent and faithful admonitions contrary to the doctrine of godliness and all good conscience for of such a man the Apostle saith not only that he is perverted but he is subverted Tit. 3. 10. 3. The Ministers of God the Civill Magistrates and the Ministers of Christ and all Church-Officers whatsoever must joyne together and uphold one another in the discharge of their several duties that they may be in a capacity to revenge all disobedience and execute the judgement that is written Rom. 13. 4. 2 Cor. 10. 6. I Cor. 4. 21. Deut. 13. 10 11. 4. Heretical Seducers Blasphemous Apostates and Idolatours of whom we have discoursed at large are Wolves that subvert whole houses Tit. 1. 11. Churches Gal. 5. 10 12. Act. 15. 24. States and Kingdomes and therefore they must be driven from the sheepfold lest the very vitals of Christianity be corrupted Religion destroyed many soules poysoned God extremely dishonoured the Church and State endangered as is fully declared unto us in the holy Scriptures of truth 5. God doth work by these Legal terrours and executions of vengeance sometimes upon the party punished the false Prophet converted by the spirit of God working in this great Ordinance doth in the day of his visitation confesse the justice and charity of those Officers who did stigmatize him with wounds in his hands Zach 13. 6. as M. Cotton doth observe in the ninth Chapter of his Answer to Mr Williams pag. 20 21. Moreover it is most cleare that God doth make use of the Magistrate as his Minister and Instrument for the overawing of the people by inflicting exemplary punishment on such as do speake lies in the name of the Lord blaspheme the name truth person of Christ and seduce or thrust men away from the only true God Father Son and holy Ghost Deut. 13. 6 8 9 10 11. The Morall equity of this Command is very evident for the punishing of such as do entice men from the true Religion because there is a reason given which is of general and perpetual equity Thou shalt stone him Because he hath sought to thrust thee away from Iehovah thy God It is now certainly as great a fault to seduce men from Father Son and holy Ghost nay a greater fault now because it is a sin committed against clearer light And it is of generall and publique concernment to have such great examples made in a nation to make the generality of men affected with an awfull regard of the truth goodnesse Majesty and Justice of God For this is Gods ordinance to strike the people with such a reverence as shall at least restraine them from this sin And all Israel shall heare and feare and shall do no more any such wickedness Deut. 13. 11. The Lord is acquainted with the frame of our hearts and spirits and he doth propound such remedies as are proper suitable to our distempers and he who doth ordaine such remedies will make them effectual by his own Spirit who doth often sanctifie legal terrours and outward afflictions and makes them subservient to spiritual purposes and therefore these outward weapons are spiritually used and are of a spiritual efficacy according to the Counsell of Gods will When the Magistrate as a Minister of God draws the Sword in the cause of God for the honour of God according to the Ordinance of God expressed in the thirteenth of Deuteronomy compared with the thirteenth of Zachary and the thirteenth to the Romanes the Sword that is thus drawn is not the Sword of Gideon only the Sword of man but the Sword of God And it is certainly most proper to restraine them by the Sword who will not be restrained by any other Ordinance of God men that have seared consciences have strong passions and exemplary punishments will work effectually upon the passion of feare in a self condemned man when no spiritual Physick will work upon him because all wholsome admonitions are rejected by him Carnall men are ready to
pursue a new interest without any new Light or direction from the Word of God and there is no way to ballance these men who are swayed by worldly hopes but by affrighting them with legall terrours from all those sins unto which they are tempted by selfe interest in this tempting age Men that will not berusled by Law or Gospel or conscience rightly informed by both but do indeed seare their consciences and harden their hearts both against Law and Gospel must be restrained by the Sword because they are unconscionable Shame and feare will worke upon men that have any manner of ingenuity remaining in them VI. We must distinguish between the Object and the End of the Magistrates Power 1. The immediate Object of the Magistrates Power is externall the body and outward goods of his Subjects 2. The immediate end of the Magistrates Power is to preserve and promote the peace and welfare of a Nation in its Civill Society but the ultimate end is for the support and furtherance of Godlinesse and honesty No Christian Magisrate ought to aime lower in any Nation unto which the means of Grace hath been offered by the special providence and favour of God Put all together and you have the Adaequate end of the Civill power of Christian Magistrates over all in their Dominions who have given up their names to Jesus Christ. The Apostles themselves and the Churches planted by them begged this favour of God for Kings in their time when you know who they were that Governed the World that God would so far over-rule their Rulers that the Christians might lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godlinesse and honesty 1 Tim. 2. 2. But it is readily acknowledged that there are some Magistrates who are ignorant of truth and godlinesse and therefore are not able to performe the whole duty of Magistrates But our next conclusion is VII All Magistrates ought to study the truth and worship of Jesus Christ that they may be instructed in the Principles of Christianity and made wise enough to discern between fundamental Truths and damnable errors that they may not by following their own blind and erroneous consciences countenance Heresie and Apostacy and Persecute truth and fidelity Be wise therefore O ye Kings be instructed ye Iudges of the earth serve the Lord with feare and rejoyce with trembling kiss the Son least he be angry and ye perish from the way c. Psal. 2. 10 11 12. compared with Deut. 17. 17 18 19 20. and 1 Tim. 2. 2. And surely it is then no great task for any Magistrate who hath given up his name to Christ to learne the Principles of the Christian Religion whereby he hopes for to be saved that he may be able to judge and punish such Blasphemous and seducing Hereticks as endeavour to subvert the Christian faith VIII God doth freely reveale and communicate himself to all true-hearted Magistrates who seek unto him in his own way for direction and instruction in those weighty points which they are bound to know both as servants and as Civill Ministers of God for their own and their Subjects everlasting good Hezekiah did prevent the Priests and Levites and for ought we read the whole Church also in discovering the right way of Reformation in matters of Religion after that general Apostacy in the days of Ahaz read 2 Chr. 29. from verse 4. to verse 12. And it is generally conceived that David was the first that did discover that great disorder in carrying the Arke of God in a Cart read the fifteen first verses of I Chron. 15 and take special notice of the 2 12 13 15. verses None ought to carry the Arke of God but the Levites for them hath the Lord chosen to carry the Arke of God and to minister to him for ever c. IX Christian Magistrates have no other Rule of Civil Righteousness prescribed unto them by God then that which God gave by Moses and such as have expounded Moses in the Scriptures of truth This one Proposition fully explained and confirmed would put an end to this unhappy controversie between all judicious and ingenuous men We cannot in equity extend the Law of Moses to such as never entred into any Covenant with God nor to any that are led away in their simplicity before they have been better instructed and admonished once and again nor to such as do in a Christian and Peaceable way dissent from their brethren in points of lesse consequence But we extend the Law of Moses to seducing Apostates blasphemous Hereticks and Idolatours who are obstinate against light and admonition and poyson others or endeavour to poyson them with Doctrines which do subvert faith and holiness in heart or life that they may be punished according to their several demerits I need not say any thing of such disturbances of the Civil peace as tend to the destruction of the lives or soules of men Hierome tells us that because Arius who was but a sparke of fire in Alexandria was not quenched presently he kindled a flame which devoured almost the whole Christian World And yet it is cleare that the Church had done their part against him for he was twice excommunicated out of the Church of Alexandria as Socrates Sozomen and divers others of the Ancient Writers relate And therefore when spirituall Instructions admonitions Censures will do no good upon these self-condemned persons they are even ripe for Civill Censures When the Wolves come into the Sheepfold the Sheep run to the Shepheard the Magistrate is a Civil Shepheard as is confessed by all and the Civil Shepheard hath some dogs at his command to hunt away these Wolves at least out of the Sheepfold least they worry and destroy the Sheep X. A Toleration of seducing Apostates blasphemous Hereticks and Idolatours by the Civill Powers hath exceedingly strengthened the hands of Antichrist and been very prejudicial to the Church of Christ I am not at leasure now to relate the mischiefes which happened in the days of Constantius Valens Iulian and others who were Patrons of seducing Apostates and blaspheming Hereticks Iulian thought that a Toleration of Heresies and a suppressing of the Schooles of learning that none of the Christians might be able to confute them was the most speedy and effectual course to blot the Christian name from under Heaven For this Sacrilegious Liberty as Augustine doth well observe would soon overthrow the power of Christianity XI The Toleration of Blasphemous Heretikes Seducing Apostates and grosse Idolatours hath too often introduced a persecution of Saints Apostates are of all others the most keen and bloudy Persecutours witnesse Iulian. And when subtile Seducers are tolerated they will quickly be countenanced employed preferred and then woe be to all Orthodoxe Saints I meane men â—ound in the Faith holy in life and peaceable in their conversation The toleration of Seducers made the world turne Arian as Ecclesiasticall writers
of the Lords day Eheu nec fictis lachrymis dolendaest ista profanatio quae sub praetextu Libertatis Christianae in diei Dominici celebrationeÌ„ tanquam torrens irrupit SabbathuÌ„ inter omnes mortales celebre Vide Theophil Antioch lib. ad Attolycum Joseph lib. 2. adversus Appion Phil. Iud. lib. 2 de vitâ Moysis The Iewish Holy days * Vide Aug. Ep. 68. ad Casulanum Chrysost. Homil. 10. in cap. 2. Gen. Phil. Iudae lib. 3. de vitâ Moysis Theod. Trad quaest in Gen. See Master White of the morality of the 4th Commanment Dr. Twisse Mr. Cawdry and Mr. Palmer Mr. Shepheard Dr. Ames Medulla Theol. Dr. Lakes Theses The grounds of sanctifying the Lords day The Iewish Sabbath Isa. 58. 13. The Christian Sabbath The Evangâ—licall Ministry The scope of the second and fourth Commandements Rabbi Agnon dicit hanc benedictionem transire super sanctificantes Sabbatum ante legem in Sina datam Cognitio celebratio Dei Creatoris consideratio seria operum Creationis ac Redemptionis ad CeremoniaÌ„ referri nequeunt D. Waelleus de Sabbatho pag. 583. How the Lords day is to be sanctified unto Father Son and holy Ghost How Christians do enjoy God upon the week-days Eminent holiness and Communion Read Mr. Shepherds excellent Treatise upon this Subject in his fourth part of the sanctification of the Sabbath Restorative Communion Constant Communion Soule-satiating communion Extraordinary duties Penitential meltings * The sad condition of the most ingeneous sort of unregâ—nerate men Motives to Faith and true Repentance The great difference between an ingenuous man and a gracious man How far an unregenerate man may be changed The Conversion of notorious sinners The greaâ—est sinners are welcome to Christ when they turne and submit to him No meritorious Praeparatives Luk. 24. 49 Magnitudo animi ad praedicandum â—vangelium necessaria ex alto promittitur D. Aâ—ting An etiam Abnegatio Christi quae fit corde in Epâ—cureismum prolapso sit peccatum in Spiritum Sanctum Vide Scultetum in Ideis concionum ad cap 6. ad Hebraeos Clamant Dâ—ificaâ—i Spiritus homunciones se nullum habere Deum sed usque adeo se sibi esse mortuos ac Deo unitos ut ipsimet Deus effecti sint vide Joh. Ruys broch in cap. 2. Apologiae Nobilissimum Marnixium in Tract contra Enthysiastas Calvinum de Libertinis in Gallia Merceunum contra Deistas De Atheismo subtili palliato vide D. Vedelium de Deo Synagogae Casp. Barth Adversar lib 10. cap. 6. Cornel. à Lapide Comment ad Act. 17. 18. Sladum nec non Eglisemnium contra Vorstium Atheus est qui fidem cultum Dei directe aut indirecte à se aut ab alâ—â—s removet D. Voetius de Atheismo Vide John Junium in Refutatione Praelect Socini cap. 2. D. Rivet in Psal. 10. D. Voet. de Atheismo Ignorans quis sit Deus ignorantiâ pravae dispositionis contra sensum numinis congenitum verum Deum negans Atheus certè nec immeritò â—â—cendus est Nulli autem sunt Athei qui certò persuasi sunt non esse Deum Vide Mersennum in Gen. 1. à pag. 235. usque ad pa. 279. Voetium in Ther site Sect. 2. cap. 4. de Atheismo parte secundâ parte quarta pag. 189. Wigandum de Arianis in Polonia Facilis est ab Atheismo Sâ—ciniano in directum Atheismum prolapsus Vide Bedae notas in Ephes. 2. 14. D. Vedelium de Deo Synagogae Atheismus interpretativè contradicens directè blasphemans ferendus non est in civili hominum societate quia bonum civile non consistit sine metu cultuque numinis Vide Calvin in Psal. 115. de Atheo blasphemante Vide Arist. de coelo lib. 1. cap. 3. Aug. in Psal. 44. Senec. Epist. 1. 7. Damasâ— de Orth. fid lib. 1. c. 1. Ciceron de naturâ Deorum The Father and his coequal Son are to be honoured with equal honour Christian communion with the Father in his natural Son by their co-essential spirit The largest bounds of Christian Communion We can have no Christian communion with such as deny the Godhead of Christ. Vide Epistolas Martini Seidelii Silesii apud Socinum de Adoratione Christiad versus Christian Francken Franciscum Davidis Catechis Racov. The Socinìans are blasphemous and Idolatrous Hereticks The Family of love H. Nicolaus Familiae Caritatis Pater dixit Ego sum Deus Vide Theodor Cornhert in Specimine injustitiae Deificati Hen Nicolai Praefat. Mr. Fry his Bellows pag. 16. Mr Fry his proud blasphemy The grand question concerning Christian communion with blasphemous Idolaters seducing Hereticks and base Apostates Vide Gomarum Voetium Zanchium Polanum de Trinitate Jod Cocâ— Thesaur Cathol lib. 1. Goldast in Imperial constit Tom. 3. Elmenhorst com ad Gennadium The Reasons why Socinians are rejected from Christian communion The common unity of the Christian Faith The Adequate object of Divine and Evangelical worship They who deny the Trinity are apt to close with Iews and Turks Vide Epistolas Seidelii apud Socinum de Adoratione christi Videl de Deo synagogae lib. 1. cap. 2. socinismus ex Mahumetismo oritur in eundem resolvitur Stegman Photin Socinismus est recta ad Judaismi Turcismi nec non Atheismi via Exempla dabant Neuserus Pafradus viri non indocti quorum ille minister in Palatinatu hic praeceptor Classicus Scholae Marpurgensis Vide D. Voetii Antidota Generalia adversus Socin pag. 437. 438. Abrah Caloviumâ— Mr Fryes blasphemy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Phil. 2. 2. Error Personae fatalis error est The substance of the Gospel and the Covenant of Grace The Contents of the Covenant of Grace Gal. 5. 5. 2 Cor. 13. 14. Eph. 2. 18. Socinismus est haeresis pestilentissima divinitatem Christi spiritusque abnegans viamque per propriam vitae obedientiam ad coelum affectans Socinianism overthrows the Covenant of Grace Socinismus divinam Christi essentiam personam satisfactionem negans objectum fidei cultusque tollit Christianismum evertit We are quickned and cured by Christ and his spirit according to the tenour of the Covenant of Grace The Spirit is given by Covenant as a bond of union Christ God-man is the only Mediatour of the Covenant Christ is God and man in one subsistence or Person The high importance of this truth Mr Fry in his Bellows printed at Addle-hill pag. 15 16 17. The nature of christian Communion 2 Cor. 13. 14. Eph. 2. 18. The Sacraments of communion Christian Baptisme Mat. 28. 19 Eph. 2. 18. 2 Cor. 13. 14. Act. 2. 38 39. 2 Cor. 6. 18 2 Cor. 7. 1. Rom 8. 15 Gal. 4. 5 6 The Lords Supper The growing saving communion The mystery of the Trinity is made even sensible to us in the hâ—ly Sacrament The special application The highest communion Sacramental knowledge Sacramental mysteries are spiritual and yet real Joh. 6. 55 63.